## Chapter Two: Another World
Klyde stood up from beneath the tree. It didn't take long for him to notice his suit's helmet was gone. Though it wasn't strictly necessary for the suit's operation, the loss felt significant.
"This forest is lush and temperate… Reminds me of Okarion," Klyde whispered, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"I wonder how similar this world is to mine… Are there even civilizations? That'll be a problem for later. I need to do a systems check before I can get on the move."
Before he could do anything, a holographic screen flickered into existence in front of him.
╔══════ SYSTEM ══════╗
≫ CALIBRATION COMPLETE
≫ SYSTEM ACTIVE
╚══════════════════╝
"System? Like from those crappy light novels Kaya used to read?" Klyde clenched his fist. "I'll get you back, Kaya. You and the others…"
Another screen appeared in front of him.
╔═══════ MAIN SCREEN ═══════╗
≫ STATUS
▣ NAME: Klyde Tolan | ▣ LV: 1 [0/100]
▣ HP: 4,500/4,500 | ▣ MANA: 100/100
▣ DEF: 40 [+25] | ▣ CREDITS: 0C
≫ ATTRIBUTES [0 points]
▣ VIT: 40 [+5] | ▣ STR: 60 [+20]
▣ AGI: 30 [+5] | ▣ MAG: 10
▣ PER: 10
╚════════════════════════╝
"Hm. It really is like them. I guess being forced to read those stories was worth something after all. I should be able to close it with a simple thought, no?"
Klyde pictured the system disappearing, and a moment later, the screen vanished.
"Just as I thought. I should pull the system back up."
The screen reappeared in front of Klyde. As he scanned through it, one keen detail caught his eye.
"It says I have mana? So this world has magic, huh… and that MAG attribute must stand for magic, which I have 10 in. I can worry about that later. I have to check my equipment first."
Klyde's left arm rose, aiming his rail cannon at the sky. He moved a slider on the cannon to minimum output. It hummed as it charged, and once the power peaked, he fired a barrage of energy bullets. He charged it once more, and this time, he let loose a full discharge. A beam of energy roared from the cannon's tip, scattering birds from the trees as it slowly dissipated into the atmosphere.
"Rail cannon, check."
After lowering his hand, Klyde tapped twice on his left wrist. A small holographic user interface appeared over the gauntlet.
» X-Progen Prot. Model 1
• Crystal Energy [4.88 MF]
• Combat Enhancement: ⟨Inactive⟩
• Current Coordinates: [Data unavailable]
"User interface, check. Unsurprisingly, the GPS is inoperable. I have 4.88 megaflux of power remaining; that should last me a decent while."
On his UI, he clicked ⟨Inactive⟩, which updated to ⟨Module 1⟩. Then he swiped left.
Red lights under the plating of Klyde's suit lit up, and pressurized gas hissed from the joints.
╔══ BUFF ACTIVE ══╗
≫ ATTRIBUTES
▣ VIT: 40 » 60 [+5]
▣ STR: 60 » 90 [+20]
▣ AGI: 30 » 45 [+5]
╚══════════════╝
"Oh? So the system notifies me whenever my attributes are affected, which means the enhancement is operational. Interesting."
Klyde lifted his leg in a swift kicking motion, then threw several punches with rapid speed.
"Module One is fully operational, which means my other modules work. Enhancement, check."
Klyde double-tapped ⟨Module 1⟩, deactivating the state.
╔══ BUFF INACTIVE ══╗
≫ ATTRIBUTES
▣ VIT: 60 » 40 [+5]
▣ STR: 90 » 60 [+20]
▣ AGI: 45 » 30 [+5]
╚══════════════╝
"Without my helmet, I won't be able to utilize the thrusters," he sighed. "At least I have the important features. Now I can leave this area."
Before he could take a step, another screen popped up.
╔════ NEW QUEST UNLOCKED ════╗
≫ CONQUEST
▣ Task: Conquer Erina within 2 months
> Reward
▣ ???
> Penalty
▣ ???
≫ MONSTER HUNTER
▣ Task: Kill 5 monsters in 1 minute
> Reward
▣ Starter Kit Item Cube
╚════════════════════════╝
"A quest? No, looks like two. I already know about the first one, even if the punishment is still hidden. This second one, though… that means this world definitely has monsters. I have no idea how I scale against them yet. Time to get going without any more interruptions."
Klyde closed the system and made his way deeper into the forest.
He drew a katana, cutting small marks into the bark of the trees to find his way back in case he had to.
"The air here feels cooler."
Not far into the woods, he heard a branch snap and immediately froze.
'Something's watching me. The noise from my slashes must have lured it in.'
Klyde activated Module 1, then charged his rail cannon and stood his ground, scanning the foliage around him.
Suddenly, four large ice shards flew toward him from all directions. He managed to block the first two, but the others struck him in the back, knocking him forward.
≫ Status
▣ Health: 4,360/4,500
Two wolves, half his size, rushed out from the trees. Their fur was snow-white, and their eyes were a glistening crimson red.
As they leaped toward him with extended claws, Klyde rolled to the side and sprang back up. With his rail cannon ready, he fired a barrage of energy bullets. One wolf was completely annihilated by the shower of energy, while the other barely dodged, losing its hind legs in the process.
≫ Monster Hunter quest timer started. Time left: 60s
≫ Monster killed.
▣ +55 EXP: 55/100
Klyde looked at the injured wolf, noticing a floating tag above it.
≫ Frosma Wolf ∣
'Frosma Wolf? Must be the species.'
Klyde drew his katana, slowly approaching the whimpering beast while his cannon recharged. Suddenly, four more wolves revealed themselves, firing another wave of ice shards. Klyde jumped back, and the shards struck the injured wolf instead.
≫ Monster killed.
▣ +55 EXP: 110/100
≫ LEVEL UP
▣ Level: 1 > 2 [Exp: 10/200]
▣ +1 All Attributes
≫ Time Left: 46s
"Got you."
Klyde fired an energy beam at one of the attackers. The beam tore through the brush and sliced down two trees, leaving a scorching trail on the forest floor.
≫ Monster killed.
▣ +55 EXP: 65/200
≫ Time Left: 43s
"I should hurry this up." Klyde detached his rail cannon from his forearm to increase his mobility. It hit the ground with a heavy thud.
≫ Time Left: 35s
A flurry of smaller, sharper ice shards flew at Klyde from three directions, but he didn't try to dodge. He dashed straight through the barrage toward the nearest wolf. He lunged, cutting the creature clean in half.
≫ Monster killed.
▣ +55 EXP: 120/200
≫ Time Left: 33s
The remaining two tried to flee, but Klyde gave chase. The distance between them closed rapidly.
≫ Time Left: 20s
Klyde threw one katana, burying it in the ground in front of one wolf, forcing it to skid and turn. This gave him the opening to catch up and decapitate it with a clean swipe of his second blade.
≫ Monster killed.
▣ +55 EXP: 175/200
╔ QUEST COMPLETE ╗
≫ MONSTER HUNTER
> Reward
▣ Starter Kit Item Cube
╚═════════════╝
"I guess I can let the last one escape," Klyde muttered.
He picked a leaf from a nearby tree to wipe the blood from his blade.
"Now, what do I do with these bodies?" Klyde pondered as he retrieved his thrown sword and slid both into their sheaths. "I'll just leave them for nature. I should go get my cannon."
Minutes later, Klyde was leaning against a tree, his cannon resting at his side.
╔═══════ MAIN SCREEN ═══════╗
≫ STATUS
▣ NAME: Klyde Tolan | ▣ LV: 2 [175/200]
▣ HP: 4,600/4,600 | ▣ MANA: 110/110
▣ DEF: 41 [+20] | ▣ CREDITS: 0C
≫ ATTRIBUTES [0 points]
▣ VIT: 41 [+5] | ▣ STR: 61 [+20]
▣ AGI: 31 [+5] | ▣ MAG: 11
▣ PER: 11
╚════════════════════════╝
"So the increased attributes from my level raised my HP and Mana. How does HP even work? No. Don't get distracted, Klyde. I should have a reward from that quest, but I didn't see it drop. So I must have an inventory."
╔═══ INVENTORY ═══╗
≫ ITEMS [1/1000]
▣ Starter Kit Item Cube
╚══════════════╝
"Seems I was correct. If I just picture the item in my hand, that should take it out."
With a flash of blue lightning, a small, beveled white cube with yellow strips appeared in Klyde's palm.
"That easy, huh? Now to open it."
Klyde gripped the cube. It felt cold and vibrated slightly against his skin. "Open," he commanded.
The yellow strips glowed as the cube unfolded. The white panels spun in the air before dissolving into particles of light, leaving two floating items: a white card and a brown sack.
He took the card first. It showed his face along with updated information: Name [Klyde Tolan], Age [20], Level [39], Race [Human], ID [1111-53-039].
"An ID card? This ID number isn't the same as my Earth one. I guess this will help me fit in. It says my level is 39, though… that means nothing without a reference point."
He placed the card in his inventory and took the sack next. Inside, he found a collection of coins: gold, silver, and bronze.
"Currency. I wonder what the exchange rate is. Hopefully, it's enough for stable living."
He put the sack away and then picked up his rail cannon, storing it in the inventory rather than reattaching it.
"Looks like I'm done here. Time to get back on the move."
—
Extract from: Estavra's Mobestiary
Frosma Wolves are part of the Frosma branch of monsters, made up of feline-like creatures that use ice magic.
Frosma Wolves stay in packs of 6–12, made up of frontliners that have more physical strength and a support/backline that use magic from afar to back up the frontliners.
They are only found in cold, snowy countries like Rosefalt.