Chapter 1

An airplane was flying high in the sky over the Atlantic Ocean on its way to Bermuda. Despite having the capacity for two hundred passengers, it was only three quarters filled. Apparently, Wednesday afternoon was not a popular time. Naturally, the passengers had no complaints, as even those in the coach seats had some extra room, no longer feeling like sardines packed in a can.

Some of the passengers were reading, others stared at their phones or tablets, several were watching movies on the screen on the back of the seat in front of them. Towards the center of the plane, an old man sitting near a window had dozed off.

Suddenly, all of the electronic devices turned off, which caused quite a commotion. People became even more alarmed as they realized it wasn't just them, but that everyone else's device turned off as well, even the plane's various lights. The increasing noise and shouts had finally woken up the old man, whose name was Frank Wolfe.

"What's going on?" He asked a woman in her mid-twenties, seated near him, after he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"I, I am not sure. Everyone's devices turned off at the same time..." the woman trailed.

"Please, stay calm and remain in your seats," a stewardess exclaimed as she rushed towards the front of the plane.

She was still running towards the front, when the plane shook, though it seemed to recover shortly after. It got quite a yelp out of most passengers, as the stewardess regained her footing and disappeared into the first-class section. Frank looked out of the window, the only thing he could see was the dark blue ocean. He wasn't able to tell if they were losing altitude, though it was likely.

It took several minutes for the stewardess to return, and when she did, everyone's gazes turned to her.

"The plane has lost power in all engines, but don't worry, it can still glide for as long as twenty minutes. We can't quite make it to the airport and will be making a water landing instead. Please listen carefully as I explain about the oxygen masks and the position you should take during the landing itself," she said trying to sound calm.

Frank chuckled mentally at the old joke about "water landing" being a euphemism for "crashing into the ocean," as he listened to the instructions. After she was done, the stewardess took her own seat, while everyone pulled down their oxygen masks and got them on.

As the plane continued to glide, it was filled with a strange atmosphere. People knew they might die, yet there was nothing they could do to change the outcome. All they could do was hope for the best. Frank could hear prayers being whispered, he could see a woman hugging a young child, telling him that she loved him. Feeling strangely calm, he noted that they began to lose altitude at a visible rate. Still, at seventy-nine years old, without a wife or kids, he felt content to face whatever will come.

I wonder if I'll die during the crash, or survive only to become shark food. Without electricity they probably can't send an SOS signal, so no one would be looking for us, at least for a few hours, he thought absentmindedly and frowned. Turning away from the window, he looked at the woman next to him. Her hands were squeezing the armrests so much that her knuckles had turned white, though she seemed to be unaware of it, consumed by her emotions. Frank felt sorry for her, unlike him she was quite young, most of her life still ahead of her. From their chat earlier he knew that she had recently graduated, and this was her first vacation after entering the workforce. Compelled by his emotions, he reached out and placed his hand on hers, squeezing it lightly.

"It will be OK," he told her when she turned to look at him, withdrawing his hand. It seemed to calm her down a bit, as she nodded and thanked him.

Several more minutes had passed, the prayers gradually became louder as people stopped caring about what others thought. Outside, the water was fast approaching as the plane lost altitude at an increasing speed.

"Assume the crash-landing position!" The stewardess yelled, her voice shrill.

I just had to get to a worm beach today, Frank thought as he bent forward, placing his hands over his head, my timing remained terrible until the end, eh? He chuckled mentally.

The seconds began to drag slowly, then the plane crashed into the ocean, the impact nearly sending Frank flying into the cabin's ceiling. The sound of metal being twisted filled his ears...

And then, nothing...

***

Frank opened his eyes, blinking in confusion.

"Huh?!" He managed to make a surprised noise, sounding quite similar to a chicken being strangled.

He was standing on hard ground, a crowd of people all around him. Squinting, he noticed one of the women was dressed as a stewardess. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind, Frank turned his eyes on the surroundings. Neither the plane nor the ocean could be seen anywhere. The crowd was located on a grassy stretch of land, behind them snow-capped mountains rose toward the sky, their base covered in a thick forest. After the forest, there was a stretch of a grassy plain, about two miles long, which is where they were. A hundred or so yards away was another heavily wooded patch.

Frank pinched himself, however, nothing changed. He opened his mouth to join the chorus of people expressing their disbelief at the circumstances when a panel appeared in front of his eyes. He blinked several times before his eyes focused on the text displayed.

Welcome to the New World!

The CL-8 variant System is now in effect.

Obtain Skills, complete Grids, and rise to the summit of power in your Cluster. Access your attributes, skills, and grids by focusing your mind on yourself and saying "Profile."

Note: All radioactive materials have been removed, all biological weapons have been removed. Gun powder, combustion engines, and electricity no longer work.

Due to your circumstances, you have been placed into a special zone and given a one hour head start.

Monsters will begin to spawn in two hours.

"What the fuck?" Frank mouthed after he went over the text three times.

The expletive-filled air made it clear that this panel had appeared for everyone, not just him. He lifted his hand to caress his chin as he thought about what he read. The electricity no longer working would explain what happened on the airplane. The note also seems to suggest that we are still on Earth. But… Special zone, huh? And monsters will begin to spawn in two hours? Fucked up shit. Still, a System? Like in those stories I've read? Who would've thought?

Frank was a fan of the genre. Being an old man with most of his life behind him, the idea of being transported into a fantasy world and embarking on a thrills-filled adventure had a certain appeal. At least in theory. Actually living in a world of swords, sorcery, and monsters would likely be a terrible experience for someone used to the modern life and the convenience it brought. Still, the books were fun to read.

Shaking his head, Frank returned to the present. He focused his mind and said 'profile,' feeling a little silly as he spoke the word. Another panel sprang up before his eyes. The word "Attributes" was displayed at the top. There were also tabs named "Skills," and "Grids" but they were both grayed out. Quickly, his eyes scanned the attributes' panel:

Strength: 1

Dexterity: 1

Quickness: 1

Perception: 1

Constitution: 1

Vitality: 1

Endurance: 1

Destructive Magic Affinity: 1

Restorative Magic Affinity: 1

Focus: 2

Control: 2

Willpower: 3

HP: 18/18 (6/hour)

Stamina: 10/10 (15/hour)

D Mana: 10/10 (16/hour)

R Mana: 10/10 (21/hour)

Control 2, that's pretty good for an old man like me, he chuckled as he took in his attributes. Then he began to focus his mind on each attribute, which brought up a small panel explaining what it did. The first four were just what he thought. Constitution made one's body more resilient, as well as providing +15HP, +5Stam per point. However, it was the next attribute that made him pause.

Feel the power of youth coursing through your veins. +3 hp, +5hp/hour, +5 stam/hour, per point.

He read as he focused on Vitality. Feel the power of youth coursing through your veins, Frank repeated in his mind, his hand once again caressing his chin. Does it mean I can turn back the clock and regain my youth? That would be... quite something. Of course, this assumes I can gain more attributes...

He smiled absentmindedly, then quickly looked at the other attributes. Endurance allowed one to perform physical tasks longer, offering +5 stam, +10 stam/hour, +1hp/hour per point. Magic affinities improved destructive or restorative spells and offered 10 mana of the specific type. Focus resulted in faster spell casting, and also increased the effects of Quickness and Perception attributes, it also provided +3 D mana/hour, +3 R mana/hour. Control allowed for better control of complicated spells and gave +5 D mana/hour. Willpower helped one to resist control spells, as well as shape Restorative Magic, it gave +5 R mana/hour.

Two separate manas for damage and healing spells were a bit surprising, but for the most part, the attributes made sense to Frank. His attributes were quite low, but it couldn't be helped. The next step was to figure out if he could raise his attributes, and if so, how. He focused on the panel, and after a few seconds of concentration, it disappeared. The first panel was once again before his eyes.

"Obtain skills, complete grids, rise to power," he mouthed, reading the corresponding part. Doesn't say anything about increasing attributes. However, both Skills and Grids tabs are grayed out. It sounds like Grids is something that comes after Skills, but how do you obtain skills?

Thinking back to the stories he read, as well as the video games from which the stories drew their inspiration, there were many different ways to obtain skills, however, they could generally be placed into several groups: One could receive skills by obtaining a class, or by increasing one's level. Skills could be taught by someone, or learned by reading books or manuals. Skills could be obtained by simply performing a specific activity.

There is no Class or Level information in my profile, Frank thought, dismissing the first variant. There is no newbie village or whatever place where someone could learn skills. Maybe skill books drop from monsters? But then what's the point of a head start if monsters won't spawn for two hours? No, this can't be right either. Then, you learn skills by doing? His fingers tapped a rhythm on his leg, as he considered the possibilities.

He closed the panel with the announcement, the countdown for the monsters spawning appeared in the top right corner of his vision, showing 1:57:30. He focused his attention on the nearby people, wondering what others thought about this situation. Sadly, his hopes that someone had figured things out were in vain. There was shouting, cursing, and crying. Anger and confusion filled the air. People demanding answers, expressing their frustration, cursing that their phones don't work and such. No one had any answers, and no one was in charge, as the whole situation was quickly turning into a mess.

Shaking his head, Frank began to move away from the group. There was a very real possibility that they needed to get somewhere, someplace where they would be given a class, or taught skills, or something. However, at seventy-nine, he wasn't going anywhere on his own, and given the condition the crowd was in, they wouldn't go searching for such a place any time soon either. With nothing better to do, he might as well test his theory about skills being obtained by doing, and for that he needed space.

After putting some fifty yards between himself and the crowd, Frank considered how to go about his theory. I'd love to test magic, but there are too many questions. How do I do it? Do I just imagine the spell I want to cast? Do attributes play a role? If I imagine a spell, and nothing happens, would it mean my theory is wrong? I didn't spend enough time on it? Attributes too low? He shook his head regrettably, he needed something more straightforward. Then... shadowboxing?

It was simple enough, though Frank had no doubt he would look completely ridiculous. Still, with the plane's passengers being transported here from their crash landing into the ocean, and the system's messages, was now the time to worry about appearances? And so, he assumed a stance and began to throw punches, even as his body shook and wobbled. He tried his best to make sure what he was doing looked like shadowboxing, and not like he stepped on a patch of ice and was windmilling his arms in an attempt to retain his balance. After two dozen punches, he began to hyperventilate, as sweat poured down his face.

Deciding to take a quick break, he brought up his profile, and was rather alarmed to see that of his 10 stamina, he had already spent 3. Old age sucks, he thought, closing the panel. No skill either. Damn, was I wrong? Oh, the looks I'll get when I go back to the crowd. Then again, being eccentric is acceptable at my age. He chuckled at the thought and continued to shadowbox.

Four minutes had passed, he was now out of stamina, but he continued to push himself. Black flashes began to appear in his vision, as he felt like he was at his limit. Wheezing like a car that needed a tune-up, he forced his shaking body to keep punching. Another minute passed. He could no longer keep going, slumping to the ground, he used his arms to keep himself upright as his whole body trembled, heart pounding in his chest like a drum. His vision swam, and he nearly vomited, not even having enough energy to curse.

Then, as if a reward for his effort, a new panel appeared before his eyes. It took him nearly a minute to regain his senses enough to read it, and when he did, his lips spread into a smile.

You have learned a skill: Punching level 1: Blasting people in the face and reveling in their shock and confusion, is there anything more fun than that? This skill will help you do it better.

1 Grid Point has been obtained. You can use GP to fill out grids, obtaining attributes, skills, and items.

For being the first to obtain a Skill in your zone the Trailblazer grid has become available.

Frank's smile turned into a maniacal grin as he read about obtaining attributes. He brought up his profile, and as expected the two previously grayed-out tabs were now available. The Skill tab only had a single entry: Punching. The text for the skill was... somewhat unexpected. Was the system sadistic? Did it have a sense of humor? Was it influenced by Frank's character? He wasn't sure. Brushing aside these thoughts, he brought up the Grids tab. At the top of the screen, was a line that read:

Available Grid Points: 1

There was also a question mark at the end of this line. The screen itself was black, ten circles with a strange symbol inside were arranged in a strange shape. From the tenth node, which contained a different symbol, a longer line led to another shape, which was made out of fifteen circles. After trying to select several of the nodes, he realized he could only choose the one at the top, the last node of the first shape was at the bottom-center, though still very much at the top of the actual screen. Selecting the first node brought up a notification:

Beginner grid: /10

+1 Attribute Point

Not wanting to do anything rash, Frank focused on the question mark, and a new panel appeared.

Each Skill level rewards one Grid Point. Use GP to fill out the grids available to you, obtaining attributes, skills, and items. Not all Grids are created equal, the more specialized grids you purse, the more powerful your rewards will be. New grids can be unlocked by completing the previous ones, leveling a skill to a certain level, or performing an outstanding task.

Hmm, surprisingly helpful, with no sass at all, Frank Thought as he dismissed the panel, the screen with the nodes before him once more. The first shape is the Beginner grid, then the second shape is... the Trailblazer grid that I got for being the first to obtain a skill in this... zone? Anyway, let's do it! He psyched himself up. Then he focused on the first node. A vague notion of a question surfaced in his mind, and he chose to affirm it. A moment later the node lit up, the next node after it becoming selectable. Available GP dropped to zero, while a panel briefly appeared stating that he had received 1 attribute point.

Switching to the Attributes tab, there was now a line showing available attribute points, near the top of the panel. A plus sign also appeared next to each of the attributes. The moment of truth, Frank thought as he focused on the plus sign next to Vitality. A similar process followed, and after affirming his will, the available points changed to zero, while Vitality ticked up to 2. This increase also resulted in the following changes to Frank's HP and stamina.

HP: 21 (11/hour)

Stamina: 0/10 (20/hour)

However, the biggest issue was how this increase in Vitality made Frank feel. He felt stronger! Perhaps even younger! Not enough for others to notice, but he definitely felt the energy spread through his body. To think I could actually regain the power of my youth... I like this system, Frank laughed slapping his knees, the tension of the previous five minutes draining out of him.

"Alright, time to grind some skills," he said excitedly, a huge grin on his face. "But first..." he added after glancing at the timer in the top-right corner of his vision, which showed 1:48:20.

He began to walk back towards the crowd of people, who still seemed preoccupied with their shock, confusion, anger, and frustration.