Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandom:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Collections:
Nyxxstay's Recommendations, just some excellent fics worth remembering, skz finished reading, Stray Kids, Regular Rereads, multichapter_sunnyside_squirrel, best things ive ever read
Stats:
Published:
2018-07-25
Completed:
2020-10-05
Words:
453,280
Chapters:
56/56
Comments:
2,470
Kudos:
3,556
Bookmarks:
657
Hits:
130,670

We Hope You Enjoy Your Time Playing Phantasm

Summary:

Welcome new player.

You have been assigned the class of Knight. This class is a reflection of your personality and actions in your life.
Your statistics and abilities depend on the class you have been allocated.
You have been gifted 500 coins to spend as you wish as well as some items you may find useful during your time here.
Be warned that if something happens to you within this world, it will happen to you in the real world too.
In other words, if you die within the game, you die in real life.
Your only way to leave is to complete the seven levels of the Rautaja Fortress.
You will not be able to do this alone.
We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm.

Begin…

Edited to change names-completed 11/10/20

Notes:

Hi everyone. Thank you for clicking on this fic and giving it a chance. First of all, as it says in the tags, this is going to be a chaptered fic and it's going to be pretty long as I have the story planned out in my head already. I promise that I won't give up on it and I will do my very best to update it at least once a week and hopefully never have more than two weeks between an update (though you know how life gets sometimes). I have roughly five chapters written already so I'm trying my best to stay ahead so I can update regularly. I'm really nervous about finally putting this up because I've been working on the story for weeks so feedback would be really appreciated. The first chapter will hopefully be the shortest with the others being a bit longer as the fic goes on. Anyways, thank you again for clicking on the story. I hope you enjoy it!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 Initializing…

Initializing…

Initializing…

 

Welcome new player.

 

You have been assigned the class of Knight. This class is a reflection of your personality and actions in your life.

Your statistics and abilities depend on the class you have been allocated.

You have been gifted 500 coins to spend as you wish as well as some items you may find useful during your time here.  

Be warned that if something happens to you within this world, it will happen to you in the real world too.

In other words, if you die within the game, you die in real life.

Your only way to leave is to complete the seven levels of the Rautaja Fortress.

You will not be able to do this alone.

We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm.

Begin…

 

Chan woke up with a groan. The searing pain he felt in his temple made him wonder if someone had hit him over the head recently. He automatically reached up to try and massage the soreness away before he felt a wetness now coating his hands. He didn’t need to see it to understand what it was. The stickiness and sickening smell of the blood was more than enough explanation. He slowly opened his eyes and cursed when all he could see was a blinding light. It took him some time to adjust before his surroundings came into focus. He was lying down in the middle of a forest where the trees were overgrown and reached up to the sky. Chan slowly sat himself up and blinked again. He was in a forest. Why was he lying down in a forest? What had he been doing just before this? Welcome new player... wait. That message. Chan grabbed his head, trying to remember what he had seen before he had woken. Was it a dream? Knight...you die in real life...Phantasm…

 

A blinding pain ripped its way through Chan’s head causing him to sway. He couldn’t quite remember everything that he had seen before he opened his eyes but at the moment, did it really matter? He needed to figure out where he was first and then he could decipher how he got there. Very carefully, Chan started to stand, steadying himself against a nearby tree. He looked around and saw trees and some more trees and yes, even more trees but no indication as to which way the exit may be. Chan’s vision was suddenly distorted as the blood from his forehead seeped into his eye. He wiped it away with an annoyed grunt. It wasn’t enough that he was in the middle of nowhere with no recollection as to how he got there but he had a blinding headache and was bleeding from a gash in his forehead. Chan thought that this was probably in the top five worst days of his life. Well, if he didn’t start walking, then he definitely wouldn’t be getting out of this place so Chan picked a direction at random and started trudging through the dense foliage of the forest.

 

He walked for what felt like hours but judging from the position of the sun in the sky that he could make out through the canopy of the colossal trees, it hadn’t moved much since he came to, which meant that not much time had actually passed. He stopped and positioned himself against a tree to rest. He was getting nowhere fast and was about to give up and collapse on the ground again when a thought suddenly struck him. He highly doubted that he still had it on him if he had been dumped in the middle of the woods but decided to check his pockets for his phone just in case. He patted himself down and then rummaged around inside his pockets. He didn’t find his phone, of course but what did emerge from his pockets was a compact leather pouch, weighed down by something inside. When Chan investigated, his eyes widened in shock. There were numerous golden coins unlike any he had ever seen before in his life. He took a couple out to analyse them and came to the conclusion that they were, in fact, real gold. Why would someone leave him in the woods, take his phone and belongings but leave him with innumerable coins of gold. Chan closed the pouch and returned it to his pocket.

 

He then felt something shift in his back pocket and fished it out. Two ornate bottles filled with green and red transparent liquid respectively appeared. He eyed the bottles suspiciously before removing the corks of the bottles and smelling the contents. The green liquid smelled of antiseptic with a hint of mint which made Chan’s nose wrinkle in disgust while the red seemed to be a mixture of the scent of firewood and something sweet that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He was tempted to taste the red liquid due to its fragrance but thought better of it when he realised he didn’t know who actually gave him the bottles or what the contents actually were. It could be poison for all he knew so he closed both bottles and settled them back into his rear pocket. To say that he was becoming more confused as time went on would be an understatement. He was downright befuddled. Chan ran his fingers through his messy, dirt riddled hair. How was he going to get out of here? Chan didn’t take kindly to the thought of spending the night here.

 

A sudden noise behind him made Chan jump and whip his head around. He shifted so he was in a fighting stance though Chan knew full well he was not a fighter and if something were to attack him, it would more than likely not end well for him. Unfortunately, Chan’s fears became reality when he came face to face with something that looked like a mutated wolf. It was twice the size of any wolf Chan had ever seen with elongated canines that were dripping with blood. The wolf’s eyes were completely black, including the sclera. A low, intimidating growl seeped out of the animal’s mouth as it stared Chan down. Chan’s mouth went dry and his whole body started to shake. What the hell was that thing? Should I stay still or make a run for it? Chan thought, though he wasn’t sure if he could actually move his legs to run since they were shaking so much.

 

The animal crouched down, ready to pounce. Chan knew he had to run. If he didn’t move, he wouldn’t be alive much longer. If you die within the game, you die in real life . Chan grabbed his head with both hands as the words rang through his mind, scrunching his eyes closed. The animal took this as an indication to make its move. Chan opened his eyes just in time to see the wolf leap towards him but it wasn’t enough time to move out of the way. All he could do was shield himself with his arms. Chan was instantly knocked to the ground by the weight of the animal which now towered over him. Chan was sure his screams could be heard from miles away as sharp teeth indented themselves into his arm. He could feel the hot tears streaming down his cheeks which were now mixed with the blood that was falling from his arm onto his face as he tried to protect himself from the beast.

 

Was this seriously how he was going to die? Being attacked and eaten by some monster that looked like it belonged in some nightmarish fairy tale? It wasn’t idyllic but nobody could say that it was a boring way to go. Screw this, Chan thought. He needed to know where he was, why he was here and why the hell there were mutant animals attacking him. This wasn’t going to be his grave, not if he could help it. With whatever strength was left in his body, he pulled his knees to his chest, positioned his feet under the animal’s stomach and kicked it back with as much force as he could muster. The action caught the wolf by surprise as its mouth loosened around Chan’s arm and it went tumbling backwards. Chan cradled his arm to his chest, blood still seeping out of the fresh wound. He needed to treat it or he would die from blood loss at this stage. Not now though. Now he needed to run. He dragged himself up off of the forest floor, trying not to get any of the dirt on his hands into his open wound. His legs buckled beneath him but he found the strength he needed to start running.

 

Chan didn’t know where he was heading. How was he supposed to know where to go when he didn’t even know where he was now? He kept on running in the hopes of seeing some indication of an exit from this hellish place. The forest just seemed like an endless maze and he wondered if he was getting closer to an exit or going around in circles. Hadn’t he passed that overgrown, hideous tree before? Perhaps, though he couldn’t be sure. Chan was shaken from his thoughts when he heard the sound of twigs snapping under the force of heavy paws. Really, that monster didn’t know when to give up. It was still chasing him and the blood falling from Chan’s arm probably wasn’t doing anything to end the wolf’s lust for blood.

 

At this stage, the adrenaline that was keeping Chan going was starting to wear off. His legs felt wobbly and he was running out of breath.

 

'Keep going,'  Chan pleaded with himself, ' this isn’t how you want to die, is it?'

 

As if on cue, Chan’s leg became snared in an uprooted tree and he came crashing to the ground. He let out a cry as his face came into contact with the leaves and twigs which littered the forest floor. He tried to rise from the ground but the pain emanating from his ankle indicated that he had broken, or at least twisted it, in the fall. It really wasn’t his day. The growling from the beast that was chasing him gradually became louder as all Chan could do was drag himself along the ground. His breath became ragged as he thought that this was the end. He thought about what he was leaving behind, even if it wasn’t that much. His mind immediately drifted to the kids. He wanted to see them one last time before he died. He didn’t want them to think that he had abandoned them like so many others had done. He loved them too much to let them think that about him.

 

'Please god, just let me live long enough to see them one last time,'  Chan thought.

 

With that final thought, the creature had caught up with the injured boy and spared no time in attacking in case its prey thought about running away again. The animal bolted towards Chan as he cradled his head in his blood stained arms and let out a pained yell. He waited for the impact of the wolf’s body on his but it never came. He didn’t realise it until he opened his eyes that he had started to cry again and his tears were now blurring his vision. He quickly brushed them away to find the monster that had been chasing him. Instead of meeting the eyes of the wolf, he was greeted with a snow white shield which emanated a bright and calming energy right in front of his face. On the other side of said shield was the wolf knocked off of its feet. It was slowly trying to sit into an upright position though Chan could tell it was having some trouble, like running into the shield had taken its toll on its body. Where had the shield come from in the first place? He hadn’t done that, right? Chan looked down at his own hands to make sure that he didn’t manage to somehow conjure some weird magic to protect himself. What the hell was he thinking? There was no such thing as magic. Or so he thought. He had been right though, he wasn’t the one who had created the shield.

 

Chan looked up to stare at the wolf again but instead saw a figure blocking his view of the creature. He couldn’t quite make out anything about the person except the long, golden staff that was in their hands. Then something happened that wouldn’t make sense to Chan for quite some time. The individual raised the staff in front of them, sitting their hands along its middle. The air around Chan began to change and he could feel a sudden serenity fill up his body. He didn’t know what was happening but it caused his heartbeat to become even and calm the overwhelming anxiety that had been plaguing his body. Suddenly, a flash of light came from the figure in front of him along with a loud bang. Chan raised his arms to protect himself out of habit but realised that the shield that had been placed in front of him earlier was still present. A sudden screech from the wolf made Chan crane his neck so that he could see the animal which was now writhing in pain. A white light enveloped the wolf, causing it to convulse. The light disappeared just as quickly as it had come. The wolf lay there panting before getting up and running away with its tail in between its legs.

 

It was gone. Finally, it was gone. Chan let out a breath that he hadn’t realised he had been holding in. The shield that had protected him began to dissipate before it vanished completely. Chan’s attention snapped to the person in front of him as they began to turn around. It was a boy who looked like he could be a couple of years younger than himself. He was dressed in a dazzling white hoodie which ended about half way down his thighs. Where the hoodie ended, ripped, black jeans continued down along his legs and met with shiny black combat boots which didn’t seem to have a speck of dirt on them despite traversing through the woods. His short raven hair, Chan thought, suited his long, youthful face. The boy pulled down his hood which revealed multiple piercings in his ears which glinted in the sunlight. His dark eyes were fixed upon Chan who must have looked like a deer in the headlights at this point due to the events that had just occurred in front of him. The boy began to advance towards Chan who flinched a little in response which made the younger halt.

 

“It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you. You look pretty beaten up. Would it be ok if I came closer so I could inspect and maybe patch you up a bit?” The boy’s voice was gravelly which again, Chan thought, suited him. There was no reason to indicate to Chan that he should trust the boy yet he felt like he could. He nodded in response to the question. The youth smirked slightly, made his way towards Chan and knelt down beside him.

 

“What the hell happened to you man? Why didn’t you fight back?”

 

“Fight back? Against a monster like that? How could I? I’m still in shock as to how you did it. I don’t even know what you did. I think my eyes were playing tricks on me. I hit my head at some point.” Chan gestured to the laceration on his forehead. “At one stage, to me anyways, it looked like you were using-” Chan stopped himself. What was he about to say to this stranger? That it looked like he was using magic? He didn’t want the boy to think he was crazy immediately after meeting him. So, he bowed his head and shook it.

 

“It looked like I was using magic, right?”

 

Chan’s head snapped back up as he looked straight ahead at the younger. The boy was smiling back at him. He grabbed Chan’s arm to inspect the wound that the wolf had made. Chan grimaced at the pain while the boy frowned at the state of the injury.

 

“I’m going to take a wild guess here and say you’re new to Phantasm,” the boy stated more than asked while placing his hand over the teeth marks.

 

Phantasm? We hope you enjoy your time playing Phantasm…

 

Chan was about to inquire as to what the boy meant when he felt a cool sensation on his arm and glanced down to see a small green light coming from underneath the boy’s hand. Chan nearly tugged his arm away in surprise but felt that the boy was trying to help him, not hurt him. What was this? Why did it feel so soothing? The boy glanced at Chan’s shocked face and chuckled in amusement. He removed his hand from Chan’s wound and took some bandages out of his pocket. He wrapped Chan’s arm but before he did, Chan saw that the injury was almost completely healed and gasped in surprise. The youth repeated this action with the wound on Chan’s head with both of them being silent throughout the treatment. Once the young man had finished, he sat back and sighed.

 

“Cuts and grazes are easy enough to heal but that broken ankle would take a lot more energy and time and we don’t really have either at the moment. If I rest for a while, I can fix you up but maybe we should get out of here and find somewhere safe to sleep for the night. What do you think about that?” the boy asked Chan with a small smirk. Chan was still dumbfounded at what the boy had just done to him. Not that he was complaining as he felt much better and more at ease than he had before the boy had shown up. Chan nodded his head to show he agreed with the boy’s plan.

 

“What’s your name?” the younger inquired. Chan actually had to think about his answer as his head was so busy trying to piece the events of the day together.

 

“Uh, it’s Chan. Bang Chan.” The boy smiled as if satisfied with Chan’s answer. Chan had a million questions but started out with the one that interested him the most. “Can you tell me where we are? I don’t really remember anything about how I got here.”

 

“We’re in Haknal. It’s one of the many regions within the game. Once you get used to being here, you can learn more about the geography of the place. It’s not really your main priority when you’ve just arrived here.” Chan’s head was spinning. He wasn’t sure if that was because of all of the information he was being fed or the headache that hadn’t subsided since he had woken up.

 

“Uh, alright. Oh, you never told me your name,” Chan stated. The younger boy tapped his head to show how silly he felt that he had forgotten such an important piece of information.

 

“I’m Changbin. Seo Changbin. It’s nice to meet you Chan.” Changbin extended his hand for Chan to shake which the older complied with.

 

“Ok then, let’s get out of here and head towards the village. We can lodge there for tonight and then figure out what to do with you tomorrow. Sound good?” Changbin asked. Again, Chan nodded, suddenly unable to find his voice. Changbin hopped up and again offered his hand for Chan to stand. Chan grabbed it and was hoisted up. He wasn’t in a standing position for long though. The dull pain in his head intensified and  the world started to spin. He felt himself falling backwards as his vision faded to black. The last thing he heard was Changbin calling out his name before he fell into a deep sleep.  

Notes:

Thank you for the hits, kudos and all of the wonderful comments.
If anyone wishes to contact me about anything, my Twitter is @ stray_anpanman!