Prologue
"Well, this is a rather macabre scene."
With a rather uncanny callousness underlining his voice, a rather well-dressed man who looked to be no older than forty took a few steps towards the crashed plane in front of him. There was no sense of trepidation as he stepped closer to the flames, and less so as he simply leaped atop the charred wreck to peer inside.
Hundreds of people, dead in but an instant. Young, old, healthy, frail—as was expected of a tragedy on this magnitude, none seemed to be spared. But despite being surrounded by a scene that could easily carve itself into the mind of people who could bear witness to such tragedy, the man seemed... Unfazed.
Well, that was to be expected, of course. He was here on a little job for his master, whose capricious nature he was bound to follow regardless of his own opinions. Lucky, then, that he happened to arrive at such an opportune time.
Better than than to have to dirty his own hands, after all.
As he stopped near the center of the downed vehicle, the man raised his right arm in front of him and opened a small portal above his head. With his left, he formed a small lantern glowing with blue-green light, and with none others living to witness the scene to follow, raised that same object up and shook it as he would a bell.
The wreckage, at once, seemed to be suffused with a dim glow, and one by one dancing lights seemed to float up and away for but a brief moment before being drawn towards that light.
"Let this humble servant provide you all a second chance," the man spoke as he walked through the portal, each light slowly following in his wake, "though let your choices be yours and yours alone."
Ere long, that ethereal light had faded from the plane, leaving naught but ash and solitude as the gateway slowly closed behind him.
Premise
So... It might not be evident at a glance, but this is a fantasy isekai story. Sure, it seems more like the prelude for an urban fantasy of sorts, but no, it's a fantasy isekai.
With game elements. Yes, how original, I know.
Setting that self-deprecating humor aside for a moment, I'll provide a bit more background knowledge for those who haven't up and left already below.
Having met an untimely demise in the wake of a plane crash, you and a few other people have woken up in the middle of a completely unknown location. What that location is may vary from group to group, but what be more pressing is the fact that you... May or may not be the same person you were before blacking out. More curious still might be the odd UI-like menu in front of you that feels like something straight out of a game, complete with stats, skills, and other miscellaneous information.
What to make of the situation is your choice to make, but to what end that may lead, only time can tell.
The System
In order to supplement their lack of experience in this new world, these wayward souls have been provided with a metaphysical construct henceforth dubbed "the System". This System does not turn the world into a game (though some might treat it as such anyways), but instead functions as both a way of quantifying abilities and the capabilities of the user. This does include the capability to gain experience and level up.
That being said, being able to level up does not mean that the natives of this world cannot also grow stronger and break past their limits. Rather, it is that the reincarnated have the ability to steer their growth as they see fit.
Other than that, the System has a built-in record system that functions similarly to a quest log and a messaging function that allows those who have met other wayward souls to communicate with one another regardless of the situation. It does not have a built-in map, minimap or inventory, though.
Only those who have been reincarnated (in other words, the player characters) can access this System, and it is an otherwise foreign concept to many of those who have lived in this world since being born.
Skills
A "Skill" in context of the System can be split into one of two categories: something that "increases the capabilities of a stat or action" or "allows for the execution of some type of action". The former would be something like a basic stat boost (e.g.; [MAG +10]), while the latter would be something more like [Holy Magic] or [Fire Magic]. Merely having a skill in the latter category does not mean that you can use any skill that it might fall under of course, but rather that you can use it at a basic level and that, if condition are right, you can learn how to use more advanced techniques in that vein. As to how to obtain them...
Well, some require luck, some require hard work, and some a mixture of both. Have fun exploring the possibilities!
I do believe that should be everything that I need to present to start? Honestly, this RP idea was spun up on impulse and I'm going to be running things fast and loose. Questions, concerns, or whatever else can be asked below, as usual. Here's a form for those who want to get started on some unapologetic isekai trash prep.
Everyone's entitled to some junk food every now and then, right?
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