The rain lashed against the window of my small apartment in Kathmandu. I, Aryan, was just another broke college student trying to survive. My only escape was the virtual world of gaming.
Suddenly, a massive bolt of crimson lightning struck the nearby temple. The power went out, but my phone didn't turn off. Instead, the screen glowed with an eerie golden light that filled the entire room.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed inside my head:
[Scanning Soul... Match Found.]
[Initializing the Forbidden Monarch System...]
[Syncing with User: Aryan.]
"What... what is this?" I gasped, dropping my phone. But the screen stayed suspended in mid-air. A blue holographic window appeared before my eyes.
[System Alert!]
[The Great Mana Eruption has begun. The world as you know it is changing.]
[First Quest: Survive the Night.]
[Reward: Level 1 - Shadow Extraction Skill.]
[Penalty for Failure: Eternal Death.]
I looked out the window. The city was no longer the same. Massive cracks had opened in the streets, and dark, monstrous shadows were crawling out of them. People were screaming, but I felt a strange surge of power flowing through my veins.
A rusted dagger suddenly appeared in my right hand, glowing with a faint purple aura.
[Quest Started. Time Remaining: 05:59:59]
I wasn't just a gamer anymore. I was the player of a real-life survival game. And I wasn't planning on losing.