The storm outside was a beast, howling like it had a personal vendetta against the city. Rain lashed against the windows, each drop hitting the glass with a sharp *tap-tap-tap* that blended into a chaotic rhythm. Thunder growled, deep and ominous, shaking the walls of Ryan James Cooper's small, cluttered apartment. The room was dim, lit only by the cold, flickering glow of his computer screen and the pulsating LED lights inside his system unit—blue and purple hues that danced across the mess of empty soda cans, crumpled snack wrappers, and a single, forgotten coffee mug with a faded superhero logo.
Ryan slouched in his chair, a half-empty bag of barbecue chips balanced precariously on his lap. His fingers flew across the keyboard, clicking and tapping in a frantic rhythm. His eyes were locked on the screen, wide and slightly bloodshot from hours of staring at the pixelated chaos of *Rimworld*.
"Oh, shit. Another raid?" he muttered, his voice a mix of disbelief and irritation. He scratched the back of his neck, where his dark, slightly greasy hair met the collar of his worn-out hoodie. "I just got raided. What the hell? I've already spent my last silver." He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, squinting at the screen. Two of his pawns were still healing, their little pixelated bodies lying in beds with red crosses above them. Only two were manning the kill box, their tiny figures holding rifles that looked comically large in their hands. His turrets whirred to life, their barrels spinning ominously. "Come on, come on," he whispered, as if the game could hear him. "Spray those bastards down."
Then he saw it. A mortar. His stomach dropped, and he let out a groan that was half frustration, half resignation. "Oh no, a *freaking* mortar," he said, running a hand through his hair, which stuck up in odd directions from hours of neglect. "I should've built my base under the mountains. Rookie mistake." He sighed, leaning back in his chair, which creaked in protest. "If I can't even win my first vanilla playthrough, how am I gonna handle mods? I mean, sure, some of them are helpful, but…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "I just bought this game because of a TikTok reel. What was I thinking?"
As if on cue, a blinding flash of lightning lit up the room, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The crack of thunder that followed was deafening, like the sky itself was splitting open. Ryan flinched, his heart skipping a beat. The bolt struck a power pole outside, the electricity tracing its way through the apartment building's aging wiring with a sinister hiss. Before Ryan could react, it surged through his outlet, into his computer, and straight into him.
His body jerked violently, his muscles locking up as the current coursed through him. The smell of burning plastic and singed hair filled the air, sharp and acrid. Smoke curled up from his keyboard, and his monitor flickered once, twice, before going dark with a faint *pop*. With a final, involuntary spasm, the electricity threw him backward, sending him crashing to the floor. His chair tipped over with a loud clatter, and the bag of chips spilled everywhere, scattering across the carpet.
Ryan lay there, his vision blurring, his thoughts scattering like leaves in the wind. His last coherent thought was, *Well, this is a crappy way to go.* Then, everything went black.
---
Then, light filled his consciousness. It wasn't harsh or blinding, but soft and ethereal, like the glow of a sunrise filtered through fog. Ryan blinked—or at least, he felt like he blinked, even though he didn't have eyes. What? Where is this? he thought, his mind swirling with confusion. He looked around—or rather, he perceived his surroundings, because he didn't have a body to turn. Shades of color shifted and swirled around him, like he was floating in some kind of interdimensional kaleidoscope. He glanced down—or tried to—and realized he was just… an orb. A glowing, formless orb.
"Well, this is new," he muttered, though he wasn't sure if he was actually speaking or just thinking really loudly.
A voice—no, not a voice, more like a thought that wasn't his—echoed in his mind.
[ Host Found ]
[ System binding with Host ]
[ Welcome, Host. Please prepare yourself as you dive into the world of Ealdenia. ]
Ryan's orb-like form seemed to vibrate with excitement. "This must be one of those Isekai genres from the manga," he said, his voice—or thoughts—tinged with glee. "I can't believe I'm gonna be reborn! This is insane!"
Then, he felt it—a surge of energy coursing through him, even though he didn't have a body. It was warm, electric, and strangely comforting.
[ System Activated ]
[ Character Creation Initialized ]
A holographic screen materialized in front of him—or maybe inside him, since he didn't have eyes. It was sleek, futuristic, and oddly familiar. Ryan squinted—or at least, he imagined himself squinting. "What?? This is Rimworld," he said, his tone a mix of disbelief and amusement. "Well, kinda. It's like someone mashed it up with the EDB Prepare Carefully mod. Am I going crazy?"
The screen displayed a series of options:
[ Name:
Gender:
Traits: Creative, Strategic, Gray Morality, Funny, Observant, Eloquent (built-in) +Add ]
The built-in traits were greyed out, locked in place. Ryan wasn't surprised. "Well, at least I can add more," he said, his excitement growing. "And I get to choose a name and gender? Sweet." A mischievous grin spread across his non-existent face. "I wonder how it feels to be a female," he mused, his intrusive thoughts taking over for a moment. Then he shook himself—metaphorically, of course. "Nah, I'll stick with male. No need to complicate things."
He scrolled down, checking out the rest of the options.
[ Attributes:
Construction: Determines how efficiently buildings and defenses are constructed.
Mining: Affects how quickly and effectively resources are gathered from the land.
Plants: Affects how quickly and effectively plants and trees are harvested and planted.
Animals: Impacts how the quality and speed in taking care of animals and butchering them.
Crafting: Impacts the quality and speed of equipment and item production.
Artistic: Improves artistic abilities.
Combat (Melee): Improves melee attack strength and accuracy.
Combat (Ranged): Increases ranged weapon precision and effectiveness.
Medicine: Determines how well the character heals others or themselves.
Social: Influences negotiations, recruitment, and colony morale.
Intellectual: Determines how well the character's cognition abilities are.
Magic (locked): Unlocks the ability to harness and manipulate mystical forces, allowing for spellcasting and magical abilities as you progress.
Level 1–5: 10 points per level
Level 6–10: 20 points per level
Level 11–15: 50 points per level
Level 16–20: 100 points per level ]
"Whoaaa!! There's magic?!" Ryan exclaimed, his excitement bubbling over. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"
He quickly moved to the traits panel, eager to see what else was in store.
[ Industrious (+100 points)
Iron-Willed (+150 points)
Optimist (+75 points)
Quick Learner (+100 points)
Psychically Sensitive (+125 points)
Beautiful (+50 points)
Hard Worker (+100 points)
Greenthumb (+75 points)
Gourmand (+50 points)
Chemical Interest (+100 points)
Lazy (-50 points)
Jealous (-75 points)
Greedy (-100 points)
Pyromaniac (-100 points)
Chemical Sensitivity (-75 points)
Night Owl (-50 points)
Brawler (-100 points)
Annoying Voice (-50 points)
Caveworlder (-75 points)
Psychopath (-150 points)
Steadfast (0 points)
Kind (0 points)
Optimistic (0 points)
Ascetic (0 points)
Sanguine (0 points)
... ]
"Same traits as the game," Ryan muttered, scanning the list. "But what are these points?" He checked the interface, his eyes—or whatever he was using to see—landing on a small note at the top. Hahaha, There's also free. Hey, I'll take it, it's a free real estate.
[ Customization Points: 0/2000 ]
"Of course, there'd be a limit," he said, his expression falling. "But no matter. I know which ones to prioritize."
He moved on to the equipment section, his curiosity piqued.
[ Weapons:
Wooden Club (+10 points)
Stone Axe (+15 points)
Iron Sword (+50 points)
Steel Spear (+75 points)
Crossbow (+100 points)
Longbow (+75 points)
Fire Staff (+150 points)
Magic Wand (+200 points)
Steel Dagger (+50 points)
Greatsword (+125 points)
...
Armor:
Cloth Tunic (+10 points)
Leather Armor (+25 points)
Chainmail (+50 points)
Plate Armor (+100 points)
Robes (+30 points)
Hooded Cloak (+25 points)
Iron Helmet (+30 points)
Steel Boots (+40 points)
Magic Amulet (+100 points)
Shield (+50 points)
...
Tools:
Simple Toolkit (+25 points)
Herbal Medicine Kit (+50 points)
Firestarter (+15 points)
Bedroll (+10 points)
Tent (+50 points)
Cooking Pot (+20 points)
Compass (+40 points)
Lockpicks (+30 points)
Fishing Rod (+25 points)
Lantern (+15 points)
...
Misc:
Healing Potion (+50 points)
Mana Potion (+75 points)
Scroll of Fireball (+100 points)
Rations (5-pack) (+30 points)
Bandages (+15 points)
Rope (+20 points)
Map of the Region (+40 points)
Healing Salve (+30 points)
Enchanted Gem (+100 points)
Book of Spells (+200 points)
... ]
[ Reset ] [ Confirm and Launch ]
"Whoaaa, it's still like the game," Ryan said, his voice filled with awe. "But now with magic items. Though they're not useful for now, since the Magic skill is locked. I can make this equipment as I go, but there's quite a lot of useful stuff here so I don't die on my first night. I hope there's no zombies, though," he added, half-joking, half-worried.
Without further ado, Ryan got to work. First things first: his name and gender.
[ Name: Ryan James Cooper
Gender: Male ]
He typed in femboy as a joke, then laughed at his own absurdity. "Hahaha, tempting, but I'll stick with Male," he said, shaking his head. "No need to complicate things right out of the gate."
Next, he moved on to his attributes. He knew he had to be strategic—this wasn't a game anymore. He couldn't just respawn if things went south.
[ Construction: Level 7 (90 Points)
Mining: Level 7 (90 Points)
Plants: Level 7 (90 Points)
Animals: Level 7 (90 Points)
Cooking: Level 5 (50 Points)
Crafting: Level 5 (50 Points)
Artistic: Level 4 (40 Points)
Combat (Melee): Level 7 (90 Points)
Combat (Ranged): Level 7 (90 Points)
Medicine: Level 3 (30 Points)
Social: Level 10 (150 Points)
Intellectual: Level 7 (90 Points)
Magic (locked): ]
He double-checked the math. "Level 1–5: 10 points per level. Level 6–10: 20 points per level. Level 11–15: 50 points per level. Level 16–20: 100 points per level. Yep, that adds up."
He glanced at his Customization Points: 860/2000. "Still got some room for traits," he muttered. "But they're expensive. If there's extra points left, I'll pump them into skills."
He scrolled through the traits, picking the ones that would give him the best edge.
[ Industrious (+100 points)
Iron-Willed (+150 points)
Optimist (+75 points)
Quick Learner (+100 points)
Beautiful (+50 points)
Hard Worker (+100 points)
Greenthumb (+75 points)
Gourmand (+50 points)
Steadfast (0 points)
Kind (0 points)
Optimistic (0 points)
Ascetic (0 points)
Sanguine (0 points) ]
"Well, that's certainly quite overpowered," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "But I wouldn't settle for less, especially since this isn't a game anymore. Gotta be prepared for anything."
He checked his Customization Points: 1660/2000. "Still got 340 points to go. Time to gear up."
He moved to the equipment section, carefully selecting items that would help him survive his first night.
[ Iron Sword (+50 Points)
Cloth Tunic (+10 Points)
Leather Armor (+25 Points)
Hooded Cloak (+25 Points)
Leather Boots (+10 Points)
Herbal Medicine Kit (+50 Points)
Tent (+50 Points)
Bedroll (+10 Points)
Cooking Pot (+20 Points)
Fire Starter (+15 Points)
Map of the Region (+40 Points)
Bandages (+15 Points) ]
"Now that's about it," he said, nodding in satisfaction. "Though I wish I could've added some more traits, like Fisherman. But hey, being a fisherman—that's a skill you gotta earn with effort. No shortcuts, just pure skill and experience."
He checked his Customization Points: 2000/2000. "Welp, here goes nothing," he said, taking a deep breath. He pressed the [Confirm and Launch] button.
Suddenly, a surge of energy ripped through him, stronger than before. It felt like his very essence was being pulled apart and reassembled. A black hole appeared in the swirling void, its gravitational force tugging at him. Ryan tried to resist, but it was no use. The pull was too strong.
"Oh, come on!" he shouted, his voice—or thoughts—echoing in the void. "Can't I just get a smooth transition for once?"
The black hole swallowed him whole, and everything went dark.