I stretch quickly and start walking down my street. I need to get this done quickly, otherwise I’ll be late for school.

It’s the first time my parents have let me out at such an early time and I’m grateful for it, even if it’s not what I first wanted. You can’t see the sunrise at twenty to seven in the morning, but you can at least feel the early morning chill.

At the end of my street I start to sprint along the path. I feel uncoordinated for the first few seconds. Then my old knowledge starts to kick in and I speed up more.

The wind rushes against my face and body, trying to slow me down, but I push through it, pushing harder and harder, going faster and faster, until my legs are numb. Only then do I allow myself to slow down.

I take a couple of seconds to catch my breath, before starting again at a slow jog. In this way, I can train myself to be both faster and have more endurance.

I’m jogging along a grassy path near a small forest, when I spot something out of place.

A deep, intense shade of blue among all the green. Out of curiosity, I stop and look closer at the source. What I first thought was some kind of junk, is actually a gem.

A brilliant blue gemstone. It’s perfectly cut into an icosahedron.

I crouch down to pick it up. The instant my fingers make contact with the gem, the ground changes.

It’s so sudden that it takes me a second to register. The change in temperature sinks in and I look around at the white, frost covered ground. I get chills down my body. I’m standing in a snow covered landscape. It’s snowing lightly and the air is below freezing.

It’s perfect.

I laugh happily, tears coming to my eyes. I fall to my knees, scooping up the snow and throwing it up in the air, enjoying the cold feeling it leaves in my hands. The first time I’ve ever seen snow, the first time I’ve ever been in the frosty environment I’ve dreamed of for so long. A stark contrast to the sweltering heat of Australia, the landscape is cold, frosty and an endless sea of white.

I spot the gem buried in the snow and I pick it up, wondering how this is possible. It’s then that I see a small stone building. I walk towards it, taking the gem with me, not knowing what else to do. I find a doorway, with no door. I walk inside it and am surprised when the gem flies out of my hand, and sticks itself inside a pillar, central in the small room. But my attention is drawn away from that, because I notice a large frame floating in mid air, in front of me.

You have entered Peak’s Castle

Hearthstone: Unique item

This gem allows the creation of a special permanent barrier which will retain everything left inside of it and can be accessed using the stone from any place. **Only one such stone can be owned by a person. **If the stone is destroyed, all that was contained within the barrier will cease to exist.

I read the text in the frame, dumbfounded. This is….it’s like a video game. I must be dreaming, first I get teleported to this strange place that looks like something straight out of my fantasies, and then this odd window pops up in front of me? I look away and look back again. The text is the same. If I was dreaming, it would have changed. What the hell…? It’s real. Somehow, against all odds, it’s real. I reach out to touch the window, and touch the close button. The window closes, leaving me to wonder what’s going on. I look around the strange room, I notice a scroll sitting in a small hole in the wall. I take out the scroll, unfold it and begin to read.

To Whom It May Concern

You are the one who has found my infinity sapphire. I built this realm as a haven for my kingdom. But I came under siege from a group of powerful mages. My once great kingdom was destroyed. I cast a spell on the stone, in a last ditch effort to make sure my legacy could carry on. My name is Sir Aegis of the Frost. Use my realm wisely.

I pause a minute to take it all in. Sir Aegis of the Frost? That explains the snow and cold. I set the scroll down. My gaze falls on the gem, and I notice something strange. Floating above my head is some text.

William Einar

Level 3: student

The Gamer

A name, a level, a class and a title…it’s like I’m in some kind of RPG. If that's the case, then there should be some kind of character sheet. The thought triggers another pop-up.

45/45 HP

60/60 MP

Skills:

Gamer’s Body: Your body is like a video game character, damage reduces your health rather than wounding you

Gamer’s Spirit: Everything you do will be translated into quests and skills that can be upgraded through practice and obtaining the correct stats

My stats reflect what I am. A skinny dude, mostly out of shape, who spent a couple of years doing parkour but got lazy, so now spends all his time studying, playing video games and watching porn. Not exactly ugly, but I lack anything which makes me attractive.

There’s even a picture of me, strangely fully naked, though I have my clothes equipped in various squares around my body. There are slots for nearly every type of item I could wear and an empty inventory with 24 free slots. I click the icon on my shirt and try to slide it into my inventory. Suddenly, I’m shirtless. I’ll have to be careful about using this in future, as if I accidentally unequip clothing in a public place, it could get very awkward. I click on the little icon for my shirt.

Running shirt: this cheap shirt is used as part of The Gamer’s running gear. It smells heavily of sweat.

Skill gained: Observe lvl 1

Observe: look carefully at someone or something to learn more details about it

The comment about my shirt is true, though it's not anything I didn't already know.

The absurdity of it all strikes me. My life is a video game! The possibilities are endless, if what I just read is true, it means that I can become better at anything and everything by practice and can easily grind my way into mastering things I’m bad at. Though the same is true for a normal life, this puts numerical values on progress and allows for consistent, definite progress as well.

I start to panic for a second, wondering how I’m going to get home. Gamer’s Spirit helps me keep a cool head though and I remember the hearthstone. I look at it again and use Observe on it. This time, more information is revealed.

Hearthstone: Unique item

This gem allows the creation of a special permanent barrier which will retain everything left inside of it and can be accessed using the stone from any place. Only one such stone can be owned by a person. If the stone is destroyed, all that was contained within the barrier will cease to exist. Touch the stone to return to the last point you entered the kingdom from.

I pause to re-equip my shirt, then walk to the stone and touch it tentatively. Suddenly, I’m back in the spot I found the gem. I open my inventory and see my hearthstone sitting there, it being the only thing I have in my inventory. A new pop-up appears.

New quest: Get ready for school

• Run home
• Wash yourself
• Eat breakfast
• Pack for school

Reward: 20xp

Optional:

• Masturbate

Reward: 10xp

Accept/Refuse

Author's note: Kingdom bears resemblance to TheDespaxas' branch on The Gamer, at certain points. I was not able to contact the author to obtain permission to post this story. If you haven't read his branch of The Gamer, I highly recommend checking it out.

All characters in this story are at least 18 years old.