The last thing I remember from my old life, the one with decent Wi-Fi, questionable pizza toppings, and a distinct lack of magic, was the triumphant *ding* of a level-up notification. I was playing a new game, one that is so ridiculously time-consuming it should have come with a health warning and a complimentary IV drip. I'd just spent three straight days farming for a 0.01% drop rate item, my diet consisting of stale crackers and the dregs of a two-liter bottle of soda that had long since lost its fizz.
My character, a badass warrior-mage named 'Maddy's_Revenge,' had finally dinged level 90. My prize? A slightly shinier pair of pauldrons. My real-life prize? A numb ass and a desperate need for a shower.
I leaned back in my worn-out gaming chair, a victorious sigh escaping my lips. "Totally worth it," I mumbled to my empty apartment with not a single thought on questioning my life's choices.
Then, the world went white. Not a gentle, fading-to-white kind of thing. It was an aggressive, instantaneous, 'flashbang-in-a-dark-room' kind of white. My screen, my desk, my entire world... gone. Replaced by an infinite, sterile void that smelled faintly of ozone and new car air freshener.
"Okay, either I've finally died from malnutrition, or someone spiked my flat soda," I said to the emptiness.
[Welcome, Candidate 4,815,162,342. Please do not be alarmed.]
A voice boomed, not in my ears, but directly inside my skull. It was deep, resonant, and had the bored, monotone quality of a DMV employee announcing the next number.
I spun around, finding nothing but more whiteness. "Who's there? And what do you mean 'candidate'? Did I win a contest? Is it a car? Is it money? Please tell me it's money."
[Negative. You have been selected for the Universal Relocation and Empowerment Program. Your previous existence has been terminated.]
My heart, which had been doing a lazy Sunday stroll, suddenly started running a four-minute mile. "Terminated? As in… I'm dead? Did the dragon get me? I swear I was out of combat."
[Your demise was… incidental. A localized temporal anomaly caused by a miscalibrated stellar nursery. Unfortunate, but statistically bound to happen. We apologize for the inconvenience.]
"Inconvenience?" I shrieked, my voice echoing in the void. "You call dying an *inconvenience*? That's like calling a shark attack a 'minor nibble'!"
[Your emotional outburst is noted. As per protocol, you have been chosen for transmigration to a developing world, designated XE-734. You will be granted a System to facilitate your growth. Your objective is to achieve absolute supremacy. Become the strongest being in your new environment.]
I blinked. Then I blinked again. "A system? Like… like in a game? You're telling me I've been isekai'd?" All those late nights reading web novels hadn't been a complete waste of time after all.
[The term is colloquially accurate. Your System Interface will now be initialized. Please remain still.]
Before I could ask another question, a crisp, blue screen materialized in front of my eyes. It was sleek, minimalist, and looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[HOST BIOMETRICS SCANNED & INTEGRATED]
[WELCOME, USER: MADDOX OLIVIA MORGAN]
"Whoa," I breathed. "Okay. This is… a lot."
[ Your primary objective is to become the strongest. Failure to demonstrate adequate progress will result in… system-enforced retirement.]
"Retirement?" I asked, a nervous sweat beading on my brow despite the void having no discernible temperature. "That sounds suspiciously like an euphemism for 'deleting my saved file'."
[An astute observation. Now, for the world briefing. XE-734 is a civilization built upon Elemental Magic. Status and power are dictated by the number of elements an individual can wield. The currently known elements are Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Lightning, Ice, and Life. The highest recorded mastery is four elements. You will begin with zero.]
"Zero? You're sending me into a world of magic users as a complete normie? That's not a power fantasy, that's a death sentence!"
[ The System will allow you to acquire and master these elements. It operates on a principle of discrete, quantifiable progression. You perform actions, you gain Experience Points (XP). You gain enough XP, you unlock skills and attributes. The rules are absolute and inviolable. This is your advantage. Others are born with their potential. You will build yours.]
A new window popped up.
[Name: Maddox Olivia Morgan
Level: 1
Title: The Outsider
Status: Healthy
Attributes:
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 7
Elemental Affinity:
None
Skills:
None
"My stats are garbage," I grumbled. "I've made starting characters with better stats than this. And what's with the 'Charisma: 7'? I'm at least an 8.5 on a good day."
[Your stats reflect your baseline physical and mental condition from your previous world. They are, as you so eloquently put it, 'garbage'. It is your task to improve them. One final directive: you are forbidden from revealing the existence of the System to any native inhabitant of XE-734. Doing so will trigger immediate retirement. Do you understand?]
The threat was clear. "Got it. Be the strongest, don't tell anyone I'm cheating. Crystal clear."
[Excellent. We wish you success in your mandated journey to supremacy. Commencing transfer.]
The white void dissolved, not into blackness, but into a dizzying kaleidoscope of color and sensation. It felt like being squeezed through a straw at the speed of light. My stomach lurched, and just when I thought I was going to redecorate the space-time continuum with the remnants of my cracker-and-soda dinner, my feet hit solid ground.
And my face hit it a second later.
"Oof," I groaned, spitting out a mouthful of dirt and grass. I pushed myself up, my body aching as if I'd just gone ten rounds with a heavy weight boxer. I was in a small, cobblestone alley, the air thick with the smell of woodsmoke, baking bread, and something vaguely manure-like. The sounds were a cacophony of distant chatter, the clang of a hammer on an anvil, and the bleating of… was that a goat?
I looked down at myself. My pajamas were gone, replaced by a simple, if slightly scratchy, tunic, brown trousers, and sturdy-looking leather boots. A small, empty pouch was tied to my belt.
'Okay, Maddox. Deep breaths. You're in a new world. You have a magic video game system only you can see. Your goal is to become God-Emperor of Everything. No pressure.'
A cheerful *ding* sounded in my head, and a new window popped up in my vision.
[ New Quest Received!]
First Steps
Objective 1: Find lodging for the night.
Objective 2: Consume a proper meal.
Objective 3: Learn the name of the city you are in.
Rewards: 50 XP, 10 Copper Pieces.
"Well," I muttered, dusting off my new, uncomfortable pants. "At least it gives quests. And a starting fund, hopefully."
I peeked out of the alley. The street was bustling. People in similar medieval-esque garb milled about, some carrying baskets of produce, others haggling loudly with street vendors. It was vibrant and alive, but my attention was snagged by two men arguing heatedly near a fountain.
One man, dressed in fine blue silks, held his hand out. A perfect, shimmering ball of water hovered above his palm. The other, a burly fellow in a leather apron, had pebbles and dust swirling around his clenched fist.
"A Dual-Element user like you has no right to tell me how to run my smithy!" the smith roared, the pebbles around his hand vibrating with his anger.
The man in silks scoffed. "A simple *Mono-Earth* like you should know his place. The quality of your wares has slipped. Perhaps you should spend less time shaping metal and more time shaping up your attitude."
The water ball in his hand suddenly shot forward, drenching the smith from head to toe. The crowd oohed and aahed. The smith, dripping and humiliated, merely clenched his jaw and stalked away. The man in silks smirked, flicking his fingers as if dismissing a piece of lint, and sauntered off.
'Right. Magic equals status. Got it.' This was going to be complicated.
I decided my first objective should be the easiest one. I approached a woman selling what looked like apples from a cart.
"Excuse me," I said, trying to sound as non-interdimensionally-displaced as possible.
She looked me up and down, her eyes lingering on my plain clothes. "What do you want, girl? These are two coppers apiece. Don't waste my time if you can't pay."
"Oh, I'm not buying right now. I just… seem to have gotten a bit turned around. Could you tell me the name of this city?"
She rolled her eyes. "You've had too much ale, have you? You're in Oakhaven. Now move along."
*Ding.*
[ Objective 3 Complete! You are in the city of Oakhaven.]
"Oakhaven," I repeated. "Right. Thanks."
Now for the hard part: finding a place to stay with an empty coin pouch. My quest reward was pending completion of the other objectives. It was a classic RPG catch-22. You need money to finish the quest, but you only get the money *after* you finish the quest.
My stomach rumbled, reminding me of Objective 2. I wandered through the market, the smells of roasted meat and fresh pastries making my mouth water. I needed a job. A quick, simple job that a Level 1 normie with garbage stats could do.
My eyes landed on a tavern called 'The Grinning Griffin.' A sign was hammered crookedly onto the door.
**'HELP WANTED. DISHWASHER NEEDED. MUST BE WILLING TO DEAL WITH GRIME, GOBLIN-SIZED RATS, AND GRUMPY COOKS. MEAL INCLUDED.'**
It was perfect. Disgusting, demeaning, and perfect.
I pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside. The tavern was loud, smoky, and smelled of spilled ale and unwashed bodies. A bard in the corner was singing a bawdy song about a farmer and a troll, to the roaring approval of the patrons. It felt… surprisingly familiar. Like a rowdy Saturday night in my old college dive bar, just with more swords.
I navigated through the crowd to the bar, where a mountain of a woman with arms as thick as my legs was cleaning a mug with a dirty rag. She had fiery red hair tied back in a practical bun and a no-nonsense expression etched onto her face.
"What'll it be?" she grunted without looking up.
"Uh, hi," I squeaked, my voice barely audible over the din. "I'm here about the dishwasher job?"
She finally looked at me, one eyebrow raised. She scanned me from head to toe, a flicker of something, (pity? amusement?) in her eyes. "You? You look like a stiff breeze could knock you over. The pots are heavier than you are."
"I'm stronger than I look," I lied, trying to inject some confidence into my voice. My Strength stat of '5' flashed mockingly in my mind's eye. "And I'm a very thorough cleaner. Meticulous, even. You've never seen cleaner dishes."
She snorted, a sound like rocks grinding together. "Fine. I'm Elara. The kitchen's through there. The cook's name is Borin. Try not to get on his bad side. He's a Mono-Fire, and he gets… creattive when he's annoyed." She pointed a thumb towards a swinging door at the back. "You get one meal at the end of your shift and a spot in the attic to sleep. Deal?"
"Deal," I said, a wave of relief washing over me.
*Ding.*
[Objective 1 Complete! Lodging secured.]
[Objective 2 Complete! Meal arrangement secured.]
[Quest Complete: First Steps!]
Rewards: 50 XP, 10 Copper Pieces.
A small, satisfying chime echoed in my head as a progress bar appeared and filled instantly.
[ LEVEL UP! ]
You are now Level 2!
You have 5 Attribute Points to distribute.
You have 1 Skill Point to distribute.
In the pocket of my trousers, I felt a faint clinking. I reached in and pulled out ten small, dull copper coins. It was real. This was all real.
"Well?" Elara grunted, snapping me out of my daze. "The grease ain't gonna scrub itself. Get to it."
"Right. Sorry."
I gave her a quick nod and pushed through the swinging door into the chaotic, sweltering heat of the kitchen. A short, bald, and incredibly angry-looking man (presumably Borin) was screaming at a pot that was boiling over. Flames licked at his fingertips as he gesticulated wildly.
I looked at the mountain of dirty, food-encrusted dishes piled in a stone sink. It was going to be a long night. But as I rolled up my sleeves, a grin spread across my face.
This was my new life. It was smelly, it was hard, and my boss was a pyromaniac. But I had a system, I had a goal, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't just grinding for a slightly shinier pair of pauldrons. I was grinding for power. And I was going to enjoy every single second of it.