Ryan's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the soft rustling of tree leaves and the distant chirping of birds. The sound of water streaming nearby was soothing, almost like nature's lullaby. He sat up slowly, his body feeling strangely heavy yet energized. He looked down at himself, taking in his new attire: a cloth tunic that was a bit itchy but better than nothing, a leather armor vest, and a hooded robe. His equipment was scattered around him—a folded tent, a bedroll, a piece of parchment, a cooking pot, a leather bag, an iron sword, a couple of bandages, and some flint.
"Well, at least I'm not starting completely naked," he muttered, brushing dirt off his robe.
He stood up and took in his surroundings. The forest was serene, almost unnaturally beautiful. Tall trees with lush green leaves stretched toward the sky, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. A large river gushed nearby, its crystal-clear water sparkling in the sunlight. Ryan was standing on the riverbank, the soft ground squishing slightly under his leather boots.
He approached the edge of the river, crouching down to cup some water in his hands. He drank deeply, the cool liquid refreshing his parched throat. Then he splashed some water on his face, the chill waking him up fully. As he leaned over the water, he caught his reflection.
For a moment, he froze.
The man staring back at him was… stunning. Sharp jawline, perfectly symmetrical features, and eyes that seemed to sparkle even in the dim light. Ryan blinked, then leaned closer, poking his cheek to make sure it was real.
"This is me?" he said, his voice filled with disbelief. "Dayum, boii. I mean, I was already handsome, but this is on another level. That must be the Beautiful trait at work."
He grinned, admiring his reflection for a moment longer before standing up. Just then, a holographic screen appeared in front of him.
[ System Diagnostics Complete: No issues, No malfunction ]
The screen transitioned to the main menu.
[ Character
Inventory
Construction Management
Research
Magic
Quest
World Map ]
"Woahh," Ryan said, his eyes widening. "It's kinda different from the game, but it's understandable. Let's check the Character tab first."
He tapped the Character option, and a new screen popped up.
[ Name: Ryan James Cooper
Gender: Male
Traits: Creative, Strategic, Gray Morality, Funny, Observant, Eloquent, Industrious, Iron-Willed…
Customization Points: 0 (Edit Character)
Construction: Level 7
Mining: Level 7
Plants: Level 7
Animals: Level 7
Cooking: Level 5
Crafting: Level 5
Artistic: Level 4
Combat (Melee): Level 7
Combat (Ranged): Level 7
Medicine: Level 3
Social: Level 10
Intellectual: Level 7
Magic (locked): Level 0 ]
"What the fuck? I can edit it?" Ryan said, his eyebrows shooting up. "But it needs Customization Points. Hmmm… it must be from quests or something. Where else would I get points? But whatever."
Then it hit him. "Ooohhh shit… I forgot the Quick Learner trait! Whyyy?!" He groaned, slapping his forehead. He quickly pressed the Edit button, but another message popped up.
[ You Have 0 Customization Points. Access Denied ]
"Ahhh, of course," he grumbled, dropping to his knees in mock despair. "Why didn't I double-check that?" He sighed, his face a mix of disappointment and resignation. "Whatever, maybe it's not going to be as bad as I thought."
He closed the Character tab and switched to Inventory.
[ Head: None
Torso: Cloth Tunic, Leather Armor, Hooded Robe
Lower body: Cloth Tunic
Foot: Leather Boots
Slots: 10 (Slot = 1 Stack, 1 Equipment, 1 Tool, 1 Miscellaneous Item. Stack = 100 Pieces of Any Resources) ]
"Well, that's convenient," he said, glancing at his iron sword lying on the ground. He picked it up, examining its weight and balance. It felt solid, real. He slowly moved the sword toward the screen, and to his amazement, it transitioned into energy particles, disappearing from his hand. The inventory updated instantly.
[ Iron Sword (Tap for more Details) ] [ Slot 2 ] [ Slot 3 ]
"Ooooh, that's awesome," he said, tapping the sword icon.
[ Iron Sword
Durability: 100/1000
Attack Damage: +12 ]
"Hmmm, that's wonderful and all, but how do I get it out?" he wondered aloud. Then an idea struck him. "Wait, I have an idea."
He dragged the sword icon out of the screen, and just like that, the iron sword materialized in his hand, dropping slightly as it regained its weight.
"Oooohhh… nice and easy," he said, grinning. "Feels like a literal game. Except, you know, I could die. Though I haven't tried Ironman mode yet. This'll be my first hardcore playthrough."
Ryan tapped on Construction Management, and the screen expanded into a series of sub-tabs.
[ Structure ] [ Production ]
[ Furniture ] [ Power ]
[ Security ] [ Misc ]
[ Recreation ] [ Temperature ]
[ Hygiene ] [ Storage ]
[ Transport ] [ Magic ]
"Oooohhh… very nice," he said, his eyes scanning the options. "Though there's no Orders or Zone tab. There must be some requirements to unlock those. Maybe I need to level up or research something."
He quickly dismissed the thought and tapped on the Structure tab. It opened up another set of sub-tabs:
[ Walls ]
[ Roofs ]
[ Floors ]
[ Pillars ]
[ Doors ]
[ Windows ]
[ Decorations ]
He opened each one, noting that the only available options were basic wooden structures. "Starting with the basics, huh?" he muttered. "Guess I'm not building a castle on day one."
Next, he checked the Production tab. It listed a few simple stations:
[ Simple Wooden Crafting Bench ]
[ Simple Cooking Station ]
[ Simple Wooden Butchering Station ]
[ Simple Wooden Research Table ]
"Hmm, in the game, it usually shows greyed-out structures you can't build yet," he said, tapping his chin. "This doesn't show those. Maybe I have to research them first. Or maybe they'll unlock as I level up."
He moved on to the Furniture tab, which offered a modest selection:
[ Wooden Bed (2 Variations) ]
[ Wooden Chair ]
[ Wooden Table (4 Variation Sizes) ]
[ Wooden Coffee Table ]
[ Wooden Bench ]
"Mediocre, but convenient enough," he said, nodding. "At least I can build my first real home. Or colony. For world domination, hahaha!" He laughed at his own joke, though a part of him wondered if it was really a joke.
The Power tab was empty, which didn't surprise him. "Probably need to research that," he said. "No electricity for me yet. Guess I'm living the medieval life for now."
The Security tab had only two options:
[ Wooden Spike Trap ]
[ Wooden Barrier ]
"Well, that's… underwhelming," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Guess I'll have to get creative with my defenses."
The Misc tab was completely empty. "I mean, what the hell?" he said, throwing his hands up. "What's the point of having a tab if there's nothing in it?"
The Recreation tab offered a couple of options:
[ Wooden Chess Table ]
[ Wooden Pool Table ]
"Chess and pool, huh?" he said, grinning. "Guess I'll have to entertain myself somehow. Maybe I'll challenge a bear to a game of chess. Winner gets the river."
The Temperature tab had only two items:
[ Campfire ]
[ Torch ]
"Campfire and torch. Basic, but effective," he said. "At least I won't freeze to death. Probably."
The Hygiene tab offered a few more options:
[ Stone Well ]
[ Rain Scooper ]
[ Simple Water Filter ]
"Well, I've got a river, so I don't need to dig a well," he said, nodding. "But a water filter might be a good idea. Don't want to die of dysentery on day two."
The Storage tab had just one option:
[ Wooden Chest ]
"One chest to rule them all," he said, chuckling. "Guess I'll have to make do."
Finally, he checked the Transport and Magic tabs. Both were intriguing, though mostly empty.
"Transport, huh?" he said, his eyes lighting up. "Does that mean I can build a bike? A car? A tank? A plane? A jet? A nuclear bomber? A submarine? A freaking spaceship?" His expression shifted to one of pure excitement, his mind racing with possibilities. "Even though this is a world with magic, nothing beats Earth's science. Hahahaha!"
He leaned back, grinning from ear to ear. "World domination, here I come."
Ryan went back to the main menu and tapped on the Research tab, eager to see what kind of advanced technology or magical knowledge he could unlock. But instead of a list of options, a message popped up:
[ Please Place the Research Table to Access This Tab ]
He stared at the screen for a moment, then facepalmed. "A slap in the face for my stupidity. Yeah, makes sense," he muttered, shaking his head. "Can't research without a research table. Duh."
Next, he tapped on the Magic tab, hoping to get a glimpse of what mystical powers he could eventually wield. But the system had other plans.
[ Please, Unlock Magic, you science nerd ]
Ryan's jaw dropped. "Whaaat??? Are you taunting me?!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the screen. "I'll have you know, I can conquer the world without magic, you bastards!"
He paused, then added in a quieter voice, "Though it's quite interesting to see this 'magic'… anyway, magic is just the study of interaction with exotic energies. You bitch."
He flipped the screen off, though he wasn't sure if the system could even see him.
Finally, he tapped on the Quest tab, hoping for something productive to do. The screen showed only one quest, and Ryan's expression immediately shifted to a mix of anger and disbelief.
[ Quest: Apologize to the System for your Rudeness
Rewards: 1 Customization Point
Failure: Death. ]
Ryan's eye twitched. "Are you kidding me?!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the forest. He clenched his fists, his mind racing with a thousand ways to dismantle, destroy, or otherwise humiliate the system.
But then he remembered the Failure: Death part.
He took a deep breath, then another, and another. "Inner peace… inner peace…" he muttered, trying to calm himself down. "Don't let the smug, taunting, insufferable system win."
Reluctantly, he knelt down and kowtowed to the screen, his forehead almost touching the ground. If it weren't for the threat of death, he would've cursed the system to oblivion.
"Oh, venerable system," he began, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "please accept my apologies. I am but a mere mortal, unworthy of your greatness."
The system responded with a single, smug emoji:
[ (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵) ]
Ryan's face turned red with fury, but he kept it hidden, his forehead still pressed to the ground. In his mind, he was plotting his revenge. I swear, someday, I'm gonna rule over you and make you my slave, he thought, his teeth clenched. I'm gonna take your organs and sell them on the black market.
The system, seemingly oblivious to his internal rage, updated the quest log.
[ Quest Completed: Apologize to the System for your Rudeness
Rewards: 1 Customization Point ]
Ryan stood up, brushing dirt off his knees. He glared at the screen, his eyes narrowing. "You think you've won, huh? Just you wait. I'll show you who's boss."
He opened the Character tab and saw that his Customization Points had increased to 1. "One point. One. For groveling like a peasant," he muttered. "This system is a sadist."
But he couldn't deny that the point was useful. He quickly navigated to the Edit Character section, hoping to add the Quick Learner trait he'd forgotten earlier. But when he tried to select it, another message popped up.
[ Customization Points Required: 100 ]
Ryan groaned. "Of course. Why would anything be easy?"
He closed the menu and looked around, his eyes settling on the river. "Alright, system," he said, his voice low and determined. "You've had your fun. But this is my story now. And I'm not gonna let some smug, emoji-spamming AI get in my way."
With that, he grabbed his iron sword and started walking toward the forest, ready to take on whatever challenges this world—and the system—threw at him.