TUM!
I froze, watching the goblin disappear into the forest, its panic contagious. My palms were damp, my breath short, my instincts screaming one thing:
Hide.
But where could I hide? The apartment was a three-room shoebox. If a kaiju decided to come knocking, the best I could do was offer it tea and pray for mercy. I stepped away from the window and closed the curtains. Out of sight, out of mind—a classic gamer strategy.
TUM!!
I sat back down in front of the computer. My heart was racing, and not from the caffeine. I cracked my knuckles and typed on the forum.
JohMil (OP): "Something big is coming. The goblin ran. I think I'm next."
The replies came quickly.
Her0: "Stay calm. Lock your doors and windows. Try to observe without being seen."
Survivalist_Z: "Do you have weapons? Tools? Anything? You need a survival plan NOW."
Isekai124: "TRY STATUS AGAIN! THIS COULD BE THE MOMENT!"
Right. Status hadn't worked before, but maybe it was like one of those anime scenes where the protagonist unlocks their power at the last second. I stood up again, this time with no drama. Only fear.
"Status," I whispered.
Nothing.
Louder. "STATUS!"
Still nothing.
I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the only things that remotely qualified as weapons: a frying pan, a knife, and a half-empty bottle of hot sauce. A set worthy of MasterChef: Apocalypse Edition.
TUM!!!!
My mind was spinning like a broken cooling fan, loud, useless, and about to catch fire. It was in that moment of panic that the sound changed. The heavy footsteps stopped, replaced by a tense silence that lasted only a second. And then...
BOOOM!
The impact sounded like an explosion. With my heart in my throat and the frying pan held up like a pathetic shield, I approached the window and peeked through a crack.
Outside, a gray-skinned giant with shoulders as wide as a compact car was staring at my apartment with small, furious eyes. It wielded a wooden club the size of a telephone pole and wore what looked like a tent tied around its waist as an improvised and traumatizing loincloth, to say the least.
It was a troll.
It raised its club again.
BOOOM!
Another impact. This time, I was watching. At the exact point where the club hit the air, a faint light shone for a fraction of a second. I ran back to the computer, the sound of the troll's blows echoing behind me.
JohMil (OP): "IT'S A TROLL! IT'S ATTACKING THE BARRIER! BUT THE BARRIER IS STILL HOLDING!!"
Her0: "That confirms it! You are protected by some kind of magic barrier. But for how long? These things have limits."
BOOOM!
In the lower corner of my vision, almost imperceptible, a small icon of a broken shield appeared and disappeared.
JohMil (OP): "I think I saw something. An icon. Like a HUD from a game."
T3d22y: "Now there's a HUD? This story just keeps getting better, man."
Ghhrr2: "Video or it's fake."
FeedAnon: "Guys, check out this live stream: [link_to_live_stream], the isekai is real!!!"
I clicked the link with trembling fingers. The live stream site loaded, and then an image of a night sky appeared with two immense, winged creatures covered in shining scales, circling. Dragons.
Suddenly, one of them dove. The camera managed to capture the exact instant the dragon opened its mouth and spewed a torrent of blue fire. The flames filled the entire screen, nearly blinding the viewer. But, at the last moment, the fire collided with an invisible barrier around a house, generating a wave of bluish energy that rippled like water touched by a stone.
The person behind the camera fell in shock but didn't stop recording.
It was a girl. A little younger than me, maybe. Her hands were shaking. The camera spun at confusing angles as she tried to show the exterior of the isolated house on top of a mountain, surrounded by cliffs and forest.
"I... I don't know how long this will hold!" she yelled, her voice cracking with fear. "If anyone can hear me, my name is Amber Lewis, I'm on some mountain, no idea where. My Wi-Fi still works, don't ask how!"
The forum chat exploded.
Her0: "ARE YOU GUYS SEEING THIS??"
Isekai124: "IT'S ANOTHER ISEKAI'D PERSON!! IT'S REAL!! IT'S NOT JUST JOHMIL!"
Truck-kun: "For God's sake, what have you people done to the multiverse?!"
Survivalist_Z: "If there's more than one, then there might be a pattern. Some connection between you. We need to gather data!"
I was in shock. On one hand, I felt less alone. On the other hand, my panic multiplied.
There were more dangers and different creatures. Trolls here, dragons there, what else was in this world?
Amber retreated back inside her house, breathing heavily. The camera stabilized a bit, and we could see her better—brown hair tied in a messy bun, wearing an oversized sweatshirt, with deep, dark circles under her eyes. She looked like she was at her limit, but she was alive. Just like me.
"If anyone else is out there... if you were brought here too... answer me," she said, staring at the camera. "We have to help each other. I don't think these barriers will last forever."
BOOOM!
Once again, the troll outside attacked, but this time I was calmer. If Amber's barrier could withstand dragon fire, then maybe these defenses were actually durable.
It was then that I took a better look at the small, broken-shield icon that appeared again in the corner of my vision, only now there was a percentage next to it—100%—which blinked and then disappeared. Maybe it was the barrier's durability. If it was really indicating the shield's integrity, then 100% was a great sign.
I took a deep breath, trying to absorb it all. I slowly sat down in my chair, my heart calmer now, and turned my attention back to the forum.
That's when a new comment appeared.
ShadowedWolf_99: "Guys... I think I was brought here too. My apartment is on a beach now. And there are... mermaids [mermaids.png]"
I clicked the link. The image loaded, revealing a surreal scene: a balcony overlooking a paradisiacal beach, with white sand, crystal-clear turquoise water, and palm trees in the background. At the water's edge, female figures watched the building suspended over the sand. They had long, wet hair, shimmering tails, and curious eyes. One of them was smiling directly at the camera.
The forum went wild.
ManaBurn: "The guy pulled an SSR in the isekai gacha."
Isekai123: "I'm already jealous. Beautiful mermaids and a beach view?"
Isekai124: "YOU LUCKY B******, HOW THE **** DO I GET ISEKAI'D!! I WANT WAIFUS!!"
P0tatoMage: "Did this just become an MMO IRL??"
ManaBurn: "Amber is top-tier. And she's even fighting a dragon solo."
Her0: "Focus, people! This proves there are multiple worlds or distinct zones. The locations seem random."
Absorbed in the forum, I didn't even notice that the troll outside had already left. As the comments continued at a frantic pace amidst jokes, crazy theories, and bursts of collective envy, a new post silenced everyone.
Arcano77: "Sorry to intrude, I was brought here too. I don't know exactly where I am, but it's not a beach, forest, or mountain. This place looks like an ancient city with undead. And there's something you all need to know: Magic exists. I was able to use it [my_magic.mp4]"
The silence that followed was almost palpable. Even on such a chaotic forum, for an instant, no one replied.
Then, the topic exploded again.