The world spun.
Red XVII felt his body twisting, weightless yet heavy, as though being unraveled and stitched back together all at once. Colors blurred, the sensation of falling took hold—
THUD.
He hit the ground with a dull crunch**, his body pressing into the soft earth.
"Ow."
He groaned, pushing himself up with an annoyed grunt. His hands met dirt instead of cold stone, and the world was too quiet. Too... natural. There were no flashing messages, no game interface hovering in his vision, and—
Wait.
Red froze.
His eyes shot open as he realized something crucial: No UI. No game prompts. No indicators for health, mana, or experience points flashing at him.
"…Oh."
He stood up, brushing off his armorless body and glancing around. Instead of the bleak, stone-filled dungeons and treacherous landscapes of his game world, he was lying in a lush, open field, where green grass swayed in the breeze and a distant village stood at the horizon. There was a sweet freshness in the air that he hadn't noticed in years.
"Where…?" He blinked, eyes narrowing. "What the hell happened?!"
His hands instinctively went to his belt—only to find it empty. His beloved weapon, The Zodiac, was gone.
"Great. Just great." He clenched his fists, frustration bubbling. "I was a Final Boss for crying out loud, and now I'm... where? No minions? No magic portal? No nothing?!"
He kicked a rock out of his way, his booted foot connecting with a blue slime, sending it bouncing into the air.
"Wait." He squinted. "Slime? Seriously?"
The slime wobbled back to the ground with a faint jelly-like squeal, but Red barely noticed. His gaze dropped to the status screen that had appeared before him:
LEVEL 1.
"…Are you kidding me?" He groaned, staring at the bold letters in disbelief. "I'm a Level 1? I was a boss, the most feared being in the game. How am I at Level 1 in some backwater world with slimes?!"
The slime giggled—or rather, it sounded like a giggle. A mocking giggle.
"I've been reduced to this," Red muttered, throwing his hands up in exaggerated despair. "I'm no longer a terror of the battlefield, I'm a joke! A punchline!"
He paused.
"Wait…" He glanced at the screen again. "Okay, I may be Level 1, but… what's this?"
His passive skill, Prodigy of Weapons, still remained. That was something. He wasn't totally powerless.
Then, a strange **whirling sensation** filled the air as his mind connected with another floating window:
[Summon Multi-Dimensional Backpack?]
"…What?" He stared at it, eyebrows furrowing. "Is this some kind of joke? A backpack? How's that supposed to help me?"
But curiosity piqued, and with no better options, he tapped on it.
A backpack materialized in front of him—unremarkable at first glance, with sturdy leather straps and an ordinary frame. But the very texture seemed to shift as he moved, rippling in ways that couldn't possibly be real.
"Alright, here goes nothing," Red muttered, reaching in. The backpack glowed briefly, its magic curling into his fingers. When he pulled out an item, it wasn't quite what he expected.
A rusty kitchen knife.
Red blinked.
"...A knife?" He stared at it, disappointed. "Well, it's something, I guess. Maybe this is my legendary weapon now? Some epic battle-ready utensil?"
The slime jiggled again.
Red's shoulders slumped. "Alright, I see how this is going."
But he had no choice. Even though this wasn't the Zodiac, he had to make do. He gripped the knife with the same seriousness he had once wielded his true blade, and with a confident yet utterly defeated sigh, he charged toward the slime, slashing it in a wide arc.
To his surprise, the slime **exploded** into a small burst of **glittering goo**, and Red staggered back, blinking in disbelief.
"Well. That was unexpected." He stood tall again. "Okay, maybe this world isn't so bad."
And so he continued. He fought slimes, giant bugs, and other low-level monsters, feeling his strength slowly build up with each victory. The gacha system was unpredictable, but it had its perks—every now and then, he got a decent weapon. A sword. A spear. A crossbow. These were real weapons, not just junk.
Hours passed, and eventually, Red found himself at the outskirts of Azurite Town, having finally reached Level 5. His clothes were torn, his armor ragged, but his confidence was steadily growing.
"Aha! Level 5! No longer a total scrub. I might be a little out of my depth, but I can handle this." He grinned, looking at the village ahead. It was quaint, peaceful, and most importantly—alive.
But as Red stepped forward, the magnitude of his situation began to hit him. He wasn't in his game anymore. The world around him was real. The people here weren't NPCs. The monsters weren't scripted. This was no longer his domain, no longer a place where he controlled everything from behind the screen.
This was new territory. And he was, in a way, just another adventurer trying to survive.
He took a deep breath, walking into the town. He noticed the vendors, villagers, and adventurers—all going about their daily lives, some with weapons, others just living. Red felt a new sense of purpose welling up inside him. He needed to understand this place. Learn the rules of this world. He wasn't just a boss anymore. He was Red XVII, and the game was over.
His first stop? The tavern. If there was one place where he could pick up information about this strange world, it was here.
Inside the dimly lit tavern, Red made his way to the counter. A grizzled old bartender looked up at him with a raised brow, taking a slow sip from his mug.
"What'll it be?" The bartender asked, his voice rough.
"I need information," Red replied. "About the world, the towns, the guilds. Where do I start?"
The bartender snorted, clearly amused. "You've got that look about you. Not a local, are you?"
Red nodded, taking a seat. "Nah. Just trying to figure out where I fit in."
"Well," the bartender said, wiping down the counter. "You're in Azurite Haven, one of the oldest towns in this region. Adventurers come here to train and level up. You want to join the Adventurer's Guild, you'll find plenty of quests waiting for you."
Red smiled. "Perfect. I'm just getting started."