Chapter 2: Chapter 2 - Chosen
The physical re-entry into the world was bone-crushing. Pain was all Richter felt as he woke up face-first in the dirt. "Fuck… everything hurts," He groaned. He picked his head up off the ground, hacking a pile of dirt out of his mouth. Rolling onto his back, Richter rubbed his eyes in an effort to regain some self-awareness. The sky was a light shade of twilight, making it hard to grasp things. Moonlight faintly illuminated the surroundings, providing him with just enough visibility. He glanced at his surroundings, moving his head from side to side, finding himself in a small clearing surrounded by thick vegetation. He furrowed his brows in confusion at the unfamiliar terrain. It was disturbingly quiet.
Gingerly, he lifted himself off the ground, his legs somewhat unsteady as he tried to regain his balance. The sensation of standing on two feet felt foreign as if eons had elapsed since he last did so. He wavered, first to the left and then slightly to the right, before finally finding his center and trusting he wouldn't collapse into the dirt again. Richters surveyed his body, noting how his clothes hung in tatters, nearly disintegrating. His body was rigid and sore, yet he felt good. Really good. He was practically brimming with vitality. He had never felt more alive; it was as if he could run three marathons back-to-back and not even break a sweat.
Puzzlement soon crossed his face as he tried to remember what happened. How did he get here? The only thing he could remember was an orange text box materializing before him, followed by chaos and then all-consuming darkness that seemed to stretch on for an eternity. He forcibly shook the thoughts away.
"Right. The world ended. Or something," Richter cringed as his voice cracked, sounding strange in his own ears after such a prolonged period of unuse.
Richter moved to take a step forward, but as his foot hit the ground, a transparent screen appeared in his vision, the same shade of blue that had woke him from his slumber. He shuddered at the memory he recalled the last time he saw it.
The endless nothing.
*SYSTEM PROTOCOL BL-0000 INITIATED. Welcome to the multiverse, Chosen. Because of Earth's low biomass and energy, it has been merged with other suitable planets. Be warned, Earth initiation is still ongoing. Live, grow, and reach the peak.*
"I don't understand. Multiverse? Protocol? What the fuck happened? Where am I?" Richter felt rage bubble up in his chest as the memories flooded back. His entire world just flipped upside down; everyone he knew was gone, and he was in the middle of nowhere. His family, his friends, his whole life just vanished within a few moments. Richter felt panic start to rise in his chest, making it difficult to breathe, and he swallowed hard to push it back down. "Surely, this must be some kind of joke. Please, let this be a joke." He whispered in despair. He forced his mind to focus on the screen trying to understand it. He reached out a shaky hand, trying to grab it, but it just phased through the screen.
Richter closed his eyes and tried to take deep breaths. It wasn't all bad. He's still alive; that's a start. As long as he lived, he could find his family and friends. Maybe they all ended up somewhere like him, in some new place, and he just needed to find them. Trying to be optimistic, he opened his eyes and studied the text box before him. Wherever his eyes moved, it followed. Through some testing, he found that he could move its position by focusing on it, and he promptly moved it to the side of his vision and minimized it. As he did that, however, another flickered to life before him, this one being the familiar shade of orange.
[Earth initiation ongoing. Biomass High D-grade. Energy High D-grade. 0/7 Dominion slots filled. 6,809,895,164 anomalies detected and neutralized. One chosen initiate. Dominion will open in 1 month.]
A monotone, robotic voice echoed through his head. Richter's eyes were wide, stunned at the screen. "6.8 billion anomalies? Isn't that what this thing said I was?" He said in a whisper. He had to hold back the vomit that threatened to come up. "6.8 billion people… dead? Is that what that means? There's no way…" A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind. His family, his friends, were they all among the ones that were killed?
Neutralized. That word echoed back from his returning memory. The office crumbling around him, his friends trapped and held against their will. The thousands of people he saw in those bubbles were likely being sent to their deaths.
Rage, like never before, began to bubble up inside him. It was utter bullshit. This thing took his entire life away from him. He had a good life. Maybe not the most exciting, but he was content. He had friends, he had family, he had a good job. And everything was taken away from him in moments. Richer scowled and clenched his fist, and with a roar, he punched at the screen, only for it to phase right through again, causing him to tumble to the ground.
"What the hell is happening!" He screamed, slamming a fist to the ground, causing a small plump of dust to be kicked up in its wake. It momentarily surprised him at his power in the strike, but it was quickly lost in his fury. He needed an explanation. He needed to know what the hell was going on.
As if on command, another blue screen appeared before him, his face scrunching up the more he read.
[System initiation of Richter Alma complete. Welcome to the multiverse, Chosen. Due to protocol BL-0000, you have been foregone from the tutorial. Live, grow, and reach the peak.*
Richter's brows furrowed the more he read. "That… didn't help at all. Give me some actual information!" He demanded. The screen flickered away for a moment, then appeared once more.
*Due to protocol BL-0000, you have been foregone from the tutorial. Live, grow-*
"This isn't helping, damn it! What is protocol BL-0000? Why is there no explanation for things? Let me do the damn tutorial if that tells me what happened to my friends and family!
"
[Chosen does not qualify for the tutorial. Live, grow, and re-]
"WHAT! Why the hell not? Give me some answers!" He yelled at the screen.
[Chosen has been given a unique opportunity. Please explore the newly initiated planet yourself. Live, grow, and reach the peak]
"Tell me to grow one more time, you piece of shit robot. See what happens." He spat. He scanned his surroundings, fruitlessly trying to spot anyone who might be responsible for sending him these taunting messages, like some kind of puppet master akin to the great and powerful Oz. However, upon reassessing his environment, it was painfully clear that he was a far cry from being in Emerald City.
"Maybe if this system would tell me what to do, I could figure out what the hell it wants from me." He shouted.
Main Quests:
Reach level 10 to choose your class.
Side quests:
N/A
"Oh. It actually gave me some information. I wasn't expecting that." He murmured with genuine surprise. He read the prompt carefully, pondering over what it meant. Level 10? Like, a video game or something? He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, not understanding what the system was telling him. "Um, system, could you explain what you mean by reaching level 10?"
Nothing happened, the blue screen giving off its usual light blue hue without a care in the world. He waited for a bit until finally, Richter grunted in frustration and minimized the screen to the side of his vision. He ran his hands through his hair in exasperation, only to freeze when all he felt was skin.
"Where's my hair?"
He quickly ran his hands over his body, trying to check to see if anything else had been altered. "I swear, if my balls are missing…" he threatened, only to sigh with relief as it appeared the only thing missing was his hair. "Okay… so my hair is gone. Great, just great… At least it doesn't look like anything else has changed about my body." He said. As if on command, another new screen appeared in front of him.
[Status]
Name: Richter Alma
Level: [1]
Race: [Human]
Class: [?]
Profession [?]
Stats:
Strength: 16
Agility: 13
Endurance: 16
Vitality: 15
Wisdom: 13
Intelligence: 14
Willpower: 35
Bloodline: [Indomitable]
Titles: [Chosen] [Bloodline Patriarch] [Born Conqueur] [Newcomer]
Richter looked at the screen in confusion for a bit, then minimized it. This didn't make sense. "Is this my body?" He asked himself. It certainly looked like it, at least. He regarded his body with suspicion and gradually clenched one hand into a tight fist. An overwhelming surge of power engulfed him—the likes of which he'd never experienced before. He could almost envision himself turning a rock to dust with a simple squeeze of his hand. His thoughts drifted back to when he first arrived here—sore and exhausted, yet feeling alive as if he were an entirely new person. Though that sensation had since subsided, he now felt stronger than ever before in his life.
Eyes wide with excitement, Richter returned his attention to the screen, analyzing every detail meticulously. "Strength, agility, willpower. What do these numbers mean? It's like I'm in a video game. One that's all too real." He murmured, trailing off. So, this must have been what the system meant by him reaching level 10. He was currently level 1, and these were the stats he was given to start with. It really is like a video game. I don't get it, though… No doubt about it, this is the real world. So the system decided to stop by Earth, give everyone magic powers, and leave? That's just batshit crazy. Fixating on the word "strength," Richter hoped for further clarification. To his astonishment, additional information appeared on the screen. Finally, this damn system was giving him something he could use.
[Strength: Measurement of how physically strong a being is. Increases ability to lift and exert force.]
He looked at the text, considering it before he shifted his eyes to Willpower.
[Willpower: The estimated power of a being's soul. Increases resistance to auras. Increases strength of aura.
"Interesting. So each of these attributes must be related to my body," Richter said flatly, still struggling to comprehend the bizarre circumstances he found himself in. As an avid gamer during his childhood, Richter understood the general concept of his 'stats.' However, there were aspects of his status that remained unclear. His eyes drifted to the bottom of the list—a section containing his titles.
[Chosen [???]: One who has been Chosen. [???.] Against all odds, the chosen have managed to defy the heavens. [???. ???.] Born to reach the peak. +25% to all stats. [???. ???. ???.]]
[Bloodline Patriarch: Originator of a bloodline. May your bloodline grow to be the most renowned of all. +10% to all stats. +5 to willpower]
[Born Conqueuer: Be the first to step foot on a newly initiated planet. May you be the one to conquer your new world and more. +5% to all stats]
[Newcomer: Have your planet join the multiverse. Welcome to the multiverse. +5 to all stats]
"Right. That just left even more questions." Richter sighed and sat down, his eyes studying the screen for a long time. Through some small experimentations, he found that he could pull up previous text boxes. He frowned at how some were orange and others were blue, but he shook his head, knowing it was pointless to try to understand the strange system until he knew more.
There was one final section of his status he didn't understand. His bloodline. After seeing a title for it, he had even more questions. He looked towards the middle of the screen, the one called his bloodline and pulled up the information.
Indomitable - Pure, indomitable will. The soul that is unyielding and never breaking. It is the burning fire within, awaiting the call to action in the darkest moments. When this flame is ignited by passion and invigorated by ambition, there is no force powerful enough to extinguish it – an indomitable soul knows no bounds. (Massively increased aura potency. Massively increased aura strength. Massive resistance to aura suppression. +15% to willpower. +10 willpower.)
"Okay. Well, that's certainly… something. Not really sure what to make of that at all." He really had no idea, even after reading it multiple times over. The system made it sound like he was some type of unbreakable wall when it comes to willpower, but that's not something he would really consider himself. He didn't think he was "weak-willed" at all, but it felt like the system was really hyping him up right now. Unless it was something that was changed with the system-fuckery, along with my body… only time can tell, I guess.
There was a lot to unpack here. So much so that it was starting to give him a headache. This 'system,' if that's what it's called, seemed to have taken his home, thrown it into a blender, given him magic powers, and left him in the wilderness. Richter pulled up some of the text boxes that were shown to him before he was sent to the middle of nowhere. "Yeah… there it is."
*Anomaly neutralization failed. Protocol BL-0000 initiated. Welcome to the Multiverse, Chosen*
He was deemed as one of those anomalies. He was due for termination, just like the other 7 billion or so anomalies. Richter shivered just thinking about it. If he was supposed to die, why was he still here?
A slight tremble passed through as he remembered the pain. The bubble probed him, searching every part of him, completely exposing him to whatever they were looking for. He was supposed to be dead, along with every other one of the 'anomalies.' Richter looked at his surroundings, dead-eyed. The system sent him here, but for what? It also said he was the first to arrive at the new planet. Was he really all alone here?
*DING*
Richter's heart dropped as he heard the familiar, bone-chilling notification of the system. The same sound he heard when the system introduced itself to the world before completely destroying everything. The faint glow of orange materialized, momentarily followed by a robotic, lifeless voice. Richter's eyes snapped forward to the text on the screen, his heart dropping with every word.
[System initiation of Earth complete. Tutorial candidates returning in 3 months. Domains open in 1 month. Beginning introduction of species and wildlife]
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