Consciousness returned slowly, as if clawing its way back from the bottom of a well. The first sensation was pressure—his entire body felt heavy, not with pain exactly, but with density, like gravity had doubled while he was out. His eyelids twitched, then parted. The sky above him was darkening, burnished with the last streaks of twilight. Smoke lingered in the air, bitter and acrid, but thinning now.
He coughed once, then groaned. Every breath made his ribs creak like settling timber. The ground beneath him was cool, cracked stone—he was still in the courtyard. A scorched patch a few feet away marked where his car had once blazed like a bonfire. Now it was a warped metal husk, smoke curling from the blackened frame like dying breath.
For a moment, he just lay there, letting the world settle into place.
The snake monster–thing. Right.
Thane rolled to his side, his muscles responding sluggishly but powerfully, like pistons finding their rhythm. The snake's headless body lay twisted and still, coiled in a final death spasm. But there was no blood—no gore, no viscera—just an eerie absence where violence had clearly occurred. From the gaping stump of its thick neck, something far stranger was spilling out: a fine, violet dust. Not pouring like sand or dripping like fluid—just sifting, lazily, like it had no weight at all.
The powder caught the dying light in shimmering flecks, glittering faintly as it pooled beneath the corpse. Wind teased at it, lifting delicate swirls into the air where they twisted and danced for a moment before fading into nothing. It was beautiful in a way that felt wrong—like watching glitter fall from a wound.
Whatever that crystal had been, it wasn't natural.
He sat up fully, planting a hand on the ground to steady himself. The pavement cracked under his palm with a soft crunch. He froze. Looked at his hand.
His fingers looked normal enough, but they felt... different. Denser. Tighter. Stronger.
Everything did.
His clothes hung oddly on him, as if his frame had shifted in subtle but permanent ways. His vision was clearer, the air crisper, the distant rustling of trees almost too loud. A breeze passed through the courtyard, scattering ash and smoke, and with it came a strange clarity—like waking from a fever dream into a world that was sharper, more real.
Something –fundamental had changed.
And then came the glowing text, snapping into his field of view like someone had jammed a phone screen into his eyeballs.
[CHECK NOTIFICATIONS NIMROD]
It was blinding, obscuring everything.
Do notifications just pop up whenever now? I guess my eyes were closed through all the other messages.
"What the—" Thane blinked. The words didn't go away. His heart skipped. "I'm not... Nimrod."
Then it clicked. It wasn't talking to someone named Nimrod. It was calling him a Nimrod.
Thane brought up his notifications with a thought.
The wall of text appeared again—but this time it didn't hit him like a truck. No blinding surge of panic, no dizziness. Just a dense, humming grid of information, layered neatly in his vision.
Okay... this is fine. This is manageable.
His eyes skimmed the lines, trying to make sense of it all. Notifications bloomed like fungi, stacked in two categories. The first blinking at the top under the heading [Unread]. The second dimmed at the bottom under [Read].
What the heck happened?
Still, he didn't feel like he was drowning in it. More like treading water in a very deep pool, and the surface was still in sight.
Right. Don't freak out. Just... start at the top and breathe.
He focused on the first message.
[MYTHIC] [MOMENTOUS MOMENTUM] [Momentum Magic]
[You have defied fate and felled a being that dwarfed you in power. Reality itself took notice. For transcending limitations, you have been granted Momentum Magic — a unique force shaped by your impossible triumph. Its depths are vast. Master it's potential. Become a legend.]
[COMMON] [FIRST KILL] [+5 stat points]
[You are the first human to kill a monster. Congratulations! Not hesitating for a moment, you dove headfirst into danger. Taking advantage of the immunity shield you walked away from what should have surely killed you.]
[RARE] [FIRST BOSS KILL] [+10% stat bonus]
[You are the first human to kill a boss. Someone had to do it. Just be glad it was you.]
[RARE] [FIRST REGION BOSS KILL] [+20% stat bonus]
[You are the first human to kill a region boss. No one was expected to do this, and yet... you did.]
[COMMON] [LEVEL ONE MONSTER] [+5 stat points]
[You are an anomaly. A monstrous existence. At level one you slew a monster just like everyone else.]
[EPIC] [LEVEL ONE BOSS] [Fighting monster above your level gives 50% bonus exp]
[Your ambition knows no bounds. Slaying not only a boss, but region boss at level one. Keep climbing to untold heights, and never let it be said great challenge does not bring great rewards.]
[LEGENDARY] [LUCKIEST HUMAN] [Luck stat unlocked]
[The previously hidden luck stat has been unlocked. Only a few have the privilege to add stat points to luck. [System Hint:] Reaching 10 points in luck unlocks danger sense. Continuing to add points will increase the odds of your survival.]
[EPIC] [SYSTEM HINTS] [Personalized SYSTEM messages and hints]
[HEY! You lucked out, normally everything after the basic tutorial is explained by locals. Seeing as there are none in this region, and to keep you sane, I will accompany you with a personality calculated to entertain you, – and me.]
[RARE] [LOOK AT THAT] [Identify skill unlocked]
[Hey look what's that. Simply think identify and you'll find out.]
[LEGENDARY] [NO MANA NO PROBLEM] [Magic now uses stamina not mana]
[You have been granted momentum magic. Moments later In a desperate bid to live you added all your free points to strength. Requiring vast energy to rework a newly created magic, thanks. Now you can embrace your inner bro, and become a muscle head. You no longer have access to a mana pool. The functions of Intelligence and Wisdom will now be replaced by Strength and Endurance. Don't worry, charisma is still on the table. Can't have a bro not get the ladies.]
[EPIC] [COCKROACH] [Once a day fatal damage will be ignored and dexterity boosted 100%]
[You survived an ordeal that would have killed anyone else. Scuttle away once a day like a cockroach.]
Thane stared at the barrage of notifications, blinking slowly. "Okay... so that just happened."
There was a lot to unpack. Momentum magic? Boss kills? Region boss? Cockroach? At some point the system called him a bro. No mana, no problem, he thought, the words echoing in his mind with an Italian accent that made him cringe. Great. I've been system-labeled a muscle head.
Still, even as he mentally scoffed, a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. Momentum magic? That sounds–interesting. And the rest… well, ridiculous as it all sounded, it was real. He felt real. Stronger. Sharper. More grounded in his body.
And somehow... lucky?
Luckiest human? I'll take it. Honestly, I'll take anything that makes "being alive" less of a fluke and more of a plan.
Thane closed the notifications with a thought. The wall of text dissolved cleanly, leaving behind a cleaner UI—he selected [Status]
[STR] [Strength - Determines physical power] [11] x [30%] [TOTAL] [14.3]
[DEX] [Dexterity - Determines agility and reflexes] [7] x [30%] [TOTAL] [9.1]
[END] [Endurance - Determines stamina and resilience] [4] x [30%] [TOTAL] [5.2]
[INT] [Intelligence - Increases mana pool and magical power] [0]
[WIS] [Wisdom - improves mana regeneration and magical control] [0]
[CHA] [Charisma - affects positive interactions with others] [0] x [30%] [TOTAL] [0]
[LUC] [Luck - improves outcomes of various situations] [1] x [30%] [TOTAL] [1.3]
[FREE POINTS] [+10]
And that's when the math hit him.
"Fourteen strength?" he murmured aloud. "At level one?"
Could he punch a vending machine into an alternate timeline with that kind of stat? –Probably not. His other stats were up too, thanks to his boss kill percentage bonuses. Intelligence and wisdom were zeroed out—unsurprising, but the system didn't even pretend to be subtle about it.
No brain, all brawn. Guess I'm leaning into the 'lift first, ask questions never' build.
Still, those free points were burning a hole in his UI.
Ten points. Alright. No pressure. Just determine my survival in a world I don't understand with mechanics I'm apparently breaking by existing.
He hovered mentally over Dexterity first. It was close—just shy of being over 10. Getting over 10 points in strength seems to have massively upgraded my body. Luck also has a threshold for above 10. I bet all stats have a threshold of 10. More reflexes can't hurt, right?
Fingers crossed he dropped one point in, and hit confirm. The instant dexterity ticked above ten, he felt a brief surge of tightness in limbs. Then a loosening, like his tendons and ligaments had spent the day at a spa. Definitely more subtle than strength, but there.
Next, Endurance. He was sore. Still trashed from the adrenaline high, but breaking the dexterity threshold had soothed some of his aches. His muscles felt like they'd been pounded with hammers, and that was before factoring in the snake fight. He tapped in four points and watched endurance break pass ten.
Breathing got easier. The aches dulled. He felt like he could sprint a mile and then bench press a cow. That left five points. He hovered them over Strength—tempting—but paused. His eyes drifted to the bottom of the screen. The system did say ten points in luck unlocked danger sense. He wouldn't hit that now, but…
I've already survived one death. Might be nice to survive the next one on purpose.
He fed all five remaining points into Luck bringing it to almost eight.
The moment he confirmed the last point, the air shimmered faintly. Not visibly, not really. Just a twitch at the edge of perception. Like reality noticed. Like the world flinched.
That's not ominous at all, he thought, and closed the screen with a breath.
Thane reviewed his status screen again to revel in the changes. This is getting addicting fast!
[STR] [Strength - Determines physical power] [11] x [30%] [TOTAL] [14.3]
[DEX] [Dexterity - Determines agility and reflexes] [8] x [30%] [TOTAL] [10.4]
[END] [Endurance - Determines stamina and resilience] [8] x [30%] [TOTAL] [10.4]
[INT] [Intelligence - Increases mana pool and magical power] [0]
[WIS] [Wisdom - improves mana regeneration and magical control] [0]
[CHA] [Charisma - affects positive interactions with others] [0] x [30%] [TOTAL] [0]
[LUC] [Luck - improves outcomes of various situations] [6] x [30%] [TOTAL] [7.8]
[Free points] [0]
Thane leaned back slightly—well, mentally leaned back, since his body was still on alert—and exhaled through a crooked grin.
Okay... this is actually kind of awesome.
The numbers looked good. No, they looked ridiculously good for someone who was literally dropped into this world like a sack of potatoes. He had real strength, a growing sense of agility, and even his endurance felt solid now. Luck was ticking up, and if the system was to be believed, that might just be the wildcard that kept him alive.
This isn't just surviving anymore. This is progress.
The rush of barely-contained panic that had ridden shotgun since taking a nosedive off a cliff was finally giving way to something else—momentum, maybe? Confidence.. YES! The high of seeing his life in this new world shift in his favor.
His eyes dropped to the next section of the status interface.
Alright, what else have you got for me? Bonuses, skills, magic—let's see what kind of broken nonsense I'm working with now.
[BONUSES:]
[Fighting monster above your level gives 50% bonus exp]
[Personalized SYSTEM messages and hints]
[Once a day fatal damage will be ignored and dexterity boosted 100%]
[SKILLS:]
[Identify]
[MAGIC:]
[Momentum Magic:]
[Sub-type:]
[???]
Thane frowned.
Really? My magic is just a question mark?
The high from reading his status screen dimmed slightly. He'd expected something—anything—more concrete. A spell name, a description, even a vague, cryptic threat would've been better than this black hole of information. Instead, all he got was a big fat shrug from the universe.
It's like the system said, "Congrats, you have magic! What does it do? Figure it out Sherlock!"
But still… It was magic. Real magic. His magic. That wasn't nothing. And if the rest of the system was anything to go by, maybe this wasn't a dead end—it was a starting point. An invitation.
His frustration began to twist into something else—curiosity. Determination. Wonder.
Momentum Magic, he thought again, rolling the words around in his head. Movement. Force. Speed. Maybe even gravity? Never thought I would wish I had paid more attention in science class.
The unknown wasn't a wall—it was a door. He just had to figure out how to kick it open.
Alright, you mysterious little power. I don't know what you are yet... but I will.