Real Time Reality (Original)

[Erosire]

Erik was just an ordinary teenager until one faithful camping trip. He was thrusted into a world full of monsters with powers that could only come from comic books. Armed with the power derived from one of his favorited gaming genre, could he stop the hidden mastermind behind this game of life and death, all before the demon devoured his soul from within?

Real Time Reality
​

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," my friend screamed as his forces were quickly overwhelmed before his base was overrun. A victory scream appeared on my screen as a smirk formed upon my face. "How the fuck did you get so many units so quickly?"

"It's all about resource management," I pointed out and checked the scoreboard. I was amongst the top ranked as usual. There were a handful of people better than me, and from their avatar's names, I assumed they must be Korean or Chinese. Those guys or girls were hardcore real time strategy (RTS) players. They lived off their skills. As for me, I only played for fun and pleasure. I switch off my phone soon after and looked outside the window, seeing dozens of trees flew by.

"Man, where are we?" I asked. Lance, the buddy sitting next to me gave a shrug. His attention was glued to his phone, oblivious to the surroundings. I wondered if he was still in game or just checking up his Facebook or Instagram. Good thing we still have the internet.

After a couple of minutes, I gave a yawn and decided to take a nap. It might take a few more hours to reach our camping destination. Every year, the school switched locations to keep our anticipation up. This year was no difference. We were going to camp somewhere in the mountain.

I woke up when the bus came to a screeching halt. I looked out the window and found nothing but trees, indicating that we were not there yet, unless we were camping in the woods. I looked over my seat towards the front and found everyone did the same. At the front of the school bus, the driver was raising his hands as if someone was threating his life. I couldn't see what was happening, but a few people in front could.

They were terrified.

"Alright, everyone off the bus," someone outside screamed. I jerked and bumped into Lance when a fist hammered the window.

"Everyone stays calm," miss Hargrave said. She was my English teacher. Beautiful blond hair masking pale skin. She wore large round glasses covering her almond eyes. She clapped her hands and helped the students off the bus. I was amongst the last couple of people to leave.

"What the fuck is going on," my friend Lance asked. Outside were four people holding guns, pointing at us. One of them seemed to be familiar.

"Is that Luke?" I asked, wondering if this was a joke. Luke used to go to our high school until he was expelled for bringing knifes to class. He almost stabbed a teacher. Lance nodded but too frightful to say anything.

"Hey guys," Luke spoke up and waved at everyone like we were all still his friends. We were – sort of – not really. "Glad you all could make it."

"Mr Stance," Mr Wellington said sternly. He was the teacher in charge of his camping trip. "I don't know what this, but you better –

Bang!

What!? What!? What!? I didn't see what just happened. My eyes landed on Mr Wellington's body as blood pooled under his head. There was a hole at the centre of his forehead. My eyes followed the smoking trail towards a handgun that ended him. Where did that come from!?

"You're not the boss of me," Luke said and twirled the handgun in his hand playfully. That when the scream started. It was Sarah. She was shut up by a powerful backhand slap.

"Stop it," miss Hargrave called out and came to the girl's aid while other girls began to whimpered. I look to my side and found Lance had taken a few steps back. I apparently did the same. I wanted to run, to run for my life, but they had guns. They could shoot me down with ease.

"Boss, is this bitch needed? There's no ring on her."

Luke – the boss apparently – only whistled and looked miss Hargrave up and down. "Say, are you a virgin?"

"What?" Miss Hargrave let out a puzzling look. "How dare –

Bang!

Sparks flew as bullet ricochet off the side of the bus. Luke lowered his pistol and smiled. "Remember to…" he gestured a finger across his throat "… when you're done. No loose end."

"Sure thing, boss," the man responded before dragging Miss Hargrave by the shoulder. "Come with me bitch. I will show you a good time."

"Wait, where are you taking me!? Let me go! Please!" the poor woman tried to wrestle against her captor, but he was simply too strong. She was dragged into the bush to be –

"You bastard," Mark shouted and jumped the nearest gunman. The other students followed suit and did the same. Before I realized what was happening, I was piling on top of the nearest gunman and tried to wrestle his gun from him. Lance – despite his fear – grabbed a rock and smashed the man's head, allowing me to grab the assault rifle. I quickly pointed the gun at Luke and noticed two others were doing the same.

"Someone called the cops," Mark said as he got off the ground panting. His face was bruised as he took on the gunman by himself while one of his buddy – George – grabbed the gun. Everyone who were able to pulled out their phone called the cop immediately. The girl spoke hastily and ineligibly to the operators on the other end. "And someone go help Miss Hargrave!"

"You guys should be more worry about yourself," Luke responded as he twirled his handgun in his index finger, completely unwary of the change in situation. "Give the weapon back to my men and drop your phones before I murder the lots of you."

"Fuck you!" Mark called out before a flying knife embedded into his throat.

"Mark! You bastard!" George pulled the trigger but somehow Luke got behind him. Holy fuck! How could he move that fast!? It was like he just teleported! A knife severed George's spine from behind as a hand grabbed hold of the rifle and fired at Thomas. Thomas fired back, but only managed to hit George before he was riddled with bullets.

I immediately dropped my gun and raised my hands in surrender. "Wait! Wait!"

"Good choice," Luke said as he was ready to shoot me. He then pulled the gun out of George's hand and dropped the quarterback's body onto the ground. "Now…"

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Three girls' head exploded as Luke executed them in cold blood. My eyes widened as I realized what they had in common.

"Lance! Drop your phones!" I shouted at Lance before another couple of gunshots went off. A boy and girl died from their brain being scattered across the ground. My knees weakened as I watched the horrid scene. A teacher and seven students killed. Mark was still alive, gripping his throat as blood oozed between his fingers. He was on his knees, trying to stop the bleeding.

Luke crouched to his level before hammered the knife in without hesitation. "I never liked you. Just because you're the school quarterback, you get all the girls?"

"W-why are you doing this…?" Linda sobbed.

"There is a reason, but you don't need to know," Luke said and tossed the rifle to one of his men. He then looked at the one near me, who had his head smashed by Lance. He was still alive despite the serious injury. "Seriously guys, please refrain yourself from killing my men. She will have my ass for this."

She? Who was he talking about?

"Alright, everyone shut up and follow me. If anyone tries to run away," Luke said and pointed the gun at the unconscious man's head. He pulled the trigger as I flinched. "You will join him. Oh yeah, where's that idiot? Go get him and kill the bitch."

One of the men nodded and ran into the bush. There was a scream a moment later before two men returned.

"Fuck, I was getting to the good part, until you spilled her guts all over my dick," the man growled before looking around and seeing his dead comrade. "The fuck happened?"

"He was weak," Luke said flatly and gestured everyone to follow him.

"We're going to be killed, aren't we?" Lance asked and I nodded in agreement.

"Did you see how he moved?" I asked and recalled the scene a moment ago. One moment, Luke was standing acting, twirling his pistol. The next moment, he was behind George and stabbing the man through the back with a twelve-inch blades. Where did that blade comes from?

"No," Lance responded.

"Exactly," I said and tried to make sense of what happened.

"Alright, here we are," Luke announced as he led us into an opening in the wood. We soon came to a cauldron with a woman draped in cloak looking over it. She had unearthly white hair and enchanting purple eyes. "Sup? I brought the sacrifices."

Sacrifices? Before I could display my worry, Jerry bolted, bumping into several girls in the process. He didn't make it more than a dozen steps before he was gun down.

"Idiot, as if you can get away," Luke muttered as the woman with white hair only give a glance. She didn't seem particular interested at all. She whispered something to Luke before heading off into the woods as Luke gave her a salute. "Alright, everyone gets in line."

"Hey, what about us?" one of the armed men called out. "You promised us supernatural powers."
"Right, right. Join the line," Luke said.

Did I hear that right? Supernatural powers? What the fuck is going on? How did a simple camping trip become something like this?

Luke looked at us and snickered. "Yeah, you heard him right. I'm going to give you godlike power."
"Bullshit," I heard someone cursed before he screamed.

"Ah! Ah! You fucking crazy son of a bitch," Ben shouted as he gripped his thigh. A knife, held by Luke pierced cleanly through his jean. Crimson colour began to displace the faded blue of the fabric. His expression was full of shock.

Again!? He teleported. Is that the power he was referring to? It was unreal!

"By the way, don't think that you can go up against me," Luke said and nudged the knife a bit deeper into the bleeding flesh. "I can slit all of your throat before you could even think of trying to off me."
With that said, Luke returned to the side of the cauldron causing everyone to gasp. He definitely had some sort of teleporting power. No, if it was just teleporting then we should at least able to react to his attacks. Ben was as surprised as everyone. It wasn't teleporting. Was it superspeed?

"Time stop," Lance muttered weakly.

I looked at Lance who was staring at the ground. I followed his gaze and saw foot print leading back and forth from the cauldron. It stopped at each of us before returning the cauldron. The imprints on the dirt didn't show a sign of someone running really fast. It was normally paced as if there was not a single care in the world.

"Time stop," I muttered and sweated profusely. If Luke could actually stop time then his threat had some weights. I wouldn't know I was dead before I was actually dead. Fuck! Good thing I didn't try to shoot him.

"Alright, enough idling," Luke called out and grabbed the wooden ladle. He dipped it into the bowl and scooped up a blood red liquid. There was something floating in it and it was moving. "So who's first? Wendy?"

"Please don't, Luke," Wendy called out. "I will do anything."

"Alright," Luke said before spraying her brains onto the girl behind her. Leal screamed in shock and before she was killed, someone called out.

"I'll do it!" I covered my mouth with wide eyes. Why did I do that?

"Alright, Erik, drink up," Luke said and offered me the ladle. I looked at the bloody stew and noticed an eye was looking up at me. What is this shit!?

I closed my eyes and drank the soup. Imagine the worst thing you ever eaten, multiple that by a million. The moment the soup ran down my throat, I threw up and fainted.

"Ggggrrrrrr," an animalistic growl echoed in my mind.

I snapped my eyes opened as the sun shone upon me. I pulled myself up and hold my stomach. All around me were burnt bodies. There were at least a dozen body. "W-what happened?"

"This is awesome," Lance called out as I turned towards him. His body was wrapped in flames yet it wasn't hurting him. "This is my power, Erik! My power!"

He was laughing manically. I had never seen Lance like this.

[Kill him and absorb his essence. Do it now!]

"What?" I uttered and looked around. The voice was everywhere and nowhere. It was inside my head. It was deep and ominous.

"You've heard it too right?" Lance asked as his flames swirled into a ball. It glowed fiercely like a mini sun in the palm of his hands.

"What?" I uttered before dropping onto the ground. The fireball flew overhead and slammed into the tree behind him. The tree exploded into splitter, raining burning barks onto the earth. "Lance!"
"C'mon, use your power and fight," Lance called out.

I looked at the charred body next to me. "Did you do this!?"

"Yup," Lance said as flames around him swirling into orbs. "It was so easy… killing them and taking their energy."

"You!" I growled. "How could you? They were our friends!"

"No, they aren't," Lance said as dozens of flaming orbs surged at me. "And neither are you."

I couldn't dodge. There was nothing I could do. My entire world turned dark as fiery orbs turned the area into an inferno. All I could heard was a madman drowning with power.

 

[Erosire]

Chapter 1: Real Time Strategy

Erik slowly opened his eyes and greeted the darkness. There wasn't a shred of light to be seen. He reached out his hands, trying to grab hold of something – anything. Nothing was within range. He couldn't even feel himself. It wasn't a good sign.

"I'm dead?"

[No, you are not]

A deep, ominous voice responded. It was everywhere, echoing throughout the darkness. A strange glow appeared beneath him. It formed a line, spreading outwards and became a square. The square glowed brightly before filling its inside with vibrant green colours. He could see the grassy landscape through the square. It was like a window into another world. He tried to touch the grass to no avail.

"What is this?"

[The manifestation of your power]

"My power?" Erik asked and recalled the recent event. He could still feel the heat rising off his skin and the sounds of flaming bolts slamming against the earth. "The bastard! I will kill him!"

[It will be quite impossible. Your power is difference than the person you called Lance. His power is classified as offensive. Yours is supportive. It is ill advised to confront him directly. You will only get yourself killed]

"Okay… thanks for the advice," Erik snorted and pondered about the classification. Offensive and Supportive. Did that mean there was also Defensive. He needed to know them, but before all of that, there was the most important question of all. "Who are you again, voice in my head?"

[…]

"Hello? You're still there?"

[I am thinking. I was only born yesterday, after all. The best answer I can come up with is: I am you, at least I am a part of your psych]

"That is just great. Now, I have a murderous voice in my head," Erik deadpanned and turned his gaze towards the grassy square with glowing blue outline. He wondered if he was going insane. He might as well humour the voice. "Alright, how does my power work?"

[Your power worked very much like a strategy game. This is a build tile. It is a grass tile. You can build any kind of structure on this tile. There are currently three type of structures you can build without additional research or advancement. The first –]

"Wait, wait, what!? I have gaming power. This is a tile?"

[…]

"You there?"

[I do not like to be interrupted]

"Uh. Sorry…?" Erik muttered. "Please continue… ummm… what do I call you?"

[I do not have a name, nor I require one]

"I see… well, we will do something about that later. I can't call you it if you are a part of me," Erik made a note. "What were you saying about my power? Kind of weird that it's like a game."

[A person's power manifests differently based on each individual skillset and abilities. Do not worry. Unlike most people, your class is one of the unique ones. You are a Strategist. Your ability shines the most when commanding others]

"A strategist, huh?" Erik muttered thoughtfully. That kind of make sense. He rather had people doing all the dirty work for him while he seats back and reaped the benefit. But then again, who doesn't? It wasn't a one of a kind mindset. "What would Lance be? Is he a mage?"

[A mage cast spells through incantation or invocation. The one called lance manipulated flames with thoughts and gestures. Furthermore, his conjured flames do not harm him and appeared to be a part of himself]
"So, what is he then?"

[My knowledge only pertaining to your ability and powers]

"Basically, you don't know," Erik said and pondered how much did this voice knew. He wanted to ask about Luke and his power, but this voice likely wouldn't know either. "What were you saying about this tile? The grassy tile right here?"

[Tiles are the foundation of your power. You can build structure upon tiles. These structure in turns give you special ability and skills – such as summons. The more powerful you become, the more tiles are available to you. Thus, it is imperative that you defeat others and absorb their essence]

Erik frowned. He remembered it clearly. The voice had previously told him to kill his best friend and absorb his essence. Was that the reason why Lance killed the others? So that he could be stronger – for what?
"Can a tile be reused?" Erik asked. "If I destroy the building on it, can I put another building there?"

[Yes, you can. Resource is not recoverable, however]

"Resource…? Okay, what resource?"

[To erect any structure on a tile, you require woods, stones, irons and gold. Currently you have 400 woods, 400 stones, 400 irons and 400 golds. You have enough to build a Headquarter or a Barrack or an Armoury. A Headquarter allowed you to overview your entire command structure as well as issue special orders. A Barrack allows you to train units and deploy them against other. An Armoury allows you to improve your unit's weapons and equipment]

Bewildered, Erik tried to scratch his head. He found he was unable to. "Why can't I scratch myself?"

[You are only here spiritually. Your physical body is damaged and required extensive healing. Since the one called Lance is still nearby, it is unwise for you to return to your body at this moment. There are also others that woken up before you lurking about. Confrontation with either one them is highly ill-advised]

Erik blinked. "How many?"

[Including Lance, there are 7 total that survived]

"7 people with godlike power," Erik muttered. Out of almost 48 people on the bus, only 7 survived and gained supernatural power. Were they all going to be like Luke? Or Lance? Murderous lunatic?

"What about Luke?" Erik asked. Luke was the one who started this all. And what about that woman with unnatural white hair? Where was she in all of this?

[I do not see him amongst the survivors. He must have left before anyone wakes up]

"Okay," Erik said. If he was going to confront Lance or Luke, he needed to know the full extents of his ability. "Tell me all you know about my power."

Erik learned from the voice that his power worked like a real-time strategy game. He basically built structures, gather resources, recruit units and sent them off to fight. It sounded simple at first, but it quickly becomes complicated when he learned about unit populations and food limits. Like most RTS games, he had to build housing for his "units" and "foods" to keep them. Both required a tile to build on, and there was only one tile available.

Erik knew he had to build a Headquarter first. Having a HQ allowed him to see all the resources he had as well as issuing special commands to his units not to mention unlocking new buildings. It also gives him some foods and housing for his units. But without a Barrack, he couldn't train any unit. In any case, he still needed to build a HQ first before doing anything.

With a thought, a menu appeared on the tile. He selected the Headquarter and watched it slowly rose from the ground. From the visible architecture, it looked like a medieval building coming right out of fantasy. Its erection stopped when the first spire emerged from the ground. A clock appeared upon the tile. "Count down?"

[You must wait in the outside world for the construction to complete. It is ill-advised to return to the outside world]

"You don't have to tell me twice," Erik said and went over a few things in his mind. He couldn't leave now on the account of Lance or whatever craze lunatic his schoolmate had become. Unlike him, they might gain offensive-type ability. Just seeing Lance in action first hand showed him how dangerous they could become. Luke might not seem much at first glance, but his ability to stop time made him almost invincible. Would surprise attack works? If so, a sniper rifle from afar should do the trick.

As for Lance, there were several ways to deal with the human-torch. It was strange that his clothes didn't burn right off. His flames only burn whatever he wanted to burn. What about the other six people. What kind of power did they gained, and could anyone gain this kind of power?

"Say, did everyone gain a power?"

[No. Only those pure of spirit and heart may gain a power]

"Pure of spirt and heart – right," Erik snorted. "I don't think I'm qualified."

[You are a virgin. That is all that mattered]

"Is that the requirement?" Erik uttered. "What if you lose it after you gain your power?"

[Pure of spirit and heart is only required of gaining a power. After which, it's no longer matter]

"What if you're not a virgin when you try to gain a power?"

[You will die a violent death – or worst]

"There's something worse than death?"

[Your awakened power consumes your mind, body and spirit. You will become the embodiment of your living hell… something like that]

Erik sweat-dropped. "Is that what happened to Lance…?"

[No. The one called Lance is in control. You will know when he is no longer in control]

Erik narrowed his eyes. "You are hiding something?"

[I am you, and I am not you. Let's just say I am what will remain at the end. That is all you need to know for now, Erik Summers. You should rest your mind. The longer you stayed in this realm, the more draining it is on your psych. I too must rest]

Then there was total silence. The only light in the darkness was from the glowing blue tile with the HQ being built upon it.

"Why do I feel I made a pact with the devil," Erik muttered and closed his eyes to get some rest. The pain brought him back to reality. He gasped as he opened his eyes at the burning sky. The forest was burning. He could hear the distance helicopter as it ferried water back and forth.

"L-lance," Erik mustered all the moisture in his mouth to say before rolling onto his belly. He pushed himself off the ground and saw the ghastly sight of his own hands. He was badly burned. His whole body was aching. He soon collapsed and faded into unconscious from the pain.

[Construction completed. Headquarter built]

Unit: 0/10
Gold: 100/1000 (+0)
Wood: 0/1000 (+0)
Stone: 200/1000 (+0)
Iron: 200/1000 (+0)
Food: 0/1000 (+10)

 

[Erosire]

Erik slipped in and out of consciousness. From the glimpse he managed to catch, he was rescued and brought to a nearby hospital via helicopter. The doctors and nurses operated on him and bandaged him up. He had third-degree burns over 90% of his body, and yet, he was still breathing. This was all thanked to his new-found power. His inner realm prevented his soul from passing on. And if his soul remained trapped inside his body, he cannot die in the normal sense.

"I'm not sure how to feel about this…." Erik commented when his consciousness was brought back into the abyss. Darkness enveloped him once more. With his body in such horrid condition, staying awake was an impossible task. The pain was too much for him to handle. Morphine drips didn't help at all, and the attending doctor was about to put him in an induced coma to help with the healing.

[Your physical body is too damage to sustain your consciousness]

"Yeah, I got that," Erik said and thought of numerous ways he could be rendered "dead" despite the welcoming side effect of his power. Beheading would probably do him in. There was no way for him to recover from that. Being shredded into pieces was another.

Erik knew he wasn't invincible – far from it. But if his body remained wholly intact and functional, he would able to basically resurrect himself. Otherwise, he would have to wait until his body 'naturally' heal or someone comes along and patches him up. Speaking of which. "By the way, what were you saying about my healing ability? Is that another side effect?"

[Due to awakening, your body gained several accelerated physical attributes, including enhanced healing. This is natural. If your body is not damaged beyond repair, you will recover with sufficient time]

"Is everyone the same?" Erik questioned. That would explain how Luke managed to man-handled George like he was a child.

[Yes]

"Am I still human?"

[…]

"…"

There was an awkward moment of silence. The voice was thinking.

[Define human]

"Never mind," Erik said with a sigh. He didn't want to start a lengthy debate about what constitutes as a human. He hoped he was still human – or something resembled humanity in a sense. It was bad enough to be burned alive, he didn't want to become something out of a nightmare.

Luke looked like Luke in appearance, but that was all. His personality had changed completely from what Erik recalled. Aside from trying to stab a teacher and getting expelled, Luke had kept to himself most of the time and barely speak to anyone. Erik wondered if Lance is going to be the same? Will all his classmates going to be monsters, killing people without a second thought?

Erik let out another sigh. Putting those thoughts away, he turned his attention to the Headquarter. It was the only building he managed to build with the single tile he had. With its existence, the amount of materials remaining in his "stockpile" were shown. There was 100 golds and 200 stones and irons each left. The HQ costed 300 units of golds, 400 units of woods, 200 units of stones and 200 units of irons.

"How much is one unit of woods?" Erik asked.

[1 unit]

"Of course it is. That was very helpful," Erik snorted and opened up the HQ menu. There was only a couple of options available – recruit and demolish. Demolish was self-explanatory. Recruit on the other hand allowed him to get his first unit: Worker. They costed 30 golds each with 1 gold upkeep per day.

There was such a thing as upkeep. Erik equated them to real-world wages. If he didn't have enough gold to pay the workers, they would quit their job.

With the amount of resources available, Erik could recruit 3 workers off the bat and keep them in his service for 3 days at most. He could dismiss the worker once recruited, but the recruitment cost (30 gold) would be lost. There was no reimbursement whatsoever besides unit slots. A worker cost 1 unit slot and 1 food each day.

"What is the purpose of food if I have to pay their upkeep?" Erik asked.

[Food keeps your units in top condition. Without foods, they will not have the strength to complete their designated task]

"Alright… I guess that make sense but why is there a +10 next to food?" Erik asked. He didn't have a tile to build let alone a food production facility.

[Grassland tiles automatically provide +10 foods each once utilized. A food producing structure will also gain additional productivity if built on Grassland tile]

"I see," Erik took in the information. That meant he wasted a grassland tile for a Headquarter. If he wanted maximum efficiency, he would need to move the HQ to another tile later. Land was also a form of resource and should utilized correctly.

"Moving buildings around going to cost me a lot of resources – and time," Erik sighed. Time was also a resource. Building any structure required time. He sighed again and returned his attention to the recruitment window. "Recruiting probably requires time as well. Should I recruit one?"

Erik held off the thought. If he was stuck in a coma, it was unwise to recruit any unit. He wouldn't be able to do anything with the worker while continuously loses one gold every day.
"Say… Al," Erik began.

[Al?]

"Artificial Intelligent," Erik said. He should give the voice a name. It was easier to hold conversation that way.

[My intelligent is not artificial]

"Dell then," Erik corrected. He didn't want to start pointless debate. Any easy to say name was fine by him. "Say Dell, what would happen if I was put into a coma?"
[It would be equivalent to sleeping]

"So basically, I can't do shit when I'm in a coma," Erik muttered. He didn't have time to waste in a coma. His body would heal regardless he was in one or not. "That's no good. Is there any way out of this?"

[I can sever the tether to your physical body]

"You can?"

[You will die]

"Any options that doesn't involve me from dying?"

[Wait out the coma]

"Tsk… you're no help," Erik muttered. He floated around the abyss for a moment. "Can you reattach the tether once it severed?"

[Yes]

"How long can I stay… alive if the tether is severed?"

[10 minutes]

"10 minutes. Plenty of time. Alright, can you do this then…"

– Real Time Reality –​

"He has stop breathing, doctor," the nurses notified. The doctor went to check his patient's body to confirm what he had feared. He shook his head afterwards.

"It's a miracle he was able to stay this long. Please record the time," the doctor said and wrote down his analysis on the patient's log. The patient's name remained blank. They didn't know his name but from his body weight and size, he was just a teenager. The forest fire had claimed yet another victim, and there would be many more once this day is over.

– Real Time Reality –​

[It is done. They have taken you to the morgue]

"Cool," Erik said as the feeling of dread faded away. "This must be what it feels like to be a ghost."

[A ghost is a soul without a tether to the physical world. In a sense, it is what you were a minute ago]

"Right," Erik muttered and put that knowledge away. A sheepish smile plastered on his face. "I can't wait to see the mortician's face when I'm up and about."

Erik dropped the smile and returned to the recruitment window. He had more important task than pranking people. He used 30 golds to recruit a worker. The bell in the headquarter chimed and its front door opened. Inside was a swirling purple mist. A man in his thirties emerged from the mist and exited the building. The door closed behind him.

"Some kind of summoning?" Erik pondered and examined the man. He only had a pair of blue pants on. "Hello?"

The man remained unresponsive. He simply looked straight ahead – at nothing. A window appeared when Erik touched the man.

"What will you have me do, my Lord?" the man said as if he had been selected. A crystal appeared above his head, hovering and glowing blue. A circle appeared beneath his feet.

"Oh? This is interesting," Erik said and touched the man again. The crystal flickered.

"Do you need me for something?" the man asked. He looked around before returning to the stance he had initially and staring into the abyss.

"Just like a RTS," Erik said with a grin and tried to illicit a response repeatedly.

"Just point me in the right direction, my Lord."

"Is there some work need to be done?"

"What need to be build?"

"Work, work, work… when will I get pay?"

"Stop touching me there! I don't swing that way!"

Erik froze at the last response. "I didn't expect that. Are they real?"

[They are AI, artificial intelligence]

Erik rolled his eyes and looked at the window appeared next to the man. "Seriously? How am I not surprise?"

Name: William Strongarm [Edit]
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Class: Peasant
Profession: Worker

Heath Point (HP): 80/80
Stamina Point (SP): 50/50
Mana Point (MP): 0/0

Strength: 10
Constitution: 9
Resistance: 8
Dexterity: 8
Charisma: 11
Wisdom: 5
Perception: 9
Luck: 8

Equipment: Bandana (head), Leather Legging (lower-body), Copper Ring (Right hand middle-finger)