John's fingers brushed against the cool, unfamiliar surface of the bed as he shifted, gradually awakening to the unsettling reality of a strange room. He felt a headache and his vision was blurred, but one thing was clear—this wasn't his room.
The space was compact with plain walls devoid of any decoration or windows. The room was sparsely furnished: a bed, a closet, and a single locked door. Nothing else. John's eyes swept across the room, searching for something—anything—that might explain his situation.
"Where am I?" John muttered, rubbing his aching forehead as if trying to massage clarity into it. The last thing he remembered was… What was it? He frowned trying to grasp his foggy memory but it was like smoke, it can't be grasped.
He staggered to the door, yanking on the handle. "Hey, why isn't this opening?" he shouted, banging on the door with all his strength. "Is anyone out there? Can someone hear me? Why am I here?"
The only response was the echo of his own voice, bouncing off the walls, amplifying the emptiness. He slammed the door repeatedly, each bang growing more frantic. "Heeey! IS ANYONE OUTSIDE?"
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
John's attempts to open the stubborn door echoed in the confined space, punctuating the stillness with the rhythm of his frustration. He shouted and slammed the door again and again, but there was nothing...Not a single sound from the other side of the door.
John's heart raced, the stillness of the room pressing in on him. The silence that followed his desperate pleas added weight to the realization that he was truly alone, trapped in this foreign place and without answers.
Finally giving up, he slumped onto the bed, burying his head in his hands as inner turmoil played across his face. His thoughts raced, attempting to piece together the fragments of his memory.
How did he end up here? And why? Kidnapping seemed the only logical explanation, but why him? He was nobody special—just a 27-year-old guy of average features, standing at 180 cm with a weight of 95 kg—who had coasted through life without making much of an impact.
He managed to get a good enough grade in high school to enter a decent university. It wasn't among the best in the world, maybe not even in the top hundred, but it was still respectable. And it did not cost him much to study mechatronics engineering.
The college usually takes five years. The first year of engineering studies are dedicated to basic courses that all students must take, followed by four years of courses in the department of the student's choice.
He'd taken seven and a half years to finish a five-year mechatronics degree, He was more interested in games, anime and novels than studying. He was not lacking in intelligence or facing any obstacle that delayed him, he just thought that after high school, he could relax and not push himself to study any further. And so, he rarely studied.
Even the military had passed on him. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how one saw it—he received an exemption after the medical check due to his bad eyesight.
Back to the present, when John woke up, he found his glasses beside him on the bed, but nothing else. Not his phone nor his wallet, not even his keys.
'None of this makes sense.' John took a deep breath. 'Calm down, John. You need to calm down… First, I need to call for help, but I don't know how without my phone, though.
Second, why would anyone want to kidnap me? Me and my family are not poor by any means—thank God. But we are not wealthy, not even close. So, kidnaping me for money can't be possible.
What else?
I'm not a genius to be kidnapped to do some forbidden research. Seriously, if I don't have to get a job because my dad will not give me allowance for the rest of my life, no one will remember that I exist.
I seriously can't think of any reasonable explanation for why I'm here. And my memory before waking up is blurry'
He looked around the room again, searching for anything he might have missed. His gaze fell on the closet. It was the only place left to check. With a mix of hope and desperation, he approached it, pulling open the door.
Inside, nestled in the shadows, was a tablet.
"What the—?" John picked up the tablet, his pulse quickening as he unlocked it. A message was displayed on the screen:
(Subject of study, code name: Ordinary-Sleuth.
Name: John Howard.
Age: 27.
Stats:
Strength: 9 (Normal Human Strength Ranges Between 7-10).
Agility: 6 (Normal Human Agility Ranges Between 6-9).
Flexibility: 5 (Normal Human Flexibility Ranges Between 4-9).
Vitality: 10 (Normal Human Vitality Ranges Between 5-9).
Intelligence: 9 (Normal Human Intelligence Ranges Between 5-10).
Subject Talents:
1- INSANITY CHECK
Triggered when the subject faces unfavorable circumstances.
Effect: Boost all attributes by 5 for 40 minutes.
Side effect: All stats drop by 3 for 60 minutes afterward. Extreme exhaustion.
2- Double Focus:
Effect: Allows the subject to concentrate on a single target, enhancing vision and hand-eye coordination.
Warning: You have been chosen for a test. It will reveal if you have what it takes to be part of our organization. Brace yourself for the trial.)
"What in the world?!" John's eyes widened as he read the information." Subject of study!! … Am I now a subject of study?! Are you serious?!" He stared at the screen in disbelief, his voice rising with each sentence.
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" What the hell?! And what's with the status?! Do I have this kind of talent?! Why haven't I known anything about it until now?! Test! –What test?! why would I want to join your organization? ARE YOU PEOPLE CRAZY?"
What John read left him confused, infuriated and in skepticism of what was going on. He took a deep breath to calm down, he knew he lacked a lot of information so he chose to leave what he read aside for now as getting out of here is his first priority
He attempted to switch the screen or perform any other action, but the screen stubbornly stayed on the message.
Click.
Click.
Click.
"Is this thing faulty, or is this how it was made? What kind of piece of garbage is this?" John cursed in frustration. His futile attempt to use the tablet echoed through the quiet expanse.
He gave up when the tablet screen didn't change after all his effort. John was about to toss the tablet aside when it vibrated and the screen displayed the following:
(Now that you are awake, proceed to the next step.)
Beeb!
A soft beep echoed in the room as a hidden drawer slid open from the closet. Inside was a short sword and an empty backpack. "A Sword! Really!! Is this some sort of sick game?!" John's voice trembled with a mix of anger and fear. This was getting more bizarre by the minute.
Reluctantly, he took the sword. The cool touch of its hilt sent shivers down his spine, and the weight of it was a reminder of the seriousness of his situation.
His mind raced with questions, his heart pounded with anxiety, and he struggled to make sense of the bizarre scenario unfolding around him.
Ring
The tablet vibrated, revealing a new message on the screen:
(The test will start after opening the door.
Open the door? YES/NO.)
'Is this even a choice?'
What choice does he really have? how can he survive if he stays? He has no food or anything else.
'Well, I have to open the door anyway.' John pressed (Yes).
(the door will be open in 3—2—1)
A tick sound echoed in the room as the door clicked open. John took a deep breath, gripped the sword tighter, and stepped out cautiously.
The corridor beyond the door was dimly lit and eerily silent. Dust particles danced in the air, catching the feeble light. At the end of the corridor, a gate loomed, old and rusted. John, filled with dread, approached it cautiously, the metallic creak of the gate as he pushed it open intensified his heart rate.
The moment John steps outside, a cacophony of unfamiliar sounds and the unexpected sight of a jungle greeted him. Dense, dark, and foreboding, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and vegetation.
He squinted against the darkness, trying to discern the boundaries of the mysterious jungle that now loomed before him. John was trying to make sense of this new environment, when the tablet vibrated.
He retrieved the tablet from the backpack, it cast a glow on John's face as he read the notification.
(Mission 1: Find level 1 monster.
Time limit: not limited.)
John's breath hitched, his eyes widening with a mix of disbelief and horror. "What in the world?! A monster! Are you serious?!" His heart pounded as he tried to process the absurdity of the situation.
"Is this something of a video game now?! I didn't kill a chicken in my life and you want me to find the so-called monster!! Really!! Wouldn't it be easier to kill me straight away?!"
In a surge of panic, John raised his trembling hand, a defiant middle finger directed at an unseen force orchestrating this nightmare. "Screw you, guys, wherever you are".
john took a deep, shaky breath, his attempt to steady himself futile in the face of an unimaginable threat. "Let's look at the bright side. Which I don't see anywhere—but let's pretend that there are a brighter side to whatever this is... I don't have to do the mission... Right! Right? I don't have to... it has no time limit anyway.
I mean—I hope I will not have to face, kill or even see the so-called monster...
Maybe they misspelled it or something… Maybe all I have to do is find a small bird or rabbit... OH GOD I'm freaking out and rumblings none stop talking to myself… Did I go crazy?!"
(If you don't enter the jungle in the next 15 minutes, the consequences will be dire.
Time remaining: 14 minutes, 15 seconds)
"I want to see how dire," John said as he crossed his hands and sat in the ground. Minutes ticked by while John scoffed at the tablet warning. a jolt of electricity shot through him, sending him sprawling to the ground, convulsing in pain.
(Penalty for not following orders: electric shock for 3 minutes.)
"Wh-what the hell?! Agh—ah!" John screamed while convulsing on the floor.
The three minutes felt like hours for John. When the shock finally stopped, he lay on the ground, shaking and gasping for breath.
The tablet came to life once more:
(Mission 1: Find level 1 monster. Time limit: not limited. If you do not enter the jungle within the next 15 minutes, the consequences will be dire.
Penalty for not following orders: electric shock for 4 minutes.)
Upon receiving the mission, John's initial defiance gave way to a sober realization. The gravity of his predicament set in, and a reluctant acceptance settled on his features. The tablet's glow reflected in his eyes as he contemplated the unknown dangers lurking in the jungle.