The alley stank of piss, smoke, and something metallic—probably blood. Jason Emmerson groaned as he sat up, head pounding like he'd face-planted into concrete. Which, given the sharp ache running through his jaw and temple, might not be far off.
One second he'd been hunched over his keyboard, headphones blasting gunfire and adrenaline-pumping music as he dominated in Delta Force. The next, a bright flash engulfed his monitor, everything blinked, and he was here—in a garbage-strewn alley that looked like a film noir horror set.
Brick walls loomed high on either side. A flickering streetlamp buzzed overhead, casting long shadows across puddles and broken glass. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed. Then another. The sky above was a dull gray, smothered by thick clouds that made it impossible to guess the time.
He pushed himself up, swaying a little as he took in his surroundings. The cold bit through his hoodie. His jeans were damp and smelled like sewer runoff.
"What the hell…" he murmured.
Ding!
A digital chime echoed in his skull. Startled, Jason flinched, then froze as a translucent green-blue interface blinked into existence before his eyes. No screen, no projector. Just floating text, clear as day.
---
GAMER SYSTEM ACTIVATED.
Welcome, Jason Emmerson. Initialization complete.
---
"Nope," he said flatly. "I'm dreaming. I fell asleep at my desk, right? This is just a weird dream."
Another box slid into view.
---
Name: Jason Emmerson
Level: 1
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Skill Points Available: 0
Attribute Points Available: 0
---
"Okay… so we're really going full isekai, huh?"
He blinked, expecting it to disappear. It didn't. Instead, another window replaced it.
---
Unlocked Ability: Pyrokinesis
Mastery: Beginner (0%)
Can generate and manipulate basic flame. Control unstable.
Danger of self-burn: HIGH.
---
"Pyrokinesis?" Jason stared at his hands, fingers trembling. "You mean... like the Human Torch or something?"
He focused. Nothing happened. He furrowed his brow, gritting his teeth.
C'mon, light up...
A spark. Just a flicker between his fingers, like the flame of a cheap lighter. It flared, then snuffed out instantly.
Jason yelped and shook his hand, pain jolting up his wrist. His palm had reddened, but wasn't seriously burned.
"…Okay. Fire. Real fire. I made that."
The realization hit like a freight train. Not a dream. Not a hallucination. Not even some VR simulation.
He was somewhere else. And he had powers.
A chill crawled down his spine. Jason stepped out of the alley into a cracked sidewalk and looked up.
A rusted sign greeted him:
Welcome to Gotham City.
He stared. "Gotham? As in Batman Gotham?"
He let out a breathless laugh, half-insane. Of all the fictional universes to wake up in, he'd landed in the one where crime had its own GDP.
Footsteps.
Jason turned sharply. A man in a ski mask and tattered coat emerged from the shadows, holding a knife.
"Wallet. Now."
Jason raised his hands instinctively. "I don't have anything, man. Just woke up here. Chill."
The mugger snarled and lunged.
Jason reacted without thinking. His hand snapped forward, and with a pop and hiss, a burst of flame shot out.
It wasn't much—a flare the size of a baseball—but it was enough to force the man back, yelping as the edge of his coat caught fire.
He patted at it wildly, cursing. "Freak!"
Jason turned and ran.
His feet pounded the cracked pavement as he dodged dumpsters and hopped over trash bags. His lungs burned, adrenaline pumping like rocket fuel. He didn't stop until he ducked through a broken side-door into an abandoned warehouse.
He collapsed behind a stack of crates, chest heaving. For a long moment, he just sat there, trying to process.
The System. Gotham. The fire. Everything.
"This is real," he whispered. "This is actually happening."
Another chime.
---
New Objective: Survive.
Shelter: Not Secure
Food: None
Threats Nearby: Moderate
---
He exhaled slowly, a shaky grin tugging at his lips.
"If this is a game… I'm playing to win."
He slept on an abandoned warehouse for the night.
Jason woke to the sound of dripping water. It took a moment for his brain to register the surroundings—cold concrete beneath him, the faint scent of mildew and rust, and distant traffic muffled by thick, crumbling walls. A high window filtered in gray morning light through dust-streaked glass.
His whole body ached. Muscles sore from the chase, knees bruised from diving behind cover, and his hand—burned. Not badly, but enough to sting every time he moved it.
He sat up slowly inside the warehouse. The place was a graveyard of forgotten goods—rusted shelves, broken pallets, and empty boxes. It was shelter, for now.
Ding!
Jason sighed as the now-familiar chime echoed in his head. Another interface popped up in the air before him.
---
Rest complete. Minor injuries remain. Fatigue reduced by 40%.
Status Update:
Burn (Palm): Light — Healing in progress
Muscle Fatigue: Mild
Hunger: Moderate
Hydration: Low
---
New Tutorial Unlocked: Attributes & Training
---
The screen shifted, presenting a breakdown.
---
Attributes
(Average human stat = 10)
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 10
Speed: 10
Durability: 10
Stamina: 10
Intellect: 10
Attribute Points Available: 0
Skill Points Available: 0
---
Attributes increase through training, exertion, or rare system quests. No free handouts. Progress is earned.
Jason leaned back against the wall, letting the information sink in. So no easy way to just dump points and get strong instantly. That made sense. It also meant he'd have to put in real work if he wanted to survive here.
He focused, willing the System to expand. A smaller panel branched off.
---
Unlocked Ability: Pyrokinesis
Mastery: Beginner (3%)
Control: Unstable
Range: 1 meter max
Duration: Variable
Internal Heat Resistance: Low
---
Note: Pyrokinesis will grow more stable with practice, emotional discipline, and environmental control.
"Three percent, huh?" he muttered. "That spark must've counted."
Jason stood and stretched, working out the stiffness in his arms and legs. Then he dropped into a set of pushups. The concrete bit into his palms, especially the burned one, but he gritted through it. When he finished his set, he saw a tiny green notification pop up.
---
+0.1 Strength
---
He grinned. "So it really does work."
He spent the next two hours doing basic calisthenics: pushups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, squats. No gym, no equipment, but he pushed himself until sweat dripped down his face and his muscles trembled.
Every now and then, he saw another tiny green +0.1, sometimes +0.2 if he really pushed.
Eventually, he collapsed on his back, panting.
Another ding.
---
Minor Attribute Gains:
Strength: +0.5
Stamina: +0.3
Durability: +0.2
---
New Trait Unlocked: Self-Motivated (Passive)
Small stat growth boosts when training without external supervision or rewards.
---
He blinked at that. "Nice. Free bonus just for being a loner."
Hunger was clawing at him now. Jason rummaged through the warehouse, eventually finding an old vending machine half-buried under a shelf. The glass had been broken long ago, but inside, a few expired bags of chips and protein bars remained.
He sniffed a bar, shrugged, and bit in. It was stale, but edible. Barely.
While chewing, he sat cross-legged and tried focusing on his ability again. He held out his hand and concentrated, remembering the heat that had flared in panic the night before.
A small, flickering flame lit up over his fingers.
This time, it stayed.
He grinned.
The flame wobbled, dancing wildly, but it didn't hurt him. Yet. It felt like holding a live wire—thrilling and dangerous.
Jason shaped it, letting it crawl along his knuckles like a molten spider. When it started to grow too hot, he willed it to die out. The fire vanished, leaving only a trail of warmth.
---
Pyrokinesis Progress: 5%
---
He practiced for another hour, trying different gestures: finger snaps, palm thrusts, even controlled bursts like little dragon puffs. His best trick so far was creating a sustained thumb-flame like a human lighter.
When he reached 7% mastery, the System chimed again.
---
New Skill Unlocked: Fire Spark (Active)
Cost: 1 Stamina per use
Generates a small controlled flame from fingertips. Ideal for ignition and signaling.
---
"Now we're talking."
Jason added it to his mental hotkey list—an odd thought, but the System let him assign quick triggers. Probably another gamer quirk.
The day passed slowly. He explored the warehouse, found an old mattress he dragged to the corner, and managed to scrounge up a few half-empty water bottles from a nearby office space.
Night fell again, bringing cold and silence.
Jason sat atop a crate, staring at the crumbling wall ahead.
"Okay. Let's recap."
He held up one finger. "One: I'm not on Earth—not my Earth, anyway."
Two fingers. "Two: This is Gotham. Which means vigilantes, villains, chaos."
Three. "Three: I have a gamer system and the ability to burn things with my mind."
He paused. "Honestly? Could be worse."
His stomach growled, reminding him that surviving here wouldn't just be about fire tricks and stat boosts. He needed food, a safe place, allies—maybe. Though trusting people in Gotham might be more dangerous than going it alone.
He sighed, lying back on the mattress.
Another notification blinked into view.
---
Personal Journal Activated
Would you like to begin recording your thoughts?
[Y/N]
---
Jason stared at it, then reached out and mentally hit [Y].
A virtual notebook appeared—blank pages waiting.
He began typing.
---
Journal Entry #1
I'm still not sure if I'm dead, dreaming, or part of some divine joke. But this is real. I can feel it. And if it's a game... I'll grind until I break it. I'm not here to play hero. Not yet. I just want to survive. Maybe learn to fly. Or shoot lightning. Or both. Who knows?
But for now—fire will do.
---
End of Chapter 1