Kevin didn't stop running until he made it home.
By the time he slammed the door shut behind him, his chest felt like it would burst at any moment. He locked the door and closed the curtains leaving only a small opening to see if he had been followed
His hands were still shaking and his breathing refused to slow down. For several seconds, he just stood there peeping through the window.
But there was nothing pounding against the wood, footsteps outside, no sight of the faceless being he encountered—just complete silence.
A few moments ago, he was being chased by a faceless being in a city with no one but himself, and now everything has returned to normal. A couple walked past, and a group of friends sat in a corner, laughing.
"…What the hell is going on…" he muttered, grabbing his head in confusion.
He touched the scratch on his arm and it stung and his legs still ached from the jump meaning every single thing was real.
But at the same time, the fact that everything had returned to normal made him even more confused. Maybe exhaustion had finally gotten to him, maybe his mind was being warped due to the stress, or perhaps after everything he had been carrying for so long, he had finally started going insane.
He ran both palms over his face and let out a dry laugh. "…I'm losing it." Part of him wanted to believe that. It would be easier than accepting what he saw was real.
Suddenly, his bag vibrated which caused him to tense up a bit
His eyes slowly lowered toward the bag he had tossed near the table. For a moment he didn't move as he wondered, after all he's been through in the past hours what could it possibly be this time.
Slowly he made his way toward the bag, put his hand inside, and pulled out the phone but to his surprise, it was the one from the bar.
"Shit completely forgot to return this, wonder if the owner ever came back for it" He thought to himself.
Suddenly, the screen lit the moment he touched it.
[Tutorial Mission: Survive for 10 minutes]
[Complete.]
[Reward Issued.]
"…What?"
Then another line appeared.
[Rs100,000 deposited.]
Kevin was still confused when, a few seconds later, his actual phone buzzed on the table. He picked it up and to his surprise, a banking notification popped up. His eyes scanned it once, then again as his expression slowly began to change.
[Acct: ******2095]
[Amt: Rs100,000 CR]
[Avail Bal: Rs100,000.87]
For a long moment, he just stood there staring at the numbers that were more than he would ever earn even if he worked for the whole year.
"This has to be a mistake, do I call the bank and have them deal with it" He thought to himself when once again, the strange device lit up again and a text appeared.
[You look disappointed.]
Kevin nearly dropped the device. "…What?"
A new text appeared almost immediately.
[Most players I've encountered are always excited, do you not like my reward?.]
He stared. "…You're… responding?"
[You're speaking to me while holding me. So yes, I would assume so.]
Kevin frowned a bit. "…This is insane."
[And yet your bank balance disagrees.]
That was enough to make Kevin think about it deeply. "What are you?" he asked this time, less irritated and more curious
There was a little pause and then another message popped up—
[Your administrator. Your guide. Whichever you prefer, honestly. But you can call me Zero. :3]
Kevin made his way to the bed and sat down slowly, exhausted enough to accept he had crossed into absurdity hours ago. "The money I received…..was that you? Where did it come from?"
The screen flickered once and another message appeared
[Welcome to EDEN]
[You have been selected as a Player.]
[Players receive tasks.]
[Completing each task grants you rewards.]
[Failure to carry out these tasks may attract consequences.]
Kevin read the messages in silence, his eyes lingering as something clicked in his mind; the screen a few minutes ago, which read the words: Tutorial Mission Complete: Survive for 10 Minutes. His grip on the phone tightened, then slowly he looked at the screen and asked, "…That thing I saw… the faceless… whatever it was...You sent that after me?!"
[Correction: We motivated participation.]
"WHAT THE HELL, SURELY THERE WOULD'VE BEEN OTHER WAYS…..I ALMOST FUCKING DIED?"
[Yet you didn't, that makes you qualified enough to be a player plus if you saw a message that went 'pick up trash for 100,000' wouldn't you assume it was a scam?]
"I guess that makes sense" Kevin dragged a hand down his face. "…Why me though?"
[Because you picked up the device.]
He stared at the screen, half of him wanted to smash it, but the other half really needed the money, especially now of all time.
"If this is real…Then it's probably my only way out." He thought to himself. "…Guess I'll play along for now, once I've made enough… I'll quit." Finally, he spoke out loud "So all I've gotta do is complete tasks right?"
[Pretty much, complete tasks, receive rewards, improve your ordinary, tragic little life.]
"…You really are an asshole."
[And yet here I am helping you out.]
He looked away for a bit, his brother came to mind instantly. His fingers tightened around the phone. "…And if I keep doing these tasks…"
[You may continue receiving rewards.]
"Money?"
[Thats just one of the many things you could obtain ^_^.]
_____
Later that night, he left the apartment and walked to the nearest ATM. The rate at which his heart was beating quickened as he inserted his card, entered the amount, and waited.
For some seconds he watched the machine go: 'Please Wait'.
Shortly after, the machine whirred and cash slid out.
Kevin just stared at it, not touching it immediately, then slowly, he reached out and took it. His throat tightened unexpectedly. "…Holy shit…" he whispered.
He let out a small disbelieving laugh. Not because it was funny but because he didn't know what else to do.
The next morning, he used part of it immediately. Hospital payments, advance coverage, and bills he had been pending for years as well as rent.
Gradually, the one thing he had lost slowly returned: hope.