Chapter 2: The Status Screen

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Status Screen

"This is just a dream," Daniel panted, his legs burning as he sprinted through the sand. "This is just a dream. I will wake up any time soon. I will. Any time now."

The thumping footsteps behind him grew louder. He could hear the creature’s heavy breathing, could almost feel its hot breath on the back of his neck. He pushed himself harder, his lungs screaming for air.

Then, something strange happened. The sound of the footsteps grew louder, then suddenly began to fade. Daniel kept running, not daring to look back. It wasn’t until the noise had completely disappeared that he slowed down, gasping for breath, and turned his head.

The giant lizard was gone. It had run right past him. He watched its retreating form, its tail whipping behind it as it sprinted toward the horizon. It hadn’t been chasing him at all. It was running from something else.

Daniel looked up.

A shadow fell over him. It was massive, blocking out the sun. A bird. But not like any bird he had ever seen. Its wingspan was enormous, each feather the size of a surfboard. Its talons were long and curved, gleaming like polished daggers. Its eyes, sharp and golden, were fixed on the lizard.

Daniel didn’t think. He just ran. But he was too slow.

He felt the talons close around his shoulders, lifting him off the ground. The world spun as he was yanked into the air, the desert shrinking beneath him. He dangled helplessly, hundreds of feet above the ground, the wind whipping at his face.

The bird brought him up to its face. It tilted its head, studying him with one massive, golden eye. Daniel stared back, frozen in terror. Then the bird glanced down at the lizard, which was still sprinting across the desert. It looked back at Daniel. Then back at the lizard.

And then it dropped him.

Daniel screamed as he fell, the ground rushing up to meet him. He hit the sand hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He lay there for a moment, gasping, staring up at the sky. The bird was already flying away, its massive wings carrying it toward the lizard.

Daniel sat up slowly, spitting sand out of his mouth. He watched the bird swoop down and snatch the lizard in its talons, carrying it off into the distance. He should have been relieved. He was alive. But instead, a different emotion bubbled up inside him.

Insult.

He scrambled to his feet, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Hey!" he shouted at the retreating bird. "How dare you ignore me like that! Am way delicious than a lizard for god sake! Am not even that short, the lizard is just big!"

The bird paused mid-flight. It turned its head, those golden eyes locking onto Daniel once again. For a long, tense moment, it just stared at him.

Daniel’s bravado evaporated instantly. "Oh no."

He turned and ran.

---

One hour later, Daniel was still running. Or rather, he was stumbling. His legs were numb, his throat was raw, and his vision was starting to blur at the edges. The sun was still beating down on him, relentless and unforgiving. He had no idea where he was going. He had no idea if he was still being chased. He just knew he couldn’t stop.

But his body had other plans.

His foot caught on a ridge of sand, and he went down hard, face-first into the dune. He didn’t get up. He couldn’t. He just lay there, his cheek pressed against the hot sand, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Damn," he wheezed. "Where am I? Am going to die. And not a cool one. My status is..."

Before he could finish the sentence, something appeared in front of his face. A glowing, translucent screen, hovering in the air like a hologram. Daniel blinked, thinking he was hallucinating. But the screen didn’t disappear.

[Name: Daniel Black]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 1 (0%)]

[Class: Harem Overlord]

Strength: 7.1

Speed: 5.2

Free Points: None

[Skill: None]

[Quest: None]

Daniel stared at the screen. He read it once. Then he read it again. Then he let his head fall back onto the sand and let out a long, defeated groan.