[Ding! You have arrived at the MCU, Earth-616.]
[Ding! Your Skill, Soul Protection, has triggered.]
[Ding! You have successfully avoided detection!]
[Ding! Your location has changed to San Fernando Valley, LA.]
[Ding! The time now is 07:00 AM, March 1st, 2006.]
[Ding! The weather is a cool, brisk 42*F. Humidity Level: Low.]
[Ding! A new Function of the Gamer System is now online.]
[Ding! Your Inventory has been activated!]
[Ding! All existing goods and material from your previous location has been exchanged.]
[Ding! You may now view your important papers in your Inventory.]
[Ding! Your Status has been updated!]
"Ugh...That wasn't a dream, was it?", I uttered to myself, getting blasted with several Gamer Notifications while I felt groggy. At the same time, what I felt was as if I took a plunge into an icy-cold river, washing away any worries that struck my body during the transfer. It was as if I was entirely reborn.
After that initial groggy feeling went away, my mind became crystal clear.
I know in the beginning when The Gamer's Protagonist, a Korean guy named Han Jihan, cause you know, The Gamer is a Manhwa, or Korean comic, receives a couple of starting Skills like I just did.
But Han Jihan receives two Skills called Gamer's Body, and Gamer's Mind.
Gamer's Body turns yourself into that of a game character. Since I did that before coming here, that's likely the equivalent of this Skill, so I may not see it listed under Skills. It's just natural to me.
As for Gamer's Mind, that might be the more important one to talk about. It allows you to think calmly and rationally through most situations and during battle. At the same time, it blocks any harmful effects inflicted upon the mind.
Considering this should be the MCU, I won't have to worry about any mind-f*ckery until Phase 4 or 5, particularly in the Multiverse of Madness movie where Doctor Strange ventures out into the multiverse, which is, by the way, very very real here in the MCU.
Doctor Strange encounters another version of Professor Xavier, a mutant who loves to probe someone's mind for all sorts of information with or without your consent. He's quite notorious amongst the fandom. I mean who would actually want their mind read in that fashion?
I certainly don't!
Unfortunately I did not receive Gamer's Mind right off the bat like Han Jihan did.
That means I'll be susceptible to various status effects, so I will need to keep that in mind. Even so, this is the MCU that we are talking about here. Any possibility that you can think of can happen, so me acquiring Gamer's Mind, or a similar Skill down the line isn't out of the question.
Still...
I was greeted with the scent of trees with a hint of rust wafting through the air. My vision turned clear, and I could see a park nearby with people having fun with their families and pets. Some kids were even playing catch for fun. A car would drive on the street to the left of me every so often, heading into the big city in the distance. I saw countless high-rise buildings in the far distance beyond me. Downtown Los Angeles, where most businesses operate from.
Considering I'm a Gamer now, I likely don't need to work a 9-5 job anymore. You see, the Gamer System has a unique function to it. You can create what are called Instance Dungeons. You can loot Monsters! All drops from them either convert into money, or items. And the higher level I go, the better loot I'll get. Just like how you'd see it in any rpg!
As I was taking in the new sights, I was soon approached by a man dressed in a blue uniform.
"You doing alright there, son? You've been spacing out for a while.", The man said, calling out to me. I realized I was wearing a jogging hoodie and some loose sweatpants.
"Sorry about that, officer. Just drifted into the city recently, trying to figure out where I should head next.", I answered. I had no reason to lie. It's not like I'm trying to become a vigilante or anything.
"A drifter, eh? We've got enough problems on our plates. You don't seem like a threat to me, so I'll spot you this time. Be sure to not turn down the wrong street if you head downtown, alright? If you need the location of the nearest stop, it's about a ten minute walk from here.", The officer said, keeping his tone neutral.
"Thanks for the warning, officer. I read you loud and clear.", I said.
"Mmm.", The officer said with a firm nod. "Best of luck to you."
Hearing that, I raised my hand, waving the officer goodbye. Now that's a sign of a good cop right there. You don't get asked for your ID, unless you have probable cause to do so.
I couldn't help but inwardly smile. That conversation went as normal as it could. I really did transfer into the MCU without interruption!
Seeing the officer now gone, I looked toward the park again.
"I should get my bearings first and figure out this Inventory business. Did this Gamer System really convert all of my assets that I have in my previous life?", I uttered, keeping my voice soft. I didn't want to get pulled aside again, so I continued walking.
I soon saw the welcome sign, reading "Sepulveda Basin: Recreation Area".
I continued walking past the people who were having fun, and took to a bench that gave me a good view of downtown LA.
'Open Inventory', I thought to myself.
[Ding! You have opened your Inventory.]
Wooosh!
After willing the Gamer System to open my Inventory, I was greeted with a new screen. On the left side, I saw a miniature version of myself. It showed my current appearance, the hoodie and jogging pants I was currently wearing.
Eleven total slots that were currently empty could be seen surrounding my scaled-down image. These are the classic Equipment Slots, just like how you'd see it in any game. Put on Equipment to bolster your Stats! I don't think I need to explain too much about that, do I? There's various categories for Equipment. Weapons, Armor, Accessories, you name it.
Every single one can have different effects. It's the luck of the draw!
Compared to what you might come across in a normal game, however, I have many more Equipment Slots available to me. I can at least go into detail about what I see before me.
There's a Slot for a Weapon, and a Slot for a Shield. I do not know if dual-wielding is a possibility, I will need to test that out later.
Then you have two Ring Accessory Slots. One for each hand. This brings the total to four Slots. From there, I have two Arm Guards, and two Pauldrons, bringing the total count to eight Slots. Finishing it off are two Earring Accessory Slots, and the Helmet Slot. Eleven Slots total!
Most role-playing games typically have one Weapon Slot, one Armor Slot, and one Helmet Slot or Boots Slot. Armor isn't actually a Slot with this Gamer System. Instead, it is composed of five Slots. Quite diverse, if I do say so myself. And on top of that, I get four Accessory-type Slots, where the standard you'd see is typically two.
There is a caveat here. I do not have any form of a System Shop whatsoever. I can't buy jack!
Instead, all Loot and Items come from Monsters and Quests. I wonder, when will I get my first Quest? And knowing they aren't issued by some random being attached to the Gamer System, I can accept or reject any of them. I doubt I will do that though, I need all the help I can get right now.
Unlike other Systems, in the Gamer System, Quests can range from an extremely simple task like buying something from a supermarket nearby, to fighting a Boss, or constructing something. It has quite the freedom to give me tasks.
Anyway, that about sums up the left side of my Inventory. Now onto the right side.
This was where I could store my Items. Each page has twenty-four slots and it doesn't exactly give me a page count. It just has a left and right arrow that allows me to navigate each page. Does that mean it's infinite storage?
Regardless, what immediately attracted my attention was that some Inventory slots were already in use. I had a look at the first row.
Inventory Row One:
[Driver's License],[Birth Certificate],[US Passport],[High School GED]
Inventory Row Two:
[Beginner's Pack - Level 2], Empty, Empty, Empty]
"It actually did create an identity for me...", I uttered, sucking in a cold breath of air. It was still somewhat chilly out. Was that Soul Protection at work? It masked my identity during my transfer. But what comes after that?
In most cases, if you transfer into the MCU directly and not as someone else, you'd struggle to forge your own identity. That starts from getting your identification papers in order. It's easier if you adopt into a new family, but that didn't happen for me. I'm starting out from scratch here.
That's why I posed as a "drifter" when that cop approached me before I entered the park. But now, if someone questions who I am, I can just take out my identification easy-peasy!
I like not having to worry about complicated matters.
What's more interesting to me now is the Beginner's Pack - Level 2. Seeing Level 2 attached to it, it likely means I have to reach Level 2 first in order to open it. Guess it won't give me a freebie right away. I have to work toward it first. Which means...I have to Level Up!
As if sensing what I had to do next, I saw a new Gamer Notification arrive. I went ahead and checked what it had to say. It looks like it's issuing a Quest. How convenient.
[Ding! A Quest has been issued to you.]
[Ding! A new function of the Gamer System is now online.]
[Ding! Quest Log is now available!]
[Ding! Quest: Create A Skill has been added.]
It's going there right away, eh? That's another beauty of the Gamer System. Any and all actions that you can think of and perform can be translated into Skills. If you do something once, it will likely create one!
I decided to have a look at the Quest. It was a pretty simple action to do.
[Create A Skill]
You now possess the body of a Gamer. Trust the process, and any Skill will soon be yours!
Task 1: Create Skill 0/1.
Reward: 10 EXP, 1 Stat Point.
I have...the power!
I'm kidding.
Still, this Quest is very straightforward. I'm just thinking, what sort of Skill should I attempt to create first? Han Jihan creates a Skill for Battle quite early on called Rip, if I recall correctly. And doing Quests isn't the only way you can obtain Experience Points either. You can Level Up by doing Actions. Said Actions can also increase your Stats. If you study for a while, my Intelligence might increase as a result. Stuff like that.
I wasn't exactly in the right area to create a Combat Skill. I'd attract attention if I tried to punch the air in front of me, so let's not do that. Instead, my interest shifted toward the field of grass beneath me...