As I stretched my sore arms, I stared at the glowing status window floating before me.

"Final Goal: Reach an ending that satisfies the author."

...OF COURSE IT IS!!!

"What the fuck is this?! I AM the author of this story! I already wrote an ending that—" I paused mid-rant, realization dawning on me.

Actually… now that I think about it… I never truly liked the ending I wrote.

Sure, the final battle between Ronan, the prince, and the dragon was a fitting climax, but it wasn’t what I originally envisioned. Every time I wrote a scene, I imagined myself as Ronan. I shaped his struggles and growth in a way that felt personal. But for the audience’s sake, I changed things—toned down the struggles, added more action, and tweaked the finale to be more “epic.”

Could that be why I’m stuck here?

Sigh… no use thinking too hard about it. The only way out is forward.

I swiped the status window aside and checked my active quests.

[Quest 1: Tutorial - Completed]
[Quest 2: Escort the Village Chief to Mine Lane Town Safely]

Wait… this isn’t how the game was supposed to go.

Originally, Ronan was supposed to head straight to the empire and enroll in the Ashten Academy. But now I have to escort the village chief first? What changed?

Before I could question it further, the old man himself walked up to me, stroking his long beard.

“We are going to hand over the bandits to the knights of the empire,” he explained. “You should come with us to claim the bounty.”

Obviously, I agreed. Not like I had much of a choice.

The Journey Begins… With a Detour

The next morning, I set out with the chief and a few villagers pulling carts filled with tied-up bandits. Some were unconscious, others groaning in pain from the beating I gave them.

Honestly, I felt a little proud. This was the first time I actually fought and won in real life.

Mine Lane Town wasn’t too far, maybe half a day’s walk. Simple enough, right?

Yeah… no. Of course not.

About an hour into our journey, my Absolute Eyes flared up. A warning. Something was hiding in the bushes along the dirt path.

Monsters.

I immediately stopped walking. “Hold on.”

The villagers looked at me in confusion. The chief adjusted his glasses. “What’s wrong, young man?”

I unsheathed my rusty sword (seriously, why does Ronan’s starter gear suck so much?) and focused my gaze ahead. “Something’s watching us.”

A low growl echoed through the trees.

Then—BAM!—a creature lunged out from the foliage.

It was a Forest Hound, a low-level beast, but still dangerous for normal people. Its eyes glowed red, saliva dripping from its sharp fangs.

The villagers screamed. The bandits, still tied up, shuffled backward in terror.

I sighed. Guess this is my first real monster battle, huh?

The hound snarled and leaped straight at me.

Alright, time to see what I can do.

As the Forest Hound lunged at me, time felt like it slowed down.

Instinct kicked in. I stepped to the side, barely dodging as its claws slashed through the air where my face had been.

Shit, that was close!

The hound landed, snarling. Its muscles tensed—it was about to pounce again.

Alright, let’s do this properly. I had three skills, so now was the perfect time to test them out.

First up: Swordplay.

I tightened my grip on my rusty excuse of a sword and slashed forward.

CLANG!

…Oh, great. The blade barely cut through its fur. The hound just tilted its head, looking mildly annoyed.

Right. Lowest-tier skill. Of course, it sucks.

The hound growled and lunged again. This time, I was ready.

“Mana Sphere!”

A blue orb of energy formed in my palm, crackling with power. I launched it at the beast’s face.

BOOM!

The orb exploded on impact, sending the hound skidding backward.

“HA! Take that, you flea-covered—”

It got up. Still alive.

“...Oh, come on.”

The cooldown for Mana Sphere was three seconds. Just gotta hold out until then—

The hound charged again, faster this time.

My Absolute Eyes kicked in, analyzing its movements. I could see it now—the way its muscles tensed before each attack.

Dodge left. Step back. Counter!

I slashed again, aiming for the neck. This time, the sword cut deeper. The hound howled in pain but still wasn’t down.

“Damn, you’re persistent.”

Three seconds are up.

“Mana Sphere!”

I fired another blue bullet straight at its head.

BOOM!

This time, it collapsed. Motionless.

[EXP +100]

[Level Up!]

[New Skill Unlocked: Dash]

I blinked. “Wait, I leveled up already?”

That was fast. But hey, I wasn’t complaining.

The villagers, who had been cowering behind the carts, finally peeked out.

“That… was amazing,” one of them whispered.

The chief stroked his beard, nodding. “Young man, you might just have a great future ahead of you.”

I grinned. “Heh, well, that’s what I’m hoping for.”

Oh, You Thought That Was It?

Just as I was about to relax—

RUSTLE.

Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.

More glowing eyes appeared from the bushes.

Five. No—six Forest Hounds.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead as the first Forest Hound’s body disappeared into pixelated particles.

RUSTLE.

One hound? Fine. But six?! Now that was just unfair.

I turned to the village chief, who was now gripping his walking stick like it was a legendary weapon. “Uh, Chief, do you guys have a plan? Maybe… running?”

He shook his head. “Too late. They’ve surrounded us.”

Right. Cool. Love that for me.

The hounds circled around, their glowing eyes locking onto me like I was a walking steak buffet. Their muscles tensed, ready to pounce at any moment.

I quickly opened my status screen.

[Status]

• Name: Ronan (Me, duh.)
• Level: 2
• Skills:
• Swordplay (Low-tier)
• Mana Sphere (1-shot, 3-sec cooldown)
• Absolute Eyes (Can see stuff normal people can't)
• NEW: Dash (Short burst of speed, 5-sec cooldown)

Alright, this new Dash skill might actually save my ass.

One of the hounds growled and lunged. The others followed suit.

“Dash!”

My body moved on instinct. One second I was standing still, the next I was gone, dashing between the beasts like a ninja.

I skidded to a stop behind them, blinking. Holy crap. That was awesome.

The hounds, confused, looked around for me.

Before they could react, I took the opportunity—

“Mana Sphere!”

I fired an energy bullet straight at the closest hound’s head. BOOM! It crashed into the dirt, not moving.

“Alright, one down!”

…Five more to go.

Boss Battle Mode: Activated

The remaining hounds weren’t stupid. They learned from their fallen friend and started attacking together.

This time, two came at me from the front, while one flanked from the side.

Oh, they were smart. I hated that.

I barely dodged the first attack, rolling to the side. But the second hound was too fast—its claws slashed across my arm.

HP -15

“Gah—!” I gritted my teeth. That hurt!

This wasn’t like playing the game with a controller. This was real.

No time to hesitate. I countered with a quick Swordplay strike, slicing the hound across the leg. It yelped but didn’t go down.

“Mana Sphere!”

I fired another shot—direct hit! Two down.

But before I could celebrate, a third hound tackled me.

We tumbled to the ground, rolling in the dirt. The monster snapped its jaws inches from my face.

I barely managed to push it back. But it was stronger than me.

The villagers screamed. “Ronan!!”

Not good. Not good. NOT GOOD!

I struggled, trying to force it off. My arms were burning. My sword was out of reach. I needed something—anything!

And then—

[Absolute Eyes Activated.]

The world slowed down.

I could see everything—the muscles in the hound’s legs flexing before a final lunge, the weak spot near its neck where its fur was thin, the exact angle I needed to escape.

Without thinking, I moved.

I twisted my body, using the hound’s own weight against it, flipping it over. In the same motion, I grabbed my sword—

SLASH!

The hound stopped moving.

[EXP +200]

I won.

Aftermath & The Road Ahead

The remaining hounds—seeing half their pack dead—decided I wasn’t worth the trouble. They growled, backing away before disappearing into the forest.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My arms were shaking. That was too close.

The villagers stared in stunned silence before breaking into cheers.

“Sir Ronan, that was incredible!”

“I thought we were all gonna die!”

The village chief patted my shoulder. “You have my thanks, young man. Without you, we wouldn’t have made it.”

I chuckled weakly. “Yeah… no problem.”

Man, I really need a health potion.

[Quest Updated: Reach Mine Lane Town Safely ✅]

I blinked. “Wait… that’s it? The quest’s already done?”

The chief nodded. “Yes, we’ve reached the town’s borders. Mine Lane is just ahead.”

I turned, finally noticing the small town in the distance.

After everything that just happened, I almost forgot we were even traveling.

Great. Next stop—Mine Lane Town.