Cold I feel cold that is all I feel. Why is that all that I feel, why am I wet. Did I have an accident, no that can’t be it I’m not some toddler peeing in my bed. What is that smell, is that salt why do I smell salt in my bedroom. "I shivered uncontrollably, the biting cold seeping through my wet clothes. Panic welled up as I lay on the unfamiliar beach, the sound of waves crashing against the shore echoing in my ears. This couldn't be real. The last thing I remember was watching TV in my dingy apartment just moments ago.
I slowly pushed myself up, grains of sand sticking to my wet face. As I turned to face the vast ocean, I couldn't help but marvel at the breathtaking view. The beach stretched out endlessly, the sand sparkling like a million diamonds under my feet. The cool breeze ruffled my hair, and for a moment, I forgot to be terrified.
After the small moment of peace questions began to flood my mind. How did I end up here? Was I kidnapped? But this wasn't how I imagined a kidnapping. No creepy guy in a dungeon telling me to put the lotion on the skin or it gets the hose again. Instead, it felt strangely serene, almost like a twisted vacation.
Struggling to my feet, I wobbled and fell back down. 'I guess I don't have sea legs,' I groaned, brushing sand off my clothes. With a determined shout “MAXIMUM EFFORT!!!!”, I managed to stand, albeit unsteadily.
As I turned away from the ocean and faced the lush forest behind me, I was taken aback by the sheer beauty of this place. Tall palm trees cast long shadows over the golden beach, and the sun glistened on the calm sea. Birds chirped merrily, and the world seemed alive with color and life.
“I am definitely not in Kansas anymore” I say to myself. I take one step towards the beach, until I am stopped dead in my tracks by something that materialized before me —a touch screen hovering in the air. Tentatively, I extended a finger, and it passed right through the screen, causing it to shimmer and ripple.
'What the hell is this?' I whispered to myself, my heart pounding."
New Quest: [Explore the Dodola Island]
You have awoken on the Dodola Island. Explore the area to discover more and also more importantly don’t die.
Objective: Explore Dodola Island 0/1.
Reward: Skill gain (Instant Camp Fire)
"This looks just like a video game menu,” I say, excitement bubbling within me.
Amidst the surreal backdrop of the beach, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. 'Am I in a video game? This is incredible! It's like the best day of my life!' I jumped for joy, feeling like a kid who had just discovered a hidden treasure.
But then came the realization that I had no idea how to close the menu. I couldn't see any buttons or options. Just as I thought about it, the system message disappeared. 'Well, that's convenient,' I mused. Now, how about opening it again?
'Open,' I said tentatively. Nothing happened. I tried a more playful approach, 'Video game thingy, open sesame.' I chuckled at my own absurdity. 'Why would that work? God, I'm an idiot.'
I gathered my thoughts, 'System, open.' Like magic, the system menu reappeared in front of me. 'Easy enough.'
The main menu displayed a diagram of myself with six tabs at the top: Stats, Skills, Inventory, Crafting, Quests, and Map.
'Well, this is weird. It really does feel like a video game,' I muttered to myself. 'And I have skills. I wonder if I can get some cool magic skills. Just call me Merlin the Great.”
You have chosen the name of Merlin the Great
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[Confirm Y/N]
“NO NO NO NO NO NO NO a thousand times NO” I shout at the screen. “My name is Miles Egan”
You have chosen the name of Miles Egan
[Confirm Y/N]
I tap the yes icon and the pop-up menu closes. “Thank God, it let me confirm I would want to kill myself if this thing started calling me Merlin the Great, alright so let’s get into this thing”. I tap the stats screen and it flashes into a separate screen.
STATS:
Name: Miles Egan
Class: Waste of Skin
Health: 10/10
MP: 10/10
Stamina: 15/15
“Wait what’s this mean waste of skin; oh god please don’t tell me this system is a Dick”
ATK: 6
DEF: 5
INT: 3
RES: 4
HIT: 10
SPD: 11
RESISTANCE:
N/A
“Pretty decent on just starting out, but what is with the 3 in intelligence is this thing trying to tell me I’m stupid, and N/A for resistance why even say anything at all stupid thing” I say as I throw my hands in the air. “Well lets carry on with the rest of the tabs”, I move my hands over to Skills.
SKILLS:
Basic Crafting
Burst of Speed
Bulls Eye Shot
Will to Survive
“Just four skills, that sucks, but I guess I shouldn’t complain it could have just said N/A for everything, I wonder what these skills do” I move my hand towards basic crafting.
***Basic Crafting***
Gives the ability to create basic Items, what did you think it was going to say!
“Yep, that settles it, this system is a dick” I sigh. “Well moving on then” I wave my hand over the next skill.
***Burst of Speed***
Due to SPD stat exceeding +10 thresholds.
Run faster than normal at the expense of stamina.
“Not bad, I wonder if there is a way to increase my other stats and then maybe I’ll get some cool skills on those stats as well”
*** Bulls Eye Shot***
MP Cost: Depends on distance of target
Due to HIT stat exceeding +10 threshold.
Ability to hit target without the need to aim and adds 10% chance of landing a critical hit.
“Hmmm lets see how this works” I say as I pick up a rock, and take a look towards a nearby palm tree that’s about 50 feet away. “Bulls Eye Shot”. I shout as the rock flings out of my hand at an incredible speed as it lands on the nearby palm tree. I walk over to the tree and see a gash in the tree.
“That’s not too bad, but how much MP did that cost, look at me talking like a video game character”
MP: 9/10
“I need to test out how much MP it’ll cost the further back I go, but I can do that later, I still have one more skill to check out”. I move my hand towards to the last skill.
***Will to Survive***
Allows the User a higher chance to avoid direct, fatal injuries and live to fight another day.
“That’s a skill I will not be testing out, because A what if it’s a one and done kind of skill, and B the injury will still hurt and lets just say I’m a big supporter of not getting hurt.”
“Alright what’s next” I point my finger at the Inventory tab and a 10x10 grid like pattern screen shows up with three of the cells glowing.
Inventory:
[PJ Shirt]
[PJ Bottoms]
[Basic Watch]
“Hey this watch isn’t basic it’s a genuine Casio wristwatch”
[Basic Watch]
[YA BASIC CASIO WRISTWATCH]
“Did this system just mock me, whatever at least its entertaining at least” I let out a little chuckle. “I wonder if this thing can store stuff just like in a video game”, I pick up another rock and shove it through the screen. The rock disappears and another cell glows on the inventory grid.
[Basic rock]
“I wonder what would happen if I put 10 rocks in there would it take up 10 spots or would it just take one spot” I pick up 2 more rocks and shove them in the inventory screen.
[Basic rock x 3]
“That answers that, I wonder if its infinite or if there is a limit to it” I pick up rock after rock and shove it into the inventory screen.
[Basic rock x 20]
[Basic rock x 1]
“It seems like 20 items are the limit, its better than nothing though” I think out loud. Off in the distance I hear trees rustling. “Oh please let it be people and please let them be friendly”. After staring at the trees rustling for a few more minutes the tree noises were getting faster and louder until an ape like monster emerged from the trees. The Ape was standing up and it looked to be around eight feet tall and looked to weigh around three hundred pounds. Its eyes were large and glowed red, its body was covered with orange fur and it had very long forearms. “ROOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRR” the monster screamed as it ran towards me.
New Emergency Quest: [Escape or Defeat the Red Eyed Torment Ape]
Don’t die to your first monster
Objective: Escape or defeat the Red Eyed Torment Ape 0/1.
Reward for Escape: Permanent +2 SPD Stat
Reward for Defeat: Permanent +2ATK, +2DEF, and New Skill
Penalty: Death
“Definitely not friendly, F#@K my life”