[ Your first Mission as Plot Armor has been automatically started. ]
[ Mission Subject: Iris Platina. ]
[ Mission Objective: Survival ]
[ Mission Mode: Unlimited ]
Words resonated within Damian's head in this unknown state of semi-consciousness. Thankfully, the endless veil of darkness didn't last long. Except…
As soon as his vision was restored, Damian found himself in mid-air. He was quickly flying towards something as if he was thrown at it!
'What the-'
Damian tried to brace for the impact, but it was like he no longer had any control over his body. Thankfully, the crash that he was expecting didn't take place.
Everything went dark again. This time, however, he was able to open his eyes. Only his perspective was reversed yet again.
'I'm getting dizzy.'
In his panic, Damian couldn't take the whole scenery in as he fell, yet that scenery was already inverted.
'Did someone or something adjust my position after protecting me from the wall?'
Still failing to catch up with the speed things were happening, Damian slowly scanned the area around him to find out where he landed.
There were rocks and more rocks, even the walls were all made of rocks like he was inside a large cave. There was also some faint greenery here and there, as well as a cute floating ghost.
Thankfully, there was also a reflective surface.
Noticing the shallow water puddle, Damian was just about to learn forward to check himself for injuries when he realized that something was wrong.
'Wait!'
Did the absurdity of the situation screw up his common sense? Why was he calmly reacting to something insane like a real ghost?!
Looking back, Damian's eyes widened as he scrutinized the faded projection of a silver-haired beauty clad in tattered armor.
'Crazy.'
Now that he looked at her closely, this ghost didn't look like she was silently haunting him. She was continuously flailing her arms with panic spilling out of her eyes. She even seemed to be trying to say something…
{Give my body back!}
Once Damian focused his attention on her moving mouth, the ghosts' silenced words got through!
[ Subject Possession complete. ]
Hearing what she had to say followed by the return of the message window, Damian's mind processed everything down to one conclusion…
'No way, right?'
The point of his fall was very blurry when he crashed into it, but now that he tried to recall, it did have the general shape of a human body.
Was the reason for his safe crash that he was a weightless soul like her just a few seconds ago? Did this nonsensical system actually throw him into possessing a girl?!
'Even if you are going to transmigrate me, at least- Oh?'
Damian rushed toward the water puddle to confirm his guess while barely holding back his curses. However, things were a little bit different than what he expected.
His average but defined face did get a bit more handsome and his black hair had strangely turned silver platinum, but his body was still the same.
'More muscles as well?'
Rather, his body looked a tad more manly as his muscles felt tighter. He also shared the tattered armor that the ghost wore…
[ As the Subject's gender clashes with that of their chosen Plot Armor, physical characteristics had been temporarily altered. ]
As the words displayed on the timely message window echoed with a neutral voice in his head, Damian's confusion lessened, albeit very slightly…
'Phew!'
He still couldn't grasp everything, but whatever was happening, gender bender was something that Damian could never accept!
Thankfully, just as Damian was about to start figuring out his current situation, more information was provided by the source of his troubles.
[ This is your first test as a Preliminary Plot Armor Administrator. Your Mission has been randomly picked. ]
[ Mission Details: Mission Subject has encountered a near-death situation, fulfill your Mission Subject's destiny by surviving in her place until all imminent danger is lifted to earn Fate Points and return to Origin World. ]
[ Mission Subject Status Window(Possessed):
Name: Iris Platina (Damian Tray)
Age: 21 (24)
Level: 1 (FP: 0)
Class: Beginner Aura Knight
Title: Failure of The Renowned Knight Family
Strength: 12 [31%]
Constitution: 11 [25%]
Agility: 13 [89%]
Wisdom: 11 (33)
Aura: 6
Skills: Swordsmanship Lv.2, Spearmanship Lv.1, Blunt Mastery Lv.1, Shield Arts Lv.1, Aura Nurturing Lv.1
Passives: Combat Instincts (A+), Resource Devouring Genius (S-)
Abilities: Platinum Aura Nurturing [Tier-0] (B) ]
'This is…'
Being introduced to such a familiar screen once again, Damian was suddenly enlightened about his situation.
'Isn't this just like the game?'
The first message was wholly new. However, the two that followed it were only slightly different from the introduction that popped up whenever Damian started a new level in Fate's Guide!
Was this the identity of the Plot Armor System? Was it an instrument that allowed him to experience Fate's Guide from a realistic point of view?
'Spatial Gates and Superhumans exist, so it isn't impossible, but…'
Was this real or just a VR-like simulation? Did he truly get sent to another world to fulfill a mission like he always did from behind the screen?
Damian had to jump a few steps to reach such a conclusion. However, unless he was dreaming, he felt that the chances were pretty good. Everything just seemed to fit!
It wasn't called the Fate Guiding System, but the new name wasn't that far off. Thinking back to the many steps that he went through to get the characters to reach their turning point, being their Plot Armor was pretty plausible.
'So, I need to survive this place and I could obtain Fate Points and go back?'
Once he put things into context, Damian felt less detached from the situation. Naturally, he couldn't just accept this surprise Possession, but he had to start considering what to do next.
The option to go back meant that this wasn't a Transmigration situation, his own body wasn't dead… Hopefully. Getting back to it was the tough part here.
If this was anything like the game, a one-target mission like survival was probably the most complicated of them all.
What caused Damian's heart to beat faster, however, was the Fate Points.
'If I can use them, then…'
In Fate's Guide, this was the most important 'currency' a player could obtain, shortened to FP, and it had many uses. Whether it worked the same way in reality was another story though.
Just as his renewed understanding of the danger flooded his mind with anxiety, Damian was a little excited about the end prospects of this unfortunate situation. Perhaps realizing his fantasies wasn't so impossible after all…
Although he didn't grasp the whole situation just yet, it wouldn't be too late to do that step by step just like he did in the game before starting to panic.
Most importantly, there was already an apparent advantage that Damian never had in the game!
'Let's start by asking her.'
Compared to the Character Setting page that he got at the start of every level, Damian now had the character itself to ask her for every little detail.
In truth, getting to converse with the character was the thing that Damian was currently the most excited about!
"Hey, you… Iris. Can you hear me? Let's have a chat first."
This ghost… No, this girl seemed to misunderstand the situation, so they had to reach a proper understanding first.
[ Skill Synchro in process… ]
'Hm?'
[ Information Transmission Complete. Temporary Time Stop lifted. ]
[ Save Point created. ]
However, just as the girl finally stopped making a ruckus and turned to Damian, more message windows kept popping up, and by the time Damian processed what they meant…
Shik!
A shadow flew out of nowhere, directly landing on his neck. Before Damian could process the pain itself, his world went dark again.
[ You have died. ]
That was how Damian's first encounter with death came to be.