Liam woke up already exhausted.
His body felt heavy, like it didn't fully belong to him anymore. When he tried to sit up, his head spun and his vision blurred. He stayed still for a moment, one hand pressed against the cold stone floor, breathing slowly until the dizziness passed.
Hunger wasn't sharp pain anymore. It was constant. A deep, draining weakness that made every movement feel slower than it should.
The ruins were silent.
Broken walls stood where they always had. Cracked stone. Weeds pushing through gaps. No tracks. No signs that anyone or anything had come near during the night.
He forced himself to stand and walked toward the stream. His steps were careful, uneven. He drank slowly, knowing it wouldn't fix anything, only keep him from collapsing.
When he straightened, the system text appeared.
[LORD SYSTEM]
Eligible for Summon: 67
Liam stared at the number.
Sixty-seven.
It had risen again while he slept.
That meant sixty-seven people on Earth had the equipment. Sixty-seven people were ready. Sixty-seven people might already be standing somewhere safe, helmets on, waiting for something to happen.
"Not yet," he whispered.
His voice sounded weak, even to him.
He sat down on a fallen stone block and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. Waiting hurt. Every hour made his body weaker. But breaking the rule now would make everything he had endured pointless.
"One hundred," he said quietly. "Not before."
On Earth, frustration was starting to show.
A boy stood in his bedroom, helmet covering his head, suit tight against his body. His heart was racing as he spoke clearly.
"Log in."
Nothing happened.
He waited, then tried again.
"Log in."
Still nothing.
"…Okay," he muttered, forcing a laugh. "Guess it's not open yet."
In another city, a woman sat on her couch, helmet on, hands resting on her legs. She said the words once. Then again. When nothing happened, she picked up her phone and refreshed the website.
No updates.
No countdown.
No explanation.
Messages started appearing online.
"Anyone else stuck?"
"Equipment arrived but nothing happens."
"Servers delayed?"
Most people convinced themselves it was normal. Big launches always had issues. That was easier to believe.
Very few removed the helmet.
They waited.
Back in Gaia, the sun climbed higher.
Liam tried to keep moving. Sitting still made the hunger worse. He rearranged stones near the sleeping area, even though his hands shook while he worked.
The system updated again.
Eligible for Summon: 82
His breath caught.
"That fast…" he murmured.
Eighty-two people were ready now. Eighty-two people had probably already tried logging in. Eighty-two people whose consciousness was waiting for a door to open.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, staring at the dirt.
The world didn't answer.
On Earth, more people tried again.
"Log in."
"Log in."
"Log in."
Nothing happened.
Some laughed it off. Others grew irritated. A few felt something harder to explain. A strange pressure. Like standing at the edge of something unseen.
One man finally pulled the helmet off and shook his head. "I'll try later."
Most didn't.
Most stayed exactly where they were.
Liam leaned against the wall as another wave of weakness hit him. His legs trembled. He slid down until he was sitting on the ground, breathing slowly.
The system appeared again.
Eligible for Summon: 91
"So close," he said, his voice shaking.
If he collapsed now, it wouldn't stop anything. The numbers would keep rising. The people would keep waiting. He would just be gone when they arrived.
That thought scared him more than summoning early.
He forced himself to stand again.
On Earth, someone whispered the words once more, carefully.
"Log in."
Eligible for Summon: 97
Liam slid down the wall again, clutching his stomach as it cramped hard enough to make him groan. Sweat formed on his forehead.
Every part of him wanted to stop waiting. To summon now. To get help.
But he didn't move.
Changing his mind now would mean admitting the rule had never mattered.
Then the number changed.
Eligible for Summon: 100
Liam froze.
The world felt quiet in a way it hadn't before. No wind. No insects. Just the number floating in front of his eyes.
One hundred.
He had waited. He had suffered. And now there was nowhere left to hide.
He took a slow, shaking breath and focused on the system.
Summon.
There was no flash. No sound. No warning.
The connection opened.
On Earth, one hundred bodies went still at the same time.
They did not disappear.
They slumped into chairs. Fell onto beds. Leaned against walls. Helmets still on. Breathing steady. Hearts beating.
Alive.
Their consciousness was gone.
In Gaia, chaos erupted.
One hundred people appeared at once, scattered across stone and grass. Shouts filled the air. Laughter. Panic. Confusion layered over confusion.
"What the hell?!"
"It worked!"
"Oh shit—"
"This feels insane!"
Some laughed immediately, excitement spilling out of them. Others froze, eyes wide, staring at the sky, the ruins, the land that felt too real.
A few staggered and dropped to their knees.
One man gagged and vomited.
Another laughed too loudly, the sound sharp and forced. "Okay, yeah, this is crazy."
Liam stood near the center of it all, barely steady on his feet, watching one hundred people wake up in bodies that felt real in ways no game ever had.
"This is the spawn area, right?" someone shouted.
"Where's the tutorial?" another asked.
Liam tried to speak.
"Hey—"
His voice was lost in the noise.
People tested the world without thinking. Touching stone. Scraping hands. Jumping, then wincing when they landed too hard.
"This hurts," someone said, staring at their palm. "That actually hurts."
The laughter didn't spread this time.
Hunger came next. Confusion followed. Bodies reacted in ways VR never did.
Liam took a step forward and nearly collapsed. He caught himself on a stone block, breathing hard.
Slowly, people began to notice him.
His dirty clothes. His bare feet. His exhausted face.
"Are you the admin?" someone asked.
"NPC?" another guessed.
Liam opened his mouth.
He didn't know what to say.
Behind his eyes, the system flickered.
He didn't need to read it.
One hundred people. No food. No shelter. No plan.
He hadn't brought help.
He had opened the gate.
—
[LORD SYSTEM]
Status: Active
World: Gaia
────────────────────────
System Energy
────────────────────────
Reserve: 1000
Starter Pack:
Free Summons Remaining: 0
Summon:
Unavailable
Cooldown: Active
────────────────────────
Territory
────────────────────────
Territory Name: Unregistered
Development Level: None
Settlement Status: None
────────────────────────
Population
────────────────────────
Citizens (Gaia): 0
Players (Earth): 100
Registered Players: 100
Equipment Delivered: 100
Eligible for Summon: 0
Total Population: 100
Players:
Active: 100
Disconnected: 0
────────────────────────
Resources (Estimated)
────────────────────────
Food: None
Water: Low
Wood: None
Stone: Low
Metal: None
────────────────────────
Important Individuals
────────────────────────
Detected: 5
Status: Pending Identification
────────────────────────
User
────────────────────────
Name: Liam Richard
Rank: Rank 0
Warrior Energy: 0