1. Pills
'.....'= Thoughts
"....."= Conversations
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"Huhuhuhhu," Ethan woke up suddenly, breathing heavily.
"Nightmare?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes and yawning deeply.
He dropped back onto the bed and stretched his arms and legs as far as they could go.
"That's the stuff," he smiled in satisfaction as his limbs trembled from the stretch.
After a few moments of comfort, Ethan sat up, still feeling a bit disoriented.
"Okay, time to shake off that nightmare," he thought as he swung his legs off the bed and stood up.
Stretching again, Ethan let out a contented sigh. Just as he was about to head toward the washroom, his face turned pale.
"What in God's name is going on?" he shouted. Everything around him had vanished, leaving him in an empty white space.
Ethan rubbed his eyes and even slapped himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. After a few tests, he realized this was real.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to shake violently. Unbalanced from waking up moments ago, Ethan fell to the floor.
After a few seconds, the shaking stopped.
"What the hell is happening? And where's my bed?" he muttered in confusion.
Now completely alone in the white space, Ethan noticed a bulge in his pants. He reached into his pockets and pulled out two pills, one blue and one red.
"Pills from the Matrix?" Ethan wondered, staring at them.
Suddenly, two colored panels appeared near each pill.
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{RED PANEL}
• Forget everything and go back to Earth.
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"Am I not on Earth?" Ethan thought as he turned his attention to the blue panel.
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{BLUE PANEL}
• Become a Transmigrator.
• Gain the Talent "Ability Copy."
• Gain the Ability "Infinite Lifespan."
• Gain the Ability "Travel."
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Before he could process it all, a countdown appeared in front of him, urging him to choose within ten seconds.
After hesitating briefly, Ethan swallowed the blue pill with three seconds remaining.
The red pill and its panel vanished. The blue panel flew toward his forehead, causing an intense pain that made him clutch his head in agony. Just as suddenly, the pain stopped.
The blue panel reappeared, but the information had changed.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Name: Ethan Hunt
Age: 22
Talent: Ability Copy (Level 1) EXP (0/100)
Abilities:
1. Infinite Lifespan (Level Max)
2. Travel (Level Max) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Detailed knowledge about his Talent and abilities flowed into his mind.
The "Ability Copy" Talent allowed him to copy someone's ability after five seconds of physical contact. The ability generated would be unique to the person, and only one could be copied at a time. He had a 20% chance of getting a beneficial ability, and once copied, that same ability couldn't be generated from another person. His current Talent level gave him five ability slots, two of which were already taken by 'Infinite Lifespan' and 'Travel.'
As for leveling up his Talent, Ethan had no clear clues, only that he had to figure it out himself. Copied abilities could be improved through training.
'Infinite Lifespan' would stop his aging at 25, though he could still be injured or killed.
'Travel' allowed him to move between worlds, but the destination was random, and the ability would go on cooldown after each use. However, the cooldown period wasn't specified.
"The travel ability is pretty mysterious," Ethan thought. "Even someone like me can jump between worlds safely."
He looked at the system panel again.
"Hmm, it looks like a system, but there are no rewards or tasks," he mused, closing it.
Suddenly, a notification popped up in front of Ethan, pulling him out of his thoughts.
---
Newbie Gift Pack
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Ethan tapped on the notification, expanding it for more details.
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Newbie Gift Pack:
1. When the user uses their Talent for the first time, there's a 100% chance of generating the ability they need most at that moment. However, the person on whom the Talent is used must have that specific ability.
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"Not bad," Ethan muttered as more information flooded his mind.
'So, I'm in some kind of dimension that will collapse in thirty minutes. I need to use my "Travel" ability to leave,' Ethan thought as he sat back on his bed, trying to absorb everything.
A blue panel appeared, showing a countdown.
Ethan closed his eyes, thinking about the family and friends he was leaving behind. He didn't feel much guilt or hesitation about choosing to leave Earth.
He had led a normal life, just an average guy from a wealthy family. His parents were distant, always busy with work. Since the age of eight, he had spent most of his time with a babysitter, not his parents.
Ethan didn't hold it against them. He never threw tantrums or demanded more from them.
He had grown up independent, partly because of his parents' absence and partly due to his personality. He didn't crave constant attention, and he understood that they provided for him in their own way. It wasn't an ideal family, but it was what it was.
As he thought about leaving Earth, he felt relieved. There was freedom in leaving behind the pressure to meet his family's expectations, the boredom of his daily routine, and the feeling of being forgotten. He knew his parents cared, but they wouldn't miss him much if he disappeared. It was harsh, but Ethan had accepted it.
The idea of traveling to a new world thrilled him. Exploring unknown lands, encountering new beings, and making a difference excited him more than anything Earth had to offer. This was his chance to escape the ordinary and start fresh.
Ethan had always felt out of place on Earth. He didn't fit in with the perfect image his family presented. He craved something meaningful, something that would give him a sense of purpose. Leaving Earth for an adventure in new worlds felt like the right decision.
Some might call it selfish—abandoning his family and friends—but Ethan felt this was his destiny. It wasn't about running from his problems; it was about finding a new path, one he could truly call his own.
Moreover the system didn't mention that he couldn't come back to his world.
With that, Ethan was ready to leave.
Without further thought, he activated his "Travel" ability and vanished from the collapsing white dimension.
---
In a dense forest...
*Cough, cough—* Ethan vomited everything he had eaten the night before. His stomach churned, and he leaned against a tree, dizzy from using his ability.
'Where am I?' Ethan wondered as he steadied himself and looked around. The dim moonlight barely lit the area.
Soon, a blue panel appeared.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Current World: Twilight
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'Huuu,' he let out a long breath after reading the panel.
'Good thing I've read all the Twilight books and watched the movies,' Ethan thought, relieved that he at least knew where he was.
'Though I have no idea what year it is,' he thought, glancing up at the moon.
Realizing he needed to find a safe place, Ethan started moving through the unfamiliar forest. The sounds of wildlife surrounded him, and the rustling leaves and hooting owls made him aware of the dangers hidden in the darkness.
The moonlight barely broke through the thick trees, casting eerie shadows on the ground. A chill ran down Ethan's spine as he realized he was completely alone and vulnerable. The thought of wild animals in the forest made him nervous, but he kept going.
Suddenly, a low growl froze Ethan in place. Straining to see through the dark, he spotted a pair of glowing eyes staring at him. Panic surged, and he took off running, heart racing. The creature chased after him, its snarls and pounding footsteps closing in.
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