Kenji opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was draw the "Menu" symbol in the air with his right hand.
Nothing.
He drew it again. Faster.
Again.
Kenji looked like a madman swatting at flies in summer, ceaselessly clawing at the air.
"Hey, system!" he said, looking up at the sky, his voice containing more irritation than fear. "Are you joking? The game's over, I get it. Even if you don't refund my money, fine, just log me out! My tea's getting cold at home!"
Instead of an answer, the sound of something exploding in the distance and a predator's roar could be heard. Kenji surveyed his surroundings.
The scenery... how to put it, it looked as if a team of designers had collectively lost their minds during work hours.
On the right side, an "Interstellar War" spaceship had crashed into a "Medieval" castle and was on fire.
On the left side, a Jurassic era dinosaur was gnawing on a World War II tank like a tin can, trying to devour the soldiers inside.
"Wonderful," Kenji muttered, dusting off his shoulders. "So the servers merged and turned into 'Battle Royale'? Graphics are great, but the scenario writer needs to be fired. Where's the logic, where?"
He stood up. Although the status panel wasn't visible, he felt a strange lightness in his body. His "Shadow" character had reached level 99, and his strength stats were maxed out.
"Well," he said to himself. "No inventory. No map. Not even a clock. I think I've fallen into 'Hardcore Survival' mode. Let's see, how much health do I have in this mode?"
At that moment, a strange sound came from among the ruins.
Kenji turned around and saw three Cyber-Goblins. Unlike ordinary goblins, they had mechanical arms and legs, and red lasers glowed in their eyes. They were staring at Kenji like hungry wolves.
"Oh boy," Kenji said mockingly. "Did the little ones get lost? Looks like your mommy watched too many 'Terminator' movies?"
One of the goblins growled and lunged at Kenji. Its mechanical claw aimed for Kenji's face.
Kenji tried to use his [Shadow Step] skill as usual.
Brain command: "Shadow Step!"
Result: 0.
Kenji didn't move from his spot.
"Damn it," he said and instinctively just dodged to the side.
The goblin's claw scratched his shoulder.
"AHH!" Kenji gritted his teeth. The pain was sharp and real. "100% pain?! Admins, this is illegal! I'll sue you!"
But Kenji wasn't an ordinary person. When the goblin tried to strike him a second time, Kenji simply balled his fist and landed it on the goblin's iron jaw.
CRASH!
The goblin's head split open like a watermelon, its mechanical parts scattering everywhere.
Kenji looked at his hand with amazement.
"Oho!" he said, his eyes sparkling. "So even without skills, stats are intact! I'm a tank, babies!"
The remaining two goblins, seeing this, hesitated slightly but didn't retreat.
"Come on then, tin cans!" Kenji entered the fight.
This wasn't a battle, it was a real street brawl. Without magic or special moves, Kenji smashed the goblins into walls, onto the ground, and into each other with pure physical strength.
When the fight ended, he panted and sat on one of the goblin's bodies.
"Where's the loot?" He rummaged through the goblin's pockets. Nothing. "Stingy bastards. They could've at least dropped one 'healing potion.'"
Several days passed.
Kenji named this new world the "Bug World."
What hadn't he seen during this time:
Mutant Bear: Kenji strangled it to death. The reason: when the bear tried to breathe fire at him, Kenji shoved a large rock into its mouth.
Laser Ninja: This one was a bit harder. The ninja was very fast. Kenji tracked its movements, finally tripped it by the leg, and flipped a concrete slab on top of it. "Ninjas never look up," he said, laughing.
But after every battle, he felt one thing: Being weaponless was very inconvenient.
His fists were strong, but his skin wasn't iron. His hands were scratched, bruised, his clothes torn—he'd become a real vagabond.
"I need my sword," he'd complain every time while eating food (some creature's roasted leg). "Or my rifle. At least a kitchen knife! System, are you listening? I'm a VIP player after all!"
And finally, that day came.
Kenji was walking through the large square in the ruined city center. Suddenly the air turned cold.
Black fog rose from the ground, and before him appeared the Grim Reaper (Angel of Death).
This wasn't an ordinary mob. This was a ghost-type creature, and physical attacks barely affected it.
In the Reaper's hand was a long scythe made of black energy.
"Wonderful," Kenji said, backing away. "Ghosts. I hate ghosts. You can't hit them!"
The Reaper said nothing, just swung its scythe. A black wave flew toward Kenji.
Kenji threw himself to the ground and rolled away. The scythe's strike cut through the wall of the building behind him like butter.
"Whoa! A little slower!" Kenji shouted.
He picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at the Reaper. The rock just passed through its body.
"Yeah, as I thought. Physics laws have taken a vacation."
Kenji tried to run, but the Reaper blocked his path. The surroundings were sealed off by a black wall. No escape.
The Reaper was approaching. Under its pitch-black hood, two red eyes burned.
Kenji was cornered.
"That's it," he thought. "I can't kill a ghost with punches. I need a magic weapon. Now! Right here!"
The "Dragon Fang" sword came to his mind's eye. That heavy, cold sword decorated with ancient runes. He wanted it so badly that he could even feel the roughness of its handle in his hand.
He didn't look for the system as usual. He simply got angry and shouted inside with all his voice:
"WHERE ARE YOU, DAMN THING?! COME TO MY HAND, YOU STUPID SWORD!"
The Reaper raised its scythe. Ready to strike.
And Kenji stretched his hand forward, as if gripping an invisible sword.
"If I die now," Kenji said through his teeth, "I'll find the programmers in the afterlife and kill them myself!"
At that moment...
Blue lightning flashed in the air.
Weight appeared in Kenji's empty hand.
CLANG!
The Reaper's scythe, one centimeter from descending on Kenji's head, struck something and stopped.
Kenji opened his eyes.
In his hand... that legendary "Dragon Fang" sword radiating blue light stood!
"What?!" Kenji shouted first in amazement, then in joy. "It worked! It worked, you dog!"
Even the Reaper seemed to freeze in surprise.
Kenji gripped the sword tightly. There was no system menu, but he felt a spiritual connection with the sword. This wasn't just code, this was a part of him.
"Well then, Mr. Copperfield," Kenji said with his characteristic arrogant smile, spinning the sword. "The magic trick is over. Now it's my turn."
Kenji lunged forward. Since the sword was magical, it could harm the Reaper.
WHOOSH!
Kenji shattered the Reaper's scythe and with a second strike, split its body in two. The Reaper shrieked and vanished, turning into black smoke.
Kenji took a deep breath and looked at the sword.
"So," he said, caressing the sword. "The inventory is in my brain? Do I just need to imagine it?"
To test it, he closed his eyes and imagined his favorite "Plasma-X" pistol.
Pshhh!
The pistol appeared in his left hand.
Kenji looked at the weapons in both hands and laughed wickedly.
"You're done for, creatures. Now I'm the Admin on this server!"