The clicking sound of a mechanical keyboard and the thud of a mouse synced with the intense music of the competitive game he was playing.

His fingers moved swiftly, reflexes honed by thousands of hours playing survival games and FPS. His eyes fixed on the screen, waiting for the perfect moment.

Bang!

The screen flickered, the last enemy fell.

"Yes! I won!" he exclaimed, releasing a relieved breath.

"Whoa, that was close... almost lost."

Ren—the young man’s name—smiled faintly. A thin layer of sweat dampened his forehead.

Feeling a dry throat, Ren stood up from his chair and drank a beer from the desk.

He glanced at the wall clock; it was already past midnight.

His body began to feel heavy.

After sitting back on his narrow bed, he threw himself down, completely relaxed.

“Just five more minutes...” he murmured, before closing his eyes.

He didn’t know—this night’s sleep would be his last... in the world he knew.

.....

The scorching sunlight touched his face.

Ren stirred, feeling a cool breeze brush his skin. But something was strange—the air was fresh, natural, far from the smell of smoke and city noise.

Then he heard the gentle sound of waves hitting the shore.

“Huh...?”

Ren slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze met a bright blue sky, rolling white clouds, and... palm leaves swaying in the wind.

Confused, Ren muttered softly,

“Is this a dream?”

If this was a dream, he thought, he quite enjoyed this beautiful one.

With a slight smile, he rose from the soft sand and started walking along the beach.

Barefoot, he felt the warmth of the sun and the coldness of the sand between his toes.

But the longer he walked, the more real everything felt.

The breeze carrying the salty sea scent...

The coldness of the wet sand grains...

Even the strange calls of birds echoing from the tropical trees in the distance—too normal for a dream.

Ren stopped walking.

He looked down, scooped up a handful of sand, and let it slowly fall through his fingers.

The grains felt coarse and real against his skin.

“If this is a dream... why does it feel so real?”

His heart started pounding faster.

His eyes scanned the surroundings again, this time with a different look—not awe, but caution.

He slapped his cheeks. Once, twice.

He even pinched himself.

“Ow...”

It hurt.

Ren swallowed hard.

He stood still in the middle of the strange beach, engulfed by an eerie silence.

No human voices. No phone signal—his phone wasn’t even in his pocket.

“…Is this... real?” he whispered.

The thought hit him like a giant wave.

“Damn it—! Who moved me here!?” Ren cursed loudly.

........

After exploring for about ten minutes, Ren began to accept the truth he didn’t want to believe: he really had been moved to a small island.

The island was roughly 300 by 300 meters—small enough to explore quickly.

Ren examined his surroundings carefully.

Around the island, in the vast ocean, floated various unusual trash—plastic bottles, broken pieces of wood, ropes, even a large wooden barrel that seemed to have been drifting for a long time.

The sight made the corner of his mouth twitch, either from irritation or strangely familiar feelings.

In the middle of the island stood a tall, jet-black stone that was strikingly prominent.

The stone looked solid and unmoving, as if it was the core of the island.

Ren felt a mysterious aura emanating from the stone—something important.

His eyes returned to the vast ocean and the small island that had become his new home.

A gentle breeze brought the salty, fresh scent of the sea, but one question kept spinning in his mind:

“Who brought me here... and why?”

---

Ren stared at the big black stone with growing curiosity.

He stepped closer, each step on the hardening sand making small crunching sounds.

The closer he got, his heart beat faster—there was something strange about the stone.

When he was only a few meters away, something unexpected happened.

In front of the black stone, suddenly appeared a floating, translucent UI with a soft blue glow.

Menus and icons shone gently, floating as if made of pure light.

Ren blinked, feeling like he was inside a game or virtual world—but this was real, not behind a monitor screen.

On the UI, he saw several menu options like in a game:

Global Chat

Regional Chat

Trade

Private Communication

Crafting & Inventory

At the bottom right corner, a small box appeared, reading:

Player’s Island: Ren

Island Size: 300m x 300m

Ren scanned the area to make sure he was alone—but the UI remained, waiting for his touch.

Curious, he reached out and tried touching one of the icons on the menu.

The moment his finger touched the Global Chat icon,

He saw many messages scrolling in various languages.

[Player_Zero]: “Does anyone know where this is? Why am I suddenly on a tiny island?”

[LunaStar]: “No way! I just changed clothes but didn’t have time to put on pants, now my downstairs is freezing.”

[Ragnar_99]: “Damn it, whoever gets me off this island, I’ll give you a million dollars!”

[ShadowWolf]: “Who’s running this game!? I’m suing them right now!”

[Player_Mira]: “Hey, I haven’t eaten since this morning, can anyone share some food?”

Seeing the panic and confusion in the chat, Ren realized he wasn’t alone.

He also checked the Regional Chat and found it no better—just as chaotic and desperate as the global one.

“So I’m not alone..? Is this some kind of reality show game?”

But Ren shook his head, feeling it was impossible.

“From the strange floating UI alone, I can tell this isn’t a game or reality show.”

Ren’s heart filled with a mix of curiosity and caution.

Staring at the bright blue sky and waves crashing the shore,

He realized this probably wasn’t the sweet dream he’d imagined.

Something told him—his life had truly changed.