Prologue: The Vanishing

A violent storm raged outside, lightning flashing across the darkened sky. The wind howled, rattling the windows of Isagi Khol's apartment, but inside, all was silent except for the rhythmic tapping of keys. His eyes were glued to the screen, fingers flying over the keyboard in an almost mechanical dance. The final boss of Tenria's Legacy, the game he'd poured thousands of hours into, awaited him in the deepest part of the dungeon. Isagi's heart raced as he led his character toward the final confrontation, a sense of excitement building.

But something was... off.

As his character stepped into the boss arena, a strange crackling sound filled his headphones. A faint flicker of static buzzed across the screen, distorting the vibrant colors and sharp textures. Isagi's breath caught as his character began moving erratically.

"What the hell?" he muttered, tapping the mouse to recalibrate. His fingers moved faster, but the game was glitching. The sounds grew louder, like a roaring storm mixed with the crackling of electricity. The screen flickered violently, the graphics glitching, and then.

CRACK!

The lights in his room flickered out, and everything went black.

"Damn it…" Isagi cursed, slamming his hand down on the desk. He reached for the lamp, fumbling in the darkness to get it to turn back on. His computer remained dead, the usual glow of his screen completely absent. But before he could react, the sensation of falling hit him. His stomach lurched, and the floor beneath him seemed to vanish.

A strange pull, like a riptide of energy, sucked him deeper into the abyss. The walls of his apartment faded from view, replaced by a blinding light that flashed in all directions, erasing everything. For a moment, there was only that light bright and overwhelming.

And then, everything stopped.

Isagi's vision slowly cleared as he felt the ground beneath him. His body felt… heavier, unfamiliar. He blinked rapidly, trying to shake off the disorientation. The usual hum of the city was gone, replaced by the soft rustling of leaves and the cool air that whispered through the trees.

The scent of earth filled his lungs.

"What the…?" Isagi murmured, sitting up. His heart raced. This wasn't his room. His apartment. His world. He quickly scrambled to his feet, looking around in confusion. Tall trees towered above him, their branches swaying in the breeze. The moon shone brightly overhead, casting long shadows on the forest floor.

He reached instinctively for his phone, but his hands brushed against something far different something metal. His fingers closed around a hilt. A sword. He pulled it out of its scabbard with a jarring hiss, the blade gleaming in the pale light. His breath caught in his throat.

This wasn't some VR game. This was real.

"Okay… Okay, I must be dreaming," Isagi muttered, his voice trembling as he swung the sword experimentally. But it was weighty in his grip, solid and real.

"Where the hell am I?" he whispered.

Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him an energy that filled his body. It was warm, like fire running beneath his skin, like he had power coursing through his veins. He staggered, disoriented, then froze. His hand clenched the hilt of the sword harder, and in the distance, a deep growl echoed through the forest. Something was moving toward him.

The air shifted. The trees trembled. Isagi's eyes darted around, trying to locate the source of the noise, but all he saw was a dense thicket of trees and underbrush.

That was when a strange, ethereal voice reached his ears.

[Welcome to Tenria.]

The voice was soft, but its presence was undeniable. It didn't come from the trees or the wind. It was in his mind. The message seemed to hang in the air itself, like an ancient command, and it made his skin crawl.

[Level: 1]

[Class: Novice Warrior]

[Objective: Begin your journey.]

Isagi blinked. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he had misread it. But when he opened them again, the message was still there, glowing softly in the air, hovering like some kind of interface.

"This can't be happening," Isagi muttered. He looked around again, expecting to see someone, someone who could explain what was going on. But there was no one. Only the eerie silence of the forest.

A sudden roar from behind made his heart skip a beat.

Isagi spun around to face the noise. Through the trees, he caught a glimpse of something large moving rapidly toward him something that sounded like a wild animal. His breath hitched in panic, his grip tightening on the sword.

Without thinking, his body reacted. His instincts kicked in as he took an aggressive stance, the sword raised in front of him. The message from before echoed in his mind, and he realized with a jolt this wasn't some accident. This was real. He wasn't in his apartment anymore. He wasn't even in his world.

He was in Tenria.

[Quest: First Steps]

Objective: Defeat a wild boar in the nearby forest.

Reward: Experience Points, Items, and the Next Quest.

His pulse quickened. A quest? He had read about these kinds of things in the RPGs he had played. Was this some kind of twisted game? No, it couldn't be. This felt too real. Too dangerous.

A rustle in the underbrush broke his train of thought. Then, without warning, a massive boar with tusks like daggers burst from the trees, charging straight toward him.

Isagi's instincts flared. Without thinking, he swung the sword, the blade cutting through the air with surprising ease. The boar screeched as it collided with the blade, the force knocking it back, but not enough to stop it. It charged again, faster this time.

Isagi's heart raced. He gritted his teeth, prepared to fight for his life. His first battle in Tenria had begun.