A New World

Kayl's eyes shot open. The smell of damp earth and hay filled his nostrils, sharp and foreign. He blinked several times, his brain still foggy with sleep. He wasn't in his room. In fact, this didn't look like anywhere he'd ever been.

The ceiling above him was made of rough, uneven wooden planks, with gaps that let in thin slivers of daylight. He sat up quickly, the cold, hard floor beneath him jarring his senses. Surrounding him were walls of ancient, weathered wood. A single window, nothing more than an opening with no glass, allowed a weak breeze to flow through, rustling the straw scattered across the floor.

What the hell?

Kayl's heart began to race as he stood and spun around, taking in the small, sparse space. There was no furniture, no electronics—nothing even remotely modern. Instead, there was a crude table against one wall and a straw bedroll that looked uncomfortable even for an animal. His hand reached for his phone, but there was nothing in his pocket.

Okay, think. How did I get here?

He closed his eyes, trying to remember. The last thing he recalled was going to bed after a long night of gaming. That was it. He hadn't left the house, hadn't gone anywhere strange. He had just fallen asleep. But this…this wasn't a dream. He was too aware of every sensation. The air was too crisp, the smell too strong, and the cold of the floor too real.

Before he could make sense of any of it, a sudden ding rang in his head, startling him. Words appeared in the air in front of him, glowing faintly:

"Welcome to the Kingdom-Building System. You have been selected as the ruler of a new kingdom. Your objective: build, expand, and thrive."

Kayl blinked. A system interface? He stared at the floating message, his instincts kicking in. It looked exactly like something out of one of the games he played—except this was no game. The message lingered in the air for a moment, waiting for him to respond. He reached out reflexively, but his hand passed right through it. The letters remained, unaffected.

Before he could even process what it meant, a second message appeared below the first:

"To assist in your survival, you have been granted a starter pack. Contents: Stone Axe, Stale Bread, Water Skin, Cloth Armor."

A small burlap sack shimmered into existence on the ground at his feet, appearing out of nowhere. Kayl stared at it for a moment, still half expecting to wake up from this bizarre dream. But the longer he stood there, the more real it all felt.

Cautiously, he knelt down and opened the sack. Inside were the items just as the message had described. He pulled out the stone axe first. It was rough, primitive even, but solid in his hands. A crude but effective tool. He set it aside and took out the other items: a small, half-full water skin, a hunk of stale bread wrapped in cloth, and a set of simple cloth armor. It was more like padded clothing than actual armor, but it was better than nothing.

Kayl stood up, slinging the water skin over his shoulder and awkwardly pulling the armor on over his tunic. The axe rested in his hand, its weight grounding him.

Another ding sounded in his mind, followed by a new message:

"Tutorial Quest: Gather resources from the nearby forest. Objective: Collect 10 units of wood and 5 units of stone. Rewards: Basic Shelter Blueprint, 20 Gold."

Wood and stone? A quest? The whole situation was so surreal, yet the gamer in him couldn't help but feel a twinge of familiarity. This felt like a strategy game, like the ones he played all the time—except it was real. Or at least it felt real.

He glanced outside the window. The clearing beyond the hut was surrounded by thick, towering trees, the forest stretching out into the distance. Looks like I'll be chopping some wood. Kayl grabbed the stone axe, and after a moment's hesitation, stepped outside.

The sunlight was brighter than he expected. The clearing was small, with just a few other huts scattered around, though no people were in sight. It was eerily quiet, the only sound the wind rustling the trees at the forest's edge. He shook off the unease creeping up his spine and focused on the task at hand.

He entered the forest, the air cooler beneath the thick canopy of leaves. Kayl chose a sturdy-looking tree and swung the axe. The blade bit into the bark with a satisfying thunk. He smiled despite himself and settled into a rhythm, each swing cutting deeper into the tree's trunk. This wasn't so bad. If the system wanted him to play along, fine—he knew how to handle this.

After several minutes, the tree finally toppled with a heavy crash, its weight sending a shudder through the ground. Kayl stood over the fallen trunk, wiping sweat from his brow. He had gathered enough wood for the quest. Now for the stone.

Kayl moved further into the forest, finding a rocky outcrop near a small stream. He knelt down and started using the flat side of the axe to break off chunks of stone, the task slow but manageable. His mind wandered as he worked, still trying to make sense of the situation.

That's when he heard it.

A faint rustling sound behind him. Kayl froze, his grip tightening on the axe. Slowly, he stood up, scanning the trees around him. The forest had gone unnervingly quiet. No wind, no birds, nothing. Just the rustle—closer now.

His pulse quickened. Something was watching him.