Taro slowly opens his eyes. He opens them fully and sees a bright blue sky instead of his room ceiling. Alarmed, he sits up too quickly and gets blinded.
When his vision comes back, he sees he's in a large grassy plain with very few trees dotting the landscape. "Where....am I.....?"
He notices he has no burns or injuries and he has new clothes, looking like a combination of clothes from different eras, medieval being the most prevalent. "Waaaaaaaaaiiiit a minute...I'm getting a new game, my firewall gets turned off, I get electrocuted, and I wake up in a random place with new clothes...it seems...."
He looks toward the camera, "I've been Isekai'd." A menu promptly pops up.
[Taro: Level 1
XP: 0
Unique Skills: None
Common Skills: None
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 10
Defense: 6
Speed: 12
Vitality: 8
Charisma: 16
Luck: 20
HP: 48/48
Titles: None
Special Titles: None
Perks: None
Max MP: 12
Character Archetype: TBD]
"...I knew it!!" He looks around again, "So..if I've been isekai'd, then I'm supposed to be some do-goody hero, right? That doesn't exactly fit my style...I could be some sort of cool villain...Nah, I'd probably get beheaded or something by someone who does become a hero..."
He lights up and raises a finger, "I got it! I'll do a compromise..I'll be a hero, and I'll have a villain's flair for the dramatic..It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!!"
He smirks to himself, "To be fair, I've always played the part in other games I've played, so it just makes sense for me." Another menu pops up,
[Choose a unique skill:
Bolt Dash: The ability to perform a blindingly fast dash, consumes MP for distance travelled
Null Aura: The ability to summon an aura that powers up the user and gives the ability to nullify magic and other attacks
Omega Puppetmaster: The ability to manipulate nearby objects and people, consuming MP the bigger the object and stronger the person.]
"Hmmmm...They're all awesome skills, I really can't choose..." He realizes and smiles, "Waiiiit, maybe I don't have to.."
He slams his hands on the menu, choosing all three and the menu starts glitching.
[ERrOR ErRor eRROr SkillSelection.exe displaced]
The menu disappears and then reappears 10 seconds later.
[Compromise.exe created. Compromise.exe opened]
He feels a strange sensation and the menu changes.
[Skills obtained. All stats reduced to 1]
"Huh. Interesting..."
[Choose three common skills from the ones listed]
"Ooh, more skills!"
[Hand-To-Hand: Increases the damage of melee attacks and improves the user's fighting instinct to 200% of a normal human. Rarity: Super Rare
Item Box: The ability to store items and stuff for later. Rarity: Uncommon
Phantom Thief: The ability to steal items and stuff even from a distance. Consumes MP for distance between the item and the user. Rarity: Very Rare
Stun Stare: The ability to paralyze those who make eye contact with the user. Rarity: Uncommon
Ghost Glove: The ability to summon a spectral hand and control it. Rarity: Uncommon
Resilience: The ability to gain an attack boost for a short time and to double stats when below 25% HP.]
"Hmmm.....Y'know what? Do it again."
He does the same thing again and selects all 6 skills. The menu disappears and reappears again.
[Skills obtained. Perks 'Monster Magnet' and 'Bad Luck' force added. Hard Mode activated]
"Hard mode? But my name's not Frisk." He looks around and sees a town nearby, "In a lot of stuff I've read and watched in the Isekai genre, the MC usually goes to the town first...that's boring...Y'know what? Imma go this way!" He points in a random directions and walks that way.
(Ten minutes later)
He enters a jungle and climbs a tree. "Now then, to test some of my new skills!"
He uses Bolt Dash and flies off of the tree. He flies through the air and grabs a vine, using his momentum to swing from vines more than 50 feet apart.
"Whoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"
Suddenly, he misses a vine and starts falling into a large ravine. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
He smiles as he regains his MP, "All right, enough fooling around." He Bolt Dashes to the side, redirecting his momentum, and sending him skidding along the ravine floor. He skids past several monsters and slows down enough to end up leaning on the wall with arms folded and a smirk on his face.
"And you though Kung Fu Panda had dramatic entrances." Several monsters start rushing toward him and he takes a fighting stance. "'Now, let's try Null Aura.'" He activates it and gains a black aura. He whistles, "Awesome.."
A group of monsters approach him. They are small creatures with pointy ears, red eyes, blue feathers covering parts of their bodies, no equipment except sticks and spears, and ripped clothes, exposing their pale hands and bare feet. One attacks with a spear and he dodges instinctively.
"'Ooh, battle instinct is cool.'"
He dodges another thrust and kicks it away, making it fall into a cavern and die. He dodges a slash from a monster with a stick and punches it in the face, disarming it and knocking it back. He smacks another one upside the head with the stick and throws it at a fourth. He finishes them off and picks up random pieces of monsters and other stuff lying around.
"'Monster parts are sold in most Isekai media, so I better take some just in case.'"
[Killed 4 Farthings: +20 XP]
[Achievement unlocked: First Monster Killed: + 'Monster Hunter' Title: 1.1x damage against monsters. +10 XP]
"'While generic, it's a cool title.'"
(45 minutes later)
Various dead monsters lie on the ground as Taro Bolt Dashes and climbs to get out of the ravine. "'Well that was fun..I'll have to come back here, there's a lot I still haven't explored.'" "Status Window."
[Taro: Level 2
XP: 30/500
Unique Skills: Bolt Dash Lvl 1, Null Aura Lvl 1, Spirit Weapons Lvl 1
Common Skills: Hand-To-Hand Lvl 1, Item Box Lvl 1, Phantom Thief Lvl 1, Stun Stare Lvl 1, Ghost Glove lvl 1, Resilience lvl 1
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 2
Defense: 2
Speed: 2
Vitality: 2
Charisma: 2
Luck: 2
HP: 2/2
Titles: Monster Hunter
Special Titles: None
Perks: Bad Luck, Monster Magnet
Max MP: 2
Character Archetype: TBD
Skill Levels: 3]
"'All right, since I've got time to kill, let's level up my skills...hmmm...'"
He clicks on what skills to level up while he's walking.
[Null Aura Lvl 1 ---> Null Aura Lvl 2:
Null Aura Stat boost +10%
Nullify Threshold + 5 levels
+ New Technique: Null Hole
XP multiplier: 1.1x
New Trait: Nullifying attacks with Null Aura as well as killing and absorbing attacks with Null Hole replenishes HP and Mana
Hand-To-Hand Lvl 1 ---> Hand-To-Hand Lvl 3:
Battle Instinct +100% (300% that of a normal human)
Physical Damage Multiplier: +2x (3.5x)]
He then exits the forest and gets surrounded by guards.
"'Oh great, what do these guys want?'"
The guards part for a knight on horseback. The Knight has his helmet by his side, revealing him to be a boy with blond hair and yellow eyes. He looks down on Taro and says, "There's nowhere to run. This time, you're trapped."
Taro stares blankly at him, "....Who the heck are you guys?" The knight replies, "Don't play dumb, we know it was you who attacked the caravan we're protecting."
"'These guys are bad at their jobs. For one, I don't see a caravan, meaning they left it behind..'" Taro shrugs, "I don't know who you guys are, what this nonsense is about, so Imma be off."
They raise their weapons at him and the Knight shakes his head, "You're not going anywhere.."
Taro smirks, "You sure about that?" He Bolt Dashes over some of the guards and activates Null Aura as they shoot at him and he dashes into the trees. A guard says, "He's headed for the caravan!" The knight says, "Cut him off on the other side!"
Taro yawns as he runs, "'Well, that was pointless..It'd be ironic if I actually found the -" He crashes into someone in a cloak and they both recoil. Taro gets up, "Ow..my head." The cloaked figure gets up too, "S-Sorry."
They both hear soldiers coming and the cloaked figure jumps into the tree and pulls Taro with him. "Woah!"
Taro lands in the tree as the soldiers pass by and the cloaked figure turns to him and says, "Are you the backup?"
Taro stares blankly, "What?" The figure says deliberately, "Are. You. The. Backup?" Taro replies, "..Depends on who you are."
The figure lets down his hood, revealing him to be a boy with brown hair and red eyes. "I'm Kaito Ranada, of the Xen-Xi faction."
Taro nods slowly, "'Guess now's the time to make a name for myself, literally and figuratively...'" He smiles, "I'm Zen Tar, Great Adventurer and mercenary."
Kaito says, ".....They didn't say they were sending me an adventurer." Taro, Zen Tar, replies, "Well, I'm here now, aren't I? Am I helping or not?"
Kaito nods, "..All right, the mission is this: That caravan is holding top secret scrolls about a possible alliance between the Tai-Yen faction and a neighboring country, Mailon. They're also carrying weapons to an outpost on the outskirts of this country, which makes it easy to smuggle them into Mailon."
Zen Tar nods too, "Ok. I'll get the scrolls, I got Item Box." Kaito replies, "Right. Be careful..they have guns." Zen Tar raises his eyebrows, "'Huh, I didn't know guns existed in this world.'" "Good to know. I'll keep that in mind."
He gains electricity and falls out of the tree as he Bolt Dashes toward where the caravan is. He bursts out into the open and finds the caravan as the guards appear.
He points to the trees, "He's in there! I saw him!" Kaito emerges from the forest, shocked that he was revealed. Zen Tar winks at him and turns back to the guards, "He told me his plans and escape routes, let's get him!!"
Kaito understands and runs into the trees as the guards chase him and the knight rides up to Zen Tar. He smiles, ".....It seems I was wrong about you." He bows with his hand on his chest," I am Hai Yen, of the Tai-Yen faction. Will you assist us in his capture?"
Zen Tar grabs two sheathed swords and a gun from a wagon, "I, Zen Tar, Great Adventurer and mercenary, will gladly lend you my assistance."
Hai Yen nods, "Good. I'll go right, you go left." He then promptly rides off. "'I have to play this carefully..Both factions will be good allies, as well as good ways to make myself known, which means more quests and stuff, which means I get stronger.'"
He races into the trees and Bolt Dashes from tree to tree. He finds Kaito and whispers to him, "I got an idea, but you'll need to get captured. Keep the chase going for a bit, then I'll catch you, got it?
Kaito nods, "Got it." He leaps out of the tree and Zen Tar chases after him, shooting at him but missing him on purpose. The others join the chase and Kaito keeps ahead of all of them. Zen Tar says, "Fall back and corner him!"
Hai Yen says, "Fall back!" They turn back and Zen Tar Bolt Dashes ahead. He corners Kaito and draws his swords as the guards surround both of them. Zen Tar says, "It's the end of the line for you! We can do this the easy way, " He smirks, "Or the hard way!"
Kaito waves his hand and a shield appears around the both of them, cutting of Hai Yen and the other guards. Zen Tar brandishes his swords, "The hard way it is..."
He launches himself at Kaito, who draws a spear, and they clash. He gets forced off and he blocks a spear slash. They clash several times and Kaito throws several rocks at him using magic.
Zen Tar uses Omega Puppetmaster to summon a rock wall to block them and he kicks it down, sending rock shards at Kaito.
Kaito dodges them as Zen Tar shoots several bullets at him, which are also dodged as Kaito rushes in at him.
They clash again and Zen Tar forces him back as he gains a black aura. Kaito throws several ice shards and fireballs at him and Zen Tar creates a small black hole that sucks them in and absorbs them.
[Host Status: 47/2 HP
39/2 MP]
Zen Tar's eyes widen, "'Wait.....I can go over?!?!'"
He shakes his head and tries to focus. He Bolt Dashes in and hits Kaito with the hilt of his Sword and Kaito crumples. The barrier disappears and the guards come and take him.
Xu Yen rides up to Zen Tar and says, impressed, "...You weren't bluffing, 'Great Adventurer' indeed." Zen Tar laughs, "Well, I'd hate to be on the receiving end, especially when I get past level 2." Xu Yen just stares at him in disbelief and Zen Tar says, "Heh, let's get this guy outta here."