The rain was tapping softly against Arjun's window when it happened.
Not thunder.
Not lightning.
Just… silence.
His laptop screen froze mid-match. The fantasy MMO Eternal Realms — the game he had played for five years — suddenly went black.
"Not now," Arjun muttered, hitting the keyboard. "Don't you dare crash."
Then a single line of text appeared.
SERVER SHUTDOWN IN 10 SECONDS
His heart skipped.
"Wait—what? No warning? No maintenance?"
The guild chat exploded.
[ShadowFang]: What is this??
[HealerX]: I was in a raid!
[System]: Thank you for playing Eternal Realms.
A countdown appeared in the center of the screen.
10… 9… 8…
Arjun clenched his fists. This game wasn't just entertainment. It was his escape. His world.
3… 2… 1…
The screen turned white.
Arjun felt like he was falling.
Not the normal dizzy feeling after a long gaming session — this was real. Wind rushed past his ears. His stomach twisted.
He tried to scream.
Suddenly—
BOOM.
He hit the ground.
"Ugh… what the—"
Grass brushed his fingers. Cold, wet, real.
Arjun opened his eyes.
A massive blue sky stretched above him. Floating islands hovered in the distance. Magical towers glowed with runes.
"This… this is…"
He jumped to his feet.
It was Eternal Realms.
The same city.
The same glowing roads.
The same fantasy world.
But it wasn't on a screen.
"I'm inside the game?"
A transparent panel appeared in front of him.
Welcome, Player: Arjun
Hidden Class Detected
Initializing…
"Hidden class?" he whispered.
The panel glitched.
ERROR: Only one player remains online.
You have been selected as the Last Player.
His heart pounded.
"Last… player?"
A new message appeared.
All NPCs have gained self-awareness.
The world will now continue without resets.
Arjun slowly looked around.
The city gates opened.
Soldiers walked out, talking to each other — not repeating lines like NPCs, but acting… alive.
A little girl ran past him, laughing.
"This isn't a game anymore," he whispered.
This was a real world.
And he was trapped inside it.
Another message appeared.
Survive. Level up. Or be erased.
Arjun swallowed.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
"If this world is real now…"
"Then I won't play safe anymore."
He clenched his fist.
"I'll become the strongest."