The pressure was tangible now. A cloying mass of energy that stifled his breathing. Then came a deep resonant thrumming. As if the very fabric of existence was vibrating. Levi stood, stock still, waiting for the inevitable. It didn’t take long. The pressure reached its peak and, with an inaudible pop, everything exploded.

Not literally exploded, but that’s what the rush of color and motion felt like to Levi when his eyes abruptly went from his living room/kitchen to somewhere else. One minute he was home, the next a vibrant forest filled his vision, the greens and browns so much more alive than he remembered them. Slowly he adjusted, the sounds filtering in, being interpreted by his very confused brain.

[Installation finished! The System has now been fully installed. For surviving the installation you have unlocked a skill slot!]

[Unlocked generic skill slot! Please choose a skill from your available skills list.]

Levi blinked, digesting this new information. At least now he knew it was over. Hopefully. And he even got a new skill. And speaking of, it seemed to want him to select it now. He knew he could put it off, but it felt like there was an incessant beeping in his head that he knew wouldn’t go away until he selected a new skill. Giving in to the feeling, Levi took of his pack and sat down with his back against a tree while he went over the new information in his head.

[Available skills: Organization, Survival, Driving, Musicality.]

He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but this wasn’t it. Four skills. Four fucking skills, that’s all his life was worth. It was pretty obvious where they came from. Organization was from his job. He was in charge of organizing the stock room. Survival was presumable from his time outdoors, although whether that was survival was debatable. Driving was obvious, and Levi had a feeling all the biking he did fell under the skill’s umbrella too. And musicality was likely from his time playing trombone during middle school. Yep, it was pretty obvious why he had those skills. It was just really fucking depressing there were only four. No wonder he got dumped. Maybe he was a loser after all.

Pushing away those thoughts, Levi made his choice. There was only one realistic option. Driving and Musicality looked useless, and this wasn’t the time for Organization. Survival was a godsend though. It may have been his only useful skill, but even having one useful skill in the modern world probably made him one of the lucky few. Perhaps people like doctors would have useful skills, but most lawyers, bankers, and politicians would likely experience a sharp decline in usefulness.

[Unlocked skill: Survival! This skill allows for an improved ability to survive in the wilderness. This skill is associated with: Constitution.]

Now that the strange beeping sensation was gone from his head, Levi took stock of his situation. First were his immediate surroundings. They were clearly woods. Likely similar to a pine forest, as he couldn’t see any deciduous trees. There were at least some animals of some sort. He was able to hear bird calls and what might be sounds from larger critters. Scratch that, definitely larger animals. That was clearly a roar of some kind. Fortunately it sounded like it was quite far away. Levi wasn’t confident in his chances facing a mountain lion or a bear with a small pocket knife.

Moderately confident there wasn’t anything trying to actively kill him in his immediate surroundings, Levi finally moved on to the big question, finding out whatever in god’s good name the system actually did to him. He took some calming deep breaths before looking inwards. He, along with every other person who had ever played a game ever, suspected that he would have some sort of status or character sheet. He wasn’t disappointed.

[Name: Levi Curchman

Level: 1

Titles: System Inductee

Stats:

Strength: 1 Constitution: 1 Dexterity: 1 Agility: 1

Willpower: 1 Insight: 1 Attunement: 1 Charisma: 1

Concentration: 1 Luck: 3

Skills: Concentrated Will, Survival]

After some detailed inspection there were a few things Levi could figure out. Things like his level, titles, and skills were pretty obvious. The skills did have a level and description, which he could figure out by focusing on them. Both skills were level one currently, and his instincts were telling him that them leveling up had some relation to their associated stats.

The stats were a bit more confusing. The top row seemed pretty self-evident. Their names and the feeling Levi got both attributed them to physical aspects of his person. The middle row were the immaterial and mental stats. Out of those, only Charisma seemed obvious. He wasn’t sure why, but he had the feeling his Attunement stat was purely for magic of some kind. More than that he couldn’t say.

The bottom row seemed to be for the stats he had unlocked. By thinking about what the stats meant he could figure out that the top two rows were basic stats. Everyone had them. By process of elimination that meant the bottom row was for unlocked stats, which he had a feeling he wouldn’t even know existed if he hadn’t unlocked two of them. Of those, Luck was obvious, and also his highest stat. What Concentration was good for he couldn’t say.

Because of his Luck stat he could also make a few guesses about the point values. He had unlocked the Luck stat and then gained +2 points to it. Since it was now at 3, it likely meant that each stat had a base value of 1, and it could increase from there. This seemed to make sense with his other stats, so Levi was going off that for now.

With his System information confirmed, Levi got up, dusted his pants off, slung his backpack back over his shoulders, pulled the straps tight, and started walking. Where, he wasn’t quite sure, but a water source would be a good start. He had a little of both food and water in his pack, but he knew which one he would much rather go without.

Levi tried to focus on the forest. It wasn’t hard to in some respects. It was a beautiful forest, wild and untamed, somehow much more venerable than what he was used to on his hikes. The squirrels and birds he saw has a special vibrancy to them. But then he would see something wrong. A small vole like creature with six legs. A web spinning insect the size of his hand. A bird with two heads. They almost looked normal with how they blended into the forest. And that’s what got to him. How normal it all looked. Levi didn’t know where he was, but even if it was still Earth, it might as well not be. His surroundings had changed.

But he had to ignore all that. Ignore what it used to feel like, hiking through the woods, the serenity he used to feel. He knew there was danger out there in his surroundings. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out. How dangerous he didn’t know, but if it was all the same, he just as soon wouldn’t find out.

The sun seemed to be in the same position at least, meaning he started his journey a little before noon. It was now a few hours past then based on his watch. Levi had spent that time walking in what he thought was a straight line. It could be hard to tell sometimes, what with the clambering over rocks and moving around tight knit copses of trees. When he first heard the sound of water he knew he was at least moving somewhere, as there wasn’t any water where he first started and there was water now.

As he got closer, the elusive noise of water revealed itself as the sound of a mountain stream. One of those ones with crystal clear waters that bubble and gurgle over rocks and down small waterfalls. They were the kind that didn’t need to be filtered before being drunk, or wouldn’t need to be were it not for humans and their pollution. Getting closer, Levi spotted the glint of sunlight on water and made his way through the woods to the river bank, eager to finally take a break.

If he had been thinking about it, perhaps he would have taken a more cautious approach. But the splashing of the water as it jumped over rocks put him off guard, reminding him of his carefree hikes. So it was without any caution that Levi breached the tree line and found himself staring across the stream at a middle-aged woman who appeared to be having a picnic on a flat rock.

Based on how the woman stared back at him, she evidently didn’t hear him either over the bubbling stream. They stared at each other for a good minute, clearly not sure what to make of the situation. The woman looked like she could be in her late fifties, with steel gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was fit, and looked vaguely like one of those women you would always see out jogging or maybe hanging around a yoga studio. And it looked like she was having a picnic. She was spread out on a blanket with a backpack next to her and a sandwich in her hand, apparently enjoying the beautiful scenery.

The woman was the first to break the stalemate.

“No need to stand there, come over and join me,” she said, patting the blanket next to her.

Levi wordlessly jumped over the small stream to join her on the blanket. It should be safe. He doubted she was suddenly going to unleash her yoga-fu on him, and he didn’t see any machetes or dismembered body parts lying around. As Levi settled down on the blanket the silence continued as the woman ate her sandwich. Eventually, unable to contain himself, Levi spoke up.

“Erm, you do know this is the apocalypse, right? I’m not sure, ah, that this is the right time for a picnic.”

The woman took her time answering, first finished the last few bites of her sandwich and then primly wiping her hands with a napkin.

“Yes, I suppose this isn’t the best time, but then when is? Things weren’t looking so good before this whole System did its thing either. Maybe my generation wouldn’t have to worry about the environment, but yours certainly would. And that’s not to mention a nuclear holocaust caused by juvenile men and their dick measuring contests. My name’s Susan by the way.”

She stuck out her hand for a handshake. Levi shook it.

“I’m Levi. I guess I just meant, I don’t know. Shouldn’t you be a little more worried about your surroundings? What if instead of me coming out of the woods it had been a bear?”

“I could say the same thing to you. You didn’t seem all that aware yourself, stumbling out of the woods like that. Not to mention meekly joining me on my blanket. I somehow feel like bears are the least of our worries. In a situation like this, humans are always the biggest threat. Remember that.”

Susan gave his arm a pat before shooing him off the blanket so she could pack it up.

“So,” she continued, “since you are so concerned with my safety you surely must have a plan? This is the apocalypse. One must always have a plan. Perhaps you have a family you’re looking for? A girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

Levi scratched his head, his lack of a plan written on his face clear as day.

“Not really? I figured the first thing I should do was look for water.”

“Well you found it. Then what? Set up camp and look for family or other survivors?”

“I don’t really have a family,” Levi said. This topic was always hard to talk about. He was dreading the ‘poor dear’ response which he inevitably received. “It was just me and my dad, and then he passed away. I don’t have anyone else. No girlfriend or anything like that.”

Not anymore, he added in his head. He was okay taking about his lack of family, but his love life was one can of worms he kept firmly shut.

As the conversation continued Levi followed Susan as she moved downstream. He certainly hadn’t planned on blindly following the first other person he met, but somehow it felt like his only option. Susan had this take charge air about her. Maybe like some sort of police officer or something. It was completely at odds with his initial impression.

“That might be a blessing in disguise given the current circumstances. Not having loved ones, I mean,” Susan said. “If they even survived what happened. I certainly wasn’t expecting to suddenly find myself in a giant forest. For all we know people could have appeared in a volcano. No, perhaps it’s best you are unattached.”

With that depressing note left between them they continued on in silence. Levi didn’t know where Susan was going, but she seemed to have a plan of some sort. More than he had at least. They continued like that, walking along the stream, for a good few hours. Levi was lost in thought, pondering on what Susan said. Particularly about not having a plan. It hit rather close to home, not just now, but also for his life in general.

He had succeeded in becoming a fully functioning adult. He had a steady job, fed himself, bathed regularly, and even arranged his own dental appointments. He was rather proud of that last one. Dentists were scary. But he didn’t really have a plan other than paying the bills and exercising more. He was in the best shape he had ever been in, so that was nice, but what was it all for? Why was he doing it all, going through the daily grind? As Susan had said, perhaps is was best he was currently unattached. But he didn’t want to remain that way forever. It was just he couldn’t imagine finding anyone. He felt like he wanted human connection in the abstract, not in actuality.

He eventually gave up on the depressing thoughts, pushing them back into a box in the corner of his mind. It didn’t really matter anyway. Not anymore. Any plan he could have had in the past was useless now. Now it was all about survival.

Done with his ruminating, Levi finally broke the spell of silence they had been under.

“Do you have one? A plan, I mean?”

It was after he said it that Levi realized how out of left field the question was. Other people didn’t seem to like to carry on the same topic hours later. They were often confused; their own thinking long having shifted to newer topics. Chelsey had complained about him doing this constantly, bringing up a topic she had long ago forgotten.

“Hmm? A plan? Oh, do you mean where are we going? I was wondering when you would ask,” Susan said, turning to regard him briefly before her eyes moved back to the path ahead. “Humans need water. If we follow the stream, it will lead to a bigger stream, then a river, and eventually the sea. In the past most settlements were near water, so if we follow the stream we have a higher chance of finding others than if we were to stumble around in the forest blindly.”

That logic made sense to Levi. As did finding other people. That wasn’t something that had ever crossed his mind. He had gotten too used to only relying on himself, but did he ever really? He hadn’t grown his own food, built his own house, or really done anything else to guarantee his survival. He had organized shelves. Finding other people who had those necessary skills would be useful indeed if he was to survive in this new world.