[Welcome Player]

  [Please create your character]

  A series of panels appeared before Zane while a character materialized infront of him. It was completely blank like a mannequin, other than looking like a human model it has no other features to speak of.

  [Select your weapon]

  Blade Category

  Pole-arm Category

  Archery Category

  Mage Category

  Sorcerer Category

  ...

  Zane's gaze halted onto this panel, blinking in disbelief. "... They really want my full body stats?" He muttered. Each line seemed to ask more than the last:

  [Input your body size]

  Height:

  Weight:

  Chest:

  Waist:

  Hips:

  Torso Length:

  Shoulder width:

  Bicep circumference:

  Arm length:

  Forearm:

  Thigh circumference:

  Inseam:

  Outseam:

  Calf:

  Leg length:

  Wingspan:

  Neck:

  "What is this, a gym membership form or a game?" Zane groaned, running a hand through his hair.

  "I'm just contradicting myself!" He let out a frustrated sigh.

  "Why is there even a weapon selection?!"

  The more he stared at the panel, the more surreal it seemed. He hadn't even entered the game yet and already felt like he was filling out some bizarre questionnaire for a fitness test. His fingers hovered over the options, but his brain was still trying to catch up with the sheer absurdity of it all.

  "Oh, finally, a normal one!"

  Zane muttered, staring at the panel in front of him. His fingers hovered over the options, his eyes scanning through the available choices.

  [Select your Perks]

  "You will gain more as you progress in the game," the text blinked with a faint glow.

  Combat Perks (0/3)

  1. Sword Proficiency – Grants new sword-specific skills or combos.

  2. Precision – Increases accuracy with melee and ranged attacks.

  3. Eagle Eye – Enhances the eye to spot weak points granting double damage.

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  4. Last Stand – Grants a significant boost in strength, speed, and defense when the player’s health drops below a certain threshold.

  ...

  Survival Perks (0/3)

  1. Health Regeneration – Slowly regenerates health over time, even outside of combat. The higher the rank, the faster the regeneration.

  2. Endurance – Increases stamina regeneration and reduces stamina consumption while running, jumping, or performing heavy actions.

  3. Quick Healer – Reduces the time it takes to heal from wounds, allowing quicker recovery after taking damage or using healing items.

  4. Environmental Adaptation – Increases resistance to environmental effects like extreme cold, heat, or toxic areas, reducing health loss in hazardous conditions.

  ...

  Instinct Perks (0/3)

  1. Predator’s Eye – Allows the player to spot hidden enemies or prey from a distance, revealing stealthy or camouflaged targets before they get too close.

  2. Quick Reflex – Increases the player’s reaction speed, allowing them to evade or dodge incoming attacks with improved precision during combat or dangerous situations.

  3. Battle Focus – Heightens the player’s awareness of enemy weaknesses and combat openings, granting a tactical advantage during battle to land critical hits or exploit vulnerabilities.

  4. Instinctive Reaction – Automatically performs basic actions like blocking or dodging when an attack is incoming, based on the player’s instincts, without needing full manual input.

  Zane's fingers were hovering the panel but the more he scrolled, the more his finger trembled. Disbelief was evident in his face, "And here I thought its a normal one!!" He groaned in frustration as he massged his temples.

  3 Hours later

  Yes three hours, you read that right dear reader.

  "Hahaha, FINALLY" Zane laughed and screamed in victory pose as his voice echoed in the white expanse. A avatar looking quite identical to him was infront looking like someone from the medieval age. "Man, this feeling is otherworldly. The sensation of touching and scrolling a digital panel just feels good!" He said as he stretched his body to release the pent up frustration from creating his character.

  "Character Creation Complete!" The text glowed mildly before him. "Please enter your name"

  [ _______ ]

  Zane opened one of his eyelid while still in a stretching position and looked at the notification in front of him. "Hmm...." He rubbed his chin as he stared straight to the panel just standing there still. The sensation of being afloat while feeling a solid ground to step on is just something out of the world. Like space yet not at the same time; Zane clicked the panel which feels like springy button with a touch of jelly texture and typed:

  [Tempest River]

  "Enter name?"

  A text appeared beside him which glowed dimly. An option of : [Y/N ] appeared below the name awaiting his decision. Zane clicked [ Y ]

  "Character creation complete!"

  "Welcome [ Tempest River ]!"

  Everything around Zane dematerialized. The avatar in front of him shone brightly before flying into his body, making him glow as well. When the light faded, Zane found himself wearing the light armor and clothes he had chosen for his character, dual swords now sheathed at his sides.

  “Woah,” he breathed, looking down at himself as he sheathed the twin blades, one on each hip.

  “Okay... I’m a martial artist, and this game is realistic. It should be able to mimic real-world movement, right?” He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

  Still floating in the white expanse, he muttered, “Well, there’s only one way to find out!”

  He dropped into an Okinawan karate stance and fired off a clean side kick, followed by a fluid sequence of punches and blocks. The movement was smooth, natural; just like in real life.

  Zane nodded, impressed. “It seems like it can handle real-world movement pretty well.”

  But what he didn’t know was this: the reason the game required detailed body measurements wasn’t just for appearance. It was to perfectly simulate martial artists like him.

  "Character has learned [Martial Arts]"

  "..."

  Zane blinked.

  “Wait, what? I didn’t select that.” He raised a brow at the floating text, staring at it like it had just insulted his intelligence.

  Then it hit him.

  “Oh--ohhh! It copied my movements?” He snapped his fingers. “So that’s what all that body stat stuff was for.”

  He couldn’t help but grin. “This game’s insane…”

  Then a new panel appeared.

  [Combat Skill Acquired: Martial Flow Lv. 1]

  A passive skill that improves damage, precision, and fluidity when using unarmed based techniques.

  Zane’s eyes widened. “Okay... now we're talking.” He was smiling like a child that found a new toy to play with. Then the text faded away slowly and a new one appeared abrubtly

  [Initiating Launch Sequence]

  "Wait, what launch?"

  Zane was baffled by the sudden events

  3... 2... 1... 0.

  The ground beneath him flickered. Then vanished.

  "WHAA-!"

  Zane plummeted into nothingness. The white expanse turned into a blur of colors. Blue skies, green hills, sparkling rivers; all whipping past him like someone dreaming but not in control of what's gonna happen next. Wind howled in his ears, he flailed, upside down, spinning and yelling like someone from the local marketplace.

  Then

  THUMP

  He landed flat on his back on a patch of soft grass. "Ughh...." Zane groaned or should I say Tempest groaned, staring up at a sky so vivid, it looked too real. "I'm alive. Somehow." A butterfly fluttered past his face. Birds chirped. The smell of wildflowers filled the air. A soft breeze danced through tall grass.

  [ Welcome to Yellowstone Village ]

  A notification floated above him peacefully, totally unbothered by his trauma.