"Did we come back?"
"Yeah... we're safe."
While most of the students celebrated their return, some were too lost in thought to even smile.
Among them was Kaito.
'I feel... weak.'
That was the first thing that crossed his mind. His body felt more fragile than before, though it was just an illusion. In reality, his body was exactly the same as when he had disappeared from the classroom. What he had lost were the enhancements Gaia had granted him.
Still, the feeling was disappointing.
The other world was dangerous, sure—but for many, including Kaito, it represented an opportunity.
An opportunity to become stronger.
Some had selfish motives. Others simply felt the need to gain power. And a few just wanted change.
For Kaito, it was simple:
Boredom.
He had already lived a monotonous, emotionless life, and when he was reborn into this world, he expected something different.
But he was dragged into a life just as ordinary as the last...
Until Gaia appeared.
He checked his phone, which of course hadn't traveled with him.
It read 20:02.
"We left at 8… and came back exactly twelve hours later."
Would the same thing happen every day?
Were the people over eighteen who disappeared also being summoned?
Could they also grow stronger in the real world?
Thousands of questions ran through his mind… until they were interrupted by a group of police officers entering the classroom.
"Sorry to interrupt. We know you must be confused, but we have a few questions to ask."
Despite the surprise, most students reacted calmly. They were nearly adults, and knew it was best to cooperate.
The officers went around, talking to each student one by one. The questions were simple:
Where were you? What happened? How do you feel?
Too mild for the magnitude of the event—but understandable. Disappearances had been reported all over the world: civilians, police officers, even public figures.
And even though only a few minutes had passed since their return, the authorities surely had a general idea already.
An hour later, Kaito was released.
When he got home, he was greeted by his mother and sister, both visibly worried.
He spent a while explaining what had happened, reassuring them he was fine, and then went straight to bed.
His body felt okay... but his mind was exhausted.
---
The next morning, as usual, Kaito woke up at 6:00 thanks to his alarm.
When he came downstairs, he found the table set. His mother and sister were waiting for breakfast.
"What's going on?" he asked, noticing their expressions.
"Classes are canceled until further notice," his mother replied.
"Expected..."
After all, nearly half of humanity—everyone between 18 and 50—had disappeared for twelve hours. That was 45% of the global population.
"There's also a curfew... from 8 to 20," she added.
"That strict? That could paralyze the global economy..."
His mother shook her head.
"It's necessary. No one knows if it'll happen again. That 'game' isn't over. They're keeping the measure until they're sure."
Kaito nodded.
He could feel it too.
The game wasn't over.
If someone disappeared while driving, flying a plane, or in a critical situation, disasters could happen all over the world.
The curfew was probably a way to verify whether the phenomenon would repeat itself.
"By the way… weren't there any accidents when everyone disappeared yesterday?"
"No… for some reason," his mother replied.
"What do you mean 'for some reason'?"
"There just weren't any. No planes in the air, no one driving, no dangerous situations at all."
"None?" Kaito repeated, confused.
"Nothing."
Suspicious…
That was all he could think.
Only the "system" of the game could make something like that happen.
Even if humans tried to plan it, coordinating everything would be impossible.
They kept talking for a while as they ate breakfast.
After clearing the table, Kaito threw himself on the couch to watch TV.
The news repeated the same things he'd already heard from his mother.
Later, his mother and sister sat next to him, visibly tense.
Kaito quickly understood why.
He looked at the clock: ten minutes to eight.
During those minutes, silence filled the house.
When there was less than a minute left, Kaito hugged his mother.
"I'll be fine" he told her, closing his eyes.
And when he opened them…
He was back.
His territory surrounded him.
He had returned to Gaia.
In front of him, a message floated:
[Welcome back to Gaia, Lords]
He closed it immediately, along with all other notifications.
Apparently, Ben had hunted more wolves since dawn.
Kaito opened his status:
[Name]: Takayama Kaito
[Race]: Human
[Title]: Territory Lord
[Level]: 2 (8/100)
[Base Stats]:
HP: 2000
MP: 10
Strength: 10
Agility: 13
Constitution: 12
[Skills]:
[Stat Points]: 0
[Skill Points]: —
[Gold]: 170
His body felt strong again.
Ben had hunted at least four wolves that morning.
After practically fainting the day before, Kaito wanted to try new things.
He went to the territory core and summoned new units.
He spent 75 gold on 5 more warriors, bringing the total to 6 with Ben.
Then he invested 40 gold in 4 workers, leaving himself with 55 gold.
The warriors had the same stats as Ben:
[Name]: —
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 1
[Specialty]: Melee Combat
[Loyalty]: 100% (Locked)
He was a little surprised they were all fighters, but understood after checking the workers.
2 were lumberjacks, 2 artisans.
Their specialties were clearly marked—and exactly what he wanted.
Apparently, it wasn't about luck, but intent. The system assigned roles based on what he desired.
He ordered the warriors to go hunting with Ben and went to speak with the workers.
First, the artisans.
"Can you build anything?"
The eldest of them, a bald old man with a beard, stepped forward.
"Sir, that's impossible right now. We don't have blueprints."
"Blueprints?"
"We need blueprints to build. Each one teaches us how to construct a specific structure."
"So I need to unlock constructions by acquiring blueprints… what a literal game."
The problem was, he didn't have any.
And wolves didn't seem to drop them upon death.
He opened the system and checked the marketplace.
To his surprise, there were items for sale.
Meat from various animals, wolf pelts, rabbits, goats…
And in another tab—blueprints.
There were few, all very basic: axes, pickaxes, torches, spears…
But the prices…
The cheapest one was 500 gold. Some went over 1000.
And many didn't even accept gold—only trades for other blueprints.
Disappointed, he closed the store and opened the chat.
Everyone there was complaining about the same thing.
Though a few defended the prices, claiming they reflected high demand.
Finding nothing useful, he returned to speak with his units, but didn't get much information.
They had no memories before being summoned.
They only knew they had to serve him.
The artisans couldn't build without blueprints.
The lumberjacks couldn't chop wood without axes.
Just when he was starting to think he'd wasted his gold, Ben returned.
"Sir. I found a wolf pack base."
"Where?"
"About two kilometers north."
"How many?"
"Around 300."
"300... I'll need at least 50 men to take them all out."
But the reason he wanted to attack wasn't just for experience or loot.
It was for the obvious reason:
A dungeon.
If this was a game…
Then a place like that definitely was one.
And dungeons… always have rewards.
With that in mind, he began preparing his next move.