Why can't I go back?

At the dawn of the year 3000, a laboratory achieved something extraordinary.

They created the Quantum Phase Tube—a cylindrical device that allowed its users to enter the quantum phase.

To test this groundbreaking invention, the laboratory partnered with a game developer.

Together, they created a game called "Beyond of Astrall", using gamers themselves as test subjects.

When the game was finally completed and released, the response was overwhelming. Gamers were ecstatic. Many rushed to purchase the Quantum Phase Tube, and as a bonus for buying the device, they received Beyond of Astrall for free.

What they didn’t know…Was that they were all test subjects in a grand experiment.

Among them was William Harvey—a gamer chosen to promote the game publicly.He was thrilled by the offer, excited at the idea of getting the device for free in exchange for his help.

Never once did he suspect that he was being used—nothing more than a lab rat.

And maybe—

Even if he had known he was a test subject…He would have accepted the offer anyway.

That’s just how gamers are.

After promoting both the Quantum Phase Tube and Beyond of Astrall, William finally received the device.

His heart was pounding. His whole body buzzed with adrenaline.

He activated the machine.Once the tube opened, he stepped inside.

The device worked by channeling intense energy into the user’s body while completely isolating them from the outside world.The isolation allowed the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle to fully take effect, causing the user's entire form to collapse into quantum flux.

As the machine powered on, his consciousness and body were instantly transformed into particle-wave information, which was then synchronized with the quantum rendering engine.

The transition was immediate.

Inside the game, he didn’t spawn in a lobby.There was no central hub. No spawn zone.

In Beyond of Astrall, your physical body was your in-game avatar. And players appeared at random locations the moment they logged in.

There was no UI overlay, no health bar, no indicators.Nothing to distinguish NPCs from players.

And if a player took damage—or died—Their body would be reconstructed by the Quantum Phase Tube in the real world.

William looked around his surroundings, trying to get a sense of where he was.

“Seriously?! A wide open field?!” he shouted.

He heard the sound of flowing water, but when he looked around, there wasn’t a river in sight.

The only thing nearby… was a black slime.

“Hah. Just a slime,” he said casually, stepping right over it.

In his mind, a weak monster like a slime was no threat whatsoever.

But he wasn’t prepared—

While his back was turned, the slime lunged at him with unexpected speed.

He never saw it coming.

The creature struck his left arm and waist.

“Ack—ow ow ow ow that hurts!” he screamed.

He jumped back. His hands were empty—no weapons.

The pain was... bizarre. Not hot. Not cold.Just wrong. A sensation unlike anything he had ever felt.

Not wanting to get seriously hurt—or worse, die unarmed against a slime—he made the only smart decision he could:

He ran.

Still clutching his side, he thought desperately about where to go.His instincts screamed for a lobby.

But there was no lobby in this world.

Players were thrown into the wild and forced to survive.

Even so, he clung to the idea.The hope of finding something that could be called a "lobby."

He wandered through the vast meadow, with no paths or landmarks as far as the eye could see.

His body trembled. Exhaustion crept in.

He started to question his decision.Why had he accepted the offer?

Regret gnawed at him. But it was too late.The rice had already become porridge.There was no turning back.

He fought to stay upright.He refused to die a meaningless death—even if his body could just be reconstructed.

His vision began to blur.Colors faded, as if the world were turning to dusk—But in-game, it was still broad daylight.

He kept walking...

Until finally, his legs gave out, and he collapsed.

A shepherd approached, accompanied by his herd—beasts called Gron, with bodies like horses and heads like swans.

He noticed the boy lying unconscious.

Kneeling beside him, he placed a hand on his chest and closed his eyes.

He focused deeply, attempting to read the energy within William’s body.

Something foreign and strange entered his awareness.

“…Poor shadow exister,” he whispered, staring at William’s pale face.

Despite his age, he lifted William with surprising care, laying him across the back of a Gron.

Then he resumed his journey, eventually arriving at a village.

He approached a wooden house with a thatched leaf roof.

An old woman stepped out, her clothes draped loosely across her chest.

“Who’s that you’ve brought, dear Damar?” she asked softly.

“A shadow exister, Juneb,” replied the old man—Damar, her husband.

“Where did you find him?”

“Quite far from the village,” he explained. “Looks like he was attacked by a Martovalum slime.”

Juneb’s expression turned serious.Without hesitation, she rushed to a neighboring house.

“Mister Dadang! Please open the door!” she called, her voice trembling. Her legs barely kept her upright.

The door opened.

A tall man with a hardened physique stood there.His left cheek was scarred from jaw to temple.

“What’s wrong, Grandma?” he asked.

“There’s a shadow exister—attacked by a Martovalum slime!” she cried.

Dadang looked toward Juneb’s house and saw Damar, the Gron, and—most importantly—The unconscious body slumped over one of the beasts.

He couldn’t stand the sight of someone on the brink of death.Especially not a shadow exister.

Without a word, he rushed back inside and returned holding what looked like an umbrella.

Then he made his way to Juneb’s house.

“Sorry to trouble you, Mister Dadang,” Damar said with guilt on his face.

“No need to apologize, Old Man Damar,” Dadang replied.“If I don’t help him, I’d be the one living in regret.”

“Then please... take him to the Lindru Temple,” Damar pleaded.

Dadang nodded.

“Den Pavasra lon Gaya!” he shouted, hurling the umbrella into the air and activating a magic circle—a glowing blue triangle etched with the image of a goat's head.

The umbrella responded. A serpent emerged from its frame, floating midair and slithering gracefully above the ground.

“You summoned me, Master?” the serpent asked in a calm voice.

Dadang picked up William’s limp body and leapt onto the serpent’s head.

“Take me to the Lindru Temple,” he ordered.

And the serpent soared into the sky.