"Big brother, why don't you join us? Mom is cooking dinner."
Julian had just returned from a long day of work. Exhausted, all he wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep. But halfway to his house, a group of little kids came running toward him.
He smiled and gently patted each of their heads.
"Thanks, but I'm full."
"What?" The kids frowned, clearly unsatisfied with his answer. "Mom cooked a ton of food. Do you think we can eat all of it?"
Julian glanced toward the house not far away. Standing at the door was a beautiful woman, smiling at him like she was inviting him into her bed. His smile twitched as he gave a small wave. Then he turned to the kids and said, "I'm pretty sure your father would kill me. How about you bring me some food instead?"
After consoling them, the children ran back into the house. Their mother gave Julian a sideways glance and a small smile as she watched him go. He coughed and turned away, taking in the view in front of him.
A wide field stretched out, dotted with farmers and scattered wooden houses. Beyond that stood a majestic mountain range. The sight was beautiful, refreshing to the eyes. It had been months since he was transported into this world, but he still couldn't get over how much he loved the untouched beauty of nature.
Julian had once been a young student on Earth. One day, he had simply woken up in this village, surrounded by cheerful villagers. At first, he was lost and confused, but over time, he got used to life here. The people had welcomed him warmly, and he slowly adapted.
Eventually, though, Julian realized this world wasn't quite what he thought it was. It was a world of martial arts, a Murim world. Fortunately, the martial artists who lived out in the more dangerous areas seemed to have no interest in ordinary folks like the villagers.
Julian had even tried to join a martial sect once. But it turned out he had no talent at all. Disheartened, he returned to the village and decided to live a quiet life.
"I do love the peace here... but I miss my computer. The internet. And especially the food," he sighed, full of nostalgia.
The food in this village was as plain as it got. Mostly vegetables and meat, but without any seasoning. Salt was expensive, and anything beyond that was a luxury.
Setting his bag down on the table, Julian collapsed onto the bed.
His eyes were heavy, and he was just about to fall asleep when a flicker of light appeared in front of him. Suddenly, a glowing screen appeared in the air, hovering silently. Julian's eyes widened as he sat up straight.
[You have been invited to participate in World Battleground.]
[Do you wish to accept?]
[YES / NO]
The words floated there, clear as day. Julian looked around the room. It didn't seem like a prank. he reached out to touch the screen, but his hand passed straight through it.
"A world battleground?" he muttered.
He didn't exactly know what the message meant, but just by looking at the name World Battleground, his first instinct was to reject it. It didn't sound like anything good. It was probably about fighting, and honestly, that was the last thing he wanted.
But deep inside, there was a part of him that was curious. A part of him that held onto ambition.
The desire to grow stronger.
Julian enjoyed the peace he had found here, but he knew it wouldn't last. This world wasn't like Earth. It was dangerous. Anything could happen at any moment.
So, after a brief moment of thought, he chose Yes.
[Thank you for participating in the World Battleground.]
A new message popped up right away.
[Be ready, Player #96. In ten seconds, you will be teleported into the World Battleground realm.]
He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean be ready? You're just giving me ten seconds?"
The countdown dropped quickly. Ten… nine… one and then,
Everything around him shifted. It felt like he was being pulled through space. For a moment, he lost all sense of direction. But before he could make sense of it, his feet touched solid ground again.
He was in the middle of a dense forest.
And he wasn't alone.
"Come on, you bastard! Let me see that smug little face of yours!"
"Mwahaha! Interesting!"
All around him were people. Different in every way, some looked human, others weren't. There were elves, orcs, and even dwarves mixed into the crowd.
In the middle of it all, Julian looked like a kid out of place.
"That…" His eyes narrowed as he spotted someone not far from him. A young man in brown leather clothing, two weapons strapped to his waist, was scanning the area in confusion.
"Is that... Levi Ackerman?"
He quickly glanced at the others nearby, and his expression shifted into shock.
Some of them, no, many of them, were characters he recognized.
John Wick, Thorfinn, Shikamaru Nara. Kenshin Himura. And more.
"To think I'll have to fight people like them... damn." Julian clicked his tongue in disbelief. These people were monsters compared to him.
But maybe that was a good thing.
Because he knew them. He knew how they thought. How they fought. He might be weak now, but his knowledge could give him a chance.
Suddenly, a message appeared in front of all the players:
---
[Welcome, players, to the World Battleground realm!]
[You have all been chosen, and you chose to participate in this game.]
[The World Battleground is a survival competition where 100 players will fight until only one remains. In short, your goal is to reach the top.]
[Those who rise to rank 1 will receive rewards beyond anything you can imagine.]
[However, this round is the tutorial phase. You must reach the top 20 to earn rewards and gain the right to enter the next stage. Anyone who fails to make it into the top 20 will never be allowed to participate in the World Battleground again.]
[The game will last for 100 days. Each day, the playable area will shrink. If you go beyond the allowed boundary, you will suffer harm. The longer you stay outside, the closer you come to death.]
"Hey, big brother, do you know those people?"
Julian turned toward the voice and narrowed his eyes.
Standing there was a young girl with blonde hair, wearing a frilly pink dress.
He forced a smile and shook his head. "Ah, no. I don't."
"Really? Because from your expression, it kinda looked like you recognized them. You seem like someone who knows a lot of people," she said, eyeing him curiously.
"Not really," Julian replied carefully. "I just recognized a few faces, that's all."
He knew exactly who she was.
This wasn't just any random girl. She was Biscuit Krueger, a character from Hunter x Hunter. She might look cute and innocent on the outside, but Julian remembered exactly how dangerous she could be when provoked. Say the wrong thing, and she'd go from adorable to terrifying in an instant.
"Hey, hey, big bro," she said, her eyes suddenly sparkling, "why don't we become friends?"
For some reason, she was trying hard to act cute, not knowing that she was doing a great job of it.
Julian couldn't help but find her adorable, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he became more curious about her sudden friendliness.
"Okay," he said, a little surprised. A small bit of warmth flickered in his chest. "What's your name?"
"I'm Biscuit! How about you?" she asked brightly, blinking up at him with a wide grin.
"Julian," he replied.
"Well then, Julian," Biscuit said sweetly, "why don't you come with me? If we stick together, we've got a better chance of surviving this whole thing."
"Alright, thank you," Julian said, accepting without hesitation.
Inside, he felt a wave of relief. He had just secured a powerful ally, someone who could dramatically increase his chances of surviving this madness.
The two of them chatted for a while, keeping the conversation light. Biscuit, however, seemed more focused on being as adorable as possible. She kept admiring Julian and occasionally even complimented herself.
Julian was speechless more than once, but he just went along with it. There was no harm in letting her do her thing, especially when she could probably crush him with one punch.
Then, without warning, the real game began.
The players dropped into the World Battleground map like meteors crashing down from the sky.
Julian braced himself as he descended. Once he landed, he immediately looked around, trying to spot Biscuit. But she wasn't anywhere nearby.
It seemed like everyone had been scattered across the map.
He sighed, realizing he was alone for now. Thankfully, he had landed in a relatively safe spot, near a small wooden house surrounded by trees.
Julian carefully scanned his surroundings as he searched for a weapon. The house was small, and he could see almost the entire area from where he stood, but even so, he didn't let his guard down. Who knew? Maybe someone invisible was lurking nearby, ready to strike.
Thinking about his disadvantages, he couldn't help but sigh. This game had thrown a hundred players against each other, but the real issue was the type of players he was up against. Most of them were powerful and experienced, already equipped with skills and abilities that gave them a huge advantage.
Julian, on the other hand, had nothing.
The only thing he could take pride in was his stamina, something he had built up from months of working on the farm. That, and the knowledge he carried from his past life.
'If I survive this. I'm going to train seriously. No more excuses, even if I don't have talent for martial arts.'
He remembered what an elder once told him: he could still train, but he would never reach the highest levels. He'd hit his potential early. Still, why had he given up so easily?
'Sigh. I really did quit too fast. Maybe I was just lazy... or maybe I lost my motivation before I even gave it a chance.'
Shaking his head, he forced his thoughts back to the present.
"A dagger?"
Hidden beneath the table, he spotted two daggers with chains attached to their handles. He quickly picked them up.
[You have obtained