A young man woke up on a floating island beneath a kaleidoscopic sky, the swirling colors shifting endlessly above him. Groaning as he sat up, he rubbed his aching head and blinked in confusion at the strange sight.
Before he could gather his bearings, a voice called out lazily, "Well, the last one finally awakens."
Zeroing in on the sound, the young man turned his head and saw a boy with snow-white hair and mismatched eyes watching him with a playful grin.
"Who are you?" the young man demanded, narrowing his eyes.
The boy raised a hand in greeting. "I'm Tet, the God of Games. What's your name?"
The young man stared at him, half convinced this was some kind of fever dream. "…I'm Dexter M. Cutler."
Tet tilted his head, his grin widening. "Yeah, we're not moving forward until I hear what the 'M.' stands for."
Dexter let out a long, exasperated sigh, his shoulders slumping. "It's Morgan, okay? My parents were fans."
Tet immediately burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching his stomach. He actually fell to the ground, choking out between fits of laughter, "I'm… I'm reincarnating a guy named after a fictional serial killer—who was based on a real serial killer!"
Dexter pinched the bridge of his nose, glaring. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up… Wait. Reincarnating?"
Tet wiped the tears from his mismatched eyes, still chuckling, before finally composing himself. His tone grew more serious as he said, "It pains me to inform you that you are, in fact, dead."
Dexter blinked at him, then let out a sharp bark of laughter. "I think I'd know if I were dead."
Tet smirked. "Dude… look at your hand."
Dexter lifted his hand to prove a point—only to freeze. Instead of flesh and skin, his hand was made entirely of shimmering golden light, shaped perfectly but utterly ethereal. His eyes went wide, panic flooding his features. "Where the hell is my hand?!"
Tet leaned casually against nothing, speaking almost cheerfully. "Yeah, you died. Your body's being buried as we speak."
Dexter's breathing grew ragged. "How did I die?"
Tet's smirk returned. "Well, Dex—can I call you Dex? I'm gonna call you Dex. My girlfriend's brother got drunk and threw some random lightning bolts around. Unfortunately, they landed on more than a few people. And no, it's not the first time it's happened—just the most recent. My girlfriend was understandably upset, so she asked me and her other brother to do something nice for all the departed. So, we sent some to be reincarnated as normal, happy people on Earth."
Dexter forced himself to calm down, dragging in a shaky breath. "Who's your girlfriend's brother?"
Tet's grin widened with mischief. "The wannabe Liam Neeson himself—Zeus."
Dexter's jaw dropped. "You're kidding… So your girlfriend is who?"
Tet threw his arms out dramatically. "Hestia, obviously."
Dexter blinked, then let out a humorless laugh. "Okay… goddess of family. Makes sense why a bunch of people getting killed would upset her. Tell her I said thank you, please."
Tet gave a mock salute. "I will. Now, do you have any questions?"
Dexter folded his arms, suspicious. "You already sent the majority of people on their way, so why am I still here? And why'd you say I was the last one?"
Tet's smile turned sly, his mismatched eyes glinting. "Hades has authority over all the people who died—all but four, that is. I decided to take the four of you for a little side project. The other three already agreed to the deal I'm about to give you and have been sent on their way."
Dexter frowned. "So I'm the last to wake up?"
"Yep," Tet said casually.
Dexter narrowed his eyes. "So… what's this deal? And what put the four of us under your authority?"
Tet crossed his arms behind his head, and said. "Well, like I said, I'm the God of Games. And the four of you? You were fanatic gamers. Though two of you were pros. Surprisingly, you and the other girl were just hobbyists. Anyway, the deal is simple—you four get to live. In exchange, you'll go on jobs across the Omniverse, taking out bad guys and monsters. Fun, right?"
Dexter's face went pale, panic creeping back in. "No, not fun! I'm a normal dude! How the hell am I supposed to do any of that? Do I get wishes or a system?"
Tet wagged a finger at him. "No system. No wishes. I already picked something out for all four of you—it's perfect for a gamer."
With a flick of his wrist, Tet held up what looked like a sleek, black, futuristic smartwatch.
Dexter stared at it, unimpressed. "…A smartwatch?"
Tet rolled his eyes. "Not just a smartwatch. Think of it like a fusion between a Pip-Boy and the Omnitrix. And I'm saying that now because, trust me, other people will make that comparison later anyway. This beauty is indestructible, can't be picked up by anyone but you, allows you to communicate with the other three, has an inventory that can hold about five hundred pounds' worth of stuff, lets you keep track of your health, current level,stats,and perks,has a shop, mini-map, radio, flashlight, quest tracker,and finally—most important of all—a character selector."
Then Dex crossed his arms and said with a skeptical look, "That's a lot of stuff for that little thing… but I'd like to know more about the character selector."
Tet grinned, clearly pleased. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't. The character selector will give you one random character you can only get a new character when you max out your current one. For now, it'll only be game characters, but I might add anime and comic characters later. Once you draw the character, you'll turn into them. And once you max out familiarity with said character, you get to keep them—and change into them anywhere, anytime."
Dex raised a brow, his interest piqued. "So I get all their skills and weapons?"
Tet wagged a finger with mock seriousness. "Well… not exactly. You're a rookie. Giving you high amounts of power right away would be a bit too much. Instead, you'll get more of their abilities as you increase familiarity. You'll also be able to find things unique to that character permanently unlocked in the shop."
Dex groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, that's a bit lame… but I understand. How do I get shop currency?"
Tet leaned forward like and said. "It'll automatically be added to your account in the shop every time you make a kill or complete a quest. Mobs will net you five to ten dollars, elite enemies fifty, and bosses about five hundred at base. The harder the boss, the more money it's worth."
Dex nodded slowly. "Okay, simple enough. Is money the only thing quests give then?"
Tet shook his head. "Nope. They also give unique weapons and items."
Dex tapped his chin. "How do I increase my level?"
Tet raised a hand as if lecturing. "You get one level every time you max out a character's familiarity and every time you complete a main quest or difficult quest. And I know you didn't ask, but—" he smirked, "—the character you're using will have effects on your personality."
Dex gave him a wary look but shrugged. "Okay… that's alright, I guess. As long as it isn't permanent. Now, what are the merits of leveling?"
Tet's grin widened, clearly enjoying himself. "Each time you level, you pick one ability from a list I'll give you. In return, this ability will be available to you and your characters—so pick wisely. On top of that, leveling also increases your stats which in turn makes your characters stronger and allows them to perform beyond their full capabilities. I'd say each level will provide about three stat points per level it'll be up to you how to assign them."
Dex's eyes lit up with understanding, and a smile tugged at his lips. "So every time I get stronger my characters get stronger."
"Exactly," Tet said with satisfaction. "So… interested?"
Dex let out a sharp exhale, then smirked. "Yeah. I think I am."
Tet's eyes gleamed. With a snap of her fingers, golden light enveloped Dex as his soul was reshaped. Immediately, his body began rebuilding itself, bones knitting, flesh reforming, and skin settling. After a few moments, standing before Tet was a seventeen-year-old boy with short, messy black hair and brown eyes. He wore a black t-shirt, a red jacket, black pants, and black sneakers.
Tet tossed him the watch, and the moment Dex slid it onto his wrist, it lit up with a digital glow. A synthetic voice greeted him cheerfully: "Welcome, Dexter." It was unmistakably the voice of the computer from Dexter's Laboratory.
Dex blinked, deadpan. "…Really?"
Tet's grin widened mischievously. "I couldn't resist, man. It was right there."
He leaned back with a satisfied smile. "Now, when you and the others finish your current jobs, you'll be brought back here. While you're gone, I'll build the four of you a nice, big guild hall. You can use it as your base of operations.On future missions i'll have you all act in teams of two, and depending on the mission, I'll send all of you."
Dex gave a firm nod. "So… how do I do this? I don't see a world-travel function in the watch."
Tet tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I might add one once I know for sure you four won't go power-mad and start destroying worlds. But for now? Just use that door over there."
Dex turned his head and saw a rustic-looking wooden door standing a short distance away. "…That works, I guess." He glanced back. "Also, does this watch have an AI, or does it only say hello?"
Tet smirked slyly. "Well, not really an AI. It's just programmed to answer questions. And the answers to basically any question I know are already rolling around in your noggin, are pre-programmed into it." He leaned closer, eyes glinting with mischief. "But… to ask the questions, you'll have to use a key phrase unique to you."
Dex rolled his eyes. "Really? Okay, I guess. I'm going now, boss. See you."
With that, he turned and walked toward the wooden door.
Tet lifted his hand in a casual wave. "Bye. See you later."