- Ch. 3 - (Sera's POV)

"This is my life now."

Those words felt so final to me, but I had to believe them. I had to move forward. For myself, for the memories of my family, my friends, for those I got taken away from.

'This is no dream, it's not a prank, it's not an abduction, it can't be anything except what it seems to be. Which is an interdimensional displacement scenario where the protagonist is taken from their home and placed somewhere else new, unknown, and dangerous.'

"It's just like all those stories; fiction and otherwise, that I've read before, but I don't feel like a protagonist. I'm definitely an unlucky shmuck who just got dragged into something bigger than myself."

'Those ropes I was tied with were real, the forest I trudged through is real, the unnatural calmness I experienced was real, these floating boxes and this status page in front of me is real. It can't be anything but real, so I might as well deal with it and survive. My emotions will be dealt with accordingly.'

"Just like my dad always said, 'Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you've got to keep moving baby girl.'"

*Sigh* 'Well dad, your advice is definitely gonna help me keep my sanity and my life.' With a few gestures, I brush away the growing tears and look back at my status screen. 'I've got to learn everything about this weird gamer-like thing I've been given. The tears will come later. Survival first.'

Primary Stats:

STR: 8 AGI: 10

DEX: 10 VIT: 10

INT: 13 WIS: 13

LUK: 7

[Secondary Stats: Currently Locked]

Without hesitation, I click on STR with my index finger.

[STR – Strength — It affects your physical melee attack power. The higher your STR, then the more damage you can inflict with any part of your physical body. It also increases the limit of the weight of how much you can carry. Anymore information is currently locked. You must unlock more information about the world and yourself in order to know more.]

'Can't say I'm not surprised about there being more information locked away from my grasp, but thankfully I did gain insight to what I expected it to be. It helps that mom was a major gamer as well as a lovable nerd and that she introduced me into the wonders of the world of gaming.'

"Let's see what AGI and the rest have to say. If I think their what I think they are, then…"

[AGI – Agility — It affects your attacking speed, dodging ability, mental quickness and sharpness. It also affects your hand-eye coordination, and alertness. Anymore information is currently locked. You must unlock more information about the world and yourself in order to know more.]

[DEX – Dexterity — It affects your accuracy. It also helps your fingers and hands to coordinate for completing fine tasks. The DEX of your mind is also affected. Anymore information is currently locked. You must unlock more information about the world and yourself in order to know more.]

[VIT – Vitality — Is a measure of survivability. Your health is measured in numbers or should we say points. The more Health Points (HP) you have, then the more damage you'll be able to take. Having increased VIT also reduces the damage you'll be able take. 1 point in VIT = 20 HP; which means your 10 points in VIT gives you 200 HP. 2 points in VIT = 5 HP regeneration every minute. Anymore information is currently locked. You must unlock more information about the world and yourself in order to know more.]

'Huh…? Damn.', before more of my thoughts could be put into speculation, a loud *PING PING* sounded out before another word box appeared in front of my status screen.

[Status Screen Update:]

[Thanks to having gained more knowledge about your VIT points and HP, your HP amount and its regeneration rate can now be seen on the top left portion of your HUD.]

'That's good to know and all, but what does it mean by HUD. I know it stands for Heads Up Display, but my HUD?'

Before I could figure it out, something flashed and then appeared in the very top left corner of my vision.

[HP 200/200] [25HP/MIN]

'Okay then, thankfully this won't distract me or impair my vision.' With a few battery of quick tests like blinking, moving my eyes, moving my head around, concentrating on it, and ignoring it, then I had what I needed to know for now. 'It's still there when I blink, it moves with my eyes and stays in the same corner. Concentrating on it highlights it, and ignoring it will make it more transparent.'

"This will be very helpful."

With that out of the way, I continue reviewing the rest of my primary stats.

[INT – Intelligence — Is a measure of your ability in the mental arts. It's also the measure of your ability in the arcane arts. It increases the damage of your spells, the duration of them, and your ability to acquire and apply your knowledge & skills. INT also reduces the damage and the affects of spells. 1 point in INT = 10 ME & 20 MP. Mental Energy (ME) is how long one can use a certain Mental Ability, Skill, or Technique. Mana Points (MP) are needed in order to perform the arcane arts. Anymore information is currently locked. You must unlock more information about the world and yourself in order to know more.]

"Magic and Mental Energy. Is it Psionics?" After my ponderings, four *PING* sounds echoed out and another status screen update appeared.

[Status Screen Update:]

[Thanks to having gained more knowledge about your INT points, MP & ME, then your MP & ME amount can now be seen on the top left portion of your HUD. It can be found right below your HP.]

[MP 260/260]

[ME 130/130]

'If the arcane and mental arts are needed to survive in this world, then it's even more dangerous than I thought. Are dragons a thing here? Demons? Zombies? Ghosts?!'

With those disturbing questions popping up in my mind, a sudden gnawing dread fills me. The sudden realization of what kinds of horrors I might encounter drains the blood from my face and a sudden weight drops down on my shoulders. 'F***.'

After taking several deep breaths, I push those thoughts away for later.

'I'll see what WIS and LUK have to say first, then I'll explore the rest of my character menu, procure basic protection, find food & water, explore the forest around this cabin carefully, set traps, and then keep on surviving. The more time this place remains undetected, then the more time I'll have to train and grow stronger. Who knows what's out there…'

[WIS – Wisdom — Is the measure of your ability to use your acquired knowledge and skills in creative and efficient ways. It represents the quality of your judgement. It also represents the soundness of your actions and decisions with regards to the application of your accumulated and cultivated experience. The higher your WIS stat, then the faster you regenerate your MP and ME. 1 point of WIS = 1 point of ME & 2 points of MP regeneration every minute. Anymore information is currently locked. You must unlock more information about the world and yourself in order to know more.]

[Status Screen Update:]

[Thanks to having gained more knowledge about your WIS points, the ME & MP regeneration rate can now be viewed next to their respective bars.]

[MP 260/260] [26 MP/MIN]

[ME 130/130] [13ME/MIN]

[LUK – Luck — It's a measure of how much good fortune comes your way. Anymore information is currently locked. You must unlock more information about the world and yourself in order to know more.]

'If luck is a numerical statistic in this world, then I'm going to need to find out how to increase my own. I've got a feeling I'm going to need it. Heaven forbid I run into giant bugs, mountain giants, or Ghosts!?'

After another bout of shivers going down my spine at that thought, I exit my status menu and decide to check out my abilities.

[Character Menu]

– Status

[– Abilities]

"Well then, this looks very promising…"