As the morning sun rose over the horizon, its warm rays stirred Atsushi from his slumber. He stirred atop the sandy beach, grains of sand sticking to his skin. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, he gazed at his unfamiliar surroundings. Towering jungle trees stretched as far as the eye could see behind him while gentle waves lapped at the shore before him.

As Atsushi slowly stood, brushing sand from his simple outfit - a worn navy blue t-shirt fraying at the edges and forest green trousers practical for movement. On his feet were simple grey and green shoes, lacking any distinctive features but providing traction. As a breeze carried the fresh scents of nature to his nose, he scratched his messy brown hair and wondered aloud "What am I doing here? Where is this strange place?"

Before he could ponder further, a mechanical yet ominous voice answered directly into his mind. "Welcome, Outlander Atsushi Kurayami. Let us begin without further delay."

Atsushi started, glancing around for the source of the voice but finding nothing. As he looked, semi-transparent boxes appeared at the edges of his vision, showing his Name, Level, Health Points and other stats. It continued, "An interface will materialize offering your inventory. Select the wooden sword and face the beast ahead in the forest to lead your first quest."

Just as Atsushi opened his mouth to argue, a shimmering screen appeared floating before him. He leaned in, catching his blurry reflection beside listings for his name, age, gender and stats. Scrolling revealed an equip slot containing a basic wooden sword. With an involuntary twitch of his hand, roots arose from the earth forming a stand for the weapon

As Atsushi's fingers wrapped around the handle of the sword, testing its weight caused his muscles to strain with a grunt. The voice returned, "The sword's stats have been analyzed, damage dealt will range between 20 to 30."

Taking a quiet step forward, the snapping of undergrowth underfoot seemed thunderous in his ears alongside distant grunts and tearing sounds from ahead. Parting bushes revealed a strange green goblin crouched over its kill, jagged teeth embedded in flesh. stink scents hit Atsushi's nose as the goblin tore wetly into the animal's body.

Above the hulking figure, semi-transparent boxes now hovered:

Name: Goblin Beast

Type: 1

Level: 1

Hp: 35

Damage: 20

Critical Damage: 30

So entranced in its ravenous feeding, the goblin did not notice Atsushi's approach until - crack! A dry leaf broke under his shoe, halting its ravaging. Jagged teeth and lips were stained red as it ripped into the carcass. Its beady black eyes narrowed upon spotting the interloper, low guttural grunts emanating from its throat.

Before he could react, the goblin leapt at Atsushi with surprising speed, smashing its club-like fists into his exposed midsection. All air whooshed from his lungs as he was blasted backwards, crashing through crunching leaves and yielding undergrowth until his painful skidding halt on the forest floor.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Ugh...this is a rough way to start," Atsushi groaned through gritted teeth, tasting blood from his split lip. His abdomen roared with fire, sharp cracking sounds echoing sickeningly inside. What was happening? Glancing around in a daze, he saw his own dizzying status readouts projected before him:

No time to ponder further as the goblin beast towered menacingly over him, baring its gore-stained teeth in a vicious grin. Rearing back muscled limbs that rippled with corded power, it cocked its fist ready to launch another blow.

Atsushi cried out as white-hot agony exploded through his torso once more. His eyes rolled back, ears ringing from the shrill "Critical Hit!" alert droning incessantly - "50 damage sustained, 50 health remaining!" Was this truly the end so soon?

Name: Atsushi Kurayami

Level: 1

Health: 100 -> 50

Somehow dredging his ebbing will, Atsushi swung the weapon hilt with all remaining strength against the goblin's grinning skull. Dodging its wild retaliation by a hair, he spun into a graceful arc, blade sinking satisfyingly into yielding flesh. A final gurgling snarl and it collapsed into dust and loose items, the intense fight leaving Atsushi breathless.

Panting heavily, he noticed the grisly severed head and raw meats (x2) left behind as rewards.

“Promoted to Level 2, congratulations, stats have been increased: Strength 15, Health Power 120, and fully healed ” the mechanical voice announced.

Atsushi beamed at the news of his promotion. Leveling up so quickly was certainly unusual, but useful in this strange place. “Level 2 already? Excellent work, Outlander,” he replied cheerfully.

The system then continued, “New Region unlocked: The Forest of Retort. Maps section unlocked, you can now unlock teleport waypoints.”

Atsushi listened intently as the next quest appeared: “Travel 150 meters deep into the forest and access the teleport waypoint by biometric identity.” Biometric identity? Now this was intriguing.

Pulling up the glowing forest map, several markers designated possible waypoint locations. “A teleport waypoint, what does that mean?” he pondered aloud. “Well, only one way to find out. Let’s venture forth and learn and what this new region holds!”

Gripping his trusty sword, Atsushi plunged into the forest depths. As he traveled, birdsong filled the air and various beasts roamed in the distance. Though they appeared powerful, he chose to slip past quietly for now until growing stronger.

The singing birds helped calm his mind.

Reaching the designated location, Atsushi spied an imposing stone structure ahead amid the forest greenery. A sword hilt lay embedded in the ground, with a curious biometric machine to its right. He approached cautiously and placed his hand upon the system.

With a rumble, the hilt rose as surrounding stones gathered to form a shimmering blade upon the stand. A message beeped: "Teleport Waypoint unlocked." Eager to claim this new weapon, Atsushi grasped the hilt - only to lose his footing on the unstable ground. He tumbled backwards with a grunt, taking minor damage from the fall.

Yet when he tested himself again near the glowing waypoint, a pleasant warmth swept over him as wounds healed completely. The mechanical voice chimed: "This allows faster travel between locations. You may teleport directly here instead of the long walk, and heal whenever near the unlocked waypoint. Your final quest today - sleep on the ground."

"Surely you jest," Atsushi scoffed distrustfully. "Rest out in the open with beasts lurking about?" But the system droned, "No creatures will approach while the waypoint stands guard. Now get to it."

With a weary sigh, Atsushi spread his bedroll, muttering bitter complaints about his bizarre predicament. As night fell and questions swirled unrest fully, exhaustion took hold, and darkness followed...

A beep stirred him . "Level up complete. Stats increased: Strength 30, health 150, skill slot unlocked," proclaimed the resonant voice.