When Raymond opened his eyes, he found himself lying on hard and unfamiliar ground. The first thing that caught his eye was the unnaturally colored sky. Above, the sun shone with its usual golden light, and white clouds drifted calmly, but the sky itself shimmered in a light purple hue. This sight felt completely foreign to the rules of the world he knew.
Raymond stood up in a dazed state and looked around cautiously. He was in an open area resembling the edge of a forest with sparse trees. The emerald-green grass beneath his feet swayed gently in a light breeze. The air was clean, even extremely pure—there was no trace of the artificial, noisy air of Germany.
— What kind of place is this? — Raymond's voice sounded unfamiliar even to himself. — I was sitting in my apartment in front of my computer... How did I end up here?
No matter how much he thought, he could not find a logical explanation. At that moment, a transparent blue system window appeared floating in front of him. It had three options:
[Get answers to questions]
[View statistics]
[Start quests]
Raymond froze in shock, but curiosity overcame fear. He cautiously selected the first option and asked aloud:
— What is this place, and how did I end up here?
Immediately, text began to appear on the screen:
[This world is called The Infinite Game. You have been transferred into the game world.]
— How?! — Raymond's shock increased even further.
[No answer found.]
— Who is even writing to me? — he continued asking while looking into the air.
[This is your player system. The system gives you various tasks and provides rewards upon completion. This allows you to grow stronger more quickly.]
Only one thing interested Raymond.
— How can I get out of here?
[After you complete the game.]
— How do I complete the game? — he asked anxiously, his heart beginning to beat faster.
[No answer found.]
— Then... what should I do now?
[Daily answer limit has been reached.]
— What?! — Raymond panicked. — Hey, wait! I still have many questions!
But the system fell silent mercilessly. Now only two options remained on the screen:
[View statistics]
[Start quests]
Raymond tried to calm himself and began analyzing the situation.
— I already saw my stats on the computer, everything there was set automatically. As for "quests"..., like in games, they are for completing tasks, gaining experience, and becoming stronger.
He took a deep breath. There seemed to be no way back for now. It was better to act than to sit in uncertainty.
— Fine, let's see, — he said and pressed [Start quests].
As soon as Raymond pressed the "Start quests" button, a list of tasks began forming in front of his eyes. They ranged from the weakest monsters to terrifying "boss"-level creatures, all belonging to the same type of beasts. Only their strength and skill levels differed.
Quest list:
[Kill Grave Pup: 5 — solo]
[Kill Grave Hound: 4 — solo]
[Kill Grave Hound Stalker: 3 — team]
[Kill Grave Hound Alpha: 2 — team]
[Kill Grave Hound Revenant: 1 — team]
The tasks were arranged from lowest to highest level, and the most difficult ones were locked due to Raymond's low level. He no longer doubted that this was a real game world. However, as he read the list, his gaze became fixed on one word.
— What? It says "Team" here? So I'm not the only player in this world! — a spark of hope ignited in Raymond's heart.
If he chose a team quest, he could meet other people under the pretext of forming a party, and perhaps search for a way back home together. With this thought, he selected the "Grave Hound Stalker" quest.
[You have selected the quest. Upon successful completion, rewards:
Dagger made from Grave Hound Stalker bone
Protective clothing made from Grave Hound Stalker skin
Night vision ability of Grave Hound Stalker
+10 Coins]
[Warning: If you fail, your stats will decrease!]
— How do I form a team now? — Raymond asked, seeking instructions from the system.
[To form a team, go to the "Players Guild" located in the nearest village to the southeast.]
After this message, the system window disappeared.
— Southeast? — Raymond looked around. He had neither a compass nor a map. But suddenly, a corner of his mind revived knowledge he had learned at school.
He looked at the sun in the sky—it indicated around 11:30. Then he looked at his shadow on the ground. The shadow stretched toward the north.
— I never thought what I learned in school would one day save my life, — he muttered to himself. — If my shadow is pointing north, then my back is south. If I walk 45 degrees to the left, I'll be heading exactly southeast!
Proud of himself, Raymond walked deeper into the sparse forest. The forest greeted him with its mysterious sounds: rustling leaves, strange bird calls... Suddenly, something burst out from a nearby bush.
Raymond stopped and looked in that direction. A small rabbit was running in panic. Behind it, a slightly larger, terrifying creature jumped out. Its skin looked as if it had no flesh, a bright red color, and on its head was a barely visible small horn. In the blink of an eye, it caught up to the rabbit, bit its neck, and ripped its head off.
The creature's bloodthirsty red eyes burned with hunger. It tore apart its prey's skin with sharp claws and began devouring the internal organs greedily. The sight made Raymond's stomach turn. Fear engulfed his entire body.
Without looking back, he ran with all his strength toward the southeast. The thought of what other horrors might be hiding in this forest was itself painful. After running for several minutes without stopping, the trees finally began to thin out, and the forest ended. In front of him, in the distance, the outline of a village became visible.
Raymond, exhausted with no strength left in his legs, collapsed onto a rock by the roadside. Gasping for breath, he stared at the village. This was supposed to be his first "safe haven" in this new world.
As Raymond tried to recover, leaning on the rock he was sitting on, the surface beneath him suddenly began to tremble strangely. In panic, he jumped up. The object he had thought was a rock slowly rose slightly from the ground as if it were alive.
Dust scattered, and on the polished surface of the stone, ancient-style glowing letters appeared:
"NEW BEGINNERS' VILLAGE"
It was just a sign, but in this game world it manifested in its own way. After reading the inscription, Raymond turned his gaze back toward the distant village. The destination was now clear, but reaching it did not seem easy.
Between Raymond and the village stretched a vast wheat field that seemed endless. Golden wheat stalks grew taller than a human, swaying like ocean waves in the wind. The distance to the village was about five kilometers, but the field was so wide that going around it would take at least half a day.
— I don't have the time or strength to go around, — Raymond muttered. — I'll take the risk.
He took a deep breath and stepped into the wheat field. As soon as he entered, the world changed. The tall stalks surrounding him limited his field of vision. Now he could no longer see the village or the forest behind him. Only the purple sky above and the rustling of wheat accompanied him.
As Raymond made his way forward, he remembered the terrifying creature from the forest. This place did not seem peaceful either. The rustling and rapid movements of something within the wheat reached his ears. Every time the stalks brushed against each other in the wind, Raymond flinched as if something was about to attack him.
Halfway through, he suddenly stopped. The wheat ahead began to move unnaturally. It was not the wind. Something very close, very heavy, was slowly moving toward him.
Raymond's heart pounded as if it would burst out of his chest, and he held his breath. He had no weapon, no tool to defend himself. He remembered his stats: "Speed: 20." For now, his only weapon was speed and the ability to escape.
Suddenly, a low and savage growl was heard from the wheat on the right side. Without looking back, Raymond ran with all his strength toward the presumed direction of the village. Behind him, it was clear that something was breaking through the stalks and chasing him.
The wheat leaves cut his face and arms, but he did not feel the pain. Only one goal remained—reach those village walls!
Finally, the wheat field ended, and in front of him appeared tall wooden walls enclosing a truly medieval-style gate. Armed guards were visible above the gate.
Raymond shouted with all his strength:
— Help! Open the gate!
When he reached the village threshold, the rustling behind him suddenly stopped. It was as if the creatures were afraid of crossing the village boundary. Raymond reached the gate and fell to his knees. Exhaustion and shock completely drained him, but he was grateful to be alive.