*Squelch* *Squelch*

The warm rays of the sun were shining down, rousing Taylor from his sleep. He didn’t bother opening his eyes. He was used to sleeping in.

*Squelch* *Squelch*

‘Ugh, how the hell am I supposed to sleep with that noise.’

Suddenly a chill breeze swept by, startling him and rousing him further. Rolling over and reaching for a blanket, his hands brushed across the slick feel of morning dew on the grass. He felt something gooey moving on his right foot with a small amount of pain.

*Squelch* *Squelch*

This time he bolted upright, rubbing his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the glaring sun. Once his eyes adjusted, he looked at his foot and saw a strange mass covering his foot.

‘What the fuck?!’ He quickly jumped up and kicked the thing off of him. It looked more like he was pulling his foot out of the gooey substance.

Taylor stomped on the thing a few times and jumped up and down on it until it was splattered into a messy paste and was no longer moving.

‘What the fuck was that thing, and why the hell am I outside?’ He thought to himself, and then the world around him came into view.

Michelle was laying on the ground less than a foot from him, wearing a thin brown gown that looked almost like a burlap sack, albeit a much comfier version. She looked beautiful lying there, her purple-dyed hair shining in the sun along with the morning dew.

She was only 5’2″ with a thin build, contrary to his thick stature and height of 6’0″. She had slightly toned legs, a light tan, and a voluptuous chest. Her charming features were only interrupted by her open mouth with the drool running one corner.

He shook his head and looked around to better understand the situation. He saw his children lying in the grass, 20 to 30 yards away. They were both sleeping peacefully with those same brown sacks covering their bodies.

Looking further around the area, he could see that they were in a vast plain. A couple of small hills could be seen not too far into the distance. He could see other people lying throughout the field, the closest being about 150 yards out.

From that distance, he could clearly tell that it was his neighbors. ‘Based on where everyone’s laying, including my own children, it seems that we’re about ten times further apart than what we should be. Were we drugged and brought here? No, that isn’t right.’

Seeing that everyone was safe, he looked down at the small jelly-like mass that he had smashed before and bent down for a closer look. The creature was somewhat transparent and had a red shade to it. There were multiple light orange lines inside of its body that closely resembled veins.

Looking down at his right foot, he saw a couple of small areas where his skin looked burnt. There were also small, hard to notice singed areas on the grass where the creature had been sitting.

Suddenly, while he was bent over looking at it, one of the gel-like pieces wobbled slightly. Taylor instantly reacted, smashing down on it with his hand. This time, he noticed a small, egg-shaped item inside of the gel. He picked it up and examined it. It was kind of like a red, see-through glass, similar to marble.

Within moments after removing the egg-shaped marble, the gel-like creature stopped moving and the substance tuned to a liquid, puddling across the ground. At that instant, a mechanical voice sounded in Taylor’s mind, causing him to jump. What the strange voice said filled him with both curiosity and excitement.

“Congratulations User, for being the first to reach Level 1!”

“Congratulations User, for being the first to reach Level 1! Please pull out your Grimoire and choose your reward.”

‘Grimoire?’ The moment Taylor thought this, a very dull, tattered-looking brown book appeared hovering in the air in front of him. The book was incredibly thin. It had an almost cardboard cover and no more than five leaflets of paper inside.

He reached out to grab the book. It was almost weightless. Letting go of it would just cause it to stay in place.

The first page was blank, aside from a simple prompt: Name?

‘Hmm, is it asking for my name or an alias?’

In response, a new line appeared on the page :This is the name that will appear to others upon inspection. It is recommended to not use your True Name. Simply think your name to choose:

‘Okay, that answers that. The only name I’ve used in games in the past was Geth, so I’m comfortable with it. Short and simple.’

As the thought occurred, the writing on the top of the page was replaced with the four-letter name. A flash appeared as the page became filled with intricate runes that barely stood out on the paper.

The cover also slightly changed, going from tattered to more of a worn book. A warm sensation enveloped Taylor’s mind, and he could feel another presence apart from his own thoughts.

The page once again began forming words: Please turn to the second page and choose your reward.

Unable to hold his curiosity back, Taylor decided to do as instructed. Flipping to the second page, he found three lines:

***

Automatic Reward:

Talent: Inspection – Able to inspect and gather simple data on low-level objects and creatures.

Option 1; 1 SP and a small inventory pouch

Option 2; 1 SP and a rusty dagger

***

Without hesitation, he chose the first option. The words disappeared from the page… A small light flashed as a tattered bag appeared on the ground in front of him. It was no bigger than a small zip lock bag, with two strings coming off of it.