A New World Is A New Challenge

Atlas was sitting in an armchair with his legs stretched out and staring at the screen. Outwardly, he was calm, but a storm was swirling inside him. He was fired yesterday.

He used to be a Special Forces soldier, confident in himself and his abilities. Now he was just an unemployed man with a mountain of uncertainty in front of him. And so, in an attempt to somehow distract himself from this, he accepted a gift from a friend - a VR headset with the most popular game of recent times: Flanard Ford Online.

He didn't believe in such things. These virtual worlds seemed empty and meaningless to him. And yet... a pop-up window with bright letters appeared in front of my eyes:

[Immerse yourself in a new world, Atlas.]

Yesterday, he wouldn't even have thought about it. But now, it seemed, there was no choice.

The headset is light, as if it weighed almost nothing. He put it on, not realizing that it would be the beginning of a whole new chapter in his life.

[Diving]

Darkness. And then the bright light, the rough air, smelling of pine trees. Atlas felt the ground become soft under his feet, as if there was a thick layer of moss on it. He listened, but there were no footsteps, no sounds. Just the whisper of the wind and his own breathing. He opened his eyes. There was a forest in front of him.

Not a real forest. It's more like a forest, like in old cartoons. Green trees with thick leaves, glowing moss on the ground.

A strange forest, but quite alive, as if it was not just a backdrop, but a part of something big. Atlas took a step forward. There was no pain, no fatigue. All he felt was lightness. He was here.

The screen blinked, catching his attention. Atlas narrowed his eyes. There are too many windows, too many options and settings. He was ready to just quit the game, but at some point he noticed the line:

[Choose your race.]

He was confused. In the real world, he was always considered a leader, a man of action, ready to solve problems. Here in this world, he was just one of many players. And yet, intuitively I chose the first race that came to hand — "Rabbit". He didn't even know what it meant. I just clicked it. I didn't want to think anymore.

His new appearance appeared on the screen. He looked down. Rabbit. White, with long ears and a soft, fluffy body. Atlas was shocked. He had pumped up his muscles in his entire life, and now he was in the body of a rabbit. For a moment he was annoyed, but then he realized that this was not reality. It's a game. All he had to do was just get comfortable.

–Okay. – he said into the void.

Before he could catch his breath, the next window made him stare at the screen again.:

[Choose a profession.]

Atlas mindlessly tapped on the keys, not going into details. His finger stopped at the "Scavenger" item. He didn't know what kind of profession it was, but here in this world, everything seemed temporary. And what did he have to lose?

Suddenly, the window disappeared, and with it everything disappeared—his discontent, anxiety, fear. It was a game, and there was no room in this world for the old emotions.

[Task updated: Collect trash.]

He didn't understand what exactly that meant, but he looked around curiously. A couple of steps forward, and a strange object appeared on the ground in front of him. As if out of thin air — an old, battered shoe. Atlas thought for a moment, not knowing what to do. He bent down and picked it up. Under his paws, the shoe was as soft as rough moss. Everything seemed so... unhurried.

When he picked up the shoe, the screen prompted him again.:

[Trash found. 1/10.]

Atlas stood looking at the object in his hands. He didn't know what that meant, but the clue was clearly part of the task. Tiny objects appeared all around again—old pieces of paper, plastic bottles, rubber bands. He began to collect them. Everything was happening slowly, as if in slow motion. He took his time. It was a strange but soothing experience.

Something flew up to him. Atlas looked up and saw something unusual. It was a shark. But not ordinary, but airy, transparent, with a slight blue glow. It's small, barely a meter long. She floated in the air as if she was comfortable in this world.

Suddenly, a message appeared on the screen:

[Your montaine beast]

[Little shark. Level 1.]

Atlas opened his mouth, but it was immediately followed by a light click. It was a new stage. His animal. Everything seemed to slow down, and Atlas knew that everything would be different. In this world where he found himself, time was not the same as in real life. Everything flowed slowly, with pauses for reflection, with pauses in order to feel every moment.

He looked at the shark again. He didn't know what that meant. But he knew one thing—it was only the first step. And this step was not supposed to be fast. He wasn't ready for action yet. The time has not come yet.

In the meantime, he will collect garbage and look for answers.

Atlas looked up, examining his new appearance. His muscles didn't hurt, his body wasn't heavy–on the contrary, he felt light, almost weightless. His long ears fluttered slightly in the light wind, and his bushy tail, although it seemed funny, was now part of his essence. It was strange, but not as frightening as at first.

His shark was swimming in front of him. From time to time, she changed her direction, as if she was searching for something in the air. Atlas tilted his head, watching her movements. He wasn't sure what exactly he should do with this creature, but it was clearly not just a decorative element. There was no room for random things in the game.

Creaking softly, his paws began to move on their own, as if they knew what to do. Atlas nodded. He just walked forward, following some invisible road that he couldn't immediately understand. Far ahead, barely visible on the horizon, was the silhouette of some large object. But there was no rush. He could walk slowly while observing the world around him.

A couple of steps and another piece of trash appeared under his paws. A dark plastic bottle. Atlas held out his hand, brushing a light dust from its surface. It wasn't that dirty, but rather slightly worn. But the game did not forgive mistakes, and he gave up — he collected a bottle, receiving another positive response on the screen.

[Trash found. 2/10.]

He looked up again. In the distance, among the green trees, a figure appeared. Atlas slowed his pace. There was no anxiety, no fear—he was ready. In addition, the world itself seemed to slow down, as if they were trying to keep it within the framework of rest rather than action. Everything was calm in this world.

As he approached, the figure, which turned out to be some kind of NPC, turned to him. It was an old man. He was tall, with a long white beard, and dressed in clothes that looked more like an old-fashioned work suit, but at the same time a little extravagant. His face expressed a slight smile, unfamiliar to Atlas.

// To be continued, please like and save...