Uncertain whether it was his imagination or not, Leo found himself growing increasingly unnerved as he stared into the depths of the dark well. The eerie atmosphere prompted him to step back a few metres, creating a comfortable distance from the unsettling sight. However, he chose to remain in the vicinity rather than completely leaving the area.
"Before anything else, let me get myself properly dressed," Leo muttered, acknowledging the need for appropriate attire. He pondered on how to obtain the leather pants he desired, recalling the previous notification that informed him of receiving his reward in his inventory.
With this realisation, Leo mentally invoked the term "interface" within his mind, summoning the familiar blue panel before his eyes. Although he had anticipated its appearance, he couldn't help but feel a sense of confirmation about the world's authenticity. Each passing moment solidified the reality of the situation, despite the oddities that surrounded him.
───[ Character Profile ]───────────────
Name: Leonard Doe
Rank: *None
Profession: *Locked
Essence Point: 0/100
───[ Engraved Runes ]─────────────────
*None
───[ Skills ]───────────────────────────
Identify
Aetheria Standard Language
───[ Inventory ]───────────────────────
Weapon: *None
Armour: *None
Consumables: *None
Other items: Leather Pants
Coins: 100 Copper Coins; 0 Silver Coin; 0 Gold Coin.
───[ Quest Log ]───────────────────────
Quest: Secret of the Well
───[ Party ]───────────────────────────
No party members
───[ Notifications ]───────────────────
Quest Objective Complete: Explore your surroundings.
[Leather Pants] have been added to your inventory.
100 [Copper Coins] have been added to your inventory.
───[ Map ]─────────────────────────────
As Leo cast his gaze upon the interface before him, he noticed subtle changes from its initial appearance. Similarly, his rank displayed on the interface remained unaltered, although he couldn't quite grasp its significance.
Leo speculated that it might be akin to levels or some form of progression, but he refrained from jumping to conclusions until he acquired more information.
Despite the apparent normalcy of his surroundings, Leo couldn't shake off the underlying suspicion that there was more to this world than met the eye. Nevertheless, he resolved to unravel the mysteries in due time. For now, his primary focus lay on retrieving the leather pants he had glimpsed in his inventory.
Before embarking on that task, however, Leo decided to seize the opportunity to familiarise himself with the interface. Drawing upon his limited knowledge of games, he attempted to decipher the various elements presented before him.
Even as an author, he had little exposure to system or litrpg novels, as his preference leaned towards pure fantasy narratives that allowed him to immerse himself in pure magical imaginations that had nothing that could remind one of the realities outside like how the litrpg panels did.
Leo acknowledged that such novels served as an escape from reality, offering respite from the complexities of the world. Yet, the reminder that reality persisted outside the realms of fiction could be jarring. However, these contemplations were momentarily set aside as he delved deeper into the floating panel before him, exploring its contents.
After the enigmatic rank, Leo's attention turned to the profession category.
Drawing from his gaming knowledge, he conjectured that this section represented various job classes, such as warriors, mages, or assassins.
The notion of magic in this unfamiliar world intrigued him, prompting him to ponder aloud, "If this is truly another world, is magic a tangible force here?" His gaze shifted momentarily to the dual moons in the sky before refocusing on the interface.
Next on the interface was the essence point, a term that left Leo uncertain.
The essence point felt like experience points to him.
However, he resisted delving further into thinking and opted to remain in the dark about its true nature. The implications tied to experience points carried weighty considerations that Leo wasn't ready to confront just yet, especially with an impending quest awaiting completion.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The notion of how experience points were typically acquired in games crossed his mind—usually by vanquishing something. Yet, Leo pushed those thoughts aside for the time being, focusing on the task at hand.
"Hahaha, I'm overthinking things," Leo chuckled, attempting to dispel the unsettling thoughts swirling in his mind. With renewed focus, he turned his attention back to the interface.
Leo had a general understanding of what runes were, but he couldn't quite grasp the significance of the engraved rune section within the interface. Choosing not to dwell on it, he moved on to the next section—skills. The term "skills" was self-explanatory, both for regular individuals and avid gamers.
According to the interface, Leo currently possessed two skills: "Identify" and "Aetheria Standard Language." If he followed the logic of games, the Identify skill would grant him detailed information and insights about various objects, items, or entities within this world. It seemed like a straightforward skill.
However, the presence of the Aetheria Standard Language skill left Leo perplexed. Clearly, it was related to language, but questions arose in his mind.
Why did he possess a language skill in this unfamiliar interface? And more importantly, why did he find himself in this strange place with an interface in the first place? This remained the most pressing question that needed resolution. Yet, Leo recognized his current helplessness and chose not to dwell on it too much.
Curiosity prompted him to seek further information about the skills within his interface. Almost coincidentally, as he pondered acquiring more detailed information about his skills, his gaze happened to fall upon the "Identify" skill, and another floating screen materialised beside his interface panel.
Skills
Identify
Reveal detailed information about anything.
"Hmmm," Leo mused, slightly bemused by the seemingly "detailed" summary provided by the Identify skill. Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it and shifted his focus to his other skill. As anticipated, another floating panel materialised before him, adding to the growing clutter of information.
With three panels now present, the display in front of Leo appeared chaotic. Wanting to regain some clarity, he mentally commanded the panel displaying the information for the Identify skill to disappear, and within seconds, it vanished. This confirmed Leo's realisation that he could indeed control the interface through the power of his mind.
Without further hesitation, he directed his attention to the information regarding his second skill, eager to glean more understanding.
Skill
Aetheria Standard Language
A skill that makes you understand the standard language of the races inhabiting Aetheria.
Leo couldn't help but shake his head in frustration, finding the summary of the skill information to be of little assistance. Dismissing the panel, he recognized that each new piece of information only served to deepen his sense of being in another world—an unsettling realisation.
Refusing to dwell on his feelings of being kidnapped, Leo resolved to push those thoughts aside and continue exploring the interface.
The next section he encountered was the inventory, and he noticed that only two subsections held any items. Despite the ominous titles of "Weapon" and "Armour," Leo decided not to dwell on them since he currently possessed neither. Instead, he focused on the subsection containing his first quest reward: a pair of leather pants and an unexpected 100 copper coins.
"How do I retrieve the leather pants from the inventory?" Leo muttered, pondering how he could access the physical item. This world wasn't a simple game where button taps sufficed to navigate the inventory.
To his surprise, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a brown leather pants materialised in his hands, causing Leo to jump in alarm. He managed to restrain himself from instinctively tossing the pants away, but his heart continued to race, taking some time to regain its composure.
"It appeared out of thin air. Either I'm losing my mind, or this is indeed another world with its own rules," Leo muttered, his voice trembling with a nervous laugh as he attempted to regain his composure.
After taking several deep breaths to regulate his racing heartbeat, an idea struck him. Curiosity piqued, he decided to use his Identify skill on the leather pants, wanting to gain further insight.
Leather Pants
A Brown Leather Pant
“Another useless………….
Congratulations. Your skill [Identify] has levelled up to level 1.
"Well that was unexpected," Leo muttered, dismissing the new panel that had just appeared, and proceeded to try on the leather pants. After being exposed for a while, he was relieved to have at least some form of coverage.
However, as he wore the pants, Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of discomfort. They were heavy and stiff, with thick and rigid leather that seemed durable and protective. "I can't be too picky. It's better than nothing," Leo reasoned, trying to convince himself that the pants were sufficient.
Returning his attention to the interface, Leo noticed a slight change that had occurred.
───[ Character Profile ]───────────────
Name: Leonard Doe
Rank: *None
Profession: *Locked
Essence Point: 0/100
───[ Engraved Runes ]─────────────────
*None
───[ Skills ]───────────────────────────
Identify [Level 1]
Aetheria Standard Language
───[ Inventory ]───────────────────────
Weapon: *None
Armour: *None
Consumables: *None
Other items: *None
Coins: 100 Copper Coins; 0 Silver Coin; 0 Gold Coin.
───[ Quest Log ]───────────────────────
Quest: Secret of the Well
───[ Party ]───────────────────────────
No party members
───[ Notifications ]───────────────────
Quest Objective Complete: Explore your surroundings.
[Leather Pants] have been added to your inventory.
100 [Copper Coins] have been added to your inventory.
───[ Map ]─────────────────────────────
The identify skill now displayed a level beside it, indicating that skills could be levelled up. Leo took note of this development before shifting his attention to the inventory, which now had one item less.
Although it was a minor change, Leo briefly observed the alteration before proceeding to retrieve a copper coin from his inventory. Understanding how the system worked, he concentrated and managed to summon a copper coin effortlessly.
The coin appeared as a reddish-brown metallic piece with a distinct shine. When he touched it, he noticed its smooth and cool texture. Both sides of the coin featured a prominent capital letter "A."
‘Identify’
Copper Coin
A currency used and accepted by the majority of the inhabitants in Aetheria.
Leo couldn't help but feel a hint of disappointment with the lacklustre information provided by his Identify skill when it came to the copper coin. Whether it was due to the skill level or the simplicity of the item, he couldn't be certain.
Nonetheless, Leo didn't dwell on it for long. Satisfied with his brief exploration of the coin, he focused on returning it to his inventory. With a mental command to send the coin back, it vanished from his grasp and reappeared in the inventory section.
Having grown somewhat accustomed to navigating his inventory, Leo turned his attention to the notifications section, which documented the previous appearances of the floating panels. As he perused the notifications, his gaze shifted towards the distant well, prompting him to take a big gulp of his spit.
“Now do I enter or not?