As Jake's eyes started to flutter open, he felt a heavy weight cover his entire body. Letting out a small groan, he rolled out of bed, hitting the floor with a dull, yet hard thud. 

Letting out a small groan, he made a note to refuse unneeded help when offered. It was something he could’ve handled alone.

Making his way towards the bathroom, he turned on the faucet before staring down at the rushing water. As he watched the water run, he began to reorganize his thoughts. Recruiting from local schools, weapon procurement, collecting protection money, the works. Splashing the cold water on his face, he started to go through how he'd get everything ready.

Turning his attention to the bathroom mirror, he felt himself pause. Looking back wasn't a half-shaven man in his 30s. Rather, what looked back at him was a high-schooler the least. There were still the same traits he had at that age; pale skin, messy raven black hair, and dull, forest-green eyes. Patting his cheeks, he looked at his arm and started to roll his wrist. 

Best to make sure.

Curling his hand into a fist, he then punched himself in the face, causing him to stumble back. Feeling the stinging pain gave him all the confirmation he needed. He was in the body of his teenage self. 

‘Now, all I need to know is how,’ he thought as he pushed the feeling aside. Walking out of the bathroom, he scanned the room for anything that was familiar to him. Yet, nothing from his memory seemed to match. It wasn't any of the rooms he rented from people online, nor was it from any motels he had stayed in before. It was a generic, bare room, with the only notable thing being an old looking radio on the desk. 

‘Might as well turn it on,' he thought. He might get some useful information about his current situation. Walking towards the desk, he looked over the radio, searching for something to turn it on. Finding the power switch, he flicked it on, only for him to get bombarded by static. He mentally blocked out the static before he began to turn the dials. He went through static, with the occasional music station appearing.

"Good evening, everybody. Welcome to Glow Heart Radio, where we talk about all the things happening around the world. But first, have some tunes," a low and dulcet voice said. It felt familiar somehow. There wasn’t any notable accent he could catch, but it did sound like something had heard before. Putting it aside, he continued to listen to the radio. It wasn't relevant at the moment.

As he listened to the radio host talk, he knew that he was in a different world. Moreover, he could tell exactly what world he was in. The chatter about terms like 'Wardens' and 'Knights'. Names he had read on screens. Them speaking of a place called Starfall. He knew of one world that has all this in the same context. A world reborn with both magic and monsters.

'Blades Of Passion,' he thought, brow furrowed. An action game set centuries after the end, where the planet and humanity was reborn. A place where the gods were more than stories. Where the path to godhood is much more than a far off dream.

A world that faces a third extinction.

As he listened to the radio, memories started to flash through his mind. Images of the main cast. the sound of blades clashing and crackling fire. A choir of melodies accompanied by the roars of beasts. 

He needed a plan. Something to make sure that everything went as it should. Looking through the desk's drawers, he found a small notebook, no bigger than his hand. Yet, it was enough. Grabbing a nearby pencil, he started to write down things he knew. Every detail of the main cast, every main story beat, every important date. Everything that must be accounted for.

Finishing up the last of his writing, he set his pencil down before looking it over. He recorded everything relevant to the main plot, with points of potential interjection. At the least, he would give him the ability to respond to potential abnormalities. As he read over the details of his plan, he noticed something. There was an issue at hand; he would need money. While not a large amount, it would have to be enough to cover things like equipment and travel. Not only that, he would have to train. While he could get through the combat training with relative ease, it won't be enough. It would be best for him to have prior experience and gain certain treatments. To do so, he would need to earn money from dungeons and monsters. Since the sun has barely risen, going for field monsters would most likely be out of the question.

'I should have some type of modern device,' he thought as he began to search through the room. He should have a phone or something like it. They were rather common, used mainly as a way for players to contact the cast and keep track of missions. If he did, it would hurry the whole process. Taking a quick look through the room, he found the item he was looking for, its screen reflecting the orange glow. Grabbing it off of the shelf, he immediately knew what it was. A Harcell, a black market version of the regular Mercell. As he gave it a good look over, he noted that it seemed to be custom-made. Turning it on, it looked like a pretty normal looking phone. It had all the apps that it would come with by default. Yet, he saw something that caused him to stop.

| 3XX7

Two years. He had two years to prepare everything that he would need. Two years before the main plot started.

Mentally changing his dates, he continued to look through the cell. Eventually, he found something that stuck out to him. An app with a white 'M' on it, shaped similar to that of a trident. Pressing the app, the screen went black, shortly after a simple logo appeared. 

{MARNET}

Odd naming sense, but whatever. After the logo dissipated, he saw what seemed to be a list of some kind.

| [Info]

| [Shop]

| [Map]

Pressing the last option, the screen shifted to show a map. it was small, only showing what seemed to be the local area. Scrolling through the options to look for, he found the label of Dungeon. Clicking on it, he was immediately met with a list of all nearby places that fit that description.

'Pretty close by,' he thought as he found a place to visit. It was a short walk away and had good recommendations. Looking himself over, he knew that he would need to change. Dressed in black sweats and a white tee, it was clear these were nothing more than pajamas. He made his way over to the closet before grabbing a few clothes and changing out of his pajamas. Now dressed in dark jeans, a black shirt, and a gray hoodie, he opened the door to the rest of his apartment. 

Upon opening the door, he was met with a rather worn down apartment. Everything looked at least a year old, if not older. Paint seemed to be peeling off the walls, with small cracks in the floorboards. As he looked through the living room, he found a metal wallet and keys laying on the coffee table. Grabbing the wallet, he began to look through it. He knew that there wouldn’t be any solid documentation, but it’d still be best to do a quick check. Skimming through the cards in the wallet, he paused as something caught his eye. An ID of sorts, holding a rather blurry picture of his face. On it was a name that he was rather familiar with.

[Jake Cole]

‘Unexpected,’ he thought as put the card back into the wallet before pocketing it. He used that name as a cover, but to think he'd be using it for his legitimate name. Well, it didn’t change anything major; he used that more than his actual name anyway. 

'Now I need a weapon,' he thought as he scanned the drawers. A kitchen knife may work, but it'd be best to have something made for combat. As he searched through the apartment, he found what seemed to be a dagger sitting in one of the cupboards.

Grabbing it, he looked the sheathed blade over in hands.Gripping the leather handle, he pulled out the blade, the edge gleaming. It looked like a combat knife, albeit with a more simplified design. Giving it a few small swings, he found it to be rather balanced. The grip felt firm, the texture like he was holding stippled metal. Putting the dagger back in its sheath, he strapped the blade onto his thigh. As he continued to search for anything of use, he found a small bag, sitting in a corner. Picking up the bag, he began to check the pockets, only for them to be empty. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he went back to looking through the dusty apartment for a mask. Even with his trait, it would be best for him to have something covering his face, just as a precaution..

Eventually, he found a black baseball cap with a face mask sitting next to it. Putting on the cap, he picked up the face mask before looking it over. It seemed well made, the cloth showing to be rather durable. Putting it on, he found it to fit rather well, the straps not digging into anything sensitive.

'Time to get to work,’ he thought before making his way out of the apartment. He had work to do, so it was best for him to start off now.