Jax Thorn had always known his job would kill him someday. He just hadn't imagined it would end like this. Slumped forward in the dim glow of his apartment office, the low hum of his computer filling the silence.
The smell of stale takeout clung to the air, cartons abandoned on his desk like quiet accusations he no longer bothered to answer.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling as lines of code blurred together on the screen. Another VR exploit waited to be patched, another crisis demanding his attention, but his mind refused to cooperate.
Nineteen hours. That was how long he'd been sitting there without a break.
The digital clock in the corner of the monitor blinked 3:47 AM, its cold blue numbers mocking him with ruthless precision.
He dragged a hand down his face and rubbed his eyes, but the exhaustion burned too deep to be eased. This had been his life for three years now, ever since he'd joined NeoRealms Inc. He'd told himself it was temporary. He'd lied.
The days had blurred together, the work slowly hollowing him out until there was nothing left but deadlines and sleepless nights.
Then the pain hit.
It tore through his chest without warning, sharp and merciless, stealing the air from his lungs. He gasped and clutched his shirt, fingers digging in as black spots swarmed his vision.
"No," he rasped. "Not now."
The room tilted violently as he tried to stand. His legs gave out beneath him, and he crashed to the floor, memories flashing through his mind in a chaotic rush—childhood games, the thrill of his first successful hack, all the chances he'd promised himself he'd take someday.
Regret followed close behind.
Darkness closed in, heavy and absolute, pulling him under.
When awareness returned, it came slowly.
Cool earth pressed against his cheek instead of carpet.
A breeze stirred the leaves above him, carrying the scent of soil and green life.
Birds chirped somewhere overhead, calm and unafraid, as though the world had moved on without him.
And somehow, impossibly, so had he.
Jax blinked against the sudden brightness, his vision slowly adjusting as sunlight filtered down through a dense canopy of leaves overhead. Tall trees loomed above him, their branches woven together like a living ceiling.
He pushed himself upright on trembling arms and sucked in a sharp breath.
A forest stretched in every direction.
Vibrant greens and deep browns surrounded him, alive in a way the city never was. There were no sirens, no engines, no distant hum of civilisation. Just rustling leaves and the soft call of unseen birds.
"This can't be happening," he muttered, his voice rough and unfamiliar to his own ears.
His hands moved instinctively, patting himself down. The familiar fabric of a T-shirt and jeans was gone, replaced by rough leather armour strapped snugly against his body. Light, flexible, and unmistakably not something he owned.
Before he could process that, a strange sensation stirred beneath his skin.
Energy.
It hummed through him like static before a storm, coiled and waiting, making his fingers twitch as though they wanted to move faster than thought.
Then the air in front of him shimmered.
A translucent blue panel materialized out of nothing, hovering calmly at eye level.
[Welcome to Eternal Realm, Player Jax Thorn.]
[Class: Assassin | Level: 1]
[HP: 100/100 | MP: 50/50]
[Strength: 5 | Agility: 10 | Intelligence: 8 | Vitality: 5 | Luck: 3]
The words didn't flicker. They didn't fade.
Heart pounding, Jax waved a hand through the panel. His fingers passed through it like water, sending ripples across the surface—only for the interface to stabilize again moments later.
There was no logout button.
No settings.
Just cold, unyielding stats floating in the air, calmly mocking the panic clawing at his chest.
"Trapped?" he whispered.
His mind raced, grasping for explanations. Some kind of corporate sabotage? A full-dive VR test gone wrong? A coma-induced hallucination?
But the grass beneath his fingers felt too solid. The air was crisp, sharp with the scent of pine and rich soil, filling his lungs in a way no simulation ever had.
This was real.
Swallowing hard, Jax forced the rising fear back down. Panic wouldn't help him now.
Three years of coding hell had drilled one rule into his bones. Observe. Adapt. Survive
He forced the rising panic down, locking it away where it couldn't interfere. Years of coding under pressure had taught him one hard rule—observe first, adapt fast, and survive at all costs.
The bushes to his left rustled.
Something burst free with a harsh snarl.
Green skin. Beady, predatory eyes. A crude wooden club clenched in its fist.
A goblin.
Jax stumbled backward, pulse hammering in his ears as instinct screamed at him to move. His gaze flicked desperately across the forest floor, searching for anything he could use as a weapon.
The goblin didn't hesitate.
Despite its stubby legs, it closed the distance with alarming speed, saliva dripping from its snarling mouth.
"Stay back!" Jax shouted, though the command sounded weak even to him.
The goblin answered with violence.
It swung its club in a wide, clumsy arc. The weapon whistled through the air, missing his head by inches as Jax dove aside. He hit the ground hard and rolled, damp earth soaking into his clothes.
Pain flared, but adrenaline drowned it out.
That was when he saw it.
A jagged rock, half-buried in the soil.
Jax snatched it up, the rough surface biting into his palm as he scrambled to his feet. The goblin charged again, club raised high for a crushing blow.
Jax forced himself to wait.
Just one second longer.
At the last moment, he sidestepped, twisting his body as the club slammed uselessly into the ground. He brought the rock down with everything he had.
There was a sickening crack.
Warm blood sprayed across his hand as the goblin shrieked and staggered.
[Critical Hit! Goblin HP: 15/50]
The message flashed before his eyes, and something inside him shifted.
Emboldened, Jax pressed the attack. He struck again, then again, movements guided by years of gaming instinct and muscle memory. Each impact landed true, precise and brutal.
The goblin let out one final gurgle before collapsing at his feet, its body going still.
Jax stood there, chest heaving, blood dripping from the rock clenched in his hand.
The forest fell silent once more.
And for the first time, he understood something terrifying.
This world wasn't just real.
It was lethal.