When Matt opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a vast, open clearing. The air was thick with the sound of a thousand voices are confused, frightened, and desperate. People were staring at one another in shock, while a few self-appointed leaders were already standing on crates or rocks, trying to gather followers and explain the inexplicable.
The fragments of their conversations drifted through the air:
- "Is this a dream? Is any of this actually real?"
- "What does your Unique Item do?"
- "Does anyone want to party up? We need a team!"
- "We have to get out of here, now!"
Hearing that last sentence, Matt shook off his initial shock. He realized immediately leave that place. Without a word, he turned and began to walk away from the clearing, putting distance between himself and the noise. Once he was far enough to ensure privacy, he checked his inventory and found a 'Starter Pack.'
Starter Pack Contents:
- 100 Gold Coins
- Map of Dimension 1
- 32 Steaks
Matt quickly pulled the map from his inventory. Dimension 1 was staggering in its scale a sprawling expanse of dense forests, jagged mountain ranges, rolling plains, winding rivers, and deep lakes. Scattered across the landscape were various towns , villages, and a single, massive central city.
The sheer size of the world was overwhelming. Matt calculated his options quickly; living in the capital city would undoubtedly be expensive. He decided to head for the farthest town instead; he needed a base of operations and avoid other players as soon as possible.
As he walked, he pulled up his status screen to analyze his own stats.
[ STATUS SCREEN ]
Player: Matt
Level: 1
HP: 100
MP: 120
UMP: 10
Strength: 4
Resistance: 3
Speed: 4
Stamina: 3
Intelligence:7
Sense: 12
StatPoint:0
Skill: None
Talent:None
Title:None
Looking at the numbers, Matt realized these stats weren't randomized. They were a reflection of the players' original physical and mental traits. As the miles passed, he noticed something strange: he wasn't getting tired.
"Walking this far without rest should be impossible," Matt mused. "This 'shell' covering my body must be enhancing my physical stamina."
Upon reaching the town, his first priority was finding an inn. He stepped into a modest establishment and approached the counter. "I want a room. What's the daily cost?"
The innkeeper looked up. "One gold coin for three days."
Matt realized then that the currency held significant value. He handed over a single coin, took his key, and headed upstairs. The room was sparse: a single bed, a wooden chair, and a small desk. He shed his jacket and tossed it onto the chair, noting the strange, unfamiliar texture of his starter clothes. Finally, he sat on the edge of the bed and opened his inventory.
It was time. He summoned his Unique Item.
Unique Item: The Databook
A book containing all the data and displaying the desired data.
Weaknesses:
1. Fragility: The item is permanently destroyed upon taking any amount of damage.
2. Level Restriction: Information on players with a higher level than the user cannot be accessed.
3. Temporal Limitation: Historical data is unavailable; only real-time information is displayed.
4. Dimensional Bound: Data regarding dimensions the user has not yet visited remains locked.
5. Skill Hierarchy: The user can only view or utilize skills one tier above their current mastery level.
6. UMP Cost: UMP consumption varies based on the complexity of the requested data; the System determines the final cost.
7. [Data Encrypted - Inaccessible at current dimension]
8. [Data Encrypted - Inaccessible at current dimension]
9. [Data Encrypted - Inaccessible at current dimension]
10. [Data Encrypted - Inaccessible at current dimension]
11. [Data Encrypted - Inaccessible at current dimension]
Matt stared at the encrypted entries. . These hidden weaknesses were likely about future dimensions. After placing his Unique Item back into his inventory, Matt turned his attention to his HUD. In the upper-left corner of his vision, three translucent bars flickered. At the top was a vibrant green bar representing his Health (HP). Below it, a steady orange bar for his Energy point (E). And at the very bottom, significantly shorter than the others, was a blue bar his Uniqe energy (UE) bar.
All three bars looked disturbingly short a stark reminder of his current satus as a Level 1 player.
Curious about the limits of his power, Matt summoned 'The Databook' once more. He focused his mind and visualized a specific query: "What is the quest with the highest reward in this dimension?"
A window materialized, but it wasn't the answer he sought. Instead, a system notification flashed in sharp red text:
[ ERROR: INSUFFICIENT UE ]
Required: 25
Current: 10
"Of course," Matt muttered, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips.
He understood the logic of the system perfectly. It was a simple matter of capacity. To process more complex data, he needed a larger UE capasity.
"I need to level up," he stated firmly, his eyes reflecting the blue glow of his UE bar.
With a swift swipe of his hand, he dismissed the error window and opened the Quest Interface. The screen flickered to life, populating with a list of available tasks within the town. He began to scan the quests, looking for the most efficient path to gain the experience points he so desperately needed to expand his limits.
--------------------The City---------------------------
While Matt was resting in the quiet town, the main city was in chaos.
Ninety percent of the players went to the city. They believed the best quests and items were there. Most players spent their starting 100 gold to buy a good weapon. But because everyone wanted a weapon, the prices went up very fast. It was the same for hotels and inns; they became too expensive. Because of this, players started to leave the city and move to smaller towns.
During this time, people started to form groups. They joined others who had the same interests. The strongest group was "The Gamers." These people had spent their whole lives playing video games, so they were ready for this world it is time to shine.
The groups also noticed something strange: everyone could understand each other. It didn't matter where they came from; now, everyone spoke the same language. The System had given them a universal language.
Besides the groups, there were other types of people like solo players, scientists who trying to understand the new dimension. And some people were just very scared and confused because they couldn't understand what was happening.The first day was complete chaos.