Franklyn, blinks. He thinks to himself that this is too realistic for a dream. Except for the box with text. Also, isn't "this is too realistic for a dream" something people dreaming think about.

Whatever this is it isn't being dead. Franklyn will take that.

He looks around to see if he recognizes his surroundings... he looks down to see what he is wearing. Does the box have something like a glowing icon showing an open envelope or something?

He is in slightly rolling hilly countryside, very pretty. There is a babbling brook with clear water and a dirt path running alongside it. Franklyn is wearing the clothes he was wearing when he died.

The box has no such icon, just text. But it is hovering a few feet in front of him at what could be optimum comfortable poking distance.

Time for the most basic of scientific approaches.

Poke the thing.

Does it react if he treats like a computer interface? Is it solid? Does it feel like anything?

His finger goes right through but as soon as it touches the box the text changes.


Notifications:

1/2

| Perk unlocked! |
I've got the power!: you now have the power of the Rewards Interface. Otherwise known as The Gamer Power.

2/2

| Status effect removed: Dead. |
You are no longer Dead. Full health restored.

He doesn't like this very much. 

"I might be hallucinating. I don't know if anyone can hear me, please help." Pause. "If you're out there, God, sorry for not believing you."

When he says the word "help" the textbox changes again!

HelpList...

Menu
Status
Perks
Skills
Inventory
Party
Achievements
Options
Map
Notes

Well, voice commands and poking seem to be how this thing works.

There is no response from anyone who isn't a box of text though

Does it work if he thinks really hard?

What happens if he pokes menu or status?

Thinking really hard does nothing. Poking menu brings up:

|REWARD INTERFACE OPERATING SYSTEM V1.0| Welcome to THE GAME |

Status
Perks
Skills
Inventory
Party
Achievements
Options
Map
Notes

And poking status gets him:

Current Status
Health: In good health

Stamina: Well Rested

Stats:

Strength: 12
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 11

Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 10

Luck: NA

(Stats are representative of your current ability. They also affect The Gamer Power.)

Status Effects: none

Character description:
An undeclared major, Franklyn's life was tragically cut short and he couldn't even go to the proper afterlife. But there's no reason to lament! Franklyn now finds himself the gamer in the fantastical land of middle earth.

PERKS:

|I've got the power!: you now have the power of the Reward Interface. Otherwise known as The Gamer Power.|

Achievements:

 

Skills:

 

...

Did he get isekai'ed?? Oh, dear.

Okay. He saw a map tab. He pokes it and checks to see if the landmasses are obviously alien.

Yup if he zooms out far enough to see the continent and coastline, totally alien. 

Map

But the map does show a town called Hobbiton quite close by. If he taps on it a red line will go from his marker to the town like a GPS navigator.

Okay. He will start making his way over there then. Is there anything in his inventory? What options and notes contain?

Inventory menu opens up a little image of Franklyn with little boxes describing his Equipped clothing. And a Window with a grid with empty boxes and some text above the box grids saying:

Weight Limit: 0.00/36.00 Kilograms

The options menu displays this:

Options:

-Graphics
-Audio
-Interface

No Save or Load buttons because that would require some time travel shenanigans and apparently the Management isn't that generous. Otherwise looks like a normal videogame options menu.

The notes page has a glowing qwerty keyboard and a blank page with the blinking | cursor showing it is ready for text input. Also a little microphone symbol to the side, And a Save file button and a Load file Button.

Seems like a basic word processor and if the microphone button does what it would seem to, a voice recorder as well. So that you can take Notes, It does what it's for.

After Franklyn walks for a while he will see a cart being slowly pulled by a pony down the dirt road. There is a little man sitting on the cart maybe only three and a half feet tall. At first someone would think it was a little person, but he notices the proportions are wrong as he walks closer. Or rather...that the proportions are not wrong. A human with dwarfism has proportionally a large head and short limbs because of a rare mutation. This man driving the cart has typical human proportions he is just three and a half feet tall. The only oversized things on him are his hairy feet dangling off the front of the cart as he holds the reins lazily.

Fantastical magical land of middle earth. He will check the different interface options later.

He will try to grab the attention from the small person first. "Hello? Can you understand me?"

"I understand you just fine Outsider." The diminutive man says in a gruff voice. "What is a manling doing in the shire? Not much here for tallfolk like you." Looking at this tall stranger suspiciously.

Subtlety, strategy and planning ahead are very important traits to deal with important situations. 

Too bad that Franklyn is not particularly possessed of any of them. More so given his current state. "I died and instead of going to the afterlife I was sent here with a weird power as compensation."

"Don't be daft mate! Are you drunk? Shame on you going around being drunk in a field. Must have been a lot of beer to get you so lost you ended up in the shire. Afterlives, what rubbish." The person's accent is very British, but small-town farmer British not London British. He is looking very disapprovingly at this clearly inebriated human.

"Okay. That sounds like a fair reaction." He checks his breath, no smell of alcohol. "Are my clothes weird? I am not from around in any case." Does he still have his phone? He should've checked to see if could make a phone call.

"I don't know what menfolk usually wear. Don't have much to do with Outsiders here in the shire. That you aren't from around here is as obvious as the sky is blue since you are obviously not a hobbit. Honestly, boy, you say the strangest things."

Franklyn does not have his phone or anything in his pockets actually.

"Okay, okay, sir." He is not actually sure he should try to convince this person of his gamer power and he isn't sure his new job is be video game hero or whatever people are willing to trust him with. "Is there somewhere around where they can help confused humans with weird stories?"

"Well....Old Bilbo Baggins went on an adventure when he was younger. Cavortin' around in goblin caves with men and dwarves findin' treasure. He's in Hobbiton, just down the road. Ask around for Bag End and that you would like to see Bilbo. He might be able to help ya boy.

Oh and I suppose Gandalf might come to Hobbiton soon. He's an alright sort of chap for a tallfolk. Makes wonderful fireworks. He's always poking his nose in things finding things out." The man sighs wistfully at memories of summer nights with shining silver dragons made of sparks dancing in the sky.

Ooh. That sounds like an obvious plot hook. "Thank you, kind sir! I will sure to proceed to Bag End!"

He wonders if these green hills are tutorial mode or level one. Regardless, he will walk at faster pace to get out of the man's sight.

Once alone, he takes another look at the map. Can he find Bag End? 

After some poking around he does! The map points to a hill on the outside edge of the little town.

Cool. Does this thing update in real time? Can he see people?

"Huh. Is there a hint option?" He asks out loud. "Help? Reward Interface help?"

The map does update in real-time! If he zooms in far enough he can see himself from a bird's eye view. If he waves his tiny arm moves in the image. He can see the cart slowly trudging down the road away from him.

Saying Help just gets him the same Helpmenu he got before.

HelpList...

Menu
Status
Perks
Skills
Inventory
Party
Achievements
Options
Map
Notes

Huh. He looks up. In case there is a drone filming him. Finding none, he instead pokes at the Notes option and writes some things down and record his voice. Then he searches for some sort of Send option  is there any? Or maybe some other communication option?