So, Lord of the Rings won out, sorry other folks. But there were a couple of interesting ideas in the comments that I'll be incorporating in the future. Oh, and for future reference, guest votes will be counted as one half of one registered user's vote.

This arc will be taking place within the Hobbit's storyline. I hope you enjoy.

Suddenly, I'm somewhere else completely. There wasn't a single transition or warning. Hmph, this Overlord fella is lucky that there isn't a helpline, or he'd be getting a stern talking-to.

At least there isn't anything immediately threatening around here. All it seems to be is a cave, naturally formed this time, as evinced by its rough edges and stalactites. It's illuminated by the flickering red light of a torch placed in a black iron sconce embedded in the cave wall.

Unfortunately, the whole group from before isn't with me. Only the blonde haired teenager, buff moustache-man, blue-haired girl, and a half dozen background char- I mean others, are present. Even so, all of them are completely unconscious in a single dogpile. Whoever transported us really has no sense of personal space.

Only one guy is awake and standing, but he wasn't in our group before. He's pretty tall, standing at 6' 2", and ruggedly handsome, like some kind of western movie hero. He's dressed in simple black leather armor with a shortsword at his waist and a medium-sized metal shield strapped to his left arm. His brown hair is tied back into a ponytail and his almond eyes are studying me intensely.

You know what they say: sometimes, when you stare out into the void, it stares back. So there we are, glaring at each other like a couple of dumbasses when we both clearly know who each other is. He's obviously the tutor that Tristan mentioned and I doubt that the appearance of a new group would be a surprise to such a tutor.

... But I suppose that it's more than logic can convey. Really, it's a fight for dominance, a battle for respect. His cold demeanor versus my cocky smile. More than just dick-measuring, if you ask me. It's something more, something primal.

>>

Tristan informed me of the fresh batch of Gamers only recently. Really, it was exactly 7 minutes ago. I actually had high hope for these potential comrades.

Turns out I was sorely mistaken. All but one of them are hopeless.

*sigh* What should have I expected? After all, I chose to be here and these guys were basically kidnapped from their home dimension and forced to amuse us. And yes, I mean us. The Reaxscian blood calls to war and for many, watching the Game simply is not enough to sate it. Those born with massive bloodlust choose to participate of their own will. I am of that stock.

It would seem as if I could not be more different from this pile of buffoons.

That one guy who's awake has finally noticed me.

Hmm, not a bad physique, but why is he only wearing a cape? Do they not give clothes to Gamers anymore? He's about 5' 9", has alert brown eyes and unkempt black hair. He's not bloated with muscle, yet what he has seems to be toned for combat. Street fighter, probably. Those types tend to catch on to these types of situations easily. I'll be blunt with him and give all of the info he needs straight up, but I hope I don't confuse him.

I note with a bit of envy that he's "bigger" than me. Damn, what do they feed these Earthlings?

>>

"Welcome to the Game", the guy finally breaks the silence, "I am your tutor, Rius Fellspare."

I nod and reach forward for a handshake. After a brief bit of hesitation, he grasps my hand in his, blushing slightly. Oh? Not used to human contact, are we? Then it's my win. After all, he seems to be the hardened warrior type that has terrible social skills.

"I'm Matthew Walker. So, let's get down to business. What can you tell me, Mister Tutor Man?", I poke at him.

Rius, albeit a bit flustered, lays it down in pretty easy to understand terms, "They've explained what the Game is and what the overall rules are to you, yes? Then it's pretty simple, this mission takes place in the fictional world created by JRR Tolkien, Middle Earth. Specifically, it takes place during the events of the Hobbit. Right now, we are in a cavern not far from the Goblin-town ruled over by the Great Goblin.

As for our purpose here, just say or concentration on the phrase 'mission goals'. It will tell you the overall goal that is a prerequisite for ending the mission, side missions, and special instructions. For example, I got 5 points for telling you that. After the completion of your first mission, you'll be assigned a general archetype that will garner you more points if you stick by it. If you don't... well, you'll probably disappear. Anyways, pull up your mission goals now."

Mission Goals

Immediately, bright golden words splayed themselves across my vision. Woah, not exactly blue screens, huh?

Welcome to your first mission, Matthew!

This world is Middle Earth during the events written in the Hobbit.

PRIMARY MISSIONS:

Escape through the Goblin-Gate alive - 10 points

Optional: Persuade the Great Goblin to let you live - 20 points

SIDE MISSIONS:

Kill a goblin - 1 point per kill

PENALTIES:

Kill a newcomer - Negative 5 points per kill

Kill any of Thorin's party - Negative 7 points per kill

Kill Bilbo Baggins - Negative 50 points

If you have zero or negative points after final calculations, you will be eliminated

Current points: pending

This is pretty close to Terror Infinity's System. It was one of the light novels that I kept up with before I... left.

"Those aren't the only goals there are, only the listed ones. Finding and completing hidden goals will net you extra points and reward tokens. Tokens are needed to purchase special powers and upgrades. Tokens vary in value from S to F, with three lower letters equaling one that is a notch higher. Usually, upgrades are worth getting more than simply raising your stats manually, as they provide a better value and often special effects.

Keep in mind that stats are normally around 100 for a human and raising them by one costs a point. You can check your stats by saying or concentrating on the phrase 'status'."

Status.... man it feels like I have a severe case of chuunibyou just thinking that.

Another set of golden words pop up.

Name: Matthew Walker

Sex: (too much) male

Age: 22

Archetype: None assigned

Compliance: (N/A)

STATISTICS:

Intelligence: 122

Perception: 110

Reflexes: 107

Endurance: 109

Vitality: 100

Strength: 101

Speed: 105

Wow, my stats are all above normal, that's good.

... Wait a second. The mission statement said that the highest I can get in the main goal is 20. Why is that so concerning to me?

...Oh no. ... Tristan said that you needed 50 billion to buy your freedom, right? That means 2.5 billion missions.

"WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK?????", I shout.

This is absolute BS! Just when I thought there was a sliver of hope, it's all chucked out the window! I thought I knew what system the Overlord was basing this system off of: Terror Infinity. But, nooooo, he had to set our chances of freedom from slim to zilch by screwing with the point system!

...

...*sigh* Why am I railing against an omnipotent being? I can't do anything but play in this twisted game of his for now. But I swear, I'll grow strong enough to knock out all of his teeth and gouge out his eyes with them.

"You calm now? I took the opportunity to explain the basics to your group that you conveniently woke up with your yelling. We just got done, actually", Rius interrupts my thoughts.

I look over to the group to find an almost-comical range of emotions.

Some are visibly angry and probably were since they were summoned, but couldn't act on those feelings because of the knights. Right now, the angry ones are arguing with each other and raging at God or whoever put us in this screwed up situation. Some even scream obscenities at Rius, who is completely ignoring them. The gigantic moustache-man is in this group.

Others are shaken and scared. Curled into balls, clutching their heads, sobbing their eyes out, you name it and its probably being done. They've lost all hope of surviving and the immense pressure and absurdity of the situation is catching up to them.

Yet, a select few are calm. Not completely, as I can still see some fear under the surface. These guys have probably been in a life-threatening situation or have knowledge of Terror Infinity or transportation novels in general. The blue haired girl, blonde teenager, and some generic dude are in this group.

And when I say generic, I mean it. I've lived quite a life for someone my age and can usually judge people well; "nobody is normal" used to be my motto, key words: used to be. This guy is so normal that it's abnormal. I never thought that the "average male" trope in manga could be real. Yet, here he is. I can't even tell the fine details of his looks because my gaze keep slipping off of him.

"Hey, everybody calm down! We're gonna be alright! The rules have been clearly laid out for us, so all we need to do is follow them to survive and go home!", the blondie rallies the group with his cheesy speech.

Strange thing is, it's actually working. The angry group winds down considerably, and the sad ones have a bit of hope in their eyes. What the hell was that? I could've sworn that he exuded some kind of yellow aura.

"I'm John, John Smith", He continues, "I'm 18 years old and I work in a modelling agency. Thank you for being my comrades. May I have your names?"

Wow. Generic name + Pretty boy looks + Young and vibrant = wet panties. It has to be true, I read that too often in LNs for it not to be true. This dude is literally a walking trope, just like Standard Man over there.

Wait... this feels like too perfect of a set up. Bear with me for a moment here, generic guy gets ostracized by the rest of the summoned group because he doesn't agree with pretty boy, but goes on to become a super OP loner, right? I'm living in a bad anime.

"Would you all share who you are?" Blondie, oh so politely, requests.

"Well, if we are to be comrades, that is only fair. I am Bradley Granghurst, 32 years of age", the big guy gruffly introduces himself.

And so, the rest of the group rattles of their names. All the while, John pays rapt attention with a dazzling smile, earning him some blushes from the ladies. The guys can only look on in jealousy.

Finally comes the time for blue-haired girl's intro, so I pay attention. "Ahem. I'm Sarah Reese, age 22. Nice to meet you", she says evenly. Ouch, seems like she's gotten the wrong impression of me, the way that she's glaring at me the whole way through her introduction. I think I was supposed to notice a while back, but thumbs need twiddling, you know? Probably because I'm uncovered. Meh, I'll stick with it. How often could you do this on Earth, huh?

"Uh.. I'm Patrick Newkirk. Just turned 23", a voice resounds almost out of nowhere. Dammit, Patrick, be more noticeable! That nearly gave me heart attack!

Composing myself, I draw a deep breath before saying, "Matthew Walker, 22, Blood type O-, born nine months after my parents did the do, learned to walk by eight months, ran by a year, college education, my favorite color is..."

"We get it", Rius coldly cuts me off, "... Good. It seems as if you've all calmed down. I'll tell you right now that I wasn't listening in the slightest! Survive this mission and I'll consider you to be part of the team and worthy enough to know your name. But for now, I have zero interest."

You can hear a pin drop. This dude is a buzzkill.

"Anyway, I'll be heading off to the exit now, but I wouldn't recommend you doing so unless you all acquire some gear and make an assault plan. It's dangerous, after all", he mocks.

And with that, he scampers off faster than the eye can see.

This scene feels oddly familiar...