A "system" wasn't something I ever expected to exist in Skyrim. I thought I'd just get some busted stats or a blessing, but… a system? That wasn't bad at all. At least now I could track my progress as I got stronger.
"So… this system. Is it easy to understand?" I asked cautiously. Even if it was a system, there was no guarantee I'd know how to use it.
"My blessing is part of you," Meridia's voice replied. "You will understand it naturally, without needing to learn a thing."
"Alright, last question. I have an inventory, right? Because there's no way I'm carrying this beacon in my hands all the way to your temple."
"Yes. Enough questions. Your sole mission is to destroy the darkness. That will be your only concern."
And with that, the connection abruptly cut off.
Well, before I ran off on a divine fetch quest, I needed to check if this "system" actually worked.
I had no idea how to activate it, but I'd read enough isekai novels to know the classic first attempt.
"System, appear!" I commanded.
…Nothing.
I frowned. "Figures."
Meridia wouldn't have lied. If I was really in Skyrim, then the system had to exist. Which meant there had to be some kind of keyword to open it.
So I tried them.
"Open system!"
"Status!"
"Menu!"
"Inventory!"
Still nothing.
I sighed. "Great. Isekai protagonist, can't even open his own cheat system. Should I… contact Meridia again? She's going to kill me if I keep asking questions, but I don't see another way."
With no better option, I placed my hand on the beacon again.
"Uh, hey. Sorry to bother you, but how do I actually open the syst—"
Before I could finish, a glowing screen popped up in front of me.
— MERIDIA SYSTEM v1.0 —
I nearly laughed. Of course she slapped her name on it. Like I could ever forget who gave me the blessing. Meridia System… honestly, it was peak Daedric Princess behavior.
But the more I looked, the more I realized how inconvenient this thing was. I had to touch the beacon just to open the menu. Typical Meridia—everything had to revolve around her.
Still, I couldn't complain too much. The layout was familiar. It looked just like Skyrim's menu, complete with spells like Fireball and Healing.
Then I noticed the stat screen.
— Meridia's Champion Stats —
Name: Chad Michael
Level: 1
"…Excuse me?"
Why the hell was my name Chad Michael? My real name was Alex Harrington! Was this some kind of joke? I doubted Meridia cared enough to troll me like that—she was supposed to value order. And yet here I was, stuck with the most generic frat-boy name imaginable.
Worse still, the inventory did exist, but it was tethered to the beacon. Meaning I had to keep touching it to store or retrieve items. So much for convenience.
I groaned. "Yeah, this tracks. Just like in the game—no escaping Meridia's stupid beacon."
Still, there wasn't much I could do except accept it and move forward.
Time to leave this shipwreck and head toward Meridia's temple. Hopefully, it wasn't too far. If I'd spawned near Winterhold, that was going to be a nightmare. I couldn't even afford a carriage—I didn't have a single Septim.
It took me a few minutes to navigate through the wreck. Along the way, I lucked out and found a full set of leather armor and an iron sword. Of course, I took them. My fishing clothes didn't exactly scream "dragon-slaying hero," and they sure as hell offered no protection.
When I finally climbed out of the wreck, I couldn't help grinning. With armor on my back and a sword at my side, I already felt like an adventurer. The thrill reminded me of my very first Skyrim playthrough.
Of course, the excitement was slightly ruined by the glowing beacon in my hands. I couldn't even stash it in my inventory, and I hadn't found a bag or sack in the wreck to carry it in. For now, I was stuck lugging it around.
Still, I wasn't in the worst spot. According to the map, I'd washed up at the Wreck of the Brinehammer—meaning Solitude wasn't too far.
But traveling there would take days. Skyrim might have been quick to cross in the game, but in real life? The province was massive.
Dawnstar was closer. Supplies, maybe a pack, and hopefully a way to deal with this cursed beacon. Yeah. That was the smarter move.
And so, with nothing but a low-level sword, hand-me-down armor, and a divine rock that refused to leave me alone, I began my journey.