Chapter 2: Chapter 02: But Still Alive
"This is not how I should die, besides Cybers, mining Voidstones..."
"This is not how I should die, besides…"
"This is not how I…"
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"GASP!" "GASP!"
Arlo snapped awake, his breath coming in ragged gasps and a parched throat begging for water. His throat was as dry as a desert, yearning for relief. He staggered to the sink and twisted the rusty tap, the water that flowed out was brown and murky with a metallic taste. He gulped it down, the lukewarm liquid easing his dry throat but leaving a bitter residue.
After satisfying his thirst, he trudged back to the bed, the old floorboards groaning under his weight. He fell onto the mattress, focusing on steadying his uneven breaths, the room felt suffocating and oppressive.
"THUD!"
A knock echoed through the room, reverberating off the walls. With a weary sigh, Arlo hauled himself up, his body heavy with fatigue. He swung the door open with a creak, his movements slow, and then slumped back onto the bed, his body screaming in protest with every move.
"Well, this is something we don't see every day," Remi commented, amusement lacing his voice as he stepped into the room.
Arlo queried, "What do you mean?"
Remi responded, "You answering the door within two knocks."
Lying flat on his back and gazing at the cracked ceiling, Arlo retorted, "Even your door banging and rent asking is coming into my dreams. Last night I had the worst nightmare."
Remi laughed, "Well, if that nightmare is making you change, then it's sweet dreams for me."
Arlo snapped, "Get out, Remi. Here's your rent."
As Arlo rummaged for money, he looked at Remi's face for the first time since he entered the room.
"AHHH... AHHH..."
Arlo yelled, "Remi, there's something floating above your head."
Remi, confused, asked, "Arlo, what's wrong? What are you seeing?"
Arlo's eyes stung and throbbed with pain as he rose to rinse them. As he moved towards the sink, he noticed strange labels appearing above the objects he was looking at:
[Bed]
[Cup Noodles]
[Sink]
[Tap]
After washing his face and calming his nerves, Arlo and Remi both settled on the bed.
Remi inquired, "Are you alright? Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?"
As Remi spoke, Arlo kept staring above Remi's head. Remi, puzzled, asked,
"What are you looking at?" Remi even glanced behind him and at the ceiling.
Arlo stood, waved his hand above Remi's head, and tuned out Remi's words. This made Remi angry, feeling ignored, and he stormed out without another word.
Arlo didn't stop Remi; his mind was preoccupied with something else.
Arlo reclined on the bed and pondered, 'What are these images? Am I hallucinating?'
As he covered his eyes with his hands, he felt a soft glow on him. He lifted his hand and saw a faint blue light shimmering on his wrist. He rubbed his eyes, feeling bewildered.
Suddenly, a blue window materialized before him, startling him.
He noticed five menu options at the top, including:
[Player Level Attributes]
[Inventory]
[Skills]
[Options.]
With a slight sting in his eyes, Arlo pointed his finger towards [Player Level Attributes]. A new prompt appeared showing stacked over menu:
[Hp: 10/100
Skill Points: 20
Exp Points: 0/100
Defense: 5/100
Strength: 5/100
Endurance: 5/100
Agility: 5/100
Intelligence: 5/100
Dexterity: 5/100]
After seeing that, he thought, "It all feels real, not a dream. Seriously, what's all this?"
As he navigated through each menu, he clicked on Inventory, and the prompt displayed:
[The Inventory is empty.]
Then he clicked Skill,
[Three Slots
Empty slot, Empty slot, Empty slot]
Then he finally clicked Options, and a single menu appeared: Save Data
[Three slots.
June 3, 2022 A.C. (After Cyber), Empty slot, Empty slot]
Arlo was taken aback, looking at the date, a thought crossed his mind,
'Does that mean I actually died before and was revived, no it seemed sent back to the past?'
This possibility amused and deeply unsettled Arlo. He rose and paced the small room, his footsteps bouncing off the walls.
A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind, his excitement tinged with a sudden fear that made him tremble.
He wanted to experiment, so he quickly opened the inventory window, picked up an empty cup of noodles from the floor, and placed it near the prompt, but nothing happened.
Arlo was puzzled and approached a pile of garbage, searching for something.
"Maybe it didn't do anything before because it thought the cup of noodles was trash. I need something of value."
From the pile, he picked up a white vase with sauce stains on the side and wiped it with his shirt. He tried again, dropping the vase near the prompt, hoping it would be absorbed, but it fell and shattered into pieces.
He was at a loss about what to do with this message prompt; everything seemed foreign to him.
He thought back to his past, 'I used to play MMORPG games like this when I was a kid. Who would have thought technology would advance so much in just a few years?'
A thought struck him, 'Advanced Technology! Does this mean this prompt is a product of Innovators? No, it seems like the prompt is inside my brain. Does that mean magic is also integrated into this technology? It's not possible to create revolutionary technology without anyone knowing; there would have been some talk about its development. Nothing.'
He kept thinking, trying to make sense of it all.
'I never heard of magic or technology that sends someone back in time.'
After several hours of aimless thinking, he finally decided to take a step that would impact his future actions.
"The only way to prove it is not magic or technology is to test that save data. Does it actually send me back in time or not?"
He opened the menu window and clicked the save data without giving it much thought.
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[End of Chapter]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Leon_Life_or_Death
Leon_Life_or_Death Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone