I was in a Saw bathroom, and was black. Bound by steel to a chair. There was a white dummy with a steel trap on it near me. Tv in front of me, those annoying flickering lamps. I was black. Who was black. Tapp, Jonas, Timothy Young… was I in Saw 3 as Timothy young?

I tested my strength against the bonds.

24/30 strength, strength check failed.

Steel bindings. 20 durability, 30 armor. Made to keep you secure and locked up. Grandmaster quality.

I could bust it with drug fueled strength, but I preferred to save the buff.

The TV started up and Jigsaw's creepy clown face popped up.

"Hello Detective Tapp. I want to play a game."

Ohh. Didn't he die? I didn't remember a film about him. Was I in a comic? Was this a spin off after I got sucked up?

"Your obsession with catching me has robbed you of your life and the lives of others. You abuse every resource available to you, tearing apart lives in your quest to find the truth."

Well that was really unfair of you, Jigsaw. Just because I am trying to catch you doesn't mean I am a bad person. He is really particular about people who come after him. It's a real weird coincidence that everyone who tries to catch Jigsaw turns out to be a perfect candidate for a trap.

That said, he said something. Abuse every resource.

Chair, old. 2/4 durability. An old chair found lying around. Shoddily made.

I stand up, lifting the chair up off the ground, and slam it to the ground. The cheap wood snapped and broke under my weight, and I yanked myself off the ground.

"You have lost your partner, your badge, even the life of your partner, Detective Sing."

"I didn't really lose him, you killed him. He didn't even need to be tested!" I started to fiddle with my head mask. Looked like… reverse venus fly trap ones. Needed to find the clatch.

"You have lost your health, whittled away by the bullet wound in your chest."

I probably had a debuff from that. Should heal pretty fast. So, was this a side comic for Saw? I knew they had comics.

Mad scientist in contest with rival skill, journeyman trapmaker! Your skill is out levelled by 37 seconds. Will take 1 minute 37 second to break free.

"Now we will see if you can overcome your obsession." Said the TV. "No doubt you remember the device attached to your jaw. It's evidence left over from your investigation." That shouldn't be in his hands. Oh no, dirty cops, what a shock. I fiddled with a latch. You had to get it just right to avoid the tripwire

"Here's what happens if you lose." The dummy's face exploded, as the reverse venus fly trap went off.

"Free yourself and get yourself free of the device and pursue me, or sit there and let it tear you apart. The choice is yours."

Hard difficulty activated! You will now have access only to the abilities from your original body, with your enhanced attributes returning over 24 hours.

Oh shit. I felt my skills, my mind start to evaporate, as it all began to leave me.

My shoulder burned hot like fire.

Play it by ear. I won't let them curse you. Maturin.

Error! System override. Normal difficulty retained.

And the timer stopped. Thanks, turtle harem master. This is why you're the best patron.

The timer started and- I think from the ticking.

Time to device removal- 1 minute 07 seconds. Time to death. 1 minute.

That wasn't ideal. I needed an edge.

I quickly equipped my Macgyver title. I felt a rush of knowledge fill me, and I knew what to do, as the timer to remove the device halved. I quickly got it off.

For breaking free of this trap with manual dexterity, you have gained +1 dex point.

Thanks magic system. I did feel a lot better. Universe swap had healed my mind and body. So, inventory. Broken chair. Two traps. Mannequin, broken. Mirror. Combination lock on the door. Numbers on the toilet. That was a simple puzzle…

Oh shit. I was in a video game. I remembered, there were two of them.

This was weird. Wasn't this before Saw?

I had me as well. I glanced at my stat sheet.

Name: David Tapp

Job: Gamer of Maturin

Level: 1

Titles.

Macgyver. John Kramer and Amanda know you now! You have been dubbed Macgyver, after the mechanical genius who escaped many a trap. Any reputation gains with John or his apprentices are doubled, and you can construct and deconstruct devices 100% faster.

Stats

HP: 15

Stamina: 19

Strength: 24

Constitution: 15

Dexterity: 12

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 15

Luck: 12

I had +12 to wisdom and +10 to luck so.

"Your luck is pretty shit, Tapp boy." I could feel him inside my head, very confused.

"I called you, when I was in Adam's body. I made sure you knew what was going on. You fucked up. You should have won the fight with the nurse."

He struggled silently inside his mind, my powers locking him inside me. For now, I would be leading. He did not have psychic powers to make a jail break.

I skimmed over the perk list. I had 75 perk points left over from the past, some from levels up, quest rewards, broken perks. There were a bunch of new options, but one called to me.

Competent warrior. You have mastered your first full set of levels up. You gain all the HP and stamina bonuses from levelling up to level 10, and can continue to gain levels. 25 perk points.

Yes please. I dumped all my perk points into it.

And I collapsed. I felt my body rippling, subtle changes happening all over. I couldn't move, my muscles tore themselves apart.

Then it was over.

165 HP. 209 stamina.

I was ready. I was gonna crush this game.

Jigsaw's speech here was wildly unfair. Does he expect Tapp to be sorry for chasing a murderer? Mega hypocritical, Kramer.

I hadn't played the game till I started writing this story, so the SI is going in blind.

Dragonbornthesame. I am open to suggestions. I am leaning towards dropping him into a video game, but a story also works. That said, extra monsters I or readers like can be added. Lots of chances to meet creepy SCPs.

Moche. I like too.

Guest. By chapter 5, he had gained a title to break pipes, a bunch of stat buffs, and detailed knowledge that Amanda was fucking with things. By chapter 6, as you may see if you keep reading, Amanda is crushed and Jigsaw humiliated. He does advance a lot. He's a lot more powerful than he was at the start by now. And he wasn't debuffed. He had slightly above baseline abilities from the very start, along with revival on death, and advanced quickly.

Next time, into the game.