Chapter Two: The World Is Broken
Smoke curled off Sir Alric's blade as the werewolf's severed body hit the ground with a wet thud. Blood steamed on the cobblestones. The knight turned to Kai, his blazing eyes scanning him with sharp disapproval.
"You are the Summoner?" he asked, voice like crackling fire.
Kai was still on the ground, frozen between panic and fascination. "Uh… I guess?"
Sir Alric gave a curt nod and dropped to one knee. "Then I am yours to command. For flame and honor."
"…Cool," Kai muttered, slowly rising to his feet. "Totally not freaking out."
He looked around. They were in what seemed like the ruins of a fortress, walls crumbling, banners torn, and ash drifting like snow. A village sprawled just beyond—a place caught mid-scream. Half the homes were burning. People ran, armed with farming tools, chased by beasts that belonged in horror games.
Kai's interface blinked again:
> Tutorial: Claim Territory
Defeat all threats in the zone
Summon units and secure a command base
Reward: +1 Land Token | +100 Gold | Access to World Map
Sir Alric stood. "We must purge this area of fiends. Only then can your banner rise."
Kai hesitated. "Wait, so this whole thing is like… a strategy game? Real-time? With loot drops and territory control?"
Alric raised an eyebrow. "You speak strangely, but if it is war you seek to master, then yes."
Kai's thoughts raced. He was a dev. He had built systems like this—but never lived in one. Still, the core mechanics were familiar. Clear the area, claim it, expand.
He glanced at his summon screen.
> Summons: 0
Tokens Required for Next Pull: 100 Gold or 1 Rare Crystal
Of course. No freebies after the first one.
"Okay," Kai muttered. "Let's test how broken this system really is."
---
They moved quickly through the shattered village. Alric's blade cut down anything monstrous in their path—horrors with wings, tusks, fangs, and hunger. Every time Kai watched a kill, a small chime echoed:
> +5 Gold
+3 Gold
+7 Gold
It was morbid—but effective.
An hour later, the fires had died. The villagers peeked from hiding, eyes wide with awe. A woman approached Kai slowly. Her clothes were singed, her face streaked with dirt and tears.
"You saved us," she whispered. "Are you… the Chosen?"
Kai blinked. "Chosen? Uh… sure. That works."
The interface lit up once more.
> Tutorial Complete
Territory Claimed: Emberwatch Hamlet
Rewards Unlocked:
+1 Land Token
+100 Gold
New Feature: Base Building Available
Kai stood still, absorbing everything.
He had no idea how he got here.
He had no idea how to get back.
But if this world played by the rules of the systems he used to design, then maybe—just maybe—he could survive it.
He opened the Build Menu.
"Time to break the meta."
Kai opened the Build Menu, and a translucent grid spread across the village ruins, overlaying the landscape with glowing outlines.
> Available Structures:
• Command Hall (Free – Essential)
• Resource Depot (Locked)
• Barracks (Requires 150 Gold)
• Watchtower (Requires 1 Land Token)
• Shrine of Summoning (Requires Rare Crystal)
"Alright," Kai muttered. "Start simple."
He selected the Command Hall and placed it in the center of the village. With a sound like crumbling bricks rebuilding themselves, a wooden hall shimmered into existence—primitive, but sturdy.
Villagers gasped.
"By the light…" someone whispered. "He builds with the air!"
Sir Alric watched in silence, then said, "You wield powers unseen since the Old Era."
Kai chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I've… uh… been patching bugs in powers like this for years."
Just then, a boy ran up to him—a scrawny teen with soot on his cheeks and eyes filled with desperation.
"Sir Summoner! Raiders from the north—they're coming. Bandits with black banners and wolves at their side!"
Sir Alric's brow tightened. "They will smell weakness. They will burn what's left."
Kai's menu blinked again:
> Emergency Event: Defend Emberwatch
Enemy ETA: 10 Minutes
Objectives:
– Survive the raid
– Protect the Command Hall
– Bonus: Kill the enemy captain for rare loot
Kai's hands shook slightly. Not because of fear—at least not entirely—but because for the first time, his game was real. And he was the one inside it.
"Alright," he said, straightening up. "Time to get strategic."
He opened the interface, hit Construct, and placed a Watchtower at the village entrance. The Land Token shimmered as it was consumed, and a wooden tower shot upward, complete with an archer platform and a glowing crest.
> Archer Unit Deployed: 2/5
Villagers with hunting skill have taken up position.
"Sir Alric," Kai said, pointing toward the outer fields. "Meet them head-on. We thin them out before they reach the gate."
Alric's eyes gleamed. "As you command, Summoner."
Then Kai turned to the villagers.
"You!" he pointed to three burly men. "Reinforce the barricades. You—get water. If we're lucky, we only have to last a few waves."
And if we're unlucky? He didn't say it aloud.
Moments later, war horns blared from beyond the hills. The ground trembled.
Dozens of dark silhouettes rode in—wolves snarling, blades gleaming, torches lighting the dusk.
Kai's interface lit up once more.
> Wave One Approaching...
You are now at war.
He exhaled, cracked his knuckles, and said to himself with a half-smirk:
"Let's show this world what a developer can do."