A dangerous reality

"I'll log out for now. I'll play tomorrow," Nasuke muttered, his voice filled with exhaustion.

Closing his eyes, he let the familiar darkness of the logout sequence take over. Moments later, he opened them again, now back in the real world. Slowly, he stood up from his gaming chair and stumbled toward the door.

There's no way I'm staying in that game any longer tonight, he thought, running a hand through his messy hair. I'll just take a shower and forget about everything—especially that Ryo guy.

Entering the bathroom, Nasuke turned on the shower, letting the warm water flow over him. His mind replayed the events of the day, frustration bubbling up with every thought.

"That game is a total scam," he muttered. "What kind of system lets you make an avatar and then locks it behind some ridiculous grind? Seriously?"

He scrubbed at his hair harder, trying to wash away his irritation. But even as the water cascaded down, the unease in his chest refused to fade.

When he was done, he stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around himself. Standing in front of the mirror, he grabbed a hairdryer and began drying his hair. As the warm air hummed, something in his reflection made him freeze.

His eyes—they weren't the same.

The irises had changed to the glowing color of his in-game avatar, faintly shimmering under the bathroom light. His skin looked flawless, smooth in a way it had never been before.

"No way…" he whispered, touching his face. His fingertips trembled as they traced over his smooth skin. "My face… my eyes… they're different."

He stepped back, blinking rapidly. "This… this has to be a trick. I must be seeing things." Shaking his head, he turned off the dryer and left the bathroom in a hurry.

Collapsing onto his bed, Nasuke stared at the ceiling. His body was exhausted, but his mind refused to quiet.

Suddenly, a strange light flickered above him.

"What the hell?" he muttered, sitting up quickly.

The light vanished, replaced by a glowing system notification hovering mid-air.

System Notification:

Complete your quest. Countdown: 12:00… 11:59… 11:58…

Nasuke's heart raced. "Wait… what? This… this can't be real! That's only supposed to happen in the game!" He rubbed his eyes furiously, hoping the notification would disappear.

But the moment he shut his eyes, a powerful gust of wind tore through his room. Startled, he sat up again, only to find himself no longer in his bed.

He was standing at a familiar checkpoint from the game. The eerie silence of the surroundings sent chills down his spine.

"This… this has to be a dream," he whispered, panic creeping into his voice.

A low growl from behind made his blood run cold.

Turning around slowly, he saw five shadow wolves emerge from the darkness. Their glowing eyes locked onto him, hunger and menace oozing from their every movement.

"No, no, no… I logged out! I logged out!" Nasuke stammered, stumbling backward.

Another notification appeared in front of him.

System Notification:

New Task and Penalty: Survive 12 minutes without being killed by the wolves. Countdown starts: 3… 2… 1…

The wolves charged at him as the timer began.

"11:59… 11:58…"

Nasuke turned and ran, his heart pounding in his chest. The sound of claws scraping the ground and the snarls of the wolves were right behind him.

"I'm too fat for this!" he cried, tears streaming down his face as he gasped for air.

His legs burned, but he kept zigzagging, dodging the wolves' snapping jaws. Sweat poured down his forehead, his breaths coming in short, desperate gasps.

"Please! I swear I've learned my lesson!" he shouted, his voice cracking.

The timer ticked down: 7:42… 7:41…

Nasuke's desperation grew as he tripped over a rock, landing hard on the ground.

"No, no, no!" he screamed, scrambling to get up. But one of the wolves pounced, sinking its teeth into his leg.

Pain shot through him as his health bar appeared, flashing red. "Ahhh! It hurts! I'm so close!" he cried, tears of agony streaming down his face.

Another wolf clamped down on his arm, while the others circled him, tearing at his body. Blood spattered the ground as his health bar dwindled to almost nothing.

Just as the final wolf leaped toward his throat, the timer hit zero.

System Notification:

Task Complete. Initiating recovery and log-off.

The world around him dissolved.

Nasuke's eyes shot open, and he found himself back in his bed. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, his entire body drenched in sweat.

Frantically, he checked his arms and legs. No injuries. No blood. Everything was intact.

The system notification reappeared.

System Notification:

Congratulations. You've survived the attack.

"Huh…?" His voice was barely a whisper, his mind reeling.

System Notification:

You've lost kilos of fat. You've leveled up to Level 2.

+100 EXP (150/200).

Nasuke stared at the glowing screen in disbelief. "So… it was real…"

His body, still trembling from the ordeal, finally gave out. He collapsed back onto his bed and fainted.