My name is Neo, I’m an engineering student and my best friend’s name is Hunt, we are both 22 years old and we are both seniors. We were doing our final project. When it all happened. 

If you ask me what our final work was, I can only boast about our creation, a car that runs on hydrogen combustion. We had the full support of the university. Not only to create a computer project, but they also proposed us to make a prototype.

We secured the necessary funds. Plus permission from the authorities to conduct test drives in the vicinity of the university. As long as there was a patrol car nearby.

 It was during the seventh test drive. At an intersection a truck carrying gas crashed into us causing an explosion.

I remember perfectly, how the car deformed, just as we had calculated. It was beautiful. But the explosion and the flames covered my view.

The end was imminent, but before I lost consciousness, I saw Hunt (who was driving) look at me with a guilty face.

Surely Hunt blames himself for all the pain and suffering he caused our families because of a driving error.

 Both his family and mine became very close as we became best friends. From spending holidays together to family meals, where we would show off our creations. There could no longer be a family plan without involving each other or each other’s families.

My only thoughts were: Hunt , Hunt look at that, it’s warped just like in my simulations. But when I saw his sad face the emotion I felt stopped instantly to accept my fate. I knew it wasn’t his fault. No one could have predicted that truck would run out of brakes. I said goodbye to Hunt with a smile. And everything around me went up in flames.

My next memory is of a room full of flowers. Where a gentleman sitting in the middle of the grass greeted me. I sat down next to him and asked him where we were. He told me about my tragic end and proposed two options, to go to another world where the laws of physics I knew were different. There was something called magic. A medieval world, with kingdoms, dragons, monsters, adventurers, dungeon explorers, peasants, burghers, nobles and kings. The other option was to rest eternally.

I asked him a lot of questions about societies and how magic works, but not all the questions I asked were answered.

Intrigued I accepted his proposal without thinking (not that I had anywhere better to go). He granted me the unique skill [ Evaluation ] normal skill [ Magic Affinity ] special skill [ Inventory ], profession [ No trade ].

I tried to ask him several times about my abilities and my mission in the new world. As he led me to a white circular portal. None of the answers were clear, rather new doubts arose.

Before saying goodbye, I asked him about Hunt. He told me not to worry. We would meet again very soon. 

Compared to Hunt, I had the best trip to the other world. He remembers the whole accident. He had the worst outcome, he survived the accident and the firemen managed to get him out of the car and take him to the hospital. It was there that after meeting his relatives and being seriously injured. His flame was extinguished surrounded by the people who loved him most.

He woke up before me, he was in a large room. Where a soft light descended from the infinite ceiling. The floor was strewn with colourful flowers. A shadow came out of the darkness. It was an older man with a grey robe and a long silver beard.

Immediately after making eye contact Hunt was teleported to a small round wooden pergola. He poured two cups of tea.

— My dear Hunt, it is a pity we should meet so soon. I did not expect this moment yet. His voice, deep, calm, echoed through the room.

Tolmas and Hunt had a long conversation about all our achievements. All our failures and all the times we haven’t given up. They went over all our projects and our funniest moments.

— My dear Hunt, now that you remember your past, you have to choose your future. You have to choose your future, he said as he stretched his arms out to the sides.

— You have two choices, you can go in peace and rest forever or you can go to another world. Which will you choose.

Knowing Hunt, the moral and existentialist debate they had after that proposal could have been both epic, long and tedious. When we created the engine for our car, he handed over a thousand-page document with the impact our creation could have. Only the poor mentor who had to read that document knows how cautious Hunt is.

The gentleman interrupted him to greet me and talk to me, Hunt witnessed my entire conversation with the gentleman, but could not interact with us.

After saying goodbye to the gentleman, Hunt approached the gentleman to talk to him.

— Do you think sending us to that world is going to change things? (Hunt) He said as he walked in the Lord’s direction.

— I am sure of it, my dear Hunt, I have no doubt of it. (Sir) He said as he stroked his beard.

— If I go with him, will you grant me the same abilities (Hunt)?

— Of course not, each of you is different (Sir).

— So, if I go with that fool, what skills would I have? (Hunt)

The lord talked to Hunt for days and after making a decision about his abilities granted him: unique ability [ Calculation ] normal ability [ Map ] special ability [ item box ] profession [ Great merchant ].

You could say that I came to this world on my ass. After passing through the portal I fell from the sky where I could see a large land mass.

The fall was fatal, but after hitting the ground I was able to get up as if nothing had happened.

As I was dusting myself off I heard a scream in the distance. I looked around and saw no one.

Hunt was trying to warn me, but I couldn’t hear him and he fell on top of me.

■— You never listen to me. Hunt said as he got up from the floor.—

●— You always say that. I said as I pushed him.—

After we fought for a while because Hunt accused me of being reckless... He reproached me for quite a while.

While he was scolding me I could tell that my vision was not normal. It looked like I had a helmet or augmented reality goggles. At the top, as if it was a video game, I had a life bar, below it a mana bar. At the bottom it had a bar with 10 empty slots. And on the right, another bar with 5 squares.

On the left I had a list of skills where I only had [ Evaluation ].

When I looked up to get a better view of the data, the computer mouse icon appeared. I was able to click on [ Evaluation ].

A pop-up window opened in the middle of the screen or in my vision and through it I could see Hunt’s statistics.

[< Name >] : Hunt ****

[< Age >] : 22

[< Trade >] : Large merchant

[< Level >] : 1

[< Life points (HP) >] : 100

[< Magic Points (MP) >] : 100

[< Damage >] : 74

[< Defence >] : 79

[< Agility >] : 78

[< unique ability >] : Calculation

[< special ability >] : item box

[< skill >] : Map

[< Status >] : Angry with Neo : Stressed out

Without having anyone else as a reference I didn’t know if their stats were normal, below average or above average. I thought; looking at other people’s stats can be a great tool.

When I analysed myself the data were very similar. 

[< Name >] : Neo ********

[< Age >] : 22

[< Oficio >] :

[< Level >] : 1

[< Life points (HP) >] : 85

[< Magic Points (MP) >] : 300

[< Damage >] : 110

[< Defence >] : 90

[< Agility >] : 50

[< unique ability >] : Evaluation

[< special ability >] : inventory

[< skill >] : Magic affinity

[< Status >] : Unconcerned : Intrigued

Comparing our statistics he seemed to be more balanced.

I tried looking around, analysed hundreds of plants I had never seen before.

■— Are you sure you’re not listening to me? That’s when Hunt stopped me by covering my eyes.—

●— If I am listening to you. I felt a heavy headache.—

■— So you’re not using the Evaluation ability, are you, that bloody nose of yours is because you’re happy to see me? He mocked me as I deactivated the skill and wiped my nose.—

●— How do you know what I was doing?—

■— The Lord warned me that this would happen to you, using the ability the first few times. Besides, we already know

each other.—

■— Now that you are calmer, try opening the menu.—

●— Menu?—

■— If there is a square at the bottom of your field of vision, right?—

First, I learned how to turn statistics on and off. Allowing us to visualise important metrics about the inventory in real time. Also, how to customise the position of each piece of data within the system. It taught me how to open the inventory, although we didn’t know how big it could be. I also learned how to place items in the inventory quick access bar. This allowed me to have access to all the objects without having to search for them in the inventory.

Hunt was very clear on how to use the menus and his skills, I’m sure he has a mini map or something like that in his interface. The item box and inventory skills are pretty much the same. My [ inventory ] skill, only allowed me to store items and some exceptions. That was not stated in the skill descriptions. As for Hunt’s skill I had no problem related to what I could and couldn’t put in and what I couldn’t put out.

We practised with sticks and stones to learn how to get objects in and out. Both Hunt and I got the hang of it very quickly. It created a mirage made of clouds where if we reached in, we could pull objects in. But if I concentrated on the quick access holes, I could pull them out and put them in. Hunt on the other hand had to look for the object, inside the item box. 

Hunt took the initiative. Using his map skill and thanks to us falling out of the sky he was able to see the world and discover something of the map. Checking our position he discovered a nearby river.  It took us a few hours to get there. We are not used to walking in the forest.

During the hours of walking I tried to make the items on the quick access bar appear in my hand, without having to create the mirage.

I was trying to master the art of manipulating objects when with fluidity and precision I made a few twists of the wrist, as if it were a card trick, and in a single movement I managed to make a stick appear in my hand.