{Ding} {Ding} {Ding}

[Hello, traveler, and congratulations. You have been selected as one of the subjects of this wonderful opportunity!]

No shit...

[Although there are many others, you get to take part in this wonderful world of fantasy with the advantage of a mental support system!]

Yeah... I'm just going to study my surroundings instead of listening to this suspicious masked person, Liam decided firmly. Sure, an almost transparent screen hovered in his vision with a masked person speaking, but it did not really matter. He knew something was wrong the moment his surroundings changed. Only a moment earlier, he had been putting the heat on some new recruits. Now, he was standing on a dirt road that passed through what appeared to be some sort of market. The only thing was, the market looked like one from a third world country. Seeing such a thing reminded Liam of his days in the field.

While inspecting the people and stalls in the area, he noticed several people looking forward in a daze. All of them were wearing similar shirts, trousers, and shoes which all looked like the clothes one might find in a destitute country. If he was not wrong, then these particular people were in the same situation as himself but were paying attention to the suspicious looking character on the screen. Apparently, it was impossible to see the screens of these other people.

Other than the people looking at invisible screens, there appeared to be normal civilians haggling with stall owners, walking kids down the street, talking with other nearby people, and many other things. Basically, the people were acting like people. Who would have thought?

While the masked person was speaking, Liam walked around to investigate his surroundings. For some reason, no one noticed him even though he was a head taller than most of the city's inhabitants.

Then, the masked man said something that caught his attention.

[You will not gain experience from killing natives unless it is self-defense, but killing each other earns experience. However, death is permanent, so be prepared for any ramifications such an action may bring~.]

“Not much different than fighting in the field, then...” Liam muttered. After hearing such a thing, he decided it would be best to listen for more important information while resuming his investigation of the surroundings. Studying every last detail was a practical way of staying sane in an insane situation. In his peripheral vision, he noticed that some of the people who had been looking at their 'screens' were looking around to spot others like themselves. Realizing that these people were likely to engage in acts of 'PvP', Liam pretended to be one of the denizens of whatever world this was.

Stepping around pedestrians, he made his way to a stall that was selling weapons the likes of which he had only seen in museums. The strange thing was that food stalls were nearby as well. Once again, he observed what each shop was offering, only to discover that the nearby stalls were selling travel supplies.

Curious about the blades in front of him, he picked up a plain-looking iron dagger. While studying it, he noticed that the shopkeeper did not even glance in his direction.

This calls for a test...

He reached out with his free hand and began waving it right in front of the shopkeeper. Oddly enough, the shopkeeper continued talking with a customer as though Liam was completely invisible. If this old guy was not going to notice the disappearance of the dagger, then Liam was fine with taking it off of his hands. May as well take one of those sheaths, too, while he was at it. After all, survival held the number one spot on his priority list.

Meanwhile, in the background, the masked man explained something about the world and culture, but Liam had no interest in such a thing at the moment. Instead, he grabbed a few apples from another stall. While taking a bite from one of the apples to sate his hunger, the masked man moved onto more relevant information. While studying the items at other stalls, Liam listened to the shady-looking character on the screen.

[Now, I shall mention the “System” that you all will be using. You will have levels, classes, and skills, but there is a small amount of freedom. A simple desire to open your status and even a small inventory is all it takes to see these things. However, there are limits to the inventory and it will require skill points to expand it.]

Let's see if it opens... Eh? It's not working...

[Hahahaha! I bet some of you are trying to open your inventories or status screens right now. Don't worry, they will work after I'm done gracing you with my presence.]

Bastard...

[Anyway, this screen will close in a moment. When it does, you will be thrown into the world as though you had been there from the start. You will have a few options. Of course, you can try to live a normal life away from danger, which is your first option.]

A normal life... I don't think I could do such a thing... Wait... thrown into the world. Perhaps I can grab a few more things while I have the chance.

[Second, you can join the adventurer guild and do quests, earn money, et cetera, et cetera. Ya know, game-like stuff.]

It's an option, but there are other options, right? It's not like I've played tons of games. Liam thought while grabbing a blanket from one of the stalls.

[For those of you unfamiliar with games, you can try to join the military, or even set out on your own to journey as your heart desires. Survive off the land. Basically, no matter what you choose, you can always take a different path. That being said, Au revoire~!]

{Beep}

All of a sudden, the screen disappeared into nothingness. Immediately, a person bumped into Liam.

“Ah, sorry, sir. I didn't see you there.” The person apologized.

Liam looked down at the young man and smiled politely. “It's okay. Don't worry about it.” Great words from a thief such as himself.

“Thank you. Have a good day, sir.”

“You as well.”

Since his arms were currently filled with items he had just pilfered, he walked into an alley and tried opening his inventory. Although the man had said a screen would open, Liam was still surprised by the sudden appearance of a transparent box.

Inventory:

Available Slots: 12

“Hmm... how do I put stuff in?” Liam asked himself. Just thinking about it did not seem to do the trick. The next thing to try was simply stuffing the items into it. Before stuffing anything inside, he looked around to make sure there were no prying eyes. Anything to lessen the threat on his life would be welcome. Once he was sure that no one was watching, he held an apple up to the floating screen. As soon as the apple made contact with the screen, it got sucked into a digital vortex.

Inventory:

Available Slots: 11

Apple: 1

“Oh, looks like it stacks.” Liam muttered. With that, he threw in the rest of his pilfered items besides the dagger sheathed at his side.

Inventory:

Available Slots: 6

Apple: 4

Blanket: 1

Leather Tent (Small): 1

Flint: 1

Steel Pot: 1

Waterskin (Small): 1

“Those slots disappear quickly...” Liam said in realization. “Oh well, I guess I'll check my status now.” With that, he thought of opening a status screen. Although it popped up, the inventory screen was still open as well. Luckily, a simple thought allowed him to close it. Now that that was out of the way, he studied his status screen.

Name: Liam Foxworth

Current Class: Civilian

Race: Human

Available Classes:

Class Description:

HP

100/100

Warrior

Physical melee class

MP

0/0

Thief

Stealth class with high crit.

Strength

15

Dexterity

17

Agility

13

Intelligence

7

Wisdom

14

Charisma

3

Crit. Rate

Error

Crit. Dmg

155.00%

“Are these charisma and intelligence stats supposed to be an insult?”