Xavier sat in silence long after Diana finished speaking. The hall was quiet, the air still, yet his mind was a storm.
She was right, he thought bitterly.
From the moment she summoned him into this place, he knew he no choice in whatever that was going to take place. Not that he didn't feel grateful for a second chance at living, he just hated someone or something controlling him.
He wasn't stupid.
Let's just say he accepts her offer, the end game would probably be him getting killed if he encountered the so called devourer. He didn't think for a second that he could defeat such a being that had amassed a thousand years of accumulation.
That was completely absurd and beyond reasonable. Life was not a fairy-tale. This wasn't such a cultivation novel where the MC kills the final boss through luck or some dumb shit.
Reality always had a way of being different from imaginations.
He exhaled slowly.
He had already died, the world had probably moved on without him. This was his second chance at life, unfair as it was. Unless he was a fool, there was no way he would not accept.
"I accept".
Diana's smile bloomed instantly, soft and proud, like she always knew what decision I would make.
"I knew you would make the right choice", she said warmly.
Suddenly her gaze sharpened, "now comes the hard part".
A ball of light appeared above her palms swirling with strange colours.
"Xavier Thorpe", the universe send it's regards.
Before he could say another word, the sphere of light shot forward and swallowed him. He gasped as his entire body was wrapped in binding light.
"It felt strangely warm, not hurtful as he expected".
Then-it hit him.
A stream of pure, foreign power crashed into him like a raging river.
"aaah"
He screamed as the energy forcefully expanded inside his chest, his veins, his bones. It was cold, freezing cold. Then, hot-burning hot-searing every nerve in his body. He felt like he was being rebuilt from the inside out.
"Endure it", Diana's voice echoed instantly.
Your body should be able to withstand it.
He didn't know how long it lasted .
Seconds?
Minutes?
Years?
The agony stretched time itself.
Just when he thought that he could no longer go any further....
The pain vanished. A wave of darkness washed over him.
His eyes fluttered open.
The first thing he saw wasn't Diana or the huge palace halls. It was...a glowing blue screen floating In front of him.
A hologram. A futuristic interface mixed with a hunch of symbols.
SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE....
WELCOME, HUMAN HERO.
He blinked repeatedly, "What the hell....?
Information flooded the screen.
HERO SYSTEM
NAME: Xavier Thorpe.
RACE: Human.
BODY CONSTITUTION: Divine Body
DIVINE ABILITIES: ------------
STRENGTH: 5
INTELLIGENCE: 10
STAMINA: 5
AGILITY: 5
SPEED: 5
ORIGIN ENERGY RESERVE: 100%
ELEMENTAL AFFINITY:
WATER – active
FIRE [locked]
WIND [locked]
EARTH [locked]
LIGHT [locked]
DARKNESS.[locked]
SPACE [locked]
SKILLS
RAPID REGENERATION – Level 1:
Heals the host instantly by;
.flesh wounds closes in seconds
.broken bones heals in minutes
.bleeding stops on its own.
BULLSEYE – Maxed
A supportive Ai like function that:
.used to identify people's strength
see through all disguise
see through rank of objects and beasts
ELEMENTAL SKILLS
ICE BLADE – Level 1
.a thin blade of water, sharp enough to cut through steel.
.minor healing.
ORIGIN FORCE
enhances spells
.endless supply of mana
GRADE – Iron Rank Mage. [ Absolutely pathetic]
Mages had six grades of classification:
Iron rank. Bronze rank. Silver rank. Gold rank. Diamond rank. Divine rank.
As you grow stronger , you will unlock more and more powerful abilities.
it's...a system, he muttered.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into".
"A literal hero system".
Good, you're awake.
He turned and found Diana watching with her arms crossed, amused.
He pointed at the screen. "You-you can see this too?
She smirked, 'of course, why wouldn't I be able to, after all I created it.
Apart from you, I'm the only one that can see it.
It's a little idea that came to my mind, " a little human creativity and a few tricks", she winked.
How do you like it?
It should be able to help you grow faster. We don't exactly have much time left.
He stared at her. She sounded like she was talking about setting up a phone app , and not creating a powered interface.
"Most of your abilities are locked until you are strong enough to withstand them, she continued.
Like I said earlier, you humans are special. While the other races have only one elemental affinity, you guys have affinities with more than one. Some rare individuals in your race have come to possess more than one element.
In your case, the universe practically gave you all of them for free. Consider it a gift to aid your journey. Still, how you use them is up to you.
Xavier rubbed his temples, "there was still too much information crashing into his brain".
"Iron rank, he muttered.
"For now", she said. But soon you will grow stronger.
Your growth rate will be abnormal.....even by hero standards.