The calm, smooth breeze washed over my face like fine silk. It felt different from the stale, exhaust-tainted air of the city—cleaner, wilder, carrying the scent of damp earth and sun-warmed grass. It whispered temptingly, urging me to close my eyes and drift away, but a sharp, primal unease—the feeling of being an intruder in this untouched place—kept them wide open.
One moment, I'd been sprawled on my bed, mindlessly scrolling through social media. The next, I was here. Just… here, as if I'd always existed on this patch of unfamiliar earth. Panic surged, cold and suffocating, like icy water closing over my head. Sunlight stabbed at my blurred vision. I hugged my knees to my chest, trembling like a frightened animal, and collapsed onto the thick, cool grass.
"Where… where am I?" My voice sounded small and lost in the vast quiet.
A storm of questions erupted in my mind, each answered only by confusion or absurdity.
Kidnapped? By whom, and how?
Aliens? No flashing lights, no probes.
Did my parents ditch me in the wilderness?Even in my panic, that felt too melodramatic. Yet, nothing about this felt remotely of my world.
[ Military System ]
[ Search ]
[ Soldier ]
- Rifleman
A translucent blue screen materialized silently in the air before me. It looked ripped straight from a sci-fi comic or VR game. I'd devoured stories about Warrior Systems, Wizard Interfaces, Hunter HUDs… but a Military System? That was new. Completely alien, even in fiction. And the options were sparse. Bare-bones.
"Shouldn't there be, like, a tutorial or something?" I muttered, waving my hand through the hologram. It flickered harmlessly. No change.
Curiosity overriding caution, I mentally nudged the 'Search' option.
[ Search ]
This feature allows the user to search questions for answers sourced from the Internet.
"What the actual…?" I choked back the curse. Mom's disapproving frown flashed in my mind. But… searching the internet? Here? The sheer, absurd power of it hit me. With this back home, I could have ruled any field… except maybe customer service. Talking to people was hard.
I sighed, rubbing my temples, and navigated back. This time, I focused on 'Rifleman'.
[ Rifleman ]
Primary Weapon: M4A1 Carbine
Sidearm: SIG Sauer M17 9mm pistol
Armor: Modular tactical vest with Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts (ESAPI) plates (NIJ Level IV)
Lightweight Kevlar helmet (Threat Level IIIA+)
Additional Gear: M320 grenade launcher module, fragmentation grenades (M67), night vision goggles.
"I don't understand half of this," I breathed, eyes widening, "but damn! It sounds serious!" I knew the M4 from games, a lethal pixel icon. Seeing it listed as real gear sent a jolt through me.
[ The user has been rewarded 2 Riflemen for system initiation. ]
Light shimmered, coalescing into two figures standing rigidly before me. I scrambled back, falling onto my elbows, heart hammering against my ribs. Pushing myself up, I stared. They looked like ghosts of special forces. Clad in muted green digital camouflage fatigues, black combat boots laced tight, laden with pouches and webbing. They cradled sleek, black rifles like extensions of their arms. Heavy backpacks sat strapped to their shoulders.
"Sir! Permission to speak?" The voice was flat, devoid of inflection. It came from the figure whose tactical vest bore a stark white '001'. The other was '002'. Like toy soldiers stamped with numbers.
Stormtroopers, I thought, recalling glimpses of movies. But hopefully more accurate.
"Yes, 001. Report." I forced my voice lower, drawing on years of RPG commander-roleplay. The words felt awkward, but the stance helped.
"What is our current objective, sir?" 001 asked, his dark eyes scanning the treeline impassively.
I rubbed my forehead, the earlier panic bubbling back. Objective? I had a system, I had soldiers… but no clue why. The word 'isekai' finally solidified in my mind – a portal fantasy. This was it.
"Scout the immediate vicinity. Identify any living entities. Engage hostile targets only if necessary," I ordered, trying to sound decisive. My palms were slick with sweat.
"Sir!" They acknowledged in unison, moving out with smooth, efficient strides, sweeping the area with their rifles. Butterflies of pure adrenaline fluttered in my stomach. Leading people? Real people? That was… new territory entirely.
"Sir, requesting permission to extend search perimeter," 001 called back softly.
"Negative! Return to position!" My command cracked out sharper than intended. The thought of them vanishing into the trees, leaving me alone, was terrifying. "New plan. 001, point. I follow. 002, rear guard. We advance deeper."
They snapped into formation instantly. 001 moved ahead, rifle ready. I stepped into the gap, trying to mimic his purposeful stride. 002 fell in behind, a silent shadow. For the first time in my life, I felt a flicker of… importance. Like someone people listened to. A shaky smile touched my lips as I walked, half-expecting a runway spotlight.
Ten minutes later.
"Status, 001? Time?" My voice was tight. Sweat stung my eyes and plastered my shirt to my back. My legs burned like I'd run a marathon, not a short hike. The endless green canopy offered no landmarks.
"Ten minutes elapsed, sir," 001 replied, not sounding remotely winded.
Ten minutes? Humiliation warred with exhaustion. My body wasn't fat, just… soft. Years of screens and minimal exertion screamed in protest. "Okay. Continue—"
"Contact front, sir," 001 hissed, dropping into a low crouch. He signaled 002 forward with a sharp gesture. 002 moved silently to flank him, weapon raised.
My blood ran cold.
I frantically scanned for cover – a thick tree trunk, a depression in the ground. Staying elsewhere felt suicidal. If the soldiers fell… I fell. "002! Your sidearm! Now!" I barked, holding out a trembling hand.
He unholstered the black pistol smoothly and passed it to me, grip first. Its weight was alien, cold, and terrifyingly real in my hand.
ROOOAAARRR!
A guttural, bone-shaking bellow ripped through the forest, shaking leaves from the trees. The air itself vibrated with menace.
Bushes exploded ahead. Ten hulking, green-skinned creatures burst into view. Naked except for crude loincloths, their muscles coiled like knotted rope under sagging bellies. Tusks jutted from massive lower jaws, dripping saliva. Small, bloodshot eyes fixed on us with predatory hunger. Orcs.
"OPEN FIRE!" The scream tore from my throat.
The forest erupted. Twin streams of fire spat from the soldiers' rifles – sharp, deafening CRACK-CRACK-CRACKs that made my ears ring. I jammed my hands over them, wincing. Each muzzle flash illuminated the chaos in strobing bursts. Orcs bellowed in agony, bodies jerking and collapsing as high-velocity rounds punched through green flesh with sickening thuds. The rear ranks tried to charge, clubs raised, but were cut down mid-stride, crashing into the ferns. In less than thirty seconds, the clearing fell silent except for the ringing in my ears and the ragged gasps I hadn't realized I was holding.
"Status! Ammo expended?" My voice was hoarse.
"Fourteen rounds, sir," 001 reported calmly, scanning the bodies.
"Six rounds, sir," 002 echoed, reloading his rifle.
Twenty bullets. Ten orcs. Their precision was terrifying, inhuman. A flicker of awe warred with the lingering fear. I rubbed my eyes, trying to look composed. Wasteful? Probably. But survival trumped economy. Surely the system sold ammo… if it wasn't cruel.
[ Supplies Section unlocked: First hostile elimination confirmed.]
[ Soldier Section Updated: "Automatic Rifleman" unlocked.]
[ Soldier Acquisition Protocol Activated: Soldiers now available for purchase.]
[ Congratulations: Eliminated 10 "Orcs". Mana stones detected. Sell to System for Points.]
Relief washed over me, sweet and potent. Thank you, I thought fervently, glancing skyward. *Whoever, whatever, you are.
"Recover orc ears and tusks. Potential trade goods," I ordered, pointing at the corpses. "Harvest usable meat. Locate and extract mana stones. Prioritize what we can carry." My stomach churned slightly at the thought of eating orc, but hunger was a powerful motivator.
The soldiers moved with chilling efficiency. Combat knives flashed, slicing through thick hide and gristle. No flinching, no disgust. Just methodical butchery. They packed chunks of dark meat, grotesque ears, and yellowed tusks into their already heavy packs. After an hour, the grim task was done. Piles of unusable offal remained.
I held up the extracted mana stones – small, rough, faintly glowing pebbles. "System. Sell these mana stones."
The stones vanished from my palm.
[ Points awarded based on mana stone mass/potency.]
[ +6 Points per mana stone. Total: 60 Points.]
[ Current Points: 60]
The interface updated:
[ Military System ]
[ Search ]
[ Soldier ]
- Rifleman (20 Points)
- Automatic Rifleman (40 Points)
[ Supplies ]
- 5.56mm (1 Point)
- 7.62mm (1 Point)
- MREs (0.1 Point)
Sixty points. The Automatic Rifleman was tempting, but survival came first. Ammo. Food. Essentials. The orc meat was a gamble.
I noticed the soldiers hoisting their packs. "Hold on," I said. "Give me the packs. You need mobility for defense. I'll carry the weight." My shoulders already ached at the thought, but it made tactical sense.
The soldiers exchanged a brief, unreadable look, then handed over the heavy burdens. I grunted under the sudden load – weapons, ammo, gear, and orc parts.
"Sir, contents include ten M4 magazines, 9mm pistol ammunition, standard rations, and water," 001 clarified as I adjusted the straps.
So much ammo. My worry about conservation vanished. "Form up. Advance. Previous formation."
We moved on. The forest thinned gradually, the oppressive canopy giving way to dappled sunlight. Then, suddenly, we stepped into brilliance.
A vast meadow stretched before us, carpeted in swaying, waist-high golden grass. Sunlight streamed down, warm and pure. A hundred paces away, a wide river sparkled like liquid sapphire, winding through the landscape. Lush trees framed the far bank, and vibrant wildflowers – purples, yellows, reds – dotted the grass near the water's edge. The air hummed with insects and birdsong.
The sheer, unexpected beauty stole my breath. Gone was the city's constant rumble, the haze, the honking, the concrete walls. Here was space. Light. Life. A profound sense of belonging, of possibility, washed over me. No expectations. No predetermined path. Just… freedom.
I lowered the heavy packs, the ache in my shoulders forgotten. I looked at the river, the meadow, the endless sky.
"001," I said, my voice quiet but firm, filled with a certainty I hadn't felt since arriving. "We stay. This is the place."