After all this time
All these years
All the crappy jokes
All the kindergarten-level insults
All 500 million PMs requesting a gamer fic
I can't believe I'm finally doing this
#sellout #NoPride #BurntheAuthor #DanzyIsAHack™ #EspressoMoreLikeDepresso #ShitpostGalore #GamersRiseUp #ImBeingForcedToWriteThisPlsSendHelp
But I'm No Gamer
[Chapter 1]
⦕The Numbers, Nyx! What Do They Mean?⦖
Nothing but stars scattered across the blackness. As though the aftermath of one rowdy kid with a glitter box and glue who found an unsupervised black canvas. This is the gulf between universes. The numbingly cold depths of space contain nothing but the occasional random molecule, a few lost comets, sometimes one curious Ouroboros Dragon, and some big floating rocks.
For some, it would be interstellar.
For the Night, it was her home, by which she saw everything and felt every ripples. Every disturbances and every moronic schemes devised by the Creations; Humans, Vampires, Devils, Gremlins, you get the idea.
But she was not alone.
One Human Soul drifted in the vast nothingness, and, at this very moment, freaking out.
"HELP! HELP! Oh god I'm gonna be sick—" the Lost Soul shrieked, unable to ascertain which way's up and had been rotating ceaselessly and would still be if Nyx didn't step in.
She flitted her fingers, and the translucent white soul of a male human stopped rotating.
Nyx did intend to pick a certain Soul. A Human's soul, specifically, as they were the easiest to tamper with and it had been quite a tradition between the Gods to mess with them from time to time. But she must admit; this was not the soul she was looking for.
"Thanks… Now where the hell am I and who the hell are you? And why's it so dark in here?"
But she could make him work…
"Greetings, I am Nyx," she began, putting on a noncommittal smile. "As it is, you died."
Though the Lost Soul had no eyes or any other discernible facial features, Nyx could sense his disbelief.
"Yeah right," he scoffed, until he glanced down to look at his neon-light arms. "...Oh fuck…" he muttered in horror as he connected the dots. "...Was I always this white? Man I'm like… bleached."
"That was your vessel. What you see here is the color of your soul. All humans have the same."
"Oh… so does that mean I have the N-word pass?"
"What? No. You were born white. Caucasian. Your family moved to America before you were born."
"Right, right…" he nodded absently. "What about my wife…?"
"You were never married."
"...My girlfriend?"
"You've been single ever since you graduated from high school."
The Lost Soul looked slightly embarrassed.
"...My dad? Mom? Sisters?"
"All died peacefully. Your father passed away two years ago, your mother a year after him. They had you at a rather old age. In your mother's late thirty and your father's early forties. You're also their only son. You've made peace with them and have been living on your own," Nyx then paused, remembering. "They were proud of you."
The Lost Soul looked relieved. "Damn… Thanks. That's really all I wanted to be, really…"
"Your fear of disappointing your parents is… quite admirable."
"I think everyone has that kind of fear; I ain't nothing special. At least people who are born with good parents… But... No kids huh? I guess I ended my bloodline. That's... That's kinda hardcore," he grinned to himself.
Nyx found it to be weird, but whatever allowed him to be carefree, she supposed.
"Did I at least die as a happy single guy?"
"For the most part," Nyx told him. "There were times you felt lonely, but you have made friends. Good friends. They are crying for you right now. Some will remember you until the day they die. You will be missed."
"...Huh… That's… good then," he decided. "I guess. It'd be pretty depressing if no one showed up at my own funeral... Or if nobody remembers me after like... a month."
"I wouldn't know," Nyx flippantly hummed, drawing him closer to her.
"Whoa-whoa… personal space dude… Two meters. At least one, but quit—" he reeled his head away as Nyx grew far too close for his comfort. "Hey, quit it!"
"I'm a God."
He didn't look bothered by that fact, let alone intimidated. "Yeah? Well, I'm dead. What're you gonna do? Kill me again?" He flapped his arms in an attempt to swim away from her without much luck, as there was no friction in space.
Nyx smirked, and granted his wish by floating a bit from him. He might not be so bad.
"Anyway, a God should know a bit about personal space and bubbles and such. Gotta say though, I'd thought you'd be uh… more beardy and… a bit taller."
"Typical… always bothered by appearance. Bothered that I am a 'female'?"
"Hell no you look stunning," his genuine compliment took her by surprise. "Your eyes are very pretty and everything about you suits your clothes. What do you call those things again… Gothic something-something eh? And look at your hair! I can see galaxies in there, what the heck? What shampoo do you use to get hair like that? Maybe like… ground space rocks?"
"It's… mine's special. Gods don't need to maintain their appearance; they are constant," Nyx said, refusing to blush and give in to his flatters.
"Well lucky you. Must be nice to be able to eat anything and look pretty."
"I… don't need to eat. S-still," she cleared her throat, "I wasn't mistaken in my assessment of humans and their tendency to see appearance first."
"Well that's what we see first with our eyes. It's not like we have sixth sense or anything or some good or evil detector. We all have our own standards and stereotypes, and I know my taste," he said, momentarily panicking because he was starting to drift away again. He sighed in relief as Nyx pulled him back with an invincible force. "...So I guess nobody's right then?"
"Hm?"
"The Christians. Muslims. Buddhist— y'know. Religions… and all that… religious stuff. Afterlife…"
"Not really. Religions are right. They each go to whatever it is they believe the most. It's just that… there's more than just one God."
"...That's pretty centrist. So which one's the correct one?"
"All of them. I just said that."
"All of them?"
"Yes. Every single one of them. Gods are… beings created by faith, simply put. Most of them are, rather."
"So you're telling me; they're basically urban legends."
Nyx giggled. Her voice was sassily soothing, if that made sense. "I suppose. Only that they're… realer."
"...Hah. Checkmate, Atheists."
"You were an Agnostic."
"...Well I'm still not wrong. I always thought there's always some guy watching us, I just wasn't sure which one's right, so like… I'm half correct."
"Bargaining the truth. Yet another of your human things. Fascinating, to say the least."
The Lost Soul shrugged. "That's how most people got rich. Probably."
"Apparently so," Nyx hummed melodiously. "All that aside, I am here to grant you a new life."
"...Okay. Cool."
"...You didn't… sound so enthralled. I expected more enthusiasm."
"Oh uh…" the Lost Soul scratched his bald head, and momentarily panicked that he had lost his hair until he recalled this was probably an afterlife thing. "...Um… yay? Wooo, me…!"
"...That was pathetic."
"Look. I kinda could already tell you're gonna give me another life. It was either that or I'm going to hell or what not, and logically, why would a God bother herself meeting me when there's like five thousand deaths per second happening down there. What I'm saying is; I already made peace with my death and wherever I go here. No regerts— er… regrets."
"Is that so? Do you remember how you died?"
"...I uh…" the Lost Soul crossed his bright hands. "...Huh. Now that you asked… I kinda don't. I remember seeing some… bright lights, I think… Not sure though."
"You were driving home, late at night. It was dark, you were surrounded by trees and the forests around. You were exhausted but driving kept you awake. Until a boy suddenly appeared before you. You hit the brakes hard and slammed your driving wheel. As a result, your car flipped over a ditch. You died without pain."
"Yikes… Is the boy okay?"
Nyx paused, confused.
"...Y-you… weren't you angry? He was suicidal. He intended to die, yet it was you who died instead. Aren't you at least mad?"
"Well… yeah… but I'm already dead and I'm gonna get a new life, apparently. Still, did I die for nothing?"
Nyx blinked.
"...He survived. You evaded him in time. He was the one to call the authorities. He's currently living in guilt, but the accident he caused seemed to have… woken him, so to speak. Your friends have persuaded him that you have saved his life, a complete stranger, and therefore he should treasure his life more."
"Whew. Okay. That's good to hear. Hope he'll do better. Depression sucks ass."
"...You're… still not angry?"
"Nah. I will if you keep asking me that. Anyway I'm dead and he still has a whole life way ahead of him," the Lost Soul said wisely. "How old am I anyway?"
"You were twenty-one."
The Lost Soul suddenly froze.
And exploded.
"...Motherfucker! I had a whole life way ahead of me! Ohhhh that asshole better be grateful I didn't flatten him into a morbid pancake… If he doesn't become a doctor or invent the cure of cancer, I'm gonna be fuckin' pissed."
"..." It appeared Nyx had regarded him too highly. "...If it's any consolation, I don't always seek Human souls. That boy was the one meant to receive my Gift."
"Seriously? Hah, sucker."
"Yes, quite," Nyx chuckled. He was quite entertaining. "Let's move on with our reincarnation business, shall we?"
"Yes, yes, yes. What do I have to do here… Do I get to choose what I look like or something?"
Nyx smiled slyly. Proudly. "Even better…"
It was like a miniature version of a supernova. A black dot first appeared before the empty space before him, before exploding and sending splashes of colors and differing shades of black and midnight blue. Tiny nebulae formed ahead of him, lining up with each other as they began to spell words in good old English. A.k.a, the only language he knew.
"Whoa…" the Lost Soul muttered in amazement. "That'd be an awesome trick for parties..."
"..." Nyx didn't really appreciate that kind of compliment, but she let it slide. "Go on then. Begin your very own creation of your new self."
The Lost Soul absently nodded, and stared down, and realized that the minute stars in the tiny nebulae had formed more than mere letters but numbers as well.
|=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=|
[-⦕ Insert name here's Character Sheets⦖-]
《 Name: TBD 》
《 Race: TBD 》
《 Class: TBD 》
STR: 10 (D Rank) | DEX: 10 (D Rank) | CON: 10 (D Rank)
WIS: 10 (D Rank) | INT: 10 (D Rank) | CHA: 10 (D Rank)
(30 Points remaining to distribute)
HP: deceased
〖Titles〗
⧼None⧽
〖Abilities〗
⧼None⧽
〖Skills〗
⧼None⧽
[-⦕Page 1⦖-]
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The Lost Soul would have blinked several times as he reread the extravagant display before him, before saying, "...What the hell are all these nerdy shit…"
Nyx sighed exasperatedly. "I feared that you might not understand…"
"Well… duh…" he replied bluntly. "I'm alright with the way I look. Mom said I'm handsome — though all mothers say that to their kids I guess. I don't need to look like those supermodels; their handsomeness creeps me out. I'd better have someone love me for my personality rather than my visual appearance anyway. Though I could use a bit of an extra height. Six feet is fine so I can call 5'11 people 'manlets' but that's legit all I thought you were gonna give to me."
"...You like to talk don't you."
"It's the only way I know to communicate, unfortunately. And I like annoying people. It makes me feel empowered."
Nyx sighed. "And possesses quite the lip."
"I like annoying Gods too, apparently." he sniggered lightheartedly. "Probably why I stayed single… I think…" he then said, slightly embarrassed. "...Eh well. I am who I am."
"You don't attempt to up-sell yourself and be honest… one thing I… suppose, one thing I can appreciate from you."
"Honesty's the best policy ma'am. I'm pretty sure I was an auditor and I can't stand liars because they made my job more difficult," He then realized something. "...Actually hold on a minute… I guess it'd be weird if I bump into someone I knew from my previous life looking like the dead me."
"You needn't worry about that. The world you're about to enter differs from the one you know, where magic is a mundane, ordinary thing and mythical creatures such as Dragons, Elves and Humans with superpowers are common. Arcadia is its name — though it is not far different from your Earth in appearance."
"...Oh… Oh," he muttered, startled. "..I'm in like… like some sort of a game world thingy huh…? Devils? Angels?"
"You can say that."
"But… the only game I ever played is Mario Kart and… I guess Pinball and Pong when I was a kid. And arcadey dogfighting games like Project Wingman and the Ace Combat series, and the occasional map-painting games— what I'm saying is; I'm no good at this kind of thing. It's not part of my genre you see…"
"I can see that," Nyx sighed again, almost like she was deflating.
"So uh… you got… like… some interstellar taxi or… some kind of a flying train or… astral ships I can hop on? There's a bunch of other worlds, right? Like… the normal… kinda regularly boring one where I won't have to fight for my life on a daily basis because I pissed off a Dragon just by existing alone… I uh… I watched movies though, so… Dunno how that'd help but I just thought I'd share."
"I…" Nyx sighed again. This time, disappointment was apparent in her face. "...There are, yes. Let me check."
He noted the female God's bewilderment, and started to feel awkward if not a bit guilty. "Look, er… I'm sure you put a lot of effort into this…so… I'll give it a shot, alright?" Nyx instantly brightened. It was kinda cute.
"Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's a good thing to try new stuff, right? Step out of my bubble… my comfortable… normal bubble…" he reconsidered against this, but then again, he was intrigued. A spark in his soul told him that this was something weird and fascinating and not entirely horrible even with giant lizards, and that if he let this moment go he'd spend the rest of his next life regretting it.
"Just… keep your expectations relatively low. Like, low enough that it'd be a tripping hazard for dwarves. A-anyway, the numbers, Nyx. What do they mean?"
And so Nyx spent the next minutes explaining the details, which was quite simple to understand and pretty straightforward. She then proceeded to describe the world in brief but concise details. It was a world where instead of waging wars, disputes; be it territorial, political, or even betrothal issues, were settled by a - admittedly violent - competition between Peerages.
"So like the Olympics or the World Cup except winner gets clay rather than just bragging rights?"
"Correct."
"Way better than sending the young to fight their wars or spamming nukes, I'll give them that."
Nyx then continued. "Though wars are admonished, the nations' main threat is the unconquered wilderness. Not due to the presence of Monsters alone, but Gates and Dungeons that spawn on their own. For the sake of your own discovery, I won't reveal the reason behind their existence."
"Ugh… Like Annihilation then."
"...What?"
"That 2018 movie. The one with Natalie Portman and with that freaky bear scene— y'know what, never mind me."
Nyx decided to shrug it off and continue. "...As a result, becoming an Adventurer is a popular aspiration among the young. It is even advised and supported by their respective government. Academies, Guilds and so on replace your usual universities and corporations. In this world, might does not make right; might makes. The truth is much simpler."
"Not that different from my world then. Except we used money and false promises. Or I guess straight up military power when you're in control of China…"
Nyx smirked. "Indeed. Politics are but a fog of illusion designed to decorate the plain truth. A mechanism to control one's mind."
"Mhmm. Yep. Totally."
This Lost Soul had absolutely zero interest in getting himself entangled in that giant mess of a cobweb.
"An easy choice to place yourself away from the problem, but are you willing to trust others to fix it?"
"Look, I don't care about that kind of thing. I've had like four-five Presidents. White, black, orange, or monochrome, good, bad or straight up awful; I still have to get a job to buy my own bread and pay my own rent so I don't shrivel up and die under a bridge, right? It's not like either one of them ever called me, send me a holiday card saying thanks for giving them my vote. And then they talk about people like they can relate to 'em. It's like all those celebrities whining about the struggle of raising a kid when it's their five thousand nannies who took care of their kid. I don't give a shit, is all I'm saying."
"I see," Nyx hummed, humored. "You're a rather amusing fellow, I must say."
"Why thank you. Sorry I talk too much— I think it's the age. I let little things annoy me greatly sometimes. You're er… you're not half-bad yourself for a God."
"Half-bad huh…"
"I mean that in a good way… I think."
Nyx chuckled. "Don't worry about it. But I digress… Let us continue."
"Yea, yea. My bad."
The Night then taught him how to navigate his Menus; which was as simple as thinking of it. He still swiped it with his hand, however, a meaningless action that would make him look dumb and be seen as a weirdo if he wasn't alone. She quickly reprimanded him in that regard and told him he'd look ridiculous. She then explained to him how his Base Attributes impacted his Stats, how every point mattered, and why it was better to specialize in one Attribute instead of raising all the others equally, and so and so.
The Lost Soul nodded, not comprehending any of this a single bit and felt like he was back to highschool struggling to understand calculus. The teacher spoke and he heard his words, but nothing ever stayed in his brain. Math was perfectly fine until some bastard decided to mix it with the alphabets.
This might be a bad idea, Nyx thought ruefully.
"This is sorta like those games huh… I'm never really great at those. Stats and… min-maxing or whatever. Too much effort when all I want is just sit down and play without worrying about all these… I don't have that much time to learn about all this microscopic thing, dammit."
"But that's because you have a daily job to do, yes?"
"...True. But… Learning all these seems like a chore…"
The Lost Soul skimmed over the second page once again. It was ⦕Equipment List⦖ which had nothing in it. Unsurprising considering his current state, so he went to the third.
|=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=|
⦕Peerage Members⦖
《Major Pieces》
Queen: [Empty]
Rook : [Empty] | Rook : [Empty]
《Minor Pieces》
Bishop : [Empty] | Bishop : [Empty]
Knight : [Empty] | Knight : [Empty]
《Pawn Pieces》
Pawn : [Empty] | Pawn : [Empty]
Pawn : [Empty] | Pawn : [Empty]
Pawn : [Empty] | Pawn : [Empty]
Pawn : [Empty] | Pawn : [Empty]
[-⦕Page 3⦖-]
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It was straightforward enough. The remaining yet-to-be-fried brain cells in him could understand it without Nyx's explanation. He had played chess before, though never bothered to learn more than the basics. The spots were barren because, well, he hadn't even started yet. But then Nyx mentioned something about Peerage Pieces and the terms these individuals would be referred to as.
"...You said I can… gather people as my what again?"
"Servants."
The Lost Soul didn't appear to like that term and hoped he misheard. "…Come again?"
"Although it is true that the word 'servants' has a negative connotation in your previous world, I assure you; in Gaea, it is a position holding a degree of influence. Normally, only those of noble blood may own a Peerage. Like Kings and Knights during your medieval age. A Servant can even have their own territory and castle, even a barony should the Master they serve is a Duke or higher."
"Ah… so like the King's Small Council eh…?"
"Yes."
"Still... calling them Servants is a bit..." he sighed and decided against mulling it. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, he supposed. Not like Rome existed in this new world but... "So does that mean there's no slavery in this world?"
"There is."
The Lost Soul visibly cringed. "Yikes… Aren't you a God? Can't you do something about that?"
"While I am indeed a God, I'm not the Creator of this World. This World, as well as many others, are the World my father Chaos has created. He is the only Creator. I can poke, push and pull some pieces, but a concept? I'm afraid it's beyond my capability. I can, but... I'm not willing to risk my privilege."
"...Then maybe talk with him about this?"
"...He's a very busy Protogenoi."
"Proto-what?"
"Protogenoi. The First of All," Nyx explained. "And… to be honest, I am quite afraid of Him to demand anything. He's the Creator of Everything; that includes me, the stars, the galaxies; everything. But unlike the Gods you know or the concept of 'rules' you have in mind, there is nothing to limit Him. He has the power to wipe Everything into Nothing, or recreate Everything from Nothing. That includes you and me."
The Lost Soul gulped.
Everything in the universe.
All the Worlds yet to be discovered.
The planets, the stars, the galaxies.
Lied in the hand of one being.
"...Thanks for the existential crisis."
"...It upsets me at times. In truth, there is only one God and that is Him, but let's not concern ourselves with that… Everything is equally inconsequential in His eyes, hence why He is prone to boredom and always creates more and more Worlds. Luckily, He never destroys His old ones and doesn't seem to mind if we… play around with them. They are the perfect terrarium for us Gods."
"Sounds nice…" he said flatly. "Why don't you join in the struggle? Get your feet wet?"
At that suggestion, Nyx burst out laughing. "Pfff-hahaha! Don't be silly! That's what the lesser Creations are for!"
Great. Damn Gods and their God complex.
So he skimmed to the next page, and would have widened his eyes if he had any.
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⦕Weapon Proficiency⦖
〖Ranged Weapon〗 | 〖Thrown Weapon〗
〖One-Handed Weapon〗|〖Two-Handed Weapon〗
〖Dual Wielding〗|〖Magic Staff〗|〖Unarmed Combat〗
[-⦕Page 4⦖-]
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Which didn't look that intimidating at first, but then he realized those were submenus and were navigable. And sure enough, as he thought of 'Ranged Weapon' as it was the first of many, another celestial-themed screen blurred and appeared before him.
|=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=|
⦕Ranged Weapon Proficiencies⦖
〖Bow〗
⸢Unskilled⸥
You have never drawn a bow and have no proficiency.
-85% chance to hit
Distance reduces chance to hit
〖Greatbow〗
⸢Unskilled⸥
You have never drawn a greatbow and have no proficiency
-85% chance to hit
Distance reduces chance to hit
〖Crossbow〗
⸢Unskilled⸥
You have never shoot a crossbow and have no proficiency
-85% chance to hit
+10% accuracy from weapon trait
Distance reduces chance to hit
〖Pistol〗
⸢Unskilled⸥
You have never fired a pistol and have no proficiency
-85% chance to hit
+15% accuracy from weapon trait
Distance reduces chance to hit
〖Rifle〗
⸢Unskilled⸥
You have never fired a rifle and have no proficiency
-85% accuracy
+20% accuracy from weapon trait
Distance reduces chance to hit
|=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=|
Which still didn't seem so bad, if there weren't another dozen of these things. But there were more. One-handed sword, two-handed sword, greatsword, daggers, dual wielding daggers, curved swords, katanas, axes, greataxes, greathammer, warhammer, mace, polearms, healing staff, elemental staff, and so on and on. The thrown weapon page was even more ridiculous where he recognized nearly none of them.
At this information overload, the Lost Soul could only take a deep breath, and exhaled a deflating sigh.
"...Alright. Awesome. This is fine."
"You don't need to master everything," Nyx said in an attempt to raise his spirits. "Think of them as your report card. Something to keep track of your developments."
"...Yea. Sure. I can do that," the soul said. "...Thing is, I know I'm gonna be pissed off if any of them are in the red. I hate seeing low numbers. It comes with the job, y'see… Higher numbers make my job easier because that's the point companies often try to cheat."
"Ah. So it is."
"Yep," he replied absently, realizing Nyx didn't share his passion in accountancy. So he switched to his next, and hopefully last page.
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⦕Spell List⦖
〖Cantrips〗
〖Tier 1〗〖Tier 2〗〖Tier 3〗
〖Tier 4〗〖Tier 5〗〖Tier 6〗
〖Tier 7〗〖Tier 8〗〖Tier 9〗
⦕Spell Slots⦖
Tier 1〖0 / 0〗 | Tier 2〖0 / 0〗 | Tier 3 〖0 / 0〗
Tier 4〖0 / 0〗 | Tier 5〖0 / 0〗 | Tier 6 〖0 / 0〗
Tier 7〖0 / 0〗 | Tier 8〖0 / 0〗 | Tier 9 〖0 / 0〗
[-⦕Page 5⦖-]
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"...What on earth…?"
"It's a page where you keep track of your learned Spells, which you can learn by reading a Spellbook or learning it from a Spellcaster. Wizard, Cleric, and the likes."
"...Uh-huh," he blinked, reading the content. "What's a 'Cantrip'?"
"It's a Spell that you can cast at will without expending any of your Spell Slots, and without being prepared in advance."
"Huh… So they're basically the weak ones then?"
"Not necessarily. They are simply the easiest to cast. All Spells can be useful. It's also important for you to know that not everyone can use Spells."
"I see, I see… How many Spells are there anyway?"
"Roughly 550. There's likely more."
"Pfff— that's a lot. I was expecting… I dunno… about a hundred."
"Arcadia is a World rich in Magic. Humans have their own Magic. Devils and Demons have their own. Valkyries have Runic Magic… Angels have Divine Magic… and so and so. New Spells are always being created every day. There would be more had my Father given this World more development and His time. …And patience."
The Lost Soul 'hmm'd thoughtfully. "...This is kinda bad… It's cool, but that's exactly why it's bad. I'm gonna want to start collecting all these like a freak."
Nyx chuckled. Ah, the blind enthusiasm of a fool… how refreshing. "It will take you a considerable amount of time, not to mention not all Classes can learn certain Spells. For comparison, an Archwizard — which is a Wizard that holds the Triple S rank, may be able to sink 270 Spells in his head given enough time and resources, but so what? Can you remember all those Spells? And having that many Spells won't expand the amount of Spell Slots you have."
"...Damn man. I mean… can't you let a man dream? You blew the wind outta my sail here."
Nyx felt culpable. "...I-I'm sorry. My mistake… Of course you can learn all the available Spells, given that you will have my Blessings. It's just… unadvised."
"Why?"
"It takes a long time and dedication. The world is vast, don't you want to see them with your very eyes instead of sitting in front of the same book for hours?"
The Lost Soul shrugged. "That was my daily job y'know."
"T-true… but… I… want to see your growth and travel. Don't you understand? You're very special to me."
"We just met like twenty minutes ago, but that's very sweet of you."
Nyx blushed subconsciously, then consciously as she patted her cheeks to cool them down. Lucky her, he was staring at the display still.
"But I get your point," he said. "Alright. I'll still want to collect them all but I won't make it my priority — how's that sound?"
Nyx smiled. Appeased. "Better."
He then swiped to next page, expecting nothing, and exclaimed, "There's still more?!"
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⦕Non-Combat Skills Proficiency⦖
〖Crafting〗|〖Smithing〗〖Alchemy〗|〖Enchanting〗
[-⦕Page 6⦖-]
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"Crafting... wowzers. This is going to be the bane of the pathological completionist in me," he said without any enthusiasm whatsoever, and flipped over to the next page almost immediately. Not even bothering to mentally press any of the buttons.
Nyx looked quite happy hearing that but said nothing nonetheless. She could only hope he'd give those a fair shot in the future... and that he wasn't being sarcastic. She put a lot of thoughts behind those.
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⦕Relationships⦖
None. Go make friends.
[-⦕Page 7⦖-]
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He paused a moment to be offended.
"The hell is this… I'm getting pissed off just by looking at this page and its insinuation of me being a friendless loser," he then tried for the next page. Nothing. It was the last one. "Of course it's the last one that pisses me off."
"E-erm…" Nyx rubbed her sleeved arm anxiously. "Keep in mind that your presence here is an accident… A-and the boy whose life you spared was… er... I thought it would be a good encouragement for him to step outside his comfort zone."
He eyed her suspiciously. Without having eyes. "Alright… I'll believe you… SO what is this tab huh? Relationships? Like friends?"
Nyx's ivory cheeks flushed red for some reason. "Well… Since he was… a… uhm… a dreamer, so to speak — he desired to be surrounded by women and… I…" she thought for a moment, "presumed it would be helpful to use that as his motivation."
"What? Why would he? One girl is already high-maintenance and nags a lot unless you find someone really special. But that's the special thing about it, isn't it? Sure there's those Sheiks and so, but that's like… that's not even love, dude."
"P-perhaps, yes."
"Unless… Oh I get it. He's that kind of weirdo that watches those 'harem' cartoons thingy is he? I know a guy who watched shows like that, but even he knows how unrealistic and dehumanizing it is to just collect girls willy nilly. Man now I'm pissed. Should've hit that bastard… but then that'd make me a murderer…"
"...Why are you blaming me for…" Nyx whined. "I designed this for him, alright… not you."
"Uh… right. Sorry. I wasn't being mad at you. Again, I let small things bother me greatly, and I tend to go on a rant for a bit. Just stop me the next time I do that, 'aight?"
"...Fine."
"And… and it's not like I'm critiquing this… It's actually pretty handy. See, I get anxious sometimes about my friends. There's that sort of thought that bothers me when I'm around them. Stuff like whether they're faking their laugh and they actually want to get rid of me or not. So… yeah. I'm still gonna use it, just… maybe not as you intended since it feels like cheating."
"...Suit yourself…" Nyx pouted. "Just so you know, polyamorous relationships is a norm in that World."
"Okay. Unless the girls are fine with sharing me with several others and won't get jealous because I only have one body and can only be in one spot at a time, then I don't see how this'll work."
"...But it's a common thing—"
"Sure, but do they have a choice? If reversed, do the boys have a choice? Or are you telling me, they've been programmed to be like this from the start?"
"...I suppose, yeah. My Father is the one who designed this World, not me. If you have any issues with it, then go ahead and complain to Him."
He nodded. "Point taken."
"If you don't want it, then you're free to avoid it. You sound quite full of yourself for someone who hasn't had any girlfriends for five straight years."
"Gee I wonder why," he sassed. "I wonder if it's because my ex got hit a by a fucking drunk driver and died and I just kept seeing her face on every girl I met. …Huh. Maybe that's why I avoided that runt."
"...Oh…" Nyx suddenly remembered. "...Right… I'm sorry."
The Lost Soul sighed. "That's alright. It's been five years and you didn't kno— wait a minute… you're a God aren't you? Shouldn't you know about sensitive things like this?"
"I forgot! I'm sorry!"
"..." another sigh. "...Well… I guess… I guess it's time to let her go too… but… Hell, I've been trying to do that for five years. I think I remember why I was driving late that night."
"It was the anniversary of her death," Nyx murmured, recollecting his memories herself. "...You were quite drunk, but not drunk enough to drive irresponsibly."
"...Yeah. Now I remember… I was driving home from her cemetery. Shit, no wonder why it was so dark. …Probably why I didn't hit the bastard I guess. Some subconscious kind of thing. " the Soul said pensively. "Well now I'm sad."
"I'm… erm… I'm sorry."
"Eh… well… I suck at dealing with grief so… After mom died, I just pushed everyone away because I'm too scared of hurtin' and all that sensitive crap," the Lost Soul shrugged. Nyx never understood why humans found it difficult to admit that they were in pain and were hurting.
She supposed it would remain a mystery, one she might be able to unveil by watching him.
"Did you meet her by any chance?"
She shook her head. "Gods can't summon souls as they wish. Some immediately go to their next life, some may meet a God who has been waiting for them. Someone like you is a special case."
"I see…" The Lost Soul scratched the back of his head. "Well… then uh… Before I start actually making my… myself I guess— Can you… Can you remove her from my memory? Or uh… tweak it a little bit…? I just… y'know. I don't wanna start getting emotional about someone that didn't even exist in wherever the hell you're tossing me."
"Certainly."
"Actually, just wipe all my past memories. Just let me know that I'm not originally from that world, and I don't remember my past life because… I dunno it's not right or something like that. Just make up some bullshit you'll know I believe."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Thanks," he said with genuinity. "I appreciate it. Seriously."
"...You're welcome."
He then smiled. "All right then… just give me one minute with all these… goddamn numbers and choices… Oh, by the way, if I die or like… get stung by a bee and have an extreme reaction from it, what happens?"
"You'll be reverted to a certain place. Time will still proceed and you will feel the pain of dying, however."
"...So what if I want to move on from this World?"
"...Well… you always simply tell me. Gods are not allowed to grip a soul should they choose to pass."
"Aight. Hey, don't look so sad. I'll be around for a while, don't worry."
"I-I'm not sad!" Nyx stammered, though she was both happy and mad. "Now go and fill the sheets!"
"Okay, okay…" If he had a tongue and a mouth to open, then the Lost Soul would be sticking out his tongue as he began his character creation — all while Nyx proceeded to draw away strings of his former life's memories, the threads that made him who he was now, and bundled it all away in a spool of golden thread.
By the time he was finished, he had no recounting of his past, only that he was someone who was about to delve into a new world and new reality… A Lost Soul without memories... Nyx felt somewhat blue about it.
"Whew, I'm done," he exclaimed as he gave his Status another very brief glance. "Uh-huh. Right. I'm okay with this."
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[-⦕ Insert name here's Character Sheets⦖-]
《 Name: TBD 》
《 Race: Human 》
《 Class: Lvl. 1 Nightblade 》
STR: 16 (B) | DEX: 18 (B+) | CON: 8 (E+)
WIS: 14 (C) | INT: 16 (B-) | CHA: 20 (A)
HP: You are still dead. Please start/continue your journey to cease being dead.
〖Titles〗
⧼The Night's Chosen⧽
《Chosen by the Night herself, your boundary is as limitless as the night skies. 》
Death is merely a setback. Never an end
Remember that knowledge is power
and that the Night is your ally
Passives:
Advance Skills and raise Proficiencies at an increased rate in nighttime
Allows the learning from every School of Magic without being restricted by [Class]
Others perceive your [Class] as an ordinary Assassin
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〖Ability〗
⧼Hunter in the Night⧽
《The hunting prowess of the Nightblade improves as the night beckons.》
Always a pleasing sight to see the mightiest of warriors become afraid of the dark.
Passives:
Your speed and dodge chance are doubled during nighttime
Night and darkness go side by side
Hunter in the Night's passive activates in places unreached by sunlight regardless of the time
Not even daytime can save your preys
⦕⦖
⧼Lil' Squint⧽
《A Master of squinting. One squint of the eye and all truths are heaved out from the dark.》
Active:
You detect lies, traps, and misleading truths by mastering the language spoken by the body.
You uncover the [Hidden Abilities] of your target.
You can tear down a Spell launched at you, breaking its formula and the equations behind it, and master it as your own after enough usage.
You will still take damage from the Spell attack.
Cannot decipher Spells if its Tier is above your highest available.
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〖Skills〗
⧼Assassinate 1/5⧽
Your first attack has a higher chance to hit. Double its damage if you catch the enemy by surprise.
⧼Uncanny Dodge 1/5⧽
When an attacker that you can see attacks you from the front and hits, you halve the damage dealt.
Limited to 3 charges. Charges fill after a short rest.
⧼Terror from the Shadows 1/5⧽
Enhanced Sneak Attack and Conceal/Hide/Cloak. Blessing from the Night herself. Be grateful.
You easily blend with the shadows. When [Hidden], enemies have 50% less detection range against you. Make a melee attack to any enemy that enters your weapon range with a guaranteed hit.
Doesn't affect enemies with True Sight and/or Heightened Senses.
If you are with at least 1 (one) ally, lowers the chance of being targeted by a single target attack and Spells. They see no point in chasing shadows.
The Nightblade deals extra damage when he hits a target with a normal weapon attack against an enemy who is not presently engaged with you.
[-⦕Page 1⦖-]
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Nyx gave the nebulous sheet a glimpse, and frowned immediately. "You forgot to write down your name."
"What?" he glanced down. "...Oh right. Highschool habit. I got Fs cause of these..."
As he filled the blank space with letters, Nyx narrowed her eyes not a second after as another thing bothered her. "Human?"
"What?"
"Not you, your Race. Your Race you picked," she clarified. "Human? Really? You can be part of a Dragon, a Vampire, a Devil, even a half-fox half-human if you're interested in that kind of thing. Are you certain with Human?"
"Yeah," he shrugged, not seeing nor understanding the reason why she was so knocked over about his choice of race. "I'm fine with being human."
"But… it doesn't have any racial benefits…? Rather, it's the only Race that doesn't have any racial benefits because they are that ordinary. Are you sure?"
"Yeah. They don't have any drawbacks either, so… it's gotta be the best one, right?"
"...B…b-but…"
"Besides, I've only been a human and I enjoyed it. What if I chose to be… uh… say, an Angel, but I hate it because of how pretentious I feel? Then there's Devils… but I mean… Devils are Devils. Here it says they get hurt a lot from [Radiant] damage. Like, triple the damage! Look I ain't no gamer or anythin' but I know for a fact that I'm gonna be real squishy."
"What… What about a Kitsune?"
"Eeeeh… I dunno about having a tail… and animal ears… I mean they're cute, sure. On animals. But me? Nuh-uh."
Nyx blankly stared at him. If he was that boy he saved, then she had no doubt he would have gone for a Dragonborn: the rarest, strongest, and evidently overpowered Races compared to the rest. It had resistance against all Elemental damage for one, and it could fly.
She had sworn to never steer the decision of her Soul, but they never mentioned that she wasn't allowed to suggest an alternative.
"...What… What about Dragonborn?" she bargained. "You don't need to have scales. You can look entirely human."
"True, but…" he cocked his neon-bright white head to one side. "It's kinda overpowered. Like, plus 5 to all stats? Jebus. I'm here to have some fun and some challenges, not a stroll in the park."
"E…even if you can become the strongest?"
Now he looked offended. For a Soul without a face, he was surprisingly expressive. "Why do I wanna be the strongest? That's kind of a kid's dream. The strongest always gets used by other people anyway."
"But… you said you never played this kind of game."
"Yea but I ain't no bitch."
"...Point taken," Nyx gave up. Men and their silly manliness. "...Then… mind telling me why you chose to be an Assassin?"
"I dunno. It sounds cool."
"...Of course." He must be the worst, dumbest Soul she ever had for this kind of World. Nyx struggled to fight her urge to be merciful and send him to a different World, but then she'd have to wait another eternity to use this World. It was quite voguish amongst the Gods, and she wasn't going to let anyone else take her turn.
"Although," he said with an inkling of uncertainty, and Nyx's eyes glimmered with hope that he might reconsider. "Uh… these descriptions do make me seem like a psychopath on the loose after re-reading them again… I mean, 'The hunting prowess of the Nightblade improves as the night beckons'... Like, seriously? What kind of edgy book was your dad reading?"
"...I wrote those ones…"
"..."
A sudden silence filled the vast space, yet it was the loudest kind of silence as it was an awkward silence.
"...I'm sorry."
"...Don't worry about it…"
"I'm no poet, alright? I'm like one of those people who sees art and think it's fucking stupid that it costs a million bucks, so don't let my stupid opinion bothers you. I mean, I designed 'Lil Squint'. It's pretty childish but I kinda like it. I can always change it... right? If the joke gets old?"
"Yes you can and that's alright," Nyx sighed. Dejected and embarrassed. "...You don't need to try to placate me. It feels... humiliating."
"Yea I thought as much…" he awkwardly scratched the back of his bald head, once again getting distressed that he had gone bald for a good one second. "Okay then. I'm ready."
"Fine. Have fun," Nyx said, dispirited. She snapped her fingers and the display screen before him swirled and churned into a pool of bright white lights. Like a blackhole, except made of light instead of an engulfing darkness.
And he was about to dive headfirst, until he realized something. "...Wait, you're not coming?"
"No? I'm a God."
"Yeah but, it must be lonely up here all by yourself right? And since you're a God, why can't you just… I dunno? Tag along? Pretend you're a human and all that?"
"..." Nyx paused, and thought deeply, considering his words.
He was right though… Nobody ever said it was disallowed. They just think it was because nobody had ever done it. Or maybe there was, but Father had quickly erased the entirety of their existence and their history.
She didn't like her odds, but on the other hand…
It could get terribly lonely sometimes. And watching from afar… far in the sidelines, where nobody else knew about her other than him…
"I… I don't know…"
"Bah! C'mon. It'll be fun! You said it's gonna be fun, right? You're not tricking me or anything aren't you?"
"...I'm not."
"Then why the bother?'
"It's just… You can't expect me to help you in any shape or way aside from giving you the occasional suggestions. I won't help you in your adventuring nor will I help you with relationships, your academic responsibilities, anything that is your responsibility. Is that clear?"
"Yea, yea. I'll wipe my own ass. Come on. Let's dive."
He extended his hand.
Him, a mere Human.
A mortal of insignificant existence.
"...Very well," Nyx whispered as she took her hand, as they delved into the World of Arcadia...
As Chaos watched them with His ever watchful eyes, spanning as far as a galaxy... For once, fascinated.
.
.
.
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[-⦕ Relationship Update⦖-]
Nyx, the Night, the Daughter of Mysteries,
now considers you as:
〖Friend〗
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.
.
.
The Nightblade watched the midnight blue display menu before him fade away without a sound, and he watched as the darkness around him unfurled the rocks and stalactites, as well as an entrance to a deeper part of the cavern he found himself in.
Nyx was not around.
He heard a terrible roar.
He felt a chill that was equally terrible.
He then thought to himself, 'What's my height now?'
When then the same semi-opaque blue screen stretched in front of his face. It said 'you are 5 feet 11 inches tall (180cm)'.
"FUCK. Seriously?! AGAIN?!"
And he felt his shoulder being slapped.
"Yelling to let your nervousness out? Hah, come on, Rookie," said a man that was somehow here. He was geared in a Knight's armor he had often seen in those historically inaccurate feudal movies. He could barely see his eyes from the slit of the plate helmet. "Try not to get yourself killed."
"...Who the hell are—" The Nightblade blinked owlishly as the Knight marched ahead, followed by four other men and women dressed in varying armor. Leather, robes, spaulder guards… and… other armor pieces he never knew the name of because he wasn't a nerd.
Adventurers, he thought to himself. He glanced down, and saw himself fully dressed in leather armaments. He had a set of daggers strapped to his belt. A pouch containing two vials of Lesser Healing Potions. He didn't know how he knew he had those things, but he didn't think much about it.
'Must be the tutorial or something...'
And then the familiar midnight blue screen popped up in the empty air, though this time, the letters were written in alarming red color. One that immediately filled his throat with thickening dread.
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[-⦕ Tutorial Stage⦖-]
⦕!WARNING!⦖
Ahead lies the Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat
Disaster Level: Ultimate Dragon
Challenge Rating: 30
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here
and ye who doesn't read warnings or is illiterate
⦕Your Objective⦖
Die ( 0 / 1 )
Good Luck
Not that it matters
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The screen vanished almost in an impossibly mocking fashion, as if laughing at his imminent fate and another demise.
"...Now hold up a fucking second…" This tutorial stage for some reason didn't feel very 'tutorial'-ey. Must be a glitch in the system, right?
Right?
His hopeful question was replied by a shout of the previous man telling him to get in that cave of death, and following it was the bestial roar of a positively irritated big winged lizard.
The Nightblade was scared shitless, but one thing that kept his courage alight was his growing annoyance. When he saw that Goddess again, it was his rights to demand for explanation, a decent compensation, a back massage, and a fulfilling meal. He didn't even have a meal yet!
"...Oh I'm so suing her ass."
To be continued…
Nyx's pretty cute poggers.
Nah she ain't the baddie, don't worry
LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE AHOY
Here you go. A frickin gamer dxd fic. This is so cursed I can't even begin to describe it. You have no idea that i've spent an embarrassing amount of time to make the menu look 'wow this very cool wowzers' than the standard
[stats:
sterghnt 2502400
ineltigence 502200
defesne 3682553
offeens 42440635
integrity 2
alignment: Chaotic Evil/Neutral Evil/Chaotic Neutral - the gamer version of 'i am not like the other girl'
Hp: infinity/5000
ability:
gamer sex: you're a god among men. literally dude, just fingerflick them and you'll kill a god, split the earth, destroy a volcano, flip over that beached whale you call 'mom'
]
It's not going to be a standard retelling of DxD storyline except with cooler OPMC. As you can see, he's fucking squishy. A gust of wind might snap his body in half. Obviously it's negated by the fact that… well… death is his bitch.
I occasionally shit on gamer fic because I think they're pr lazy. At the end it's all about the numbers and the stats, and the MC is always a gamer with a super gamer mind that RTX 3080 TI ain't got shit compared to their brain — but that's also because everyone else around them got a -200 IQ debuff so the MC seems smarter when in reality he's just surrounded by idiots
Well, our main boy here isn't a gamer. His gaming extent can be summarized with Blue Shell = oh god oh fuck oh no
He's basically a… a… *shudders* normie :monkaS:
But then again, you don't need to be a gamer to make logical decisions, or even cheese the game mechanics. You just need to understand how the game works, find the loophole, and abuse the shit out of that bitch
No he's not me, because I'm not a narcissist that inserts myself into an ANIEME: EXPAND HERAM story and gives random online schmucks the ability to talk shit about me when they haven't even seen my face.
And writing myself porking some 2d girl AND being read by other people is just… too fucking weird. I mean... that's 4chan level of cringe
I'm no European or an American or have ever been to America. I do watch their movies though… but yeah nah. This Nightblade dude is completely made up and is not real
just like every single one of your trash waifus :^)
Jk. it doesn't matter if they're not real. Do whatever you want. Just be happy. Enjoy life. Give less shit about other people's shit take on you or run them over with a minibus
Though, I did lose someone in an accident. Drunk driver.
It sucked. It was strange, it was frustrating and it completely fucked me up for two years. You see her friends and her family all start to gradually move on, but you're still rooted in the same damn spot, feeling like half the person you used to be
Idk why I'm telling you this but it's definitely not for some pity because screw your thoughts and prayers
That was ages ago anyway. now I'm already engaged so :^)
I guess i'm saying all this for people like me. Hang in there bro. Fuck those people who say there's more fishes in the sea
anyway
I don't give a crap about your views or internet-forums-supplied knowledge of politics. Neither of us are politicians and the only debates we win are the ones we made up inside our head so we can feel good, so let's not pretend we know shit and leave it out of your review
Think of it like your everyday discord 'safe' group. Unless you wanna make jokes about it, then sure dude. Let's bants( ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)
The menu style is definitely a rip off from Rihavein Zero's Forging Reality. So hey Zero, if you're reading this: I'm stealing your concept :^)
btw Indianman has been chatting shit about you in the discord
But other than that and the DnD stats and crappycrap and whatnots — the world, Arcadia in its entirety and lore, the characterizations of the characters, are all products of my great brain power and my tenacious 4 remaining brain cells that have been yelling at me and trying to convince me to stop trying to put too much effort in this fucking thing
The setting will be a magic academy, where students often go on hunting trips and get themselves killed just to prove they're adults and to get better gears. Inspiration taken from Solo Leveling, DnD n DxD, Tyranny the game, Pinball, Solitaire, One Punch Man, Dark Souls' armor system, and my own gradually decreasing inspiration
It's dungeon and dragons minus the dice rolls because by god i'm not writing 500 dice rolls or this weapon/skills deals 5d250 dmg
Issei exists and won't be replaced because I can write him better than canon.
Besides, I like goofy bromance. And too many of clam jam, gash bash, taco fest, etc. gets boring. Sausage Fest is the way to forge unbroken homie bonds. Source: trust me bro
It's been ya boy danzy, the amateur unpaid writer and Level Die Gamer
This fic of the gamer is bought to you by a gamer, for the gamers. Gaymers! Rise up!
Follow, favorite, review. I love seeing funny numbers go up, so you know the drill. Do it dammit, or I'll axe this story and you won't get tsundere Nyx written by the great DanzyDanz
And as is tradition with every frickin DxD stories; harem member suggestions. Go. List your waifus. DxD, Bleach, or any shows. Go ahead. List em. I dare you
Not that i'll add 'em, i just wanna see your waifus and silently judge you from the other side of the screen