Rohan tilts his head, watching the rectangular shape, a floating screen curiosity. Just what in the world is going on? He just killed that accursed monster after dying multiple times. But now, whatever this is, he reaches for the screen expecting his hand to go through or make the screen fade. Instead, he made contact, it felt like touching a laptop screen.
Just what in the world is this? Rohan squinted his eyes to read, only to his surprise, he didn't need to. He looked around frantically, even objects from far away didn't seem blurry. Myopia or nearsightedness had been a part of his life for years. While he could still see things to a certain extent, objects far away became muddled and unclear.
But somehow, his sight improved. But how? Rohan looks over the corpse of the creature. Did killing it improve his eyes? He looks over the screen again, showcasing his name, level and an unknown percentage. All of this seemed familiar, but what did it remind him of?
He could feel his brain turn to mush by thinking that there were so many unknowns and so many things happening with so little time. He needed to relax. Rohan grimaced as his nose finally caught the stench of rot and the stinging of his injured arm. First, before he could allow himself to brainstorm, he needed to go shower and get rid of the corpse. And so, Rohan grunts as he pulls the dead creature to the backyard, dumping it before giving it another kick.
After that, he removed his bloodied clothes and stepped into the shower. Thankfully, it still works, though unfortunately, the painful sting of his wounds made him wince. Eventually, he had adapted to the pain, and now he could finally think. The owners of this house would never come; he was 90% sure they were killed by the creature. That means after a shower and getting fresh clothes, he would have to leave and find civilization for help.
But aside from that, the screen from earlier bothered him. It had vanished the moment he wanted it to be gone, maybe…
[NAME: ROHAN] [LV: 2] [67%]
There it is again, appearing in front of him. Rohan just wanted to see it again, and it popped up. The water ran through the screen as if it never existed, and yet his hand could feel the plastic edges of this floating thing. Could this strange screen be responsible for his eyes no longer needing glasses anymore? He put his hand to his chin and looked critically, ignoring the water dripping on his head.
When he had killed the long-fingered creature, this screen appeared, showing that he had 'levelled up'. It was not too similar for a character to grow whenever they had killed an enemy in those games. I believe they have called such games: RPGs? Or something like that. Rohan clicks his tongue, cursing his lack of video game knowledge; he was more of a reader to escape reality rather than going to a virtual one.
Thankfully, being a young teen in the year 2025 gave him some surface-level understanding of what this screen means. He had levelled up to 2 after barely killing the creature, and that percentage should be his experience or EXP amount; adding more percentage means he would level up again. This situation seems familiar to him, not because he experienced it, but rather read about it. In a different alien world, after dying, a video game power or a 'System' to gain power when defeating monsters or other people.
All of it just reminds him of those stories. In a certain app, a collection of mostly fantasy stories you can read online. While a lot of them have varying synopses, a lot of popular ones go like this: a character dies before getting reincarnated or transported into a fantasy world where they gain a system. An ability that gives them the powers of an RPG character. First, they are weak from the beginning before eventually becoming godlike and destroying any villains in their path.
They are usually the saviours of the world. And Rohan just became one of them. His stomach twisted, and he felt sick. To any other person, they would be jumping for joy, having such a powerful ability in their hands and being given an important role. They'll probably beat up some bullies with their overpowered ability and gain the affections of many beautiful women, but Rohan wants no part of it. He wanted to die, not be some saviour of some alien world.
Call him a coward, pussy or any terms, he doesn't care. Rohan wanted to die; the only reason he didn't do so is that he doesn't want to leave the mortal world, suffering. He already had enough pain after what that sadistic monster did to him. So he didn't want to slice his throat or bang his head against the wall or anything like that; he wanted something quick and painless. Besides committing suicide and leaving his body in the same house as that monster rotting outside made him sick to the stomach.
He would just find civilization and go on from there. He turned off the shower and went into the rooms, collecting clothes that would fit him. On top, Rohan wears a black long-sleeved shirt with red lines that circle his forearms. Grey jogging pants and lastly red running shoes from a brand he didn't know. He had thrown his stained clothes at the creature, covering it so his eyes wouldn't be assaulted with its hideous form.
Another thing he gained was a backpack, which he found in the cabinet. He didn't know how far this house is from civilization, so it's good to stock up on some food and other useful stuff. Rohan goes back to the kitchen, avoiding the black substance that littered the floor. He raided the pantry, grabbing any canned food. The problem was, he didn't know what date it was, so the expiry display left him dumbfounded.
Not just that, the date the can was displayed, it had read July 14th, 1669. If remembered correctly, that was the date when canned food didn't yet exist. Or even the modern technologies of this house. Then again, Rohan was in a different world separate from his own, and the rules had completely changed. A chilling thought crawled into his mind, looking at the backyard where the dead creature lay covered in his stained clothes.
What if there are more of them? Rohan finds himself grabbing all the kitchen knives and stuffing them in his backpack. There were five knives in total, not counting the sixth, which he would hold at all times. After getting everything essential, Rohan ventured out in the foggy woods in search of civilization. Even with his sight being fixed, the fog hid a lot from him, and he gripped the handle of the knife tightly.
His eyes darted everywhere, imagining a monster like the long-fingers to jump from the fog and attack him. Sometimes, Rohan swears he heard grass rustling or branches snapping. But there wasn't anything there, at least from what he could see. It was quiet, too quiet for comfort. The birds were quiet, and the wind was still as a statue; the only sound that could be heard was his footsteps and his beating heart.
Any longer, he was afraid his heart might just by how fast it was going. Just what kind of world is this? A world that spawn a fucked-up creature as the one he killed. And what kind of god would allow it to even exist? There should be a god of this world, usually setting like this, a higher being should be running around somewhere, if something like long-fingers or the death loop could exist, a god shouldn't be so far-fetched.
Eventually, after walking for what seemed like ten minutes, he had finally arrived at civilization. Only for Rohan to drop to his knees, eyes widening in shock at the sight before him. It looked look you're average modern city, but if you dropped an atomic bomb in the middle and this is sight Rohan was beholding. Skyscrapers and buildings grey and crumbling. Broken cars and debris filled the street.
Because he was on top of a hill overlooking the city, did he get a good view of the sheer destruction? There wasn't anyone in the city, no survivors, nothing. Unless you're counting the thousands of inhuman creatures roaming around. Even with the thick fog, he could see their horrendous and misshapen silhouettes. There wasn't just the long-fingered creature running around; there were many of them with different shapes and sizes.
There was even one black silhouette that was ten feet tall, a grotesque, large creature that had the head resembling a pig and a tall creature with a siren for a head. Rohan felt tears welling up in his eyes, pulling his dark hair while biting his lip. No, this wasn't like those stories at all. He wasn't in some kind of fantasy world full of beautiful women and a diverse race of creatures. Instead, he was in a broken world, where monsters were everywhere. There is no war between good and evil, only pain and misery.
This world isn't a battle between good and evil. No, this is a world where evil reigned supreme, and Rohan is now stuck in this dark world.
Rohan wanted to die more than ever…