Chase found himself in a dark space. It somehow felt like he was in a cube but a very big one. But it was all pitch black and didn't make one good sense to him.
[Welcome to the playground, host.]
[This huge space has been created to tailor your needs and give you the experience in fighting, weapon handling, proficiency, stealth, and so more.]
[All you need to do is imagine what you want and it will come to pass. Please be informed that it must focus on developing you.]
[Time in the playground runs slower in the real world. An hour here is only a minute in the real world.]
[Some tasks will be issued here, and you must complete them within the stipulated time.]
[You must complete at least two tasks before you're able to leave the playground.]
[Enjoy.]
The screen vanished before his eyes. So that was what it was all about. That was better than nothing. So he had to imagine either a scenario, a tool, or a situation, but it must be focused only on him.
That meant he had to think.
Chase ruffled his head as he thought about what to do first before the tasks appeared. He needed to experiment with the choice given to him.
"OK," he announced, getting an idea. "Um, I'm not sure it will work but let's try."
He took a deep breath and then imagined what he had thought. The black cubic space disappeared as he had imagined. He fell asleep on the grass with cool air wafting through his nose. He opened his eyes and took a look at his surroundings.
He was in a backyard, the house just behind him, and then he smelled fresh cooking from inside. He smiled at how it felt normal and looked so real.
Then a growl snapped his daydream like a broken twig. He gulped loudly and turned back to see a ferocious greyhound looking at him with saliva dripping lips and bared teeth and eyes that screamed hunger for human
flesh.
Chase gulped in fear as he screamed internally. He edged back as he saw that the dog was not on a chain.
"Easy, buddy." He whispered. "Easy. You don't wanna eat me, right?"
The dog growled again, and Chade hated how he had understood the interpretation so quickly, but he wasn't sticking around to see if the dog changed his mind. He took off and sprinted down the lawn to the wall. The greyhound was behind him. Chase dare not look back.
With a grunt, he scaled over the brick wall with the precision of a monkey, the dog snapped at his ankles, tearing a big chunk of jeans and narrowly missing his ankle.
Chase collapsed over the wall, onto another lawn, and got up quickly.
"Fuck you, doggy!" He taunted, panting. "Come over here, if you dare."
He was about to taunt again when the words froze in his mouth. He watched in horror as the dog leaped over the wall expertly as it had just learned a good doggy trick.
"Oh, shit!!!!" He screamed as he took off again." Why did I open my big mouth!"
He sprinted down the lawn, a few sprinklers switching on just at the wrong time and spraying him in the face. He coughed out water as he ran, his lungs begging for air. But he didn't stop, knowing very well that the dog just behind him and snapping at his heels would have him for dog food.
He crossed the street as a car rushed by, nearly ramming into him. The car spun out of the way and stopped at the side of the road. The driver got out cursing him.
"Are you fucking insane?!" He screamed at the running boy, not minding that a hungry greyhound was onto him.
"Shit!" Chase screamed in fear. "Where do I go?"
He ran blindingly into a window and smashed into it, stumbling into a house. He ran into the hallway and threw himself at the door, buckling and throwing it off its hinges. He saw an unthinkable sight.
A young couple was going at it in their bedroom and were clearly serious.
'Oh, man." He thought. 'What the hell am I doing?'
The couple screamed in horror as he came in. The poor girl, covering herself with the bedsheet, and the man with his surprisingly short manhood staring at him.
"Who the hell are you?" The young man choked in anger.
"I'm so sorry, man!" Chase screamed as he leapt on the bed and used it as a launchpad, catapulting into the window and outside. The dog leapt on the bed and drove to the broken window.
The couple stared in horror and shock.
They heard a short yawn and turned to a door.
A young boy of four was there yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Daddy, mummy." He muttered innocently. "Why are you two not wearing any clothes?"
Meanwhile, Chase found himself still running as he entered a park.
"Maybe the dog has given up." He muttered, gasping for air. "I've won. I've finally won."
Then he tripped. Suddenly. Over a fucking squealing squirrel and crashed into the grass like a sack of meat. He groaned as he turned to see a terrifying sight. A hungry greyhound sprinting towards him, canines open and glinting in the sunlight. He screamed as the thing pounced on him, its teeth aimed for the neck.
He found himself back in the space. He stumbled up, painting and checking if he was in one piece. He was in one piece. He sighed in relief.
[Welcome back, host.]
[How was the experience?]
Chase stared at the system in anger.
"I nearly died!" He spat in anger. "Do you want to kill me.
[The host was never going to die. It's an experience to increase your speed and stamina.]
"Uh," Chase groaned in shame. " I broke a couple's door down as they were fooling around. It felt so real."
[Now is the host ready for its first task?]
[Y/N]
Chase didn't even look at the system. His eyes were still on his hands.
"Yeah," he whispered.