Kim Joon didn't wake up expecting to start a kingdom today.
Actually, he didn't expect much at all — maybe a microwaved dinner and another night grinding events in RealmForge, the game that took over his soul.
He was 24, single, semi-employed, and known on forums as "J00N the Minmaxer." He'd crushed high-score leaderboards in every major event since beta. Optimizing builds and skipping microtransactions had become an art form for him. If RealmForge was his religion, then spreadsheets were his scripture.
Then came the update.
It happened at midnight, without warning. His screen went black, then loaded a blinking message:
[REALM ASCENSION PROTOCOL INITIATED]
"Greetings, Rulers of RealmForge! You are invited to participate in a new reality-defining event."
Only 10,000 players globally
Real-time full-immersion experience
$10 million USD prize
Survival, Strategy, Sovereignty
Do you accept?
He sat frozen for a moment. The UI looked sleek — way too polished to be a mod. The forums exploded instantly. Half the player base called it a prank; the other half was already crying about region lock.
Joon just leaned back and smirked.
"Ten million dollars? I'd build an empire for a sandwich."
And without a second thought, he clicked [ACCEPT].
That's when everything shattered.
He fell through light. Or maybe data. His ears rang like someone had shouted inside his soul. His body felt like it was being downloaded into the void.
Then:
Silence.
He woke up face-first in a field.
Grass tickled his nose. The scent of pine and moss filled his lungs. The sky above him was crystal blue, birds flying in perfect V-shapes.
A breeze blew gently across the open land.
And Joon, still groggy, mumbled:
"....."
He sat up and looked around.
He was in a wide clearing surrounded by thick forest. No buildings, no minimap, no health bars. Just raw nature and—
Oh.
Right in front of him stood a broken-down shack with a crooked sign hammered into the dirt.
[TOWNHALL — LEVEL 0]
The building looked like it had survived three hurricanes and a raccoon infestation. It wobbled slightly in the wind, like it wasn't sure if it wanted to stand or collapse.
Suddenly, a blue holographic panel blinked into view in front of his face.
[Welcome, Player #7642 — Kim Joon]
RealmForge: Realization Edition
Starting Environment: Forest Basin (Balanced Resource Zone)
Starting Rank: Townholder
Unique Skill: Architect of Anything
[Would you like to hear the global announcement?]
→ YES
→ NO
Joon squinted.
"Well, let's see what kind of insanity I just signed up for."
He tapped YES.
GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT (Vocal Playback Initiated)
A soft, female voice echoed from the sky. It sounded cheerful, but with just enough corporate energy to be terrifying.
"Greetings, Ascended Players! Welcome to RealmForge: Realization Edition!"
"You have been selected as one of 10,000 pioneers to participate in the first full-immersion strategic simulation of RealmForge."
"This world mirrors the game you know — but it obeys new rules. Physical laws and system logic have been adapted for your survival, creativity, and suffering. :)"
"Each player begins with a unique territory, a random environment, and a Unique Skill tailored to your style."
"Your mission is simple: build a kingdom, expand your influence, summon troops, defeat threats, form alliances — or wipe everyone out. We're flexible."
RULES:
1. Your Townhall is your life source. If it is destroyed, you're out permanently.
2. You are functionally immortal unless your Townhall falls.
3. Pain is real. Death is temporary. Trauma is long-lasting.
4. Betrayal is allowed. Crying is optional.
"Good luck, Rulers! And remember — the winner receives ten million U.S. dollars. If you live long enough to claim it."
[System Sync Complete. Welcome to your new reality.]
Joon stood in stunned silence.
"…Okay," he said finally. "So, I've been kidnapped by the most ambitious mobile game in existence."
He checked his clothes — simple gray tunic, ash-colored pants, and a rough pair of boots. Somehow, they managed to look both cheap and princely. A stitched-on cape flowed behind him like he was cosplaying royalty at a thrift store.
Then another alert popped up:
[Unique Skill: Architect of Anything]
• Allows construction of buildings using natural resources
• Custom structures scale in function based on design, size, and efficiency
• Can bypass system shop
• Warning: Poor designs may collapse. You are not OSHA-certified.
Joon's jaw dropped.
"Wait. I can build everything... without using the shop?"
He looked at the trees, the rocks, the soil.
In the normal game, you had to farm gold, wait for timers, buy blueprints, and spend hours just to unlock a basic hut.
Now?
Now the world was his crafting table.
"Okay. That's kinda op."
A new panel opened up:
[Main Quest: Rebuild the Townhall to Level 1]
Requirements: Wood x10
Reward: Storage Access, System Interface, Basic Summoning Platform
Bonus: You stop looking like a complete newbie
Joon found a small, broken axe lying beside the shack. He picked it up and approached the nearest tree.
[Chop Tree? Y/N]
→ YES
THUNK.
The axe hit the bark. A satisfying shock ran through his hands. The system responded:
[You have gathered: Wood x4]
"Wow," he muttered. "Resource gathering is actually physical now?"
Three more trees later, he'd collected the required wood. His stamina bar blinked briefly in the corner of his vision — the only faint sign of a HUD — but didn't seem to be draining too fast.
[Rebuild Townhall?]
→ YES
The wood floated from his inventory, spinning in midair like something out of a crafting montage. Planks slid into place, nails zipped in, dust blew outward in a satisfying puff.
[TOWNHALL LEVEL 0 → LEVEL 1]
New Features Unlocked:
•Storage Hut
•Blueprint Stall (Run by Local NPC)
•Basic Summoning Platform (Requires Activation)
Joon stepped back, admiring his handiwork.
The once-pathetic shack now looked… slightly less pathetic. But it stood tall. Straight. Like it believed in itself for the first time.
A small chime rang out as an animated chicken waddled past, squawking like it had just witnessed divine construction.
"That's right, feathered citizen. Your king has arrived."
Suddenly, a burst of light sparked to his left.
A player?
A monster?
He ducked behind the newly rebuilt wall and peeked.
A floating summoning platform had appeared. It was round, metallic, and pulsing with arcane light.
[Tutorial Summon Unlocked — 1x Free Pull]
Do you want to summon your first unit?
Joon grinned.
"It's never a gacha game without a freebie."
He tapped yes.
The platform spun like a roulette wheel. Lights flared. Symbols danced across the sky.
[Summoning...]
[Rarity: Common]
[Unit: Goblin Carpenter — "Grogg"]
A small green goblin with a massive toolbelt dropped onto the ground with a loud thud.
"Ugh. Where am I?" the goblin grumbled. "Another broke-a** realm? Who's the idiot who summoned me—oh."
He looked up at Joon.
Joon smiled. "Hi. You work for me now."
The goblin blinked. "Great. Another unpaid work."
System Log:
Summon Complete: Grogg (Common) — Builder Type
• Construction Speed +15%
• Morale Boost (if sober)
• Prone to sarcasm and unionizing
Somewhere deeper in the forest, a horn blew. Somewhere else, a player cursed in Japanese.
The world had begun.
And here, standing in front of a level 1 shack with a sarcastic goblin and dirt on his boots...
Joon grinned.
"Alright. Step one: don't die."
"Step two: build a stupidly overpowered kingdom."
He looked toward the horizon, where the sun was just starting to set.
"Let's make history… starting from Level Zero."