The fall ended like a feather landing on silk.
Leon's back hit damp earth, not with the bone-jarring crash he expected, but with a gentle thump, like the world itself had reached up to catch him. He groaned, blinking against filtered sunlight that peeked through a canopy of silver-leafed trees. The leaves shimmered like coins in the breeze, casting dancing shadows across his face.
A strange scent hit him first: wild moss mixed with the sharp tang of ozone, and something lightly floral that made him think of his grandmother's garden. His body tingled with the residue of divine transit, like static electricity, but warmer. Nothing hurt, which was honestly a miracle considering he'd just been shot through dimensions.
He sat up slowly, brushing dirt from his hair.
Birdsong. Wind through leaves. And something else, magic in the air. He could actually 'feel' it now, thanks to whatever Helios had done to him. It shimmered faintly on his skin like invisible mist, as if the world itself was breathing mana.
Then he noticed what he was wearing.
"Okay..." he muttered, dusting himself off and getting to his feet. "Trench coat, check."
The coat felt weightless but durable, like it was made from some space-age fabric. When he moved, faint blue runes stitched beneath the inner lining glowed gently before fading from sight. It was the kind of detail that screamed "fantasy equipment" without being flashy about it.
Underneath, he wore a clean, form-fitting outfit, simple black tunic and pants that felt like they'd been tailored specifically for him. The material was lightweight and flexible, built for movement. He rolled his shoulders, testing the fit. It didn't chafe or cling in weird places.
"Not bad," he said, doing a quick stretch. "Feels like athletic wear, but cooler."
He glanced to his side. A basic sword lay there in the grass, nothing ornate or glowing, just a sturdy single-edged blade about the length of his arm. The metal had a dark blue tint and a reinforced hilt wrapped in what looked like leather.
Leon picked it up and gave it a slow, experimental swing. The balance was solid, the weight distributed just right. It wasn't legendary, but it was good. And right now, good was enough.
Still, something felt... off.
He patted his coat pockets frantically. "Sword? Check. Coat? Check. Inner wear? Check." He paused, panic rising in his chest. "But where's—"
'Buzz.'
His phone vibrated in his coat pocket.
Leon nearly sagged in relief. "There you are, you beautiful piece of technology."
He pulled it out with shaking hands. Same frame. Same weight. Same wallpaper: a digital rendition of a fantasy city skyline he'd downloaded years ago. But now the screen pulsed with subtle, golden energy that made his fingertips tingle.
A message appeared:
> [DLC SHOP]
> Welcome to Eldros, Leon Gray.
> Starter Pack Claimed.
> Current DLC Points: 200
"DLC Points?" Leon raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's not ominous at all."
He scrolled down, and more information appeared:
> Trench Coat of the Awakened – Equipped
> Iron-Soul Blade – Equipped
> Innerwear: Standard Combat Undergarment – Equipped
> Active Skills:
> Combat Intuition (Genius)
> Mana Sense (Genius)
"Okay... I look the part," Leon muttered, glancing at his reflection in the phone screen. "But that's not gonna help if I get poisoned or torn open by some fantasy forest monster."
He stared at the DLC Points counter, 200 DP. Whatever those were, they seemed important.
"Time to go shopping, I guess."
---
The DLC Shop interface expanded with a two-finger swipe, opening like a flower blooming in fast-forward.
> Categories:
> Skills
> Equipment
> Potions
> Tools
> Miscellaneous
> Locked (???)
Leon tapped Potions, and the list bloomed with clean icons and descriptions. Some cost hundreds of points, glowing gold or purple like premium items. But at the very bottom, almost hidden...
> Low-Grade Healing Potion – 1 DP
> Restores minor wounds, cuts, and physical fatigue.
> Quantity: Input
> Low-Grade Mana Potion – 1 DP
> Restores a small portion of spent mana.
> Mild taste of berries.
> Quantity: Input
Leon blinked. "One point each? That's either the best deal ever, or these things are basically flavored water."
He selected 10 of each, figuring it was better to be safe than sorry.
> Purchase confirmed.
> [10x Healing Potions]
> [10x Mana Potions]
> Items have been received.
The phone buzzed with a short shimmer of light, and Leon felt two faint glows form briefly in his coat's inner pocket. He reached in and sure enough, the potions were there, real, solid, and surprisingly warm to the touch.
"Okay..." he let out a breath. "I'm not gonna die from a papercut. Progress."
---
He backed out of the Potions tab and hovered over Skills, curiosity getting the better of him.
This list was much longer, divided into sections: Basic Techniques, Passive Skills, Movement, Perception, Utility. The prices ranged wildly, from 20 DP to 500 DP and beyond. Some of the expensive ones had descriptions that made Leon's eyes widen.
One glowed softly at the top of the Utility section:
> Inventory – 100 DP
> Grants access to an internal storage space bound to the soul.
> Carry up to 30 standard-weight items.
> Items can be recalled instantly.
> Locked for others.
> Cannot store living beings.
Leon's gamer brain lit up. "Storage cheat. Classic."
He hesitated. A hundred points was half his total, but after glancing at the potions bulging in his coat pockets, he sighed and tapped 'Purchase.'
> Skill Imprinted.
> [Inventory] added to skill list.
> Interface linked to phone OS.
Another icon appeared on his phone, a black-and-silver vault symbol. He tapped it, and a translucent 5x6 grid appeared over his screen. The potions were already there, having auto-sorted themselves into neat stacks.
Leon smiled. "Okay, that's legitimately slick."
---
Then something else caught his attention, glowing in the Perception section:
> Inspect – 50 DP
> Allows you to view status details of individuals, monsters, and objects.
> Reveals Name, Race, Job Class, Rank
> Displays known Attributes and Skills
> Stronger targets may resist
> Some information may be hidden
Leon raised an eyebrow. "So this is the stat screen unlock. Every fantasy protagonist needs one of these."
He considered it for a moment, then nodded. Information was power, and power was survival.
"Worth it."
> Skill Imprinted.
> [Inspect] added to skill list.
Another warm glow passed through his mind, knowledge embedding itself into instinct. He now knew, without being taught, how to look at something and 'feel' its nature.
---
Leon exhaled slowly, the weight of this strange new life beginning to settle on his shoulders.
He'd made his first purchases. Loaded his inventory. Got a grip on his gear. But there was one more thing he needed to try.
He focused his mind and thought: 'Inspect.'
A soft shimmer passed through his eyes, weathered not painful, just strange. Like peeling back a veil that had always been there, revealing the truth underneath.
Then a transparent window appeared before him, floating cleanly in the air like an AR projection:
---
> Name: Leon Gray
> Race: Human
> Job Class: DLC Overlord (Heroic)
> Rank: Novice+
> Attributes:
> Stamina: 8
> Mana: 6
> Willpower: 7
> Charm: 5
> Skills:
> Combat Intuition (Genius)
> Mana Sense (Genius)
> Inventory
> Inspect
---
Leon stared at the floating screen in silence, his mouth hanging open slightly.
"Eight Stamina..." he muttered. "That's... that's actually pretty high, right? Some people probably spend years grinding to get stats like this."
The Job Class title flickered in his mind, DLC Overlord, and he almost laughed. It still felt unreal, like he was living inside one of his mobile games.
He dismissed the screen with a blink and glanced around at the shimmering forest.
Leon checked his new balance: 30 DP remaining.
"Not bad for a starter budget," he said, sliding the phone back into his pocket with a satisfied pat.
The forest stretched endlessly in every direction, no roads, no signs of civilization, just silver-leafed trees and the occasional flutter of something that might have been a bird. Or might have been something else entirely.
"I need to find people," he said to himself, starting to walk deeper into the woods. "A settlement. A tavern. Hell, I'd settle for a road sign at this point."
His coat rustled with every step, the sound somehow both comforting and alien. The sword bumped gently against his leg as he walked, a constant reminder that this world was far more dangerous than the one he'd left behind.
But with potions in his inventory, a blade at his hip, and skills loaded into his soul, Leon took his first real step into Eldros.
Whatever waited for him, monsters, magic, or something worse, he'd face it head-on.
After all, he was the DLC Overlord.
And it was time to see what that really meant.