The silence was all-encompassing, almost unnatural. No sounds from the street, no chatter—just a deafening, persistent hum of silence that seemed to press against his temples. His head throbbed so intensely it felt as if his thoughts were crashing against the walls of his skull. In the background, another pain lurked—barely noticeable yet pulsing—an ache in his shoulders, lower back, and neck, as if his entire body was sore, weighed down by something he could barely remember.
Whatever it was, it must have been brutal.
He shut his eyes tighter, instinctively shielding himself from the unknown. He tried to focus, to take a breath, but it did little to help. Everything around him felt foreign and cold, and his chaotic, distracted mind couldn't find any anchor to hold onto.
"Where am I? What's happening?"
With each passing moment, fear mingled with frustration. He tried to recall anything, any detail, but his memories seemed to slip away, dissipating like fog, leaving only echoes of long-forgotten images.
Finally, feeling he couldn't bear it any longer, he tried to open his eyes. Slowly, cautiously, he cracked them open, as if afraid of what he might see.
The world around him swirled. For a few seconds, the scene before him wavered and shimmered in his hazy vision, as though it lacked focus. He blinked a few times, trying to dispel the dizziness. Grass—he could feel it beneath him, slightly damp, rough, as if touched by the morning dew. Above him stretched a sky, overcast, dark, obscured by heavy clouds that hung low, almost suffocating the entire scene. The sense of unreality grew stronger with every breath.
He propped himself up on his elbows, adopting a half-sitting position, and looked ahead. A clearing—wrapped in cold, quiet mist—was surrounded by trees with trunks that seemed tall and dark, almost charred, their thick branches casting unnaturally long shadows. Somewhere high above, leaves rustled, though he couldn't feel even the faintest breeze. The stillness of the surroundings was so profound it was unsettling.
He tried lifting his hand, hoping to feel something familiar—his own body, his arm, anything that could ground him in this reality. The touch of skin on his hand felt real, yet it simultaneously gave the impression that it didn't entirely belong to him.
Looking around, all he could see was the same—endless trees encircling the clearing, dense and uninviting, as though barring him from a world he no longer knew. Nothing—no building, no sign of civilization, no path. He swallowed hard, the pain in his head still throbbing, amplifying his sense of disorientation.
He braced himself on his hands and pressed his lips together, trying to calm down, though frustration continued to build. The surreal nature of this place was overwhelming. Everything looked as if it had been ripped from reality and placed into some strange, unknown dimension.
As he gazed into the distance, searching for any point of reference, a creeping sense of dread began to rise within him. The last shred of awareness before all of this was… something… it was hazy and elusive. His voice broke through the clearing's silence, desperate, fractured by confusion.
"Where the fuck am I?"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the chaos in his mind. The view before him, though still alien, felt oddly soothing, and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest brought a slight sense of peace. The clearing was almost perfectly circular, bordered by a ring of dark trees that, though tall and dense, appeared strangely serene, as if they had stood guard over this place for centuries. Their thick trunks were covered with pale lichens, and here and there, birds perched on the branches, barely visible in the morning gloom.
The grass in the clearing was a vibrant green, as if untouched by drought. Close to the ground, a faint mist hovered, making everything seem unreal, blurred, like a memory pulled from a dream. A few steps ahead of him, in the center of the clearing, wildflowers grew—small and delicate, swaying slightly even though he felt no wind. He could feel the cool dampness of the earth beneath his hand and thought that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't as terrifying as it first seemed.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to steady his racing pulse, then looked around again. The clearing seemed… almost safe. Far off, at the edge of the forest, he spotted a path—barely visible, winding through the trees and disappearing deep into the thicket. His gaze followed it, and his thoughts began to wander.
"Maybe that road leads somewhere. Maybe I'll find answers there…"
He wanted to stand up and move closer, but something suddenly caught his attention.
Above the trees, just over the forest line, a shadow appeared, momentarily obscuring the sky. Something enormous, majestic, was gliding in the distance, lazily cutting through the air. Its silhouette stood out against the cloudy sky, and its massive wings moved slowly and gracefully, as though the creature above was the master of the skies, fearing nothing.
A cold shiver ran down the man's spine.
"This is impossible… It must be an illusion, some kind of hallucination… Did I get high on something?"
Yet the longer he stared, the more his mind rejected any rational explanation.
The creature he saw above the forest line was… a dragon. A real, enormous dragon, gliding over the trees, its shape as vivid and real as every detail of the clearing he stood on.
Before he could stop himself, a whisper escaped his lips:
"Am I… really seeing this?"
The image of the dragon, so powerful and majestic, lingered before his eyes, like a dream suddenly made real. He felt something stirring within him – an excitement so intense it was almost overwhelming, flooding every cell in his body. His entire life, he had dreamed of moments like this. As a child, he devoured books and games about worlds filled with magic, mighty creatures, and dangerous adventures… worlds so different from his own. This memory seemed to awaken anew, growing stronger with each passing second spent marveling at the creature vanishing into the distance. It was as though these memories cemented themselves in his mind, intensifying the euphoria coursing through him.
"Freaking… isekai."
His breathing quickened with every moment. His heart pounded, and his hands trembled slightly. So many times, he had imagined what it would be like – to suddenly find himself in a land full of mysteries and monsters, where anything was possible. For years, his imagination had birthed tales of heroes and villains traversing wild forests, battling beasts, and uncovering forbidden secrets.
This was exactly what he had always wanted.
For a moment, he felt like a child, as though everything surrounding him in this clearing – the fresh scent of earth, the mysterious rustling of the trees, the chill of the morning mist – was something he had missed his entire life in the real world. Here, now… he could be someone else. Who knows, maybe even the hero from his own dreams? Or perhaps a monstrous tyrant who dominated all?
But with every passing second, the excitement slowly gave way to other emotions – reason and caution. He finally tore his gaze from the place where the dragon had disappeared and took a deep breath. He needed to calm down, to think this through. Diving into the unknown was easy – surviving there, in a world that, while wondrous, could be filled with dangers, was the true challenge.
He raised his head and allowed a faint smile to cross his lips.
"Time to figure out what's next."
Samael, what are you going to do now? he asked himself, staring into the distance where his first adventure awaited.
Samael stood in the middle of the clearing, feeling both lost and brimming with excitement. Somewhere in the recesses of his memory, he recalled a theory from fantasy books and fanfiction – almost every story about being transported to another world involved some kind of "cheat." Typically, the protagonists had unique powers, magical artifacts, or perhaps even the ability to cast spells. "Maybe I've got something like that too?" he thought, his heart racing at the very idea.
"If I'm in another world, it has to work!" he muttered to himself, convinced he was about to uncover something extraordinary.
"Fireball!" he shouted, flinging his hand forward. Nothing happened. He frowned but didn't give up.
– Lightning Cannon! – he shouted louder, but the forest didn't respond; not a single spark shot from his fingers. – Maybe... Kamehameha! – he took a deep breath and thrust his hands forward, trying to summon the mysterious energy.
Silence again. He sighed deeply, somewhat amused by his own excitement. "Alright, maybe it's not that simple," he thought, though he felt a hint of disappointment. He decided to try a different strategy: if he couldn't summon power, perhaps he already had something with him. He focused inward, rubbing his hands together to better feel his clothes and assess what he might have on him.
He started with his sneakers – regular, comfortable, but nothing more. Then he looked at his dark jeans – the same ones he had put on when leaving home that morning. Morning? He barely noticed that a fragment of his memories seemed to stir awake.
He lifted his shirt, white and slightly faded, still carrying a faint scent of detergent. "So, what do I have that's so special here?" he thought, carefully examining his clothes as if they might be hiding something.
His attention was drawn to his black leather jacket, always his favorite piece of clothing. He ran his hand over it, surprised at how well it held up in this strange world. Then, quite unexpectedly, something flickered before his eyes.
A translucent, gray screen appeared at eye level, containing faint text that almost made his heart skip a beat:
[Name]: Samael's Leather Jacket
[Rank]: Unique
[Description]: An item from the user's home world. It has a minimal bonus to durability and style.
Samael stared at the screen in disbelief, a wide smile beginning to spread across his face.
Samael felt a surge of excitement. If he had managed to bring up the screen for the jacket, then perhaps there was a way to see full statistics – like in RPGs! Thoughts were buzzing in his head, and his heart was beating faster. It was like a dream come true – to be able to test his abilities, assess his strengths and weaknesses, see his statistics.
He focused, thinking of the right keyword. Finally he said:
– Status!
A new screen appeared before his eyes, larger and more detailed, with clearly marked sections:
[Samael]
Poziom: 1
Title: None
Class: None
Subclass: None
Statistics:
(The standard level for a human is around 10)(Standardowy poziom dla zwykłego człowieka wynosi około 10)
Strength: 8 (Below average)
Agility: 12 (Above average – decent reflexes and agility)
Durability: 9 (Slightly below average, no major physical preparation)
Intelligence: 13 (Above average, fast thought process)
Perception: 10 (Normal)
Charisma: 7 (Below average)
Skills:
(Skill level determines proficiency, most people start at basic level)
Environment Analysis: Level MAX.
Shock Resistance:Level 1 (Slight resistance to surprising situations)(Nieznaczna odporność na zaskakujące sytuacje)
Additional Information:
Equipment: Adidas Shoes (+1 to Dexterity), T-shirt (No bonuses), Dark Denim Pants (No bonuses), Samael's Leather Jacket (+2 to Endurance), Socks (No bonuses).
Development Points: 0
Samael observed his status with a mix of awe and amusement. Strength 8? – he thought, a bit disappointed, but then his gaze shifted to Dexterity and Intelligence. It was clear he had some advantages – he had always considered himself smart, and now he had numerical proof. He was also more agile than the average person, which gave him a small boost of confidence.
He looked at the rest of the stats, analyzing them with excitement. He had no idea what his next steps would be, but one thing was certain – he was in a world that seemed to operate like a game, and he had the opportunity to develop his abilities and experience the adventures he had always dreamed of.
He smiled and began speaking softly to himself, as if narrating an internal monologue: "Alright, Samael, time to get to work."
Samael glanced at the screen with mild curiosity, wondering why only the leather jacket and boots had received a bonus to stats. He tried to bring up a similar window for the rest of his outfit, but nothing interesting came up. His gaze fell first on his sneakers – plain, sporty shoes made of lightweight synthetic material, bought a few months ago. He ran his hand over them, trying to understand what gave them that one bonus. Perhaps it was the materials they were made of or the sole, which had small studs designed, in theory, to aid football players on grassy fields.
His jeans, T-shirt... and socks – lightweight, made of synthetic materials that couldn't compare to the sturdy, heavy leather of his jacket. Samael figured a simple knife thrust would easily pierce through the T-shirt. However, leather could block bites, albeit probably only from creatures on the level of those from his own world – dogs, for example, excluding certain specific breeds.
With a faint smile, he patted the jacket as if it were an old friend. Who would've thought that this jacket would come in handy in a place like this? Yesterday, he had been just an ordinary guy – lonely, without grand ambitions, trapped in a monotonous routine. Work, evenings spent in front of a computer, hours slipping away like sand through his fingers. And now… now he stood here, on the edge of an unknown world full of adventures, magic, and likely dangers.
He glanced at the surrounding landscape – a meadow, a forest, open spaces that tempted him with the promise of something new, something great.
"Something much better awaits me than another boring afternoon at the computer," he said softly to himself. "This is only the beginning, and I can already feel that life will never be the same."
Samael started across the meadow, turning his back on the forest where he had recently spotted a dragon. Even if this world fulfilled his wildest dreams of living in a realm of magic, he wasn't about to charge at a winged beast in the first minutes of his adventure.
"I'm not an idiot, after all," he thought, glancing back one more time to make sure the dragon had flown away. It was definitely better to start with something more grounded – like finding a town where he could gather some clues... or at least a road that might lead him there.
Walking across the meadow, Samael tried to pick up on the details around him, using the "Environmental Analysis" skill, which subtly fed him critical information. From time to time, he spotted plants that seemed oddly familiar, though they certainly weren't from his world. One, in particular, caught his attention – a bush covered in tiny, silvery berries called "Iglith." The description that appeared above the peculiar plant especially piqued his interest.
[Iglith]
Type: Healing Berry
Effect: Short-term wound regeneration bonus - speeds up healing of minor cuts for 5 minutes.
Warning: Too much can cause dizziness.
Use: Used to craft potions, ointments, infusions, drinks...
Samael picked a few Iglith berries with interest and threw them into his jacket pocket, planning to use them in case of an emergency. At that moment, he regretted not having a backpack or at least a shopping bag from the supermarket. He could have collected many more and perhaps tried alchemy. Since his System gave him such specific information.
As he walked on, another plant caught his eye – a small bush with dark purple fruit, slightly shimmering in the sunlight. He ran his hand over them, and a short message appeared on the screen:
[Fruit Blacknill]
Type: Regenerative Berry
Effect: Gives a minimal bonus to physical stamina regeneration, lasting for 10 minutes.
Warning: Bitter taste, not recommended in large quantities - may cause nausea.
Use: Used to make potions, ointments, infusions, drinks...
Samael smiled to himself, pleased with his new find.
"I think I might enjoy these walks... Haha... A peculiar 'Mushroom Hunt,'" he said to himself, casually slipping a few Blacknill fruits into his pocket.
He scanned the area for more useful plants when suddenly, after a moment, he froze in place. From ahead, in the direction he was heading, came a strange, indeterminate sound. It seemed distant, but loud enough to catch his attention.
He stood still, listening intently to the sound, which reminded him of the creaking of a door… or maybe some kind of animal's howl?
Samael froze when, right before him, a wolf emerged from the tall grass. But he immediately noticed that this creature was unlike any ordinary predator. The wolf's skin was shredded in places, exposing pale bones and rotting muscles. Its eyes were lifeless, sunken and dark, and a quiet, rasping sound escaped its mouth, resembling a hiss.
What was most peculiar, though, was the faint smoke surrounding the creature, as if the sunlight was burning its body. With each passing moment, it became clear that the undead wolf was suffering under the rays of the sun.
"An undead wolf... It's like it has Photodermatitis. But magically enhanced... Damn... This wolf is dying right before my eyes," Samael thought, his heart racing.
"So light really does damage the undead. That's an important clue. If this world is full of creatures like this, knowing the weaknesses of hostile beings could become my greatest ally."
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Samael activated his "Environment Analysis" skill to learn more about this unusual being.
[Rottinger[Undead Wolf]
Type: Undead Creation
Rank: E
Level: 26
Ability:
[Bite][Level 5] (Provides physical transmission, from its power and durability, and there is a high chance of inflicting Debuff(Rotting) upon bite.)
[Sprint][Level 8] (Boosts maximum speed beyond physical limits, at the cost of magical power)
Debuff: Sunlight Damage - Undead Wolf loses health under sunlight.
Status: Loss of strength, from necessity increasing in number.
Samael considered the situation. The wolf didn't seem aware of his presence – as if it was focusing all its energy on trying to stay on its feet, fighting the injuries caused by the light.
Should he risk it or wait? The thought of his first fight in the new world, especially with such an opponent, stirred excitement within him. Although the logical part of his brain tried to stop him from taking the risk.
"Since the undead is already suffering, I don't even need to face him with full strength..."
He quickly looked around for makeshift weapons and spotted a wooden stick lying on the ground, with several thick, solid branches. Samael grabbed it tightly, feeling that it was his only weapon.
Fortunately, the undead wolf, barely staying on its feet, swayed and fell, succumbing to the growing injuries. The constant damage seemed to slowly be wearing down the monstrous beast.
So, with this unfair advantage, Samael moved closer, raising the stick high above his head. He paused for a moment, gathering his strength, and then brought the stick down with all his force onto the wolf's skull. Aiming straight at the piece of the undead wolf's skull where a crack revealed the creature's brain.
The monster twitched, and Samael didn't stop, striking again and again, until what had previously looked like the creature's brain turned into a rather disgusting, greenish-blood-colored pulp.
After the final thrust, when the undead wolf's body stopped twitching, a screen appeared before Samael's eyes. It instantly lifted his spirits.
[Advancement to level 5]
----
[Samael]
Poziom: 5
Title: None
Class: None
Subclass: None
Statistics:
(The standard level for a human is around 10)
Strength: 9
Agility: 13
Durability: 10
Intelligence: 14
Perception: 11
Charisma: 7
Skills:
(Skill level determines proficiency, most people start at basic level)
Environment Analysis: Level MAX.
Shock Resistance:Level 1 (Slight resistance to surprising situations)(Nieznaczna odporność na zaskakujące sytuacje)
Additional Information:
Equipment: Adidas Shoes (+1 to Dexterity), T-shirt (No bonuses), Dark Denim Pants (No bonuses), Samael's Leather Jacket (+2 to Endurance), Socks (No bonuses).
Development Points: 0
,,What the...."
The sight of the unexpected increase in stats triggered a mix of anger and disappointment in Samael's heart. A promotion of four levels had only resulted in a slight enhancement – adding one point to almost every stat.
Such an outcome was far from what he had expected. Initially, Samael wondered if the unusual killing of the "Undead Wolf" might have been the cause. However, it seemed that the method he had used in the fight could only have influenced the amount of experience gained, not the effects of the promotion.
The most likely theory was that in the classification system for ordinary people, additional stat points granted after leveling up appeared every five levels. Samael would be certain once he surpassed level ten.
At the same time, he suspected that the three still-empty fields – "Title," "Class," and "Subclass" – might have a greater impact on stat growth. Unfortunately, the method of unlocking them remained speculative for now.
Setting the promotion aside, Samael focused his attention on the corpse of the Undead Wolf lying before him. He had plans to disassemble it, hoping to create some kind of makeshift weapon – perhaps using one of the predator's bones.
However, before reaching for the body, he paused for a moment. He decided to examine it more closely, guided by a feeling that this might not be the best idea.
[Flesh of the Rottinger [Undead Wolf]
Type: Undead Corpse
Effect: The corpse of an undead creature devoid of life energy, contains many fragments saturated with the energy of the dark element.
Warning: After cutting off the vital forces, the corpse began an accelerated process of rotting. There is a high chance of receiving numerous Debuffs including curses and curses or contamination with dark energy. Physical contact without the right equipment is not recommended.
Use: With the right approach, it is possible to obtain materials with special properties.
The premonition turned out to be priceless, after reading the contents of the system window, Samael, slightly frightened, took two steps back.
,,Nearly...fuck...".