"Are you..." Darren asked, staring Evan straight in the eye, "...from the same world as me?"
Evan paused for a moment, furrowing his brows in confusion at Darren's question. What Darren said was initially just a hunch, and seeing Evan's confused expression made Darren doubt himself.
"Aren't we from this world?" Evan replied, countering Darren's words. "Your Highness, is there another world you're talking about?"
"I'm just confused," Darren said, as if clarifying his own question. "I arrived in peak physical condition, and I see you did too. Isn't that strange? The other four people who came with us all looked weak."
"I can explain that logically, Your Highness," Evan continued, walking with Darren by his side. "Perhaps it's because they've been held captive longer? You and I were only imprisoned a day before they dumped us in this godforsaken place."
"Imprisoned? Dumped?" Darren asked back. He was trying to gather more information, like piecing together a puzzle. Talking to Evan might help him find the next piece.
Darren was certain Evan wasn't just an ordinary person. There had to be something different about him, especially considering they were captured at the same time, unlike the other four.
"The Emperor did this, Your Highness. He ordered his men to kill you. But let's just say they failed because we're all still alive." The two of them arrived at the riverbank Darren had seen earlier.
Eight coconut shells remained. Darren picked up four coconut shells, and so did Evan.
"I suspect this place was once someone's campsite," Darren said, pointing to a dark patch of ground that looked like it had been burned. "They probably made a fire here. Who knows how long they stayed."
"They camped here? Isn't this place too dangerous? According to rumors, this forest is still inhabited by wild animals," Evan said, rinsing the coconut shells before filling them with water.
The two of them observed the fish swimming freely in the river. An idea began to form in Darren's mind—maybe he could cook those fish someday.
Just as Darren suspected, Evan did seem to know this place, though he also appeared unsure.
"Do you know this place?" Darren asked while lifting the four coconut shells with both hands. The two of them left the riverbank, heading back to the others with the water.
Evan glanced around as they exited the forest and returned to the grasslands. They stepped carefully over the bent grass, following Darren's earlier trail.
"That's the Oron Mountains. We're from Narima Beach because Brisstol is located there." Darren didn't recognize a single word Evan said. Even "Brisstol" sounded foreign to him.
"Narima Beach is in the southern region of the island. If that's Narima, then the north would be Mierre-Park. Looks like we're quite far from Narima since the Oron Mountains are distant."
They arrived where the other four were. The group was eating while waiting for Darren and Evan to return with water. Of the ten apples Darren had brought, only three remained.
"Prince Darren, sorry we ate too many apples!" said one of the four Darren hadn't met yet.
"Eat as much as you need. I know you're all hungry," Darren replied, trying not to make them feel bad. His attention then shifted to Evan—they needed to prepare for nightfall. "We should gather some branches to build a campfire. But first, we should decide where to camp tonight. Should we stay here? Or in the forest?"
Everyone stared at Darren with unease. Something was off—he should've known better.
"I don't recommend camping in the forest, Prince Darren," suggested a burly man with olive skin and chin-length curly hair. "Oh, I don't think we've met. I'm Callum Stonehelm."
"He was arrested by the King because he was the only one from the Defense Ministry making weapons for you, Your Highness. For some reason, the King captured innocent soldiers and left them stranded here."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Darren," he replied, turning to the others. "And you? What are your names?"
"I'm Kael Moonveil, Your Highness," said the tallest man among them, likely around 190 cm, just like Darren and Evan.
Darren glanced at the man beside Kael. He had been eating eagerly, but now set his apple aside. He seemed to be the hungriest.
"I'm Leon Redvalor, Your Highness."
Lastly, the only one who hadn't introduced himself yet—the man who had earlier apologized for eating too many apples.
"And you?" Darren asked.
"I'm Elric Wolfeborn, Your Highness."
Darren tried to process all their names: Evan, Callum, Kael, Leon, and Elric. The six of them were all trapped in this strange place. Darren didn't know how or why, but somehow he'd been pulled into this game.
Live action? To him, it felt more like hell.
No phone, no laptop—no entertainment at all to kill time here. Worse, the mission he had to complete. Just from the game title, it felt impossible: he was supposed to build a nation from scratch.
That could take decades—or even centuries.
"Your Highness, are we going to stay here forever?" Kael asked hesitantly. Evan nudged him, silently telling him that was not the kind of question he should ask.
"I'm trying to find the pause or at least an exit button so I can go home," Darren said, glancing up to look for any interface, any option to help him return home for dinner.
"Pause? Exit?" Evan echoed. "What are those, Your Highness?"
Darren went silent. He forgot—none of them would understand. This was a game world, not his real one. No smell of sewage from outside his house, no giant rats crawling through his pipes.
"Forget it. How long does it take to reach the nearest village? We need food and shelter."
"About two days to the nearest village, Your Highness. That's if we have horses," Evan replied. Darren sighed. Too far. And that's with horses—on foot, it would take even longer.
But staying in this hopeless place wasn't an option either. It was too dangerous. Darren didn't want to die from a jungle lion or a bear. He just wanted to go home safely, just like before this game started.
"Maybe we'll camp for a few days. After that, we'll head to that village to ask for help," he decided without hesitation. He needed to end this game before things spiraled out of control. "Whatever it takes, I will find a way to get out of here as soon as possible."