Ryo Kisaragi loved plastic model kits. Gundams, tanks, battleships—you name it, he built it. So, when his 18th birthday rolled around, there was only one place he wanted to be: Hobby Emporium, his local hobby shop.
The bell jingled as he stepped inside, inhaling the scent of fresh plastic and paint. The shelves were lined with boxes of every model imaginable, and he beelined for the latest Iron Valkyrie Mk. III, a dieselpunk mech that had been on his wishlist for months.
As he reached out to grab the box, a strange blue notification flashed before his eyes.
> SYSTEM INITIALIZING…
WELCOME, USER. PREPARE FOR TRANSMIGRATION.
Ryo barely had time to blink before the world twisted around him.
Darkness swallowed the store. The scent of plastic vanished, replaced by burning oil and blood. His stomach lurched as gravity shifted, and then—
BOOM!
The next thing he knew, he was face-down in a trench, artillery shells screaming overhead, and the sound of machine guns rattling through the air.
He groaned, pushing himself up, only to freeze at the sight before him—
Men in grimy uniforms firing bolt-action rifles. Gigantic steel walkers stomping across a battlefield. The sky was choked with black smoke, and massive airships loomed like predatory birds.
A voice echoed in his head.
> "Congrats, dumbass! You've been chosen for the Gearbound World! Try not to die in the first five minutes!"
Ryo's heart pounded.
"What the hell?! Where am I?!"
The system chuckled.
> "Welcome to war, rookie. Now run."
And then the artillery shell landed right next to him.