'W...where am I?'
Lorren wakes up with the feeling that he's floating around in nothingness. From what he could see, it was just black. No, scratch that, it's all black except for the conspicuous and star-like light shining brightly in the corner of his eye. Trying to turn his head that way, he finds that not only is it way harder, but he also feels like he was weightless - as if he didn't have a head, or body, for that matter. Floating in this mostly lightless space, he tries to approach the star, failing several times. After a few minutes, though, the star seems to awaken.
Feeling a connection to this "star," he also begins to feel a suction force from it. At first, it was slow, but as he got closer, it pulled him faster. Lorren thought it was probably what it would feel like to be sucked into a black hole. As he got closer, though, he realized it wasn't a star, but a door. Beyond the door, he sensed a weird energy pervading him. Before he could think or take in the weird energy, he crossed the threshold, entering through the door. In this soundless void, the door closed shut, the energy that came through slowly dissipating.
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'Ughh…'
Lorren woke up once more, feeling a terrible headache. Opening his eyes, he immediately regretted it as the blinding light from the sun overhead made his pain worse. As his eyes adjusted, he realized several things. First is that though this world seemed similar to Earth at first glance, there were many peculiarities. The architecture was different from any style he knew (thought he admittedly didn't know much), and after looking around for a second he found that there were people who were using devices that seemed far more advanced than any phone. Looking for a little longer, he thought he went crazy when he saw someone conjure up a fireball.
The second, after he got over the fireball, is that this body - while similar to his - was notably not his own. Then, right when the pain had left him, another sharp pain assaulted his head, though it was not nearly as bad. Memories of another person, who was definitely not him, began surfacing in his mind.
After he finished going through his memories, he found several important things within them that gave him an inkling about what happened. Firstly, abilities. In exactly the year 2040, a strange cosmic event occurred. Strange bursts of nearly undetectable energy occurred all over the universe, and for a day, no light would be seen. Electronics didn't work, the entire universe seemed to go haywire. However, after exactly 24 hours, the sun and all the other stars seemed to work again. However, even though that crisis was over, electronics still didn't work, and people found that plants and animals began to evolve into something entirely different: magical beasts. These beasts caused havoc, until one person finally killed one and found something that would change the world. A mana core.
This core seemed to be filled to the brim with power and energy, and once word got over to governments, they immediately got to testing. After finding that it not only worked as an energy source for everything, but could also be attached to electronics without modification, they immediately knew what they had to do. Soldiers were sent to gather these cores, but the skin of higher level beasts was too tough for bullets to do any significant damage. That was, until famous scientist and founder of the World Ability Association, William Kegger, or "Ancestor of Heroes", found that by using the cores in a specific way, he could cause mutations to the human body, unlocking what he called "abilities." With this newfound knowledge and power, humans fought back against the beasts, successfully driving them out from several countries. However, others weren't so lucky. Eventually, the major powers that were left found that monsters came from sources, now known as dungeons. By clearing these dungeons beforehand, they were able to stop the monsters from flooding outside. Beginning their project, dungeons were slowly conquered one after another. After running some tests, they realized that dungeons were practically infinite sources of resources like mana cores and mana hide. Guilds were formed that monopolized these resources, while public dungeons and the Outlands were left for others to gain experience. Over time, this world grew to have its own laws, countries, and societies, different from those of Earth. Oh right, this world was called Lobonto, one of the lesser worlds.
Another thing he noticed was that the name of the owner of this body was called Lorren as well, and he had no last name. This was because of two reasons, one being that he is an orphan and the other being that the laws of this world didn't allow it. To put it simply, powerful people thought that their children were using their family's influence to pressure others. As such, until you were of age, you wouldn't get your last name and you wouldn't be able to use your family name to exert influence over others. This was mainly to stop those who tried to use their last names even when they had no power to back it up. In this world, people only acknowledged the strong or useful.
The final important things to note were that the Ability Assessment would happen in two years and that this all seemed extremely familiar. Beginning with the assessment, it was basically a giant test to not only see the different abilities a kid uses, but also their application, limitations, costs, and overall the students proficiency in handling mana as well as their ability. As for the second note…
Lorren kept racking his brain, and after a few minutes, he finally realized why it seemed familiar. This was the exact backstory of the game Avar that he wanted to get back at the shop!
'Have I both reincarnated and transmigrated to this game world? Wait, no, some of the details are slightly different. Maybe it's a world that is similar to the game? Everything else seems the same so-'
But before he could finish, a weird sound rang in his head
[Ding! Awakening System Installed. Welcome, Host.]
[Ding! Starter Package has arrived. Check the System Menu for more information]
Dazed, he fails to react quickly. However, he soon wakes from his trance, a smile etched on his face!
"So I was right-"
He begins to speak before noticing all the stares people are giving him. Quickly running to a more secluded alley, he begins to look over what he just found out. Ok, so first he's in the game world of Avar, and he has the system that every good transmigrator has. At the same time, from what he's seeing, he's most likely a background character, and the main character is out there somewhere, getting ready to do his thing.
'Ok, seriously, this isn't a dream, right? There's no way this is real. This is the stuff of novels, not real life!'
But fate was cruel. Quickly pinching himself, he finds that it hurts, and this is probably real. He begins to tear up, realizing that he may never get to go back home. All those negative thoughts he was suppressing before came rushing out.
'Mom, dad, brother, my old life, my old world… it… it's gone…'
However, a sudden calm washed over him.
[Ding! The System has detected that the host's mental state is in disorder. Host should calm down and accept reality.]
Although Lorren didn't quite like what the system said, deep down, he knew it was true. Whether it was just plain old surviving this world, or trying to find a way back, he could only do it if he continued on. Convincing himself that this was the best choice, he steeled his resolve and did the only thing he could think of.
'Now, how do I open this menu?'
After saying menu, however, a menu literally popped up in front of his face. Realizing this was the system, he looked around, seeing a few options.
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System Menu:
-Status
-Ability
-Story/Questline
-Shop
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