Damn this is hell, if I knew coding marathons could end like this, I would have switched to been a lawyer years ago. One minute I'm chugging on energy drinks, and coffee on my desk, debugging some endless loop of codes in a crappy game nobody cares about, the next, bam. Tires screeching, blinding headlights, and all of a sudden the world flips like a bad glitch. No save point, no respawn menu. Just pitch black darkness.
Then from the darkness, a light shines. Not the heavenly gates kind, nahhh, this was harsh, like staring into a faulty monitor screen. My eyes cracked open to dirt grinding into my cheek, a metallic taste of blood on my tongue. Naked as a noobie in a tutorial zone. Wait, what?
I pushed myself up, my muscles screaming like I had just run a marathon without stretching. The air hit me - thick, and humming with something electric, just like ozone after a storm but mixed with charred wood. Trees loomed around, twisted trunks glowing faint blue veins. Not like trees on earth. These trees pulsed, like they were alive in a way that said "fuck off, intruder."
A sharp ding echoed in my skull, not from the outside but on the inside. Words floated into my vision, holographic crap straight out of a VR sim:
[System Initialization: Welcome to Elyria, Jax Harlan, SoulForge Activated.]
[Level: 0]
[Class: 0]
[Stats: Strength 5 | Agility 5 | Intelligence 12 | Vitality 5 | Mana 10]
[Traits: Overclock (Glitch Variant) - Temporarily boost one stat by 50% for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Risk: Burnout (debuff on overuse).]
[Skills: None]
Elyria? SoulForge? This wasn't some fever dream from too much Redbull. I had read enough LitRPG trash to know the whole drill; isekai'd, system-slapped, and probably about to have my ass handed to me by a tutorial mob. But why me? I was just a freaking 28 year old code monkey, technically a loser with a caffeine addiction, and a string of failed dates, relationships, jobs. High Int from debugging hell, maybe?
Groaning from the muscle pains, I staggered to my feet. No clothes, no gear, what a great start - ughhhhh. The forest floor but into my soles, roots like cables snaking everywhere. A rustle ahead - low growl, eyes gleamed from the shadows: green, slitted, hungry.
Goblins, three of them, scrawny bastards with jagged teeth, and clubs that looked like they had been ripped from those glowing trees. One snarled, spit flying, and charged towards me.
Panic hit like a crash dump. I dodged left, barely, his club whooshing past my ear. Heart racing, I scanned around: No weapons, just fists, and that Overclock trait. Fuck it.
"Overclock: Agility!" I yelled, half-expecting nothing, but a sudden wave of heat surged through my veins, legs turning to springs. Time slowed down or I sped up. The goblin's swing lagged, and I sidestepped easy, slamming my fist into its gut. It wheezed, doubling over.
[Goblin Scout (Lv. 1) Health: 80/100]
The other two piled in. I weaved, Overclock making me an afterimage, but the cooldown ticked in my head, 50 seconds left? Nahhh, the boost was fading away already. Ten seconds max, like the system said. Sweat stung my eyes, burnout creeping in like a hangover.
One goblin clipped my shoulder, pain exploded, hot and real. No health bars for me yet? Vitality 5 sucked. I grabbed a fallen branch, swinging wildly. Crack - connected with a skull.
[Critical Hit! Goblin Scout Defeated. +10 EXP]
[Loot: Goblin Tooth x1, Ragged Cloth Scrap]
The system dinged again, loot auto-dumping into some invisible inventory. Kind of felt like cheating to me, but I would take it. The last two had backed off, circling. Smarter than they looked huh.
I plunged at the smaller one, Overclock on cooldown but my adrenaline was pumping. Tackled it, knees pinning its arms, fists raining down. Blood - greenish, sticky, splattered all over my hands and face. It went limp.
[Goblin Scout Defeated. +10 EXP]
[Level Up! Level 1 Achieved.]
[Stats Increased: +1 to all, Choose Class Path: Warrior | Mage | Rogue | Custom]
The rush hit, power trickling in, muscles knitting, but the final goblin roared, club high. No time to pick, "Mage!" I yelled, gut instinct from all those late-night games. Int was my highest stat, right?
[Class Unlocked: Fire Mage (Basic). Skills: Mana Lash (Lv. 1) - Whip mana into a cutting strike. Cost: 5 Mana.]
Perfect, I thrust my hand out "Mana Lash!"
Blue energy cracked from my palm, slicing the air like a whip. It caught the goblin mid-swing, carving a slash across its chest. It howled, dropping dead.
[Goblin Scout Defeated. +10 EXP]
[Loot: Goblin Core (Common) - Absorb for potential skill or stat boost.]
Panting, I slumped against a treee. The core pulsed in my hand warm, like a beating heart. Absorb? The system prompted: [Yes/No]
Why not? I crushed it, energy flooding in, burning, then soothing.
[Absorbed: +2 Mana. Skill Variant Unlocked: Mana Lash now chains to nearby foes (low chance).]
Not bad for a first scrap, but still naked, blood-smeared, in a weird-ass world. Inventory had that cloth scrap, tied it around my waist like a sad kilt, better than nothing.
The forest thinned out ahead, smoke curling up. Village? It had to be. My stomach growled, when last did I eat? Earth time blurred.
As I walked, the system dinged softly:
[Quest Unlocked: Seek Shelter - Find the nearest settlement. Reward: Basic Gear, +50 EXP.]
Quests too? This place was a full MMO rip-off, but real pain, real blood. No logout button in sight.
The trees parted to a cluster of huts, thatched roofs flickering with those blue veins. People milled-humans, mostly, but some with pointed ears, others had bulky ones like orcs but not hostile. A tavern sign swung "The Fractured Mug."
Inside, warmth hit, fire crackling, ale smells mixing with stew. Heads turned, eyes on my makeshift kilt. A bar maid "Elara", her name tag glowed? Wait, system overlay - approached, brow furrowed, blonde hair tied back, curves under simple leathers, green eyes looking sharp but kind.
"You look like hell dragged you through a Fracture," she said, voice like honey over gravel. "Newcomer? Sit before you keel over."
I collapsed onto a stool, the wood creaking. "Yeah, something like that. Truck got me - long story, Water? And… Clothes?"
She chuckled, sliding a mug across the table. "Water's free for the wrecked. Clothes? You earn them. Elyria ain't kind to scrubs, but hey you got fire in your eyes, literally? Mage spark?"
Her gaze lingered, a spark of interest, or pity, quite hard to tell, but the system whispered:
[Affinity Detected: Potential Oath Bond - Shared trails could amplify stats.]
Oath what? Harem vibes already? Nahhh, that's too soon, but damn if survival meant alliances.....
The elder at the bar leaned in, grizzled beard. "Beasts stirring at dawn, Fracture Event. You fight, your earn your keep."
Great. Tutorial over, straight to wave defense.
Outside, a distant roar echoed. The goblin shaman, had to be. Its ritual chant from earlier, pulling shadows. Eyes on me again, but darker now.
The fire in my veins pulsed wild, corruption nibbling at the edges. This was just the beginning.