I jolted awake, my eyes snapping open to the sight of a dimly lit dashboard. For a moment, everything was a blur, like trying to hold onto the remnants of a fading dream. But no—this wasn't a dream. The weight of the unfamiliar clung to the air, something about the silence felt off, unnatural. My senses, though dulled by whatever I'd been through, could still pick up on the wrongness of it all.

I blinked, shaking my head, and took a deep breath. My body... it felt different. Not weak, but the opposite. Stronger. Lighter. I tilted my head slightly, taking in my surroundings, trying to ground myself. I was in a car. But not just any car—a Humvee. Military-grade. And somehow, I knew it was mine. I don't remember buying one or even being in one before, but I knew this beast belonged to me.

I ran my fingers across the dashboard. The material felt... off. Stronger, and more durable than anything I'd ever touched before. I looked around. The windows had this faint, almost invisible sheen to them—bulletproof? No doubt. The thing practically laughed in the face of danger. That much was clear. Something about it, though—it wasn't just the make of the car or its toughness. It was something more, something deeper.

My eyes wandered to the compartments. There were too many. More than any normal car should have. Small ones embedded in the doors, under the seats, even one built right into the dashboard in front of me. And then I saw it: a tent, neatly folded in the back, blending in with the car's sleek, dark interior. A heavy-duty black tent, though I knew it was more than just fabric. My mind struggled to process the details, but the thought that kept bubbling to the surface was simple: this wasn't just a car. It was a fortress on wheels. A machine made for war.

I leaned back into the seat, trying to piece it together. The rearview mirror caught my eye, and for a moment, I froze.

That... that wasn't me. At least, not the me I remembered.

Staring back at me was someone different, someone sharper, stronger. My hair, once a mess of unremarkable strands, was now jet black, spiked, and wild like I had been in a fight and somehow won. My eyes—once dull brown—were now deep blue, cold, calculating. The face staring at me looked tougher, leaner as if it had seen a war or two and lived to tell the tale. My hand reached up to my face, brushing against the smooth skin that was pale but seemed hardened, like it had been through hell but refused to break.

"What the hell?" I whispered, my voice barely escaping my lips.

The world outside was forest—endless trees, shrubs, and plants. Isolated. No roads in sight. No houses. Just me and this... machine. As my mind tried to make sense of the scene, I heard it.

[Ding!]

I flinched, gripping the wheel tighter, my heart racing. The noise—it wasn't coming from outside. It was inside. My mind?

[Installing 'The Gamer System'. Download in progress...1%...2%...15%...]

My breath hitched, my eyes locked on the windshield. The words echoed in my head. The Gamer System. Why did that sound so familiar? Where had I heard that before?

[35%...50%...69%...87%...]

Each percentage ticked by, and with every tick, I felt... different. Like something was being uploaded directly into my brain. The pressure was building, but it wasn't painful. It was... strange. Like a new program running in the background, demanding to be noticed.

[90%...98%...99%...100%! The Gamer System has been installed.]

Everything went still. The world seemed to hold its breath, and I exhaled, realizing I had been holding mine the entire time. I blinked, and suddenly, something flashed in front of my eyes—a status screen. Like the ones in video games. But this wasn't a game.

Status

Name: Damien Knight

Race: Human

Title: The Gamer

Level: 1 EXP: 0 / 1000

HP: 150/150 (Recovers 1.5 HP per minute)

MP: 200/200 (Recovers 2 MP per minute)

STR: 10

VIT: 10

DEX: 10

INT: 10

WIS: 10

LUCK: 10

Stat Points: 0

Gold Coins: 0

I blinked again. Once. Twice. The words, the numbers—they hovered in the air, sharp and clear, responding to my focus like they were waiting for me to interact. The Gamer System. I knew this. It hit me like a bolt of lightning—I'd read about this in a webtoon. The mechanics, the stats, the possibilities... they were all too familiar. But this... this was no comic panel. This was real.

"What the hell is going on?" I muttered, my thoughts racing. This couldn't be happening. The Gamer System was just a story, a concept from a piece of fiction. But there it was. HP, MP, STR, DEX—all laid out before me as if I had stepped into some kind of virtual world. Level 1. No skills. No points. It was as if I had been dumped into a game I hadn't asked to play.

A sound. Low, almost inaudible. My head snapped to the side. Something was moving outside. My instincts kicked in, and I reached for the door handle, my pulse spiking.

[Ding!]

—Quest Alert—

Title: First Blood

Description: A lone vampire has been preying on the outskirts of town, targeting vulnerable people under the cover of night. It's young and inexperienced, making it the perfect target for your first hunt. Track the vampire, confront it, and take it down before it becomes a bigger threat. Be sure to use silver or decapitation to finish it off.

Time Limit: 24 hours

Reward: 200 EXP, 10 Gold Coins, Skill: Create & Escape Instant Dungeon

Penalty: The vampire escapes, grows stronger, and starts forming a nest, becoming a much larger threat in the future.

[Accept/Decline]

I froze, staring at the screen that had appeared before me. "Vampire?" I thought to myself. "Hunt it? Decapitation?" My heart pounded in my chest. What kind of game had I been thrown into?

"I guess I'll accept," I murmured, more to myself than anyone, before selecting Accept on the screen hovering in front of me.

I glanced back at the forest. A flicker of movement caught my eye—something fast. Something human? No... almost human. The figure slammed against my window, making me jump. He was dressed in all black—shirt, pants, and long black hair that covered his face. He looked... normal at first glance.

"Hey, man! Can you help me? I need a ride. Just a lift to the nearest town, please!" he called out, his voice strained, too friendly. Too eager.

I hesitated, staring back at him. There was something wrong. Off. I couldn't put my finger on it, but everything in my gut screamed that this guy wasn't what he seemed.

—New Skill Alert—

A new skill is created by a specific Action.

Skill: Observe

Type: Active

Level: 1

Description: Allows the user to gather detailed information about people, creatures, and objects simply by looking at them. The higher the skill level, the more detailed and accurate the information becomes. At higher levels, it can even reveal hidden details such as weaknesses, stats, and abilities.

Effect: Provides basic information such as name, level, and general condition of the target.

Before I could process the new skill, the man outside banged on the window again, more insistent this time.

"Did you hear me? Let me in!" His tone had shifted—aggressive now, demanding.

"Sorry, man. I can't help you," I said quickly, instinctively leaning back.

He snarled. "LET. ME. IN!" His voice dropped low, primal. "I'm gonna kill you!" He pounded on the window harder, but the glass didn't budge. He looked confused as if expecting it to shatter. We both stared at the unbroken glass.

"Huh?" we both muttered at the same time.

Desperate now, he grabbed a rock from the ground and began smashing it against the window. "Not until you come out so I can drink your blood!" he screamed, and that's when I saw it—his mouth twisted, fangs glinting in the moonlight. Vampire.

"Observe!" I called out, focusing on him.

Name: Marcus

Level: 3

HP: 120/120

Condition: Hungry, desperate, and angry. Marcus is on edge, driven by his need to feed, making him more reckless and unpredictable.

"It worked!" I muttered a hint of shock in my voice. A wide grin stretched across my face despite the situation.

I couldn't help it—there was something about seeing those stats in front of me that made this whole bizarre situation feel... manageable. Like I had some control over it. Like I wasn't just a random guy being attacked by a vampire, but someone equipped to deal with it.

Marcus, though—he wasn't taking things as lightly. He was getting angrier by the second, his eyes wild with hunger. The rock he'd grabbed was barely denting the window, and it was only making him more desperate. His growling, the vicious look on his face—it was unnerving, but I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up inside me.

I laughed. Out loud.

Marcus froze, his eyes narrowing as his hand stopped mid-swing. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he snarled, his voice low, vibrating with anger. For a moment, I could see the confusion in his eyes. Vampires weren't used to their prey laughing at them.

"Nothing," I said, chuckling through my words. "I just realized... you're not getting in here."

Marcus screamed, smashing the rock harder, but the Humvee's reinforced windows didn't even crack. There was a faint shimmer—almost like magic—protecting me inside. For the first time since this whole thing started, I felt... safe.

The laugh faded from my lips as I realized I needed to do something. I couldn't just sit here, laughing at a vampire throwing a tantrum. My eyes darted to the compartments inside the car. There had to be something—a weapon. This Humvee wasn't just military-grade for no reason. I pulled open one of the small compartments under the dashboard, and it slid open smoothly, revealing... nothing.

My heart jumped. "No, no, no," I muttered, feeling panic rise for the first time.

I glanced up at Marcus, who had dropped the rock and was now clawing at the window, his desperation ramping up. He was seconds from ripping off the car's door if I didn't act fast. I searched the other compartments, my fingers scrambling over the surfaces.

Then I noticed it—right next to the center console, a small touchscreen panel. My fingers hovered over it for a second. There was a search bar.

Without thinking, I typed: Vampire.

The screen flashed, presenting a list of options: Knife, Gun, Sword.

I hit Gun and Sword before I could think twice, and the compartment below the panel slid open, revealing a gleaming pistol and a sharp short sword.

My breath caught in my throat as I grabbed the pistol first, feeling its weight in my hand. Solid. Real. I flicked the safety off, aimed the barrel at Marcus, and fired.

The sound of the shot was muffled, but the bullet zipped through the air and pierced the window like it wasn't even there—straight into Marcus's head.

His body jerked backward, collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud. But I wasn't done. My eyes flicked to the sword still in the compartment. I grabbed it, feeling the cool metal hilt in my hand as I pushed open the Humvee's door, my heart pounding harder now. This is it.

Marcus's body was twitching, his head slowly healing, the bullet pushing itself out as his skin regenerated. His eyes fluttered open, locking onto mine with a growl.

"Not this time," I whispered to myself, raising the sword.

And with a swift, decisive motion, I swung the blade down, the sword slicing clean through his neck. His head rolled to the side, and his body slumped lifelessly.

[Ding!]

—Quest Completed—

Title: First Blood

You have successfully completed your quest.

Would you like to collect your reward? Yes/No

I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. "Yes, please," I said, my voice almost a whisper, exhausted but victorious.

The familiar ding echoed in my head again.

[You have earned 200 EXP, 10 Gold Coins.]

[You have learned the following skills: Create Instant Dungeon. Escape Instant Dungeon.]

"Skills List," I muttered, and another window flashed in front of me, showing the details of my new abilities.

Skill: Create Instant Dungeon

Type: Active

Level: 1 EXP: 0.0%

Description: A skill that allows you to create an Instant Dungeon, a separate, isolated space where you can fight enemies, train, or complete quests without interference from the outside world. As the skill level increases, you can create stronger and more complex dungeons with greater challenges and rewards.

Skill: Escape from Instant Dungeon

Type: Active

Level: 1 EXP: 0.0%

Description: A skill that allows you to safely exit an Instant Dungeon. This skill can be activated at any time during your stay in the dungeon, instantly transporting you back to the real world. As the skill levels up, it will offer faster escapes and possibly unlock additional exit-related functions.

I stood over Marcus's lifeless body, staring at the bloodstained ground, and then back at the shimmering stats hovering in front of me. Create Instant Dungeon? Escape Instant Dungeon? I didn't fully understand what I was getting myself into, but one thing was clear:

This was only the beginning.