In the beginning, Ramsey was nothing more than a frail life form, unremarkable and without feats worth remembering. That was until the day he awoke in a mysterious lab, stripped of his memories and granted a system that allowed him to transcend the limits of humanity itself. With each alteration of his genes, he reshaped his destiny, evolving into the most fascinating protagonist in the entire novelverse. But to truly grasp the magnitude of his journey and feel the thrill of his triumphs, we must return to the day where it all began...
At first there was nothing, only darkness, an empty and pitch-black void. Gradually, this darkness morphed into indistinct images that warped and twisted, appearing as formless as the thoughts of a young man named Ramsey.
Ramsey blinked rapidly, attempting to comprehend what he was witnessing. Yet, despite his efforts, confusion persisted.
"System binding..."
He thought he heard someone speak, but in the midst of all the confusion it was hard to tell.
His eyes widened, and as his racing mind attempted to make sense of the shapes before him, he only grew more perplexed.
Upon observing his surroundings, he found himself even more bewildered.
Water surrounded him, and black cords extended from his body to an unknown destination. He was floating in a tank filled with water, an oxygen mask secured to his face to assist his breathing.
Wires were attached to his body, as if he were some kind of machine. The pain... he had just begun to understand it.
An intense pain coursed through his entire being, settling in his head as a severe headache.
Following the unsettling realization that he was ensnared in water, he started to feel as though he were drowning. The oxygen mask did little to alleviate the sense of dread that gripped his rapidly beating heart.
Panic ensued, and Ramsey began to thrash in the water like a fish out of its natural habitat. He flailed his arms and kicked his legs.
He yearned to scream, to shout, but no one would hear him. The water churned violently until... a thin crack appeared on the surface of the tank. It seemed that the glass was not designed to endure such thrashing. It had remained intact while he was still, but now, as he struggled, the glass shattered.
Water gushed into the now clearly visible room as the indistinct objects behind the glass took form.
Wires, computers, and additional tanks filled with water revealed that the space was constructed like a highly advanced laboratory.
His body ceased to float, and the black wires embedded in his skin through thick needles painfully withdrew.
As soon as Ramsey's feet touched the solid ground, his knees buckled, and he collapsed onto his hands. His eyes darted around, filled with fear and curiosity, holding questions that seemed to stretch into infinity.
"Have I become a mere test subject in some laboratory experiment?"
This was the first coherent thought that crossed his mind.
The questions persisted in his thoughts as he surveyed the area. The more he observed the room, the more plausible the notion appeared.
He found himself unable to answer this question, and the reason was utterly perplexing. Aside from his name and some fundamental knowledge, Ramsey was completely unaware of who he was, where he was, or why he was present.
Lacking any sense of direction, what could he possibly do? At that moment, he heard a voice.
[ System binding...
Host, congratulations on achieving a one hundred percent binding with the system.
Would you like to proceed with the beginner's guide? ]
The level of confusion flooding Ramsey's mind was unimaginable. He was already lost regarding the situation, and now a voice was echoing in his head, posing questions.
The last thing he needed at that moment was for a voice to materialize out of nowhere and start asking nonsensical questions.
He chose to disregard the voice and focused on carefully examining his surroundings.
With significant effort, Ramsey forced his weak legs to move as he began to explore the room.
Perhaps he could uncover some clues about his identity or the purpose of his presence in this technologically advanced environment.
He noticed wires piled atop one another, resembling countless black, coiling snakes. They enveloped the entire room, likely transmitting some form of electrical information.
Next, he spotted the tanks. As he approached one, he ran his hands along the exterior of the glass and gazed in astonishment. Upon closer inspection, he recognized his own reflection.
Blonde hair that appeared unnaturally long cascaded over his face. Deep blue eyes, which seemed out of place, were set upon his strikingly handsome features.
He tilted his head to the side, observing from various angles. Unsurprisingly, he did not recognize the individual staring back at him. The voice emerged once more.
[Host, you have been granted three attribute points. How would you like to allocate them?]
The system continued to repeat other inquiries, all of which Ramsey ignored as he scoured the lab for information.
His attention was drawn to a computer located at the far side of the room. While he may have been unaware of his own identity, he instantly recognized the computer.
This was likely where most of the information about this place was stored. Finally, some answers. His legs, which had previously felt weak, suddenly propelled him forward with newfound energy.
He reached the workstation without regard for who might have left it accessible or their motivations for doing so.
Grasping the mouse with determined fingers, he navigated to a file ominously titled "Project Doomsday." The file opened right away, revealing numerous individual documents arranged in chronological order with their corresponding dates. He leaned against the table and began to read the contents of the first document with intense focus.
"Day One: This is Doctor Amos submitting my initial report regarding the first day of the Doomsday Project. We have successfully secured our first test subject and have commenced the preliminary bonding process.
It is quite likely that this particular host, designated as subject 216, will most likely die during the procedure. As he is the first host to attempt bonding with the system, we have virtually no reliable information to assist with this complex process."
Ramsey let out a heavy sigh, realizing that his worst fears had been confirmed. He was indeed nothing more than a test subject in some deranged scientist's experimental project. However, this was not the right moment to indulge in self-pity. He needed to keep gathering information.
He opened the document labeled Day Six.
"Day Six of the Doomsday Project: I am fully aware that our actions are considered morally wrong. Every day, I witness test subjects dying by the hundreds, their lives extinguished in pursuit of our goals.
Yet I continue to reassure myself that this sacrifice is for the greater good of humanity. I must do this. I have to find a way to save the entire human race from what is approaching."
He swiftly advanced to Day Five Hundred, eager to uncover more detailed progress reports.
"We have at last made a significant advancement in our research. Host 1689 has successfully bonded partially with the system, achieving around fifty percent integration. I have never seen a human exhibit such extraordinary capabilities.
Not even the most formidable mutants could achieve what this subject has accomplished. This prompts the intriguing question of what someone with complete system bonding might be able to achieve."
He proceeded to read, moving on to day seven hundred and ten.
"At last, we are witnessing considerable progress in this vital project. I can feel a sense of relief knowing we are on the correct path. We now possess a realistic opportunity to avert the dreadful prophecy foretold by that mutant oracle and to save our world within the next hundred years."
Ramsey gritted his teeth in seething rage as he processed this information. The answers he had urgently sought were absent from these documents.
There were records concerning the subject and their origins, but he had only uncovered that he was merely a laboratory subject in an experiment conducted by a deranged scientist attempting to save the world based solely on the dubious prophecy of an oracle. Since when did reputable scientists rely on the visions of oracles?
"That Doctor Amos was indeed a fool. He was systematically ruining thousands of innocent lives based on what, exactly? The saying of an oracle? A mutant fortune teller? This is utterly absurd! I must leave this place."
He raged with unrestrained fury and seized the heavy computer with both hands, exerting all his strength to pull it down from the desk.
The substantial metal device crashed forcefully to the floor, and the screen shattered into innumerable sparkling fragments. Sparks erupted into the air as electrical components emitted their final hisses and pops.
Now, he was back to square one, possessing no useful information about his forgotten past, no clear ideas about where he was located or where he could possibly go, and worst of all, that mysterious voice was still echoing persistently inside his head. Then he heard it: heavy footsteps that turned his anger into fear. They landed with a thud coming from outside the door. Someone else was here, and they were coming.