To think this was once Chapter 50... Most of it at least. We've expanded the novel by almost 50%! At least in chapter numbers... In wording, I think we've over halfway what the original novel was as a whole.[1]
Now, this chapter is only 6.5K words long.
It was meant to be a bit longer, but I think we ended up exactly where I wanted it to be. Shorter then the expected so far but its understandable given this chapter was cut in half around uh... ten chapters ago?
Anyhow, we continue the story. To get his third Class and move on with the plot!
Enjoy.
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[Transferring…]
[Activating Skill Gamerverse]
As he was pulled away into the void, Philip found himself adrift once more.
'No funny business this time, alright pal? At least if you're sending me to a hellish dimension, at least make it one where I can gain something out of it… That last one was just too much.'
/Gleam…/
'Hm?… What?!'
A spark of light emerged beside him. He thought the process had begun, but when he gave it a good look…
A voice echoed inside his mind, "So this is how it works. I finally get it."
'You… what are you doing here?'
Falpurgiana, now as an outline of warm, divine light, stood before him. He could barely tell her features, but they were unmistakable.
Her voice seemed to escape her lips, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He couldn't explain exactly how she spoke with him, but he assumed it had something to do with their unique connection.
"What else? Onward to our next adventure!"
'No, that… that's not what I meant…'
[Gamerverse has activated]
[The Skill Gamerverse is looking for a class]
As if God willed it, the perfect void was overtaken by countless galaxies, illuminating the infinite corners of this endless expanse.
While still a little upset at her appearance, Philip reached out to her, grabbing her forearm as he pulled her next to him. She did not resist his actions, chuckling as he did so.
"You don't have to worry. If I was dragged here, I'll be dragged away as well. I'll be frank, this ability of yours… You should be careful."
'I know that. Did you just see where it took us? There is never a moment I'm not on edge when it's time to use it… for good or bad…'
"You know that's not what I meant either, don't you?"
'… What use will there in worrying about it? I need it to continue down this path.'
"Do you?… If that's what you believe… then I'll have to try my best to make sure you return soundly each time."
She seemed to want to speak more but stopped in the end. Philip did not push her for words, for now wasn't the time. His attention fell instead on the ever-increasing galaxies around them.
As always, no pattern could be found between them. And aside from a few unusual-looking ones, most galaxies looked exactly the same.
'Hmmm… Is it just me, or has the number of galaxies increased?...'
"How would I know?"
'I'm just thinking out loud… Humph…'
'Something's different this time… I can now see each galaxy in considerable detail. Before it was like being thrown into a room full of bright lights. Maybe I could identify a few, but it was all blurry… Now I can see them better.'
'Could this have something to do with the changes it went through? The penalty maybe?… Seems unlikely… I should've paid more attention before, but I was too focused on the penalty thing to notice it.'
He looked around, 'That one looks like… A giant cube? Almost artificial…'
'That one is utterly flat... Well, that's not really rare. There are several like it all around.'
'But that one… It's like several interconnected worlds… It reminds me of the time when I used to play tabletop RPG with my high school friends.'
"What's tabletop RPG?"
'It's a pretty good game if you have nice people to play with… But let's leave that for another time.'
"We're accumulating quite a few topics to go over "another time"…" She said with a light chuckle as she looked around as well
'That's what happens when a goddess descends before a mortal. Should I be asking you about the meaning of life instead?'
"If only I could answer that… You're not so ordinary yourself either, no? Guess it takes two to tango."
'… I'll let this one pass.' He grunted as he kept looking around
'Hum… That one looks like a marble. A universe within a marble? How bizarre… Yet oddly unremarkable. Maybe it's a cultivation world? The lower and higher realms… I wouldn't mind going to one. Cultivating must be pretty cool.'
"So why don't you become a farmer?"
'I'm not talking about farming!! That's another type of cultivation!'
"I don't understand."
'Look, it's complicated. For starters, cultivation is about…'
/FLASH!/
All of the galaxies suddenly glowed brightly, burning his nonexistent eyes…
'AHHHHHHHH!! YOU SURE TOOK YOUR SWEET TIME!!!'
"It's annoyingly bright." She added as she hid her face inside his… soul?
[Gamerverse is narrowing down the choices randomly]
One by one, the galaxies dimmed into nothingness until only one was left… but could it even be called a galaxy?
[Gamerverse has made a choice]
"Are you alright, my Apostle?"
'It hurts... I think… I hate this feeling. Whatever, I need to stop getting surprised at this.'
As he regained his bearings, he focused on the galaxy at the edge of his vision.
A gargantuan head of seemingly indistinguishable features, at least, the longer Philip looked at it, the harder it became for him to make do with how it looked.
In fact, when he focused, he discovered to his utmost horror that he could not remember a single feature of the head when he closed his eyes, as if it had never existed to begin with. He could remember only that he had indeed seen one...
It certainly had a neck, perhaps even a body, but that wasn't clearly seen as its body grew into the empty space around it.
When he thought about it, perhaps there wasn't even a head but only his perception of it. As if his brain was trying to give meaning to something far beyond the confines of his mortal understanding.
'Say… what do you see when you look at it?'
"That?… How do I put it?… It's like looking at a messy pile of blankets."
'Blankets?'
[Gamerverse chooses a class randomly]
[Gamerverse has chosen a class, deactivating skill]
[Due to this Class characteristics, you shall be transported to the *****]
[Beginning transferring process…]
Before Philip had the time to process what was going on, he lost consciousness.
…
/Drip…/
/Splash!/
"HURGH?!"
Philip opened his eyes hastily as drops of water fell into his mouth. He coughed loudly for a few moments as he rolled on the ground, disoriented.
"Where am I this time…?" He asked out loud as he looked around
He clasped his head for a few moments, but the intense throbbing quickly went away, bringing silence to his skull once and for all.
'Huff... Okay... I think the sudden headache has passed.'
He touched the ground, it was oddly comfortable... A few extra taps and he understood what it was.
It was a straw bed… It was of terrible craftsmanship; its wooden frame seemed so ancient even moss grew on it, and the only comfort Philip had came from the leather of an unknown creature above the pile of straw.
The bed also came with a pillow that was clearly made by hand, also filled with straw, so it was extremely uncomfortable… albeit better than lying on the cracked and dusty ground.
/Drip…/
/Splash…/
Above his head, water kept dripping onto him, forcing him to move away whether he liked it or not.
Taping around for the edge of his known world, he sat down on the bed frame, "This looks way too old even for the countryside's standards…" He mumbled to himself as he looked around
'Did I go back a thousand years?'
"Anyhow… It's dark…"
'Above all, where is she? Her antics would help me now… but of course she isn't around when I need her.'
/Drip.../
He checked his body under the echo of water dripping inside his room, tapping his fists against the wall next to him, "Ouch… My strength has been brought back to that of a normal man... but it seems I still have my body."
'Did Gamerverse replicate my body or just straight out sealed all of my powers?…' He closed his eyes, focusing, 'I can still feel some aspects of it, but they feel distant. Maybe if I sit here for a few hours and keep trying, I'll figure something out… But I doubt this is Gamerverse's intention.'
'In every Class I usually took over a body somewhat similar to mine. It was like that in both the first and third Classes while the second one was… an unusual case.'
'The issue is that the first Class was also an extraordinary occurrence, while the third Class had me take over Samuel's body. Everyone saw me as him, but the reflection I saw in the mirror said otherwise.'
'But never in those cases had I been given the chance to use my real body in those scenarios. And only in my first Class was I given the chance to partially interact with my Main Status while in the "memories".'
"Hum… That said, it doesn't look like my mind has been affected much."
He grabbed a small stone on the ground and raised it above his bed so it wouldn't make too much noise when it fell. He let go of the rock and counted with his eyes closed until he heard the muffled collision ensue.
/Thud.../
"… Ninety-four..."
'I can count to ninety-four without issue. It seems my Trait isn't as suppressed as on past occasions. Maybe it's because of her… Falpurgiana's presence might've caused some issues to arise. But that's something I'll have to figure out over time.'
With his condition assessed, Philip continued to look around, getting a hold of where he was.
He was most likely in the basement of some place, although whether he was underground or not was debatable.
The entire place seemed to be pretty old, being made of stone blocks tightly put together with some sort of primitive concrete with large stone fragments embedded in them like Roman cement. Although in some places, no cement at all had been used. The stones held together through sheer precise craftsmanship alone.
Despite the lack of cohesion in the stone blocks, they were pretty solid. To the point, Philip doubted whether the shabby-looking walls would collapse if he were to hit them with a sledgehammer.
In any case, Philip didn't try to pull them apart to test that... Just in case they were to fall. Because even though dust wasn't going to compromise the stone's durability, the half-rotten wooden beams lying around had certainly been affected by time.
From what he could see with the little light coming into his room, those were the only structures holding everything together. The several pairs of wooden beams and arcs were old and full of greenish-brown mold, and Philip felt as if they could fall at any moment... Much less if he were to give them a tug.
The room itself was pretty big, being around 6x4x3ish meters, and if not for the single candle on a table nearby and the light coming from outside the cell's door, it would have been pretty dark.
As for its overall layout… there was the old bed in one of its corners; it creaked heavily in protest whenever he put some weight into it.
Next to the bed was a large open cabinet at least two Meters tall by comparing it with his height, inside was… A large mirror, reflecting his appearance.
As his vision grew used to the dark, he could now see himself reflected on the smooth silvery yet dusty surface, "I was right. That is the handsome face I'm used to." He muttered out loud as he checked himself in the mirror
'With that, I'm done with this side... Nothing under the bed, nor any hidden objects within the hay or beneath the cabinet... Time to move on.'
On the other side of the room was a drawer, but upon opening it, he found it to be completely empty.
"Hum… This is strange. Did someone come here before me?"
'Perhaps it was a previous inhabitant?'
His vision darkened, 'Don't tell me she looted everything while I was knocked out…'
/Cough!/
Philip spat at the corner of the room as he cleared his nose, "There's dust and mold everywhere… I hope this isn't of the deadly kind."
'That aside, some things aren't as dusty as they were supposed to be. Here… there are clear fingerprint marks… Not hers, thankfully. They look old and are very faint, at least a few years old? I don't really know how to gauge age based on dust accumulation...'
"That said, just where did that girl get herself tangled?…"
For now, he ignored the marks, simply increasing his guard.
Next to the drawer was a chest, but once again, it was open and empty.
But he saw something very interesting next to the chest…
"Are these… broken… lockpicks?" He asked himself as he grabbed one
Suddenly, a strong sense of nostalgia hit him as he looked at the lockpick. The design of this room… This chest… Everything. Had he seen it before?
(Image? A definite spoiler)
He tapped his head in deep thought, 'Hum, considering my Skill's origin, I most likely saw this somewhere… If only I could remember where… I give up, I can't remember.'
'Some much for being a Mental Lord, tche!… My Trait might be affecting me, but not fully, it seems… I wonder just how long it'll take for my consciousness to reach a level where Gamerverse just can't devolve it from, if that isn't the case already.'
'It seems that's everything left in this room… I'll keep exploring. Perhaps a bell will ring if I see something more... Iconic.'
"Though there isn't really anything iconic about a bunch of stones… funny enough, I can't shake this strange feeling of familiarity…"
With most of the room already explored, with the left and right walls having been fully investigated, only two remained.
To his left was the wall with the stairs leading up, faint light shinning from above, while to his right was the wall with the small table where the candle was located.
One side of the room was illuminated by light while the other was clad in faint darkness… Did this have any meaning?
Philip decided to check the stairs first, very carefully, as he did not know what he would find on the other side… Not that he had made that much effort to remain silent so far…
/Step step…/
Step by step, he climbed the stairs into the unknown…
"I thought as much." Philip mumbled to himself in a low tone as he looked at the metal bars
A metal gate stood at the end of the path. It seemed pretty solid despite the old and worn look of the entire place. However the hinges keeping it in place seemed far too strong for him to push them back forcefully.
However, the door had a pretty simple mechanism; with the right tools, Philip would be able to partly disassemble it, albeit the lock would still keep it in place... To escape, he'd likely have to unlock the mechanism, but given how much rust it had, would it even turn?
'… These lockpicks won't do me any good if I shove them there. They'll just end up shattering if I try to force them.'
'Hum… So I wasn't in the basement of some random place but inside a cell?... An abandoned one at that? I figured given the cobwebs and dust.'
'… Alright, things just got better…'
He then looked beyond the bars, into the world outside!
/Clack clack.../
/Faint breathing.../
"..."
'Is that what I think it is?…'
He immediately saw something very unwelcoming…
He saw a large room with a few stone beams in the middle of it.
To his left and right were rows of cells going far into the hallway. They differed from his as they were smaller and more claustrophobic. Not only that, they didn't have a set of stairs, so he could see everything inside.
But that wasn't what attracted his attention.
Inside some of those cells, he saw bones… skeletal remains of people and… a translucent blue creature standing motionless.
It was a ghost!... At least that was what he thought; perhaps it was something else.
Worse, in the middle of the corridor, he saw a person walking aimlessly, wearing old and worn leather armor, holding a rusty sword… But upon closer inspection, you would see that his face was rotting!
Without wasting even a single second more, Philip descended the stairs. He did not want to see if that being could open his gate, at least not now.
"Phew… Alright, I've somewhat determined where I am." He whispered to himself as he cleaned his forehead of perspiration
'It seems I'm left inside an abandoned prison, inside one of its many cells... And mine is special for some reason.'
'At the same time, every single prisoner has either died or escaped long ago, leaving only bones behind and… a ghost and an undead guard.'
'This throws rescue right off the realm of possibility… Escaping seems like the only apparent choice, but there may be more such beings outside. What if I'm inside the cell of the Demon Lord and out there is his army rather than freedom?'
'It's not like Gamerverse has a habit of throwing me into pleasant situations… The sewers of a gothic city overrun with monsters… a dark, lonely world plagued with glitches… A trashy downtown hotel with stains everywhere in a high crime region… and now this.'
'What a trashy situation.'
Racking his brains for a solution, Philip realized two things:
"Wait a minute…"
'Where is the message saying that a Class has been selected? It's about time it arrived.'
'It would say that I have received a Class and ask if I would like to see the notes… This would give me everything I needed to figure out the Universe, and the Class…'
/Creak!…/
He sat down on the old bed, "Most importantly, I would receive the beginner package, allowing me to get some sort of head start… But there's nothing…"
The second thing he realized is that he had yet to finish exploring this place… after all, there was still the table with the candle lying in the corner…
The table itself wasn't special; it was just an old and badly crafted table. Philip himself was confident in making a much better one in less than half an hour with his previous body if he had the materials and tools available.
He could say the same about the bed...
The same couldn't be said about the items on top of it though.
First, it was the candle. Philip noticed it was actually burning forever with no sign of the wax burning off. Either that, or it burned so damn slowly that he couldn't even tell.
The second thing was a small metal box... And obviously, it was also open. And evident of that fact was a single broken lockpick.
'It seems whoever opened it got a bit better, wasting fewer picks in the process, or that was his last.'
Inside the box, he saw a glass bottle, empty, but it probably once contained a liquid. Its drops long dried and mixed with dust.
The last thing was the worn-out golden statue of a lady. In front of her was an unlit brasier, albeit it was part of the statue and not an actual brazier… It almost looked like a fancy cigarette holder…
Lastly, and also the most important thing he saw so far… a wooden key.
He grabbed it with a small smile, carefully so as not to damage it... The key looked pretty old...
"Unless this is a prank, this key must be the one for the door, although I'm concerned since it's made of wood, and it seems fragile… If it breaks…"
'Using my creativity, breaking out of the cell may be possible, but not without making some noise… I wouldn't want to attract that creature's attention for no reason.'
'Worse, I could end up attracting more of them. Even if I can fight, everything can easily end in an instant. A cut from that gruesome, rusty sword will definitely send me straight to heaven thanks to infections.'
'At least in that regard, I have her. She can definitely help me… if she were around!'
He crossed his arms, "Something is a bit strange though... There are no signs of escape or struggle, so what happened to the previous inhabitant of this cell?"
'Did he escape and then someone closed the cell before everything went wrong? Why would someone leave the key inside the cell like this? If this place was going to hell anyway, why even bother with closing the cell door? Was this some sort of procedure where the guards kept the keys inside the cell until a new inmate was cast inside so it was easy to find?'
He held the statue in his hand, his eyes frowning, "… This statue is strikingly familiar… Did I ever see it somewhere before?" He asked himself as he scratched his head
Philip then noticed a few fingerprint marks on the statue. Whoever came here before him seemed to pray periodically to it.
"Is there perhaps a name nearby? Or a symbol of some kind?… A code for me to read? A clue?" Philip said as he started to brush the dust from the statue
/Flash!/
The statue's eyes suddenly lit up!
{A lost Soul? How strange. To find yourself lost within this dark place}
"!!"
A feminine voice echoed inside his mind…
{Poor one, allow me to guide you back into the world of the living}
Philip let out a gasp of surprise, "Woah..."
'Telepathy. I didn't expect to see it here of all places... but…'
{Try to remember who you are… or perhaps, who you wished to be…} the voice said in a gentle yet firm tone, ignoring his question
{If perhaps, in a twist of fate, you've decided to abandon who you once were, deciding to start anew, then turn back and make a new you, all by yourself…}
{No one to dictate who you are apart from yourself, the freedom most cannot ever enjoy. Albeit, if that is a blessing or a curse, it'll be up to you to decide} The voice said, almost mechanically
And that was a key factor in his suspicion.
"Inspiring." Philip mumbled in a low tone
Suddenly, a long list of floating words appeared before him:
[I was the disciple of a wizard in the countryside]
[I grew up in the orphanage with little to no care]
[I worked with my uncle as smiths in a big city]
[I'm…]
The list was long, and even if Philip suddenly scrolled down with everything he had, the options were seemingly endless…
"… This never ends... What does this mean, though?"
'This Class keeps getting more and more confused... Is this a background creation for my Class? Like my very first one? Its a bit more extensive to say the least.'
"And I suppose if I am to turn around and use this key to escape this prison, then I'll live on as me and no one else? That's interesting…"
'That's about as close as I can get to getting Isekai'd to a world I know… if I can remember where this is.'
"It's not worth it though… Getting a background is probably worth it more in the long run."
Philip took a deep breath and went through the options, but he suddenly stopped when he saw a word he thought he recognized, his eyes opening wide as the realization of multiple truths suddenly came crashing down on him.
"Hum?... Did I see that wrong?"
Upon a little extra searching…
[I'm a recently enrolled student at the College of Winterhold]
And as he finished reading this line, it all dawned on him, as if he had achieved enlightenment. Where he was, what he was doing, and what all of this possibly meant...
"So this..."
Just as he realized that…
[You have acquired a new class through Gamerverse. Would you like to see the notes?]
"Wh... Why now of all times?... That's not the question I should be asking."
'Dramatic as always.'
"Sigh... It's definitely doing this on purpose."
[Gamerverse has selected a universe]
[The Elder Scrolls Universe]
"Haa, by this point, all of my excitement has died down." Philip said with a frown as he sighed loudly
'But at least… It's thoroughly confirmed now.'
Philip remained silent for some time, contemplating his situation deeply, 'It seems the Class menu has yet to be made… It seems Gamerverse is waiting for my choice… Quite some freedom it's giving me.'
'However… Why this place? I now remember what this place is, but… Sigh, to be clear, this area wasn't in the original material; it is instead an add-on… Extra downloadable content.'
'I think I did a modpack playthrough in the past, but that was… years ago. I didn't expect it to appear here like this… I didn't even know that was a possibility.'
'Maybe that was what Gamerverse's enhancement was all about? It now has the power of Mods? Haha… if only.'
He grew a little excited at his Class' prospects, "Does this mean that my Class..."
[Gamerverse has set its sight on a class]
[Dragonborn]
"Oh yeah, it's all falling together." Philip said with a smug smile as he felt a weight fall off his shoulders… only for it to climb right back in
'There's an issue… It just says Dragonborn… There were many such beings in the history of this world, some strong, some weak, some with great destinies, others who never saw the light of their true selves.'
'The strongest of them all carried the fate of the whole world… Do I even need to say more?'
[You have acquired the "Dragonborn" Class]
[Due to the characteristics of this Class, you shall choose a new life in order to complete it]
[Choosing a new life will reward memories related to that origin]
[Until then, this Class cannot be equipped and the inheritance cannot continue]
"It's settled then."
'This is making me think of it all again… Memories… Is this all real, or just some kind of intricate simulation?'
'Just what exactly is Gamerverse putting me through?'
He shook his head.
"I already thought of this once, I'm not going to do it again… Not here with my head throbbing."
'I'm still haunted by those darned Trials… I made my decision already. Whatever this all is, as long as I feel it's real, so it is to me.'
He looked at the statue once again, "In this case... this must be one of the... Gods? Ah! I remember now... The Divines! That was the term."
"Sheesh, my lore mastery has fallen this low..."
Philip was once an Elder Scrolls nerd. For him to have forgotten so much or even recognized it at first glance was quite humiliating. Although in his defense, real life was quite different from an outdated videogame on the screen.
"What was her name again? Lara? Sala?... Eria?... Shit. My head's still a little lost due to that accursed place..."
'Forget it, that doesn't matter. I'll surely remember as time goes by… What matters here is how Gamerverse compelled such a being in the first place.'
'That said, doing something as simple as mimicking one's voice is easy. But would it do that? Gamerverse has protected me from the corruption of a Great One and I imagine it does so passively even if it does not state so.'
'What is the true scope of Gamerverse's power and where does it draw its principles from?'
"… Let's sit somewhere more comfortable… This bed has started to splinter right into my ass…" He uttered with some annoyance as he got up from the broken bed
He grabbed the chest from the side and brought it near the statue, using it as a chair as he scrolled through the options under the candle light.
"What concerns me most isn't the beginning I choose, its what's going to happen after. Depending on what happens later, what I choose may greatly impact the end result of my abilities."
'Will I have to go through the entire story of this world before going back? That seems a little… too much... Even by my standards.'
'I wouldn't mind spending a few months here, though. Compared to Eden or that place, maybe here I can spend some time and relax. Above all, sort through my thoughts… And since I know I can spend years inside a Class space for only a few moments to hours to pass in the real world, there's little to fear.'
"I should sort what I have first… So? What is a Dragonborn?"
He thought for a moment before coming up with an answer, 'Individuals with the body of a mortal, but the blood and soul of a Dragon... A power given by the Dragon God of time to certain individuals.'
'They have several abilities, the most impactful being able to understand the world similarly as Dragons do, the children of the Dragon God as far as I know, and as such, learn the Dragon tongue with ease.'
'With it, they can manipulate the natural world and magic with nothing but their voice. Which, to some degree, is akin to manipulating the world with nothing but one's own will.'
"So, what does that make me?"
He scrambled his hair, "… To be honest... I don't know."
"To choose a beginning and then advance through a series of troubles and slay a Dragon Demigod... I'm not really in the mood for that. But I suppose that's where the background option comes in hand… Maybe I can opt to be your standard, run-of-the-mill Dragonborn who did little in life… But so could I be the one who unified nations."
'I'd rather go for the easy route… I don't have the time to go on a grand quest to save the world. I'm already full with mine...'
"… Also, the longer I think about it, the more I realize some of the limitations of this Class."
'Being a Dragonborn is cool and all, the dream of every gamer kid of my generation... many... But the main point of being one is the ability to understand the Dragon tongue and do the iconic shouts.'
'The issue is… the dragon tongue does not exist outside of this universe. Further studying it would be tricky unless Gamerverse created some sort of backdoor.'
'Maybe I could bypass it in some way… I have a few suggestions, but right now those ideas are nothing but scattered leaves in the wind…'
'Going with that possibility, if I were to follow the pattern of what happened so far, I would gain a similar system as what the original in-game world had to offer.'
'I don't know how some things would be translated, but if I were to focus somewhere… then it would be the Schools of Magic and the Crafting System. I don't exactly know what's there to learn from medieval crafting skills when I can already build nuclear powered robots, but I guess sprinkling some magic into it makes it interesting enough to consider.'
'But even those things have their limitations. Even if I learned how to make something, what value would it have if the materials to craft it did not exist in Eden? What about a potion? What about an Enchantment?… How do I solve that issue in Eden?...'
'I came across the same problems when I left my first Class world. But at least then I had the Messengers to procure me items aside from the rare item drop from the System.'
'The whole ordeal of a Class changes your reality... Perhaps I shouldn't consider those issues so much when I already have two systems working in tandem to make whatever I want possible.'[2]
'The same goes for magic… anything that it can do I can find an equivalent in Eden. Only special schools and such as incite my curiosity... But I'm certain Eden has some equivalent either way… It probably just is harder to come by.'
'Still... I've been studying Eden's magic but it hasn't been a priority given how busy I am. So if I am to learn magic, might as well be now as its shoved down my throat.'
'At least in this world I don't have to worry about Demons using my mind as holes to step into reality.'
'Elder Scrolls "demons" are far tamer then Chaos Demons... Depending on which one you pick I suppose.'
"Phew…"
Philip exhaled, trying to calm down a little. He was thinking too far into something that needed no thinking. The answer would come to him soon enough.
"I have time… or at least I think I do."
He looked around. The candle still burned forever, albeit if he looked really closely, he'd see a tiny ball of wax forming on its tip.
"… As far as I can see, my time is either until that undead guard finds me, or, most likely, this candle ends."
'Maybe if this candle ends, Gamerverse will pick one for me or worse… Anyhow, it doesn't look like that'll be happening any soon… I'll probably fall to hunger before this candle ends.'
'I can even see a faint stream of water coming down from the walls, which should last me a while if I'm desperate enough. And if Falpurgiana decides to make an appearance, than maybe this issue will be solved ahead of time.'
"There should be thousands of options here, so why not mark them down and then choose the most fitting one?"
Philip nodded to himself. That seemed to be a plan…
So he stood there, going on from choice to choice, when he found an interesting one. He used a sharp rock he found on the side to scratch the wall, marking the number of said option.
And time passed…
…
/Literally an entire day later if not longer… Maybe two or three, he couldn't tell…/
/Growl…/
Philip's stomach growled violently; it ordered him to go get some food, and it had to be now!
"Huff… Give me a break, I'm still not done with the options…" Philip said tiredly, his eyes heavy, his voice course
'Damn it… The simple thought of losing that perfect option irks me to an unbearable degree. But if I continue like this, I may collapse from overwork sooner rather than later, and get myself in a worse position, which may end up making me choose poorly.'
'It is saddening to admit, but I can't do much in this state. I feel like I was thrown back to before I was summoned.'
He looked at the wall with multiple carvings, 'From the thousands of choices I scrolled over, I chose a few dozen that I think would fit me the best… I don't know what'll happen once I do so, if I'll live a life and be able to influence this world, or if I'll be given some things and be done with them.'
'I wouldn't be against living a few months here, but when I think Gamerverse has a pattern, it breaks it. Besides, if I spend a few extra years here, I'll trully end up breaching that 30-year-old gap… I'm not counting those memories from the Trials! If I do… Wouldn't I already be well over a century or two old?'
'Just thinking about that… To be an Uncle in another world? No way… It's too soon for that.'
He clasped at his forehead with a frown, "Enough enough, I'm hungry and fed up with staying in this damp place." Philip said annoyed as he checked the wall
There were several numbers written there, including a few words. Those were his choices, and it was time to choose. He knew what each represented, and most of them were centered around the ideals he had singled out before.
In the end, only one choice would become true.
…
/A few minutes later…/
With a determined gaze, Philip chose his life.
[You have chosen, The Black Merchant]
"It has a name?" He mumbled with a frown
'I simply choose what seemed to be the best option... The text merely read: "I am the son of a merchant with a mysterious power I never fully understood…", the reason I took it was merely because I felt like it was the best option…'
"It sounds a bit more ominous than I expected... I hope this is what I think it is. Otherwise, I've just wasted this opportunity." Philip said tiredly as he exhaled loudly
'I could've been many people. From a promising student at the College of Winterhold to the son of a Jarl… The only reason I didn't choose that one was because the options were rather poor. I didn't want to become the Jarl of some forgotten place... Actually, that isn't even it. I would've been the son of the Jarl.'
'There would've definitely been a fair share of politics involved, and that's not for me. I can understand and play the game but my deal is more about punching first and asking later… now that I think about it I might've been a fine Jarl…'
[The Class, Dragonborn has been equipped]
[Your destiny changes...]
[Your class morphs your reality]
[Due to your class effects, an additional status window is being made]
[You have received a Beginner Nord Legend Package]
[Initiating memory transfer…]
"It has begun…"
The voice once again echoed in his mind:
{Son of a wealthy merchant, you grew up wandering a stranger's land. Eyes you couldn't recognize, smells that you couldn't discern, the warmth of a family that did not belong to you. It all haunted you for as long as you could remember}
{Never in one place for long, your earliest memory is that of the road. You were always behind your father as he led his ever-growing caravan throughout the lands}
{His methods were always a mystery to you. No matter what, he would always have rare and desirable wares to sell. Despite you always being beside him, you never figured out just where he took all of those items from}
{A question always stood at the corner of your mind… Where did they come from? But you never had the courage to ask}
{You feared the worst, dreamt of beings better off forgotten and unnamed. Of the horrors your father might've committed… You were no simpleton, no ignorant. You knew the dangers of the roads and the lands beyond the safety of the paved ground and roads… of the wilderness just out sight}
{But at least you always had food on your plate. The money to acquire what you desired… so you never complained, you never asked, you simply lived behind your father}
{That was, until the day he passed away… That was the day all of your insecurities and fears came crashing down all at once. You must now become the man your father once was…}
{Cast it aside or become it, this is the day your old self died}
/Flash/
The statue shone, and Philip's vision darkened as he was knocked out once again.
(Image of the room if you haven't seen it before)
…
.
.
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Notes
The Goddess of the statue is Mara :)
Thank you for reading!
What do you think the MC should be doing in this world?
And where do you think he should be going next? Considering we're probably going somewhere small like a small Class.
If that's not enough, what places may qualify for small events like the previous chapter? I plan to add more and hopefully make them a bit longer with lasting impact in the story.
Ideas are welcomed no matter the feasibility! But I would definitely prefer if there were a reason for me to consider.
Anyhow, thanks for reading!
[1] Actually, I lied. I just checked and the original Zero Fate has 640 K words. We already have 600K so...
[2] He's talking about Gamerverse and Eden's System if you didn't understand