webnovel

The Beginning

In a dark space where nothing could be seen, a man is walking alone with it not knowing where to go. It doesn't have anything.

Life, living creatures, living things, or non-living things...

Nothing.

No signs of life are seen as it was all black.

A lifeless place.

Seeing how the space is, the man continued to walk further even though there's no reason to. He just felt like walking and use it to remove the anxious and nervous emotion building inside him.

He looks down on himself and saw that he was the only light, which make him some sort of bulb in a dark room.

He moved his eyes around yet it was the same darkness he keep seeing. Remembering the choice he made, a bitter smile formed on his face as he reminisces them.

"I hope they're safe, sigh. Just why did I choose this path?" The man murmured to himself as he continued to walk.

It was dark and he knew to himself that he is alone...

"You don't need to worry about them."

Not until he heard a voice on his back that scared the shit out of him.

"All of them are now safe." A voice, from somewhere, spoke with a calm tone that even made the man more scared.

He thought it was only his hallucination but the voice was clearly heard! Worse of all, the voice was near. No, it was on his back!

Instead of confronting the voice, he decided to run away from it as fast as possible. Even though he was alive now, he will surely die if it is something he didn't expect.

The man knew to himself that running is futile but still, it was the only thing he could do in this situation.

"Child… why are you running away?!" The voice shouted before it continued. "I'm not going to eat you or anything! It's me!"

"What do you mean?! I don't even know who you are!" The man answered with a shout even though his face was looking forward.

The voice let out a sigh and does a fake cough, before shouting, "You know it's useless to run so turn around now, will you?!"

"Like hell would I turn around?!" The man answered before continuing with a pained voice, "Please, just scare other people. I already have enough!"

"..."

Hearing the man's painful shout, the voice fell silent before it answered, "I know it is painful child, and I'm sorry for that."

It paused, "To tell you... I'm the one who summoned you in this world. Yes, I know you heard it from someone."

This time, the man stopped running as he repeats the words inside his head. Though the voice was low, it felt loud to the man's two ears.

'What the hell did it said?' The man mused inwardly as he formed a frown on his face.

Slowly, he decided to confront the voice and turned his body around.

Then, he sees it.

The same light as him but it had no facial structures until it started to form one out of nowhere.

It took a mere seconds before it formed into a face of a sad one.

"You…! You're the…!"

The other one in the darkness raised its hand up, stopping the man from continuing.

The face sadly smiles at him before the voice and everything he could see started to break like broken glasses.

"Yes… you're… correct… I'm—."

Suddenly, a man open his eyes widely as he started to do heavy pants, "Hahh… hahh… What the…"

While rubbing his eyes, he remembered the dream he had right now and said inwardly. 'What kind of dream is that? It felt so real. And… who is that? Ugh… I need more rest…'

After rubbing his eyes and regaining his senses, he looked at his surroundings for him to prepare dishes for his sister when she came back from her place.

But he noticed this isn't his house, in fact, it is different from the houses he knew because this one is a lot bigger and… gigantic.

Noticing that this isn't his house, he started to focus more to observe where he is. Maybe he was in his friend's house? But it wasn't the case...

'Eh?'

After waking up from a strange dream, even more stranger things appeared in the man's eyes.

'Huh?!"

He notices that he is inside in some really wide and gigantic cave. It was so big that his size was nil compared to it. After noticing that he is inside, he then roams his eyes around and saw torches placed at the side, enough to light up the place.

Another thing he saw is the weapons at the side of the cave, either on the ground or placed at the wall. Aside from weapons, there is also food, water, medicine, and bags placed in a proper manner.

'What is this…? Where am I? I remember I was sleeping on my couch but this…'

With those questions inside his head, his heart started to get faster. After a second, he then heard a groan and pained voice on his left side.

"Ugh… my head hurts… why did you leave me. I love you…you know that… sniff."

With a frown, the man then slowly gets out from the drunk man by crawling away from him. After getting out, he stand up and began to hear something.

Chatter!

As he stand up, he could hear chatter in someplace. He thought it was the same man earlier but it isn't, instead, he was shocked to the core when it was the people shouting and talking to each other.

As he turned left there was a person, and the same could be said when he was turning right. That's when notice that something is weird because...

Every direction has a people.

A lot of people.

'This… holy shit...!'

Every part of this big area has people in it. Some are still lying on the floor and some are as confused as the man. Some are even shouting what they have in mind.

"What is this?!"

"Hey! Let me out!"

"Joseph, if this is one of your pranks, it is not funny at all!"

"Mom *sobs* *sobs* Mom, Where are you?"

"Uwahh!"

'This is nonsense. There are also other humans?! I get that, but this is too many!' The man couldn't help but question inwardly.

It is impossible to know that this many people would be here all in this cave. The man also knew that there is news circulating that a few people are missing but this is not a few.

The man then calms himself first and recollects his senses. After done doing it, he began to observe the interior of the place first and thought of certain things.

He saw that there are two gigantic holes that are connected to the place he is currently staying. Curious about it, he was about to observe what's in there but stop, when a screen suddenly appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

[Welcome]

Surprised by it, the man stepped back, almost hitting another person. He swiftly moved to the side and tried to look at the person he had almost hit but he soon formed a frown on his face, when he saw that the person was also looking at nothing in their front.

He quickly moved his attention and concentrated on the text in front of him, which only had a word welcome on it. The man used his hands to remove it but his hands just pass through like it was invincible.

'Is this an advanced technology made by someone? I'm impressed but this is getting scarier.' He said inwardly before he looked at the crowd and saw that they're also quiet.

They're also doing what the man is doing. Looking at nothing in their front.

'Looks like only themselves are allowed to see it. That's... amazing.' The man said inwardly before he saw the others doing the same thing as him.

They are either shooing something in the air or looking at it. As he looked at them, he lands his eyes on someone who is rather calm and not doing the same thing as him or the others.

'It is good to be calm really, but that guy is different like he knew this will happen… Nah, must be my imagination.'

The man who is being eyed felt someone eyeing him so he turns his head to the right. They looked at each other before the one who is eyeing him, avoided his gaze quickly.

The man breathes and lets out a sigh, before he thought about the events happening to him currently, 'I was just sleeping on my couch, waiting for my sister. Then I wake up in this... I don't know. After, a screen pops up saying welcome to everyone. '

'Ok. No need to panic.' The man paused as he let out a reassuring breath, 'Calm your nerves Gin. Let's assume that this is real for a moment.'

Minutes quickly passed and the man named Gin continued to observe the place and saw that the people present have all woken up, at the same time, the context of the screen in front changed like it was waiting for it to happen.

[Welcome, I'm the administrator in this tutorial.]

Seeing the screen made the place silent but all of them waited for it to continue.

[You all must be confused. Everyone is like this when they also had been called.]

'Hmm...' Gin mused inwardly but soon froze at the spot, when he saw the next context which was kind of different from what he was expecting.

[You all have been chosen to save this world.]

"…"

As soon as the screen appeared, the silence even intensify leaving everyone confused and baffled as the screen wasn't even changing!

Then, everyone began to complain and shout their voices about the situation, seeing that the screen wasn't changing.

"What kind of bullshit is this?!''

"Hey, if I did know that is a prank, I'm going to sue you all to the police!"

"Shit... What is this?!''

"I must be dreaming...?"

"Hahahaha! I see now! I have been isekai'd?!"

"I'm going crazy!"

Gin scratches his ear and felt like it would soon bleed from the complaints before he mused inwardly, 'That was quick... I too want this to be a dream or... it is a new sickness where debts would drive someone insane? Nah, no way I'll be crazy with that.'

'And what does that guy just say?' Gin paused as he let out a chuckle from his mouth, 'Isekai? How funny.'

[Please be quiet or I will not give further instruction]

A warning screen appeared but everyone was still voicing their complaints which is getting more annoying to Gin.

But, a full second later, Gin and the others heard a voice inside their heads which made them feel shivers.

'I said be quiet or do you not want further instructions? My last warning humans.'

[I said be quiet or do you not want further instructions? My last warning humans.]

Same words were heard and conceived at the same time. The voice couldn't even be determined whether it was a man or woman as it was said with a monotonous one.

The noise slowly decreases until everyone's mouth was shut. Afraid of angering the administrator, everyone became quiet just like that as everything that is happening to them right now was really shocking.

When the place has quieted down, the administrator continued with the screen appearing and its voice at the same time.

[The tutorial is to give you all experiences. Monsters that you needed to fight.]

[Just like what you called humans, games. There will be problems you needed to face. Dropped or rewards will be given when you finished the problem.]

[In this world it is Task. Well, it is the same as a problem, anyhow, you need to do your task to get the rewards on it. The earlier the better. The bigger the better.]

[The more you experienced you are, the more your Stats will grow.]

"Just like a game?" Hearing the word game, someone said in a hushed voice. Although it is low, it vibrated throughout the whole cave that even the administrator answered back.

[Yes. Just like a game. Then, I'll give the task now].

With a sound of a buzz, the task was shown on everyone's front.

As the screen appears, Gin looked at the task carefully and soon form a frown on his face.

[Task]

[Survive]

For a moment, Gin thought it was a mistake and somehow waited for it to change. But, after a few seconds of waiting, the same text was still shown.

Anyone would start to think the task was shockingly easy but it really isn't, which Gin knew. They're many things to consider when the problem is to survive.

'There are many tasks out there but Survive? And survive from what? This must be a mistake, right?' Gin thought inwardly before the administrator speak again.

[Oh, one more thing. Everything you do, whether it is bad or good. It will reflect it in your Status Window. It is composed with your stats just like I said a while ago.]

[Just say in your mind or speak [Status Window] and it will appear in front of you. The people around you won't see it unless you showed it to them. The System is the one that gives it to you so accept it. ]

'I see.' Gin nodded his head as he listen to the administrator's monotonous voice.

He moved his head to the side and saw that people started to follow the administrator's instructions. Either they say it in a low voice or just say the word inside their mind.

Gin focused himself and decided to do the latter, 'Status window.'

After saying the two words inwardly, a screen appeared, showing him his stats.

[Status Window]

Name: Gin Frest

Age: 24

Sex: Male

Title: None

Disposition: Careful Thinker

Occupation: None

Vitality: 4 (Drops At Zero. You Die)

Strength: 2

Agility: 7

Physique: 3

Intelligence: 5

Luck: 1

Magic: 4

Stamina: 6

Element: Wind

[Attribute] Just say [Attribute] inside your head.

{System Evaluation}

[Super trash low stats. No one will remember you if you die. There is a chance to upgrade in Agility, Intelligence, Stamina, but the rest is the lowest of the low. Especially your luck… pft. If you want to upgrade it then dream on.]

Seeing the evaluation that was given by him, Gin knew that it would make everyone form a frown on their face but he agreed at some point to it.

It's just that... it hurts.

'T-trash… stats. How am I going to survive like this? I don't even have two-digit numbers…' Gin mused inwardly as he hopelessly look at his stats which is really trash.

Then, the administrator continues, saying its last words to the people.

[An hour will be given to all of you. At that hour, do anything you want to do. Prepare, sleep, or anything. I don't care at all. But remember that every decision you made now will either lead to you your own death or escape from it. This is all, goodbye.]

Listening to the administrator's last words, Gin finally found the problem that he had to solve right now.

It is himself.

But every time Gin looks at his stats, the numbers placed there are just... small to be used. Yet, he didn't give up as he knew there will be something that could help him from this problem, thus he began to look for something again.

That's when he saw something at the bottom part of his status window, which he didn't mind at first but he now knew that everything he would acquire now will probably help him.

[Attribute]

He was expectant when he sees the word but he quickly died it down as it will lead to disappointment later if his expectations weren't met.

The only thing he could do is wish.

'I hope this is a little bit good. Sigh.' Gin wished inwardly before he continued.

"Attribute…" Gin spoke in a weak voice and just hope that his attribute would be something that would make him survive in this bizarre situation.

Next chapter