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Ah... wait, where am I?
Hello?
Anyone there?
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`[Welcome, Scourge of Farlands, to your new destiny.]`
`[Thou shall not be afraid, for I am your only companion and... hope.]`
What's that?
Why can't I feel my arms?
Around me, everything was pitch dark. I couldn't feel my arms, my legs, or any part of my body. Right in front of me was some glowing, floating text that seemed weirdly happy.
Wait, is this that System cliché? But I don't remember dying or anything. In the first place... I don't remember... *anything*. I know my identity as a human, and by all means, I should not belong here. But other than that? Nothing. My name, my history, what I was doing before this... my mind was completely blank.
What is happening?, is this after life ?, am i about to get judged?
`[Thee look like you have a lot of questions, but those answers are something which I cannot help you with right now... yes, for now.]`
Hey, hey, hey. Let me have my identity crisis first...
So, are you a System kind of thing that hands out overpowered abilities? You know, those weird quests in a fantasy world where the MC is an orphan and runs around face-slapping arrogant nobles ? ..... Did I get that kind of package? A mage template, knight template, noble template?
So, what's my situation?
It paused for a minute before answering.
`[If you prefer to call me that, then I am happy to oblige. And your comparison is right and wrong at the same time.]`
That confuses me even more.
Before anything else... where the hell am I?
`[You are in your home... albeit a messy home.]`
Messy? More like depressing. And do I even have a body, or is this a mindscape kind of deal?
I was actually starting to get scared now. What if this System-wannabe was tricking me like those evil sentient ones in the novels? But... how would I even know?
`[Just open your eyes and you shall see.]`
No shit, Sherlock! I would have done that if I had ACTUAL eye—
`[Concentrate...]`
Wow, now that sounded scary.
Hmm... so do I just imagine opening my eyes? Wait, let me try... huh! I think it's working.
The world around me finally started to clear up, and I could actually see. It seems I was indeed in a messy room. It was massive, giving off incredibly eerie, haunted vibes. All I could see was thick dust, piles of broken stone, and rotting wood littering the floor. There was even a huge, shattered chandelier hanging precariously from the ceiling.
And the most interesting thing? I still didn't have a body. I appeared to be floating, entirely transparent, and capable of passing straight through the debris. Wait... am I a ghost?!
Do ghosts have system?
Hey buddy, mind giving an introduction and explaining the beginner controls?
`[This is your home... your domain... or you could call it your temple. Right now, you do not possess a physical body, but you can see things within a 500-meter radius, taking the temple as the center.]`
Hmm, this did seem true as I floated around. This... I mean, *my* temple, was utterly destroyed. It looked like it had been hit by twenty consecutive earthquakes.
I kept phasing through the stone walls until I reached the outside and... Holy cow!
There wasn't anything out there. Just some more broken, floating structures suspended against a vast, endless sky. But the sky itself was the craziest part. It was filled with moving stars. Were those shooting stars, or was I just tripping? As I drifted outward, I suddenly stopped moving. It seemed I had hit an invisible wall at the 500-meter mark. I couldn't push past it.
Beyond that barrier, the most striking detail caught my eye: there were four moons. Each sat in a different direction, glowing in vivid, distinct colors—red, green, blue, and yellow. Was this some kind of pattern?
I retreated back into my... broken temple.
So, the question of questions... what's going on?
There was an uncomfortable silence before my so-called "System" answered.
`[You are the master of #*%§×¢ and you shall reclaim what you lost...]`
Now that's ominous. And what's with the censoring? I get goosebumps just looking at it.
So... before I reclaim what's supposedly mine, do I get any perks that a usual System gives? Maybe a newbie gift pack?
This time it didn't say anything, but a new window snapped open in my vision.
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**[HOME PANEL]**
**NAME:** *********
**TITLE:** SCOURGE OF FARLANDS
********* `[A mysterious entity who came from far lands. What are you? A pillager? A traveler, or....]`
`[Note: This title has no effects]`
**ATTRIBUTES:**
1. **"Blessing of Scourge"** `[You can bless anyone who has accepted your grace, but destiny dictates what they shall get.]`
2. **"Hand of Fate"**
`[You can influence someone's fate... a strange power indeed, but can you dictate your own?...]`
3. **"One's Domain"**
`[Indeed, nothing can hide from you as long as they are under your view... let it be an illusion or a party trick.]`
`[*Note: Current radius 500 meters. It can be increased.]`
**SUBJECTS:**
`(None at the moment)`
**ASCENSION:**
`(Requirements not met)`
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Sooooooo... the descriptions are definitely not user-friendly, and why is my name censored out? Those attributes look like support types, but I don't have anyone to actually support here. And... Ascension? That looks highly sus.
The blessing one does seems a bit interesting but again I don't have anyone i can try it on.
Hey System, so—
Before I could finish my thought, I felt a presence. I could see someone running toward me... or more accurately, toward my temple.
It was the silhouette of a human, or at least human-looking. Is that a woman? Her clothes were ragged and medieval in style, and she looked badly hurt, stumbling with every step. She kept running , and...i kept watching why? Because!!! I have nothing else to do!!!
The woman pushed herself until she finally collapsed right on my doorstep. Looking closer, she had a single, angular horn protruding from one side of her forehead, and strange, dark markings snaked all the way from her neck down to her arm.
A monster?
I wasn't sure. She was mumbling something weakly into the stone floor, words I couldn't understand. Before I could figure out what to do, the System spoke.
`[A pitiful creature who has arrived at your doorstep seeking shelter. .....One's sin who they didn't commit. What shall you do...]`
`[Use "Hand of Fate"?]`
`[YES] or [NO]`
Hey, hey, hey... wait a minute this wasn't in the script.
If I use this attribute, will her fate of dying change? Because that's the only thing I can guess from the description.
Well... it's not like I've got a choice. Besides, she's the very first visitor I've gotten. I... I can't just let her die at my doorstep like that. Here goes nothing.
`[YES]`
Did something happen ?, I don't feel any change butttt---
There was a dried-up stone well in the center of the temple, capped off with heavy wooden planks. I hadn't paid any attention to it... until now. Suddenly, a strange, hissing noise started echoing from deep inside it.
*Whssssss~*
The heavy planks started violently wobbling, vibrating against the stone. A thick, dark, viscous liquid seeped out from the gaps. It slithered across the floor, moving with a mind of its own, spreading rapidly toward the unconscious woman. The second it touched her—
She started—
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
`[Indeed, one's sin who they didn't commit... but
what insignificant choice do they have?]`
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