《Game Over: 500 Seconds》


 Prologue - Earth, Year 3000

    The crimson sky, a harbinger of doom, cast a deadly shadow over the planet. A super-flare, a cataclysmic event of cosmic proportions, had ripped through Earth''s atmosphere, stripping away its protective shield. The once-vibrant world was now a desolate wasteland, a silent testament to humanity''s vulnerability.


    In the heart of fortified bunkers, humanity huddled, their fate sealed. With only 500 seconds remaining before the planet was engulfed in lethal radiation, a sense of despair permeated the air. Each individual or family unit, isolated from the world, faced the grim reality of their impending demise. Outside, the silence was profound, a stark contrast to the once-vibrant world. The bunkers, built to protect against countless threats, had become tombs, sealing away the last remnants of hope.


    People whispered among themselves, voices trembling as they shared their fears. Some clung to the belief that they could find a way out, a glimmer of hope amid the despair. Others had already succumbed to the weight of the inevitable, resigned to their fate. Supplies dwindled, and the air grew stale.


    In the dim light, faces reflected the struggle within. Parents tried to comfort their children, sharing stories of the world above¡ªa world now painted in memories and fading dreams. Some scrolled through old messages on their devices, searching for connections that felt increasingly distant. Others wrote letters, pouring their hearts into words meant for loved ones they might never see again.


    As the final moments approached, a strange stillness enveloped the space. Many gathered in small groups, sharing laughter and tears, cherishing the bonds that had formed in the shadows. They spoke of their lives, of laughter-filled gatherings, of the simple pleasures they once took for granted. The bunkers had kept them safe from the immediate danger, but they couldn''t shield them from the sorrow of impending loss.


    Just as despair hung heavy in the air, a flicker of hope emerged. A group of tech-savvy individuals within the bunkers had been working on a revolutionary project: Neurolink, a technology designed to transfer consciousness into a digital realm. As the clock ticked down, they gathered those willing to take the leap.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "We can escape this," one of the engineers urged, desperation mingling with determination in their eyes. "We can live on, in a different form, in a world we can create."


    With trembling hands and pounding hearts, they prepared for the transfer. One by one, they connected to the system, lying down in makeshift chairs equipped with sleek headsets. A soothing hum filled the air as the software initiated, enveloping them in a cascade of light and sound. They could feel their minds drifting, leaving the confines of the bunker behind.


    The digital world materialized around them¡ªa vibrant landscape brimming with colors and life, free from the shackles of their previous existence. They stood in a sprawling, lush meadow, sunlight filtering through vibrant trees. The heavy weight of dread was lifted, replaced by a euphoric sense of freedom.


    But this new life came with challenges. They found themselves navigating a world of quests and trials, where they had to work together to build their new reality. As they explored this vast virtual space, they discovered they could shape it with their thoughts and dreams, forging a new existence.


    Yet, as they delved deeper into their new lives, memories of their past lingered. They reminisced about the world they had left behind¡ªthe laughter, the love, and the pain. This digital realm offered an escape, but it also served as a reminder of what they had lost.


    Over time, they began to thrive. They built communities, shared stories, and even created new adventures. Their spirits soared as they faced challenges together, forming bonds that transcended the physical and digital realms. It wasn''t just survival; it was a new beginning.


    But even in this utopia, the question lingered: What was real? As they embraced their new identities, the line between the world above and the digital paradise blurred. And while they had narrowly escaped death, they found themselves grappling with the essence of existence in a world where reality had shifted into pixels and code.


    In the end, they realized they weren''t just fleeing death; they were redefining life itself, forging a future in the heart of a game¡ªa testament to the resilience of the human spirit, even in the face of oblivion. As they stood together in their new world, a sense of purpose emerged. They would not only create a new existence but would also honor the memories of those who had been left behind. With every adventure, every challenge conquered, they carried their past with them, a silent pledge to never forget. Together, they would shape a future where the spirit of humanity thrived, reminding them that even in the darkest moments, hope could take root in the most unexpected places.

 Chapter 1: 200 Seconds Later

    Tyler sprinted across the forest with his level 4 dagger. With his speed now at level 5, he was finally able to catch up to the wolves that had been narrowly escaping him. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now. Tyler soared across the air and tackled the wolf. He took his dagger and slit the wolf''s throat. The wolf disintegrated into pixels that quickly vanished.


    Level 5 wolf defeated. You have gained 50 experience. 2 Gold has been added to your inventory. Wolf pelt has been added to your inventory. Wolf meat has been added to your inventory. Wolf bones have been added to your inventory. Quest unlocked : Wolf Hunter. 1 of 50 wolves have been killed.


    ¡°Fifty! Jeez, I had to chase this one forever.¡± Tyler glanced at the fading light. ¡°Ah man, it¡¯s already getting dark. My parents are going to worry.¡± He took off sprinting toward home. After clearing the Great Forest, he zipped down several light roads, passing other teenagers also on their way back. When he finally reached his mansion, he attempted to sneak in through the front door.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± his mom asked, her tone sharp. ¡°I, I...¡± ¡°I told you that you can''t be out late. It¡¯s dangerous out there. With all these people having magic powers, you could seriously get hurt.¡± ¡°But mom, I would just respawn if anything bad happened.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk back to your mother.¡± Tension filled the air as they sat around the dinner table, the roasted chicken and vegetables sitting cold and untouched on his plate. Tyler stared at the food, feeling a mix of frustration and guilt as his mom¡¯s worried words replayed in his mind. He wished she could see that he was capable of handling himself.


    As the meal came to a close, his mom''s voice cut through his thoughts again. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to go to sleep. You have school tomorrow.¡± He sighed, the weight of the evening pressing down on him. ¡°Fine,¡± Tyler muttered, standing up from the table and leaving the warmth of family behind as he headed to his room.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Once inside, he lit the ceiling with a soft blue glow using his mind. Checking his stats, he read: Tyler, Level 5, Experience 50/1000, Gold 300, Health 100/100, Stamina 20/100, Mana 100/100 Strength 2, Defense 1, Magic 1,  Speed 5, Creation 4. Scrolling through his inventory, he selected the wolf bones. ¡°Wolf bone removed. Four bone arrows have been added to your inventory.¡± ¡°Arrows? I really need to focus more in school.¡± With a sigh, he hopped onto his floating mattress and quickly drifted off to sleep.


    ¡°Good morning, it¡¯s time to get ready for school,¡± his mom said. ¡°5 more minutes.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t get up, you¡¯re going to be late.¡±¡±Fine,¡± Tyler groaned. Tyler hopped out of bed, then selected his school uniform from his inventory. His pajamas turned into pixels and reformed into his uniform. He then walked down the stairs, eventually sitting at the dining table.


    The kitchen smelled sweet from pancake syrup. His mom then brought him his plate and sat it in front of him. ¡°Thanks mom.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very welcome.¡± Tyler devoured the pancakes, eggs and sausage on his plate. He didn¡¯t technically need to eat, but his parents were old school. However, he did see the green bar (stamina) at the bottom right of his vision fill all the way up. ¡°Thanks again," Tyler shouted as he sprinted out the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad I don¡¯t have to do the dishes anymore,¡± Tammy grimly thought. She clicked the table and then clicked clean. Plates have been added to the house. Forks have been added to the house. Knives have been added to the house. Glasses have been added to the house. Trash has been added to the house. Tammy then made her way to her home office to begin her accounting job.


    Jack, Tyler''s dad, walked into the office. ¡°How do you do it? You just go to work and act like everything is normal. On the news I saw someone shoot laser beams out of his eyes and kill 50 children.¡±¡±Well, they do respawn and we don¡¯t feel pain. They just have to find their way back home,¡± she shivers. ¡°Okay, okay I see your point.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you do this is madness.Your mom grew up in the real world and it was dying. Then we all just ended up here. I don¡¯t know how you carry on thinking everything is normal.¡± ¡°I do it for Tyler okay,¡± Tammy starts to sob.

 Chapter 2: School

    Chapter 2: School


    Tyler joined up with the others that were sprinting to school. ¡°Hey Tyler, your speed finally caught up to us. You want to race?¡± Logan shouted. Quest unlocked, beat Logan in a race. Logan''s screen: Quest unlocked beat Tyler in a race. ¡°You¡¯re on!,¡± Tyler exclaimed back. They bolted fast towards the school, a blue line trailed behind them. Tyler saw the city-like school ahead of him. A few moments later he burst through the school doors.


    ¡°What on Earth do you think you¡¯re doing,¡± a teacher shouted. Logan burst through the door right after. ¡°You two are to go to the principal''s office immediately and tell him what you did wrong.¡± Quest Completed: Reward: 100 experience, Quickboots have been added to your inventory. ¡°Aw man, I failed my quest,¡± Logan said. ¡°Did you two hear me? Go, now!¡± ¡°Okay, sorry mam,¡± both boys said at the same time as they slumped off.


    ¡°Why are you in my office? Tyler, this is the third time this week. Logan, I know you know better than this.¡± ¡°We had a race and flew through the doors,¡± Tyler mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to call your mother Tyler. You are going to go to detention after school today. Logan, don¡¯t do that again. Dismissed.¡± Tyler and Logan walked out of the office. ¡°Aww man, my mom¡¯s going to freak out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine, what did you get as a reward?¡±


    ¡°I got quick boots, I haven¡¯t checked out the specs yet.¡± ¡°Wow! I¡¯ve heard about those, they increase your speed stat by 1. They are uncommon.¡± ¡°Really? They should help me catch wolves in the forest to..,¡± Tyler was cut off by his own thoughts. ¡°Oh yeah, detention.¡± Then he realized ¡°My dad¡¯s going to kill me! I¡¯ll probably be grounded for a week.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your dad wouldn¡¯t limit your training. He understands how important it is.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s the problem. He¡¯s old. He doesn''t understand anything about this place.¡± Bong! Bong! Bong! ¡°Well, time for class, I¡¯ll see you at lunch,¡± Logan said. ¡°Okay, sounds good. Tyler headed towards his first class,  Calculus.


    Tyler walked into class and found his seat. He sat next to a shy girl named Aria and a class clown named Josh. ¡°Good morning class!¡± ¡°Good morning Mrs. Roe,¡± most of the class said unenthusiastically.  ¡°Let¡¯s try this again, Good morning class!¡± A few students groaned. ¡°Good morning Mrs. Roe,¡± more of the class finally said. ¡°As you all know our finals are coming up.¡± The entire class groaned. ¡°Let us begin.¡±


    Mrs. Roe wrote: E(x)=5x?x2,E(x) = 5x - x^2,E(x)=5x?x2, showing how the class could earn experience points (XP) by defeating enemies. ¡°To maximize XP, we use calculus,¡± she said. ¡°First, find the derivative: E¡ä(x)=5?2x.E''(x) = 5 - 2x.E¡ä(x)=5?2x. Set it to zero. What do we get?¡± Tyler replied, ¡°X equals 2.5!¡± Mrs. Roe nodded. ¡°Great! Now we¡¯ll check XP for 2 and 3 enemies to see which gives more points.¡± Tyler realized this would help him level up faster.


    The class seemed to drag on forever due to Tylers anxiety about what his parents were going to say to him when he got home. ¡°Class dismissed. Remember to do your homework tonight!¡± The class flooded out of the doors, luckily the school was gigantic. Quest unlocked: Get an A on finals. ¡°Where does this quest system even come from?¡± Tyler wondered. ¡°I know, I¡¯ll ask Mr. Roth in history class later today.¡± Tyler continued to Creation class.


    Tyler walked into class finding a seat next to Logan. ¡°Calculus was awful today. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about when I get home. We also have that final coming up.¡± ¡°No, not calculus too,¡± Logan sighed. ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a Magic class final too?¡± ¡°Yeah, I really don¡¯t understand it. It¡¯s mostly theoretical because people can¡¯t figure much out about it.¡± ¡°Do you two have something to say to the class?,¡± the nerdy looking teacher said. ¡°No, sorry Mr. Mill,¡± They both said at the same time.


    ¡°Now let us begin, what are all of your creation stats at?¡± ¡°3,5,2,4,1,¡± said different students across the classroom. ¡°1? Didn¡¯t I teach you anything this year Josh?¡± ¡°Sorry sir, I have been working on my gains.¡± The class laughed. ¡°Your gains would be a lot better if you could make yourself a strength enhancing item.¡± Silence filled the room. ¡°Now, which one of you can tell me how to enhance an item?¡± ¡°You have to collect spirit dust from the enemies you defeat,¡± Logan said. ¡°Good, now who can finish the other half of what Logan said?¡±


    ¡°You have to drag the spirit dust to the item and select what you want to enchant the item with. The higher your creation level, the better the enchantment will be,¡± Sophie said from the back. ¡±Excellent. What are the types of enchantments place on items?¡± ¡°You can enchant items with skills like speed, or attack, and theoretically Magic powers.¡± ¡°Great work Tyler.¡± ¡°Magic powers? Who would want to become a wizard freak?,¡± Josh asked.


    ¡°Josh, please tell me what you know about Magic powers.¡± Josh¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Uhh, they can make you shoot lightning out from your sword?¡±¡±Lucky guess,¡± Aria said as she rolled her eyes. ¡°Surprisingly that is correct. Please don¡¯t interrupt again, Josh.¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s continue with crafting recipes for the rest of the class.¡± The entire class groaned. ¡°You don¡¯t want to fail your upcoming final.¡± ¡°What, another final?,¡± Logan exclaimed. ¡°Yes, every class will have one. The year is wrapping up.¡±


    Tyler met up with Logan in the crowd funneling out of the classroom. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there are going to be six finals. I¡¯m not ready at all,¡± Logan said. ¡°Me neither, I¡¯m going to have to study a lot more, especially Magic class and all of the crafting recipes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Magic class isn¡¯t as bad as you think it is.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe we are graduating this year.¡± ¡°Yeah, then we just enter the world and try to rank up as much as possible I guess.¡± They walked into their second shared class, history.


    ¡°Welcome back to history,¡± Mr. Mills said as everyone sat down. ¡°I want you to be in tip top shape for your finals this year. I¡¯ll even give you a hint. Who can tell me the history of how we got here?¡±¡±Wait? Is this going to be on the test?¡± Josh asked. ¡°I can neither confirm nor deny.¡± ¡°I am so screwed,¡± Josh said. The class laughed. ¡°Well, who wants to explain?¡±


    ¡°Earth was 7 minutes away from feeling the blast of the sun, so we were put into a simulation using our nerolinks. The nerolinks were created by the world''s most advanced technology. Luckily they had already designed the entire simulation that we are in today. The simulation turned the last 7 minutes into 7000 years. Since the simulation was previously created, there is a main computer on earth that allows humans to have kids in the simulation. We are a byproduct of that process,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°Good job Sophie, but I¡¯m expecting a more detailed answer on the final.


    ¡°Wait, we aren''t human?¡± Josh asked in aw. ¡°Have you been sleeping during my class again, Josh,¡± Mr.Mills asked. ¡°Uhh, no. I just forgot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll answer your question. I want you to be ready for the test. The main computer took the DNA and consciousness from your grandparents and when they had kids, the main computer took care of the specifics and created what you are today.¡± ¡°And what are we?¡± Tyler asked. ¡°We are artificial intelligence.¡±


    The class was kind of shocked by this. ¡°Have any of you been paying attention in class?¡± ¡°I already knew that,¡± Aria scoffed. ¡°Does anyone have any other questions before we begin the lesson for today?¡± ¡°What creates the quest that we receive. They seem kind of specific?¡± Tyler was finally able to ask. ¡°Good question! The quest system was created by the top secret AI that they already had on Earth. It manages your quests and everything else that happens here.¡±


    After another hour of lecture, it was time for lunch. ¡°We are artificial intelligence, That''s so cool!,¡± Logan exclaimed. ¡°I know right! Who would have thought. It¡¯s also crazy that there¡¯s an AI behind the curtains making all of the decisions. I wonder if you can get on its good side?¡± Quest unlocked: Meet your maker. Tyler stared at his notification for several moments. ¡°Uhh, Logan.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I just got a quest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal. Why are you acting so weird.¡± ¡°It says meet my maker.¡± ¡°Wait, no way. There¡¯s no freaking way. You have to do it man!¡±


    Tyler opened up the quest notification. Go to the top of Skyward Mountain to meet your maker. ¡°Where is Skyward mountain?¡± Logan turned pale. ¡°I don¡¯t think we are ready for that yet. I mean I¡¯ve heard about it, but the people that went there ended up having to respawn immediately.¡± ¡°Great, not like it matters anyways I¡¯m going to be grounded for a week.¡± ¡°Just think positive, I¡¯m sure it will all work out.¡± They both started eating their food.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Bong! Bong! Bong! ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see you at gym,¡± Logan said. ¡°Alright, sounds good.¡± Tyler headed off to Magics class. In the hallway Tyler accidentally bumped into Sophie, knocking one of her books on the floor. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± Tyler went to reach for the book and ended up looking face to face with each other. On the way back up he saw Sophie. ¡°Was she blushing?¡± Tyler thought in shock and started to blush too. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I''d better head off to class.¡± Tyler walked off quickly. ¡°What was that? What just happened?¡± Tyler thought.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve had your fill, you should be ready to learn,¡± Mrs. Netzel said. ¡°Today we are going to be learning about the types of spirits. Open your books to chapter 20. As you can see from the diagram there are several different rankings of spirits. There are lower spirits, regular spirits, and high spirits. It is even rumored that there are divine spirits. Each of these are broken into different categories such as elemental, light and the forbidden dark spirits.¡±


    Quest unlocked: Spirit Gatherer. Lesser Spirit Jar has been added to your inventory. ¡°Lesser Spirit Jar,¡± enables you to collect lesser spirits. Capture 30 lower spirits to upgrade your container. The class was looking around at each other. ¡°Oh, good. You have all received your spirit jar.¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± Aria asked. ¡°This would be a good question for your history teacher, but one of the original simulation creators invented this feature. Remember, knowledge is power.


    When you are training at home, you will now be able to capture lesser spirits. All of you should currently have a Magic stat of 1. With your new ability to capture spirits you should finally be able to start using your Magic skill. You will also be able to apply enchantments to weapons using your creation skill, replenish your mana pool, and level up abilities like fire damage. Your current jar will replenish your mana by 5 points per minute, but after you catch the required amount of lesser spirits, your jar will upgrade.¡± ¡°Wow, this is so cool,¡± Tyler said. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Of course she gave me another final. How am I supposed to do 6 finals, be grounded, get training in and go to detention?¡± Tyler thought to himself. He continued to walk to his combat training class. ¡°I need to figure out where this Skyward mountain is too. I probably won¡¯t be able to go until summer.¡± Map has been added to your inventory. Skyward Mountain¡¯s location has been added to your map.


    Tyley opened his inventory and mentally clicked on his new map. ¡°Okay, so there is my house and there is the Great Forest. Where is the mountain at? I don¡¯t see it. Tyler began to zoom out on the map. He continued to zoom out more and more and more. What? That would take forever to get to. That¡¯s on the other side of the world.¡± Bong Bong Bong Bong! ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m late for class.¡± Tyler sprinted towards Combat Training.


    Tyler burst through the door, almost running into the teacher. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±¡±I,I..¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses, go sit down.¡± Tyler slumped off to his seat. ¡°What is the best way to kill a horde of goblins?,¡± Mrs. Moore asked. ¡°Goblins? I haven¡¯t seen any goblins,¡± Josh said, clearly shocked. ¡°If you would pay attention in school, you would know more about what world you are living in. This isn¡¯t Earth anymore.


    You are all about to graduate and enter this new world. There is no college after this. You need to be prepared for what is out there. I advise that you take this seriously. The rest of your life depends on it. If you want to do good in this world, then you should be paying attention and showing up on time.¡± Mrs. Moore glared at both Tyler and Josh. ¡°So, how do you kill a horde of Goblins?¡± ¡°Goblins are stupid and slow species. If you just keep your distance, they won¡¯t be able to keep up with you,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°At least someone is paying attention,¡± Mrs. Moore mumbled.


    For almost 45 minutes Mrs. Moore explained tactics like flanking, ambushes, hit-and-run maneuvers, feigned retreats, and sieges. Most of the class was starting to fall asleep. ¡°Let¡¯s now talk about the types of species you may encounter out there. I have been given authority by the military to let you know what you may be facing out there. So far, the military has collected data on goblins, dragons, zombies, wizards, elves, monsters, etc.


    The class erupted in noise. ¡°Dragons, did she say dragons?¡± ¡°I would love to meet a cute little elf.¡± ¡°I wonder if there are robots out there?¡± ¡°Settle down, settle down.¡± The room slowly returned to order. ¡°Each of these beings have different strengths and weaknesses. Over the short time that we have left, we will be diving into as much of these things as possible to best prepare you. Remember, this will be on your final. Class dismissed.¡±


    Tyler weaved his way out of the classroom and found Logan. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about all the different species that were out there.¡±¡±Oh, sorry man, I forgot. It¡¯s been a busy day.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess it has, hasn¡¯t it? That¡¯s so cool. I can¡¯t believe there are dragons. I hope I can fight one someday.¡± ¡°You would need to level up a lot first. I heard they are at level 30 and above.¡± ¡°Level 30? That¡¯s insane! It''s taken me 10 years to get to level 5.¡± ¡°Well, to be fair, it is a dragon afterall,¡± Logan shrugged.


    They both walked into the gym. ¡°Good afternoon class!,¡± Mr. Woods said happily. ¡°Today we are going to be working on your strength and speed. I have already set out some weights. Divide yourselves in groups of 3 and start doing the rep sets that I showed you yesterday.¡± The class went their separate ways to different weights around the room. Thirty minutes went by. ¡°That¡¯s enough for that. Now who can tell me what their new max is on benching?¡± ¡°I just hit 450lbs,¡± Josh exclaimed in excitement. The class looked around at each other shocked.


    ¡°Well done Josh! Don¡¯t worry class. His strength stat is now at 5 meaning he is 1.5 times as strong as a normal human. As we went over earlier this month, each stat that you level up increases your human capability by 10%. Who else hit a new max?¡± Silence. ¡°Come on, don''t be shy. Each person is different based on their size, genes and the amount of effort they give.¡± ¡°I just hit 120,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Well done, Sophie, that''s up from last week. All we care about here is improvement. Okay, let''s move on to speed


    As you can see on the other side of the gym I have set up an obstacle course.¡± Quest unlocked: Winner winner, chicken dinner. Be the first in your class to finish the race. The class looked around at each other, full of competitiveness. Tyler smirked as he selected his quick boots from his inventory. The class walked to the starting line. ¡°Whoever is the first to the finish line wins. On your mark, get set, GO!¡± Tyler ran just enough to keep up with his class, jumping over ramps and dodging punching dummies that were in his way. Then, he took off, leaving everyone in the dust.


    ¡°Well, done Tyler! You sure have gotten a lot faster.¡± Quest completed. You have received 100 exp. Sweatband has been added to your inventory. Sweatband:  Increases your speed by 1%. Tyler looked up smiling at his new reward to see that some of his class members were scowling at him. They also had just received a message: Quest failed. ¡°What did you get?¡± Logan asked. ¡°I got this headband that gives me a tiny speed boost.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s what you need, another speed boost,¡± Logan laughed. ¡°That''s not fair, he cheated,¡± Josh said.


    ¡°Tyler won fair and square, I¡¯ve been watching his progress every day. He just recently upgraded his speed to level 5,¡± said Mr.Woods ¡°My speed is level 5. There is no way he beat me¡±. ¡°Remember, Josh, stats are not everything. Don¡¯t be a poor sport.¡± Josh glared at Tyler as he stomped off. ¡°What was that about?¡± Logan asked. ¡°I think he¡¯s just mad that I beat him.¡± Tyler rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a mix of triumph and guilt. ¡°I get that he¡¯s competitive, but it shouldn¡¯t have to come down to this.¡± Logan frowned. ¡°Yeah, but you earned it. Maybe he just needs some time to cool off.¡± Tyler sighed, watching Josh disappear down the hall. ¡°I hope he¡¯s not too mad at me.¡±


    ¡°Can someone please tell Josh that of course there is a fitness final coming up. Class dismissed. Enjoy your weekend,¡± said Mr. Woods. ¡°Enjoy our weekend. I¡¯ll be studying until my eyes bleed,¡± Logan scoffed. ¡°I still have detention and then my parents are going to kill me when I get home,¡± Tyler groaned. ¡°Well, hopefully it¡¯s not too bad. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow? Just message me.¡± ¡°Okay, I''ll see you later.¡± Tyler moped off to Detention.


    ¡°This is detention. You are to stay here for 1 hour to think about what you did. You are only allowed to study. No talking and do not disturb my peace and quiet,¡± the school secretary, Kathy, said. Tyler sat down and pulled out paper and a pencil from his inventory. He then pulled up his menu and clicked on help. The help menu popped up. Tyler read off to himself: Creation, Items, Magic, Quests, Species, Stats. Tips: explore new areas, fight different species, complete quests, create items, use magic abilities.


    Tyler decided to click on species. ¡°specie¡¯s tab has been upgraded. You are now able to access the Species database.¡± Tyler looked at the newly updated menu in awe. He scrolled down and down and down. ¡°There must be over 1000. How am I supposed to study this? I think I will just ask her on monday. He then opened his creations tab. ¡°Creations tab has been upgraded. You are now able to access the creation database.¡± ¡°Really? Another thousand things. How on earth am I supposed to memorize all of this?¡± Josh then went to his browser and brought up Earth''s history. He then started taking notes.


    After an hour, Josh was released from detention. ¡°I hope you learned your lesson. Don¡¯t come back here again,¡± Kathy lectured to him. He then walked down the hallway and opened the front doors of the school. The sunlight was already fading. ¡°Shoot, I¡¯m going to be late and my parents know about my detention. Josh put on his quick boots and his sweatband and sprinted home.

 Chapter 3: The Great Forest

    Chapter 3: The Great Forest


    ¡°Your mother and I have talked.¡± Tyler looked down at the ground hoping to be anywhere else. ¡°We have decided to not ground you.¡± ¡°What? Why?,¡± Tyler asked, shocked. ¡°Getting transferred to this new world has been a shock to us. We are scared and aware that our fears have been having a negative impact on you. We want what is best for you in this new world. We want you to succeed.¡± Tyler stood there dumbfounded. ¡°I love you son,¡± Tyler''s Dad said as he hugged him. ¡°I love you too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go have dinner.¡± Tyler followed his dad to the dinner table. His Mom had prepared steak, lobster, potatoes, salad, and pasta. ¡°Wow, this looks incredible,¡± Tyler''s dad said. ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary dinner, we don¡¯t have to eat at all,¡± Tyler thought to myself. ¡°Oh, I know right. This inventory sure makes things easier and the ingredients are so cheap here compared to¡­Well, enjoy everyone.¡± Tyler dug into his food, He was starving after getting home so late. ¡°Slow down, you¡¯ll choke to death.¡± ¡°Mom, we can¡¯t choke here, remember?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot?,¡± She smiled.


    ¡°How was school today, besides detention?¡± Tyler¡¯s Dad asked. It was alright. We have finals at the end of the week. Oh! And I got these Quick boots and a headband from the quest system.¡± ¡°I never did figure out what that was all about. Something popped up saying I have some sort of a cooking quest.¡± ¡°These items allow me to run faster.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we need, you to run faster into trouble.¡± Tyler''s dad said sarcastically. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great dear. Now you should be able to catch those rabbits or whatever.¡± ¡°Wolves,¡± Tyler thought to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get the cake,¡± Tammy said, trying to shift topics. She just didn¡¯t understand this new world. It was hard for her to keep up with Tyler. She was positive that he knew more about this place than she did. As she headed to the kitchen, she felt a mix of envy and determination. Tyler seemed so at home in this game-like reality, while she often felt like an outsider trying to decipher a complicated rulebook. Maybe if she focused on her own quests, she could relate to Tyler better. She brought out the cheesecake and set it on the table.


    ¡°Wow Mom, that looks delicious.¡± ¡°Aw, thanks. Tell me more about these quests. I don¡¯t really understand them.¡± Tyler had just taken a bite of his cheesecake. ¡°Well, you said you had a cooking quest,¡± Tyler tried to say. ¡°Don¡¯t talk with your mouthful.¡± Tyler swallowed ¡°Sorry Dad. You can open your quest menu and then click on the cooking quest.¡± Tammy opened up the menu. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to find it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the top right menu list.¡± ¡°Oh, there it is. It says I have 19/30 dinners completed. Oh, there''s even more quests that I didn¡¯t see before.¡±


    ¡°That''s what that blinking thing is. I didn¡¯t know how to get rid of it. It was driving me crazy,¡± Tyler''s dad said. ¡°Mine says mow the lawn 10/20. These are so strange.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how it works here,¡± Tyler said. You can earn rewards like exp, gold, and items by completing the quests. You can also check out your stats.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for the night. You should probably be getting to your studying. You don¡¯t want to fail your finals.¡± Tammy said.


    Tyler pushed in his chair, then headed towards his room. He sat on his bed and pulled up his menu. He had such a busy day that he didn¡¯t realize there was an exclamation point above his Magic tab. He clicked it ¡°Combat tab has been upgraded. You are now able to access the Magic database.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Tyler groaned. He scrolled down and the list quickly finished. ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t that bad. There''s only a few on here.¡±


    Magic: Lesser Ward (Block a weak magic attack), Lesser healing (Heal yourself by 2HP/Minute), Kindle (Kindle a target for 2HP and possibly light them on fire). Sprinkler (Soak the target in water) ¡°How, did no one tell me about this today? This is amazing!¡± Tyler quickly thought about Kindle. Part of his bed ignited. ¡°Oh shoot, what do I do, what do I do? The flame started creeping over more and more of his bed. He thought about Sprinkler and water shot out from in front of him soaking his entire bed.


    ¡°Great,¡± Tyler thought as he looked at the soaked burnt hole in his bed. ¡°That was scary, I better not mess around any more tonight.¡± He placed the bed in the house''s inventory, then pulled it out again. It had new sheets, a new blanket and it was  now dry. However, the burned hole didn¡¯t disappear. Tyler jumped up on the bed and just decided to call it a night.


    In a lab far far away. ¡°How on Earth are we going to keep this thing running? When we first got here it said we had 500 seconds to live. After 40 years, it now says we have 300 seconds to live,¡± a random scientist said. ¡±We can¡¯t really do anything from inside here and If we go out there we would be dead in just six minutes,¡± Dr. Lockwood explained. ¡°There just has to be some way that we aren¡¯t all going to die.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve run the test over and over again. I¡¯ve even talked to the AI. There isn¡¯t anything that we can do. Over time, we will start running into issues, I just don¡¯t know when.¡±


    A thumping sound filled the lab. A few moments later a military man marched into the lab. ¡°Dr. Lockwood, the president needs to speak with you right away, follow me.¡± The Doctor followed the military man into the helicopter. The helicopter started rising in the air, then made its way through the snowy peaks. ¡°PSHWW,¡± a laserlike sound was the last thing the Doctor, pilot and military man heard. ¡°You have taken 1000 damage. You have died. Loading.¡± The doctor, pilot, and military man appeared in an empty field full of babies, toddlers, children, and old people. ¡°What in the hell¡­?,¡± The military man mumbled.


    Tyler awoke to a notification. Logan, ¡°Are you able to go to the Great forest today or are you grounded?¡± Tyler messaged him back, ¡°Surprisingly, my parents didn¡¯t ground me. I can meet you there at 12 after I do my calculus homework.¡±¡±Cool.¡± ¡°Tyler made his way downstairs for breakfast.¡± Breaking news, Dr. Lockwood has gone missing. The president has been frantically searching for him everywhere, but he is nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Dr.Lockwood?¡± Tyler asked his dad. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s one of the top scientists that invented this place. It¡¯s weird that he¡¯s missing though, maybe he went awol.¡± ¡°He could have respawned too,¡± Tyler suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t see how. He helped invent the place.¡± ¡°Breakfast is ready!¡± Tyler and his dad made their way to the dining room. ¡°Wow honey, this looks great.¡± ¡°Thanks, by cooking so much, I somehow increased my creation skill to level 2. The food should taste even better now.¡±


    Tyler and his dad dove into their plates. ¡°Wow mom, this is so good,¡± Tyler said, scarfing down the food. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it! So, what are your plans for the day?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to do some homework and then go train with Logan in the forest.¡± ¡°Well, be careful out there. We don¡¯t need you respawning on us.¡± ¡°I just unlocked magic powers, I¡¯ll be just fine,¡± Tyler thought to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be okay.¡± After doing calculus for an hour on his interface, Tyler sprinted towards the Great forest.


    ¡°Check this out!¡± Tyler shot a spark at a tree. ¡°Woah, where did you learn to do that?,¡± Logan asked in awe. ¡°You haven''t checked out your menu yet? Open your menu, your species, creation and magic tabs should update when you click them.¡± Logan shot water all over Tyler. ¡°You have been soaked. Your resistance to electricity has been halved.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry man. I didn¡¯t know it would..¡± Tyler cut him off. ¡°No worries, I set my bed on fire last night. My parents still haven¡¯t found out.¡± Logan looked horrified.


    ¡°Now, let''s go hunt some wolves, I have to catch 49 more.¡± ¡°Shared quest unlocked. Help Tyler catch 50 wolves.¡± ¡°Wait, How am I supposed to catch them? My speed is only level 4.¡± Tyler handed Logan his quick boots. ¡°Just give them back to me when you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Thanks man!¡± Tyler and Logan bolted towards the forest.


    ¡°There¡¯s one over there,¡± Tyler shouted. ¡°You have discovered Wolf¡± A web shot from in front of Logan rendering the wolf immobile. ¡°What? You got a web? No fair!¡± Tyler used his headband''s extra speed to beat Logan to the wolf. He then plunged his dagger into the wolf''s neck. Critical hit, Wolf has taken 10 damage. You have defeated ¡°Wolf.¡± The wolf disintegrated into pixels and faded out of existence.


    ¡°You have gained 25 exp. 1 gold has been added to your inventory. 2 wolf bones have been added to your inventory. Wolf meat has been added to your inventory. Wolf pelt has been added to your inventory. A lesser spirit has been added to your spirit container ¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird, I usually get more. It must have something to do with the shared quest. What did you get?¡± ¡°I got 25exp, 1gold, 2 wolf bones, a wolf pelt and wolf meat.¡± ¡°Interesting, I also got a notice saying that I had discovered a wolf.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    They both checked their species list and clicked on ¡°wolf¡±. Wolves: Wolves are highly social and intelligent mammals known for their strong pack mentality. They are skilled hunters, often working in groups to track and bring down prey. With keen senses and an acute sense of smell, wolves can locate food from great distances. Their fur can vary in color, ranging from gray to brown and even black or white.


    ¡°Awoooooo!,¡± A wolf lunged at Tyler and bit him on the arm. Another bit him on the leg. ¡°You have taken 10 damage, You have taken 10 damage.¡± Oddly Tyler didn¡¯t feel any pain. He¡¯d never actually had something attack him yet. ¡°Shoot them with your web!,"Tyler shouted. Logan shot two webs and Tyler walked up to the first wolf that was now whimpering and used his dagger. It disintegrated. He did the same to the next one that was growling.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised I didn¡¯t feel a thing.¡± ¡°Well, this is a video game. It¡¯s supposed to be everything we didn¡¯t have on Earth. It¡¯s supposed to be just for fun. Getting hurt isn¡¯t fun, so they probably removed it.¡± Tyler shrugged then used lesser healing on himself. ¡°Jeez, this is taking forever. I¡¯m going to have to wait 10 minutes to fully recover, plus my mana is plunging.¡± Logan looked at his own mana. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, mine is 40/100 already. I can only use two more webs... Oh, it¡¯s slowly recovering.¡±


    After their mana fully recovered, Tyler and Logan ran off. They narrowly evaded trees, jumped over logs, and maintained their footing on different consistencies of dirt. They both ran at 15MPH, rapidly covering the distance. ¡°There¡¯s one over there,¡± Logan shouted. Before Logan had time to shoot his web, Tyler leaped into the air and dove his knife into the back of the wolves neck. As the wolf disintegrated, four wolves dove out of nowhere and bit Tyler at the same time. ¡°You have taken 40 damage.¡±


    Logan shot a spark at the wolves causing them to flee. ¡°Who knew? Wolves are afraid of a little lighting,¡± Logan laughed. ¡°That was too close for comfort. I just lost 40 HP. If I respawned, I would miss finals and my parents..,¡± Tyler shivered just thinking about it. ¡°Where are we anyways?¡± ¡°Uhhh, I think home¡¯s back that way,¡± Logan suggested. ¡°We should probably start heading that way, It took us 2 hours to get here, so two hours back. I don¡¯t want to be here when it gets dark.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡±


    After Tyler recovered 20HP with lesser healing, they set off. ¡°SMACK¡± Tyler fell to the ground. ¡°You have discovered Bear.¡± "ROOOAAARRR!" The bear slashed at Tyler. ¡°You have taken 60 damage.¡± Tyler jumped up. ¡°BEAR! HURRY SHOOT YOUR WEB AT IT!¡± Logan shot a web. Now wrapped in a web, the bear seemed to slow. ¡°RUN,¡± Tyler shouted. Both of them bolted off again. ¡°I really hope that the web holds up,¡± Tyler yelled over the wind.  ¡°Me too!


    THWAP. "ROOOAAARRR!"  ¡°I think he broke free,¡± Logan shouted. ¡°Faster!,¡± TYler yelled. They could hear the snapping of branches behind them getting closer. ¡°Oh no, I see an edge up ahead,¡± Logan pointed. ¡°Keep running, I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± ¡°Are you mad? We will fall right off.¡± ¡°Trust me! On my mark, we stop running.¡± ¡°You are out of your mind.¡± ¡°3¡­2¡­1¡­STOP¡± A giant black shape rocketed itself forward. It flew into the open air. It gave another roar as it plummeted towards the ground. ¡°You have defeated, level 10 Bear. You have received 300 exp.¡±


    ¡°That was...AWESOME,¡± Logan exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. ¡°I almost died. I was down to 20HP. I think we should rest here for a while until I fully recover.¡± ¡°Okay, after that we need to go get the loot down below.¡± ¡°Weird, it usually just shows up in my inventory. I guess we aren''t close enough.¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t it going to take you almost an hour to heal?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­I Guess we can go check out the bear at least.¡±


    At the edge, Tyler leaned forward, gazing out over the vast expanse of the forest. A lush sea of green stretched endlessly before him, fading into the horizon as if it were a boundless wilderness, unbroken for miles and miles. ¡°Wow, this forest is huge!¡± Tyler made his way over to the edge and began to slowly descend the 60 foot drop. At the bottom they both walked up to the bear.


    They both received the message: ¡°You have looted Bear. 100 Gold has been added to your inventory. Bear bones have been added to your inventory. Bear pelt has been added to your inventory. Bear Claws have been added to your inventory. Goblin Bones have been added to your inventory. Goblin flesh has been added to your inventory. Goblin meat has been added to your inventory. Your spirit jar cannot contain the Normal Spirit. Normal Spirit has been released to Spirit World. Level up your spirit jar to prevent spirit loss by capturing lesser spirits 4/30¡±


    Tyler received the message: "Red Ring has been added to your inventory." "Cool, I received a Red Ring!" he said. "Nice, I got a yellow one," Logan replied. Tyler looked at his menu. Red Ring (Common): Add one to your Magic stat. Add 10% to fire damage. "What does your ring do? My ring gives me +1 to my Magic and increases my fire damage." ¡°Oh, mine is the same, except with electric damage.¡± Logan looked worriedly over at Tyler,¡± Are you healed enough yet? We need to head back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at 70HP now, we should be good.¡±


    They both put on their rings and started ascending the cliff. Tyler reached the top of the cliff at the same time as Logan. ¡°My stamina is low. You brought those sandwiches right?¡± Logan asked. Tyler looked at his own stamina. ¡°You¡¯ve got a point there. Yeah my mom made them before I left. She¡¯s been on a cooking binge ever since she learned she can level up from it.¡± He handed Logan the sandwich and they began eating.


    ¡±Are you ready for finals?,¡± Logan asked. ¡°I still have a few questions for monday.¡±¡± About what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how much we are supposed to study from the creatures menu and the creations menu. There are hundreds of listings.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah,I should probably ask about that too. I never thought about it.¡± ¡°What have you been doing this entire time? Finals are on friday.¡± ¡°I was playing video games all week.¡± ¡°Bro, we are in a video game.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same man.¡±


    A wolf howled in the far off distance. ¡°We should start heading back now. I don¡¯t want my dad to kill me after I return to the living world,¡± Tyler stated. ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll race you there!¡± They both received the message Quest Unlocked: Win the race. Logan bolted off into the forest. ¡°Wait, no fair you got a head start,¡± Tyler shouted while chasing after him. About an hour in the forest started to dim. Tyler could no longer see Logan. ¡°Well, I guess I have to keep running,¡± he thought, losing interest in the race.


    Tyler finally broke out of the trees into the wide open. Tyler received the message: Quest failed. ¡°Yes!,¡± Logan exclaimed. ¡°I got a hat!¡± Tyler collapsed on the ground. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°It adds +2 to my speed.¡± ¡°Great, now you''re faster than me,¡± Tyler sighed. ¡°At least we are out of the forest now. Hey, can you give me my boots back now?¡± ¡°Hold on, watch this.¡± Logan sprinted towards a tree. ¡°Woah, I¡¯ve never seen someone run that fast!¡± ¡°If I¡¯m correct, I think I can run about 25 MPH. I¡¯ll ask Mr. Woods about it on Monday.¡±  //1


    ¡°Hey Logan, I think you should keep those boots.¡± ¡°Really? No way man, I couldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Just take them. You will be the fastest in the class.¡± ¡°Okay, I will. Hopefully Josh won¡¯t kill me when I beat him.¡± ¡°Relax, he won¡¯t be able to catch you,¡± Tyler laughed. "Besides," he added, with a mischievous grin, "someone''s gotta keep that guy in check."


    Pushing himself off the ground, Tyler realized that he was exhausted. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s do this again tomorrow, but not go as far into the woods this time.¡± ¡°Agreed. Thanks again for the boots.¡± They both raced off towards home. As Tyler ran, he felt a little disappointed that he wasn¡¯t as fast anymore. However, seeing the look on Logan''s face was worth it. ¡°I need to get to level 6 and then I can distribute two more stat points. Then my speed will be back to normal,¡± he thought.Reaching his house,


    Tyler slipped in through the back door, hoping to avoid another lecture from his mom. The aroma of roasted chicken filled the air, and his stomach rumbled. He was starving. "Tyler, is that you?" his mom called from the kitchen."Yeah, Mom, it''s me," he replied, heading towards the dining room.


    Dinner was a surprisingly lively affair. The roast chicken, usually a mundane staple, seemed to practically melt in Tyler''s mouth. His mom, beaming, explained how her increased creation skill had imbued the meal with an almost magical flavor. His dad, usually reserved, excitedly recounted a close call he''d had while mowing the lawn ¨C apparently, rogue garden gnomes were a real threat! Tyler, despite his exhaustion, found himself drawn into the conversation, sharing his own adventures in the Great Forest.


    Later, as Tyler climbed the stairs to his room, a comfortable fullness settled in his stomach. He collapsed onto his bed, the burned hole a stark reminder of his magical misadventure. He pulled up his menu and checked his stats. Level 6, Experience 650/1000... He was getting closer to leveling up. Suddenly he realized that he missed a notification. ¡°Man, I must be tired.¡± Quest unlocked (Shared Quest): investigate the garden gnomes. ¡°What the hell?,¡± he thought to himself.


    A shared quest with his dad? That was definitely new. He imagined his dad, usually calm and collected, battling a horde of mischievous gnomes with a rusty lawnmower. A chuckle escaped his lips. This was definitely going to be interesting. He quickly pulled up his menu and typed out a message to Logan. "Hey Logan, change of plans? My dad got a quest involving garden gnomes, and it''s a shared one. Turns out those little guys are tougher than they look!"


    He hit send, a grin spreading across his face. Maybe skipping the forest tomorrow wouldn''t be so bad after all. This gnome situation sounded like it had the potential to be way more entertaining than chasing wolves. Plus, it was a chance to bond with his dad in this strange new world. He closed his menu, a sense of anticipation bubbling inside him. He couldn''t wait to see what kind of trouble these garden gnomes were stirring up.


    The day''s adventures, the close calls with wolves and that terrifying bear, had finally caught up with him. Exhaustion washed over him, and his eyelids grew heavy. The excitement of the gnome quest faded into the background as sleep gently pulled him under. He drifted off, his dreams filled with mischievous gnomes and daring escapes.

 Chapter 4: Garden Gnomes

    Chapter 4: Garden Gnomes


    A shriek came from the kitchen. Tyler bolted upright in his bed and ran downstairs. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Then he saw it, the windows were steadily being bombarded with eggs. Past the windows, he could see tiny gnomes covering the house and yard with strands of toilet paper. ¡°What the.¡± ¡°My house is ruined,¡± Tyler¡¯s mom screamed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry honey, I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Jack said as he opened the door.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got you now, fire the cannons!,¡± A little gnome with a red hat, coveralls, and a white beard shouted. Twenty gnomes hid amongst the bushes and lit little fuses on miniature cannons. Jack heard a pop sound as if someone just popped a bubble of gum. He received the message: you have taken 5 damage. ¡°I know how to handle this¡± Jack ran to the water hose and turned on the faucet. He proceeded to spray the gnomes with water.


    ¡°Help, help, I¡¯m drowning. Please stop,¡± a gnome gurgled as it disintegrated into pixels. You have killed a garden gnome. You have gained 0 EXP. Quest failed: you failed to investigate the garden gnomes. Shared Quest unlocked: Kill the garden gnomes: 1/3000000. ¡°You killed my brother. You will rot in hell for this, faggot.¡± A gnome started sprinting towards Jack. To Jack, it seemed to be running as fast as a turtle. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±


    By the time the gnome got to Jack, it was huffing and puffing. The gnome pulled out a knife, lunging towards Jack. Jack stuck out his foot and the gnome''s head ran into it, instantly causing the gnome to disintegrate. ¡°No! Charlies dead! You will pay for this! I¡¯m calling for backup! Police, yes, we are at the house, he just killed Charlie and Daniel,¡± the gnome sobbed. Little toy police cars started driving out of the bushes. They had yellow and green lights and Jack could faintly hear the sirens.


    Tyler stood in the doorway dumbfounded. ¡°What is even happening right now?¡± ¡°Hey Tyler, I made it. What happened to the house?,¡± Logan started to ask as he finally saw the police cars. He burst into laughter. ¡°The people at school are never going to believe this¡± A gnome pulled out a megaphone. ¡°You are surrounded. Put your hands in the air where I can see them and we won¡¯t shoot.¡± ¡°Hey man, you attacked us,¡± Jack said. ¡°Fire!¡± Twenty gnomes shot fire balls, lightning bolts and ice shards at Jack. You have taken 20 damage.


    ¡°20 damage, what does that mean?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Uh oh, We might actually be in trouble,¡± Logan stated. Logan shot a web at the gnomes. The web landed on the ground and in between its webs stood all of the gnomes. ¡°Fire!,¡± The sheriff gnome shouted. ¡°It says my health is now at 55. Is that bad?¡± ¡°Dad, maybe you should go inside. Me and Logan can take care of this.¡± Jack walked inside and shut the door. ¡°We have a runner, call in the swat team!¡± 10 black box trucks drove out of the bushes. Gnomes with riot gear and helmets marched out of the trucks and slowly headed towards the door of the house.


    Ten gnomes carried a battering ram towards the front door. ¡°Hey, you guys need to leave the property. You¡¯ve caused enough trouble here,¡± Tyler stated. ¡°He is under arrest, we are taking him by any means necessary.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, you caused enough-¡± There was a sound of breaking glass as the front door shattered into a million pieces. ¡°That¡¯s enough!, Tyler shouted as his anger boiled over. Tyler cast Kindle. Even though it was a weak spell the heat wave stretched over the gnomes and they disintegrated into pixels.


    You killed 100 garden gnomes. You have gained 0 EXP. 33 Garden Gnome hats have been added to your inventory. 33 Garden gnome overalls have been added to your inventory. 33 Garden gnome bones have been added to your inventory. 33 garden gnome flesh has been added to your inventory. 7 mini cannons have been added to your inventory. 7 mini cop cars have been added to your inventory. 3 mini swat trucks have been added to your inventory. 33 lesser spirits have been added to your spirit jar. Spirit Jar: 37/30. Your Lesser Spirit Jar has been upgraded to Spirit Jar.


    ¡°Call the president, there''s been a terrorist attack¡­Yes, it¡¯s the same house. It¡¯s always the same house.¡± ¡°NOOO!!!! They¡¯re all dead. Every single last one of them. You will pay for this! You will pay for what you have done! 300 Mini choppers approached with tiny humming sounds from slightly behind the bushes. ¡°Really? You guys have a military now?¡± Rockets shot out from the choppers as the gnomes shot rail guns and snipers at Tyler. You have taken 10 damage. ¡°You guys are going to need a better military. That was nothing!¡±


    Logan shot a web, taking out half of the choppers. He then cast shock. A tiny spark jumped from helicopter to helicopter disintegrating each and every one. You have gained 0EXP. 100 mini choppers have been added to your inventory 100 mini snipers have been added to your inventory. 100 mini railguns have been added to your inventory. ¡°NO!!!! They took out the west branch of the military. RETREAT!!!¡± ¡±This isn¡¯t over yet, a gnome shouted as it slowly ran away.¡±


    "Those gnomes are out of their minds!" Tyler heard his mom sob, "My poor house!" "It''ll be okay," he reassured her. "I''m sure the boys will help us clean this up today. Won''t you, boys?" "Uhhh..." "I wasn''t asking." Jack stated firmly. "Now, do either of you two have any idea what the hell just happened?" They both shook their heads. Jack sighed. "Just start putting the toilet paper into the house''s inventory, I guess." The boys headed off, touching each strand of toilet paper and selecting "place in house''s inventory."


    After 30 minutes of selecting each strand, Tyler looked at the glass door and the egged windows. He clicked on the house menu. Then selected windows and selected ¡°place in houses inventory¡±. 300 smashed eggs have been added to the house''s inventory. He then selected windows from the house''s inventory and selected ¡°place on house¡±. The windows returned spotless. ¡°I should probably ask my dad about what to do with the door.¡±


    Tyler and Logan opened the broken door, carefully stepping over the glass. ¡°Hey dad, what do you want us to do with the door? It needs to be crafted or you will need a new one.¡± ¡°Uhm, are you able to craft it?¡± Shared Quest unlocked: Craft a door. ¡°I¡¯m probably not able to, but Logan should be able to. He has a level 5 creation skill.¡± ¡°If you could do that for me, that would be great. Here is some gold for your troubles.¡± 50 Gold has been added to your inventory.  ¡°Thank you Mr.Ashwood, I¡¯ll get right on it .¡±


    ¡°Now lets see,¡± Logan clicked ¡°inspect¡± on the door. He then selected ¡°craft item.¡± You are missing the following materials: glass, iron, wood. ¡°It says we need glass, iron and wood.¡± Quest updated. Craft 2 Glass, Mine 1 Iron, and Harvest 1 Wood. ¡°I think we can go to the forest for the wood. The forest might have a cave. I¡¯m not sure how to make the glass.¡± ¡°I think glass is made by melting sand. We could go to Oceans Edge for that.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going, we don¡¯t want it to get dark out.¡± "Not so fast, you two. You are going to have breakfast after all that hard work! No leaving on an empty stomach."


    Tyler and Logan groaned, but the smell of sizzling bacon quickly lured them to the kitchen table. Pancakes, bacon, and eggs disappeared quickly, their hunger momentarily eclipsing the urgency of their quest. With breakfast finished, they said their goodbyes and set off for the forest, eager to gather the necessary materials and craft a new door.


    ¡°Wanna race? Logan suggested. ¡°You¡¯ll just beat me again. There''s no way I can keep up with your speed now.¡± ¡°Fine, have it your way. I¡¯ll meet you at the forest.¡± Quest unlocked: Beat logan in a race. Logan sprinted off. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Tyler groaned as he chased after Logan. ¡°Think. Think. Do I have any spells? I''ve got it!¡± Tyler cast ¡°sprinkler¡± right ahead of Logan''s feet. He was instantly soaked. He stopped staring at his now wet shoes. A down arrow now showed above his head. ¡°Why on Earth would you do that?, he said, now frustrated. Tyler ran past him.


    Logan finally realized what just happened and started sprinting after Tyler. He was trying to catch up to Tyler, but for some reason wasn¡¯t able to. ¡°Why am I going so slow? I¡¯m 30% faster than him.¡± He saw a blinking notification. You are soaked. Timer: 30 minutes. Your speed has been reduced by 3. ¡°Quick boots¡± efficiency has been halved. Electricity now does twice the damage to you. ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s messed up,¡± he sighed and continued after Tyler.


    Quest completed. You have received 300 EXP. ¡°Fire amulet¡± has been added to your inventory. Fire Amulet (Rare): Increase fire damage by 30%. ¡°Awesome!¡± ¡°Hey man, that wasn¡¯t cool.¡± Tyler looked at now soaked Logan. ¡°Jeez, I didn¡¯t think it would get all of you wet.¡± ¡°Well now I¡¯m soaked and I can¡¯t run as fast for 20 more minutes. Why would you do that to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I got a quest to beat you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we should follow those quests if it makes us do messed up things to each other.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got a good point. I¡¯m sorry.¡±  ¡°What did you get anyways? It must be good because there was no way you were going to win¡± ¡°I got this fire amulet. It increases my fire damage by 30%, so now I should be at 40%.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to see this. You should cast it now.¡± Tyler casted Kindle. The usual small flame had turned into a small ball of fire that shot off slowly into the distance. ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Logan exclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get something that increases my Shock ability. Now let¡¯s figure out how to get wood from one of those trees over there.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°You thought you could escape us didn¡¯t you!,¡± a gnome called from a treetop. ¡°We have you surrounded!¡± Tyler squinted his eyes to see hundreds of gnomes high up in the trees pointing muskets at him and Logan. ¡°Fire!¡± The gnomes started pouring gunpowder into the miniature guns. After about 3 minutes of them checking with each other to see if they poured the right amount, Tyler got bored. ¡°Hey, you guys obviously don¡¯t know what you are doing and would lose this fight. We already beat your friends once. Just give up already.¡±


    ¡°Never! We cannot let terrorist scum like you to exist!¡± The gnome went back to measuring out more gunpowder. ¡°Are these guys serious?¡± Logan asked. ¡°Sadly, I think so. Anyways, let''s figure out how to get that wood.¡± Logan cast Spark at a tree that didn¡¯t appear to have gnomes on it. It exploded. 5 wood has been added to your inventory. ¡°Well, we got the wood, let¡¯s go find a cave.¡± ¡°Not so fast, we¡¯ve got you right where we want you,¡± a gnome called looking around for a stick to pack the gunpowder. Tyler and Logan ran off. ¡°Come back terrorist scum!¡± the now fading in the distance gnome called.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been running for an hour now. I¡¯m not seeing any caves,¡± Tyler said. ¡°Maybe we¡¯d have better luck at the beach.¡± ¡°Yeah, you are probably right. There might be some boulders there too.¡± ¡°We should probably find something to eat first, my stamina is getting pretty low.¡± ¡°Hey, there''s some apples over there!¡± Logan dashed towards the tree. He then picked an apple and bit into it. His teeth sank into the crisp skin, releasing an explosion of sweet and tart juice as the flesh gave way with a satisfying crack. The cool flavor lingered, making this the most perfect apple he''d ever tasted. "Whoa," he breathed, "Tyler, you have to try these!"


    Tyler picked and took a bite of his apple. ¡°Oh my God. These are so good. I think we should take some home.¡± Tyler started placing apples into his inventory. The ground suddenly shook beneath their feet, each tremor growing stronger, more insistent. Tyler, mid-apple and reaching for another, paused, a puzzled frown creasing his brow. Before he could even voice the question hanging in the air, a booming voice shattered the orchard''s peace."WHO GOES THERE?"


    A shadow fell over them, long and distorted. Craning their necks, they saw him ¨C a towering cyclops, his single eye blazing like a furnace. With each earth-shuddering step, he descended upon them, gnarled club gripped in his fist. He stopped a few paces away, the ground quivering with the force of his presence. His lone eye, magnified by its size, fixed on the half-eaten apple in Tyler''s hand. "Why do you feast upon MY apples?" he roared, his voice echoing through the valley.


    ¡°Uhhh, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know they were your apples,¡± Tyler said apologetically. ¡°Every year some human wanders into my forest and steals my apples,¡± the Cyclops boomed. ¡°I dig the hole, I collect the seeds, I put the seeds in the ground. I water the seeds. Then, the humans come to my tree and take all of MY apples,¡± the cyclops said furiously. ¡°I am so sorry. I had no idea. Here, take them.¡± Tyler offered the Cyclops fistfuls of apples. ¡°Don¡¯t you see that the damage is already done.¡± Silence filled the air.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to kill us,¡± Tyler thought while shaking in fear. ¡°BWAHAHAHA, you really thought those were my apples. You really believed me!¡± The cyclops fell on the ground rolling around laughing. He caused a miniature earthquake that almost knocked Tyler and Logan over. They both just stared at the Cyclops. ¡°What¡¯s with this guy?¡± Tyler whispered to Logan. ¡°I can hear you! I can hear everything,¡± his voice continued to boom. Tyler put the apples back into his inventory. ¡°Uhh, we should probably get going. We have a lot to do today.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave. I¡¯ve been in my cave for a thousand years. No one wants to visit poor old Stone-Eye.¡± ¡°Cave?¡± Logan asked. ¡°Yes, cave. It is my home.¡± ¡°Could you take us there? We are looking for iron.¡± ¡°Logan..,¡± Tyler shot a side eye at Logan. ¡°We don¡¯t know him.¡± ¡°I can still hear you! Follow me!¡± Stone-Eye started thudding off towards a mound of grass. Tyler hesitated a moment staring at Logan, then reluctantly followed the cyclops.


    They arrived at a giant grass mound, with a giant oval stone in the center of it. Stone-Eye grabbed both sides of the stone and lifted it up out of the ground. He then placed it to the right of the entrance of what appeared to be a cave. ¡°Welcome to my home,¡± he bellowed. ¡°He really expects us to go in there?,¡± Tyler whispered. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? I can still hear you. I can hear a raindrop in the forest from five leagues away!,¡± his single eye twinkling with amusement. "And a whisper from a scared little morsel like you? Clear as a bell! Now, come in or don''t, but stop your fussing." With a sigh, Tyler entered the cave with Logan following behind.


    The cave''s interior was surprisingly spacious, the air cool and damp. Torches flickered at intervals, casting an eerie glow on the rough-hewn walls. A massive fireplace dominated one end, a blackened pot hanging over dying embers. Piles of furs were scattered about, suggesting a somewhat haphazard attempt at comfort. Stone-Eye lumbered in after them, the stone door thudding shut with a finality that made Tyler''s heart pound.


    "Make yourselves at home," Stone-Eye boomed, his voice echoing strangely in the confined space. "Or as much as you can in a cyclops''s den." He gestured towards the furs with a sweep of his massive arm. "I haven''t had visitors in centuries. It''s... nice." A hint of vulnerability in his voice surprised Tyler. Maybe this cyclops wasn''t so bad after all.


    ¡°Iron!,¡± Logan exclaimed in excitement while pointing at a boulder. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s stuck in the rock.¡± Stone-Eye walked up to the boulder and slammed his fist down on the boulder. It turned to pixels that disintegrated into the air. ¡°Here, take as much as you want,¡± Stone-Eye said as he held out 5 raw iron. ¡°We can just have it?,¡± Tyler asked. Stone-Eye paused at this. ¡°Only if you take me with you.¡± ¡°Take you with us? And do what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m lonely out here.¡± ¡°How about you come with us to the beach and then go back home afterwards?¡± Stone-Eye happily jumped up and down. ¡°Yes, I get to go to the beach!¡± Stalactites started falling from the ceiling. ¡°Please stop doing that, we could get hurt.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to Pirate¡¯s Paradise.¡± Quest unlocked: Investigate the pirates. ¡°Pirates? You told me this was a normal beach,¡± Tyler said, narrowing his eyes at Logan. ¡°I thought it was.The kids at school never mentioned anything about pirates.¡±¡±Weird. All we need is sand right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Well, we are standing on it. Let''s grab some and take off. It¡¯s already getting dark and we don¡¯t need anything else happening to us today.¡±


    ¡°But, what about the beach?,¡± Stone-Eye asked sadly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s infested with pirates that we don¡¯t have time for today. How about you follow us to my house and help us fix my door?¡± Stone-Eye happily jumped up and down causing mounds of sand to lift off the ground and fall back down. ¡°Please stop doing that,¡± Tyler groaned. ¡°Sorry,¡± Stone-Eye said sadly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, but people could get hurt, ya know?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess I see your point.¡± ¡°Great, let¡¯s get going, I¡¯m sure my grandma will want me home soon,¡± Logan said.


    The three of them raced back home. Tyler and Logan tried keeping their balance with each of Stone-Eye¡¯s steps shaking the ground. In the distance, Tyler saw a gathering of red and blue lights. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Logan asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°There¡¯s firetrucks and police outside your house, hopefully everything is okay.¡± Tyler had a sinking feeling wash over him. Tyler sprinted towards his house. ¡°Tyler, wait up, wait for me!¡±


    Tyler rushed towards the first fireman he saw, desperate for answers. ¡°What¡¯s going on, is everything okay?¡± ¡°There¡¯s been an explosion.¡± The fireman''s words crashed over him like a tidal wave, each syllable a blow that stole his breath. "Explosion? But...my parents..." His voice cracked, the unspoken question hanging heavy in the eerily still air.


    The fireman''s grim expression confirmed his worst fears. Where his home once stood, filled with laughter and love, was now an empty space. His parents, the anchors of his life, were gone, respawned to some unknown corner of the world. The world tilted, the normalcy of the day shattering like glass as the reality of his loss crashed down upon him.


    Logan, sensing his friend''s despair, offered a comforting hand on Tyler''s shoulder, a silent anchor in the storm. Even Stone-Eye, the gentle cyclops, showed his support by simply standing close, a reassuring presence in the face of devastation. But even their unwavering support couldn''t fill the gaping hole ripped through Tyler''s life. He stared at the empty space where his home had been, the absence a stark reminder of all that was lost. Where were his parents? Were they scared? Alone? A wave of despair washed over him, threatening to pull him under.


    Tyler¡¯s mind was racing. ¡°An explosion how?¡± ¡°We are still investigating that. We will let you know about what we find. Son, we will do everything in our power to find your parents. Do you have anyone that you can stay with for the night?¡± ¡°He can stay at my place,¡± Logan said. ¡°What¡¯s your name kid?¡± ¡°My name is Logan.¡± ¡°I wish we could have met under better circumstances, Logan. Please take your friend to your house. And you are?¡± ¡°My name is Stone-Eye. Stone-Eye will go back to his cave now. Logan, Tyler, if you ever need anything. You know where to find me.¡±