Takashi takes a deep breath, stowing away Evil Intentions. "Time to prepare."
He glances out the window. "First things first... I'll need to get a handle on my abilities."
As he walks out of the room, he hears shouting downstairs. "Are you freaking kidding me, lady!?" a man shouts.
Takashi swiftly descends the stairs to witness a group of angry and confused people yelling at a young girl behind a counter. A middle-aged woman asks the young girl, "What is going on here?"
The young girl, bewildered, replies, "I'm not sure what you mean, ma'am."
The man grabs her arm. "Why the hell are we in this world!? You better answer or..."
Suddenly, a hand grabs the angry man's arm and pulls it away from the girl. "That's enough!" It's a handsome young man with thick blonde hair and blue eyes. "Can't you see she doesn't have answers for you?"
The angry man becomes even angrier and, out of embarrassment, swings at the young handsome man. However, before his punch could connect, Takashi catches his fist. "I think you've done enough..."
Intimidated by the taller and more handsome Takashi, the angry man quickly backs off. "Look, man, I-I'm sorry..."
The man walks off, discouraged. The young handsome man turns to Takashi, expressing his gratitude. "Thanks for the assist. I am Kenji Sugawara, nice to meet you." He puts out his hand for a handshake.
Takashi nods, firmly shaking Kenji's hand. "Takashi Ren."
The women in the room stand in awe, their faces flushed as they witness the exchange. "Wow, it's like a dream..." one girl blurts out.
Kenji walks over to the young girl behind the counter with a soft smile. "I'm sorry if we caused you any grief."
Blushing, the young girl shakes her head. "It was no issue at all... Thank you."
Kenji nods. "No thanks required."
The young girl looks at Takashi, bowing gently. "Thank you as well..."
Takashi manages to force a kind smile. "You're welcome..."
Takashi then begins to walk out of what he gathered was an inn. Kenji, surprised, asks, "Where are you going?"
Takashi slightly turns his head without turning around. "I don't fully understand the situation, but from what I gathered, we are currently in the world of Arkania."
Kenji's eyes widen, and murmurs begin to erupt in the inn. "I suspected as much, but to hear it said out loud is kinda unbelievable."
Takashi nods his head. "I understand that it's difficult to believe, but that's the reality of our situation. So, I am going to go get a lay of the land and find my bearings."
As Takashi continues to walk off, Kenji shouts, "Wait, let's form a guild..."
Takashi lets slip a wicked smile before quickly regaining his stern composure. "A guild?"
Kenji nods resolutely. "I think it would be better to stick together in this situation."
Takashi gives Kenji a stern look. "I work better alone, and as a doctor, I have made a pledge for the betterment of all life. Frankly, I don't know you well enough. You could be hiding a wicked nature."
Kenji's eyes gleam with aspiration. "Then that's even more reason for you to join me!"
Takashi turns around. "Why's that?"
Kenji exclaims passionately, "I want to create a guild that will help everyone who came to this world. And just as the system said, we were summoned here to save this world!"
Takashi lets out a soft sigh. "Alright..." With the phrase "status," he opens his friends window and sends Kenji a friend request. "Whenever you're ready to make this guild, let me know..."
Kenji, with a gleeful smile, nods, accepting Takashi's friend request. "Right!" he exclaims.
Takashi walks off, leaving Kenji with one last piece of advice. "You need strength to make your convictions a reality! That being said, get a lot stronger before we meet again."
Kenji shouts, "Yes!"
Everyone who was transported and watching the scene begins to flock to Kenji. "I want to join as well!" one girl exclaims.
"Where can I sign up, kid!?" another man eagerly asks.
Takashi walks out with a satisfied grin as he thinks to himself. "That couldn't have gone any better. I saw that kid's self-righteousness from a mile away. He was the perfect target. Not only did I gain his trust but also his admiration. Someone like him definitely has a hero complex. I knew I had to appeal to his sense of justice for him to want me to join him, and it all went according to plan. Kenji Sugawara, you are not only going to be my cover, but also my greatest creation. A villain cannot be without a hero to face. I will turn that boy into the greatest hero in this world, and when I no longer need him, I will destroy him in front of this entire world!"
Takashi walks until he arrives at a field of grass. "This should be the spot. It looks a bit different in real life, but I have spent hundreds of hours here grinding." Takashi then says "status," pulling up his window to browse his item list. "Every player at level 1 starts classless. Everyone also gets a set of starting items: an iron sword, a wand, and a starting spell, fireball. Once you hit level five, you will get to select a starting class based on your playstyle."
Takashi taps his window, and the iron sword manifests in front of him. Grabbing the sword, Takashi looks at his window. "Even though I have high Int, I am going to use a sword. This isn't the game where I can tab-target an enemy and let my avatar do the rest. In this world, I have to fight for myself. That being said, I did Kendo in high school and fencing in college, so a sword is my best bet."
Suddenly, a giant rat jumps out of some nearby bushes. Takashi grins. "There you are... Well, let's start test one."
The giant rat snarls and rushes at Takashi. With quickness, he steps to the side and stabs the rat three times in quick succession. The rat explodes into blue pixels, dropping items in its place. Takashi walks up to the items, inspecting them. "So this hasn't changed, huh? The field rat mob still drops a rat tooth and lesser pelt."
A ding brings Takashi back from his thoughts. His eyes widen as he looks at his system window. "I went up to level 3 from a level one mob?" Sweat drips from his brow as he thinks, "I'm broken..."
Two more rats jump out of the bushes, causing Takashi to quickly get back to his feet. "I guess let's move on to test two."
The rats rush at Takashi as he shouts, "Evil intentions!"
The oni mask appears on his face. The two rats slow down and walk past Takashi. A grin overtakes his face as he mutters, "Fascinating." He then walks up to one of the rats and stabs it in the head, killing it. The other rat notices this and runs off. Another ding followed by a level-up notification. "Odd, usually the other rat would've attacked me. Is it because I'm a higher level than it, so it sees me as a predator?"
Takashi looks at the level-up notification. "Level 4, huh..." However, something else catches his attention. "What happened to my fireball skill?" The skill has changed attributes. "Fireball of the damned. An evil corrupted flame that burns black, inflicting fear as well as burn damage." Takashi reads the new skill description out loud, stunned.
He takes a deep breath as he thinks, "So Evil Intentions can also alter in-game skills. That will be useful. There's only one way to see how useful, though."
Takashi looks towards the forest past the field with a malicious grin. "Time to find some test subjects..."