A New Way Out

The realness of it all brought tears to his eyes. In the virtual world, he never felt anything like this.

"Ryan, why are you crying?"

A soft hand reached out from next to him, gently wiping away his tears.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just... really hit me, you know?"

Ryan opened his eyes, staring up at the cracked ceiling. He held his two younger sisters tight, a wave of emotion so strong it almost made him yell.

He tilted his head slightly. The glowing clock on the wall cast a dim light.

July 24, 2025

'Seven days.'

That's all the time they had until Kingdom Forge launched.

Ryan had no plans to ever log back into the game. But, well, life had a funny way of making you change your mind.

"I'm telling you—if those two girls don't come keep me company tonight, you can all pack your bags and get out."

It was their landlord's son, Kenny Whitmore, thirty years old and standing right in the middle of their living room. He was practically drooling, staring at Molly and Mia, Ryan's younger sisters, who were clinging to him. His eyes were just full of greed.

"Who do you think you are? Some washed-up street punk trying to scare us?"

Ryan had only been awake for an hour, and he was already knee-deep in this mess. Any excitement he'd felt about being in this world? Gone. Poof.

Kenny sneered. "You think you're better than me? You used to be some rich kid, all spoiled and fancy. Now you can't even afford a decent meal. Don't act like you've still got pride."

Even with all his bluster, Kenny didn't push it too far. The Whitmores knew Ryan's family had fallen on hard times, but nobody was quite sure if there was still someone dangerous looking out for them.

After an awkward silence, Kenny backed off, unable to meet Ryan's icy stare. But as he left, he tossed one last threat over his shoulder.

"Your lease is up on the 20th. Unless you hand those girls over, you're heading straight to the slums."

Once the door slammed shut, the two girls behind Ryan started to cry, soft little whimpers that dug deep into his brain.

"Alright, enough of that," Ryan said, trying to keep his voice steady. "We've got more than twenty days. We'll just find a new place before then."

He sighed. There was no other way. He had to play the game. It was their only shot at money.

"We're almost out of cash. Mom and Dad haven't sent anything in months," Molly mumbled, clutching Ryan's sleeve. "Even if they do, it won't be enough. Not for a place around here. Do we really have to do what that fat jerk Kenny says?"

Ryan gently placed a hand on her head. "Don't worry about him. I've already figured out a new way to make money. We're gonna be fine. New house, new everything."

Then he turned to Mia, the older one, who always looked way too serious for her age. "Take Molly inside. Keep her calm. I've got stuff to get ready."

Mia gave a small nod, her face a mask of stone. She led Molly into the only bedroom, whispering quiet reassurances as she closed the door behind them.

Ryan sat down and emptied his bag and pockets onto the floor. A few crumpled bills and some loose change. He stared at them and let out a bitter laugh.

Two hundred dollars and twenty-eight cents. In a world where a bowl of noodles cost more than a dollar, this had to last three people for over twenty days. If he hadn't lived a life before this one, he'd probably be just as hopeless as his sisters.

He stepped outside into the humid air. The apartment wasn't much, barely two hundred square feet but the rent was dirt cheap. Five hundred bucks a month. If it weren't for that, they'd already be in the slums.

"Mrs. Whitmore's a good person," Ryan mumbled. "Too bad her son's a complete scumbag."

Feeling more annoyed than anything, he went out and spent almost all his money: $120 on the cheapest virtual setup he could find for Kingdom Forge, and another $60 on a whole crate of off-brand instant noodles.

That was all he could do to get ready for launch day. The game would go live in a few days. He was pretty sure he could make money fast—enough for a place, for sure. But what really bothered him wasn't just a roof over their heads. His sisters' college acceptance letters were coming soon.

And tuition? That was a whole different ballgame.

He lugged the stuff home, sweating and sore. By the time he walked through the door, his sisters were waiting. And they were mad.

"You're still playing games?!" Mia's voice cracked as she hugged Molly close, tears already streaming down her face. Molly soon joined in, overwhelmed by the sight.

"I'm not just playing." Ryan was never good with words, so he just started setting everything up. "This is how we survive."

He moved the virtual setup into the only bedroom, stacked the instant noodles in the corner, and began the setup. One by one, the motion sensors slipped onto his fingers. He pulled the visor down over his face. It clicked into place.

And just like that, he was in the game.

---

Triumphant music blasted in his ears. Ryan stood at the character creation screen, ready to build a new avatar.

He typed in his old login, more out of habit than hope—then blinked.

It worked.

His account from his previous life had somehow synced up with this one.

Stunned, Ryan watched as data flooded his vision. The login bar filled in under two seconds, but it felt like forever. His heart hammered. A whirlwind of emotions hit him all at once.

A massive iron gate loomed ahead. Beyond it, a lone figure stood cloaked in shadow.

Ryan focused on the silhouette.

A beam of brilliant white light shot down from the sky, bathing the figure as he stepped forward, armor gleaming like a mirror, polished to perfection.

"Yes," Ryan whispered. "That's it. My old character. The one called the First Holy Paladin."

His hands trembled as he reached out, brushing against the cold metal of the plated armor. It shone under the holy light, almost blinding him.

But then the glow faded, and a red warning icon pulsed into view.

Access Denied.

His character was locked, permanently banned.

Ryan closed his eyes. For a moment, the loss stung. But he shook it off fast. Dropping a level-90 Paladin into a new game would just break everything. Seriously, even if the servers were orbiting Mars, the outrage would be insane. No game developer could survive the riot that would follow.

Still, even if the character was locked, the account bank was probably still there.

And that changed everything.