《Soul Forged In Iron Links》 Barbeque and a cliche beginning? It was warm as always in Orlando, Florida. A persistent summer. Though the heat had begun to taper off, the sun was still relentless, and it inched toward the horizon as it prepared to retire for the night. It was close to 6pm, and in a nicely sized suburban home, there was a cookout, the hiss and pop of meat as a grizzled man tended the grill, women gossiping and sipping drinks to stay cool, kids running around a pool with screams of laughter. Lux Meridian wasn¡¯t much of a social butterfly. That wasn¡¯t to say he was some antisocial nerd who couldn¡¯t handle five minutes of socializing, but he¡¯d much rather not talk if given the choice. He¡¯d just turned twenty, and, still living at home with his parents, he was very aware of the stigma. In this economy, he wouldn¡¯t survive on his own. Not with the dead-end job stocking shelves in a dollar store. That was neither here nor there. This gathering¡ªa barbeque, a get-together, call it whatever you want¡ªit was a family function. Cousins, uncles, family friends, and even some of their partners. A place where someone would definitely come up and say, ¡°Hey Lux, got a girlfriend yet?¡± or ¡°Lux, buddy, pal, what¡¯s that job situation looking like?¡± Safe to say he did not want to be here, but the word of his mother was law. That was how he¡¯d been raised. He was making the rounds, dodging people he didn¡¯t really want to talk to and searching for the only group of family or friends he could handle without putting on a filter. The nerds. The ones who talked about manga, manhwa, anime, and everything else he liked. Lux dabbled in those forms of media, but as the working man he fancied himself to be, he mostly favored audiobooks. His usual RBF, resting bitch face, lightened up when he spotted one of his younger cousins talking to someone. He made a beeline for them, sliding past one more person, and cleared his throat. ¡°Ma¡ª¡± ¡°System Initialization.¡± It was such a clich¨¦, to the start of the end of the world. Lux had listened to dozens of audiobooks that started out just like this, though the first message always seemed to be flavored differently. Time almost came to a complete stop. Colors faded, leaving his surroundings a mishmash of grey, white, and black. He couldn¡¯t move. He kept staring at the black pop-up screen with white letters flashing its announcement. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Welcome, denizens of Earth. Due to an influx of system-bound creatures, your universe has been inducted as an automatic defense protocol. Good luck, have fun, and don¡¯t die.¡± System-bound creatures? Did that mean aliens? His head began to ache. Despite his unmoving form, he groaned internally. Why couldn¡¯t he move? One second he was at his uncle¡¯s house; the next he stood in a vast, lightless void. How had this happened? Despite the lack of illumination, he could see his own body. Was he floating or standing? It was all surreal. On one hand, his inner nerd was jumping. On the other, he knew damn well he wasn¡¯t some main character with an unbreakable spirit or the ability to just push through agonizing pain. Or was he? No, that was a dangerous path to run down. He¡¯d be stupid to entertain that idea. The black space around him seemed to warp, and a figure that was more of an outline in the dark miasma took shape. The more Lux stared at it, the more he realized it was him. Okay, not exactly him, but it was shaped like him. It was above average height, close to 5¡¯11¡±. A little wide. It had the suggestion of shaggy hair on top of its head. But there weren¡¯t any distinct features other than the outline. It just stood there. Or floated. He still didn¡¯t know which one he was doing himself. Before he could think on it much longer, the figure splintered. Like it was cracking. Light leaked from the brakes, blinding him. Then the shape shifted. Shrank. Lux could see it taking on new details. New hair. New curves. New features. His eyes went wide as he realized who it was. ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Welcome, Initiate Lux Meridian. The system is now terraforming your universe for initialization. This process will take time, so we have taken to putting the denizens of your universe into a tutorial whilst the work is being done. I am [Redacted], and I have taken to this form as a means to keep you calm.¡± Yeah, keep me calm, my fucking ass. The sight of this thing taking the shape of his mother did the exact opposite of that, and Lux could feel his own heart speed up as it kept going on and on. There was no mouth, so he couldn¡¯t see it speak, nor did the sound travel; it was as if the words were directly implemented into his brain, leaving no room to deny the truth. This was real, and it was happening. He should say something, complain, ask questions, or do anything other than floating here and staring dumbly. ¡°You will be randomly teleported to a tutorial world; there you will learn the basics of the system. Be wary: Lux Meridian death is a possibility in the tutorial; that is your only warning. Let us begin with class selection. I provide you with the basic classes that everyone is at first offered." Either oblivious to Lux¡¯s mental fight with himself or uncaring, the robotic voice that gained more and more emotion almost sounding like his mother at this point, continued to info dump onto the young man. Class selection and Isekai? So here he was in a void talking to a figure that sounded like and had the outline of my mother. Lux was usually really good at turning his brain off and just going with the flow, but right now that didn¡¯t seem like the case. The figure made a motion with its hands, and light crept into the dark void, forming a table and two chairs. They¡­ her¡­ it? took a seat in one and motioned for him to do the same. His body moved on its own, and he sat with his hands at his side whilst staring at whatever this thing was. "Alright, four options This is a pretty important decision, so think on it really hard.¡± He once again didn¡¯t respond and just stared. It sounded completely like Mom, and that creeped him out to no end. Classes, okay, he had played D&D and Baldur''s Gate, and a myriad of other fantasy games, so a starting class wouldn''t be too hard to choose, right? ¡°Is there a way to see my stats? Do I even have stats?¡± Those were a thing, right? His voice was unsure, but the figure didn¡¯t respond, and in front of him a black screen with white writing appeared like a pop-up. Name: Lux Meridian Race: Human [Earth] Level 1 Class: N/A Health Points (HP): 70/70 Mana Points (MP): 70/70 Stamina: 60/60 Stats Strength: 12 Agility: 7 Endurance: 6 Vitality: 7 Toughness: 9 Wisdom: 8 Intelligence: 7 Perception: 5 Willpower: 6 Free points: 0 Titles N/A Yeah, so that didn¡¯t help him out that much, especially seeing as he didn¡¯t know how good or bad his stats were, but Lux¡¯s immediate guess was that he wasn¡¯t working with anything amazing. ¡°Can you go a little more in-depth on these stats?¡± He didn¡¯t even know the classes yet, but knowing his baseline was needed gather the information, plan, and then execute; that was the smart thing to do. There was an empty silence between the two, and before Lux spoke up again, the figure outlined in light spoke. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°For a human of Earth, the average for a stat is 10; 20 is considered the peak of what someone of your race could accomplish, but of course there are outliers.¡± His mother¡ªno, not his mother but the thing that sounded like her¡ªexplained. So basically he was right in his assumption: he sucked ass at everything and only had above-average strength. expected seeing as he was a bigger guy and had what some would call cheat strength ¡°Okay.¡± Still unsure whether or not this was actually happening, he took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let go of everything. His shoulders sagged, and he opened his eyes once more. ¡°Those classes can I see¡ª¡± Before Lux could finish, the black and white screen in front of him expanded, and an array of information was provided. Warrior: Your bread and butter of a class, simple good, strong good. Ooga booga, think knight, think barbarian. Your path dictates where this class ultimately culminates +2 Str, +1 Vit, +1 End, +1 Tough (stats per level). Ranger: Your sneaky class is not so simple but also kind of simple. Think rogue, think hunter; your path dictates where this class ultimately culminates +2 Per, +1 Agi, +1 End, +1 Str (stats per level). Caster: You¡¯re a wizard, Harry. magic goes boom. What you lack in strength, you make up in the ability to summon magic. This class isn¡¯t simple; think of wizards and sorcerers. Your path dictates where this class ultimately culminates. +2 Int, +1 Wis, +1 Will, +1 Per (stats per level) Healer: So you want to help? Imagine a caster, but instead of boom, you do the opposite: heal those around you and yourself. Think of priests and clerics (yes, there¡¯s a difference). Your path dictates where this class ultimately culminates. +2 Will, +2 Wis, +1 Int (stats per level) Yeah, that was about what he¡¯d expect for beginning classes. One thing he found odd was how the system worded the descriptions. Shouldn''t it be more formal? ¡°Why are the descriptions for the classes so¡­ informal?¡± Hell, it made a Harry Potter reference. ¡°The system is using phrases and dialect that the initiate finds easiest to understand. It''s a means to make your initiation easier to understand.¡± So the system knew Harry Potter, and it was explaining classes in a way that Lux would understand; sure, that was understandable. This whole situation was understandable; totally, he wasn''t coping with sarcasm. No, that would be silly. ¡°Any suggestions for what class I should take?¡± He didn''t get an answer, and Lux didn''t believe asking again would lead to a different response, so he mulled over everything he knew. Each class had a stat increase of five points per level; the healer was the only class with a stat increase of 2 int two stats. two of his lower stats at that, not that any of his stats were high. He scoffed at his own thoughts. The healer didn¡¯t fit; he didn¡¯t know where he was going to be transported or if there would be people around. Healers needed a team. so he blocked that class out. ¡°Starting classes, are they provided with any beginner''s gear?¡± ¡°No gear will be provided after class selection.¡± His mother''s voice broke down his train of thought, and he grumbled a curse. caster, who didn''t want magic? But honestly, mages were weak early on and only thrived within groups like a healer. Well, traditional mages, and whilst Lux could try to power game his life, he had to be smart here. Caster was a no-go. ¡°Any information on where my tutorial will take place?¡± It was worth a shot, right? He had gotten an answer for most of his questions; he just didn''t want to lock in on something and regret it later.¡°No information about the tutorial can be shared at this moment.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He was definitely feeling bitter right now. Okay, the last two classes were both physical, but one called out to him. He liked the speedy types sneaking and long-range fighting. Hunters were cool; he could definitely see himself on that path. Most of his favorite fictional characters were either mages or some type of rogue; maybe he could use them as a template and become something amazing. Yeah right, the sensible choice was the most simple one, the one that added onto his best stat the most. Warrior, it was simple, it was boring, it was safe. Mentally he made the choice. You have chosen the warrior class. Confirm? He confirmed and felt a small twinge in his stomach. He expected a pop-up, maybe some skills for his class, but he didn¡¯t get anything. ¡°This is crazy.¡± He muttered to himself, staring at the figure across from the table. He had so many questions, but he didn¡¯t know which to ask first or if he should ask any at all; it¡¯d most likely end up with him being more confused in the end. ¡°So how¡¯s this work? Do you just, like, send me away and check up on me periodically? i¡¯ve never been in this situation so im not sure how to proceed¡± ¡°With time you will learn more; have faith, Lux, in yourself most of all.¡± His mother''s voice gave him a genuine sense of comfort. The expressionless black void slowly morphed; white light formed a mouth and a small smile, followed by two white orbs for eyes. ¡°Good luck, have fun. Don¡¯t die.¡± Was that going to become a thing? He just sighed, not even bothering to respond, as he felt his entire form shift. The black void was replaced, and he fell to his knees. Clean wood was below him, and he let out a haggard breath. Looking up and around, he saw spears, swords, and pikes pointed at him, men and women dressed in armor, and a man with a crown sitting on a throne looking down at him. ¡°Fuck me.¡± Was he just isekai''d?