Having been able to see the status screen in front of me, I checked my surroundings little by little.

“I still have my phone?”, checking my inventory, I found my phone inside it.

Checking my phone, it is useless now. On my phone, it only shows the menu for logging out.

[Want to exit the world of Code Fantasy? Yes | No]

“I’ll log out later. Let’s explore a little more.”

Playing with my status screen floating in front of me, I found a mini-map showing a town next to the forest in the east.

“This forest and the town next to it is part of Dawn Empire? It sure is an interesting name.”, leaving the forest in the direction of town, I got encountered with a group of armed people.

Instinctively I avoided being seen, for some reason I don’t want to make myself known while I’m Level 1.

“Your Majesty, please rest easy, I’ll find the new transferer.”, one of the armed soldiers shout out as my eyes laid upon the old and wise-looking man wearing a crown and a majestic outfit.

[Carlin Dawn, Emperor of Dawn.]

Hearing them, I thought, ‘Are they searching for me?’.

Hiding into the buses, I started to think of their movement, are they NPCs or real people? They look more human to me. A true AI?

With a single look, anyone can tell they are a real person.

*SIGHS

“Are you looking for someone?”, I might regret this, but I don’t have any leads in this world. I might get caught with troublesome problems later.

“Child is it you who entered this world?”, the emperor asked me with his soft and wise speech.

I realized this nowhere like programmed NPCs, looking at him touching my shoulder. I can feel it.

They are definitely real people.

“Yes, and it seems like this is not an ordinary game.”

The emperor offers me a ride to the nearest town which turned out to be the capital city of the empire. On my way back, the emperor told me about this world.

It turned out to be the real world instead of a game. He told me about the many players like him who entered this world in search of new things and got trapped here.

“How did you get trapped? Can’t you log out through the device in your inventory?”

Hearing me, the emperor looked outside and says, “If only we have that.”

He looked at me and says, “keep that inside your inventory. If this gets lost or broken or something happens to your device you will be stuck like us.”

I suddenly got chills in my spine as he explains the consequences. Emperor, later on, explains this world is not a game. It just has these Levels, Skills, Classes, and attributes due to the Gaia interference but it's the real world.

Any creature in this world has its own level and stats even if they are god.

“How did you lose your device to log out?”, I asked.

He replied gently, “I died in the war and respawn for the last time as a genuine citizen of this world losing any option to leave.”

He took out his phone which looks like a 90s phone and he said, “It is useless now. Many people have lost and got stuck in this world as one of its residences. We accepted it ages ago but not you.”

Emperor suddenly points at the soldiers outside the carriages.

“There are people from both worlds but there is no difference anymore. I created this empire solely for those who lost their way home or to help them who still have a chance.”

All this information is suddenly thrown at me, an emperor who used to be from the same world like me, and how it is easy to get stuck here.

I was speechless for the rest of the journey.

[Ariel City | Dawn Empire]