A long time ago, Tigger woke up on that sunny day on the ground, amidst the dozens of others that were taken along with him to this strange place.

Obviously, everyone panicked after suddenly being taken to a random location in the middle of what he thought was the biggest forest in the entire world, including him. It was chaos at the beginning, with everyone questioning who did what or what happened.

After that was the blaming. Everyone blamed each other for what happened, thinking that one or the other was responsible for bringing them here. But after that ended unexpectedly peaceful, monsters soon showed up.

The first death got everyone on edge. It happened so quickly. All of a sudden, a small creature that looked like a rat with flames for fur bit off a man's neck in a heartbeat. Blood splattered everywhere as the rat killed three more before one of them finally took it out.

Then, everyone suddenly fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Tigger, however, was the only one left out of that. He worried, thinking that everyone was gonna die. Instead, not only did the people survive, they got way stronger.

They got levels, like in a video game. Tigger played those games whenever he could, loving every moment of it. But for some reason, he never got a level, or any skills like the adults around him did. Eventually, the leader of the group, the one who killed the rat, decided that those who don't have levels are probably broken, and therefore useless.

A hierarchy took place thereafter, and the ones who earns XP and gain levels are the ones at the top, with those below having to follow their orders. As time went on, the fighters grew stronger while those who stayed behind kept following their will. It slowly became like a tyranny as the ones with the higher levels demanded everything, expected to be served hand and foot.

Tigger, on the other hand, was completely left alone, deemed useless. However, he didn't give up. He wanted to earn power for himself, so he wanted to desperately fight a monster and perhaps that way, he can gain a level.

But the others refused to let him go, and as time passed, Tigger was left surviving on scraps and pieces that the higher ups gave up on. They kept searching for a way out while gaining more power, and eventually found more people.

But the higher ups decided that it was better to ambush and kill them, taking their things and more importantly, their XP, for themselves.

Tigger found this out on the times he sneaked off to follow them, only to see a horrid sight of his betters killing and defaming the other survivors outside of their small little camp. Tigger wanted power, but seeing those people dying… it made him hesitate whether power was really something he wished for.

But back at the camp, it was even worse. You were treated like trash, and if you're not even useful enough for the higher ups, you could even get kicked out like the few that refused to follow their orders. They were never seen again after that.

So he kept following them, getting better and better at it as the higher ups practically ignored everything around them, focusing on the monsters they can kill and more survivors to loot from.

Today was supposed to be like any other day, but everything changed when the new batch of survivors were just two grown men, each dressed really well compared to the others. One looked like a tall man dressed in what look like steampunk he saw in movies and tv shows.

The other was… not even human. He looked similarly tall with nearly pale skin and dark hair, but his eyes were shimmering bright green and blue, and he had glowing tattoos. Even still, he had sharp ears.

Sharp ears, like the elves he saw in movies and video games too. He didn't know why, but these guys were probably serious gamers or something.

And he was proven right when his steampunk friend took all of his higher ups down like sacks of meat. They laid there, drooling and completely down. As though they were killed.

Killed, just like that. Tigger knew what to do and ran away like his life depended on it. He needed to warn the others of the survivors that took their higher ups apart in just a few seconds.

They might not believe him, but that was better than to just ignore this and move on. What if those people found the camp and took them all out? What if they came after him next?

Then it turned out to be just as he feared. Tigger suddenly felt something soft and rubbery in front of his body before he was pushed back onto the ground, his butt hurting but otherwise he was still fine.

But when he looked up, his heart stopped. Every bone in his body shivered at the tall man with tattoos that were glowing brighter than before, and his eyes… his eyes were glowing so bright like the sun above. Both blue and green, the man stared down at Tigger like an ant, and just like one, he could easily be crushed under his massive feet.

However, the man instead replied with a question.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, putting his hand up towards him. "Are you hurt?"

He spoke gently, almost like a doctor would as he appeared with a white coat and darkened clothes beneath. The glasses he wore, now that Tigger noticed them, made him more apparent that he was some sort of doctor.

Yet that same doctor ran way faster than the higher ups ever did. Was it all some sort of trick? He knew this had to be, since the higher ups often liked to joke around and say stuff that they don't mean.

But… even if he tried to run away, this man would catch him in an instant. He could even be killed in a heartbeat, like the higher ups. In the end, Tigger gave up on resisting and just shook his head.

"I-I'm okay…" Tigger said, his voice quivering and shaking. He hated feeling so weak and meek, but compared to this man, he was nothing.

"Still, I'm gonna go ahead and heal you, okay? Hold on."

Before Tigger could even ask what he was planning on doing, the man placed his hand on top of Tigger's head, making him imagine all sorts of horrifying things that he could do with just a twist of his hands.

Instead, a feeling of warmness passed over him, and every single aching pain and torn flesh he got on his body just vanished. His body felt lighter, and while there was that strange pain that entered at first, it felt so tiny that it was easily outweighed by the great feeling swelling up within him.

His eyes widened as he looked back down on himself when the man lifted his hand up. There were no more scratches on his body, and when he checked his feet, which were the worst of it all after sneaking around in some places, they were completely free of blemishes and bruising.

The man just… healed him, with magic of all things. Healing magic, like how a priest would in a video game. He took away all the pain and made him feel better than ever before.

"H-How… what?" Tigger fumbled, but the man just smiled as he knelt down to his level. He faced him straight in the eyes.

"What's your name?" He asked, showing a gentle smile. "Mine's Zeke. I'm from the United States."

Tigger's eyes widened at the answer. This man looked like an elf, yet he came from his world? Still, since they could speak the same language, perhaps that was true?

"M-M-My name's… Tigger," Tigger said, wincing at the name. He really hated his name. His mother thought it was adorable, but it always got him bullied at school. "I-I'm from Kansas…"

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Oh, an American," Zeke widened in pleasant surprise. "I'm from California. And my friend over there came from England."

Zeke pointed at the direction where his friend was left behind, probably with all his higher ups that were killed. That instantly got him to shiver at the thought, then decided to just go and ask.

"Umm…" Tigger still hesitated, but forced himself to continue. "D-Did you… kill… all of them?"

"Oh, no, no, not at all," Zeke shook his head fervently. "They're just paralyzed. We just didn't want them to hurt us. We didn't mean to attack, but we had to defend ourselves."

Zeke grimaced as his words flew out of his mouth quickly. Still, Tigger understood that now, especially since he didn't really see that much blood even though a knife hit their bodies. If they weren't killed, then maybe the two were nice after all.

Still, he hesitated as he kept asking.

"W-Why… why are you here?" Tigger asked. Even though he couldn't do much for the camp, the least he could do is figure out their intentions. He could still help out, even though the higher ups were completely down.

Zeke took a moment, staring right back at him. "We're here to help. See, this entire place?"

Zeke spread his arms wide, gesturing to the entire forest. Tigger raised a brow before nodding as Zeke continued.

"This isn't real. All of this is a made-up world. The real world is outside, where we came from. This place here is all made up inside a really big tower, and that's how we got taken away from our homes."

Tigger widened his eyes to become saucers. That sounded completely crazy. This giant forest that might as well be the biggest in the entire world was fake? The monsters that killed the people were fake? Everything around him was fake?

Then, would that make him fake?

"T-That can't be!" Tigger shouted back. His panic easily overtook his fear as he stood up to face the still-kneeling Zeke. "It has to be real! There were so many monsters and, and lots of weird things! And they hurt and killed people too!"

Zeke's expression changed to shock after Tigger finished. He wasn't sure what he was trying to say, but it felt so wrong that he called it fake. Everything he witnessed, the people that he talked to, they felt real.

Zeke took a moment, creasing his brows. He mumbled something like 'how many people are here? And they already died…' before he faced Tigger again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Umm… do you play video games, Tigger?"

Tigger nodded. "Duh. Everyone does."

At least his friends do. The only ones that didn't play video games were his parents, but they were always working. Even his teacher played video games every once in a while, so he figured everyone does.

"Well, you ever play role-playing games? Stuff like fantasy and magic?" Zeke asked again, getting Tigger to nod. "Well, what we're at right now is a dungeon. Just to be clear, it's not a jail cell in a castle–it's like a place where you find monsters and treasure chests and stuff. And sometimes, those dungeons can be in a dark cave or even in a forest, like this one."

Tigger took a moment to consider that, and he widened his eyes. He did remember playing a dungeon like that once where he had to find some rocks for some crazy scientist, and he did find lots of golems that drop those said rocks. They were really tough to beat, but they drop a lot of good loot.

"So… this entire place is a dungeon?" Tigger asked, understanding lighting up within him.

"Exactly. It's not really fake, but it's not part of the world here. We're here to get you out of this dungeon, and keep you safe."

"No way. How are you getting us out? We've been stuck here for…" Tigger took a moment, using his fingers to count. "T-Three months!"

There was shock in his eyes again. For someone who looked like he knew what he was talking about, he sure got surprised a lot. Now Tigger wasn't sure whether this guy was actually some serious fighter or some noob who got himself super strong. Of course, he would never say that to his face.

"Three months, huh?" Zeke mumbled again. He does that a lot too. "You did good in surviving for so long, Tigger. I'm glad."

Somehow, hearing those words felt completely sincere and made Tigger's chest tighten. Has anyone been glad for him to survive? Wasn't it natural to survive? He didn't understand this man at all.

"Hey!" The voice of his friend echoed out, making Tigger flinch and step back a few paces. The man ran towards him, his eyes wild and exhausted as he breathed out.

"What the hell, Zeke? Leaving me behind with those guys. I had to gather them all up and cover them in dirt just so other monsters won't find them to get to you! What've you been–"

As he was ranting, the man looked over at the cowering Tigger, his eyes widening. Zeke, as though understanding his question in his mind, answered.

"He's been around when those guys approached us. I was hoping he could lead us back to where he lived."

Tigger looked at Zeke with surprise. "Y-You want to go back to where we live? W-Why…?"

"Because I want to help you all," Zeke said, repeating his answer. "Not just you–I want to help everyone who was stuck here."

"Wait, wait," The man raised his hands. "How many people are we talking about?"

"Apparently, a lot," Zeke answered, causing the man to look dumbstruck as his hands dropped.

"No way… and this kid? Was he part of the group?"

Zeke tilted his head at that, then turned to him. "Tigger, were you a part of the group that attacked us?"

"Uhh…" Tigger's eyes swept left and right, staring at the kind doctor and the scary knife guy over and over. "N-Not really… I was just following them. I wanted to level up, but they wouldn't let me. They said I was broken, but I wanted to kill something to get stronger…"

"They said you were broken?" The man said in surprise. "Man, what a bunch of jackasses!"

"Tigger, how old are you?" Zeke asked.

"I'm thirteen," Tigger answered. It didn't seem that important, so he answered easily.

"That makes sense. The system won't recognize you until you're fifteen, I'm afraid."

"What?" Tigger's eyes shone. "So I wasn't broken? I was just not old enough?"

While that made him feel a lot better, figuring that he just needed to wait, he did feel bitter that, as usual, the adults always have the most fun. Now they can level up and get super strong. It was so unfair.

"You were never broken, kid," The man said with a grin. "Anyone who told you that was a noob who didn't know what they were talking about."

The man then pointed at himself with his thumb. "Name's Lyle. I'm harmless, unless you attack me. Even then, I'll be gentle, like I did with those jackasses."

Zeke groaned behind Tigger, while he himself just stared at the man in wonder. It was incredible how these two can react like this despite defeating a whole group of powerful warriors in just a second.

Just when Tigger thought his fate might have changed, the next instant broke his faith in his future into pieces. His eyes widened as he noticed the very familiar, almost traumatizing flash of light at the distance, walking up towards the group. Tigger fell onto his butt again, this time hot burning tears brimming from his eyes.

"Fox! Fox!" Tigger shouted, a warning that would instantly get everyone in the camp to run for the hills.

This same fox made of flames, a creature so small that it could barely count as a meal, killed over several people at once in a heartbeat. Its gout of flames burned their flesh and bones until there was nothing but ashes in its wake.

Everyone would run away, even using the others as bait to stay alive. But everytime the strongest group of their camp encountered what they thought was the Fire Fox, they would run like mad. Even with their strength, they wouldn't dare go after the Fire Fox. Its presence alone was enough to call for an emergency to run away.

The very same fire fox growled after it revealed itself, instantly sprinting towards the one person in the group–Tigger himself. His eyes widened in fear as the fox pounced with unnatural grace and shot a ball of burning fire so bright it could beat the sun.

Tigger couldn't even close his eyes out of fear, everything happening too quick for him to recognize. Then he spotted Zeke's hand outstretched and catching the ball of flames.

It covered and burned his hand, but Zeke's face remained neutral. After a while, the ball of intense flames that could melt steel shields and swords withered away, revealing nothing but a smoking gauntlet, made entirely of white steel.

The fire fox, shocked at its failed ambush, pounced right after Tigger, ignoring Lyle and heading straight for the downed child.

But Zeke conjured a literal lightsaber out of his gauntlet and sliced upwards. With no hesitation, Zeke growled as the fox was beheaded with ease. Its tiny head flew as chunks of meat and blood splattered everywhere around it.

It all happened in just a second, like before. This fire fox that had killed so many adults, was easily killed like an annoying rat by Zeke. His gauntleted hand, silvery in nature with its freaking lightsaber retracting into itself, left a headless fox corpse on the ground, completely limp and useless.

"Ugh!" Lyle groaned. "Dude! You got its brains all over my pants!"

"Uhh, whoops," Zeke grimaced. "Sorry."

Zeke touched the corpse for some reason, and the damn thing disappeared into piles of small lights. He patted the bag on his side carefully, as though it was placed there while Lyle swung his stained right leg with disgust. Zeke looked over at Tigger, smiling at him.

"So, ready to go?"

Tigger had never nodded his head so wildly before in his life.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.