"Oh my god... Finally."
Shinji let out a tired sigh, the kind of breath only a champion could take. On his PC monitor, which reflected the stale gloom of his apartment, a massive pop-up with [MISSION COMPLETE] shimmered in golden letters. The triumphant victory music from his speakers, a sound that once thrilled him, now felt hollow and abrasive.
For a solid week, he had survived on a mountain of instant noodle packets and coffee sachets. A tangled mess of blankets and pillows on his sofa bore silent witness to his sleepless nights. The air, thick with the lingering scent of cold noodles and old coffee dregs, felt heavy and stagnant.
After graduating with mediocre grades, Shinji had found his true calling as a professional gamer. He had conquered dozens of high-difficulty games, yet with each victory came a growing emptiness.
The thrill had faded, replaced by a profound boredom. He was no longer chasing scores or rankings; he was just searching for a lost feeling.
"Maybe I need a new challenge," he mumbled, letting out a wide yawn that felt more like a sigh of surrender.
...
That night, Shinji ventured out in search of a new game at his usual 24-hour convenience store. The neon lights on the sign flickered erratically, like a tired heartbeat. Inside, the place was eerily quiet, the only sound the low hum of a refrigerator.
A middle-aged cashier, who looked half-asleep behind the counter, barely registered his presence. The fluorescent lights above flickered in a rhythmic, unsettling pattern.
Shinji browsed the shelves, his fingers tracing the spines of familiar games, but nothing caught his attention. Horror games? Too cliche. Racing games? He had finished them all. Fighting games? He was already a king in that genre.
Then, his eyes caught something in the darkest corner of a shelf, a spot that seemed intentionally obscured. His heart, usually calm, gave a slow, deliberate thud.
There was something different about this one. His feet moved forward, as if drawn by an invisible magnet.
It was a game box covered in a layer of fine dust, with an antique-looking cover. The title was written in an alphabet he couldn't read, a strange scrawl from a long-lost civilization.
But on the cover... there was a stunning woman in a form-fitting dress. She had long, flowing silver hair and a large chest. She held a sword like a goddess of war, her blue eyes shimmering as if they were calling to him.
Shinji was instantly captivated. His interest wasn't in the game's mystery, but in the woman on its cover. "A perfect woman..." he thought, a familiar smirk spreading across his face. Shinji was a normal man with normal desires, and he would always chase them.
Without a second thought, he took the game and brought it to the cashier.
The cashier, rubbing his eyes, stared at the game with a puzzled expression. "What... is this game?"
Shinji shot him a glare. "Just ring it up, uncle, I'm buying it."
The cashier nodded stiffly, as if just waking from a daze. After paying, Shinji noticed the cashier staring at his hand, then at the now-empty shelf, his face a mask of confusion. "Huh? When did I sell that game? Wasn't that section empty?"
Shinji merely shrugged it off as a strange oddity. He hurried home, the weight of the game box feeling strangely heavy in his hand. In his apartment, he immediately booted up his PC and installed the game.
The screen lit up, displaying the unreadable title. Below it, however, was a single line of text: {The Cursed Fantasy World}
The game was brutally difficult. There were no tutorials, no hints, and the enemies were unbelievably strong. Even as a seasoned pro gamer, Shinji died repeatedly.
Every time his character perished, a strange pop-up appeared that read, "You are so stupid, hehe." This only fueled his fury and his resolve.
"Why does this game feel like fantasy horror? Where's the big-chested girl? I thought there'd be lots of pretty women... whatever," Shinji grumbled, his voice thick with frustration.
He continued playing because he had already bought it, and now he had one goal: to beat the game and see if the woman on the cover truly existed.
...
After two full weeks of rage-quitting and sleepless nights, Shinji finally reached the final level. He faced a terrifying kraken-humanoid monster, the Demon King. It took him over 100 attempts, but finally, Shinji managed to land a critical blow.
Ding!
A pop-up appeared on screen.
[Congratulations! You have defeated the Demon King. Please check your inbox for your reward.]
Shinji laughed loudly, his fatigue instantly replaced by a wave of euphoria. "Finally! This is it! The reward must be to meet the woman from the cover!"
Excitedly, he pressed the 'OK' button. Instantly, his PC screen shone with a blinding white light, like a flashbang exploding in his room.
"W-what is this, dammit!" he yelled, covering his eyes.
The lights in his apartment went out, leaving only a searing white light that pierced his eyelids. His body felt as though it was being pulled by an invisible force, a whirlpool dragging him far away. Everything went white, then faded into a deep, profound black.
"Wow... why does this feel so real?" Shinji mumbled, his own voice a distant echo.
...
When the darkness dissipated, he realized he was falling from the sky. Below him was not a dense forest or a futuristic cityscape, but a bustling park. Children played on slides, parents sat on benches, and a couple was enjoying a picnic.
"Waaaaa..." Shinji screamed, thrashing wildly in the air. A cold, powerful wind whipped across his face, making it hard to breathe. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he plummeted. He could see every small detail below: the colorful flowers, the green grass, and the shocked expressions on people's faces as they looked up.
He could hear the faint, muffled screams of children and the gasps of adults, all swallowed by the roar of the wind. The world below looked like something out of a renaissance painting, a mix of old European architecture and vast green spaces.
In his mind, he could only think, 'This must be a dream. Yes, it must be a dream. I can't possibly be falling from the sky.'
Crash!
Shinji hit the ground hard, creating a small crater in the middle of the park. Dust and clumps of grass flew everywhere. Everyone in the park fell silent, staring at the sight.
Shinji groaned in pain, his head and body throbbing. He slowly pushed himself up, sitting in the crater he had made. He looked around, and his eyes widened in shock.
Dozens of pairs of eyes were staring. Children, parents, and the couple. All of them looked shocked, confused, and some even disgusted. Their clothing was what really caught his attention.
Men wore simple tunics and trousers held by thick leather belts, while women were dressed in long, flowing linen gowns in earthy tones.
The children's clothes looked handmade and patched. This was not the modern world he knew. The air, though dusty from his impact, smelled of fresh-cut grass and a hint of woodsmoke, not car exhaust.
Shinji looked down at himself. He let out a shriek, but the sound caught in his throat.
"AAAAARRRGGGGH! WHY AM I NAKED?!" he yelled, his voice cracking from pure shock and humiliation.
Suddenly, from the sky, an old wooden chest fell, landing with a thud in the crater right beside him. Shinji, still in a state of shock, saw it open on its own. Inside was only a crude, wooden sword that looked fragile and utterly ridiculous.
"What is this?" Shinji mumbled, trying desperately to cover his vital parts with his hands. His face felt hot, and he wanted nothing more than to disappear. He truly didn't understand what was happening.
At that same moment, a little girl pointed at him. "Look, Mom! A weird naked man fell from the sky! And he has a toy sword!"
The mother quickly covered her daughter's eyes. "Don't look, sweetie, he's a crazy person!"
Shinji felt like the whole world was laughing at him. His shame was far more terrifying than anything he had ever experienced in a game. He didn't know what to do.
In the distance, a city guard in full armor saw what had happened. His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of Shinji and the crater. The guard drew his sword and yelled loudly, his voice echoing through the stunned park.
"Hey! You weirdo! Stop causing a ruckus here! We're going to arrest you!"
Shinji looked at the guard, then at the disgusted faces around him. This was not heaven, this was not a game, and this was the beginning of the most embarrassing adventure of his life. He was completely unprepared.