Trapped

Jurra's claws trembled slightly as he stared at the grayed-out system message.

[Feature Currently Unavailable.]

He gulped.

Okay. Okay. Don't panic. That's what he told himself.

He straightened his back. Took a deep breath. Then whispered again, quieter this time, "Don't panic."

Alright. Deep breaths. He'd been through tough patches in the game before. Times when he'd been cornered, outnumbered, and on his last health potion. He'd survived those. This… this was just another challenge.

"I mean," he muttered, "maybe it's a bug. Yeah. Right? Probably a UI glitch. It's happened before during big updates. Maybe the logout button is just hidden behind some delayed system patch."

He nodded to himself. Reassuring. Comforting.

"Maybe the devs are testing something. A new immersion protocol. Could be part of the expansion teaser. Yeah! Maybe that's what this is! An event. A weird, super-realistic promotional thing. I've seen crazier announcements."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not being able to logout just means they really want me to experience this fully before launch, right? Right. That's fair. They want feedback. Maybe I'll get bonus magic crystals for participating."

He smiled nervously. "Heh… maybe even some exclusive gear…"

His voice trailed off.

Still.

Still.

No logout button.

His fingers were twitching.

"But come on, this isn't real. I'm not actually stuck. That's absurd. Like what—trapped in a game? What is this, a manga plotline from ten years ago? I'm not that kind of guy. I'm grounded. Normal."

Jurra started pacing in circles.

"This is just stress talking. I've barely slept. My brain's hallucinating. That's it. Sleep deprivation. Of course. Of course this all makes perfect sense when you realize your synapses are firing like popcorn in a microwave."

He paused. Blinked hard. His claws clenched.

"Okay but… let's say, for argument's sake—purely hypothetical, right?—I was in the game. That would mean… what, my body on Earth is still in the chair? Or—no. Maybe I had a seizure. I've heard about that. People dreaming during neural link disconnections. Yep. That's it."

His tail slapped the ground behind him unconsciously. He barely noticed.

"Maybe I'm just having a lucid dream. A really, really detailed dream. That's all. Maybe if I just lie down, close my eyes, and take deep breaths, I'll wake up and be back in my room. I'll even see that empty ramen cup and those blinking notification lights. That always brings me back."

His pacing sped up.

"But what if I'm not dreaming?"

Jurra stopped walking.

He whispered it this time. "What if I'm really stuck?"

His heart thudded. Not a game heartbeat. Not a UI beat cue. His real heart—or at least, it felt like it.

"This isn't funny anymore," he said. "I didn't sign up for some permanent immersion thing! I have bills. I have a pet lizard. I have a digital wife in another game! What if I starve to death in the real world while stuck in this place?!"

He forced himself to stop.

Took another breath. Closed his eyes.

"Okay. Okay. Calm down, Jurra. Calm down."

He said it a dozen more times.

"You're not stuck. You're strong. You're the Jurassic Overlord. You've defeated the Dragon Empire. You've raised a hundred generations of Apex Beasts. You've survived world events, bugs, betrayal arcs, and pay-to-win whales. You can get through this."

His voice began to shake.

"You can find a solution. You just need time. Need a plan. Don't think about Earth. Don't think about your electric bill. Don't think about that unfinished sandwich on your desk. Don't think about the time loop theory. Don't think about what happens if you die here. Don't think—"

He dropped to one knee, gasping, his claws shaking.

His vision swam.

No matter how many times he told himself to stay calm, the creeping dread curled around his throat like a constrictor. Each logic-based reassurance turned into a question, then a contradiction, then a spiral of pure anxiety.

The more he tried to breathe evenly, the more he felt like screaming.

Eventually, unable to handle the thoughts racing in his mind, Jurra did the only thing he could.

He closed his eyes.

Tightly.

Shut out the world. Shut out the fear. Shut out the unknown.

Just… black.

Nothingness.

Silence.

A quiet space where no thoughts existed. Where no "what ifs" could survive. A place without stats or quests or responsibilities.

Just stillness.

After a long while—minutes? Hours?—a cool calm settled over him.

The panic didn't vanish, but it dulled. Tucked away into a part of his mind he could keep locked. At least for now.

He took one final, shaky breath.

Then opened his eyes.

"System."

The glowing interface materialized again, softly illuminating his face.

He scanned the screen and tapped on his Player Profile.

A panel slid open.

Name: Jurra

Title: Overlord of the Jurassic Overlord Dominion

Race: Beast Warlock

Age: Unknown

Gender: Male

Status: Active

Class: Tamer-Lord (Unique)

Beast Kin Rank: Apex-Sovereign

He nodded. That was all familiar.

But then his eyes drifted down.

Level: 100 Abilities (Locked)

Level: 90 Abilities (Locked)

Level: 80 Abilities (Locked)

Level: 70 Abilities (Locked)

Level: 60 Abilities (Locked)

Level: 50 Abilities (Locked)

Level: 40 Abilities (Locked)

Level: 30 Abilities (Unlocked)

"…Wait."

He blinked. Tapped on Level 30.

The details expanded.

Current Level: 100.

Overlord Ability: Indominator Rex Transformation

Summon: Jurassic Sentinels (10 Max)

Shapeshift Window: 4 Days

Resource Limit: Basic Access

Jurra's lips parted slightly. "…So I'm Level 100 but my abilities are only level 30 right now?"

Soon, a note will appear.

Due to winning the Overlord competition, the Overlord ability can now be accessed at low levels and without mana.

He stared at it again, eyebrows furrowing.

This… wasn't too bad.

Sure, he was not massively nerfed, he was still at Level 100 with Level 30 abilities, most players couldn't dream of having Overlord ability Indominator Rex form, his most feared transformation.

He tapped again to view his resources.

Magic Crystals: 3

"…Three?" Jurra choked.

His eyes bulged.

"No no no, what—what is this?!"

He swiped frantically through the log history.

"I had six hundred and sixty-seven at the last raid! That was the cap! That was the most! I beat that insane dungeon solo to earn them!"

He shook his head. "And now I get three?! What kind of scam is this?! Where's my legendary refund?!"

His tail thumped the floor.

"But even if I had more…" he paused, whispering, "how do I even sell them? If I can't logout…"

That thought hit harder than the loss itself.

It wasn't just about rewards anymore.

He was trapped. Trapped with currency he couldn't spend, loot he couldn't trade, and glory that meant nothing without the world to witness it.

His mood plummeted. Hope drained from his features.

Then—

A soft sound.

Like wind brushing silk.

Jurra turned.

Seven figures entered his hall.

Beautiful, tall, otherworldly.

They shimmered slightly in the dim light—elegant scales that gleamed like polished gemstones, eyes deep and ageless, hair flowing like waterfalls of obsidian and silver.

Each one of them moved with the grace of predator queens.

He recognized them instantly.

The Matriasaurs.

Jurra's brow furrowed. "Why are you all here…?"

He knew them. He remembered every one of them. They were the elite mother-dinosaurs—the apex Matriarchs of his breeding program.

Each of them had birthed terrifying monsters of war. Spiked Carnotauruses, armored Raptors, lightning-infused Pterosaurs.

And now…

They stood silently before him.

At the front was Sephina—the Matriasaur Spinosaurus. Taller than the rest, radiant, cold yet impossibly beautiful.

Their eyes locked.

Jurra stepped forward, confused. "What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

No answer.

Then slowly… one of the Matriasaurs looked to the side.

Then another.

Then another.

Until all seven exchanged looks.

Their cheeks—some scaled, some smooth—flushed pink. Their eyes lowered shyly.

And then, as if on cue, Sephina stepped forward.

Her voice was soft, melodic, and heavy with ritualistic meaning.

"Supreme One…" she said gently, bowing her head.

The others echoed her motion, blushing deeper now.

"…It is time to accompany you… to the bedchamber."