The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a blue sky. Clear.
That sky didn't have a tear bleeding red, and it wasn't filled with smoke.
"What a beautiful sight…"
I was almost sure my eyes were wet at that moment.
Shaking my head to look away from that appealing view, I scanned the surroundings.
Then I realized where I was.
In the middle of a forest.
"Nice place to start, huh?"
It was a total joke, but I wasn't going to complain. I could carve things into the trees if I got bored!
[Welcome to the world of the living, dear hero.]
The strange window from before appeared in front of me, suddenly.
Apparently, this so-called system was with me.
[Forever, from the moment you accepted the contract.]
[Regret it~!]
I'm already regretting it, you can trust me.
So what should I do, then?
[Let me guide you, it's my job.]
Go ahead.
[This system works in two different ways.]
[The first part, which is the core part, focuses on the development of everything centered on the user, you.]
[Be that your strength, your body, your belongings, or even your pets.]
[The second part of the system is focused on something like a "lootbox," called Chaos Gacha. You complete tasks and receive the "currency" needed to roll, thus getting anything from the multiverse in a totally random way.]
I like the first part. Those tasks from the second part… can I see them?
[Task 0: Get to know the system.]
[Reward: 1 Platinum Ticket, an Infinite Journal]
[This is the only task you have at the moment.]
This Platinum Ticket, how good is it? And the Infinite Journal literally just: infinite pages and that's it, or do I actually have something to write too?
[Ticket tiers are: Bronze > Silver > Gold > Platinum > Diamond > Legendary > Mythical > Divine.]
[And your Infinite Journal comes with an Infinite Pen, but it only works for the Journal itself.]
Thanks for the explanation.
So go ahead, show me everything I need to know about the first part of the system.
[With pleasure.]
[You currently have two options, and you can gain extra options in the future by completing other tasks.]
[These options are: Own Status and Other Status.]
[Own Status is your status, containing all relevant information—quantifying your attributes, capabilities, and giving detailed descriptions of everything you have and might get in the future.]
[Other Status works the same way, but for any other living being linked to you. With an extra: unlike Own Status, in Other Status you can modify attributes and information about your "companions" through special rewards that will allow you to directly increase attributes or change capacities.]
So, simply put: in one I just see, and in the other I see and edit.
[Correct.]
…Good. Very good.
I could feel a strange smile forming on my face.
[You are as unbalanced as expected.]
[Excellent.]
I'm starting to like you too.
Please, show me my status.
[Name: Vesper]
[Species: Veserithorn(+)]
[Age: 18] [HP: 100/100]
[Vigor: 1] (Physical endurance and general health)
[Strength: 1] (Pure physical power)
[Dexterity: 1] (Coordination and manual skill)
[Speed: 1] (Movement speed and reactions)
[Intelligence: 1] (Reasoning capacity and knowledge)
[Mental: 1] (Mental power and resistance)
[Charisma: 1] (Social influence and presence)
[Luck: 1] (Indirect influence on chance)
[Passive Skills]
Eternal Spirit {MAX}, Harmless {MAX}, Personification of Talent {MAX/Curse} [Active Skills]
[Weapons]
None.
[Armor]
None.
END.
My race is no longer human, and my attributes are all at 1… is that necessary? Or did my strength regress?
[Your strength regressed and was set to 1, along with all your attributes.]
[Your species changing has nothing to do with the system.]
[Your species changed while you were alive; during that apocalypse you ceased to be human, starting the transformation.]
[And after spending so much time in that "sea," your transformation was completed.]
[That was purely why it took so long for the system to contact you; during the transformation nothing could penetrate your defenses. Only when the transformation finished did things become easier.]
I expected that… lifting cars and breaking concrete walls with a punch was way beyond the human realm. Or at least doing it easily was beyond the human realm.
What does my species do, exactly? And what do the 1s in my status mean?
[First, about status.]
[Status does not increase by 1s. It increases by 0.1 increments.]
[The human average is 0.5, which means you are considerably stronger than an average human. Your current attributes can be considered equivalent to the MAXIMUM attributes of a human.]
(Note from author: a small warning. Don't take the system's stats as absolute precision. This is a fictional world, as well as a fictional multiverse.)
[Finally, your species is… unique. In the most literal sense possible.]
How exactly?
[You created this species, and thus you are the first and possibly the only one of this species.]
[You do not have genes to pass on exactly, nor a physical form you are tied to, but you are, in the most literal sense: the apex your species could reach.]
[Here is a description of your species.]
[Veserithorn: A species born amid chaos, that upon witnessing the throats of creation being torn, developed and ascended to a new purpose: protection. Molded in the sea of existence, this species stands above destiny and inevitability, bearer of infinite potential but also, simultaneously, limited.]
[Provides: {Personification of Talent}, {Harmless}.]
[System note: Being above destiny and inevitability does not mean being invincible or always winning, but rather that you have the POTENTIAL to change the most improbable and impossible situations. In the end, everything still comes down to strength and capability.]
That description…
I confess I'm surprised. Even excited, but tell me, tell me, give me the descriptions of my three passives. Now I'm curious.
And… I admit I'm a little worried.
[With reason. Here they are.]
[Eternal Spirit: You witnessed what no other mortal could witness and expect to survive, and unlike others, you were not shaken. Your conviction, determination, and hope personify the most beautiful and pure thing, incorruptible. While you have will, you will do ridiculous things that cannot be explained.]
[Harmless: You are completely incapable of learning to use an offensive weapon. Be it sword, spear, dagger, revolver—your body and your existence themselves refuse to use something so vile and disgusting. Whenever you try: completely surreal and comical events will occur.]
[Personification of Talent: The vilest and cruelest curse possible for someone like you. You are capable of learning everything and doing anything, but because of your existential limitations your limits were sealed. In revolt, your spirit ascended in justice, and thus the change was made.]
I…
Do you sound very upset about this?
[Me? Upset? Why?]
[Perhaps because my host is a cripple who can't pick up a damn weapon to defend himself?!]
[What's the point of that?! What should you do?! TALK TO SOMEONE UNTIL DEATH, LIKE A DAMN BARD?!]
Actually…
[NO! DON'T START WITH THAT IDEA!]
Okay, a 'thousand apologies'.
I was holding back from laughing. And I'm sure the system knew that.
[…]
Don't worry, okay? I still have lots of options, and I honestly prefer it this way.
Let time convince you, yes?
[…All right. But I'll still try to remove that restriction from you.]
Go ahead. If you manage it, good for us.
I stood up, letting out a small sigh as I stretched my back. It was surprising how quickly I could think, so to speak.
Only a few hours had passed; the sun was still high in the sky.
[You have completed your Task 0.]
[You received 1 Platinum Ticket and 1 Infinite Journal.]
[The Infinite Journal will appear and disappear as you wish.]
"Great."
I reached forward and wished the journal into existence, and it appeared.
It was a simple journal with a leather cover. The pages were completely white and had a comfortable thickness. The pen was strange, made of some metal I didn't recognize, though it looked a bit like iron.
I will write in this journal at the end of each day.
(A/N: I will use the part after -END- of the chapter to write the protagonist's journal entries. The entries won't be long and will generally be other thoughts and interpretations the protagonist has about each thing that happened. This will be more impactful and useful in the future, when I stop writing from this current POV.)
"System, spin that Platinum Ticket please. I prefer to use it now and get an idea of how it works."
[As you command, boss~]
[Platinum Ticket used.]
[You rolled: Rites of the Dragon Communion.]
[Type: Item]
[Rarity: Epic]
[From the universe of Elden Ring: Church rites detailing how one can commune with the great dragons. Studying the rites allows communion with dragons, allowing the user to borrow their powers to conjure miracles.]
"Use dragon powers? Sounds interesting…"
I confess I was surprised. I didn't have an exact idea how strong those dragons were, but the description gave me some confidence.
I didn't know if I'd be able to use it, considering it might be considered a type of weapon, but I'd have to see when the time came.
I'll read it before sleeping, because right now I have a higher priority.
Get out of this forest. Or at least settle somewhere safe.
END
Journal, Day 0
Apparently I got a second chance. A second chance from an unreliable system, but it was polite to me… so it's fine.
Apparently I'm the only one of my species, and I'm pretty special. If things keep going like this I might develop an ego, heh.
I'm in an unknown forest, with no idea how the world I'm in works. Maybe there are monsters? Or maybe it's the next victim of "that"? Who knows.
I hope to find a good place to rest and learn about my situation as soon as possible. Right now my only friend is my system; it's quite entertaining.
I hope tomorrow I sleep somewhere other than this log… I swear I've fallen off it like four times already.
END OF DAY 0