1. WELCOME TO THE OFF LIMIT GAME

"Welcome to the OFF LIMIT game."

The voice resounded across the empty room with its bright lights and shiny white walls. The young man was dressed in a worn-out black T-shirt and knee-length plaid shorts, which stood off the white floor and the young man’s attire. There was simply Ethan’s standing, bewildered figure in the middle of the room. Something unusual was going on in the unfamiliar area. The young man had just arrived, and his adrenaline started to race.

"Select your weapon."

Walls were line with drawers containing a variety of weaponry as the robotic woman’s voice rang out.

"The first battle will start in 30 seconds."

Ethan’s eyed widened.

“Thirty second? What kind of game is this? Tell me about it?!" The young man screamed loudly.

"29 seconds."

“Damn," Ethan said.

He had just started playing an odd game. There was no time to learn more about the game since he had to choose a weapon, and Ethan wasn’t sure which one to choose. He went through the many tools, each with a different function. It was brief:  Ethan didn't realize it was only thirty seconds.

"Four.”

…

"Three."

It was the only item that caught Ethan’s attention, so he grabbed up a shield without thinking. A basic shield was both cooler and more effective than the numerous different types of weapons, as he thought.

"Two."

Ethan yelled in anguish, "Oh my God!"

"One."

Silence.

Ethan's strained, the only sounds were Ethan’s labored, uneven breathing. In his hands, the shield felt so heavy that he almost dragged it. The weapon drawers slid back into the wall very silently. In front of Ethan, a door that opened into a dimly lighted corridor was making moving noises. The young man hesitated, unsure of whether to continue or turn around. There didn't appear to be any other option than to head for the exit door.

His heart kept saying, “It was just a game”. He obtained it from a cheap game console. From a stranger he met this morning. Nothing horrible would happen because it was all just a fantasy. After finishing what would definitely be a boring game, Ethan would have to deal with difficult days and worse in the real world. He shouldn't pass up the chance to temporarily escape reality.

Despite the fact that his heart was beating before the game. He had no idea that when he hit the "Start" button, he would be taken there, like in another realm.

He passed through the door and into the shadowy corridor. As soon as he walked through the door, it immediately shut.

Ethan started moving faster after a short while when he saw a light ahead so that he could see what was right in front of him. He stood on a grassy hill at the threshold and was merely stunned to see green everywhere; in front of him was the border with the tropical forest. Human beings were seen at the exact doorway he had just gone through, but the doors vanished as soon as they exited.

“I must be dreaming,” Ethan said in shock.

As soon as Ethan reached the threshold, the door behind him vanished. The information Ethan required was shown on a holographic screen that, when he blinks, transforms into a pair of glasses.

**[Game Level: 1 - THE FOREST]

[Name: Ethan Mannon]

[Age: 22 years old]

[Classification: Tank]

[Status: Greenhorn]**

“What is this?” he said.

Ethan blinked once more. His view was being obscured by a holographic screen, which he was trying to remove. He went to glance at some of the other people who were around, who seemed to be confused. However, many appeared to be aware of what they ought to do. The hologram screen vanished from their field of view as soon as they put pressure on their temples.

Ethan felt something as he lightly touched his right temple. It had a coldness about it like an iron plate. His eyes widened in an instant. There had been a microchip added. Ethan was terrified. As he kept pressing the button on the temple, different subtitles started to show up on the holographic screen.

**[Armor: Shield level 1]

[Power: +1]

[Buff: None]

[Skill: None]**

Ethan tapped the button once again, and the holographic display disappeared. He felt nervous, dread, and curious; emotions he had never felt before. For the first time, he was participating in a game, and everything seemed to be completely real.

“I’m such a newbie,” Ethan said. “What should I do right away?”

He decided it would be better to join the group of twenty or so individuals who were running into the tropical forest. Following them. Ethan had never run so swiftly, and when he got close to the woodland’s edge, he was already worn out. Would it be okay for him? It began to feel a creep of unease. Would it have no effect on his skinny, frail, and delicate body?

“Hey you!” Someone was shouting from the area in front of Ethan. “What are you doing? Quickly! Run!”

“What?” Ethan was in awe.

“Run, you idiot!”

The man indicated a number of unidentified coyotes had approached from the direction of the hill, from which Ethan had earlier emerged. The coyotes gave off the impression of being ravenous and ready to rip off any potential meal.

Ethan said in a panic, "Damn it!"

He followed the throng of people that continued running into the forest, without knowing where they were going. Not knowing what the objective was. The goal of this game is to avoid coyotes. Is it correct? Ethan had it in mind.

Getting into the forest is not an easy task. Fallen tree trunks, vegetation, and cracks with lakes of mud were some of the difficulties. As a result, they went more slowly and drew nearer to the coyotes.

A player stumbled and landed in a mud puddle. He tried to get out, but the mud dragged him in and made it impossible.

As he passed Ethan, the young man shouted, “Help me, help me!”

Ethan halted his steps since he couldn’t leave the helpless man alone. Just as Ethan was about to close the distance, his shoulder was grabbed by someone.

“Run! Don’t bother him!” Added another player.

Ethan shifted his gaze back and forth between the young man stuck in the mud and the person holding his shoulder. “But...”

“Do you want to waste your life? Move as far as you can! Just go!” As he rushed away from Ethan, the man yelled.

The coyote pack assaulted the player, who was stuck in the mud, because they were too close and leaped up. The young man's body instantly ripped apart. Ethan sees a pool of fresh blood and dirt.

Ethan could hear a mournful sound, which was mingled with the sounds of numerous growls vying for human flesh. What was once a living being?

Ethan’s head was trembling.

He backed off slowly, then sprinted as afar as he could.

It was awful. The most heinous thing Ethan had ever witnessed in his entire life.

The young man wondered with fear, "What kind of game am I in?"