The wind roared through the sky, the murky waters cloaked the void-like expanse below, the grey clouds blanketed the sky, thunder and lightning boomed in the distance, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.
The sea stretched as far as the eye could see. At the same time, the roaring waves cradled a small raft as it floated on the ocean.
Locke woke up with a jolt from the waves, his initial inertia fading as he adjusted to his surroundings…
"W-where the hell am I!?"
A few minutes passed in the cacophony of the storm as he finally regained his bearings.
"Think, Locke, what the hell happened?"
'I was just coming home from a party with my friends, and the alcohol was making my mind feel dizzy. The moment I reached my front door, my feet gave way as I fell to the floor."
And after that, it was all… blank.
The wind whipped against his face. Just as Locke was about to panic again, a sudden transparent blue panel appeared before him; it seemed to shine amidst the gloomy surroundings.
[Welcome Survivor]
[Due to a set of unfortunate incidents, you and many of the inhabitants of your world have crossed through to this water-washed planet. Take some time to adjust to your new circumstances.]
[Would you like to continue?]
[Yes/No]
Locke looked at these messages with scrutiny, his mind blanked at the absurdity of this situation.
"Just what have I been thrown into?"
Time ticked, as his mind racked in turmoil, he could feel the creaking of the raft at his feet and splashing of salt water on the deck, calming him down.
Locke was just an average university student with no outstanding features; he was handsome… at least he thought he was. But other than that, he had no skills to speak of.
He thought to himself, "How the hell am I supposed to survive this?"
With a depressed sigh, he pressed Yes on the magical floating screen.
[Before we start, please enter a nickname, this is what you will be called from now on:____]
He thought for a second before entering a name.
['Kingfisher' shall be your new name in this new world]
[As all Survivors have decided to continue, the tutorial shall commence.]
[Welcome to the Blue Planet, a planet that's a couple of million times the size of your old one and whose outer layer is covered by almost 99% water, and unfortunately, you have landed right in the middle of it.]
[This system was made to help unfortunate Survivors navigate the trials of the sea]
[The first thing you need to survive in this realm is experience, but of course, look at you, you have nothing.]
Locke looked at the floating screen expressionlessly, then smashed his fists against it. His hands passed right through it.
"...The hell are you saying, you're the one with nothing!!"
Despite his tantrum, the system continued.
[To solve this issue, you and other Survivors will be given a magical talent that will help you]
[The drawn talent will be based on luck. Would you like to draw your talent?]
[Yes/No]
Locke pressed Yes on the screen with a deep breath and crossed fingers.
"Please give me something useful, don't fail me now, luck!"
[Get ready to receive your talent…]
[Congratulations, you have received the talent Treasured Intuition [Grey]]
[To view your talent say system in your mind and select the profile option, there will also be a starter kit to help you survive, so make sure to pick it up. With that being said, good luck, Survivor and be aware your world is not the only one brought to this realm, prepare to meet strange monsters and even other intelligent races not lesser than you. Know that luck plays a big part in your travels at sea.]
*The grades of all talents and other perks are graded by colour as follows: white, grey, yellow, orange and so forth*
Locke looked at the system's messages, then at the highlighted name of his talent.
"Haah… It sounds garbage, and a grey grade doesn't sound very good."
As thunder roared in the distance, water droplets started to drop from the sky. Locke decided to focus on the situation at hand rather than the system's cryptic messages.
'My priority should be to get food and water, but might as well check out my magical talent first.'
Locke called for the screen to appear in his mind, and once again, a blue panel formed before his eyes, unlike last time, it had been divided into many sections with labels, some of which Locke could not make out; the ones he could were…
[Profile]
[Inventory]
[Channel(locked)]
Despite the most important one being unable to be used, Locke was satisfied with the system's options.
He first clicked on Profile. Another screen opened in front of the original one.
[Kingfisher: Locke Norten]
[Talent: Treasured Intuition [grey]]
[Level 0 (0/10)]
[Health: 10/10]
[Strength: 4]
[Stamina: 5]
[Intelligence: 4]
[Dexterity: 3]
[Overall Rating: U-]
[Skills]
[--------]
Locke thought, 'So it's like stats in a game'
Despite not having much to look at and the depressing overall rating, Locke decided not to worry about his meagre stats and check his talent.
[Treasured Intuition [grey]]
[A treasure hunter's instinct is not just to find valuables but to find what they need the most in any situation, has a chance of discovering low-level materials and treasures, beware the dangers guarding them.]
Locke looked at the description and paused… moments later, he felt like spitting out blood.
"This…. It's useless!!"
After a few deep breaths, Locke calmed down and looked at his inventory instead.
[Inventory]
[Starter Kit: 1]
Without much hesitation, Locke clicked on the starter kit, and from in front of him, a crack appeared in the air, out of it a big box dropped into his hands.
Locke looked at the box, which was yellow with a red ribbon tied around it like a present.
"Well, this is one way of presenting a gift; the system knows how to add a bit of joy to the situation."
[You have opened the Starter Kit, you have obtained 6 Bread, 6 Water Bottles and 1 Mouldy Hook [grey]]
Locke looked at the bread and water now in his inventory, 'That's one problem sorted… for now"
He decided not to remove the bread and water from the inventory to prevent them from getting wet. Instead, he looked at the hook he was given, which consisted of a hook-shaped sea wood attached to some old rope; it could be thrown quite far out.
"This could be useful"
As Locke inspected the hook, a blue panel suddenly appeared before him.
[Mouldy Hook [grey]]
[A hook that Survivors can use to pull floating dimensional debris to their rafts, an essential tool in the sea world, can also be used as a weapon, though not recommended, prone to breaking.]
[Damage: 1]
As he looked at the description, something finally clicked in his mind. He looked around and saw many miscellaneous objects floating in the sea, some of which he could recognise, like socks and pens, and others, like weirdly shaped plastics and plants. The storm blinded his vision as he looked around.
It was then that he began to analyse his surroundings more. The raft he was on was 10m by 10m in area and was made of wood and rope. It was well insulated, as there was no water leaking from the wood below. Other than the clouds and sea, nothing else was noticeable in his surroundings.
Just then, another panel popped up.
[Notice: You have descended in zone D-358017806, Inferior Frogling Hideout]
[Danger Rating: A+]
[Hint: You are advised to leave the area right away.]
Looking at the notice and hint given by the system, Locke felt like he had fallen into a trap.
'How the hell do they expect me to survive in these conditions? What the hell even is an Inferior Frogling? And why is it so dangerous??'
After almost having a mental breakdown, Locke decided to try out his hook; he locked his eyes on a rag floating on the waves nearby. Just as he was about to throw his hook, suddenly he noticed a light shining from the sea.
The sudden change brought Locke's attention to the shining spot. Nothing was unusual yet, but as he concentrated, a golden screen appeared again.
[Treasured Intuition: You feel like you might find something useful if you hook in that spot]
Locke was stunned for a second, then overjoyed.
"So that's what treasured intuition meant!"
Locke laughed, finding that this could be a life-changer.
Immediately, he tried using his hook near the light. It took him a few tries to get it, but he finally managed to hook out whatever was there. After a soft tug, a meter-long driftwood appeared in his hands.
[You have obtained 1 Drift Wood]
He looked at the wood, which creaked in his hands, and then smashed it to the ground.
"'Useful' my ass!"