The sun is still in the sky, but is showing signs of setting. There are a couple hours of daylight left, but I should start looking for a place to stay for the night. After that encounter I do not feel safe sleeping on the forest bed; therefore, I will look for a climbable tree with branches high enough to provide safety.

Looking at the moss on the trees and rocks, I can see it is the thickest on one side. Hopefully this indicates north, because that is the direction I am heading. Setting off in the direction I think is north, I begin my trek through the woods.

My injury appears to be healing at a slow and steady rate and my health is creeping up along with it. Hopefully I don’t encounter any tough opponents anytime soon. I would prefer to find some smaller prey to go after, like rabbits and foxes, so that I can level up as quickly as possible and get some points into defence.

After walking for about 30 minutes, I end up with multiple scratches on my arms and legs from stray branches and thorns. They are more of a nuisance than anything, but still have left my already ruined clothes in tatters. I have now healed to around half health and am ready for a fight when I notice two rabbits in the distance.

Utilizing my cloaking and backstab skills, I launch a sneak attack on one of them killing it in one hit. However, this causes the second rabbit to dash off into the bush. I can only watch as it gets further away. Unable to chase after it. Gathering my spoils, I continue on my journey.

A fairly thick bramble blocks my way, but the only way around it would take up more of my valuable time. And so, I take out my sword and begin to swing at the bramble, carving a path through.

*Hiss*

Part way through I can hear a faint hissing in the grass, but I continue hacking away at the bush after determining I cannot see anything.

*Hissss*

“Argh!” I can feel a clamping sensation on my left leg.

-30 HP

It hurt for a split second, but the pain becomes numbed almost immediately. However, the loss of health is no joke. I look down at my leg and see bite marks in the cloth on my legs.

“Shit! There must be a numbing agent in it’s saliva.” While I am looking at my leg, I sense movement three feet away from me. The culprit is lying amongst the grass staring at me through slit eyes. A four foot long dark green level 4 snake with diagonal yellow stripes running down the length of its body.

The snake lunges forward, but I quick counter it with a slash by my wooden sword. The smash knocks the snake toward the ground, while taking a good chunk of its health in the process. The snake must have realized that I am not an easy prey, because it starts to flee in the opposite direction. Not wanting it to get away, I make my move.

Before it could escape into the bramble, I rush out with my dagger and nail the bastard to the ground. My strength exceeds it’s defence, so the dagger runs right through it to the hilt. A familiar jingle plays after finishing the kill with a sword blow 7 inches from it’s mouth. I have finally reached level 4 and before doing anything I put the 10 skill points into defence.

“Phew.” Now I can finally find some place to camp for the night without having to worry about finding creatures to level up.

An hour of walking later, I finally stumble across a large tree with many intersecting branches. The trunk’s width is twice as large as my arm’s length, and it reaches high above the rest of the canopy. All the other ones I had found were either too short or did not have enough branches, so this is perfect. As a bonus, it will provide me with a viewpoint for the forest.

“Finally found a decent tree” While it’s not perfect, it will serve as protection for tonight.

I clear a small area around the based of the tree for a fire and make a circle out of stones. This area will be protected from the wind, yet should not at risk of setting the forest ablaze. Although, that may not matter in the game. I gather up some dry branches and logs for the fire, and light it using the flint and steel. Once the fire is burning I can start to prepare my meal. I can already taste the meal.

A lightly charred exterior, cooked medium rare, and juices flowing out with every bite. Saliva gathers in my mouth.

I skewer a rabbit haunch from my inventory with a sturdy stick and rest it above the fire on my self made cooking spit. It’s a shame I do not have any spices or seasonings, but at least I don’t have to prepare the meat ahead of time as the dropped item is already stripped and ready for cooking.

The flames flicker and dance while I slowly rotate the meat. It hasn’t even been a day, yet so many events have occurred. Thinking back to my time in the village at the blacksmiths and what came afterwards I cannot help but sigh. This world changes people, and I am not exempt from this. Prior to this I was a shut in otaku, but here I am sitting outside in the middle of the forest. One thing hasn’t changed though.

I am still alone.

While my mind is drifting, I do not notice the rabbit meat getting darker until the outsides have already turned black. Removing the meat from the fire, I place it on a rock to cool down.

Skill Acquired Cooking Level: 1 Allows user to cook a variety of dishes. Foods can be used to restore health and certain dishes can provide temporary skill boosts. The taste and quality of food is affected by user’s level.

“This will be a useful skill to have”

Biting down into the meat, I am disappointed. The outside is burnt and crispy, while the inside is rare. I am used to cooking on a barbecue and have only made hot dogs over a flame, but at least it tastes better than that dried food. To be fair, anything is better than that dried food. With the exception of barley bread.

I decide to let the fire burn down by itself after finishing my meal. That way, in the morning I will be able to quickly light another fire to have breakfast. I place everything into my inventory and walk over to the tree. Looking at the tree, there are a few places I could use for a grip. With my increased dexterity I take a running jump and leap to grab onto the lowest handhold.

Success!

Using that grip as a starting point I heave myself away from the ground, climbing until I find a sturdy branch to lay on. The branch is about two and a half feet wide at its base and runs almost parallel to another branch. Now comes the tricky part. I plan to wrap the rope around these branches to create a makeshift bed, so that I am not at risk of rolling off the side during the night.

After 20 minutes of securing the rope, criss-crossing between the branches, I place the tarp overtop of it and lay my sleeping bag on top.

“Phew, that took more effort than I thought it would.”

Laying down in my sleeping bag I look towards the sky. The sun has gone down and the stars are beginning to shine. Despite everything that has happened, it is quite peaceful watching at the stars. Without the light pollution of a city I can view them clearly, as if i were looking at them in HD. This is something that I have not done for many years having been distracted by modern conveniences such as my television and computer. Off in the distance I can hear howling.

I wonder how the other players are faring. It should not take much money to spend a night in an inn somewhere, but I imagine many players like me are spending the night outside. Even if it is just our minds working in the real world, the game simulates fatigue and so we cannot be awake continuously. On top of that, night time is usually more dangerous compared to day. Therefore, I believe my decision to hole up for the night was the best choice. Somewhere out there some poor players will lose their lives tonight. It’s not a pleasant thought, but it is our new reality and those who adapt will be the survivors.

Thinking about this topic reminds me of the ‘gift’ we received from Isaac Fletcher. The disposable phone. With it I will be able to make a single one minute phone call to my family. I should probably plan ahead to make sure I don’t run out of time. Thankfully, there is a clock with the UI that will help me time myself.

“Well. Here goes”

“Hello Mom. Hello Dad. This is your son. I am sure you have heard by now, but the game I purchased, EndGame Online, has turned into a death game. I only have one minute, so I will make this quick. Please heed the warnings given by the authorities. I have already watched a few players die from being disconnected.

“So far, I am doing well. I have gotten a grasp on the basics of this game and will do my best to survive and clear the game. Phil is with me somewhere in here, and while I have not seen him yet, I am not entirely alone. The game itself is well designed and feels more like a fantasy vacation.”

*Sigh*

“I do not know how long it will take before I can see you again. It will most likely be over a year. Maybe even two or three. This will be the last time I can contact you until then. I just want you to know that I love you. And I will miss you.”

“And done.” According to the clock, that took just under one minute.

I take a deep breath in and slowly exhale.

Opening up my inventory I take out the disposable phone. It’s styled like one of those old fashioned flip phones with the 3x3 number pad. After opening it up I get prompted by a system message.

Notification This item is single use only. It allows the user to make a single one minute phone call to the outside world. The timer starts once the line has been picked up. This item will not be destroyed if there is no response or answering machine. This item only allows a one-way conversation. You will not be able to receive any information from the outside world. Are you sure you wish to use this item? Yes No

Choosing the [Yes] option I dial the number.

1--2-5-0--X-X-X--X-X-X-X

I am very careful when dialling to make sure I do not screw up. It has been a while since I have used one of these flip phones.

*Ring*

*Riinngg*

*Riiinnnggg*

No answer. As expected.

“Hello, you have reached: XXX-XXXX. We cannot come to the phone right now, so please leave your name and number, and we will return your call as soon as possible.”

“Leave your message at the beep.”

*Beep*

“Hello Mom. Hello Dad. This is your son...

... And I will miss you.”

As I say those last words into the recording the phone begins to turn into pixelated dust in my hands. There goes my one method of communication with the outside world.

*Sigh*

Tucking myself into the sleeping bag, I shut my eyes and try to fall asleep.

--------------------------Change-of-POV--------------------------

*Yawn*

A middle aged man slowly stirs at the break of dawn. He looks towards the woman laying on his bed beside him and a small smile appears on his face. He carefully makes his way of bed, so as to not disturb her, and starts to get dressed. It is a new day, unlike any other, but a feeling of unease settles over him and he is unable to pinpoint why this might be.

He leisurely makes his way out of his room and down the hallway. On his left is the shut door to his son’s room.

“Hmm... I wonder if he is still playing.” He ponders. The game was released last night at midnight and it is now around 06:50AM the next day

He carefully cracks open the door and pokes his head in. What he sees is his son lying flat on the bed while wearing a sleek black helmet. He decides to leave his son be for now, and carries on down the stairs.

He makes his way into the kitchen and turns on the coffee pot before heading out to get the paper. When he returns he notices a beeping noise coming from the answering machine.

“Strange... who would call at this time in the morning.” Since he is on vacation he had slept in longer than usual. Being a teacher in the summer time has its benefits.

He makes his way over to the machine and presses the play button.

“You have 1 new message, and 13 old messages.” He decides he will delete those after listening to the new message.

“Hello Mom. Hello Dad. This is your son...”

--------------------------Change-of-POV--------------------------

*Skrrreeeek*

*Crrreeek*

I get woken up by the sounds of claws scratching on wood.

My heart begins racing.

*Grrr*

*Skrrreeek*

Whatever is down there, it doesn’t sound pleasant. I take out my dagger and hold it close to my chest. Hopefully whatever it is will go away by morning. It doesn’t seem like it will be able to reach me up here. I feel so thankful that I was smart enough to sleep away from the forest bed.

Trying to make my breaths as silent as possible I lay there and listen to the scratches.

I don’t think I will be getting any more sleep tonight.