[ROLL COMPLETE]
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE OBTAINED:]
[BARD - THE WANDERING CARETAKER]
Ray stared at the champion name floating in his vision.
Bard.
The Wandering Caretaker.
Not Yuumi. Thank whatever cosmic entity was running this System, not Yuumi. He could work with this. Bard was weird, sure—arguably one of the weirdest champions in League's roster—but he wasn't useless. His kit had utility. Crowd control. Mobility through walls. A game-changing ultimate that could turn fights.
But also...
"A support," Ray said flatly. "I rolled a support."
Of course he did. Of course the Universe would take away his Challenger dream, kill him with lightning, transmigrate him into a dead kid's body in a world where E-rank was basically worthless, and then give him a support champion as his cheat ability.
"This is fine," Ray muttered, rubbing his face with both hands. "Totally fine. Who needs a fighter or an assassin when you can get the roaming support who plays a magical flute?"
At least Bard had damage. Kind of. If you built him right. And collected enough meeps. And didn't accidentally ult your own team at a critical moment.
...This was going to be interesting.
[CHAMPION ARCHETYPE SYSTEM - INITIALIZED]
[ACCESS SYSTEM PANEL TO VIEW DETAILS]
"System panel," Ray said, and immediately felt like an idiot talking to empty air. But the System responded, and suddenly a much larger interface materialized in front of him.
CHAMPION ARCHETYPE SYSTEM
NAME:
Kai Mercer
HUNTER RANK:
E
HUNTER CLASS:
Unknown (Support - Active)
CURRENT CHAMPION
Champion Name:
Bard - The Wandering Caretaker
Level:
1 / 18
Experience:
0 / 100
BASE STATS:
HP: 560 (+89 per level)
Mana: 350 (+50 per level)
Attack: 52 (+3 per level)
Defense: 34 (+5 per level)
Speed: 330
ABILITIES
Passive Ability:
Traveler's Call
Description:
Bard attracts lesser spirits called Meeps that follow him.
Meeps empower his basic attacks to deal bonus magic damage.
More Meeps spawn as Bard collects Chimes.
Current Meeps:
0 / 1
(Increases with Chimes collected)
Q - Cosmic Binding
Status:
UNLOCKED (Level 1)
Effect:
Bard fires a bolt of spirit energy that deals damage and slows
the first enemy hit.
If the bolt hits a second enemy or a wall,
both targets are stunned for 1–2 seconds.
Cooldown:
11 seconds
Mana Cost:
60 Mana
W - Caretaker's Shrine
Status:
LOCKED (Requires Level 3)
Effect:
Bard places a shrine that charges over time.
Allies can step on it to restore health
and gain brief movement speed.
Can store up to 3 shrines.
E - Magical Journey
Status:
LOCKED (Requires Level 5)
Effect:
Bard opens a one-way portal through terrain.
Allies and enemies may use it.
The portal lasts 10 seconds.
R - Tempered Fate
Status:
LOCKED (Requires Level 6)
Effect:
Bard sends spirit energy to a target area.
After a brief delay, all units inside are placed
in stasis for 2.5 seconds.
Units become invulnerable and untargetable.
Ability Points Available:
0
CHAMPION COLLECTION
Collected Champions:
1 / 168
Available Rolls:
0
Next Roll Requirement:
Reach Level 18 with current champion
Roll History:
Roll #1:
Bard - The Wandering Caretaker (Support)
SPECIAL FEATURES
Chime Collection System:
Chimes spawn randomly in dungeons and areas.
Collecting Chimes grants:
- Experience
- Mana
- Increased Meep count
- Stronger Meep empowerment
Chimes Collected:
0
Next Meep Upgrade:
5 Chimes
CURRENT STATS (Level 1)
Health Points:
560 / 560
Mana Points:
350 / 350
Attack Damage:
52
Armor:
34
Magic Resistance:
30
Movement Speed:
330
INVENTORY:
EMPTY
QUESTS:
NONE ACTIVE
Ray read through the panel slowly, processing each section. The stats were straightforward enough—HP, mana, basic combat stats. Lower than he'd like, but Bard was a support. What did he expect?
The abilities were exactly as he remembered from League. Cosmic Binding for CC, shrines for healing, Magical Journey for mobility, and Tempered Fate for the ultimate "I'm either saving everyone or throwing the game" moment.
Most of them were locked behind level requirements, which made sense. Couldn't have him starting with a full kit. That would be too easy.
His eyes lingered on the Special Features section. Chime Collection System. Right. Bard's whole thing was wandering around collecting chimes to power up. In League, they spawned randomly across the map. Here, apparently, they'd spawn in dungeons.
Which meant he'd have to actually enter dungeons to get stronger.
"Great," Ray muttered. "No grinding in safe zones for me."
He was about to dismiss the System panel when something else caught his attention.
A sound. Quiet. Subtle. At the very edge of his hearing.
~Ootay~
Ray froze. "What the hell was that?"
The sound came again. A soft, musical chime. Like wind chimes made of crystal. Or maybe...
~Ootay~
"Is that..." Ray's eyes widened. "Are those meeps?"
According to the System panel, he should have one meep following him. The lesser spirits that Bard attracted. In League, they were these cute little floating orbs that orbited around Bard and empowered his auto-attacks.
Apparently, in reality, they made noises.
Ray looked around the cramped apartment, searching for any sign of the spirit. Nothing visible. But the sound persisted—a gentle, almost musical whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
~Ootay~
"Okay," Ray said slowly. "So I can't see you, but I can hear you. That's... not concerning at all."
He focused on the sound, trying to pinpoint its location. It felt close. Right next to him, maybe? But no matter where he looked, there was nothing there.
~Ootay~
The meep sounded almost... happy? Like it was excited to be here.
Despite everything—the death, the transmigration, the support champion roll—Ray felt a small smile tug at his lips.
"Alright, little guy," he said to the invisible spirit. "Guess we're partners now."
~Ootay!~
Definitely happy.
Ray shook his head and turned his attention back to the System panel. Right. He had abilities now. A champion. Stats. Everything he needed to stop being a useless E-rank Unknown and actually do something in this world.
But first, he needed information.
Ray dismissed the System panel with a thought—apparently, it responded to mental commands too—and made his way over to the ancient computer sitting on Kai's desk. The thing looked like it had survived from the early 2000s. Bulky monitor, yellowed keyboard, tower that probably weighed twenty pounds.
He pressed the power button and waited. And waited. The machine wheezed to life like an asthmatic trying to run a marathon.
"Come on," Ray muttered. "You can do it. Just boot up. That's all I'm asking."
After what felt like an eternity, the desktop finally loaded. Ray grabbed the mouse—also ancient, with an actual ball inside—and opened the browser.
Time to learn about this world.