" Remember Death. IIII-I " Carefully, Juan ran his fingers over the words and the symbol, as if the very ink had been drawn with blood. Its creepy and unclean.
I don''t have a clue what it means. This damn book''s owner... Who''s death am I supposed to remember?
Juan impatiently flipped to the next page and saw the header: Table of Contents. He noticed, all the text was on the right page, while the left page remained empty.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1); border-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1); border-style: none; width: 15.259%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 99.8621%" colspan="2">Table of Contents</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 99.8621%" colspan="2" rowspan="6">
◇ Preface
◇ Table of Contents
◇ Character
◇ Core
◇ Slot
◇ Archive
</td>
</tr>
<tr></tr>
<tr></tr>
<tr></tr>
<tr></tr>
<tr></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The Table of Contents revealed enough information for him to understand that this is the real deal.
So, this is not a diary but rather a book.
Juan immediately flipped to the Character page, his eyes narrowing as he took in the details.
On the left page was a precise depiction of his body and gear in two dimensions. It felt as though someone had captured a photograph of him at that very instant.
They didn''t even missed the stone axe hanging from my belt.
Beneath his two-dimensional representation lay a red, white, and blue bar. As he concentrated, the label became clear.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1); border-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 16.075%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.9122%">Blood</td>
<td style="width: 80.1305%">90/100</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.9122%">
SP
(Soul Point)
</td>
<td style="width: 80.1305%">49/50</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 19.9122%">Mana</td>
<td style="width: 80.1305%">31/100</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
He couldn''t help but wonder if he was somehow trapped within a video game. As he shift his eyes on the right page there he saw:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 32.8027%; background-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1); border-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1)" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.5798%">Name</td>
<td colspan="4">Juan Lopez</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.5798%">Race</td>
<td colspan="4">Human</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.5798%">Age</td>
<td colspan="4">18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.5798%">Skills</td>
<td style="width: 33.6994%; text-align: center">Active: 0/10 </td>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="3">Passive : 1/5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.5798%">Cores</td>
<td style="width: 33.6994%; text-align: center">Might O</td>
<td style="width: 14.1486%; text-align: center">Soul O</td>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="2"> Mind O</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
"Character sheet, checked" Juan mumbled.
Juan furrowed his brow at the possibility. Could it be a prank? That seemed unlikely.
It was only 2025—had virtual reality really advanced to this level? He shook his head, struggling to reconcile this reality with his understanding of tech development.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Just as he was about to investigate further, a flickering light caught his eye. His heart raced as he swiftly closed the book and pressed his back against the tree trunk.
Holding his breath, he peered through the leaves, trying to identify the source of the disturbance.
Hushed, cautious voices drifted through the air, their words indistinguishable.
Juan''s heart raced as he strained to hear the voices through the foliage. He pressed against the tree trunk harder, blending into the shadows.
Cautiously peering through the rustling leaves, he spotted flickering light in the distance.
The rustling leaves and muted voices grew nearer, and he tightened his grip on his stone axe.
The flickering light grew brighter, casting three silhouettes through the foliage. Tensing, he prepared to act at the first sign of danger. But as the three shadows shifted, they revealed humanoid shapes, not monstrous forms.
Hope surged within him.
As they stepped into the light, Juan realized they were indeed human. A wave of relief flooded over him, but it quickly gave way to unease as he noticed they have spears and torches.
He hesitated to reveal himself, scanning their faces for any sign of recognition or hostility in their expression.
And why are they dressed like cavemen? he wondered.
To his surprise, the burly figure raised a hand in a gesture of peace. "Easy there, friend," the man said softly. "We mean you no harm."
Juan remained silent, still cautious of these men.
The trio scanned their surroundings, looking for any hint of movement.
The stout man faced the skinny youth. "Elmer, are you sure this is the correct spot? Did you actually see someone, or is your imagination running wild again?"
Elmer seemed nervous as he responded, "Not a person... but I noticed a light." His voice shook, as though he were on the verge of crying.
"Strike one," the bulky man commented, imitating a baseball swing with his torch.
"I''m… sorry, Derek. I''ll find them right away..." Elmer faltered, then he repeatedly called out to see if anyone was there.
After a moment, the third man, of average build, tapped his feet impatiently. "We''re not making any progress".
Derek''s frustration boiled over as he snapped at Elmer, his voice sharp and impatient. "Idiot! Use your Codex"
"Ahh yes," Elmer responded softly, a low grunt escaping his lips as he shifted uncomfortably.
In that moment, Juan realized his first interaction with another human in this place wouldn''t be as smooth as he had imagined.
And… Codex? So, that''s what they''re calling this book.
Juan watched the situation unfold, torn between fleeing or facing them head-on. They appeared to be plotting something unpleasant.
Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed his mind. Should I attack first?
As Juan hesitated, he noticed Elmer suddenly holding an opened book, similar to the one he had.
But I didn''t see it before? Where did he hide that? Juan wondered, his gaze shifting between the three men.
Elmer appeared distressed as he looked at Derek. "Derek, I don''t have enough mana... but in 30 minutes I... I can cast it."
Before Juan could react, a spear pierced Elmer''s chest. The boy tried to grasp the weapon, but his eyes dimmed, and he fell lifeless to the ground.
A heavy silence hung in the air. The crackling of the torches seemed deafening, filling the void left by Elmer''s final breath.
"Out!" Derek''s voice dripped with contempt as he sneered down at the lifeless body. "Excuses, excuses—that''s all you ever had."
"Yet, you only give him one strike," commented the other man.
"Okay, here comes Strike Two," a cruel grin spreading across Derek''s face as he delivered another kick to the lifeless body.
"Followed by Strike Three. Stay dead."
"Happy?, Nathan" Derek added, glancing at the other man.
<hr>
Did I just witness a murder?
Frozen in place, Juan watched in horror as the burly man, Derek, viciously kicked the lifeless body.
The moderately built man, Nathan, stood nearby, appearing unaffected by the horrifying scene.
Juan''s mind churned with conflict, caught between the instinct to flee and the burning guilt of inaction.
I can''t just stand here and do nothing, his grip tightening around the stone axe.
Just as Juan was about to silently step out from his hiding spot, a sudden movement caught his eye. The average-built man turned, his gaze sweeping the area.
Juan held his breath, praying he hadn’t been spotted. He''d be at a serious disadvantage, whether he tried to run or fight.
After a tense moment, the man shrugged and turned his attention back to Derek and Elmer''s body. "We should get moving," he said.
Derek grunted, delivering one final kick to Elmer''s lifeless body before straightening up. "Useless piece of—" He paused, scanning the surroundings. "Where''s the Codex?"
Derek rolled over Elmer''s corpse, revealing the book beneath. He brushed the dust off the tattered cover with a satisfied grin. "It''s here" He tapped the book, then swiftly produced another book from his side and pressed them together.
A brief flash of light erupted between the two books, illuminating Derek’s face with a manic glee. "Hah! Let’s see what we got!" He flipped open his book, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Jackpot!" Derek exclaimed, waving Nathan over with urgency.
Juan squinted from his hiding spot as Derek held up a brown orb, its surface glimmering faintly in the flickering torchlight.
"Are you planning to swap your cores?" Nathan asked, tilting his head slightly, skepticism etched across his face. "Do you even have enough essence?"
Derek chuckled softly, the sound dripping with malice. "Hehe! Why not? Elmer''s donation makes it easy."
Juan''s stomach churned at Derek''s casual remarks.
Derek then reached into his opened book and retrieved a red orb with difficulty. As he did so, blood trickled from his mouth, ears, eyes, and nose—an unsettling display.
“Insane…” Nathan muttered.
With a cough that echoed like gravel scraping against stone, Derek pushed the brown orb toward the page in his book. The orb hovered just above it for a moment before settling down.
Derek grinned wide despite the blood trickling from him.
"Let the hunt begin!"