Chapter 6: The Fourth Disaster Arrives

Kael Renar perched on a jagged rock near his outcrop shelter, the System panel's faint glow illuminating his dirt-streaked face. The jungle's night sounds—chittering insects, rustling vines, and the distant growl of some unseen beast—blended with the ocean's relentless hum, a symphony that kept his nerves on edge. Six days in Eryndor had etched exhaustion into his bones, his tattered hoodie and fraying sneakers a testament to the grind of survival. The System, activated two days ago at the beach boulders, was his only edge, but it was a cruel one. Level 1 (F-), Game Guider class, with a measly 12 XP toward the 200 needed for level 2. His stats—Strength 4, Agility 6, Intellect 9, Endurance 5—marked him as a thinker, not a fighter, and his skills, Spark (Novice) and Scavenge (Novice), were barely enough to fend off a rune-beetle, as yesterday's scrap had proven.

The rod, his scavenged weapon, rested in his hands, its hum a steady pulse against his blistered palms. His outcrop, fortified with woven vines and piled stones, held a fragile stockpile: five tart berries, a handful of fish bones, and a gourd of stream water. The rift in the sky, pulsing violet above the ocean, had haunted his thoughts since day one. Last night's glimpse of humanoid shapes within it—flickering, like static on a screen—had confirmed his suspicion: players, tied to his Game Guider class. The System's description, "shape the flow of others," had unlocked a new function yesterday: Summon Interface (Locked: Requires Intent). Kael's coder brain had pieced it together: he could bring players here, through the rift, and use them to grind XP.

"Day six," Kael muttered, his voice a dry rasp. "Survive, control, exploit." The rift's shapes had sharpened, moving with purpose. If players were coming, he'd summon them on his terms, not Eryndor's. The System panel flickered, and he navigated to the Summon Interface. A prompt glowed: Access Earth Network? (Cost: 8 XP). His 12 XP was all he had, a hard-earned trickle from scavenging, fighting, and surviving. Spending it hurt, but players were the key. He could pose as a game developer, draw them in, and—per the System's fine print—siphon 50% of their XP without their knowledge.

Kael focused, willing the connection. The System chimed: XP Deducted: 8. Level Progress: 4/200. Earth Network Accessed. A virtual keyboard hovered, and he typed, hands shaking from hunger and anticipation:

"Join the ultimate VRMMORPG! The Fourth Disaster seeks beta testers for a hyper-realistic fantasy world. Limited slots. Sign up: [System-Generated Portal]."

He posted it across Earth's gaming forums, streaming platforms, and social media, the System's reach eerily vast. The panel pulsed: Post Deployed. Summoning Initiated. First Wave: 5 Players. Arrival: Dawn. Kael's XP was nearly gone, but the gamble was set. Five players, treating Eryndor as a game, could be his ticket to progress—or his doom if they were reckless. He'd play the NPC, guide them, and let their grind fuel his.

Dawn broke, painting the jungle in violet and gold. Kael trekked to the beach, rod in hand, his steps cautious through the buzzing undergrowth. He checked the stream's fish trap—three fish, reset for later—and noted the motes in the water, swirling tighter, like a loading screen. The beach's coarse sand crunched underfoot, the ocean's hum sharper, almost electric. The rift flared, violet light tearing the sky, and five figures stumbled onto the sand, coughing and disoriented. Kael ducked behind a boulder, heart pounding, and watched.

The players were young, mid-twenties, clad in System-provided tunics and leather boots. A burly guy—Tag: IronBrawlr—gripped a dented sword, grinning. "Full-dive VR? This is wild!" A slim woman—Tag: StarlitMage—twirled a wooden staff, its tip faintly glowing. "The textures are unreal!" Two men—Tag: ShadowSneak and Tag: FlameViper—scanned the jungle, one with a dagger, the other with a short bow. The fifth, a lanky guy—Tag: QuestBuster—fiddled with a System panel, muttering, "Strength 5, Agility 8… decent."

Kael's panel updated: First Wave Summoned. XP Sharing Active: 50% of Player XP Gained. Their levels were F-, stats mirroring his own, but their excitement was a liability. They saw Eryndor as a playground, not a death trap. Kael stepped from the boulder, rod at his side, and adopted a calm, authoritative tone. "Welcome to Eryndor," he said, channeling every RPG quest-giver he'd encountered. "I'm the Guider. Stick with me, and you'll survive this world."

IronBrawlr laughed. "Quest NPC? Hit us with the tutorial, dude." StarlitMage squinted. "You're super lifelike. Devs went hard on the AI." Kael hid a grimace—he was 28, not an ancient sage. "Eryndor's dangerous," he said. "Start small: gather berries, fish, vines. Stay close, and don't provoke anything."

The players fanned out, IronBrawlr slashing vines with his sword, StarlitMage testing a weak flame spell that fizzled. Kael observed, their System panels visible to him as Game Guider. ShadowSneak scavenged berries: Player XP: 2. Shared XP: 1. Level Progress: 5/200. FlameViper caught a fish: Player XP: 3. Shared XP: 1.5. Level Progress: 6.5/200. The trickle was slow, but five players grinding could add up. Kael's Survive quest ticked over at dawn: Experience Gained: 2 XP. Level Progress: 8.5/200.

A sharp chittering broke his focus. A rune-beetle, its carapace etched with glowing lines, scuttled from the jungle, drawn by IronBrawlr's hacking. "Sweet, a mob!" IronBrawlr charged, sword swinging wildly. StarlitMage fired a spark, singeing the sand, while ShadowSneak circled, dagger glinting. The beetle lunged, mandibles snapping, and clipped IronBrawlr's leg. He yelped, blood staining his tunic. "It hurts! What kinda VR is this?"

Kael stepped forward, rod ready. "Aim for the shell's cracks!" He sparked the beetle, the arc hitting a rune. Skill Used: Spark (Novice). Proficiency +2/100. The beetle recoiled, and ShadowSneak stabbed its underbelly, finishing it. Player XP: 6 (Shared Kill). Shared XP: 3. Level Progress: 11.5/200. IronBrawlr clutched his leg, glaring. "That's not normal VR pain!"

"Eryndor's immersive," Kael said, dodging the truth. "Be careful." The players exchanged uneasy glances, but StarlitMage looted the beetle's carapace: Player XP: 2. Shared XP: 1. Level Progress: 12.5/200. Kael masked his relief. Their XP was his, but their recklessness could draw bigger threats.

He led them to the stream, assigning tasks: fish traps, berry scavenging, vine weaving. QuestBuster built a crude lean-to: Player XP: 4. Shared XP: 2. Level Progress: 14.5/200. FlameViper sparked a fire, nearly burning his hand: Player XP: 3. Shared XP: 1.5. Level Progress: 16/200. Kael guided subtly, pointing out safe plants, warning against the ocean's ripples. His Game Guider class was vague, but the XP sharing was a lifeline. If he could scale this—more players, coordinated tasks—his grind to level 100 might not take forever.

The players' chatter grated—talk of "leaderboards," "loot drops," "game patches." They didn't grasp Eryndor's stakes, but Kael did. The Astral Compass, the Nexus, his isekai—they were tied to this chaos. The rift's pulse, stronger today, sent tremors through the sand. Kael glanced skyward, catching a flicker of violet, but the shapes were gone. The System chimed: Quest Updated: Survive. New Objective: Protect First Wave (Optional). Reward: 4 XP.

Dusk settled, and the players camped by the stream, their fire casting flickering shadows. Kael stayed apart, leaning against a tree, rod in hand. The jungle's roars grew louder, as if sensing the players' disruption. His panel glowed: 16/200 XP, a crawl toward level 2. The Fourth Disaster was here, and Kael would shape it, milking their XP while keeping them alive. He wasn't a hero, just a coder stuck in a deadly game, and he'd play it smarter than anyone.