1 Eerie

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That was the last sound Lee Han heard before his head slumped onto the table, drained of the energy needed even to lift it. 

He had spent hours glued to the computer, playing Survival In The Apocalypse as the beta tester for Soft Tech.

Lee Han had so much fun playing the game that he barely got up from his seat, ignoring his meal time and sleep. He only left his seat when he had to go to the bathroom. 

His body finally gave in; he felt exhausted. He couldn't even have the energy to move from his gaming chair to his bed.

Lee Han briefly rested his head on the table. After a few more minutes, he tries to crawl into his bed. 

But something weird happens. 

He feels an odd sensation as if his soul has departed his physical form. He was floating aimlessly in a void. 

Panic seized him.

"W-What's happening here!?" 

Lee Han frantically tried to touch something, but his efforts were in vain. 

Before he knew it, darkness slowly swallowed him, and his surroundings became silent. Not even the sounds of rain outside his house could be heard.

...

After a few moments in the darkness, a brilliant light slowly appeared. 

Lee Han found himself in a small town. The town looked under attack. 

The building was falling apart, cars stopped in the middle of the street, and some crashed into a building. Lee Han couldn't see anyone around, as if he had landed in a ghost town — the town was empty and eerie.

Lee Han closed his eyes. He wanted to ensure what he saw now was just his imagination, not real.

"I must be dreaming. This isn't real, right?" He tries to convince himself that he is still sleeping in his bedroom after playing a game.

However, 

When Lee Han opened his eyes again, he was still in the same place, not his bedroom. 

"Holly shit! This is fucking real!?"

Lee Han checked his body and saw his clothes were different from what he had worn before — black cargo pants with a black t-shirt and hiking shoes. 

"Why did I suddenly appear here!? Did I die and get reincarnated?" Lee Han wanted to laugh when he heard his own words. How could the plot of the story he usually reads in manga happen to him?

How ridiculous!

He put aside his confusion and tried to recheck his surroundings. He walked a few meters ahead to the crossroads. 

Not long after, his step halted abruptly when he saw a familiar statue near the crossroads. 

"Wait! I've been here before!"

Fear swallowed him when he noticed that this place resembled the nearby city in his real life. Strangely, it looked like it had experienced something utterly catastrophic, even apocalyptic. No human could be seen, not a single soul. Only him in this eerie place.

However, the odd thing was that he didn't see a trace of the dead body. There was no spat, nor was a trace of blood on the destroyed road and buildings. That made the place not only eerie but also looked so odd.

"Th-This place—" Lee Han's throat went dry as he realized something. "Why is this place like Survival In The Apocalypse!?" 

In the game, extreme weather and a deathly virus cause part of the earth to be destroyed, and half of the humans vanish. Animals evolved into monsters, and the scarier thing was that the undead took over almost half the earth.

Meanwhile, the remaining surviving humans — in the game called Adventurers — are forced to fight for their lives and battle with monsters and undead.

"Did this Earth also become like that?"

He refuses to believe. However, his shoulder slumped when he glanced at the sky. He could see the sun looking orange, the same sky he saw in the game he played.

Lee Han shook his head, trying to dismiss his odds thought. 

"Impossible!!"

He walked again. He needed to gain a better vantage point to check his surroundings to see whether this place was the same city he knew or if he was entering his game world. 

After searching, he found the tallest building nearby. 

Hastily, Lee Han sprinted towards a ten-story building. He saw the building standing strong despite shattered glass windows on the first to third floors. 

As he climbed the stairs, Lee Han felt his breathing heavier and his calves burning. Each step increased the intensity of his uneasiness.

In no time, Lee Han reached the topmost landing. He slowly pushed open the door and stepped onto the roof. What he saw before his eyes left him stunned.

He was shocked by what he saw. He clearly remembered this city being near his hometown.

But now, this beautiful city had turned into a mess, as if someone had just blown it up. 

Lee Han's shock still hadn't faded when a flickering flame emerged near him. 

The flicker grew larger, resembling an interdimensional portal reminiscent of the one he had seen in the movie.

He saw a woman with long silver fox hair walking through the portal.

Lee Han froze, captivated by the awe-inspiring beauty before him. Little gold hairpins adorned her beautiful hair, and her pale skin enhanced her goddess-like features. 

His gaze fixated on her mesmerizing jade-like eyes, and he felt an involuntary gulp, completely entranced by her unparalleled beauty.

He knows this goddess. She is the one who welcomes him as an adventurer in the beta tester game, Seraphina, the elf princess. 

Lee Han felt his throat dry as he gazed at this woman's beauty. He found it impossible to tear his eyes away from her, completely bewitched by her allure.

'Damn it, Lee Han! This is not the time to be entranced!' He scolded himself inwardly, striving to redirect his attention to reality.

Countless questions raced through his mind, each sending shivers down his spine. 

'How could I be transported into the beta tester game??' 

However, Lee Han dismissed his thoughts. If this is a game world, why is the location the same as in real life? In the game, the area is different from this place because the world is just a fantasy world. But now? This is an actual city in his country.

"Welcome, adventurer Lee Han, to the Elindor Kingdom," the enchanting voice of the beautiful elf before him could be heard, leaving Lee Han even more stunned.

However, something caused him to flinch.

How did this elven woman know his real name? He never used his real name when playing games, including in the Survival In The Apocalypse.

"E-Elindor Kingdom? You mean the same with the beta tester game?" Lee Han asked, feeling like he was losing his grip on reality with everything happening to him. 

Lee Han didn't wait for the elf woman to answer his question. He hastily approached the nearest wall — he wanted to check the troubling matter in his mind, whether what he thought was true or not. 

He wishes this was only a dream, a virtual reality, not an actual reality with him in it with his flesh and blood. 

With his power, Lee Han punched the wall with his fist. 

"Crack!"

A sound like broken bones could be heard.

"Ouch! F*ck!! This pain feels so real!" Lee Han shouted in pain as he clutched his hand, wanting to cry. 

Confusion washed over him. This pain shouldn't persist like this and would usually subside quickly. But now, the pain in his hand was increasing.

'What the heck! Am I being transmigrated in this place?'

Lee Han can't believe he finally experienced what was called isekai or whatever it was called, like what he watched in anime or online novels.

"If you want to harm or kill yourself, do it when I'm not around," The enchanting voice pulled Lee Han from his thoughts.