(I rushed this chapter a lot because I've written at least 20 stories with the same way I wrote this.)
The moment the light that blinded Joshua faded, he immediately noticed the anomalies in his surroundings. Instead of the dark room he had been accustomed to, he now found himself in a vast open grassland, he was so confused that for a moment he forgot to notice the thing he was holding in his hand. It's a katana, a familiar katana.
He knows exactly what this katana is as he has been using it for months on end, it's named the [Stormreaver], his main weapon in the game [Everett Online]. This fact made Joshua more confused than ever because this weapon only existed inside the game. How can it be in his hand right now? And how did he get into this place?
"Am I dreaming? What happened to the boss I'm fighting?" His confusion was overpowered by his anger after realizing that he had been on the losing side of the fight. "Seems like the 5 cans of energy drink wasn't enough to keep me awake. I'll need to wake up soon to re-fight the boss."
After calming himself, he raised the blade to face level to admire it, its distinct blue blade reflecting the light made him think about how the game would look like with this kind of graphics suddenly, the sight of his reflection shocked him out of his core.
'Holy cow, have I been playing so much [Everett Online] that I have dreams like this now?' He thought to himself as he observed the reflection of his character in the game, Alicia.
'Tho I admit, she looks much more beautiful compared to the low-resolution version in the game.
One of the reasons he's so desperate to get this character is not only because it was rare, but also because of its harmless design and is more suitable for less offensive class, which is what he wanted. Instead of armor, he chose to equip her with a dress which would add more of the harmless vibe that can make other players underestimate her which is the main part of her strategy on PvP.
'Now, now. I need to find a way to wake up from this dream.' Joshua turned around and looked over the place and just like before, he was met with the never-ending expanse of grass.
'I've heard of this thing where if you began shouting in your dreams would be enough to wake yourself up.' And with that, he did.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"......"
Though nothing happened other than him feeling like an idiot and hearing his voice which was so soft and sweet it was enough to make him feel like he had become the character herself.
"Shit..."
Even that sounds so wrong hearing it with his newfound voice.
"Well, that didn't work... Let's find another way." He said, shrugging off the feeling of uneasiness.
He sat down on the ground and began thinking of a way out of his current predicament.
"I'm dreaming of [Everett Online], does that mean I can use the spells too? [Solar-blade, Manifest]! Just after he spoke, the similar blade he used on the boss fight appeared in front of him, but this time he could feel the force of it in person for the first time. Pain does not exist in a dream, so with a newfound determination, an idea comes to his mind.
"Dying in your dream wakes you up instantly," he thought, eyeing the radiant blade skeptically. "So having this thing shanked into me should do the trick."
Summoning his courage, he cautiously extended a finger towards the glowing sword. When his skin met the blade, agony coursed through his hand, and he couldn't even stifle a cry of pain. As the searing sensation slowly fade away, he realized, with a shiver down his spine, that this was no dream.
{PoV: Joshua}
I've treated the situation lightly from the very beginning, but the current realization was enough to send dread into my system. I looked at my hand which was bleeding just a moment ago close up and left no scars as if none of it even happened in the first place.
"W-What the fuck... What is happening?!"
I dropped the katana from my hand and thinking more deeply about it, I began to realize the irregularities of my 'Dream' compared to other dreams I've experienced. Everything... from the grass, the wind... the smell... Why did I not consider all of this!?
With much more determination and desperation to confirm, I re-summoned the Solar-blade and without hesitation, I made it stab me in the chest. Just like before, I've felt a brief pain, but it's almost immediately numbed.
Before anything of this happened... All I remember was being blinded by my monitor and I woke up here and in this body. If this is not a dream... Could it be that thing where a guy gets reincarnated? What about the game? I still have to save to buy that one item on the shop! What am I gonna do now-"
"Miss! Are you alright!?"
Startled, I turned around and saw a girl, fear and shock were present on her face. Without warning she charged towards me and began bombarding me with questions if I was alright, only when she pointed at it that I realized I still have the Solar-blade stabbed on my chest.
...
It took several minutes to calm the girl down, but during our little scuffle, I've noticed another anomaly, not on myself, but on the girl. She has the normal appearance of a human, but what stands out is the fox tail and ears. Though I would say this can't compare to the things I've seen.
"T-That's good... How did you manage to have a sword stabbed in you without even bleeding? Are you some kind of high-ranking spell-caster?"
Her eyes still looked at me with concern which made me feel a little guilty. There's a chance that I may or may not be in [Everett] just like in those novels where the protagonists are reincarnated in another world as a character.
"Well, you could say that..." My character's class is [Mystic Swordmaster] in the game.
"Wow, are you an albino demi-human? This is the first time I've seen one."
Albino demi-human? I was ticked off by that for a second because how can someone not recognize the difference between a demi-human from a kitsune? Not trying to be racist or anything, but unlike demi-humans who are a mix of a human and a beastman, a kitsune is a pure divine being, an avatar of the [Fox Goddess] (lore-wise on the game), a boss unique on a server and was previously owned by one of the first beta testers. I know I'm ranting here, but I take pride in the character I've painstakingly created. Fuck this, I'm role-playing all out.
"No, I am a proud Kitsune." I puffed my chest with all my pride.
I heard a snicker coming from the girl and when I looked at her, she was literally on the verge of exploding with laughter.
"What's so funny?"
"Pfft- I mean, Do you know what you're saying? Could it be you're mentally ill?" She asked.
What the heck is that reaction?! I felt myself even more ticked than ever before. THIS GIRL IS DIRECTLY INSULTING MY CHARACTER, well technically I've become my character so he insulted me, but that's not the point!
"Huh?! How dare you insult my best creation!"
The girl looked at me as if I was insane and just shrugged "This woman must be insane... Anyways, are you not aware of what happened to the one and only, may I repeat, ONE AND ONLY kitsune in the entire world of Everett? It would sound even more unbelievable to find someone, especially a fellow demi-human not knowing the Story of Alicia, one of the Ancient Heroes 2000 years ago."
(Writing this drained the hell out of me for some reason, lol. Anyway, do expect that I will not rush anymore chapters other than this XDDD.)
