Chapter - 4

Adam stared closely at a new window that popped up in front of his eyes. It looked like a clear, sleek computer screen floating in the air, with a soft blue color glowing from it.

This window showed all the important facts about his character in the game.

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Name: AlphaBoss

Species: Human

Class: Administrator

Level: 1

Experience: 0/100

Physical Stats:

Stamina: 5 (This means how long you can run or fight before getting tired.)

Endurance: 5 (This means how much damage you can take or how long you can last in tough conditions.)

Intelligence: 5 (This is how smart you are in the game, affecting things like using magic or figuring things out.)

Strength: 5 (This is how strong you are, affecting how hard you hit or how much you can carry.)

Agility: 5 (This means how fast and quickly you can move, helping you dodge attacks.)

Luck: 3 (This affects random things that might happen to you, good or bad.)

Unassigned Points: 0 (These are points you can use to make your stats higher, but he had none to use right now.)

Skill: Reality Manipulation (Level 1)

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Adam's eyes stopped on the words "Reality Manipulation." These two words together were strange. His mind started going very fast, filled with lots of questions that popped up one after another.

He had played the old version of this game for a very, very long time in his past life, and he had never seen a skill like this listed anywhere.

What in the world did "Reality Manipulation" even mean? How could a skill in a game change reality? That sounded impossible.

How would he even use something like that? Would he wave his hand and things would change? Would he just have to think it?

Was this skill really as powerful and crazy as its name made it sound? A feeling of surprise and wonder mixed with a little bit of fear bubbled up inside him. He was super curious and also a little bit excited.

Adam was thinking about all these wild things. He just couldn't understand how such a huge, unbelievable change – getting a skill that seemed godlike – could happen just because he logged in using his really old account.

It didn't make sense based on how games usually work. Was this something that happened to all the old players who logged back in?

Did they all get crazy powers and classes too? Or was this strange new status window, this 'Administrator' class and 'Reality Manipulation' skill, something that was available only to him?

Something unique to him because he had beaten the original, forgotten game before it changed? He didn't know, and the not knowing made his head spin.

He wanted to keep thinking about the skill, trying to figure out what "Reality Manipulation" could possibly mean in a game that was about to merge with the real world.

But before he could dive any deeper into these strange thoughts, something else grabbed his attention.

The golden avatar, the one that had welcomed him, seemed to notice his thoughts or just finished waiting.

It was glowing brightly and moved its arms, clapping its hands together slowly, almost like a way of saying "Well done!"

Its shining, golden eyes seemed to focus right on Adam, holding his attention. Then, it started to speak in a calm voice that sounded very formal and proper.

"Welcome to Row Online," the avatar began its speech. The words felt heavy with importance. "This is what we call an open-world game." Adam knew what that meant; it was a game where you weren't stuck on a specific path but could go anywhere you wanted.

The avatar continued, "but it also contains a storyline that you are encouraged to explore." So, there were missions and a main story if he wanted to follow them, but he didn't have to.

"We grant our players freedom to discover, experience, and utilize their unique powers." Freedom was important here, then.

He could find things, try things out, and use whatever special abilities he had – like this weird 'Reality Manipulation' skill he just got. The avatar finished its first part by saying,

"Exploration is the core of this world." This meant looking around, finding hidden things, and going to new places was a main, important part of playing the game.

He remembered this moment so clearly from his past life, the life he had just come from. It was like watching a movie scene play out exactly the same way twice.

He remembered the same message about the game being open-world, having a story, and being about exploration. The dialogue, the words the avatar spoke, were exactly the same.

But last time, there was a different avatar standing there. Not this glowing golden one, but another character that looked different. Why the change? Was it because he had the Administrator class? Another question added to the many spinning in his head.

The golden avatar paused for just a moment, giving Adam a chance to take in the information. Then, it bowed slightly, a sign of respect before continuing with the next part of the tutorial.

"You may now design your character," it announced, explaining the next step. This meant he could create a brand-new look for himself in the game. "Alternatively," the avatar added, giving him another choice,

"you may choose to retain the appearance from your previous account." Retain meant keep. So, he could either make someone completely new, or look exactly like his old character from the version of the game he had played years ago.

Adam's mind quickly showed him a clear picture of the character he had created in the old PC version of the game. It felt like a flash of lightning in his thoughts, bringing the image to life.

His avatar back then hadn't just been some random design; he had spent a lot of time carefully creating it. It was a reflection of his ideal self, the person he wanted to be – someone striking and mysterious, interesting and cool.

He remembered all the details he had chosen so carefully. The long, flowing black clothes that seemed to swirl around him when he moved.

The half-face mask he wore; it only covered the upper part of his face, adding an air of mystery, making people wonder who he was. There was a small, sharp dagger tied to his waist, always ready to be used.

His hair was not its natural color; he had made it a stark, bright white, making him stand out. And his eyes, usually brown, were changed to a piercing, bright blue that seemed to look right through people.

He smiled faintly now, a gentle smile, as a warm wave of nostalgia washed over him. Remembering his old character felt comforting, like thinking about a good old friend or a favorite place.

It was him, but in a more adventurous, cooler way. He knew his choice immediately. He didn't need to create a new character. The old one was perfect. "I'll keep my previous character design," he said to the golden avatar, his voice clear and full of confidence. There was no hesitation.

Adam had been wondering, looking at the avatar standing there, if the game would really let him keep the exact look from his old account.

Did it even remember all those details? Or would he have to spend time creating a new one, trying to get it just right again? He looked curiously at the golden avatar, waiting to see if his choice was possible, if the game would accept his request. He hoped it would.

The golden avatar didn't speak, but it nodded its head slightly. It was an acknowledgment, a signal that the game understood his choice.

Instantly, Adam felt a strange but not unpleasant shift all over his body. It was like putting on a magical suit that changed his form. His hair changed first, its color quickly becoming that bright, pure white he remembered, falling in soft, light strands around his face.

His eyes transformed next. Their color shifted and became that intense, glowing blue he had chosen. They looked almost otherworldly, too bright and focused to be normal human eyes.

Then, the black clothes appeared over his regular body, wrapping around him perfectly. He felt the familiar weight and shape of the small dagger as it appeared, hanging securely at his waist, its hilt right where he could easily grab it. He was AlphaBoss again, in the form he had designed years ago.

As soon as he got that small nod from the avatar, a wave of confidence filled Adam's mind, stronger than before. This wasn't just getting his old look back; it was confirmation that things were working in his favor.

He thought to himself, This is really good. Getting this specific character design is great, not just because it looks cool, but because I remember the old game. These clothes, this gear... it wasn't just for show back then. It actually gave me extra boosts and helpful stats when I wore them all together! This means I'm starting out even stronger than a regular player! It was like getting a head start in the race he was about to run.

He looked down at himself, examining his new form in the strange, empty space. A faint flicker of pride crossed his face, a small smile of satisfaction. This was the character he had built, the one he identified with in the virtual world.

This was who he was going to be in this new, world-changing version of the game – AlphaBoss, the mysterious adventurer with the cool look.

He felt a strong sense of familiarity in this appearance, a feeling of comfort. It was like slipping back into an old, favorite coat that fit perfectly and made him feel ready for anything.

He wanted to say something, maybe ask about the Reality Manipulation skill or where he was going next.

But before Adam could speak even one word, the golden avatar spoke again, its voice steady and powerful, like it was making an official announcement.

"Welcome officially to Row Online," it stated. This felt like the real beginning. "Your tutorial ends here," it finished, meaning there would be no more step-by-step instructions. "and your journey in the real game begins now."

With those final, echoing words, the golden avatar didn't walk away or fly off. It simply vanished. In a sudden shimmer of golden light, it was gone, leaving nothing behind.

The space around Adam instantly became eerily quiet. The calm, formal voice stopped, the soft glow faded a little, and the sense that he was being guided disappeared.

He was now standing alone, completely by himself, suspended in the vast, dark void of space. Looking down, he could see the planet far, far below him, still slowly rotating like a giant, colorful ball.

Adam's heart sank a little bit in his chest as he understood exactly what was going to happen next. He knew this part. It was the standard way players entered the game world after character creation in the old version.

His fists clenched automatically, not in anger, but in dread. "Oh no," he muttered quietly to himself, the words barely audible in the silence. "I hate this part."

Suddenly, he felt it. A powerful force grabbed hold of him, pulling him downward. It wasn't a gentle pull. It was strong and fast. Gravity, or something like it, took hold, and he started falling.

He was plummeting straight down towards the planet below at an alarming, terrifying speed. The wind, which hadn't been there before, roared loudly in his ears as he fell through the empty space.

The ground of the planet's surface seemed to be rushing up towards him impossibly fast. His stomach did a flip, like on a scary roller coaster, and his heart pounded harder and faster than ever in his chest.

Even through the chaos of the rushing wind and the fear of falling, Adam gritted his teeth. He tensed his entire body, making his muscles hard, bracing himself for the impact he knew was coming. He knew it would hurt, but he couldn't stop it. Moments later, after what felt like a terrifying drop, he crashed onto solid ground.

Despite hitting the ground with such tremendous force, Adam somehow came out of it completely unharmed. He wasn't broken, didn't feel pain. It was part of the game's strange system.

And just as surprisingly, the ground beneath him didn't show any damage at all. There were no cracks where he landed, no signs that anything had crashed there. It was as if the powerful impact had never happened, just absorbed by the world itself.

He pushed himself up off the ground, back onto his feet. He didn't have dirt or dust, but he brushed at his new black clothes anyway, a simple human habit even in this strange virtual world. A small, dry chuckle escaped his lips, a short, humorless sound. It was relief mixed with the lingering fear of the fall.

"No matter how many times I experience this," he said to himself, remembering every drop he'd made in the old game, "I can never fully get used to it. It's always scary."

He stood tall now, looking around. He was in the middle of a massive, open field. The grass that tickled his boots was a brilliant, vibrant green, shining under a sun that wasn't really there but felt real.

It moved gently side to side as a soft breeze blew across the land. In the distance, far away, he could see enormous mountains reaching up into the sky, their highest points covered in bright white snow.

To his left side, a thick forest stood tall, with many trees packed closely together. It stretched out so far he couldn't see the end of it, filled with tall, ancient trees that looked like they had been there forever.

To his right side, a river sparkled in the light, looking clear and clean. It wound its way through the grassy field, twisting and turning like a blue snake across the landscape. The water looked so clear it seemed inviting, perfect for a drink or a swim if he wanted.

Adam took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the air. It felt fresh and crisp, like clean mountain air. Despite the adrenaline that was still pumping through his body from the scary fall, a sense of calm washed over him. This was it. This was the starting point. The very beginning of his new journey, his second chance, in this strange, reborn world.

He glanced down at his hands. He flexed his fingers inside the black gloves that were part of his character design. They felt real, like a second skin, not just plastic or virtual items.

He reached down to his waist for the dagger, pulling it out of its holder. He looked at it closely. The blade shone brightly in the light, looking very sharp and definitely deadly. It wasn't a fancy weapon, just a simple, reliable dagger, but it was his and it felt right.

Adam smirked a little. He remembered how useful this dagger was in the early parts of the old game. "Well," he said to himself, turning the dagger in his hand, "that's a start." A basic weapon in a huge, unknown world.

He took his first step forward, the green grass crunching softly under his black boots with a realistic sound.

The world around him didn't feel fake at all. It felt completely alive, every single detail looking carefully made and real. He could hear the sound of birds singing happily in the distance, the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees being moved by the wind, and faintly, in the far distance, the deep sound of a waterfall.

All the sights and sounds made him feel like he was truly inside this world, completely immersed in it.

As he walked slowly through the grass, looking around, Adam couldn't stop a feeling of excitement from building up inside him. It was a mix of old and new feelings. This was a new beginning in a world he somehow knew, a chance to start over and fix things.

But it was also a chance to explore totally new possibilities he never had before. With his knowledge of the future and that mysterious 'Administrator' class with 'Reality Manipulation,' he could do things no other player had ever dreamed of. He could push the boundaries of what he thought was possible in a game, and in reality itself.

Adam standing tall in the vast, new landscape. His bright blue eyes were scanning the horizon, looking out at the mysterious world spread out before him. He felt a sense of purpose, a readiness. The real journey had only just begun, and he was more than ready to jump into it and face whatever came his way.