Chapter 1: Waking up.
*Evan POV*
I groaned as I stirred awake, stretching lazily—something felt off.
Then, out of nowhere, the sun sniped me right in the eyes like some cosmic assassin.
"Agh! Damn you, sun!" I yelled, instinctively flinging my hands up, one to shield my face and another to raise my fist in the air.
Maybe it was the grogginess, but I cursed at the sun as if it could hear me and take pity on my suffering. Of course, no such luck. This was it—the first battle of the day and arguably the toughest. Some might call me weak, but let’s be real—I’m up against a star-sized nuclear reactor that hurls radiation at Earth nonstop. Being weak to that is completely reasonable.
Alright. Time to risk it.
I cracked my eyes open just a little.
Holy moly… Grandma… Is that you?
Nope, nope, nope. Bad idea. Blinding rays flooded my vision, turning everything into a painful, searing white void. I swear my retinas got flashbanged. The only thing I could vaguely make out was the shadow of my own arm.
Ugh, goddammit.
Then, for some inexplicable reason (probably sleep-induced stupidity), my arms just gave up and moved away by themselves, leaving me defenseless. The sun seized the opportunity, striking with a sniper’s precision.
It felt like my entire world flipped upside down. I barely managed to throw my hands back up, but it was too late. Even with my eyes closed, the white light burned into my vision.
Looks like I’m gonna be lying here for a minute. I can’t even think straight. It’s almost like I’ve got amnesi—
Wait.
Do I have amnesia?
Panic jolted my brain into action. Even in its dazed state, it started scrambling to remind me of who I was.
Okay, focus. I’m Evan. Evan Langford. 6 feet tall. 21 years old. Single and—yep—ready to mingle.
…Wait. Why am I single?
Let’s check the evidence. A mental image of my face surfaced—smooth, silky brown hair, brown eyes, a celebrity-tier jawline, and just the right amount of a mature, subtle beard.
Hehehehe. Look at this handsome guy.
Oh, are you wondering why I’m still single? Well, it’s simple. The moment I get near a woman, she runs away—because my presence is just too much to handle.
…Okay, no. That’s a lie.
Truth is, I’m just not interested right now. Too much family drama, too many other things to deal with. But no point dwelling on that. My eyes were finally adjusting to the light, and in a minute or two, I’d be able to properly wake up and start my day.
…Wait.
What the hell was I even doing last night?
If my memory was right, I had stayed up late playing Terraria with some friends.
Now, let’s get one thing straight—I’m not a die-hard fan or anything.
Sure, I might know every recipe, boss attack pattern, enemy name, and bit of obscure trivia from the game’s very first alpha build to the latest Journey’s End update… but that doesn’t mean I’m obsessed.
See? Not a die-hard fan.
Oh hey, my eyes were finally adjusting.
Guess that meant it was time to officially wake up.
I cracked them open and caught a glimpse of bright blue—only to immediately shut them again as the sun launched another brutal assault on my retinas. Yep, still too bright.
Ignoring that minor inconvenience, I sat up, stretched my arms, and let out a deep yawn. I scratched my back lazily, my brain still half-asleep, but this whole routine was practically hardwired into my body at this point.
Then, as I stood up and stretched again, something felt… off.
Wait.
Where… was I?
My usual soft, cozy bed? Gone.
Instead, I was lying on grass.
I blinked, looking around. No walls. No ceiling. No gaming setup. Just trees. Tall ones. Bushes rustling in the distance. A few rabbits and squirrels darting around. Oh, and right next to me? A lake.
The weirdest part? The grass around where I woke up was stained with drops of blood.
Uhhhh…
I tilted my head back, expecting to see my familiar ceiling. Instead, a clear blue sky stretched overhead, the sun smack-dab in the middle of it.
…Well, that explains why waking up felt like getting hit by a truck.
But still—
What the hell is going on?
I muttered the words under my breath as my confusion deepened. Instinctively, I started inspecting myself.
My chest and stomach were wrapped in black bandages, and I was wearing gray clothes that were ripped and worn out. My pants were black, my shoes brown and in surprisingly good shape.
None of these clothes were mine.
I was 100% sure I hadn’t bought them.
I definitely didn’t borrow them.
And unless I had somehow started a habit of sleep-shopping, I was pretty damn sure I hadn’t put these on myself.
Also, I didn’t drink last night… right?
Soooo… why the hell am I here?
My sleepiness vanished instantly as my brain finally kicked into full gear.
And then I noticed something even weirder.
In the top-left corner of my vision, I saw a hotbar with ten slots.
In the top-right, two more things:
Life: (100/100) ?????
Mana: (40/40) ??
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I froze.
I stood there, staring blankly like an idiot, as my brain tried—really tried—to process what I was seeing.
Then, suddenly, it clicked.
I clapped my fist into my palm.
There was only one possible explanation for this.
I was dreaming.
I mean, come on. There’s no way I woke up this easily after an all-night gaming session. And if I’m seeing Terraria mechanics in real life, then clearly—
I’m dreaming about playing Terraria again.
Sweet!
Oh, and it’s a lucid dream! Or whatever it’s called.
Which means I get to play Terraria while I sleep in real life and completely ignore my responsibilities!
Amazing!
I focused on my hotbar and immediately noticed something odd. My character wasn’t decked out in the end-game gear I had before logging off last night. Instead, I had the default starting equipment.
The usual:
- Copper Shortsword
- Copper Pickaxe
- Copper Axe
Each item had a random modifier, which could either buff or nerf them.
I checked my Copper Shortsword first.
Annoying Copper Shortsword
- Damage: 5
- Knockback: Weak
- Critical Chance: 4%
- Use Time: Fast
- Modifier: Annoying (-20% Damage, -15% Speed)
Ah, great. I rolled the worst possible version.
Shrugging, I checked the other tools.
Copper Pickaxe
- Damage: 5
- Knockback: Weak
- Critical Chance: 4%
- Use Time: Fast
- Bonus: -1 Range
Copper Axe
- Damage: 5
- Knockback: Weak
- Critical Chance: 4%
- Use Time: Fast
- Bonus: -1 Range
Not the worst start, but definitely not the best. The Copper Shortsword was canonically garbage, so I’d replace it with a Wooden Broadsword as soon as possible. Any bad modifier on it didn’t really matter since it wasn’t sticking around for long.
Alright. Priorities.
- Gather wood.
- Build a house.
- Survive hordes of enemies.
- Get a wife.
- Start a family.
...Okay, the last two were a lie—I’m a gamer, not a realist.
With my priorities set, I approached the nearest tree and stood before it, glaring menacingly.
If looks could deal passive damage, this tree would have already chopped itself down.
… Hmm.
How do I equip my axe? It was just sitting in my hotbar—how do I actually hold it?
The moment I thought about equipping it, the Copper Axe materialized in my hand.
My mouth fell open.
This is amazing.
Excited, I adjusted my grip, getting into position to chop the tree down. But before I could start—
An idea struck me.
If I could equip something just by thinking about it, then... shouldn't I be able to equip a second weapon in my other hand?
In the original game, dual-wielding wasn’t possible. You could only hold one item at a time. But here?
I thought about equipping my Copper Shortsword in my free hand.
It immediately materialized.
I froze.
Jaw? Dropped.
Oh. My. God.
I CAN DUAL-WIELD.
Like a certain anime protagonist!
Excitement surged through me, but before I could get carried away, something caught my eye.
Slimes.
A small group of green slimes hopped in the distance, bouncing harmlessly through the grass.
I wanted to fight them—badly. But I needed a better sword first. The Copper Shortsword was infamous for being the worst weapon in the game, so I’d hold off until I had a Wooden Broadsword.
Reluctantly, I un-equipped the Shortsword and refocused on my original plan.
Time to chop some trees.
10 Minutes Later
"TIMBERRRR!"
Another tree—another victim of my axe—collapsed to the ground.
The moment it hit the dirt, it broke apart into wood items and automatically transferred into my inventory.
I pulled up my inventory screen, and just like that, a blue interface appeared in front of me. It displayed:
- My inventory slots
- A crafting menu
- My armor and accessory slots (which were currently empty)
I grinned.
This game-like system was getting better by the second.
After chopping down trees for a while, I had finally stockpiled over 500 wood and a handful of saplings.
Truth be told, I had gathered way more than I actually needed. Normally, I’d stop at 200 or 300 wood before building a house, but since it was still early morning, I figured—why not? Might as well grab extra materials while I had the time.
But now that I had enough resources...
LET’S GO EXPLORING!
Before heading out, I crafted a Workbench from the crafting menu and placed it on the ground. It looked like a small, slightly wide wooden stool, nothing fancy, but functional.
Now, about my weapon situation…
The Copper Shortsword was a joke. Sure, it was faster, but its pathetic range and weak knockback made it practically useless. The Wooden Broadsword, on the other hand, was larger, stronger, and actually pushed enemies back.
So yeah, I was making one immediately.
I went to craft it—but then something strange happened.
A new option appeared in the crafting menu.
Modifier Selection.
Oh. My. God.
This. Was. A. GAME-CHANGER.
In the base game, modifiers were random—if you got a bad one, you either sucked it up or crafted the weapon again until you got lucky. Later in the game, you could reroll modifiers through the Goblin Tinkerer NPC, but that wouldn’t happen for a long time.
But now?
I could choose my modifier right from the start.
Of course, there was a catch.
Higher-tier modifiers increased the crafting cost by a certain percentage, while lower-tier ones reduced it.
For example, if a weapon cost 10 wood, using the best modifier would increase the cost by 20%—making it 12 wood instead. Meanwhile, a bad modifier would lower the cost.
Normally, I’d have to gamble on getting a good modifier. But not anymore.
I immediately selected the best possible modifiers:
- Legendary for the Wooden Broadsword (best for melee).
- Unreal for the Wooden Bow (best for ranged).
The moment I thought about crafting them, the weapons instantly materialized in my hands.
This system is amazing.
I barely had to lift a finger—it just happened.
Legendary Wooden Broadsword:
- Damage: 7
- Knockback: Weak
- Critical Chance: 4%
- Use Time: Fast
- Modifier Bonuses:
- +15% Damage
- +10% Speed
- +5% Critical Chance
- +10% Size
- +15% Knockback
Unreal Wooden Bow:
- Damage: 4
- Knockback: None
- Critical Chance: 4%
- Use Time: Average
- Modifier Bonuses:
- +15% Damage
- +10% Speed
- +5% Critical Chance
- +10% Size
- +15% Knockback
I let out a low whistle.
These stats were solid.
…Well, kind of.
The modifiers were great, but the base numbers were still terrible. At best, this would make killing slimes slightly easier.
That is, if this world was running on Expert Mode.
In Terraria, higher difficulties only meant stronger enemies—not a huge deal for a veteran like me, but still annoying for early-game survival.
I sighed.
Welp. Guess I’d find out soon enough.
I closed my inventory screen—and immediately noticed a green slime soaring straight at my face.
Oh.
Oh, that’s not good.
The first thing any seasoned veteran like me would do in a situation like this was…
Scream like a little bitch.
Which is exactly what I did.
"GAH—!"
The slime smacked me dead-on, its gooey body squishing against my face. The force actually knocked my head back a little.
-22
I froze.
Wait.
Did I just take damage?
But—hold on.
It… it didn’t hurt?
Oh, right! This is a dream! Of course, I wouldn’t feel pain!
HAHA!
I looked at the floating damage number.
-22.
Wait… that’s double what a slime normally does.
Meaning…
Oh, hell no.
I was definitely in Expert Mode.
As long as this wasn’t Master Mode, I’d be fine. I could handle this.
Either way—this slime was about to witness the combat power of a veteran who has watched years of anime.
With a dramatic flourish, I unsheathed my Legendary Wooden Broadsword and pointed it at the slime.
"Omae wa mou shindeiru," I declared confidently, channeling my inner anime protagonist.
{Author's note: 'Omae wa mou shindeiru.' Means 'You are already dead.'}
Then I started flailing the sword around like a kid in the park who just found the perfect stick.
The slime responded in the only logical way possible—
By lunging at my face again.
Panic immediately set in. I fumbled, barely managing to put my sword between me and the slime in a desperate attempt to block.
[New Skill Unlocked: Parry]
A notification popped up on the bottom-left of my vision.
I blinked.
Wait…
Did I just parry a slime?!
If I could parry, then the next step was obvious.
Counterattack!
I immediately kicked the slime to push it back, and a -4 floated above it.
No hesitation—I followed up with an overhead strike.
-9
[New Skill Unlocked: Counter]
[New Skill Unlocked: Sword Mastery (Lvl: 1)]
Hell yeah!
I didn’t have time to process the new skills, but this felt amazing!
Only a few more hits to go.
The slime jumped again.
This time, I ducked and let it sail over me. As it landed behind me, I spun around with a 360 no-scope horizontal slash.
-7
This is FUN!
Have you ever swung a giant sword and just obliterated something?
Because let me tell you—this feels GREAT.
Unfortunately, I got too caught up in the moment.
The slime jumped at me again.
I didn’t react in time.
-21
It slammed into my stomach, and a weird, choked noise escaped my mouth. I stumbled back a step, but—
No pain.
Still a dream. Still fine.
Recovering quickly, I brought my sword down in a decisive strike, slicing the slime clean in half.
It melted into a green puddle, then vanished into the ground.
A silver coin and two green gels popped out of its remains and automatically went into my inventory.
I checked my health bar.
57 HP left.
From one slime.
This sucks.
One basic enemy just took half my HP.
I refused to blame this on my own lack of skill. No, no—this was clearly because I had no armor.
…Definitely not my own stupidity.
Still—those skills I unlocked.
I needed to check them ASAP.
But how?
Was it like my inventory? Did I just think out loud and it would appear?
I decided to test it.
"Open Skills Menu."
The moment I thought it—
A blue screen flashed into view, listing all my skills.