Chapter 1: Prologue.

[Attention! The ship will take off in three minutes! All passengers, please come up on deck.]

A pleasant woman's voice echoed across the wide port square at the loudest possible volume. Though only a few could actually hear the message, it was quickly drowned in the noisy chaos of countless sounds.

At that moment a lone blond boy was nimbly maneuvering between the massive figures of the tall hunters.  As his figure slipped past the people around him, into the narrow, unobstructed "corridors" in the crowd, few of those present could notice him.  He was too small and inconspicuous.

The boy ducked sharply and barely dodged a sword sheath flying over his head. Some big guy was showing off his incredible talent for wielding a huge two-handed sword to the enthusiastic stares of the kids.  He carelessly drew it out of its sheath and made a couple of skillful rotating motions in the air. He tried his best to do this carefully, so as not to hurt those around him, who were watching his every move. But he'd completely forgotten about the scabbard in his other hand, which wasn't lying in one place either but changing its position in the air uncontrollably.

It took the boy five minutes to finally break through the seemingly endless ocean of people and reach the edge of the pier. His whole body trembled as if he were overcome by a severe chill. He covered his ears with his hands, shielding himself from the screams of the crowd. He was so sick that he didn't even pay much attention to the stunning sight before him.

It was the first time a child could get such an up-close look at a huge flying ship. It looked exactly like the old sailing ships from his real world.  It had the same deck, tall mast, and taut white sails. In the center was an elaborately carved inscription, and on the bow was a wooden figure of a fantastically beautiful girl with adorable wings on her back. 

[Elysia the Celestial] the inscription read.  It didn't take the boy long to realize that the ship was named after the most powerful goddess of this world. The statue obviously represented her as well.

But the boy's already dreadful mood was further dampened when he felt a hard blow to the back of his head.  One of the hunters, chatting merrily with her friend, accidentally jerked her torso to the side and hit him with her quiver of arrows.  She didn't even notice that she hurt the child and just walked on by.

The boy, who was already choking in the midst of the noisy stream of people, who was already struggling to keep nausea from getting to his throat, on top of all of that, got hit in the head.  In his mind came up with an idea to drop everything and just run back.  But he clenched his tiny fists and summoned all his willpower and decided not to give up halfway.

The boy rubbed the back of his head, which might have a bump on it tomorrow, and began to hastily search for the entrance to the ship. His eyes quickly scanned the area, and soon found the three outboard gangways closest to him.

Beside each of them stood a man with a cap on his head and dressed entirely in all white, from his boots to his jacket.  Against this background, the black shoulder straps with several stars on them were striking. These men were controlling the line of people, constantly checking some kind of documents.

At one of the gangways, the boy noticed a group of children of his age and decided that this was a chance that could not be missed.

"...You are from the temple of the Goddess Nikia, aren't you, Sister? How many children are with you?"

"Eleven little ones in all."

As the boy approached he heard scraps of dialogue between the officer at the ramp and a gray-haired old woman with a shawl-covered head.  Her appearance no doubt indicated that she belonged to one of the temples of this world. She turned and smiled softly at the children who were waiting with excitement in their hearts for their turn to come aboard.

"Sister, you do know that with more than ten children there must be at least two chaperones, don't you? "

"Don't worry, I'm not alone here.  Maria, come up here, please. "

A little girl with two red pigtails quickly emerged from the group.

"She... "

"She's our nun, too. I know, Officer, she looks very childish, but she's eighteen now.  You're not the first person to mistake her for a child." The woman covered her mouth with her hand and giggled quietly, causing the girl next to her to puff up her cheeks in the offense.

"Ahhh... Okay.  Come in one at a time, I need to check on everyone. "

"Kids, line up... " the nun didn't have time to finish her sentence. She was abruptly interrupted halfway through the sentence by a gruff male voice.

"Michael, what the hell, they're temple children.  Just let them all through.  We only have a minute and a half before takeoff.  Hurry up. "

The officer at the gangway only rolled his eyes wearily at the shout from the ship's deck, then waved his hand allowing the entire group to come aboard.

The blonde-haired boy nodded to himself in satisfaction, glad that his calculations were correct and that the inspector had indeed not wasted time on such a conscientious-looking group. Standing next to one girl, he entered the ship with all the others without checking.

Since the entire flight only lasted a little over two hours, there were no separate cabins on the ship.  Even in the VIP rooms, it was not possible to have complete privacy, so, obviously, that ordinary people were in a worse situation. They had to content themselves with the public lounges, where there were rows of benches and armchairs.

But the boy wasn't going to sit with everyone else.  He felt that if he stayed around people even a little longer, he would literally die. He was already shaking, his vision blurred, and every step became a struggle.  He almost fell once, only at the last moment holding on to a wall.

As if his feet knew the route, they led him down the stairs to some technical room.

He passed by an open door and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the workers loading mana stones into special ovens.  The boy read that further the stones in the device would break apart, thereby releasing pure mana, then it would be concentrated and condensed and sent under the belly of the ship. That's what made the ship float free in the air.

But he had let go of this information, which had suddenly appeared in his memory, as soon as he found the dark, empty room. Walking gropingly, he stumbled upon what looked like a small wooden commode. There was only one door, and when he opened it he found some old things inside.  Probably staff uniforms.

Without thinking long, the boy nodded cheerfully and climbed inside, sinking into quiet and peaceful darkness. After a couple of minutes h,e felt a jolt, and then the same sweet female voice announced that the ship was taking off and would arrive at its destination in 2:37 minutes.  That was just enough time for him to get some sleep.

He didn't know how much time passed before the light that hit his eyes snapped him out of his dream world.  Squinting his sleepy eyes, he was able to make out the silhouettes of several people through the bright shroud.

"Hey, look who's here, stowaway? " said the bearded man with a slight chuckle as he squatted.

The boy began to sweat profusely, his chest tightening when he saw the men's face so close in front of him.

"Shut up, Marcus.  Can't you see you're scaring him? Stand back, come on."

A woman's palm rested softly on the muscular man's shoulder and then sent him flying a few feet with a light motion. A girl with black hair tied in a long ponytail leaned toward the child with a gentle smile.

"Hi.  Don't be afraid, this idiot won't hurt you... Tell me, what are you doing here?  How did you get on the ship? Where are your parents?"

"How, how, how... Obviously, his parents aren't here. He just snuck in unnoticed and hid. And it makes sense that he doesn't have any ticket."

"I told you to be quiet.  Hey, kid, come with us, we'll take you upstairs, okay? It's a lot cozier up there than in this scary place. " In the dim light that seemed to come directly out of the bearded man's hand, the girl's smile seemed so warm and sweet.  Except she didn't seem to have any effect at all on the child, whose hands were trembling violently.

                                                        ---

                                          Mission Received:

Description: Take a ticket out of your pocket and show it.

Reward: 50 experience points; and a packet of raspberry-filled doughnuts from a premium candy store.

                                                        ---

The little boy waved his hands nervously as the holographic notification suddenly flashed right in front of his eyes. His movements were so fast that they created little streams of chilly wind. When this did not work the irritated child squeezed his eyes shut and intensely began to shake his head from side to side, his cheeks stretched out in the process and he looked like a hamster. However, even after all his attempts, the invisible thing still showed no signs of disappearing.

Suddenly a blue piece of paper flew out of the child's pocket, caught in a gust of draft from the hallway.  It swirled around the room until the girl deftly caught it.

"Huh? "

"What is it, Kate? "

"Hmm... that's the ticket! " said the girl in an unsure tone, turning to the bearded man and giving it to him.

"What the hell...a VIP ticket? Is this some kind of joke?  Although I think the kid just stole it from someone."

But the girl wasn't so sure about that.  She pulled a metal plate with glowing patterns on it out of her pocket and held it up to the child's hand.

"Baby, open your palm to me, please. "

The boy wanted to finish as soon as possible, so he held out his hand, sticky with sweat, to her as she had asked. The girl nodded appreciatively and, careful not to frighten the boy further in front of her, put the plate on her palm.

[Status]

Name: Kyle Monoghan

Age: 5

Race: Human/?

Class: Druid

Level: 1

Experience: (370/500)

HP: 5/5

Mana: 30/30

Strength: 0.6

Dexterity: 0.9

Stamina: 0.7

Intelligence: 8.9

Titles: -.

Skills: [Roots] (level 2), [Common Language].

1 slot free.

"No, that's right.  The names on the ticket and the status match.  This is his ticket... oh, he has the Druid class, pretty rare these days...wow, what a high intellect you have..."

"Seriously, Kate? Do you care about his status right now? We've got a boy here with a VIP ticket, but who, for some unknown reason, is hiding in the lower section... either I'm an idiot or the world is fucked up.  I don't understand anything anymore. "

Hearing the bearded man's scolding, the girl pounded her fist on the iron table beside her, then with bloodlust in her eyes slowly brought her finger to her lips. No longer intending to provoke her, the man ran from the room with a swift step while he still had a chance, leaving the girl and the child alone.

"Your name is Kyle, right? Come upstairs with me. You have a VIP class ticket, see? You have no reason to hide in a place like this. "

Kate reached out to help him up but was met with a silent refusal.

"You don't want to?  You want to stay here? "

Kyle nodded confidently for the first time in their entire conversation.

"Haaaaah... " moaned the girl and scratched her forehead, not knowing what to do next.

[The mission was only partially accomplished! You can't get the whole reward.  Choose one thing: 50 experience points or a pack of doughnuts]

The boy read the inscription and didn't hesitate for a second to make his choice.  His [Inventory] has now been replenished with something tasty.

*******

[We've arrived at the flying island Friendly Dungeon!  Thank you for taking advantage of our port's air services. Next Departure...]

Kyle walked down the same ramp. His eyes darted from side to side, quickly surveying his new surroundings. Two-story brick buildings with colorful tiles; well-maintained wide roads paved with coarse stone; large, double-decker carriage-like cars moving slowly around, trying to squeeze through the next crowd of people.

The boy, avoiding the large groups, took advantage of his small stature to move exclusively along the buildings. In his hands, he held a gilded pyramid, which, like in a fantasy movie, projected a holographic map of the place. Having found the point where he had to get to, the child was determined to get there as quickly and as inconspicuously as possible. However...

"Hey, you're so little, but you're already so handsome," laughed a black-haired woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere with a pen and a stack of papers in her hands.

"I'm Margaret. What's your name?"

But the child's reaction was not what she expected. He froze in mute expectation, his mind working frantically on how to get rid of her quickly. Noticing that the child's jaws were still clenched so tightly that his cheekbones protruded, the woman cleared her throat and put on her most polite smile, and said:

"I'm from the Silver Roosters Guild, you must have heard of us...and if not, your parents certainly did. We're the best... and cheapest guild in the Friendly Dungeon. Here, take our flyer and give it to your parents. Make sure you give it to them. Don't forget."

The woman shouted in Kyle's wake as he snatched the leaf out of her hands abruptly and scurried away with his short legs. He walked past buildings with nearly identical signs: [Golden Blade Guild], [Toad Slayers Guild], [Tasty Ice Cream and Fast Leveling Guild].

Each sign flashed a different light, thus attracting the gaze of the many people who arrived on the island. Kyle didn't stand out among the people around him, most of those present were kids just like him.

"The 'Walking Trees - Best Firewood Guild' announces an unprecedented promotion. Buy two group dungeon visits and get a branded dessert as a gift for your kids. And for parents, the best ale on all of the flying isle. Hurry the promotion is limited."

"My name is Lance and I am a D rank hunter. I offer my top-notch child escort services. I guarantee I'll raise your child's level to 10, for only 2 silver an hour."

Kyle gripped his temples nervously. His head exploded with a cacophony of different sounds. He stumbled when he didn't notice some threshold and hit his knee hard. There was just a boiling rage on the kid's face, which only intensified when he heard:

"Whoa, boy. You got to be more careful. That's got to hurt like hell...but you know, I don't think you fell here by accident. No, no! It must have been fate itself that stopped you in front of my cafe. Hurry up and get your parents and come back. And on the occasion of the fateful fall, I'll give you a fateful 15% discount on all meals... Well, why do you keep rubbing that leg, run faster."

You are reading story Stuck in the Video Game: Between the Friendly World and the Apocalypse at novel35.com

Kyle's eyes went up to his forehead at the nasty grin of the weaselly balding old man in front of him. As he looked up he noticed the name of the restaurant:

[Restaurant 'Fried Bunny-Killers'].

The hotels, cafes, barbershops, and all the other places just screamed their connection to the dungeon. Kyle decided that this approach probably did work. He traced the correlation that the more the name of the establishment had a connection to the dungeon, or better yet, to the core of the dungeon, the more idiots happily queued up.

The deafening chorus of children's laughter almost broke the child's eardrums. Kyle couldn't wait until he could finally get to the right place. But it got even more challenging than before when a crowd of kids circled a green toad on his way. Well, or a man dressed as a toad.

The man performed an idiotic dance while singing an equally idiotic song.

"Kill one,

Plus level one,

Kill two,

Plus one more level too,

Kill three,

Nothing ... it was better now to fire the walking tree..."

The kids watched the show with rapt eyes, happily clapping their hands to the beat and singing along to the idiotic frog. Kyle, by some miracle, was able to break through them and finally reach the glass wall. There were numerous passageways in it, framed by beautiful arches. These were the gates to the dungeon. Although they all led to the same 1st floor, they differed in the monsters you would go out to first.

Kyle walked up close to the wall and rubbed the dirty glass and was able to see the thick green forest behind it. The sunlight illuminating it gave it a kind of otherworldly atmosphere, like in a fairy tale. For the first time in all that time a bright smile played on the child's face, and a flame of impatience flashed in his eyes.

Of all the passageways, Kyle looked for one particular one, and soon he was standing right in front of it:

[Bloodthirsty Black Rabbits].

He noticed a sign pinned to the glass, like a zoo in the real world, with the name of the monster you'd get to by going through the gate. And also with its description and pictures of it in different angles and with the right points to hit.

[Name: Bloodthirsty Black Rabbit

Level 1.

Strength: 0.9

Dexterity: 1.2

Intelligence: 0.8

Special Skill: Double Earstrike]

It was full of valuable information, but the burning sensation in his chest wouldn't let him stand idle for long, especially when he was already so close. He was about to walk up to the entrance and hand the officer in white his ticket when suddenly the message came up again.

                                                          ---

                                                Mission Received:

Description: Enter the dungeon as part of a general group of children

Reward: 150 experience points; 1 AP (Attribute Point) and a physics textbook for university admissions.

                                                            ---

He stumbled in surprise and fell to the ground, bruising his tailbone. Rubbing the bruised spot, the boy clenched his hands into his tiny fists, gave an angry expression to his face, and looked up defiantly into the vast sky. Where the two pupils were pointed, no one could see anything in particular. Not a living creature, not any other object. But the boy persisted in doing so with a frown. Then, after a few seconds, he jumped to his feet with a sharp and rather nimble movement, especially for a child of five, shaking his head very slowly. This was his unambiguous response to the System's demand.

*******

"So that's my brother? "

The girl with bright red hair ran her hand over the smooth body of the metal capsule. Her two large, azure-colored eyes stared through the thick glass at the figure inside - a thin, sickly-looking child who looked even younger than herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't get a full view of his face; a strand of his golden-colored hair unluckily covered part of it. All sorts of sensors and wires connected to his legs and arms completed the picture. And a holographic panel constantly displayed various physiological indicators.

His face was so peaceful and calm that if it weren't for the occasional rippling of his chest as he breathed in and out, she might have thought he fell into a never-ending sleep.

"Daddy, that's my brother, isn't it?" she repeated her question, but the tall man in the business suit didn't answer again. He wasn't paying attention to the girl; all his thoughts were focused on one exact problem.

He did not take his eyes off the wall, which consisted only of screens of monitors. All of them at the moment showed the same blond boy in different angles, who, having received permission, had finally entered the dungeon grounds with unbridled joy on his face.

"Another failed mission." he sighed dejectedly and rubbed his temples.

"I wouldn't say that. Kyle was able to get through the huge crowd of people; he even stood patiently in line. Before, he would have just turned around and run away, then hid somewhere far away from people's eyes. Throughout today, the progress of the recovery has increased by as much as 0.09%. I think it's showing a positive tendency." replied the woman standing next to him. A hospital gown was draped over her shoulders and her silver-colored hair, tied in a ponytail, dangled chaotically in the air as she leaned over to the computer and, adjusting her glasses, began quickly entering new statistics.

"We're stuck, Dr. Hayes. What you call a 'positive tendency' is complete nonsense. The fact that such progress has been made today is only a consequence of the fact that Kyle has hardly come out of that box of his in the last month."

"It was a room..."

"Yeah, what the hell does it matter. A room the size of a box in the basement that the boy sat in for almost a month. Do you consider that a success?"

"Dad!" shouted the girl and finally managed to get the man to turn to face her. But she immediately lowered her head when she saw the cold gleam in her father's eyes.

"What?" the man asked dryly, causing the girl's shoulders to twitch.

"Hmm...I just wanted to ask...what should I do?" the girl's voice grew quieter and quieter with each word spoken. The last words were almost unreal to hear.

"Follow me, Athena." Dr. Hayes said and stepped away from the computer. The sound of her heels tapping as she walked to the opposite side of the wide room, against the floor tiles was the only thing that broke the quiet atmosphere of this uncomfortable place.

Athena, with quick steps, as if she feared she would be forgotten and gone without her, with excitement in her chest, crawled after the white back of the woman.

They stopped at an unknown long device covered with a gray blanket that was almost as high as the girl's height. She was about to open her mouth to ask the obvious question, but she recoiled when the doctor with a sharp movement tore off the coverlet and uncovered the previously hidden thing.

In front of Athena's eyes at arm's length was the same capsule in which the little boy lay. She watched with undisguised interest, fascinated by every action of the woman in the white coat, as she pressed various buttons with incredible speed, activating the machine.

After a few seconds, the glass lid of the metal cylinder opened with a strange sound. And the girl couldn't help herself and immediately looked inside. She slowly brought her hand up to the interior upholstery, while intently continuing to watch the doctor's reaction, but noticing that there was no prohibition against such an action, gently touched it:

"So soft...I'll have to get inside? Right?"

"Yes, Athena. Don't worry. I'll help you."

Dr. Hayes went off briefly to one of the corners, rummaged through some boxes, and came back with a small footstool. Then, taking Athena by the hand, she helped her up into the capsule. The girl obediently climbed inside and lay down. Her head did not stay in one position, always twisting from side to side, examining the interior. This soon caused her to frown when she noticed something unusual.

"Doctor, aren't you supposed to put the same things on me like on that boy?"

"No, Athena. They are specifically designed exclusively for Kyle. You don't need them. The capsule itself will suffice. Lie back, make yourself comfortable."

Athena had time to twist several times, assuming a comfortable position, before the lid of the capsule came down and left her in a small confined space.

Dr. Hayes turned toward the man and nodded and said:

"I think we can begin... "

However, a powerful bang on the door, which only miraculously prevented it from breaking, prevented the woman from finishing her sentence.

"Where is my daughter, Victor? "

"Meg, what are you doing here? "

"Are you deaf or dumb  I asked you a question...  You yanked a kid out of school during class and without telling me you took her to this place... "

"Honey, calm down. I just wanted to see our daughter... " The serious and even stern look the man had displayed up to that moment was completely shattered.  Now all he had on his face was an ingratiating, pleading grimace.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?  You wanted to see her?  You haven't remembered you have a daughter in six months... and then today you suddenly missed her so much that you took her to the hospital right away?"

The man cringed under the pressure of a woman with long, wavy red hair, whose pupils now seemed to be ablaze with raging flames. He froze, unable to respond to her question overflowing with anger.

"Mr. Moore, perhaps you'd better let me explain this to your wife."

Dr. Hayes with a confident gait approached the man who had suddenly burst into this quiet place.

"Hello, Miss Moore.  Your husband didn't quite put it that way. We needed a little help and Athena volunteered to help us. "

"What kind of help could you possibly need from my girl? "

"It concerns Kyle. We would like your daughter to join the boy in virtual reality."

Miss Moore was impressed by the doctor's serious demeanor in front of her, so she extinguished her rage and continued the conversation in an already calmer tone.

"I don't understand... Why do you need Athena?  Didn't you put this boy in my husband's unfinished game so that in his condition he could have anything remotely resembling a normal life? "

"No, actually that's not true. We originally immersed Kyle in virtual reality to facilitate the process of healing his body. Instead of being bedridden 24 hours a day, the child was able to explore a new world, which had a positive psychological effect and greatly helped in the recovery process."

"I didn't know that... It doesn't matter, though. It's all wonderful and I'm very happy for this boy. But I still don't understand what my daughter has to do with it. "

"I'll have to spend some time explaining. You see, Miss Moore, Kyle's treatment has reached a climax. Basically, the child is almost healthy as of today.  However, just when we were ready to rejoice in the incredible success, one unexpected problem surfaced. Kyle no longer wants to come back from this new reality.  He feels much more comfortable there. And the reason lies in his psychological trauma - his fear of people. Given that our world is crowded with the objects of his fear, the boy has no intention of leaving the game world.  If he is pulled out by force, it can cause serious damage to his health, and then all our efforts will go down the drain. So we tried to solve this problem with "soft" and "rough" approaches.  We made changes to the game and added outwardly ordinary people who were not there before, to make the virtual environment less pleasant for him.  On the other hand, we started giving him active missions and rewards for interactions with people. This brought some fruit, but the process stalled and has not moved on for some time.  Eventually, we got the idea to use your daughter as a last resort. "

"Athena? " the woman listened patiently to the long explanation, but it was obvious that she still wasn't convinced. Dr. Hayes took a glass of coffee from the table and took a sip to moisten her dry throat.

"Yes, your daughter is Kyle's sister, so..."

"This boy is not Athena's brother.  She has no brothers. If my idiot husband decided to adopt someone of his own free will, that doesn't mean I accepted it. " Miss Moore's calm demeanor disappeared so quickly it seemed like it never existed at all.

"Yeah... Actually, I don't care about your family problems. The key is for Kyle to accept that he now has a sister. If Athena can build a good relationship with him within the game simulation, then we can both advance the treatment of his psychological problem and create a bond for the boy with someone from the real world.  For that, he will be able to give up the virtual in favor of the real in the future."

Miss Moore tapped her fingers nervously on the surface of the table.  His eyebrows were drawn together as she made eye contact with the doctor facing her.

And at that time her husband fled the conversation entirely and was more than happy to dump the whole problem of negotiation on someone else.

"Well, let's say... But you can still take any girl or boy as his "sister", whoever can just pretend...  And why do you need a sister in the first place, let it be some brother or grandmother or put my husband in a capsule and let him have fun with his son" Miss Moore put a strong emphasis on the word "his".

"We have discarded that idea. Even when we get him back, his psychological state will be quite fragile.  If the deception is discovered in the future, there's a chance that everything we've accomplished will collapse and even the treatment will have to be started all over again. On the other hand, a "sister" is the best option.  Kyle is less nervous about kids his age. Miss Moore, believe me, we've already explored all the options."

Athena's mother looked at the capsule, where the figure of her lying daughter could be seen through the glass. She slowly approached it and asked for a chance to speak to her daughter.

"Mom? " the girl was astonished when the top of the capsule lifted up again and she saw in front of her the lady who had given her the color of her eyes and hair as a legacy.

"Athena. Do you really want to be a part of this? "

The girl trembled under the weight of the cold tone of the woman before her.  She involuntarily shifted her gaze to her father, who was following Kyle's actions on the monitor screen with fascination.  Then, stammering, she said:

"Yes, Mom."

"Two hours.  No more than that. You have a violin lesson next on your schedule and then an extra math class. "

"Okay, Mom," the girl only lowered her head helplessly and answered in an almost whisper.

Athena returned to the capsule and after a while was ready to be immersed in a new fantasy world.  And also for the first meeting with her unexpectedly appeared brother.

[Welcome to the game world of Rakaton]

[Choose your character to start the game]

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