Introduction to a New World
The soft glow of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting gentle shadows across the dimly lit dormitory of St. Agatha's Orphanage. James Black stirred in his narrow cot, eyelids fluttering as he slowly emerged from the depths of sleep. Blinking away the remnants of dreams, he blinked, his gaze wandering aimlessly around the unfamiliar surroundings.
As he attempted to sit up, a peculiar sensation washed over him, a strange weightlessness that seemed to linger in the air. Furrowing his brow in confusion, James glanced upward, only to freeze as his gaze landed on the floating message hovering above him:
"WELCOME GAMER."
For a moment, James simply stared, his young mind struggling to comprehend the significance of the glowing words. Was it a dream? A trick of the light? Or something else entirely?
As if in response to his silent query, the message shimmered, transforming into a holographic interface that hovered tantalizingly just beyond his reach. Intrigued yet wary, James tentatively reached out a hand, his fingers hovering uncertainly in the air before finally making contact with the flickering projection.
"Welcome, James Black, to the world of gaming. Would you like to embark on a tutorial to learn the basics of our system?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, James hesitated for a moment before nodding tentatively. He needed all the help he could get if he was going to navigate this strange new world.
Quest: Tutorial (1 of 2): Discover the MENU
Explore each section of the MENU
Rewards:
50 EXP
James was extremely confused, his life seemed to be like a video game. He had a vague knowledge of video games, yet he couldn’t understand where that knowledge came from. He didn’t know what to do. The quest, or whatever it really was, gave no instruction on how to access this MENU function. He wasn’t sure if this was real or just a very vivid dream. James gave up trying to figure out how to access the menu himself before he asked the air around him “How do I access this MENU?”
The interface responded to his voice, unfolding like a digital scroll to reveal a series of menu options: Status, Perks, Skills, Gacha, and Inventory. Each option beckoned to him, promising untold possibilities and hidden secrets waiting to be uncovered.
James clicked the screen “Status” and the following showed up:
**Status:**
This menu provides an overview of the character's current attributes, level, experience points (XP), health points (HP), magic points (MP), stamina points (SP), and other relevant information. It serves as a comprehensive summary of the character's abilities and progress in the gaming world.
Name: James Black
Title: Unknown
Age: 5
Level: 1
XP (Experience Points): 0/100
HP (Health Points): 700
HP Regen (Health Points Regeneration per Second): 0.1167 HP/s
MP (Magic Points): 1500
MP Regen (Magic Points Regeneration per Second): 0.25 MP/s
SP (Stamina Points): 400
SP Regen (Stamina Points Regeneration per Second): 0.0667 SP/s
Stats:
- Strength: 2
- Endurance: 3
- Dexterity: 4
- Intelligence: 8
- Wisdom: 7
- Vitality: 6
- Luck: 5
James was in awe of what he was seeing. His entire life so far and all that made up who he was was boiled down to numerically listed arbitrary statistics. James was very miffed with the subpar physical statistics he possessed and vowed to get stronger. The screen, as if sensing he was done looking at the status page went back to the menu he previously saw. James tentatively reached out his hand and pressed “Perks.”
**Perks:**
The Perks menu displays any special abilities or bonuses that the character has acquired throughout their journey. Perks are passive enhancements that grant various advantages, such as increased resilience, improved combat prowess, or unique abilities.
- **Gamer's Mind:** Grants immunity to psychological manipulation and mental attacks, as well as protection from sensory overload and mental fatigue. Allows the user to maintain focus and clarity of thought even in the most chaotic of situations.
- **Gamer’s Body:** Enhances physical resilience and adaptability, granting the user increased resistance to fatigue, injury, and illness. Improves muscle memory and coordination, making the user more proficient in physical activities and combat.
Done with the Perks section James hesitantly touched the Skills section, still not believing what he was experiencing is real.
**Skills:**
In the Skills menu, characters manage their acquired abilities, organized into a skill tree. This tree consists of interconnected branches, each representing a category of skills such as magic or combat. Skills within the tree may overlap, drawing from similar concepts or attributes. Overlapping skills provide opportunities for diversification and strategic customization of abilities to meet challenges in the gaming world.
You currently have no Skills.
The description of skills made James even more excited than when he read the information about his stats! He could learn skills and if this truly was like a video game he could become the unparalleled master of so many cool things! He could be the world's best musician, inventor, and spy all in one person! James barely noticed that the screen went back to the MENU function and he unconsciously clicked the Gacha section.
**GACHA:**
The Gacha menu allows the character to access their collection of Gacha tokens, which once used give special items or bonuses. Gacha rewards can include unique abilities, powerful items, cosmetic enhancements, or other valuable assets that can aid the character on their journey.
You currently have no GACHA tokens.
James thought this was such an interesting system. He knew vaguely of video games, yet had never heard of the GACHA system before. He was hoping that the tokens were quite common so he could gain more skills, perks, and other items quicker and become more powerful.
Lastly, James got back to the main MENU and clicked the Inventory function.
**Inventory:**
The Inventory menu displays the items and equipment that the character has acquired during their adventures.
This includes consumable items, such as potions or food, as well as equipment, such as weapons, armor, and accessories. The character can manage their inventory, equip items, and use consumables to enhance their abilities and prepare for upcoming challenges. Your Inventory is unlimited and exists in a pocket dimension outside of both time and space.
Inventory is currently empty.
James's heart raced with a mixture of excitement and trepidation as he hesitantly navigated through the menus, each selection yielding new insights into his mysterious circumstances. Who was he? Where was he? And most importantly, what did it mean to be a "gamer"?
Suddenly James heard a PING noise and he looked up to see:
**Quest: Tutorial (1 of 2): COMPLETE**
Discover the MENU
Explore each section of the MENU
Rewards: 50 EXP
James closed the tab and saw a notification for a new quest.
**Quest Update: Tutorial (2 of 2)**
Quest Objective: Increase each stat by one point.
Description: To become stronger and more versatile, James must enhance each of his attributes by one point. By improving his physical, mental, and magical capabilities, he'll be better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.
Rewards:
50 EXP
1 Gacha Token
Looking at his new quest, James grinned. Life was going to be fun.