NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Dead Drunk
Chapter 1: Dead Drunk
"My God, my head hurts."
He groaned softly as he felt a sudden piercing headache ,wrapping his head with his hands.
Opening his eyes, his legs feel numb, seemingly not able to move.
William laid on a damp ground, his clothes slightly wet. His black hair covered with dirt from the ground, his black eyes sore and red, his light brown skin covered with food crumbs, sticking to his skin.
He rolled his body right side up.
He tried to grasp what his current situation he was in.
'Where the hell am I?'
Upon realization, Will was in an alleyway, trash clattered around the place, smoke coming out of the sewers, and drops of water dripping down from the back of an air conditioner.
He blinked repeatedly.
'How did I even get here in the first place?'
The ground was moist, he felt a gooey texture as he continually motioned his hands up and down against the ground.
William had the urge to vomit, the first thing he thought of was finding a restroom.
He couldn't move a single inch, his body screaming in agony, he attempted to stand up, but his legs gave out.
Having no choice left, he crawled to a nearby trash bag and threw up inside it.
'What am I doing to myself? How did I even get here? Was I that drunk? I didn't know alcohol can make me this forgetful…' He massaged his temples
'Try to remember William, where were you the night before.'
.....
In his memory, he was siting at a coach reading a novel in his phone.
"Hey guys I have an idea!" A boy with yellow strip hair and natural black hair appeared before his vision.
"What is it this time man?" Another boy appeared in his memory, having brown skin and black hair, he was taller than most of them.
"Why don't we throw ourselves a graduation party?"
"Shit, alright," The taller boy smirked at the idea, "What do you plan on doing man".
"How about we go party at Damian's place?"
The other boy in the corner with blonde ponytail furrowed his eyebrows.
"Why my place again?" he groaned.
"Cause, my place is kinda crowded with my stuff, Andy's place is small and so is Will's place."
"Don't you even dare throw a party at my place Lee," he jokingly growled.
"So, what do you say Damian?"
"I don't know guys, don't you think something might happen to us?"
"Pssh, like what?"
"Uhm-"
"You can't think of an excuse can you?" Lee smirked.
Damian sighed in frustration, "Fine... But we should clean up the day after."
"Hell yeah!"
.....
'I finally remembered now.'
William and his 3 friends were having a graduation after party, finally having the time of their lives. After those harboring hours they had to do— from studying for exams to doing various activities to get excellent grades.
After all those struggles, they managed to graduate on top of their class. Receiving the awards and recognition they deserved, they planned a party for themselves.
Although the place was small, it had a cozy atmosphere with a variety of activities to enjoy.
They partied hard, from gaming to drinking, experiencing different parts of enjoying life as much as possible before they go their separate ways.
They talked about what they wanted to do after the party while drinking shots of liquor.
And look at what it got him into.
'7 shots is my limit, after that I think I'm going to pass out….'
Attempting to stand up once more, his legs shaking, he steadied himself with the support of the wall, the taste of alcohol still lingering in his mouth.
Crash! Crash!
He suddenly collapsed to the ground with a hoarse yelp, his throat sore. A loud bang echoed from the dumpster nearby—too loud to be a stray animal. It was probably a homeless person rummaging through the trash.
With his guard up, Will spoke, his voice struggling, "Who's there?"
The rummaging came to a halt, whoever it was inside of there took notice of him.
"Will, is that you?"
A young man emerged from the dumpster, he was the same age as Will, his hair black and his hair strip had shades of amber yellow, had black eyes, eye bags apparent on his face.
He was smiling at Will, the young man jumped out of the dumpster, covered with stains, his clothes in ruins. He attempted to hug Will, but his attempt failed after Will distanced himself from him.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Will exclaimed.
"Wow, harsh bro.. Is this how you greet someone a good morning?"
"No, you're covered in trash dude," Will's gaze trailed off, "And aren't you too care free, Lee? We're currently somewhere for who knows where are at."
Lee blinked, his eyes currently sore and red. The mixture of rotten food and alcohol permeated from him.
He was in the same situation as Will, but unfortunately, he woke up inside the dumpster, he grimaced then replied while rubbing his eyes.
"Bro, I don't even know what happened after I went to Damian's bathroom."
Lee sighed.
"Both of us don't even know where we at right now." Lee scratched the back of his head, "I mean like I don't even know any alleyways near Damian's place."
Massaging his forehead, Will looked around once more. His vision was quite blurry, he tried to rub his eyes as if trying to make it better, but to his attempt, it made no difference.
"Have you seen Andy or Damian?"
Lee shook his head.
Will's tongue made a sharp sound, his teeth pressed into his thumb, tension tightening in his jaw.
"Shit…. I can't move right now."
"I can't carry you either bro."
Will's chest swelled, a soft groan escaping as his shoulders slumped.
"Just wait for me to sober up."
…..
Finally out of the alley, they emerged into an unfamiliar place. It was a futuristic sight, towering skyscrapers with a modern era feel to it.
Unfortunately, the place was in desolation. The buildings were in shambles, windows shattered, walls crumbling as if a natural disaster had swept through.
In the middle of the road lay a massive crater, its edges jagged and raw. Stains of red and black splattered around the area, from the stains alone, it seemed that the events just happened recently.
At the middle of the road, there was big crater with a lifeless disfigured monster lay in it, the corpse was covered with different kinds of wounds, its insides spilling out. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and acrid tang of burning metal.
"What the hell?!"
"Oh my God!"
Will's face paled, his eyes wide, while Lee's mouth parted in awe, both frozen before the sight that defied reality.
"The hell's going on?" Will quivered.
Lee's reaction to the situation however was however different.
"It's something like out of the movies. Maybe this is just one of those movie sets, bro." Lee curiously approached the corpse, looking at it in fascination.
"How much budget did they have to get the place to look like this? And better yet, look at that monster on the road, you can see the realistic details too. Oh, I wonder what's the movie called!"
Lee squirmed like a little girl, a grin creeping across his face. His fingers twitched, already reaching for his phone as the discovery lit a spark in his eyes.
"Oh wait, shit, I don't even have my phone!"
Will looked around the place. Although the thought of this being a movie seemed to be suspicious.
It was impossible for them to move out of town being dead drunk.
Let alone, they would have been informed about a movie being filmed here since gossip around their school spread like wildfire.
"I don't think this place is safe. People would've been working here, preparing the set all day."
"Yeah, I'm kinda confused too. Did they cancel the filming, or are they on break?"
Will looked at his friend with worry, "regardless, we shouldn't be here."
Suddenly, the corpse began to tremble, emitting an eerie, rhythmic sound, It was like the rapid pulsation of liquid, accelerating with each beat.
Will's eyes widened. "Hey, get out of there!" His grip tightened around his friend's hand, pulling sharply, eyes wide and heart racing as a silent alarm surged through him.
They sprinted toward a partially intact building.
Inside, they ducked down, hands clamped over their ears, bracing for the inevitable.
The corpse detonated, sending a viscous ooze splattering across the area. The acidic substance hissed as it slowly ate through the concrete.
They exchanged glances, wide-eyed and silent, each trying to make sense of the chaos that had just unfolded.
"The hell was that?!" Lee shouted, confused.
"Did I trigger something to make it explode like that!?"
William was silent for a while, processing what had just happened.
'What the hell happened? Why'd we wake up in some random alley? And is this seriously a movie set or something? It's already noon—there's no way people haven't seen us lying here like this.'
"Lee, we need to get out of here, something doesn't feel right."
"Why? We just got here bro, I want to look around more." Lee grabbed his hand, not moving an inch on his current position.
He was acting like a curious kid, wanting to explore the Zoo more after seeing amazing stunts the animals performed during a talent show.
"Don't you want to know the recruited actors? It could be Dwane Johnson or Keanu Reeves."
'You're such a kid!'
"Fine, let's look around that area." Will pointed at the skyscraper. 'There might be some people there that could help us out. I'll try to talk to them if they could help us get back home.'
….
Two police officers cruised the streets in their patrol vehicle, the night air thick with the remnants of last night's chaos.
"We caught two boys dead drunk on the streets last night. Kids these days, pushing their limits," one officer muttered, taking a sip of his steaming coffee. He glanced at his partner. "I get it, my daughter's their age, hanging out, experimenting... but those two went too far. They're way too young to be drinking and ending up unconscious in the streets!"
His partner nodded, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, but I know you would also try alcohol too when we were their age, but in all honesty I hope those boys are alright, they have a very high chance of being infected by the Nightmare Spell, especially in a place like this."
The officer slowly glanced at his cup, his expression mournful. "Yeah, in a place like this…"
Their conversation was abruptly cut off by a deafening explosion. The officers snapped to attention, urgency electrifying the air. They sped towards the source, sirens wailing.
He grabbed the wire communicator as fast as he could. "Calling for a nearby awakened, at the east area outside of the outskirts."
Moments later, after the call, they spotted two boys, disheveled and dirty, walking as if they have no care in the world.
'What are these boys—?!' The first officer muttered, patrol car's horn blared, commanding their attention.
"What are you boys doing here?" the officer shouted, eyes wide with concern. "This area's contaminated with Nightmare Creatures!"
"Nightmare Creatures?" Both of the boys said in unison.
"Get inside the car, we need to get you boys out of here, you boys might as well be infected by the nightmare spell."
The boy with yellow bangs glanced at his friend. He was in deep thought, he was about to interrupt him until he spoke up.
"Thank you officer for your concern, I hope you'll find an awakened to help us." The boy smiled wearily.
'What the fuck are you-' the boy with yellow bangs was about to retort until the boy elbowed him.
He was about to express anger until he saw the boy's expression telling him to remain silent.
"We'll talk later Lee, but first show some respect to the officers, they even risked their lives getting here." He jabbed a finger at his friend, voice low and intense, before glancing over his shoulder at the officers, tension creeping into his posture.
"Sorry, he can be a little childish sometimes but my friend here is the smartest guy I know, well… In terms of academics that is."
"I-is that so, well thank you young man, I appreciate your sincerity. It's rare to see polite kids this days."
Nervous laughter bubbled between them, Will clearing his throat and smoothing his shirt as he forced a polite smile , "We'll be getting inside the car now."
"Young man, do you mind telling me your name?" The officer pointed at himself, "my name is Walter and this is my partner Howard."
"My name is William and this is my friend Lee."
The officer's expression remained neutral as he inclined his head, his fingers motioning toward the vehicle with a clear command.
The boys exchanged quick glances before shuffling obediently toward the open door. As they climbed in, the officer's hand reached for the wired communicator, his gaze fixed on the dashboard, ready to relay his next orders.
"This is Officer Walter, patrolling near west side of the Outskirts, found two young boys, walking around the area. Requesting for nearby awakeneds to come to the nearest station."
….
On the ride towards the station, the police officers were talking to each other. While the two boys in the back of the vehicle lowered their heads, not trying to do anything unnecessary to get them in anymore trouble.
Will rested his elbows on his knees, his fingers pressed against his temples as he stared blankly ahead. A deep breath escaped him, and he closed his eyes briefly, seeking solace in the coolness of his palms.
'I can't believe it, we're really in Shadow Slave. And the thing we encountered was really a Nightmare Creature.'
He really was transported inside one the novels he read. But the problem was that the novel wasn't finish yet. He just finished reading the West Antartica Arc, and anymore than that he didn't know anymore knowledge of. Afterall, he didn't have time to bench read all of them, he could but he wanted to take it slow and enjoy the build up of the story. Its more enjoyable to take your time and completely understand the plot.
He considers this a boon and a curse, a boon because certain classified knowledge here doesn't affect you to the point of death. And he also considers this as a curse since even having a chance of survival is low, but he was confident with his skills. After all, he took Mix Martial Arts classes and also Stick related martial arts such as Arnis and Bōjutsu.
But with all this martial arts, can he even survive challenge the nightmare spell, but even though he did survive that could he even survive the First Nightmare.
But with all that being said, he was determined to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He had his friends on his side and his knowledge of the events that will happen in the novel.
Even though it's limited, it's enough to say that he may have a high chance of surviving all of this events, he just needed to constantly get stronger.
Lost in thought, his gaze wandered, eyes distant and unfocused. Then, a jolt—his body stiffened, shoulders jerking upward as his head snapped to the side. The hand on his shoulder lingered, the warmth a stark contrast to the chill that shot through his chest. He blinked rapidly, his friend's face coming into focus, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of their mouth.
Lee's skin was pale, shadows clinging beneath his eyes like bruises. His lips pressed together, thinning as if holding back words too heavy to speak. His brow furrowed, a faint twitch pulling at the corner of his mouth as his eyes, dull and tired. The crease deepened, hanging in the silence between them.
'Now that I look at him, he looks like he has a high chance of being infected. He looks like he's about to pass out. I wonder how much time we have left?
'I wonder what day it is? I need to know how long before the day of the winter solstice will arrive.'
Lee leaned in closer, his lips barely moving, the sound escaping like a breath rather than a word. His eyes flickered toward the officers, cautious, before returning to meet the gaze in front of him. The faint murmur blended into the background noise, barely enough to reach the officers' ears.
"Bro, I have a question."
Will gestured him to do so.
"Sure go ahead."
Lee calmed himself down, formulating his words in his mind what he wants to say.
"The officers asked us about being infected by something called the Nightmare Spell… You replied as if you know what's going on. Now, I might sound delusional when I say this but it's either that we got isekai'd to some fantasy world or am I just high and all of this are just an illusion in my mind?"
Will's lips twitched, his chest shaking almost imperceptibly. He pressed them together, trying to stifle a reaction, but a quiet chuckle slipped out anyway. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he shot a sideways glance, amusement flickering despite his best effort to hold it back.
"Yes, we've been transported into another." Will paused then continued, "and no, I doubt that any of us consumed something that crazy at the party."
"Shit, really? Which one?"
"It's something you don't know, since you don't like reading webnovels."
"What? That's kind of unfair, how come you only know this shit and I don't?!"
Lee's shoulders slumped, his eyes reflecting a deep, unspoken disappointment. His mind wandered to distant fantasies—wielding gleaming swords, infusing weapons with shimmering magic, his body growing stronger with every challenge, just like in the webtoons and mangas he consumed.
He could almost feel the weight of the blade in his hand, the rush of power coursing through him as he leveled up from defeating his foes.
Oh the bliss he would have felt, if he were reincarnated in one of those animes or mangas' he knew of. Everything would have been a breeze!
A heavy, frustrated sigh escaped his lips.
"So, can you tell me what novel we are in bro? Tell me the details, the important one's first. Especially the main character, what's he like?"
Will talked about the world building, power systems and the main casts. Since they don't have much time left to talk about everything, he only shared details about how to handle the nightmare spell. To make his explanations even more simpler, Will connected all of these informations into those Webtoons that he and Lee read from time to time.
Then he talked about Sunless, which he only shared details on how everyone else sees him.
As Will spoke, Lee's brow lifted ever so slightly, a familiar gleam in his eyes. He shifted in his seat, arms crossing casually, but the smirk playing at his lips gave him away. When Will paused, Lee leaned in, his tone slipping into that practiced ease. His hand waved dismissively in the air as he picked apart the protagonist's traits with precision, a wry chuckle underlining each point. His words, sharp but playful, hinted at how much he relished this—breaking down the character's tropes with the same casual air as if he were discussing an old habit.
"So basically he's a generic mc, who likes to keep things lowkey and likes to earn money for himself. So even though he has all those negative traits that people see on him, he's still a good hearted softy in the inside. He's like a sad loner who shows off if he wants to. An edge lord which he pretends to be an Alpha, but most of time as a beta?"
William blinked, baffled at his friend's response.
'I really don't know Sunnless quite well, since I haven't finished the novel yet, let alone the novel being finished. So, I guess his conjecture about him is right, I guess?…."
Will coughed awkwardly.
"I mean, you're not wrong. I guess you could say he's something like that. But, I guess you still need to get to know him better."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, I'm just basing my opinion on him from stereotypes." Lee paused then continued, "so when do we get to know him?"
"Well seeing that we look like this, I think we'll be heading off to our first nightmare spell. But…. I really don't know what date it is, so it's quite hard to tell….. Oh, and remember we will be fighting all alone, Lee. Can you handle yourself?"
Lee smirked, his excitement burning inside his heart. His inner 8th grade syndrome was about to be let out, but decided not to since he grew out from that.
"Yeah, I can handle myself. I feel the surge of confidence within me!" He silently yelled.
'Is he really going to be okay? I mean completely relying his entire lifeline on his experience of reading webtoons and mangas. But I guess he's going to be all right.'
Will's shoulders slumped, his breath escaping in a barely audible sigh. His gaze flicked toward Lee, lingering for a moment before his head dipped in a reluctant nod, as if surrendering to the inevitable.
Outside, the hum of the engine quieted, followed by the faint click of the car shifting gears. The vehicle rolled to a stop, and through the window, the looming outline of the station came into view. The officer in the front turned off the ignition, his hand already reaching for the door handle.
"We're here now boys, behave yourselves."