'What kind of shitty development is this?!' - Kyoku thought as he looked around himself. Then again, he already knew that there would be some sort of 'danger' in the train. - "It's surprising how I can keep my cool about all of this"

That was when he payed attention to his surroundings. Broken windows with the edges of the glass dripping fresh blood, as if someone had been shoved through it and cut with the glass in the process. The seats, which had been clean and had a new look to themselves, were now cut open with the filling soaked in blood and spilling out of them. The walls were splattered with blood, both fresh and dried. The smell of rot and ammonia hit his nostril as soon as he took a breath of air, the presence of death being clear in the entire wagon. Kyoku was sure that the only reason he hadn't vomited his breakfast yet was Gamer's Mind.

"What the fuck happened here..." - he said out loud, mostly rhetorical, since he was sure the current appearance of the train was somehow related to the Barrier he was trapped in. - "This looks like it was taken straight out of Silent Hill, geez"

Focusing back on the problem at hand, Kyoku realized that, whatever was happening, he had to maximize his chances of survival. Being The Gamer, he knew that the best way to do that was leveling up and increasing his stats.

Kyoku already had five SP from his first Level-up, but he was sure that he would need more. As such, he checked his -currently- only source of XP. The Tutorial.

What do all games have in common?

Complete the Tutorial to officially become 'The Gamer'!

Requirements:

-Check your 'Status Board'

1/1

-Check your 'Skills Board'

1/1

-Use 'Observe' on 20 different targets 18/20

-Use 'Create ID' for the first time

0/1

-Survive your first day in the Abyss

12:15/24hs.

Rewards:

100 XP per requirement completed

¥100

10x Stat Points

He had completed two objectives, which earned him 200 XP. A hundred was all it took for his first level up, so he now had to check how much the next level required. He already knew that the best objective to fulfill was the third one. The last one wouldn't be fulfilled until the clock hit 00:00, and the fourth one he didn't feel like trying unless he was safe. Create ID created barriers, and perhaps, doing that inside another barrier wasn't a good idea. At least, that was what his instinct told him.

So, the first idea he had was the most obvious. Observe the fucking train.

Barrier created by '???'

"... Why don't you go fuck yourself!" - Kyoku yelled loudly when he saw the information Observe gave him about the train. He already knew he was in a barrier, and the fact that he didn't get information about who created it wasn't really informative either. - "The only thing I learned is that the person who created this is either way above my level... or has a good way to hide personal info"

Not really sure what else he could Observe, Kyoku began looking around. His eyes stopped on a broken handhold that hang from the ceiling, looking like the usual 'pipe' that is used in many games like a weapon. Tearing it out of the roof, he used observe on it.

Broken Handle:

It looks like a bloodied pipe, and barely works as a weapon.

I don't know, you could smoke blood out of it, Popeye. Or become the next biggest horror movie serial killer.

Damage: 3-6 + (STR / DMG)

Crit. Chance: 0.5%

Crit. Damage: 1.5x

Status Effect: Tetanus (only works on living beings) Observe quota reached!

Good job, you're officially a stalker!

Awarded:

100 XP Level-up! 2^3

5x Stat Points

Doing his best to ignore the comments on his 'weapon' of choice, Kyoku moved on to what did matter. His survivability. He began thinking on what would be and what wouldn't be useful in his current situation. His highest stats currently where all Magic and Mana related, being those INT and WIS. But he currently had no idea of how to use his Mana, since he knew no spells. Thus, the most important Stats to him right now where those that gave him an immediate boost to his chances at survival.

You realized the importance of your body! Now go for that greek body!

STR +3 - AGI +2 - VIT +5

"Vitality and Agility it is, then" - Kyoku said as he stared at his Status Board. Looking at it one last time after spending his points, he hummed in approval. - "I can already feel the change, even though the numbers are so small"

Name: Kyoku Izumi

Alias: The Gamer

Level: 2

Guild: -

Guild Rank: -

General Information:

A teenager with a semi-idealistic view of life. He hates the fact that society condems people to live shackled, and wishes to someday live in a world where everyone can fulfill their dreams, even if only slightly. HP: 150/150

MP: 50/50

MP Regen: 3.2/m Stats:

STR: 12 -> 15

VIT: 10 -> 20

AGI: 15 -> 22

INT: 16

WIS: 17

CHA: 15 Equipment:

Head: -

Chest: Grey Trench Coat Blazer

L. Hand: -

R. Hand: -

Legs: Black Slim Fit Dress Pants

Feet: Maroon Ankle Shoes Total XP: 250

XP to next Level: 0/225

Stat Points: 10 -> 0

Skill Points: 0

In the end, Kyoku had spent five SP on VIT and AGI each. He didn't feel like spending points in STR would make a really big difference, even if it increased the Broken Handle's damage output. The reason was quite simple. Being strong and clunky wasn't his style. He would much rather be quick and swift than than buff and slow.

Having his points spent and his body now being much more energetic than before, Kyoku opened the door to the next wagon. Not to his surprise, it looked exactly the same like the one before. Bu there was more to it. There was one singular element that added to the madness of it. Something that made Kyoku feel extremely grateful towards Gaia for giving him Gamer's Mind.

Faceless Nurse:

A monster created by '???' with the purpose of harvesting souls.

Level: 2

Class: Abomination

Creator: '???'

STR: 10 VIT: 8

AGI: 9 INT: 1

WIS: 1 CHA: 1

A creature that looked like a nurse taken straight out of a porno, but that would probably make most men go limp -unless they had a serious mental issue-. Legs twisting in weird angles that would make anyone believe she suffered from Join Hypermobility Syndrome well into her adult years, arms following their example and a face devoid of any features. No eyes, no mouth, no nose. Just a bloody lump of skin. She was a deformed -yet somehow sensual- body clad in the skimpy outfit of a porn nurse. Just that this one was taken out of horrorporn.

Still, Kyoku realized, based on her stats, that she wasn't a really dangerous opponent. Yes, if caught off-guard the shock caused by fear -and perhaps a boner, if you were sick-, they might be dangerous. But even with the bloody scalpel she was carrying, Kyoku knew that he could deal with her rather easily.

"Who would think the first pair of tits I would see live would be from a schizophrenic, horrorporn nurse" - Kyoku said when he saw how the top part of the nurse's outfit slid from her shoulders and exposed her bare chest. - "Such a pity I really don't find that attractive at all. Maybe it's the blood, or the fact that this is a Silent Hill rip-off"

Approaching the nurse slowly, Kyoku waited until she reacted. As soon as he was two meters (6.5 feet) away from her, the Faceless Nurse reacted, walking like someone who managed to stay on their feet in spite of suffering from an epileptic seizure. She was slow. Incredibly slow. Or perhaps it was Kyoku's new speed that made him see her as if she was slow, when in reality she wasn't.

Dashing forwards himself, Kyoku bashed her head with the Broken Handle, making her fall to the ground. He could see a damage indicator above her head, just like in RPGs, that read 12 in orange. That damage meant the initial hit did either 3 or 5, plus the STR bonus that rounded the damage in 8. The only reason why the damage was 12 was because of the critical hit, signaled by the orange color of the number. While the Faceless Nurse was on the floor, Kyoku hit her one more time, effectively ending her.

Math-time over, Kyoku was finally able to check the multiple pop-ups that appeared in front of him.

Achievement Unlocked: Our battle will be legendary!

Requirements: Kill your first enemy

Rewards:

- 100 XP

- CHA +3 Achievement Unlocked: A critical hit!

Requirements: Your first hit ever is a critical hit

Rewards:

- STR +2

- Dead Aim Enemy Drops:

¥5

10 XP Achievement Unlocked: He's not gonna need it!

Requirements: Get your first drop from an enemy

Rewards:

¥150

- Scavenge Achievement Unlocked: Two's company, Three's a crowd

Requirements: Unlock three Achievements at the same time

Rewards:

- CHA +2

- True Steel

The first thing that Kyoku thought of when he saw the pop-ups was that there were indeed Achievements to be unlocked. The second was that he was quite lucky for unlocking two at once, effectively unlocking a third one. His third thought created more pop-ups in front of him.

"What the fuck is Dead Aim?" - Kyoku screamed as the pop-up appeared, only to give place for other two after his follow-up. "And what are Scavenge and True Steel?"

Dead Aim (Lv. 1): Passive

Enables the user to identify weak points in enemies with more ease. When striking a weak point, the chances of inflicting a critical hit increase by 15%. The percentage increases by 0.2% per Skill Level. Scavenge (Lv. 1): Active

Cost: 10 MP per target

Increases the chances of enemies dropping rare loot by 0.15% per Skill Level. If used when the enemy is already dead, it has a 25% chance of aquiring further loot. True Steel (Lv. 1): Passive

Increases the critical hit chances by 0.15% per Skill Level. Each hit performed in a combo stacks it once more, up to a four times.

"So I'm on the road to become the ultimate grinding machine for looters..." - Kyoku said while he stared at the last two skills. In the end, he sighed and dropped his shoulders, deciding that being grateful for the bonuses was the best choice. He had surrendered to the strangeness of the situation. After all, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. - "So much shit and it's been only half the day..."