Scraping By

Hyde had been walking for hours with an empty stomach.

The sun blazed overhead, pouring down intense heat on him. His shadows had shrunk, hiding themselves beneath his feet. His steps echoed along the grumbles of his stomach.

The heat forced him to take off his jacket, exposing his lean frame. His arms looked thinner than the average kid of his age, but they carried adequate strength. So did his torso, covered by a black T-shirt, torn in a few spots.

He draped the jacket over his head, but it barely shielded him from the relentless sun.

In the game, the Mirage territory had always been dark and cold, as if frozen in an eternal night. But there were moments—moments like this—when it felt as if the entire land had transformed into a barren desert. Dry.

The Mirage territory was home to more than just Phantasms; nature itself had become a dangerous element.

Within the Mirage territory, there was an invisible substance called miasma. This miasma was responsible for making nature unpredictable.

Sometimes, it froze the land solid. Other times, it burned like this, forcing anyone caught in its grasp to suffer. And many more.

"This is beyond my expectation..."

Once again, Hyde had overlooked the difference between game and reality. It wasn't entirely his fault, however. This time, the world decided to spit on him and ask the Mirage to make him suffer.

"It was fine a few hours ago... but now it suddenly felt like walking in the desert..."

The heat pressed down harder, possibly because there was now the sun in the sky, or it could be because of what had happened, like previous incidents, where everything was becoming more vivid since it was now a reality.

Whatever the reason was, Hyde had learned his lesson.

If there was a next time, he would attentively pay attention to the lore like his sister did.

Despite his body's protests, Hyde kept moving. Hunger clawed at his insides, and his legs wobbled, but he refused to stop. His resolve, however, crumbled faster than he thought.

His knees hit the scorching ground first, pain jolting through him. Reflexively, he tried to push himself up, but his arms gave out, leaving him sprawled across the burning surface.

A strangled cry escaped his lips. "Hot—!"

He wriggled like a worm, rolling onto his side in a desperate attempt to escape the pain. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up and rushed toward a crumbling building, seeking shelter.

His jacket, once his only layer of protection, was torn from his grip by the wind and flew toward a rift in the distance. 

The moment it touched the violet flames, it was obliterated without a trace.

Witnessing the second erupted flame for the day, Hyde, curled under the shade, let out a breathless chuckle, faking a smile.

"Fucking hell..."

Several hours later...

The sun had sunken and the violet sky returned. There was no moon to be seen. Without electricity and lights, the city was swallowed by darkness.

However, it wasn't the darkness where seeing was completely impossible. In fact, Hyde could see clearly—at least within twenty meters. Beyond that, everything faded into an eerie dark fog, forcing him to rely on his hearing.

'Feels like I'm playing Fog of War...'

Hyde walked off the crumbling building, his stomach still rumbling. Fortunately, it was a warm night. His walking without an extra layer of cloth was no big deal.

Paying no mind to the sound of his belly, Hyde continued his journey south. Every time he found a building that seemed to leave timeless supplies and valuables he could sell later, he would enter and explore it for anything of use.

In the first building, he found three pocket bags for extra storage, two empty cups in case of rain, and a shawl to guard against the occasional night chill. The second building yielded mechanical parts and broken devices, things he could potentially sell later.

And in the third…

"Oh!!!"

Hyde's tired eyes widened as he stumbled upon a basement full of alcohol supplies.

He didn't know much about alcohol, but he had heard that it couldn't expire and maintain its taste even after a long time. But when he checked the bottles, almost all of them smelled weird and different from the one Hyde had smelled in his previous life, except for two bottles.

Taking the seemingly 'good' bottles, he uncorked one of them.

"I won't get drunk from a sip… right?"

A boy who had never tasted one bracing himself for the unknown. Slowly, he brought the bottle to his lips and let the liquid trickle down his throat.

Swallowing and savoring the taste, Hyde blinked and tilted his head.

It wasn't as harsh as he expected, but it wasn't pleasant either. A bitter warmth coated his tongue, followed by a slow burn trailing down his throat.

He smacked his lips, trying to process the strange and unfamiliar flavor.

"Huh... that's not bad," he muttered, staring at the bottle.

It was strong. Stronger than anything he had ever tasted—this was his first time. He wasn't sure if he liked it, but it didn't make him gag, so that was a win.

Hyde took another small sip, letting it linger on his tongue. The warmth spread through his chest, making him feel a little lighter, and forget about his hunger.

He glanced at the other bottle in his bag. Maybe this could fetch a good price, or maybe... Hyde could keep it for himself.

"For now, though, I have more buildings to loot and a long journey ahead."

Taking one last sip before storing the bottle in his pocket bag, Hyde left the basement and headed for another building he could find along his straight-to-the-south route.

Upon discovering the fourth building he was about to loot, Hyde found himself fighting against sleepiness. But the more he tried to fight it, the heavier his eyes became. 

Moreover, his stomach—

Rumble—!

"Hold on, buddy. We've been through this before."

Eventually, after confirming the building was safe for him to rest, Hyde passed his second night in that world.

The next morning, he awoke to the faint sound of battle.