I Can Only Cultivate In A Game

Victor wandered through the strange, twisted version of the ancient grove with his boots crunching softly on decaying leaves and moss-covered earth.

The world around him looked like the ancient grove, but everything felt wrong. The trees seemed older, darker, more distorted, like twisted memories of what they once were.

The ones in the original ancient groves were made out of arms but this one was made of decaying corpses.

Mist hung in the air like a choking shroud, and time felt loose, as if minutes stretched into hours.

It had already been a full day since he'd realized he was trapped. Every direction he explored only led him deeper into endless paths of shadowed woodlands.

Notifications had long since faded, leaving only silence in his mind. No hidden quests. No guidance. Only the message burned into his vision: "You have entered an altered realm of the ancient grove. To escape, find and confront the one who forged this realm or convince them to undo it."

Victor rubbed his temples with a look of exhaustion crawling behind his eyes. "Who the hell even are you?" he muttered to no one while spinning slowly to scan the fog.

He hadn't eaten. He hadn't slept. Not that he needed either here, but the mental toll was mounting.

Because he didn't want to log out until he dealt with this issue.

He had walked in a full circle more than once. Structures repeated. Trees reappeared. Once, he passed a fallen boulder with his old footprints next to it three times.

The realm wasn't just looping—it was playing with him.

---

Meanwhile, outside the true ancient grove, Elder Mo stood at the boundary line with his brows furrowed and lips pressed into a tight line.

Tarkos hovered nearby with his arms crossed and a visible look of frustration.

"We saw him. He was nearly out," Tarkos growled. "Then that damned grove twisted itself and swallowed him whole."

Elder Mo crouched down and ran his fingers over the boundary stone. His expression was grim. "I felt it. The aura twisted. Something ancient was invoked... something forbidden. This isn't just a backlash from the grove's resistance."

Tarkos frowned. "Then what could it be?"

"I don't know. But whatever is responsible... wants Fang Chen to stay inside. Permanently."

Tarkos cracked his knuckles. "Then we break him out."

"It's not that simple," Elder Mo replied. "This is a soul-anchored trap, layered into the grove's spatial folds. Trying to force our way in could collapse the space entirely. We'd lose him for good. Not to mention, we can't entirely be sure that he is in there."

"Then what can we do? Wait for him to figure it out?"

Elder Mo nodded slowly. "Yes. But we can still help. We'll scan the boundary and set up a locator array. Maybe we can pinpoint the exact dimensional offset and communicate with him. Or find out more about what is responsible for this."

---

Back in the false grove, Victor dragged his sword through the muck, frowning deeply. "Still no signs of danger," he muttered.

For a place supposedly corrupted, it was eerily docile. He had tried to bait monsters, explored ruins, and even climbed a dead tree to scout from above.

None of the eerie looking creatures were interested in him. It was almost like they didn't see him.

No enemies... Just endless walking and subtle whispers of despair in the wind.

Then it hit him.

"Why is nothing trying to kill me?" he muttered. "No matter how much I bait them, none of the creatures here have even tried to attack me back..."

"Maybe this realm was designed this way to prevent death because only death can eject me..." It suddenly clicked in Victor's head.

Even traps that were supposed to cause damage didn't...

Victor believed all he needed to do now was find a way to die but the thought put some fear in him.

Even though it was just a game, everything was too realistic here so he felt the pain everytime he died. To make matters worse, he had never tried to intentionally die...

He growled. "Fine. I'll force it."

His first attempt was simple.

He found a rocky slope and hurled himself off it.

Crack.

"Ouch!"

He landed with a thud but his body had become too sturdy so a fall from that height barely dealt him any damage.

"Fuck, I'm not doing that again..."

But after a while of sitting around, Victor got off his feet. "I can't remain trapped in here..."

Next, he provoked a nearby blackened beast—a wolf with smoky fur and six glowing eyes. It snarled once, then trotted away like Victor was beneath it.

"Oh come on," Victor groaned.

He tried setting fire to his robes and standing inside the flames. The fire licked at his skin, but the heat quickly fizzled out, as if something in the realm refused to let it burn properly.

He climbed the tallest twisted tree and flung himself from the top.

The impact shook him to his core.

He got up five minutes later with a sore shoulder and aching back.

Still alive.

"Committing suicide is difficult..."

---

At the grove's boundary, Elder Mo poured over a floating array disk filled with runes.

"His presence is still traceable... just faint," Elder Mo said. "Perhaps I can locate him with this."

Tarkos grunted. "He's stubborn. He won't back down until he figures it out."

"Let's hope he doesn't figure it out the wrong way," Elder Mo muttered.

---

Victor stood in front of a large dark wall with bloodshot eyes and tattered clothing.

"No monsters. No fire. No fall. No trap. Nothing can kill me here. Not even the realm wants me dead."

He paused.

"Which means there's only one way left."

He drew his sword. The same one he'd fought with through countless battles.

His companion...

His symbol of strength.

"I really hope this works."

With a deep breath, Victor pointed the blade at his chest.

"See you soon, guys."

He shoved the blade through his heart.

[ You Have Died ]

---

[ Respawning... ]

A flicker of light surrounded Victor's body as he returned to consciousness.

[ You Died ]

[ Respawning... ]

[ Cultivation has dropped to 1% - Nascent Soul Realm ]

Victor groaned in frustration upon seeing the notification flickering across his vision like a slap to the face.

He had respawned back in this abridged version of the ancient groves.

His energy was restored, his body was whole but he failed to escape.

Now he wondered why everything here wasn't trying to kill him. What was the whole point of that?

"System," he barked while rubbing his temples. "Status."

[ Status: Avatar Trapped. Exit Restricted. You must destroy or disable the creator of the abridged grove to leave. ]

Victor cursed under his breath. All this time he had thought suicide might reset his position, boot him out of this space. But no—it was all for nothing. He was still stuck, like a rat in a glass cage.

Before he could vent further, laughter rang across the expanse. It was shrill, sharp, feminine.

"Did you really think that would work, transmigrator? I knew you would do something stupid like that, thank you for the entertainment." the voice called out mockingly. "I am not letting you leave until the seals weaken and my master is free."

Victor's eyes narrowed. "Huh? Who the hell are you? What master?"

The voice answered. "My master is one of the Corrupt Immortals who was sealed beyond the gate for over two thousand years."

Victor blinked. "Two thousand? Damn... that means you're an old hag."

The voice instantly paused...

"WHAT?! I am not an old hag! I am young and beautiful!"

Victor grinned wickedly. "Sure, sure. That must explain why you're hiding. Let me guess... skin peeling, teeth rotting? I bet you look like an ancient mummy soaked in vinegar."

"You insolent brat!"

"No, really. Is that why you won't show yourself?" Victor continued while putting a hand to his ear mockingly. "Too much sag in the wrong places?"

The voice was practically seething. "I AM YOUNG! TWO THOUSAND YEARS IS NOT A LOT!!"

Victor laughed. "Oh, then you're barely a fossil. My mistake."

Suddenly, a figure materialized in the distance.

It was a petite and beautiful lady with dark auburn hair, pale skin, and glowing amber eyes. She was clad in elaborate red robes that marked with strange symbols.

"See? I'm pret—"

She didn't even get to finish before Victor appeared in front of her.

A sudden gust of air blew her hair wildly as his hand gripped her neck.

BOOM!

He slammed her into the ground, cracking the rocky earth beneath them.

"Tell me how to exit this place or I snap your neck," Victor growled with his eyes emitting a silver glow.

The girl writhed beneath him with a surprised and horrified look. "If you kill me, you'll never leave this place!"

Victor's eyes narrowed. "Let's put that to the test."

With a flick of his wrist, he hurled her high into the air. Mid-flight, he formed a palm strike infused with wind qi and sent it crashing into her chest.

A boom followed as blood spewed from her mouth.

Before she hit the ground, Victor reappeared above her with a burst of void energy and drove his fist into her face.

She plummeted downward, slammed into the stone floor and carved a small crater into the ground.

Dust and stones swept across the terrain.

Victor landed with both feet on her chest, pinning her down.

"Last. Chance."