| 001 | Naval Gacha System

As he opened his eyelids, a middle-aged man gazed upon the evergreen leaves where the strands of radiant light pierced in shimmering glee. His mind muffled with echoes of the past as though reminding him of who he was. 

Initially, the middle-aged man was disgruntled by his muddled mind. But with time, he regained his lucidness and calm. 

It was then, the raven-haired man realized the circumstances he was in. Waking up in the middle of nowhere didn't do good for his mind, but opening his eyes after dying put him in a daze.

His name was Abraham Shepherd. A rather cool-sounding name for an ordinary office worker who shut himself off from the world. His life was mostly working and gaming. 

Guess how he died?

"I can't believe I got a heart attack during a match." He ruffled his hair and wryly smiled. His teammates were probably flaming him for being AFK in the middle of the game.

Abraham touched his chest and slowly grasped it tightly. Dying of a cardiac arrest wasn't a pleasant experience. It wasn't an instantaneous death but a gradual one. 

He remembered his last moments of laying coldly on the floor. At that moment, he couldn't move a single muscle. Resounding memories about it were horrifying for him.

When he was about to die. A heavy pressure weighed on his chest. It was as if some bastard hit him hard with a hammer. The pressure was difficult to handle, especially when it felt like he was suffocating.

Abraham clearly recalled the helplessness he felt during that moment. There was no one and nothing that could save him. After all, he was alone.

"My stomach feels sick." He muttered as his heartbeat got faster and stronger. The reaction was somewhat late for a body confronted with the experience of death.

It took a minute for his body to calm down and move on from what had happened. But, it will take time for his mind to adapt to such an ordeal.

"Dying surely is a strange experience," Abraham whispered to himself and watched the beautiful greenery from above. 

From his understanding, he was in a forest in the middle of nowhere. He didn't know how he got here, especially when he had just recently died. 

Though... As he was a cultured individual, he confidently concluded his thoughts with a single word.

Transmigration.

Abraham didn't know how, but the middle-aged man didn't care. What mattered was that he was alive to see the world once more. However, since he was transmigrated, he couldn't help but wonder.

Was this a fantasy world? A reality where monsters, cat girls, castles, and magic exist? He wanted an answer to this question.

However, to answer it, he must move onward and explore the world.

'But I don't have confidence in surviving in this world. I lack any survival skills, so I'll probably die in this forest.'

It was a sad thought, yet it was the truth. He was a middle-aged man and an ordinary office worker. Most of all, he was a loser who had no life.

He spent the entirety of his free time in front of a computer, wasting his life away merely to trash-talk other people while also cursing if he lost. 

So, he had no confidence in surviving.

'This pessimistic thought process isn't helping me in this situation.' Abraham furrowed his eyebrows as he steadily clenched his fist. He moved it upward as though reaching the leaves-covered skies. 

"I don't want to die again. I hate the helpless feeling of waiting for my inevitable death the most."

"Even if I have no chance of survival, I must struggle for my life."

"I shouldn't give up."

The flames of determination ignited in his jet-black irises.

If it was before, he would have given up as reality stacked up against him. But after tasting the actuality of death for the first time. Something inside him wanted to rebel against it.

And he felt alive because of such a rebellion.

With Abraham's newly-gained resolution for his life, he sluggishly stood up. His body wobbled when he got up on his two feet. But with time, he was able to regain his balance.

After getting rid of the dust on his clothes, he scanned his surroundings with unparalleled scrutiny. He immediately made a conjecture.

He seemed to be stranded on a tropical island, which was a piece of good news. Being grounded on a deserted northern island would have increased his chances of dying.

"I can smell the sea from here. It's nearby." Abraham walked towards the smell of the sea. He passed through the thick bushes and leaves, making them rustle and crunch as he walked by. 

After trekking for quite some time, a gleaming light pierced from the evergreen bushes. The sound of waves hitting the beach rang in his ears. 

As he parted the shimmering bushes before him, he was met with a spectacular sight. There was a long crescent-shaped beach brimming with golden sand. The waves seemed to glitter with the dazzling light of the sun. 

The breeze of the sea passed through his body and ruffled his raven-colored hair. He could smell its scent more distinctively than ever before. 

For someone who was in a cold, monotone, and somber city. This was a picturesque view to behold. 

"I guess transmigrating to another world has its beauty," Abraham mumbled to himself as the edges of his lips slightly rose. He was relatively looking forward to his life in this new world.

Nonetheless, he noticed the vastness of the crescent-shaped beach. It spanned a couple of kilometers, which made him think of its potential. 

'Now… How do I survive on this island?' He thought in wonder as numerous ideas passed through his mind. While he had no survival skills, he wasn't entirely ignorant of the ways of survival.

"Luckily, a coconut tree still exists in this world." Abraham turned his gaze towards the line of coconut trees waiting to be conquered. 

He had no idea how to get a coconut safely from the palm tree, but its availability gave him some relief. 

"It looks like the first few days will be rough." He lightly chuckled and squatted on the luminous sand. He casually gazed forward into the lines of the boundless horizon.

But as he watched the horizon with wonder, he noticed a misty figure moving in its borders. It was humanoid in shape and looked tiny when compared to the horizon.

'What the-' Abraham squinted his eyes and tried to make sense of what he was seeing. However, no matter how much he thought about it. He only reached one conclusion.

Such a creature shouldn't be possible. 

'Is this madness already seeping into my mind? It hasn't been an hour yet since I woke up. I didn't think I would be this sensitive.' He wanted to laugh at himself.

"Well, at least, my hallucinations aren't too bad." There were worse things that could happen when madness consumes one's mind. He was lucky to have mostly kept himself.

Though… Out of nowhere. Something cold and mechanical rang out inside his head.

*Ding!*

"Damn, I shouldn't have said that." Abraham thought that his madness was worsening. He was even hearing things despite being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Sadly for the middle-aged man, it was far from over.

| Initializing Naval Gacha System… |

A digital screen materialized out of nowhere. It had a message written on it, and it reported the initialization of a system. These phenomena made Abraham remember something important.

He was transmigrated to another world. A world that might be different from his former one. A reality where the heavens and earth could really turn upside down.

Giant monsters should be possible, especially if magic possibly existed.

And as one would expect from a transmigration, the transmigrated one would received his cheat.

It was in the form of a system. 

Abraham excitedly stood up from the ground and couldn't stop himself from grinning. The digital screen might be his madness acting up, but it might also be real.

"Naval Gacha System. That's something new. However, why must it be a gacha system?" He was a bit disappointed. Even so, as he had said before, it was better than nothing.

"I hope I'm lucky in this second life of mine." He clasped his hands together in prayer to RNG God and silently observed the digital screen before him.

After some time, several digital screens materialized. The previous one instantly disappeared and was replaced by the new screens. 

The cold and mechanical notification bell rang out again.

*Ding!*

| Naval Gacha System Initialized! |

| System Apparatus Operational… |

| Gacha Network Secured… |

| Administrative Host Verified… |

| Congratulations, Fleet Admiral Abraham Shepherd! You have initiated the Naval Gacha System. Would you like to know more? |

Along with the notifications was a feminine monotone voice calmly reporting them. It sounded robotic yet fairly human. If one would describe it, it resembled a virtual assistant.

Abraham placed a finger on his chin and thought about the voice and the digital screens. He wasn't ignorant of systems, so he wasn't extremely dumbfounded by it. But nevertheless, he still felt perplexed.

The first thing he needed to do was seek for information. And according to the voice, there was more information about the system he needed to know about.

"I'd like to know more." Abraham discreetly uttered, despite having no one or nothing beside him. It felt stupid to act in such a way, but why not make it a habit of his?

In the future, he'll meet others. While there was a possibility that he could use his thoughts, it was better to train his mouth to become consistently quiet. 

*Ding!*

| Welcome to the Naval Gacha System. |

| The purpose of the system is to aid the Administrative Host in their endeavors. To do so, the Fleet Admiral can trigger a spin to receive modern warships or ships. There's no need for the Fleet Admiral to worry about ship personnel as the system would grant them with the warship. |

| Despite maintaining their superior intelligence, Personnel granted by the system will be eternally loyal to the Fleet Admiral. They will accept any orders regardless of how incomprehensible they may seem. |

| To trigger a spin, the Fleet Admiral must acquire Naval Points. These points can be gained through the completion of Naval Tasks. Through Gacha, all modern warships or ships, big and small, are available for the Fleet Admiral to obtain. |

| Would you like to know more? |

The information presented by the monotone voice and the digital screen was of several magnitude higher than before. But through them, Abraham received a greater understanding of the Naval Gacha System.

He felt excited about his newly-activated system. Its potential was vast. The ability to redeem modern warships and ships with its complete personnel was a force to be reckoned with. 

Abraham couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities. The path of his future gleamed brightly for him to see. His fate was tied to the seas, so there was only one thing for him to do.

"It's time to monopolize the seven seas!"