January 9, Year 1000
The sun illuminated the entire city with blue light, streaming through the open windows of Roman's room.
A ray landed on his face, waking him abruptly.
"Huh?" He jolted upright, nearly falling off his swivel chair.
Reflected in his eyes was the text on the screen before him.
"You died!"
Roman inhaled sharply, startled.
Then, realization…
"Damn, I fell asleep. I am not really dead, not yet, at least…"
His computer screen was still on. He had played all night at an interesting video game. An explorable and infinite world, full of monsters. The goal was to survive.
The game's peculiarity lay in its world. Everything was in cubes.
A truly strange game.
"It reminds me a bit of the Rift. That place is infinite and full of monsters too."
He shook his head with a smile, turning off the computer.
"Let us see what happened… status."
---
Name: Roman Red
Title: The Chosen One Among the Chosen Ones
Level: 1
Mana: 0/-100
Affinity: Fire
Skill(s): Fireball
World Talent: you cannot level up
World Talent: doubles maximum mana every 24 hours
---
"Great, my mana really doubled! But I do not feel stronger." He murmured, scratching his chin.
"Oh, maybe it is because only now can I truly be considered level 1… before I was just a level… 0.5?"
A light laugh echoed within the walls of his home, while the rumbling of his stomach brought him back to reality.
"Mana or not, eating is a fundamental thing." He said, heading toward the bathroom. "To celebrate the level-up, I would say we can go have breakfast at the bar."
…
Roman was naked, standing in front of the mirror, observing his wet body, water droplets falling to the floor.
He was not fat, but he certainly could not be called fit…
He sighed.
"There is a lot of work to do. Maybe I should stop wasting time with video games and focus on my physical appearance… at this rate, I will never find a girlfriend."
His gaze lowered.
"Someone online said there is a skill capable of changing body size." He held back a smile, imagining the scene.
"The more mana you use, the bigger your body becomes… I wonder, can I use it to modify just one part of my body?"
A scene popped into Roman's head.
Entire cities and monsters destroyed by him spinning like a helicopter.
A hearty laugh escaped him.
"Sure, the old Roman's style was really awful…" he sighed, putting on a dark t-shirt and pants, with the usual sneakers.
He left the house, descending the stairs.
Destination?
The Mana Bar.
"Incredible how the naming sense in this world is so absurd. Everything related to the meteorite is called Meteorite, and everything related to mana has Mana in the name…"
He could not help but hold back a sigh, entering the bar.
"Good morning, a croissant and a coffee."
An innocent-looking girl turned toward Roman, smiling at him.
"Good morning. Regular coffee or mana coffee? Regular croissant or mana croissant?"
Roman thought for a moment. "Regular. Both."
Mana-infused foods were not only tastier but also made you feel better.
But, of course, they cost Mana.
And he only had 1 Mana in his Storage.
His parents had left him nothing but credits.
He sat at a table inside the bar.
He sipped his coffee while eating the croissant.
It is really good. Better than my old world. He thought.
Having paid and greeted the waitress, Roman headed toward the Meteorite Hall.
"I plan to stretch my legs a bit. Who knows, maybe I will get lucky and find some equipment."
After arriving at his destination, Roman entered the building.
Just like the day before, the place was packed with young people.
Roman did not care much, but before he could head toward the counter where the girl from the previous day worked, some voices caught his attention.
"Have you heard? Miss Xixi said she will reach level 100 in the next ten days!" said one of the boys.
"That is insane! It has only been eight days since the awakening, and I am still at level 10!" replied another.
"Exactly, I am at 8… she really is a goddess!" murmured another, his eyes closed as he thought of the girl.
Roman paused for a moment to listen to their chatter.
Xixi.
His mana bank. Literally.
Everyone knew Miss Xixi. Of course, not personally.
As the rumors went, she was a goddess.
"I heard she is coming here today!" pressed one of the three, adjusting his hair. "What do you think, could I win her over?"
Hearing this, the other two laughed hysterically. "You are an idiot, Zun! How could you even hope for such a thing?"
"Yeah, buddy!" said the other, wiping tears from his eyes. "Compared to Miss Xixi, you are a sewer rat!"
Zun's expression darkened as he lowered his gaze. "Maybe Miss Xixi likes rats, what do you know, you stupid idiots!" he said with mock anger.
Roman let out a smile. Truth be told, he missed having friends to laugh and joke with.
Well, is it not easy to make friends? I just need to go there and introduce myself. Those three seem very friendly, maybe I could enter the Rift with them… He thought, heading toward them.
"By the way," said Zun with a nod. "Why do we not go kill some monsters? We need to level up, otherwise we will lose mana."
"Why the rush! We have all day, why not—"
"Hi"
Roman's voice made the three turn.
"Hi, do you need something?" the tallest of the three stepped forward, approaching Roman.
The other two scrutinized him from head to toe, also curious.
"Yes, my name is Roman. I was wondering if we could become friends…" Roman's smile was warm and kind.
"Friends?" repeated one from behind. "You seem like a decent guy, and I am tired of these two idiots who do nothing but talk about their goddess." He said, stepping forward and extending his hand. "My name is Golia, nice to meet you!"
Roman firmly shook his hand, his smile widening.
"Ignore his useless chatter," said the tallest boy, the one who had approached first, shaking his head lightly. "My name is Tobias."
Roman shook his hand too, nodding slightly.
Then came the turn of the sewer rat, that is, Zun.
"Nice to meet you!" he said, shaking Roman's hand with enthusiasm. "Are you in love with Miss Xixi too? Tell that idiot Golia that everyone loves Miss Xixi, but I love her more than anyone!"
Roman smiled awkwardly, but before he could respond, a sigh came from the other two.
"Zun, stop it! Not everyone is in love with Miss Xixi." Golia replied, shaking his head.
"Exactly, we are in love with her, obviously, but not everyone has to be." Tobias nodded with a serious face.
Golia looked at them with resignation, while they laughed heartily.
Roman also laughed lightly, caught up in their enthusiasm.
"I would not say I am in love with Miss Xixi…" he said finally, subtly furrowing his brows, his gaze low. "Let's just say she is the reason I live."
"…"
A heavy silence echoed among the four.
Tobias swallowed loudly, opening his mouth. But no words came out.
On the other hand, Zun looked at him with disbelief. "Buddy, I apologize if I dared to say I love her more than you. Apparently, I was wrong…"
"Yeah," Golia chimed in, crossing his arms and nodding repeatedly. "These two are in love with her, sure, but they would never dare say she is the reason for their lives."
Roman grimaced, confusion painted on his face.
"No, no," he raised his arms, shaking his head and then his hands. "What the hell did you understand! That is not what I meant—"
Before he could finish speaking, a roar shook the calm atmosphere of the Meteorite Hall.