[Chapter 1]
Castiel always thought of life like a game. Not because it was easy, but because it had rules. Even when life felt unpredictable, he believed there was always a pattern. Health bars, mana costs, experience points—none of that existed in real life, of course, but it didn't stop him from viewing every decision like a branching questline. It helped him cope, in a way. When the world around him felt chaotic, thinking like a player made him feel in control.
He lived in a quiet village tucked between misty hills, where cows mooed louder than traffic and the internet signal was a rare blessing. His days were simple: attend university lectures online when the signal allowed, feed the chickens, help his grandfather tend to the small vegetable farm, then dive into his beloved MMORPGs the moment night fell.
He wasn't popular, nor was he brilliant. Just a regular 23-year-old guy who preferred grinding experience points over socializing. His family didn't mind. As long as he was healthy and stayed out of trouble, they left him to his own world. And his world, for the most part, was made up of flickering screens, glowing HUDs, and the familiar rhythm of sword swings and spell casts.
That night, the rain came hard and fast. Thunder cracked across the sky as Castiel sat cross-legged on his wooden bed, the glow from his laptop painting flickers of light on his face. He was halfway through a dungeon raid with a squad of strangers—his character, a dual-wielding shadow rogue, was performing beautifully when suddenly the screen froze.
"What the hell…" he muttered, smacking the side of his laptop.
The room darkened. Power outage. Again.
He let out a sigh, falling back onto his pillow as the storm raged outside. He stared at the ceiling, listening to the wind claw against the old wood of the house. The digital world faded, and a strange stillness settled into the room.
Then everything changed.
A pressure, as if something was pulling at his very soul, yanked him upward. The room vanished. The bed vanished. The sound of rain was swallowed by silence. Castiel tried to scream, but no voice came. His body was light—no, it wasn't his body anymore. It was his soul, drifting, tearing through an endless void.
A voice echoed around him. Cold. Mechanical.
"Striking System Binding Process Initiated."
"Host Found: Castiel."
"Dimensional Transfer Commencing…"
His thoughts scattered like broken glass. He had no idea how long he drifted. Seconds? Minutes? Years? There was no time here. Only a constant pull forward, deeper, faster.
Then—impact.
A gasp escaped his lips as his back hit solid ground. He blinked hard. His lungs burned with air that felt too fresh, like it had never tasted smoke or pollution. Above him, the sky was crimson and gold, like a perpetual sunset. Floating islands drifted lazily in the distance. Enormous birds circled the clouds with wings wide as sailboats.
He sat up, dazed. Beneath his hands was warm grass. Not fake. Not virtual. Real.
"Welcome to Xianwu Realm. System Activation Complete."
A translucent screen floated before him, displaying a status window.
Host: Castiel
Level: 1
HP: 100
MP: 50
Strength: 10
Agility: 12
Intelligence: 11
Luck: 7
Available Skills: None
Equipment: Starter Sword (Common), Cloth Armor (Worn)
Quest: Survive the Beginner's Trial
Castiel's eyes widened. He slowly stood up, legs shaky. His heart was pounding—not from fear, but from wonder.
"This is… like a real game," he breathed. "I got isekai'd, huh? Holy shit…"
His words drifted into the breeze. Birds chirped somewhere nearby. Trees with jade-colored leaves swayed gently. The air shimmered with light particles that danced like fireflies.
But the beauty didn't last long.
From the treeline emerged a creature. It slithered out slowly, its black scales gleaming, its eyes glowing a sickly yellow. It was shaped like a wolf but moved like a shadow—too fast, too quiet.
Lesser Nightfang – Level 3
HP: 80
Status: Hostile
Castiel instinctively reached for his sword. It was there—simple, light, barely sharp. But it was all he had.
He lowered his stance, just like how he played in-game. Breathe in. Focus. Wait for the right moment. The Nightfang lunged—fangs wide.
He dodged left, barely missing the swipe. His sword slashed across its flank, sparks flying as steel met scale. The beast snarled and twisted, claws raking his side.
HP -12
"Damn, that hurts!" he hissed. But instead of panicking, he grinned. "Okay. So this isn't a tutorial. This is real. Fine."
The beast lunged again. He sidestepped and countered, slamming the sword down. The blade dug into its skull with a crunch.
Critical Hit!
Enemy Defeated!
+20 XP
The Nightfang collapsed, dissolving into blue particles. Castiel stared at the fading light, his chest heaving.
Level Up!
HP and MP fully restored.
1 Skill Point earned.
The floating screen flashed again. A new window appeared.
Choose a Skill:
[1] Phantom Slash (Active) – A quick strike that leaves an afterimage.
[2] Steel Skin (Passive) – Increases defense by 10%.
[3] Mana Pulse (Active) – Releases a wave of energy to knock back enemies.
He didn't hesitate.
"Phantom Slash."
Skill learned: Phantom Slash. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Mana Cost: 15
A strange warmth filled his arms. He looked down to see a faint silvery glow dancing around his fingers.
Then the sky darkened.
A loud crack echoed across the horizon. Castiel turned to see black clouds swirling over a distant mountain range. A pillar of darkness pierced the sky, like a spear of ink tearing through light.
World Event Detected: Abyssal Rift Awakening.
Warning: Threat Level Rising.
Castiel frowned. "Looks like this game just got a DLC."
Somewhere deep inside, he wasn't afraid. This was what he trained for—not with swords and muscles, but with every dungeon raid, every respawn, every failed attempt followed by another try. He was a gamer.
And in this world, that meant something.
------------------------------------------
The air remained still after the battle, as if the world itself had paused to watch him breathe. Castiel stood there for a moment, staring down at his trembling hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his starter sword. The faint blue glow of the system screen slowly faded, but the afterimage lingered in his mind.
"So this is real," he whispered. "I can actually level up… fight… grow stronger." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright then. Let's play."
He turned his gaze toward the fading red sky in the distance. The swirling clouds around the dark pillar pulsed like a beating heart—ominous, yet strangely calling to him.
But first, survival.
He needed information. Shelter. Supplies. Allies, if he could find any. The system had given him a quest, after all.
Quest: Survive the Beginner's Trial
Objective: Reach a Safe Zone before sunset
Time Remaining: 4 hours 13 minutes
Reward: Basic Equipment Set (Uncommon), +1 Attribute Point, +50 XP
Failure Penalty: Death
"Death? Just straight up?" Castiel muttered. "No pressure or anything…"
He began moving through the forest, carefully stepping over roots and loose rocks. The scenery looked like something out of a fantasy movie: trees with silver-veined trunks, glowing mushrooms tucked beneath leaves, small orbs of light drifting lazily through the underbrush.
He knew better than to treat anything as harmless.
As he made his way forward, he paused near a clear stream. A perfect place to rest—if only for a few minutes. He knelt and cupped water into his hands. It tasted sweet, unnaturally pure. The kind of water Earth hadn't known for centuries.
Suddenly, a rustle. His senses sharpened.
From the thicket emerged a small figure—humanoid, but clearly not human. It had a short, greenish body, long pointed ears, and sharp yellow teeth. A crude spear was clutched in its hand.
Goblin Scout – Level 2
HP: 60
Status: Alert
"Oh great, a goblin," Castiel muttered, rising quickly and lifting his sword.
The goblin shrieked and charged. Castiel waited until the last second, then activated his skill.
"Phantom Slash!"
He moved in a blur. The afterimage remained where he stood, the goblin lunging right through it. His real body was already behind it, blade slashing across the creature's back.
-32 HP
Cooldown: 9 seconds
The goblin stumbled but didn't fall. It whirled around, thrusting its spear wildly. Castiel ducked the first jab, parried the second, and kicked the goblin back with a grunt.
"Still standing, huh? Tough little bastard."
Another slash, this time to the leg. The goblin shrieked, blood spraying as it limped back, but it didn't retreat. Its eyes gleamed with fury.
Then a second rustle. A second goblin emerged from the opposite side.
Goblin Scout – Level 2
HP: 60
Status: Hunting
"Tch. I was wondering when they'd stop fighting fair."
His mind raced. Two-on-one. His health was still full, but he couldn't use Phantom Slash again for another few seconds. He would need to stall—create distance. Think like a gamer.
He kicked up a rock with his boot and hurled it toward the second goblin's face. It flinched, just enough for him to dive toward the first goblin and finish it off.
One slash.
Two.
Then a third across the throat.
The goblin dropped like a sack of meat.
Enemy Defeated!
+15 XP
The second goblin shrieked in rage and charged blindly. Castiel stepped aside and brought his blade up in a wide arc. The goblin's torso split open with a wet sound, its blood spraying across the grass.
Enemy Defeated!
+15 XP
Level Up!
+1 Skill Point
He gasped for breath, sweat dripping down his brow. His heart was racing—but not from fear. From excitement.
He had fought, survived, and grown stronger. Just like in every game he had ever played. Except this time, his life was truly on the line.
Opening his status screen, he quickly allocated his new skill point.
Skill Tree Opened
Skill Tree Branch: Sword Arts – Novice
Unlockable Skills:
[1] Quick Draw – Instantly draw and strike with bonus crit chance
[2] Guard Break – A heavy slash that lowers enemy defense
[3] Blade Dance – A short combo attack (3 hits)
He chose Quick Draw—perfect for ambushes or fast strikes. The moment he did, a warm surge flowed into his limbs again.
Then, a loud horn sounded in the distance.
It echoed through the forest like thunder, and the sky dimmed a little more. Something stirred.
System Alert: Goblin Tribe Mobilizing
Threat Level: Medium
Warning: Hostiles Approaching
"Okay, time to run."
He bolted. Not blindly, but with purpose. The map in his HUD showed a faint marker—a glowing icon shaped like a leaf.
Safe Zone.
He ran faster than he'd ever run before, dodging branches, leaping over stones, breath coming in sharp bursts. The forest grew darker. Goblin howls echoed behind him. He didn't look back.
He could hear their steps—small feet hitting the dirt, snarls growing louder. Just a little more. Just a bit further.
Then he saw it.
A shimmering barrier of light, surrounding a small clearing with ancient stone pillars and a runic circle etched into the ground. He dove through it just as an arrow whizzed past his head and shattered against the invisible wall.
The goblins hissed but didn't follow. They stood at the edge, snarling, unable to cross.
He dropped to his knees inside the circle, panting.
Quest Complete
Rewards Granted:
+50 XP
Basic Equipment Set (Uncommon) acquired
+1 Attribute Point
A bright light enveloped him. His ragged cloth armor vanished, replaced by a sturdy leather set with steel plating over the shoulders and chest. His wooden sword shimmered, replaced by a sharp iron blade.
Castiel stood slowly, admiring the new gear.
"Now we're talking."
But before he could celebrate, a soft voice spoke behind him.
"You don't belong to any sect I know."
Castiel turned sharply.
A young woman stood there, dressed in flowing jade robes, her black hair tied in a long braid. Her eyes were sharp as blades, yet calm as still water.
She held a sword at her side. Not drawn. Yet.
"Who are you?" she asked, stepping closer. "And how did you survive the Trial of Beasts alone?"
Castiel took a breath, forcing himself to speak calmly.
"My name is Castiel. And I guess you could say… I'm a new player in this world."