SWNOVELXO Chapter 5: Chapter Five: A New Beginning
Chapter Five: A New Beginning
Quin hit the ground like a sack of wet laundry.
"–AUGH -ow, my spine,"
He wheezed, crumpled on his side as dirt puffed up around him in little golden clouds. His hoodie was now a second-hand duster, and something sharp jabbed him in the thigh. Probably a pinecone. Or a rock. Or anything hard and pointy, which doesn't narrow it down by a lot..
Laying there for a moment, groaning into the leaves. They smelled like spice and earth, faintly sweet, like cinnamon bark and orange peel. Sunlight cut through the canopy in long, slanted ribbons, turning the world gold and copper. Trees stretched above him tall, with twisted trunks and swaying colorful leaves, from brown to yellow.
Quin slowly sat up, brushing debris off his arms. Then he looked around.
Not a single person. No distant rooftops. No birdsong or roads or powerlines.
Just trees. Trees and more trees. And weird glowy bugs that blinked at him before zipping off like nervous fireflies.
"...So I don't even get the luxury of starting in a town, huh?" he said flatly, rubbing his lower back. "No tutorial village? No friendly farmer NPC? Not even a suspicious old man with an important-sounding cough?"
Silence.
A breeze drifted through the forest, gently shifting the golden leaves, as if the world were shrugging.
Quin let out a long sigh and flopped backward into the leaves, arms spread wide.
"Well, I guess this is my epic new beginning… this is a view worth dying for."
A faint ding echoed in his head.
[ Lordship System Activated ]
"Oh. Now you show up."
"So… how do I work this thing?" Quin muttered, brushing leaves off himself.
He looked around. Nothing answered. Just trees. And wind. And the faint sound of birds that absolutely did not belong on Earth.
"System open? …System start?" Still nothing.
He sighed. "Open Sesame?"
With a soft whoosh, something snapped into place in front of him- translucent panels forming mid-air like glass unfolding from nowhere. Blue light bathed his face as neat boxes aligned themselves in a hovering menu. Each icon shimmered slightly, as if pleased to be summoned.
"…Of course," he muttered, staring at it with deadpan disbelief. "That's the one that works."
A handful of headers floated in front of him, crisp white letters reading
---
[Stats]
[Inventory] (+2!)
[Missions]
[Gacha] (+10!)
---
He tilted his head. "Okay, that's… that's a full system menu… guess it's just like those novels."
A flick of his fingers didn't do much- his hand passed through the screen like mist -but the interface hovered patiently, waiting.
"Now… let's see. Inventory," Quin said aloud, poking a finger toward the icon like he was ordering food from a touch screen.
With a satisfying chime, the panel shifted.
---
[ Inventory ]
Beginner's Loot Box (New!)
Prince of Betrayal Plushie (New!)
---
He squinted. "Okay… loot box, expected. But that-" he pointed at the second entry with a raised brow "-is deeply concerning."
He tapped it out of curiosity, half-expecting it to hiss or explode.
A soft pop! sounded, and with a shimmer of light, a familiar plush materialized in his hands. The little bastard from his backpack. Somehow cleaner, a little more smug-looking… and wearing a tiny crown now.
"Mordred?" he asked flatly, squeezing the plush. "You've evolved. Great."
The plushie, silent and soft, did nothing. Yet Quin still narrowed his eyes like it was planning something.
"…Fine. You can stay."
He tossed it over his shoulder. It bounced once, landed upright, and somehow remained seated with perfect poise. Watching.
"Creepy."
He turned his attention back to the menu. "Alright. Let's crack the box open. Beginner's Loot Box… don't be shit... please god."
---
[ Rolling ]
[ Rolling ]
[ Rolling ]
[ Congrats User has gained 2x Stone Imps (Elden Ring) ]
---
And almost instantly, two stone imps stood before him. Their bodies were stone-gray, like carved statuettes or gargoyles. Limbs short and stiff, joints that didn't move quite right. And their faces- if you could call them that -were meticulously carved masks of animals, one cat and one wolf.
The cat gripped a twin-pronged hatchet with jagged edges, the metal dark and pitted. The other held a heavy pronged greatsword, nearly as long as its own body, which it dragged behind it that dug up dirt.
"These annoying little bastards?" He said, as if annoyed.
One cocked its head slowly, and the other did the same a second later.
Quin raised his hands, palms forward. "Okay. Listen. I didn't order… you. I was expecting maybe a weapon or a set of armour…?"
The one with the greatsword gave a tiny, unsettling bow.
"Well alright," Quin said. "Cool. Creepy murder goblins. Love that for me."
He looked between the two of them. They stood patiently, still as gravestones.
"...You don't talk much, do you?"
...
"Right… the weak silent type then. Awesome."
They weren't half bad… I mean, he could've gotten a lot worse,
He gave a weary sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright, fellas. If you're mine, guess that means you're on my newest subjects. Just… don't stab me in my sleep or whatever."
The one with the hatchet turned its mask toward him, unmoving.
Quin shivered.
"…Okay. Seriously. Cut that out."
Behind him, the plushie flopped slightly in the leaves, as if watching.
"Don't look at me like that. You're not the one stuck in a forest with a couple of freaks and no idea where the bathroom is." He turned back to the UI. "Alright, System. What else can you do?"
Quin eyed the glowing tabs floating in front of him, their soft pulse casting faint glimmers on the surrounding amber leaves. His gaze fell on [Missions], and he instinctively tapped at it.
Nothing happened.
He frowned and tapped harder.
Still nothing.
A little red lock icon blinked mockingly in the corner of the tab.
"Great. Of course it's locked."
With a sigh, he shifted to the next option. [Stats].
The tab rippled open like a curtain of light parting before him, revealing a clean, minimalist display:
---
[Stats]
Strength: 8
Speed: 7
Endurance: 11
Charm: 6
Authority: 6 (+1)
Aura: N/A
Note: Average human stats are 10. Aura not yet awakened.
---
He turned slightly to glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, the two stone imps were still there. One cradled its forked hatchet like a toddler holding a favorite toy. The other dragged its jagged greatsword through the leaf litter, leaving a trail behind.
"Huh… didn't expect them to give me a stat boost," he muttered.
The imps paused in perfect unison, staring at him with those emotionless animal masks. He wasn't sure whether they were sentient… but he could feel the smugness nonetheless.
"Alright…" Quin turned back to the hovering display. "System? What does each of these stats do, exactly?"
A moment passed.
Then, the interface shifted with a soft blink.
---
[Stat Definitions]
[Strength] – Physical might. Impacts melee power, grappling, and the ability to break things- walls, bones, etc.
[Speed] – Reaction time and agility. Influences dodge timing, sprinting, finesse in combat, and how well you avoid tripping over tree roots.
[Endurance] – How much you can take. Governs stamina, damage resistance, illness resistance, and how long you last before passing out.
[Charm] – Social finesse. Affects how well you get along with others, your persuasiveness, and the odds of people deciding not to punch you.
[Authority] – Leadership presence. Determines how effectively you issue commands, whether followers obey, and how intimidating or commanding you are.
[Aura] – (Locked) This stat is currently unavailable. Unlock through specific conditions.
---
Quin rubbed his chin, then looked at the imps again.
"So… they make me more intimidating?" he said aloud, still not sure how to feel about that.
One of the imps gave its greatsword a dramatic clang against the dirt. The other tilted its head- just slightly -like an owl.
Quin took a step away from them.
"Okay. Great. These creepy bastards aid my ability to boss people around… that makes sense, oddly enough."
With that, he backed out of the stats tab and moved onto the next and his finger hovered just above the glowing [Gacha] tab…
"Alright," he muttered, "Let's see if I get something broken or-"
CRACK.
A tree somewhere to his left snapped in half with a sharp, thunderous crunch. Birds exploded out of the canopy in a flurry of panic.
He froze.
From the shadows between the trunks, something enormous lumbered forward. Black fur shifted like smoke across its hulking frame, muscle bunching under unnatural hide. Bone-white plates jutted out along its shoulders and spine- its face masked with an almost theatrical skull, painted through with jagged red lines that glowed faintly like war paint.
An Ursa.
A Grimm.
And it was looking right at him.
"Oh," Quin breathed. "Oh no. Nope. Nope-nope-nope-"
The Ursa snarled, its maw parting to reveal fangs like broken daggers. It charged.
"IMPS!" Quin barked, voice cracking. "Go! Attack! I command thee- defend your glorious lord or whatever!!"
He stumbled backward over a root as the two stone imps moved for the first time on their own. Like feral dogs unleashed from a leash, they sprang forward with eerie, mechanical agility.
The first imp, the one wielding the twisted forked hatchet, went low, scampering through leaves like a gremlin. The second, dragging that pronged greatsword, charged high.
The Ursa roared, meeting them with an earthshaking swipe of its claw- but the hatchet imp leapt, biting into the creature's forearm with a sickening squelch. Sparks and ichor flew.
The greatsword imp followed up with a full-body lunge, driving its jagged weapon into the Ursa's shoulder. The Grimm howled, swinging wildly, and slammed its massive body into a tree trying to shake the imps off.
Quin clambered to his feet and ducked behind a log, heart racing. "This is fine! This is fine! I've got tiny gremlins doing my dirty work- totally normal!"
He peeked out again.
The hatchet imp clung to the Grimm's back, hacking repeatedly at the nape of its neck like a lumberjack with a vendetta. The greatsword imp had been thrown into a nearby boulder but rose again, rather unharmed, dragging its weapon with that same jerky purpose.
The Ursa staggered, black mist oozing from a dozen cuts. It whipped around just in time to take a dual strike- hatchet embedded in its eye socket, greatsword cleaving down its neck, beheading it cleanly… or as clean as a weapon designed for bleed damage could.
A final, shuddering groan, and the Grimm collapsed to the forest floor with a thud that rattled Quin's ribs.
Silence.
He blinked once. Twice.
The stone imps stood atop the corpse, perfectly still, staring back at him with those unblinking, animal masks.
"…Holy hell," he whispered. "I'm never sleeping again."
The system chimed softly in his head, almost smug.
[Victory – Minor Grimm Defeated]
[Authority +1 (Temporary Combat Bonus)]
[Mission Tab Unlocked]
"Of course that unlocked now," Quin mumbled, wiping a bead of sweat from his temple. "Right after the nightmare bear."
He looked at the imps, before opening the system back up… it had closed once he moved far enough away.
"…Now, can I roll my gacha in peace?"
---
[ Gacha ]
[ Rolls Remaining: 10 ]
Ready to test your luck? Roll now!
Vélet is not responsible for any addictions.
---
"This can't be that addictive… right?" Quin said as he tapped the screen.
---
[ Rolling… ]
[ Rolling… ]
[ Rolling… ]
★ Dandadan — Tori Charm
A paper talisman that wards off evil spirits and alerts when danger is near. Smells faintly of rust.
★ Stardew Valley — 5x Slimes
They bounce, they jiggle, they squeak. Store them in a reinforced container. You did get one, right?
★ Doom Eternal — UAC Spokesperson
A chipper AI hologram that spouts helpful (and horrifying) tips about staying safe in hostile environments. Cannot be shut up.
★ Grand Theft Auto — Pear Phone
A sleek, overpriced, oddly durable smartphone. Reception in other dimensions is… unreliable.
★ Rimworld — 10x Smokeleaf
"For medical and… morale purposes." Use responsibly. Or don't… I can't control you
★ Citizen Sleeper — Operator Clothing
Includes a padded coat, cargo pants, and a chips white shirt… clothing of the far future.
★ Warhammer 40K — 5x Servitor Skulls (4 Sensor, 1 Medi-Skull)
They hum. They hover. They whisper in binary. One of them might be judging you.
★ Bye Bye Earth — Sheet Music (Libretto)
Sheet music, sure, but one whose melody gives one a power up!
★ Fate/Grand Order — Vorpal Chicken
An aggressively territorial, feathered nightmare with glowing eyes. Does 1d10 psychic damage per cluck.
★ GTA — Flare Gun
Absolutely not subtle. Excellent for starting fires, signaling allies, or causing mayhem.
---
Quin stared at the list, mouth slightly open. The Vorpal Chicken flapped once in the distance and disappeared behind a tree… he doesn't even remember fighting one of those in Fate.
"…Okay. I get it. I have a problem."
From the air just above Quin's head, there was a low whirrr followed by a sharp click.
Five hovering skulls descended in loose formation- each one a bleached cranium, with cybernetic enhancements bolted and burned into place. A dense mass of wires hung from the bottom of each like synthetic spinal cords, twitching faintly.
One had a massive, glinting needle jutting from its mouth, trembling slightly as it hovered. It rotated lazily toward Quin, who instinctively took a cautious step back.
"...Yeah, I wish you guys were genuine servitors. Could probably get a whole forest cleared out with a few of you," he muttered. "Or build me a shack. Or not hover behind me like I'm a damn war criminal."
The skulls didn't answer. They merely blinked red in sequence. Comforting.
Then the ground burbled.
Five blue slimes surged up from the amber-hued forest floor, wobbling and gurgling with happy little gloop noises. They bounced in place- wet, translucent blobs with beady little eyes and vague approximations of joy.
"...Can I even command you?" Quin asked, half-hopeful, half-dreading the answer.
One of the slimes bounced twice. The others mimicked it. He pointed to a nearby tree. "Uh… hop to that tree?"
All five slimes enthusiastically launched themselves into the tree trunk. There was a fwop fwop fwop and a sound like overripe fruit hitting pavement. The slimes slowly peeled off and dribbled back down.
"Huh. That's a yes."
Suddenly, the air in front of him shimmered, pixelating in a swirl of red and white light. A figure materialized- an old-school UAC Spokesperson hologram, crisp suit, uncanny smile, and corporate cheer radiating from every pore.
Its eyes glowed faintly red.
"Welcome, User… your blood sacrifice today, makes for a better tomorrow!"
Quin squinted. "Oh no."
"Please note: All unauthorized uses of System assets may result in dismemberment, demotion, or desperate cries for help that'll never come… Have a wonderful day!"
He slowly raised a hand and waved at the hologram. "…Do I get dental?"
"Employee benefits include… not being killed."
"Wow," Quin muttered, "corporate America really was a test run for Hell."
The hologram lifted both of its hands in a sweeping gesture- palms facing upward like some messianic presenter unveiling a grand prize. From the center of each hand, holographic light shimmered out, forming glowing panes of text in midair.
The System interface reassembled itself, sleeker than before- like an upgrade had downloaded silently while he was busy nearly dying.
---
[ System Interface Active ]
[ Stats ]
[ Inventory ] (+6!)
[ Missions ] (+1)
[ Gacha ]
[ Units ] (New!)
---
"Huh… new tab." Quin leaned in, inspecting the glowing golden letters pulsing faintly next to the word Units. "Guess we're getting fancy."
The hovering servitor skulls buzzed in eerie unison behind him, while the slimes happily bounced at his feet like sentient jellybeans. One of them squeaked.
He exhaled slowly. "Okay... Units probably means I have to manage these freaks now."
The UAC hologram continued smiling.
"Remember, USER: Managing personnel efficiently ensures maximum productivity and minimal disembowelment. Failure to do so may result in demotion to biomass."
"...You people ever hear of therapy?"
Quin swiped through the glowing panes and tapped on [Inventory].
---
[ Inventory ]
Prince of Betrayal Plushie
Operator Clothing (New!)
Tori Charm (New!)
Pear Phone (New!)
Sheet Music (New!)
Flare Gun (New!)
Smokeleaf x10 (New!)
---
His gaze settled on the Operator Clothing, its small rotating holographic preview showing a sleek, urban-style outfit with a futuristic edge—a padded dark-gray coat with blue hexagonal highlights, white synthetic shirt, fitted cargo pants, and sleek boots. Every part of it shimmered faintly, like it had been pulled from a world that took both fashion and practicality very, very seriously.
"Alright. Let's see how cyberpunk tastes," he muttered, and selected Equip.
There was no flash, no swirl of magic or energy. Just a soft shimmer as the clothes seamlessly replaced what he had been wearing- lightweight, perfectly fitted, and way more breathable than his old hoodie. The fabric felt cool to the touch, almost unnaturally so, and carried a faint scent of bleach.
He ran a hand down the front of the coat.
"All synthetic. No tags. Not bad… there is a crap ton of straps though"
The shirt was a crisp white, tucked neatly under the armored weave of the coat. The pants had actual working pockets- lots of them -and the boots molded to his feet like they'd been custom-fitted.
One of the imps tilted its stone head, curious, and Quin gave it a look.
"What? You guys get masks, I get drip. Fair's fair."
He could feel the judgement dripping off the feline imp as it stared at him with those unblinking eyes.
He stared right back. "Look, it's either this or I'll be wearing the same thing for months on end."
The feline imp gave a slow, unimpressed turn back to the imp.
Unbothered, Quin flicked back to the Inventory, scrolling past the plushie and flare gun until his thumb hovered over one of the more curious items:
Smokeleaf x10.
Ten neatly packaged, dried bundles of fragrant leaves, each wrapped with care in simple paper and tied with a strand of red thread.
"Smokeleaf?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "I mean… I could smoke it. But knowing my luck, that's the exact moment Kevin or a Nevermore decides to jump me."
He tapped one of the bundles thoughtfully, then sighed and backed out of the menu.
"…Might just save it for when I actually have a mental break. Y'know. Like a responsible degenerate."
One of the slimes gave a happy blorp in response, clearly supportive of this decision. His plushie, of course, remained unimpressed... she was left on the floor after the whole Urse fight, afterall.
"Don't judge me, I've been through a lot today." He muttered, grabbing the plush by the arm before gently placing it in his new hood.
Quin closed the system with a flick of his hand- at least, he assumed that was how it worked. The glowing menus faded away with a soft hum, vanishing into pixelated motes that scattered into the air like embers… the UAC, no… the System Spokesperson still standing there like a walking advert.
The strange future-clothing adjusted itself snugly to his frame, and the padded coat gave a subtle hiss as it finished sealing at the cuffs and collar. Synthetic, sure, but surprisingly comfy.
He glanced at the slimes. They'd settled into a loose ring around him, squishy blue blobs gently bobbing with the occasional ripple, they were waiting for input… or food. The imps, for their part, had taken up defensive flanks without even being asked, still as statues, weapons casually resting against their shoulders.
The five skulls hovered in a loose orbit around Quin, each one a chilling blend of ancient bone and harsh, utilitarian machinery. Their lower halves were crowned with tangled cables and thick steel tubing that hung like limp, cybernetic entrails- wires occasionally twitching or sparking with pale energy.
Four of the skulls bore lenses embedded in their sockets, red glows pulsing like slow heartbeats as they scanned their surroundings. The fifth was unmistakably different: instead of optical gear, a massive hypodermic needle jutted straight out from its mouth like a grotesque beak, its surface coated in some faintly glimmering residue. He didn't even want to guess what it was filled with.
They made no sound, no humming or buzzing, just the faint crackle of static from the occasional twitch of their cables. One tilted slightly to look at him- and I mean really look at him -then resumed its slow drift.
The forest around him rustled with a breeze that smelled of autumn. Orange and amber leaves drifted from the canopy above like lazy butterflies. The light filtering through the branches gave everything a golden tint, soft but watchful. Not hostile, not yet, but… alert.
Quin sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Alright… now, where the hells am I?"
The trees didn't answer. But somewhere distant, something howled…
3451 Words
//////////////////
He's arrived in Remnant! And so did numerous technological and biological abominations.. wonder what that Vorpal Chicken will get up to, it is a dangerous beast afterall.