As Jake's eyes started to flutter open, he felt a heavy weight cover his entire body. Letting out a small groan, he rolled out of his bed, hitting the hard floor with a dull thud.

'Note to self: refuse any help when offered,' he thought as he got up from the cold floor. He should've said that he would deal with them alone; it wouldn't even be a lie.

Walking towards the bathroom, he turned on the faucet and stared at the rushing water. As he watched the water run, stray thoughts started to go through his mind. Recruiting from local schools, weapon procurement, collecting protection money, the works. Splashing the cold water on his face, he started to go through how he'd get everything ready.

When he focused his attention to the mirror, he paused. Looking back wasn't a man in his 30s with a mullet. Instead, it was a junior in high school at the least. It still had the same traits as he did during that age; pale skin, messy raven black hair, and forest green eyes. Patting his cheeks, he looked at his arm and started to roll his wrist.

Best to make sure.

Curling his hand into a fist, he punched himself in the face, causing him to stumble back a bit. Feeling the stinging pain gave him all the confirmation he needed. He was in the body of his teenage self.

Walking out of the bathroom, he scanned the room for anything that was familiar to him. Yet, nothing from his memory seemed to match. It wasn't one of the dorms he rented from people online, nor was it from motels he stayed in when he left home. It was a generic, bare room, with the only notable thing being an old looking radio on the desk.

‘Might as well turn it on,' he thought. He might get some useful information about his current situation. Walking towards the desk, he looked over the radio, searching for something to turn it on. Finding the power switch, he flicked it on, only for him to get bombarded by static. He mentally blocked out the static before he began to turn the dials. He went through static, with the occasional music station appearing.

"Good evening, everybody. Welcome to Glow Heart Radio, where we talk about all the things happening around the world. But first, have some tunes," a low and dulcet voice said. It felt familiar somehow, like he heard someone like that before. While not completely similar, it was close enough to gain notice. Putting it aside, he continued to listen to the radio. It wasn't relevant at the moment.

'This could be useful,' he thought before turning up the volume. It would give him some information on this world and an idea on what to do after. As he listened to the radio host talk, he knew that he was in a different world. Moreover, he could tell exactly what world he was in. The chatter about terms like 'Wardens' and 'Knights'. Names he had read on screens. Them speaking of a place called Starfall. He knew of one world that has all this in the same context. A world reborn with both magic and monsters.

'Blades Of Passion,' he thought, brow furrowed. An action game set centuries after the end, where the planet and humanity was reborn. A place where the gods were more than stories. Where the path to godhood is much more than a far off dream.

A world that faces a third extinction.

As he listened to the radio, memories started to flash through his mind. Images of the main cast. the sound of blades clashing and crackling fire. A choir of melodies accompanied by the roars of beasts.

He needed a plan. Something to make sure that everything went as it should. Looking through the desk's drawers, he found a small notebook,no bigger than his palm. Yet, it was enough. Grabbing a nearby pencil, he started to write things down. Every detail of the main cast, every story beat, every important date. It all must be accounted for.

Finishing up the last of his writing, he set his pencil down before looking it over. He recorded everything relevant to the main story, with points of potential interjection. At the least, he would give him the ability to respond to potential abnormalities. As he read over the details of his plan, he noticed an issue. He would need money. While not a large amount, it would have to be enough for equipment and travel. not only that, he would have to train. While he could get through the combat training with relative ease, it won't be enough. It would be best for him to have prior experience and gain certain treatments. To do so, he would need to earn money from dungeons and monsters. Since the sun has barely risen, going for field monsters would most likely be out of the question.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

'I should have some type of modern device,' he thought as he began to search through the room. He should have a phone or something like it. They were rather common, used mainly as a way for players to contact the cast and keep track of missions. If he did, it would hurry the whole process. Taking a quick look through the room, he found the item he was looking for, its screen reflecting the orange glow. Grabbing it off of the shelf, he immediately knew what it was. A Harcell, a black market version of the regular Mercell. As he gave it a good look over, he noted that it seemed to be custom-made. Turning it on, it looked like a pretty normal looking phone. It had all the apps that it would come with by default. Yet, he saw something that caused him to stop.

| 3XX7

Two years. He had two years to prepare everything that he would need.

Mentally changing his dates, he continued to look through the cell. Eventually, he found something that stuck out to him. An app with a white 'M' on it, shaped similar to that of a trident. Pressing the app, the screen went black, shortly after a simple logo appeared.

{MARNET}

Odd naming sense, but whatever. After the logo dissipated, he saw what seemed to be a list of some kind.

| [Info]

| [Shop]

| [Map]

Pressing the last option, the screen shifted to show a map. it was small, only showing what seemed to be the local area. Scrolling through the options to look for, he found the label of Dungeon. Clicking on it, he was immediately met with a list of all nearby places that fit that description.

'Pretty close by,' he thought as he found a place to visit. It was a short walk away and had good recommendations.However, looking at his current dress, he knew that he would have to change. Dressed in black sweats and a white tee, it was clear these were nothing more than pajamas. Going to the closet, he grabbed a few clothes before changing out of his pajamas. Now dressed in dark jeans, a black shirt, and a gray hoodie, he opened the door to the rest of his apartment.

Upon opening the door, he was met with a rather worn down apartment. Everything looked at least a year old, if not older. Paint seemed to be peeling off of the walls, with small cracks in the floorboards. As he looked through the living room, he found a metal wallet and keys laying on the coffee table. Grabbing the wallet, he began to look through it. He knew that there wouldn’t be any solid documentation, but it’d still be best to do a quick check. Skimming through the cards in the wallet, he paused as something caught his eye. An ID of sorts, holding a rather blurry picture of his face. On it was a name that he was rather familiar with.

[Jake Cole]

‘Unexpected,’ he thought as put the card back into the wallet before pocketing it. He used that name as a cover, but to think he'd be using it for his legitimate name. Well, it didn’t change anything major; he used that more than his actual name anyway.

'Now I need a weapon,' he thought as he scanned the drawers. A kitchen knife may work, but it'd be best to have something made for combat. As he searched through the apartment, he found what seemed to be a dagger sitting in one of the cupboards.

‘This could work,’ he thought before grabbing it. Gripping the leather handle, he pulled out the blade and looked it over. It looked like a combat knife, if not a bit more simplified design. Giving the blade a few small swings, he found it to be pretty good. The edge was sharp, almost gleaming. The grip felt firm, the texture like he was holding stippled metal. Putting the dagger back in its sheath, he strapped the blade onto his thigh. As he continued to search for anything of use, he found a small bag, sitting in a corner. Picking up the bag, he began to check the pockets, only for them to be empty. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he went back to looking through the dusty apartment. Even with his trait, it would be best for him to have some type of disguise.

Eventually, he found a black baseball cap with a face mask sitting next to it. Putting on the cap, he picked up the face mask before looking it over. It seemed well made, the cloth showing to be rather durable. Putting it on, he found it to fit rather well, the straps not digging into his ears.

'Time to get to work,’ he thought before making his way out of the apartment. He had work to do, so it was best for him to start off now.