EP.1 Possession

Possession, possession. Don't novels overflow with stories like that? Protagonists dropped into game or novel worlds, scraping by until they're on the verge of death. But... me? I didn't do anything. I never left malicious comments on the games I played or novels I read. Hell, I didn't even leave comments at all, let alone curse out the devs or authors. I just quietly played and read. So why?

"...A dream?"

Yeah, it had to be a dream. There's no reason I'd get possessed. I didn't leave a 5,000-character ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rant... or bash the devs or authors? Clinging desperately to denial like that, I cautiously pinched my cheek. If it was a dream, there wouldn't be any pain.

"Ugh..."

The flesh stretched out. And a familiar pain followed. It hurt. Way too realistically.

"...Not a dream?"

The moment I acknowledged it, a sigh escaped me.

"Haa... ha, haha..."

A hollow laugh slipped out at the same time. The situation wasn't funny, but laughter came first anyway. Still, I didn't deny reality anymore.

"Whew..."

I slowly caught my breath and looked around. Alright. First things first—assess the situation. I needed to figure out where I'd landed. The ceiling looked vaguely familiar... yet strange. Cobwebs draped artistically in the corners. The only thing worthy of being called furniture was the nightstand beside the bed I was lying on. The vibe was sorely lacking for anything modern. Which meant this possession wasn't into a modern world story.

The bed creaked. The one I was on was harder and more uncomfortable than army bunks.

"What the hell is this..."

As I hauled myself up from that godawful bed and scanned the room, I blanked out again. Where the hell was this? At least possess me into a world I knew. Throw up a guide window or something. I grumbled internally, but no response came. No hints on why I was sent here or what I was supposed to do.

Then, a thought flashed through my mind. Right... there's that method. A simple way to check if this was a game world or a novel world. Why didn't I think of it sooner?

"Ahem... hem hem."

I cleared my throat needlessly and muttered.

"Status Window."

If it was a game, a translucent window would pop up with a ding. Neatly organized levels, stats, skills, and all. If it was a novel? Nothing would happen. Of course, if it was a game-novel hybrid, a window might still appear. But I'd never read webnovels like that. So, if it shows: game. No show: novel. Come on...

A cheerful sound effect rang out. Ding! With that light chime, an opaque rectangular window appeared before my eyes.

'Yes...!'

It actually worked. The Status Window popped up. Meaning this world I'd dropped into was a game world. Just that fact eased my breathing a bit. Lately, I'd been obsessed with games. Hadn't touched novels in about three months. If it'd been a novel world, the settings, plot, characters—all fuzzy. No possession perks; I'd end up as roadside extra trash. But this was a game world. If I could just figure out which one, I could exploit guides, hidden routes, everything.

With that hope, I checked the Status Window.

"...Huh?"

Ian? First time hearing that name. And what the hell was that title? The Hopelessly Inept Adventurer. Didn't like it from the jump. Characters with useless titles like that are just passing extras.

'The Hopelessly Inept Adventurer...? Shit, this is fucked.'

A bad feeling crept up. I slowly scrolled down. To check the stats listed in the window. And.

"Huh..."

I stared wordlessly at the numbers for a long time. Thought maybe a bug; rubbed my eyes and checked again. No change. Still pathetic. Stats fit for a village innkeeper.

"...Fuck."

This was too much. Not a single stat over 10. Shouldn't at least one pop? STR, VIT, AGI, INT... even LUK.

'...I know which game this is.'

I had a hunch. This Status Window format and layout. Had to be that game I knew. Problem was... knowing it didn't change shit.

Still, clinging to last hope, I scrolled to the bottom. That game would have traits and skills below.

"......"

Wait. End? That's it? Trash stats, and only two traits. One A-rank for comfort, but the other's C. And it's Cat's Eye, of all things. Slight night vision boost. That's it. C-rank means no big expectations. Like bumping phone brightness one notch. Not for cool nighttime heroics. Just marginally less annoying in the dark.

And one skill: Inventory. EX-rank looks fancy, but it's just storage subspace. Bag function, no matter how good, is still a bag.

'So many good skills, why Inventory...'

I never even took Inventory in the game. Light stuff in backpack, valuables in bank. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Plus, EX-rank skills: only one slot. Adoption rate like 0.01%... a trap skill. Wasted that precious EX slot... on a bag?

Hidden routes gave EX skills, but only one slot. Locked. Done.

I stared blankly at the Status Window. One EX skill. Inventory.

"Fuck... fuck... FUCK!!!"

My stomach churned. Rage? Despair? Blood pressure? Couldn't tell. Couldn't hold back; yelled louder.

That instant—vision spun.

"Ah...?"

Low stats meant couldn't handle emotions? Head went white; strength drained. Vision blurred.

"Shitty world..."

And with a final curse, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blacked out.

"Haa..."

No clue how long I slept. Outside was dark; sun long set. Was bright earlier. Every minute precious to survive here... but one rage fit and I passed out, wasting a whole day.

Gurgle...

"...Hungry."

My stomach, oblivious, demanded food regardless of my shattered mental state. Couldn't lie there forever, so I slowly got up and opened the door.

Screeech—the rusty hinges screamed.

'Inn after all...'

As expected, an inn. Good thing: rundown but gave a sense of stability. Thugs probably wouldn't rampage here. Had to be satisfied. With these stats, a fancy inn would be weirder.

LUK at 6(+3)=9, plus Star of All Gold trait—hoped for decent cash. But only 100,000 Sepir. Roughly 1 million won. Livable. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Could stay here a week. But nowhere near enough for proper gear.

Not totally unarmed. Corner had starter gear: beginner sword, beginner leather armor. Free was good. Performance? Blood Rabbit level at best.

Rabbits. Monsters that charge ferociously at blood scent. Still rabbits.

I swallowed a sigh. Level 13. Bottom stats. EX skill: bag. Only hunt rabbits.

Gurgle...

"First... food..."

Yeah, eat first, think later. Gotta fuel the brain. With that, I descended the stairs slowly. Each step heavy. Not stomach—soul hungry.

At the bottom, the inn waitress saw me, eyes widening, hand over mouth.

'...What? Did pre-possession me cause trouble?'

Worried I was a problem customer, but she spoke carefully, clearing it up.

"Are you coming down to eat?"

"Uh? Yeah..."

"Oh no... We kept calling, but you didn't come, so we cleared it already..."

"......"

Relief for 5 seconds. Dinner... gone. Hearing that, mental state crumbled again. Why did this world test my patience so?

Shitty world... Starve before rabbit hunt.

Then.

Ding! Cheerful sound; translucent window popped up.

[Quest Completed! - Everything Starts with One Step]

Huh? Quest complete?