Pera squeezed his eyes, then nervously cracked one open. Instead of the deep ocean, he was in the middle of the grassy plains, encircled by a majestic mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see. Thousands of other humans, who seemed to just now be waking like him, surrounded Pera. Each person's garb was quite strange, though—it was like he'd woken up in the middle of a renaissance fair.

Wait. What am I wearing?

As Pera scanned his surroundings, he noticed that at the center of the mass of people, a brilliant blue beacon of light stretched into the sky. The light pulsed as it pierced through the clouds above, casting an eerie glow across the confused faces of those who had just awakened in this strange land.

What’s happening?

Out of his usual paranoia that he'd accidentally left the house without any clothes on, Pera glanced downward and saw that he'd been outfitted with a very rough, simple shirt and trousers. His shoes were little more than leather feet bags.

Satisfied that he was indeed properly clothed, Pera turned his attention back to those surrounding him. Many were doing similar checks of their situations, while others began to question the scenario at hand, some far louder than others.

Pera’s eyes landed on a particularly raucous ruffneck, who was already shouting and forming alliances with some of the other rougher-looking men in his area.

He wasn’t the only one, either. Cliques of all sorts were rapidly forming all around him—it was immediately clear who the extroverts and introverts were.

I should find a group to join. For protection, if nothing else.

He looked at the ruffneck he’d spotted earlier, and mentally shook his head. Someone like him could be useful, but the likelihood of them inviting too much trouble was too high for Pera’s liking, especially given the events leading up to his swim in the ocean.

He looked towards another group. There was a tall, old man at its head, reassuring the others in a deep, calm voice.

A politician? Hmm. That I can use.

Before Pera could do anything, though, a bright light shined in the sky above the clearing and giant text in a similarly massive blue box appeared.

The text box faded, and in its place a timer appeared. It started at one hour and started ticking down with each second.

At the same time, dozens of cards appeared in the air before Pera. Each card had a layout like a trading card, with an art box on the upper half of the card with an icon in it, with a description of the card and its associated icon on the lower half.

Judging from the exclamations around him, every person in the clearing had been presented with a similar prompt.

Pera stared at the cards, his mind racing. His eyes darted from card to card, taking in the various classes available. At first glance, there were the typical combat classes—warrior, mage, hunter—each with their own unique abilities and strengths. These were probably safe bets. After all, the system itself had mentioned the "dangers of this world".

It made sense to pick a combat class so that he could better defend himself. If only he'd been a little faster in his previous life, perhaps he could have outrun the gangsters… or if he'd just been a bit more capable, perhaps he could have even fought them off.

As he looked through the options, most of them were immediate write-offs. For example, Paladin, Rogue, Warrior… these roles, as he understood them, were far too close to the action for his comfort.

But there were still a few good options. For example, Ranger. He'd be able to fight from far away. Minimize the danger.

Mage seemed like a similarly safe choice.

But then his gaze landed on the non-combat classes, and he hesitated. His mind again flashed back to the previous world. The same gangsters who'd killed him were but the scum of the earth, commanded by his former employers by the simple allure of money. At the end of the day, all their strength and proclivity for violence was useless without the ability to put food on the table.

"Maybe combat isn't the best route…"

There was also the matter of the presented goal—to earn Sol, whatever that was. If Sol were tradeable, it would be the common currency of this new world. In that case, would it be better to be strong… or rich?

He had the knowledge, the skills to grow wealth. Sure, he'd made some mistakes in his past life, but… he'd learned from them. And now, here he was, in a strange new world with a chance to start over. A chance to prove himself again.

His eyes landed on a particular card, and he felt a spark of excitement. The Trader class. It was perfect. In a world where the dominant, explicit goal was to earn currency—this "Sol" the system had mentioned—a merchant would surely be able to thrive. 

Pera's hand hovered over the card, his heart pounding. This was it. This was his chance to redeem himself. To prove that he wasn't a failure.

But just as he was about to choose the Trader class, Pera shook his head. Just because it was a chance to prove himself again didn't mean that trying to do so was the right choice. After all, his very presence here was a testament to his failure in his past life.

Just as this was a chance to redeem himself, it was also a chance for him to forge a new path. To pursue a new method of ensuring his survival in this dangerous new reality.

His gaze returned to the combat classes, settling on the Mage card. It spoke of the ability to wield elemental magic, to summon creatures to fight alongside him. These were things that had only existed in fantasy stories, in games. And of the combat classes available, it seemed the safest.

Pera reached out and tapped the Mage card; he felt a surge of energy course through his body, and a wooden staff materialized in his right hand. Likewise, his clothes changed—a set of loose-fitting robes appeared over his shirt and trousers.

He examined his hands, half-expecting to see sparks dancing across his fingertips, but they looked the same as always. Soft, tanned, and callus-less. Despite his dainty, smooth fingers, though, Pera felt a certain power rushing over him. It was as if his very essence was being rewritten, his body and mind reforging themselves to adapt to his new identity and role.

A new window appeared before him, displaying his new stats and abilities. He scanned the text, his eyes sparkling as he took in the information.

Pera grinned as he read through his new abilities. Despite the grim situation at hand, the feeling of strength coursing through him… it was electrifying.

If only I'd had these abilities when the gangsters came after me. I could have killed them all without breaking a sweat.

A new screen appeared before him.

That's not foreboding at all.

He looked around at the other players, wondering what classes they had chosen. Some were already experimenting with their new abilities, summoning weapons or casting spells.

Pera focused on his own abilities, trying to get a feel for how they worked. He held out his hand and concentrated, imagining a ball of fire forming in his palm. To his surprise, a small flame appeared, hovering just above his skin.

He grinned, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he realized the extent of his new power. This was incredible. He had never felt so alive, so full of potential. And if the screen was to be believed… this was just the beginning.

He willed the flame to grow larger, and it responded, slowly expanding and intensifying as he poured more of his concentration into it.

As it grew, Pera noticed a small screen appearing in the corner of his vision. It displayed a blue bar labeled "MP" with a number next to it. As he continued to channel the fireball, he watched the number slowly tick down, the bar depleting with each passing second.

So this is how magic works in this world, he thought to himself. It's pretty self-explanatory, just like in a video game. I have a limited amount of mana, and each spell I cast consumes some of it.

He let the fireball dissipate, watching as the MP bar slowly refilled itself.

Pera couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Here he was, in a strange new world, wielding magic like some kind of fantasy hero.

Everything here is quantified and measured, just like in a game. HP, MP, skills... it's all laid out in neat little numbers and bars, he mused. And numbers can usually be exploited. Or at the very least, min-maxed.

Pera’s mind wandered—he wondered what other game-like elements he would encounter in this world. Would there be quests to complete? Loot to collect? Levels to gain? The possibilities seemed endless.

He shook his head. It wouldn’t do him any good to dream too much of the future now. If he looked too much into it, he’d probably die here in the present.

I'll have to learn how to use these new abilities, Pera thought, glancing around at the other people in the clearing. Many had chosen their classes already, and were happily comparing their newfound talents and skills with each other. Many of them had already formed into groups, talking and laughing as if they'd known each other for years.

Pera's eyes landed on a group of tough-looking men, their muscular arms crossed over their chests as they surveyed the crowd with narrowed eyes.

Too aggressive. Seems like the type to die young and fast. He moved his eyes along to the next group.

This one was made up of a mix of men and women. There were a few mages and what he assumed to be hunters and rogues among them, but they seemed friendly enough. Though, Pera couldn't shake the feeling that they were a little too carefree for his liking. In a world like this, he needed allies who were serious about survival. As serious as he was.

He continued scanning the clearing, evaluating each group in turn.

There has to be a group that's just right, Pera thought, growing increasingly frustrated as he failed to find a suitable match. A group with a balance of combat and non-combat classes, serious enough to survive but not so aggressive that they'll attract unnecessary trouble.

Pera's eyes landed on the politician he'd noticed earlier. The man stood tall and proud, his armor gleaming in the sunlight. But what caught Pera's attention was the text hovering above the man's head.

"???" it read, followed by "[Paladin]".

Paladin? Interesting choice, Pera thought, raising an eyebrow. I would have pegged him for a non-combat class, like Trader or Artisan.

Pera's brow furrowed as he studied the floating text. It seemed to be displaying the man's name and class. But why the question marks? Was the man's identity a mystery?

He glanced around at the other people in the clearing, noticing similarly obscured text.

He wondered what his own label looked like to others. Did it show his real name, or was he also a mystery to those around him?

Whoever he was, the politician had not only kept hold of his previous crowd, but had apparently convinced them to divide themselves evenly amongst the classes available. Unlike with the other groups, the politician's group had a good mix of combat and non-combat classes. There were several Warriors and Mages wielding swords, and staves, standing alongside Traders and Craftsmen wearing large traveling bags and wielding hammers.

The politician was speaking to those around him in a low, confident voice. The man’s words cut through so cleanly that despite the distance between them, Pera could still catch a few snippets.

"...work together...survive...build a new life..."

Pera shook his head. I gotta hand it to him, he knows the right words to say. It might be smart to use him for now.

He squared his shoulders and walked towards the group, trying his best to project an aura of confidence. As he approached, the politician turned to face him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in Pera's appearance.

"Can I—we help you?" the politician asked, his voice polite but guarded.

Pera forced himself to meet the man's piercing gaze. "I couldn't help but overhear your speech," he said, gesturing towards the group. "It sounds like you have a good plan for survival. I was hoping I could join your group."

The politician looked him up and down, his expression unreadable. "And what skills do you bring to the table?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I don't know if any of my normal skills apply to this situation we're in, but I can listen to and follow orders. And I’m ready to do my part."

In short, I'm offering myself as a soldier. Or at least, that's what he's going to hear.

Pera pointed towards the group of ruffians he'd spotted earlier. "And I think it's going to be important for us to have as many combatants as possible. If we appear too weak, who knows what brutes like them will do to take advantage of us."

The others in the politician's group began to voice their fears—fears that Pera had just presented them. As they did so, the politician and Pera eyed each other as if to say, "I see what you're doing."

"Very well, Mister…?" The politician reached out for a handshake.

"My name is Pera. Sir."

"Pera. Welcome to the team. I'm Thomas Moore."