Who knew this would happen to the world? Not me. A normal high schooler, I was ordinary, not sticking out from the crowd. My name was Flow, I liked what others liked, and therefore I played quite a few video games in my time. But how was I to expect what was on the screen, to become reality?

I had just woken up, when a merry notification greeted me, seeming 3D in nature and made of blue energy it read.

“Welcome to Cognition!”

[New Player Registered]

[Displaying Current Statistics]

Statistics;

Health: 100 (100)

Mana: 0 (0)

Stamina: 50 (50)

Attributes;

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 11

Vitality: 9

Endurance: 8

Luck: 10

Charm: 5

At first, I thought this was a prank, no way could this be real! My snarky remark was instantly crumbed as my hand warped through the blue text. The screen seemed to move with my eyes. The text size increasing and decreasing at will, whilst taking me off guard at first I managed to adjust quickly in time to read the next notification.

[You have been chosen as your planet’s representative.]

[Initiating Teleportation Sequence]

“Wait, what!” My feet raced out of bed, grabbing what little I could, a watch, clothes and backpack, before a violent pull overtook me, ending with a resounding *Zum* as white light dazzled the room like a flashbang.

When I had awoken I wasn’t within my bedroom, blue grass is what my eyes were naturally drawn to, as I made a exaggerated effort to stand up. Several more notifications had appeared when I regained both my sense of balance and direction.

[First traveller from planet Earth to leave solar system, calculating rewards.]

[Ability Gained, “Minor Void Shift”]

Level 1

[ |Minor Void Shift| Due to travelling outside of your original solar system, the void has taken a liking towards you, granting you the ability to shift positions within a 2m radius using 20 stamina. Ability will increase with level.]

[Passive Gained, “Pioneers Instincts”]

Level ??

[ |Pioneers Instincts| Due to being the first of your race to receive an ability you are granted with the natural ability of discovery!]

“This is crazy!” My thoughts raced, this world, this system, was just like a video game! Looking down at my watch I could tell that I had been teleported at just over 9 a.m. “If this world is just like a video game, that must mean. Oh damn, there are monsters!!”

With this haunting thought running through my mind I pressed onward, I knew standing still would get me nowhere. However, the further I ventured the more I began to realise. This world was strangely similar to mine, with the exception of the odd critter picking up fruits having fallen from trees on the ground and a completely different colour palette.

Of course I wouldn’t try to eat the fruits regardless of how tasty and edible they looked, who knew if my body could process whatever was in them. Besides, I had packed a lunch a day beforehand which was ready and lying in my backpack.

With this at ease I still couldn’t help but marvel at life seeming to have grown in different yet similar ways to my own planet. Maybe worlds were connected at one point, however this idea seemed too far stretched to be plausible, how could everything be connected?

The critters on the ground seeming to resemble lizards, came in a variety of sizes and colours, each preferring a different fruit from these characteristics.

Regardless, what drew my attention away, was the notification popping up in-front of my face.

[Passive Gained, “Examination”]

Level 1

[ |Examination| From excessive study you have gained the passive effect of increasing your ability to study living and inanimate objects. Intelligence will increase with level.]

When peering at the lizards again I found that I could interpret parts of the body that I had before missed, it’s scales seemed to overlap each other, potentially making a form of armour against heat and physical attacks.

When trying to observe closer, “Ahh! Dang lizard!” A small trickle of red liquid ran down my index finger, thus signifying the fruits of my efforts.

With the yellow lizard seeming to think I got the message it went back on its journey to discover fruits, we parted ways. For I had my own journey to attend to.

After about an hour’s worth of walking according to my wrist watch, I came across a broken down town. The sign stuck plain and rotten as day above the gateway into the so called village read “Loam Lake.”

For a rundown village it definitely had it’s perks, an only partly damaged house, a well and of course a blacksmith shop. Night-time was nowhere near approaching but it was always welcoming to be prepared in these situations so I decided to venture to the house.

It appeared to be deserted, as evident from the lack of any furniture to speak of. However, with a working fireplace and a floor to sleep on it was definitely not the worst by far.

I decided to search around the house as their could be valuable loot hidden, with all four gods of kleptomania fueling my endeavour, I began wilding searching the house until I heard a loud yelp from the corner of the bedroom I was currently searching through.

This sound was the least of my concerns apparently as when I made to turn around a frying pan had begun to make its path toward my nose, this following by a cracking sound and vision turning black, I was safe to assume I had been incapacitated.

When I came too, after what I could only guess at having been asleep, I saw a brown haired girl around the age of 19 holding a frying pan and looking the other direction.

The ache on my face only seeming to get worse as time passed however, I made to get up. This regardless, was not the right decision.

“Ah!” the girl exclaimed, verifying to beat first and ask questions later, I was undoubtedly pummeled with a frying pan in bed. This was going to be a long day.