Ohritro

Eli Turner had perfected the art of coasting through life, gaming, lounging, and vibing with no grand ambitions beyond the next high. But his laid-back existence is upended when his laptop inexplicably transforms into a gateway to another world. What starts as a surreal escape becomes a perilous journey as Eli finds himself wielding a mysterious system that allows him to level up, fight monsters, and gain abilities beyond his wildest dreams.  

At first, the portal world feels like a haven, offering purpose and adventure Eli never knew he craved. Guided, or manipulated, by Azrael, a mischievous god orchestrating the game, Eli rises as one of the system's chosen players. But as the quests grow more dangerous and Azrael’s true intentions begin to surface, Eli struggles to balance the fantasy world with his life back home. His girlfriend, Sara, and his friends are left grappling with a version of Eli they hardly recognize, as the lines between his two lives blur.  

When the system expands to players worldwide, Eli crosses paths with others drawn into Azrael’s cosmic experiment: Yumi Tanaka, a fiercely disciplined Japanese student with a perfectionist streak, and Arjun Mehta, a charming Indian playboy with secrets of his own. Each carries their own burdens and ambitions, but all three must face the harsh truth: Azrael’s game is far more than it seems.  

As alliances are forged, rivalries ignite, and the stakes escalate, Eli must confront not only the dangers of the portal world but the growing rift between the person he is and the hero he’s becoming. In a game where every move is a test and every choice ripples across both worlds, the question remains: can Eli, Yumi, and Arjun uncover the truth before the system consumes them all?

I Got a Notification on my Laptop and Got Legendary Powers

Yumi barely had time to react before the first shadowy figure reached her, its blurred hands grasping at her throat. She twisted away, heart hammering. The thing moved unnaturally, like a distorted recording skipping frames.

Eli swung his sword, but it passed straight through the echo without resistance. "Oh, come on—"

The figure shuddered, then reformed as if the attack had never happened.

"They're not real," Arjun said, eyes darting around. "They're constructs—manifestations of the Echo's fractured memory."

Azrael didn't move, his gaze locked on the approaching figures. "No. They are something worse."

Yumi dodged another attack, scanning the shifting plane for an escape. The echoes were multiplying, flickering in and out of existence, closing in on them. If weapons couldn't harm them, then fighting was useless.

She clenched her fists. Think. If this place is made of memories, then maybe—

"We have to disrupt them!" she yelled. "If they're memory constructs, they follow a set pattern—break the pattern, and they might destabilize!"

Eli dodged a swipe. "That's great, but how?"

Arjun's mind was already racing. "A paradox," he muttered. "If they're following pre-existing sequences, introducing something that doesn't belong might cause a rupture."

Yumi turned to Azrael. "You've been here before, haven't you?"

Azrael's jaw tightened. He didn't answer.

Yumi took a step forward, voice firm. "You know what this place is. You know how to bend it."

Azrael exhaled, his gaze flickering between the echoes and the broken sky above. "If we disrupt the memory plane enough, it might eject us."

Yumi nodded. "Then let's break it."

The echoes surged forward, their empty eyes burning with unnatural hunger.

And they ran straight into the paradox.

The Hollow Ones