Kalen woke to birdsong and the sharp, green scent of spring.
A moment ago—or maybe a lifetime—he’d been somewhere else; Bedroom walls. The dull glow of a dark-mode screen. The quiet churn of a desk fan in a room that hadn't seen sunlight in days.
Then: white light, static noise, nothing. Now: damp earth, grass brushing his cheek, something.
He sat up, body sluggish but whole. "Okay," he rasped. "Definitely not in my room."
The clearing around him looked like it had been ordered straight out of a Starter Pack? catalogue: a ring of old-growth trees, sunbeam spotlights through the canopy, wildflowers scattered like loot drops—and absolutely no other people. Just nature, being aggressively peaceful.
He stood, testing his balance. No injuries or aches. Good enough. A quick check of his pockets and they turned up empty. His outfit was genre-appropriate: dark tunic, hemp trousers cinched with cord, travel boots. Sturdy. Low-level. RPG-basics.
“Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s get this out of the way.”
He held out his hand, palm up. Nothing. He squinted. Still nothing.
"Hmm… Status."
A soft ding echoed in his ears as a glowing window bloomed in the air in front of him.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Kalen Hayes
Age: 19. Height: 178. Weight: 78kg.
Race: HumanClass: —
Subclass: —
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
Health: 10/10
Stamina: 10/10
Mana: —
Title: —
Affinity: —
Skills:
[Physicality I]
[Observe I]
[Unassigned Skill Slot ×3]
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Orbs:
[Unassigned Orb Slot, Lesser ×1]
Kalen let out a low whistle. “It’s official. I’ve finally been isekai’d.”
Unlike clueless protagonists he’d read about by the dozen, Kalen had a head start. He knew the tropes in and out. He understood the structure, the design. He wasn’t just genre-savvy—he was system-savvy.
“Observe,” he said, pointing at himself. A smaller window opened with a soft chime.
Kalen Hayes
Level 1 Human
Slightly disoriented, but mentally adaptable. Currently undergoing transitional stabilization.
Note: Subject displays early cognitive acclimation to systemic framework.
Potential for Advancement: High.
"Nice to know the system believes in me," he chuckled, then turned in a slow circle.
The forest wasn’t threatening. If anything, it was too calm. Birds chirped. Leaves rustled. No goblins were popping out of obscured hovels. But there—on the trunk of a larger tree—something faint awaited: a marking etched into bark.
“Definitely a quest hook,” Kalen said under his breath.
He stepped forward, careful. When his fingers brushed the sigil, another ding rang in his ears and a new window appeared.
Quest Initiated: The First Trial
You are a fresh soul in a strange land. To survive, you must claim a class. Seek the Tome of Fate in the Old Forest Ruin, and prove your worth.
Objective: Find the Tome.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Class Selection (Tier 1)
Failure Penalty: —
Quest Difficulty: Basic
Note: System guidance temporarily available. Use [Guide] function if lost.
“Oh hell yeah.” Kalen grinned. “Just triggered tutorial time.”
He turned toward the forest’s deeper shadows—pathways between trunks branching out in a multitude of choices. The system might have branded him a lone stranger in a new world—but he wasn’t helpless. He was a reader. A planner. A min-maxer. Someone had supplied him with a character sheet and he owed them the universe.
Let’s power-game our way to the top!
“Guide,” he called with intent. “I’m lost already.”
For a few seconds, a translucent arrow shimmered mid-air. It pointed in a direction.
“Guess I’m going that way, then.” He took a few steps into the gloom. “Guide.”
The arrow reappeared, dutiful and unfazed.
Kalen let a sly smile slip across his face. Then tilted back his head and shouted into the treetops above:
“No point in me try-hard'ing when you hand me the kingdom-keys, eh?”
Still, it suited him well enough. Easy-modes were auto-accepted, as long as there wasn’t EXP-penalties attached.
