The Legend of Babylon

Attention, you have been given the opportunity to become a new guardian.

You are given the opportunity to leave the closed world and go on a journey through the universes. The task is simple, complete all the tasks of the world in which you find yourself, after completing these tasks you will receive a reward.

Do you wish to become the new keeper?

Accept/Reject.

Once confirmed, you are given 12 hours to prepare, whatever you have with you during this time will remain with you during the transfer.

February 23, 2024. The time is 0621 hours.

Reluctantly opening my eyes from the insistent noise, I see a strange sign in front of my face. My vision was not yet fully focused, so it was hard to see anything. Yesterday had been a very hard day, but today was my legal day off, so I could get some more sleep. My hand reached forward on its own and finally pressed the receive button to get rid of the insistent noise. I think if I hadn't been so tired at that moment and my brain hadn't decided it was all a dream, things might have gone differently...

***

February 23, 2024. The time was 2:34 p.m.

For the first time in a month, I was able to get a good night's sleep. The routine of the average office worker is not the kind of thing that can bring any pleasure. The mental fatigue that had accumulated over the days had completely drained my tired body of all its strength, and I ended up sleeping for almost sixteen hours. Even after sleeping, my body was sore and uncomfortable, and I was in no hurry to leave it. A late breakfast, but judging by the time, more like lunch, helped me feel the colors of life again. Yesterday's pizza was successfully eaten, and I finally felt a little better.

I couldn't find anything interesting online today, so I decided to take a little walk around town and just be with myself. I was given one extra day off for overtime on top of the three official days off. It's a shame that my employer's conscience so rarely wakes up, but I'm glad it can.

***

February 23, 2024. The time is 5:53 p.m.

I put on my jacket and close the door behind me, but, as usual at the last minute, I decide to check to see if I forgot something. I have this problem all the time. It always seems like I forgot something or didn't turn something off on the way somewhere. Luckily, I remember it on the way out and not, as many do, halfway to my destination. My phone and wallet are in place, as is the small briefcase on my back. My headphones are habitually plugged into my ears, and now I'm really ready for another little trip that will be over in about twenty minutes.

My walks usually end with a little lap around the neighborhood, where I end up stopping at the store to buy some groceries. I didn't like to store during the week, preferring to shop every day, comforting myself with the illusion that I had money. It's even funnier when I do twenty laps around the counters, wondering what to buy, even though I know exactly what I need.

I ended up buying a stick of sausage, a variety of snacks, water, and chips. Everything didn't fit in my briefcase, so I had to get a backpack. The backpack carried the heavy stuff, and I carelessly tossed the change into a cellophane bag.

- Thank you. - I politely thank the salesman and, conveniently intercepting my load, check the time on my phone... 18:20... Well, there is still time to go to the hardware store and look for a new mouse. After all, the old one was already quite bad, and there was no time.

Just before leaving the store, I noticed that my shoelaces were untied, so with a heavy sigh I had to correct this little misunderstanding. I was about to get up when the sign from my dream reappeared before my eyes.

Attention .

You have agreed to the terms of your transfer. Your time to prepare has come to an end.

In thirty seconds you will be transported to world 85254334.

Things that come into direct contact with you will be transported with you.

30...29...28...

- What the hell! - I stared frantically at the timer report, which launched after I read it. It didn't look like glitches anymore, and I was really awake. The only question was, why was it only now, and not throughout the whole report? Is it possible that I had cut it off somehow?

14...13...12...

The closer the countdown got to zero, the harder my heart was beating, waiting... A miracle? Yes, that must have been what I thought at that moment. Fear of the unknown and a childhood dream of adventure fought with each other, the testing ground for which was my mind. At that moment I was numb, unable to move or speak. All my attention was fixed on the numbers.

3...2...1...

Transferring.

Good luck, future guardian.

I was in a zone of intolerable white light around me, which immediately blinded my eyes. The next moment I felt as if I had received a violent blow to the head, which made my head very dim, but I was still conscious. Then there was another blow, and only after that I couldn't stand it anymore and passed out.

***

June 12, 482 years after the gods' indulgence. The time is 10:32.

I regained consciousness very quickly. Surprisingly, my body felt just fine, and even the eternally aching back showed no sign of any trouble. I was already feeling the benefits of the system. The only question was what it could do, and I should finally have a proper look around.

There were people and fantasy creatures scurrying back and forth, but they didn't seem to notice that I was here. I was in the middle of the night, and I was in the middle of the night, and I was in the middle of the night, and I was in the middle of the night. My eyes were fixed on the representatives of various races, be they Beastmen or true elves. If this was a dream, it was the most realistic one I'd ever had.

I couldn't feel anything in my hands, but something was different nonetheless. It took me a few seconds to finally understand the reason for my anxiety. My glasses, they were just gone, but my vision was perfect.

Putting my thoughts aside, I did a couple of test squats and laughed contentedly. My body was in such great shape now, it was like I'd been reborn. It was incredibly easy to move, not to mention that my fitness was clearly at an excellent level. My arms were clearly bigger and wider. When I unbuttoned my jacket, I saw my abs, which were pleasing to the eye with six symmetrical cubes and felt as if they were made of steel.

Welcome to the Guardian Interface

You have been transported to the world also known as DanMachi

Your body has been lightly upgraded to meet the minimum starting conditions.

Items in contact with you have been transferred to your inventory. The currency of your world has been successfully converted.

Four system functions are available to you

Help

Character window

Inventory

Tutorial mode

Overwhelmed with childlike delight, I immediately clicked on Help. A small window opened up that was completely blank, except for the tabs proudly titled "System Management" and "Logout". When I clicked on system management, I saw a rather sparse text, which described trivial management commands, as well as about the possibilities of setting them up. The call is activated by the mental command "Open Interface". There are two types of control, gestures or mental, although the latter would be a distinct problem.

I find it easier to move my hand than to imagine an invisible cursor doing the things I want. Perhaps it's a matter of habit, but for now we'll work with what we have. However, a footnote that the information in Help will be updated is encouraging. I do not know how it will be carried out, but most likely it will be like in normal games. Something you saw or heard somewhere and there's data about it.

Finished messing around with the help, I leave it and open the "character window. Its call could be set up with a separate phrase, which I immediately took advantage of. Now the "character window" opened on the "status" command. Of course, that didn't change the essence, but the habit of customizing the controls was immediately ingrained in my mind. Finished messing around with the settings, I finally looked at my characteristics, which didn't tell me anything yet.

Level - 1

Strength - H 100

Dexterity - H 100

Stamina - H 100

Speed - H 100

Magic - H 100

Skills - Access denied until level 2

Too bad the skills tab isn't available yet, but what do you expect from only level 1?

The inventory was a very simple interface, eerily reminiscent of that of Diablo.

There were slots for clothes, as well as jewelry that added stats in addition to clothes. What I was equipped with in my inventory automatically appeared on me. I had to hide in an alley to check it out, though, so I wouldn't have to bother passersby with my actions. Well, you know, when in the middle of the street man suddenly finds himself without clothes, and then back in it, it looks extremely suspicious. I didn't have many cells at the moment, but with the level added a lot more space. The money was at the very bottom, and now my account was shimmering with the figure of 5,000 Valis. I don't know how much that is in local currency, but hopefully enough to get me into the lodge for the next week.

Well, with the basics taken care of, all that's left is to find out what the learning mode is. The last footnote ended up being unavailable and activated when the user fell asleep. As soon as a person falls asleep, his consciousness is transferred to a pseudo-reality, where it will be possible to hone his skills, without wasting extra time in reality. True, you will still have to repeat them so that the body gets used to its capabilities. It's very handy.

***

When I finished figuring out all the functions, I finally began to fully explore the world around me. I was able to see what they were talking about, and to my delight, I was able to understand what they were saying. Even the writings on the walls were automatically translated by my brain, if I didn't try to concentrate on it. Perhaps this is a peculiarity, or maybe the problem would go away later. Writing would still have to be learned, unless, of course, I had help with this situation, too.

Okay, it's time to learn more information about the local world. The first thing to do would be to find out about the money-making opportunity. Where do a lot of news usually gather? That's right, in an inn, so we need to find one. Preferably, it should be according to all the canons of fantasy worlds: with responsive people and pleasant waitresses.