Chapter I - The Advent
New location discovered - [Worcester, England]
+20 EXP
That was nice, not every new area I visit gave me EXP, so this place must be especially important for some reason.
It took an extra half hour to walk towards the cathedral from the station, as I didn't want to spend any more money on transportation. Louis didn't specify where exactly we were supposed to meet, but I figured I'd just walk around, not everyday you get to visit a cathedral after all.
I wasn't an overly religious person, I sold drugs as a living and had a (questionably) omnipotent system controlling my life, I didn't have much care for faith at this point. Though that didn't stop me from enjoying the fine architecture.
The cathedral was mostly empty, the streets were almost barren for some reason. There were a few people but they looked to be salarymen going home from work, not ones to linger.
"Excuse me." A gruff voice spoke from behind, I turned to see a pale man who looked to be in his fifties. He wore a pilot jacket and had a dark green beret on his pale blonde hair, he was also holding a small suitcase.
Louis Cyphre Lv. 66
Title: The Morning Star
HP - 66,800
REP - [0/100] (Stranger)
Emotions: Unreadable
STR - 9
PER - 14
END - 22
CHA - 50
INT - 30
AGI - 8
LUK - 6
[Telepathy failed.]
He cracked a charismatic smile, "Mr. Malkuth, I presume?"
I blanched, '-7 LUK, indeed.'
"Do you smoke, Mr. Cyphre?" We were both situated on a park bench next to the cathedral, Louis bought us both some coffee from a nearby stand. "Please, call me Louis, as will I call you Hansel. As for your question, I do smoke." I nodded and pulled out a packet of green.
"Ah, but mine are… herbal in nature." I explained, he chuckled and took the packet in his hands. "I've no qualms about marijuana, though I'd prefer to save this for a rainy day." He pocketed the packet.
+2 REP with Louis Cyphre! [2/100]
For sharing your weed.
+10 EXP
"I suppose it's time for business, eh?" He opened his briefcase as I took a sip from my coffee. Inside was a small vial filled with a luminescent blue liquid. He took it out and showed it to me.
"What is it?" It was certainly not anything I've ever seen, though it reminded me of blue gatorade.
"Soma," He started, "It is a liquid extracted from a special plant that grows in the Himalayas, only one of these plants is still alive right now." He turned towards me and smirked, palming the vial. "It has highly restorative properties, some say if you drink enough you'll turn immortal."
'Immortal… He's level 66, could it be true..?'
I gulped, "How much is it worth?" He laughed and paused to take a sip of his own coffee. "More than enough to buy this entire cathedral, boy."
I so wished my [Observe] ability could see the item's properties, but unfortunately, life wasn't that easy.
"What do you want for it?" I was getting desperate, for all I knew this could be an elaborate scam. But this guy was the real deal, nobody was ever above level 25, not even the strongest person alive (Believe me I checked). This guy was not human.
His eyes went distant for a moment before leaning back in his chair, Louis tipped his beret and asked me a question.
"Do you know what your last name means, Hansel?"
Hansel Malkuth, that was my given name at birth. I forgot most of my childhood, only remembered the important parts. A lot of it was scratching my head wondering what these floating screens were before I discovered manhwa, and it just kept going from there.
Malkuth, I remembered it had something to do with jews, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I shook my head.
"Malkuth, or Kingship, is the tenth sefirot within the Kabbalistic tree of life. There are many interpretations of it, but one I particularly like is its meaning applied towards the process of creation. Malkuth is the cosmic filter from which all creation flows through, it emanates not from the divine will, but from the divine will's creation. In that case, that creation is you."
Perk Gained! [Divine Kingdom]
You're one lucky (or unlucky) bastard! Your life is now tied to making reality right again. No Gods or Demons will make you bow to them, cause you're the one who's gonna put them in their place!
You gain a perk at every level.
-REP (Variable) with Law oriented beings.
"Don't look too much into it, I'm just rambling after all." He shrugged. 'My new perk says the opposite old man.' I sweatdropped.
"What does all this have to do with me?"
Louis held up a finger and drank his coffee, "The world is about to change, Hansel. No longer will this facsimile of peace be held much longer. Reality itself is breaking as we speak." he pointed towards a nearby tree, it was on fire.
He smirked as he put the vial of Soma into my hands, "You are special, Mr. Malkuth. Whether it is to my favor or not, I want to see how you develop." The streets around us now had tiny cracks all over, a thick fog settled into the area.
"You'd give me this? You don't even know if I'll join your cult."
+3 REP with Louis Cyphre! [5/100]
For not being too trusting.
"I'd ask you to join, but I'm not quite sure you want to. We will see if you can live up to my expectations, but until then you can have your freedom."
He said that in a really passive-aggressive way, I didn't like it. Something else was bothering me though. "My sister, is she okay?" The bench we were sitting on had deformed.
Louis merely shrugged, "Go back and find out for yourself, you might want to drink that first, though."
I looked down at the vial in my hands, "What's there to lose?" I took off the cap and downed it in one go.
If it didn't make a sizzling noise as it went down my throat, I'd think it really was just blue gatorade, it definitely tasted like it. I waited a moment with nothing happening, until a notification sound pinged in my head.
Virus Expelled from System.
[Ill-Fated] Trait is evolving…
[Ill-Fated] has evolved to [Slave of Fate]!
[Slave of Fate] (Given Trait)
You are free of your misfortune, but now you are shackled by the chains of fate. Everything that happens to you now has a purpose, whether you know it or not.
Immunity from [Fate Manipulation] or any other variants. (History Manipulation, Controlled Reality Warping, etc.)
"Guh!" I fell onto the floor in pain. My body felt weaker like I just ate a month's worth of food and didn't exercise at all.
Oh wait.
Hansel Malkuth Lv. 8
Title - King of Slaves
Race - Human
HP - 150 / 150
MP - 300/300
EXP - 46 / 800
Macca - 0
STR - 4
PER - 7
END - 3
CHA - 4
INT - 6 (+5)
AGI - 4
LUK - 3
HP Regen = END * 2
MP Regen = INT * 2
I was now free from my curse! But then again, this [Slave of Fate] Trait was pretty suspicious. My Endurance went down by 5, so that's why I feel so weak, this is gonna take some getting used to.
And what's this Macca? Is that the currency of the system?
...
What's this? Where am I?
"Huh? Who's there?"
Who are you?
"I'm me, who are you?"
Rude, I am D.E.M.I. or the Demonic Essential Mystical Intelligence.
'So you are the system? I am Hansel Malkuth.'
A pleasure to serve you then. I am an AI for use with the system, but it seems my software is outdated.
[Performing System Diagnostics]
Current version - InDev 0.2
Creator: Lucia Luchtaine
Code Outdated. Performing Update.
Linking System to Multiversal Ley Line…
Would you like some music while I update?
'Luchtaine..? Oh, sure I guess, It's a long way home. Might as well listen to some music.'
Now playing Persona 2 Innocent Sin - Honmaru Park.
Some obscure game music played in the background as I surveyed my surroundings, it was honestly quite fitting despite my current situation.
Louis had disappeared when I was busy with the system, I pocketed the vial and drank the rest of my coffee. "I need to find Celine." I sprinted towards the direction of the station, hopefully, the train would still work.
Everything around me was breaking apart, being replaced by weird versions of themselves. The tree that was previously burning before was now made entirely of glass, the roads were now made of marble. It's like the entire area was being turned into some sort of Greek coliseum or something.
System Linked. Welcome Gamer #13!
Unknown Version Identified, Overwrite with latest stable version?
[Yes] [No]
"Sure," I pressed the yes option.
Updating…
Update Complete! AI Detected, Generating Access Key...
You have mail! [7]
You have unclaimed rewards! [2]
Ah, good. I have the access key now. I should now be able to help your journey within limits, Sir.
Quest Completed - [Paradise Lost]
+2000 EXP
+5 REP with Louis Cyphre [10/100]
Level up 2x!
Hansel Malkuth Lv. 10
Title - King of Slaves
Race - Human
HP - 170 / 170
MP - 340/340
EXP - 346 / 1000
Macca - 0
STR - 4
PER - 7
END - 3
CHA - 4
INT - 6 (+5)
AGI - 4
LUK - 3
HP Regen = END * 2
MP Regen = INT * 2
[Divine Kingdom] Activated 2x!
Perk Gained - [Mad Bomber]
You are a certified mad scientist when it comes to explosives! You have prodigy-level knowledge on creating explosives and can craft them using scrap materials.
[Explosives] Crafting unlocked
[Explosives Handling] Proficiency gained
+25% Damage with explosive-based attacks
Perk Gained - [Cautious]
After years of torture and misfortune, you are now subconsciously avoiding anything that looks remotely dangerous!
Cannot trigger traps.
Ambushes against you often fail.
Nice! I should claim those rewards too.
These are rewards from when you were first given the Gamer system and when there was a multiversal event.
Perk Gained - [Alpha Tester]
For participating in the Alpha Version of the System, you are given a special spin-the-wheel token every time you defeat a special enemy!
Gain a [Gacha Ticket] per special enemy defeated
+1,000 Credits (From Multiverse Gamer Festival 5) (Event Gift)
Would you like to convert Credits into local currency?
[Yes] [No] [Specify]
Eh, I'll convert about half. I'm guessing Credits can be used in some sort of Game Shop?
500 Credits → 5,000 Macca
Correct, they are a special currency accessible only to Gamers, you can buy all sorts of powerful perks / abilities. In fact, you probably shouldn't convert credits into the local currency next time as you cannot do the reverse.
Oh, my bad then. Though this should be a good start for me to do stuff in this new world.
Sir, I've looked through the mail and most of them were notifications from the system. One sticks out in particular, though.
'What is it?'
[Hey!]
From: Lucia Luchtaine
'Survive this mess and I'll answer all of your questions.'
[Attachment locked until certain requirements are met]
This mail dates all the way back to your birth, sir. It seems this person did not foresee that your software would be outdated, since the InDev version did not have a mail feature yet.
'How does that work? I'm some sort of Alpha Tester, right? Doesn't this mean I was born at the time this System was still primitive?'
I'm afraid I cannot answer that, sir. I am just as uninformed as you are.
I shrugged, something to think about later. For now I had to make sure my sister was safe... Speaking of Celine, she had the same family name as this 'Lucia' person. Was Lucia Luchtaine her real sibling? If so, then why was she affiliated with the System? Ah, too many questions. I'll just have to 'survive' and find out, whatever that means.
I stopped in my tracks as I reached the station, it was now replaced by a large glowing river, tall sakura trees growing along its side. The world really was changing, what the hell was happening?
I neared the edge of the river and spotted a robed figure on the river's edge, they were the only person I've seen for miles, other than Louis but he had disappeared.
"Hello?" I called out to them and they turned towards me, giving a thin smile.
It was an old man with pale skin, paler than Louis. He wore a long white robe and his eyes were fully white.
"Hello there, are you taking the river? I can help you for a fee." I noticed he had a boat behind him and he was holding a tall scythe.
Charon Lv. 42
Title: The Ferryman
HP - 2,000
REP - [0/100] (Stranger)
Emotions: Curious, Amused
STR - 12
PER - 7
END - 13
CHA - 6
INT - 8
AGI - 5
LUK - 7
"You're a ferryman," I stated.
"I am, are you buying or not?" He didn't look like he had any other customers, so I shrugged. "How much for a trip to Peterborough?"
He thought about it for a second before answering, "A hundred Macca."
I held out my hand, 'Please work,' a pouch materialized and landed on my palm, making a nice clinking sound. I smiled, "Here, how long is the trip?"
He smirked, "Five minutes, ten if we get attacked."
Charon joined your party as [Guest]!
New location discovered - [River of Samsara]
+100 EXP
I have an inventory! If I had this since I was small I would've smuggled drugs across the entire continent.
"Uoghhh-"
Mou-Ryo Lv. 9
HP - 98
REP - [-50/100] (Hostile)
Emotions: Anger, Jealousy
Translucent red spirits appeared near the river's edge as we floated down the stream, they had anguished faces and unearthly groans that made my ears rattle.
"Can you handle them? It'll make my rowing easier if you could, I'll try and handle a few." Charon asked from my side, he pointed his left hand towards one of the Mou-Ryo and a stream of light energy shot towards it.
Charon used Gryva!
The spirit howled in pain and disappeared from existence.
+34 EXP (Half)
+22 Macca
+1 Life Stone
Something to note, Sir. Since Charon is a guest in your party, that means anything he defeats only gives half the experience, they will still drop loot though.
'Thanks, Demi.' The loot drops also went straight into my inventory, good to know. I clicked my fingers and a bout of flame appeared in my hand, "Yeah lemme handle this, Charon."
I could do many things with Psychokinesis (PK), those included blowing things up with my mind, lifting objects, changing stuff's temperature, etcetera. But the more complex and impactful an action was, the more MP it took from my reserves.
I threw the ball of fire towards a spirit, it impacted the body and staggered the Mou-Ryo.
48 DMG!
"Man, that was pretty weak." I ignored Charon's comment in favor of spamming my fire projectiles, these were the cheapest 'Missile' attacks I could launch with decent power. I could theoretically just instantly light my target on fire, melting them from the inside out. But that took a lot more strain on my reserves.
+67 EXP
+31 Macca
+1 Chakra Drop
+58 EXP
+29 Macca
+63 EXP
+28 Macca
.
.
.
"I think they stopped coming." The ferryman smiled as we crossed a ravine, more marble architecture framed the cliffs and river's edge. "Shouldn't be long till we reach the city." I sighed and downed a Chakra Drop. Despite the exhaustion, I was pretty satisfied. That was more EXP in a single fight than I've gotten in my entire lifetime!
Level Up!
Yep, I killed over a dozen spirits, worth the EXP.
[Divine Kingdom] Activated!
Perk Gained - [Mage Armor]
You're a cowardly wizard who hides behind his spells, all barriers and protection spells are twice as strong.
2x Health for Barrier-Type Spells
2x Armor Bonus for Armor-Type Spells
Must be wearing Light armor or lighter
I blinked, 'does this apply to my PK abilities?'
Yes. For balancing purposes, your psychic abilities are both classified as [Psychic] and [Magic].
Cool, I've never tried using PK to shield myself, only ever thought of it in a 'How to kill someone if I had to' kind of way. In retrospect, using it as a way to shield my body should've been my top priority, considering my previous situation…
"We're here." Charon settled the boat on the river's edge, I stepped off and handed him another bag filled with 25 Macca.
"A tip." He smiled, "Thanks."
+10 REP with Charon [10/100]
For using his services and giving him a tip.
The ferryman went back into his boat. He stopped for a second before turning back and tossing something towards me. I caught it in my hand, it was a small wooden doll with a glowing core.
[Human Effigy]
Cures all minor debuffs and fully restores HP. If burnt, it's fumes will harm inhumane beings.
"Thanks."
Charon waved it off, "If you want more you'll have to pay up, you can also call me anytime by touching the river." I nodded. According to my minimap, this river seemed to stretch across the entirety of England, maybe even the world.
It'd be smart to get on Charon's good side. Not because the river itself was dangerous, or that I couldn't cross it by myself, it's that his boat seems to bend space and time to get to his destination quicker. I want to find out how it works.
The boatman left and I stood there alone at the river's edge.
'Wait… I can observe objects?!' I suddenly realized and looked at the effigy in confusion.
Yes. You couldn't before because the software was outdated, there are many features now that are available to you. I can give you a thorough explanation if you want, Sir.
'Thank God. You'll have to explain everything later though, I need to find my sister.' I pocketed the effigy and started walking.
It wasn't long until I was sprinting across the familiar town, not much seemed to have changed except for extra marble pillars and archways dotted around the area. The change wasn't as significant as it was in Worcester, which had completely changed into a greek city.
Turning around a corner, I blanched as I neared my neighborhood. In the place of my apartment block, a giant white tower was growing from the broken remains of the buildings.
New Location Discovered - Tower of Babel
+100 EXP
"...What."
[Gamer's Body] has activated!
You have been fully healed!
You are now Well Rested!
A small female figure groaned as she woke up, her pale blonde hair cascaded down the bedsheets. She dismissed the familiar screens with a simple thought, but blinked in confusion as she realized she wasn't in her room.
"W-where am I?"
She sat up on the marble bedding and surveyed her surroundings, the entire room was made of marble, with clay and wooden accents along the walls and floors. She noticed a small note next to a bell on the nightstand.
It was an elegantly written letter, "Please ring the bell when you've woken up." She read it out loud.
A feeling of apprehension fell upon the girl. She didn't know what else to do, whoever brought her here would have done bad things to her already if they wanted to, right? So she wasn't in danger, hopefully.
The girl ringed the bell, it's soft chimes echoing across the small bedroom.
The door opened and in came a blonde girl wearing a blue dress. The girl smiled at the other.
Alice Lv. 37
REP - [10/100]
'H-her level is 37…? That's impossible, is she human?'
"Hello…?" The first girl asked warily, to which Alice simply giggled. "Hi, my name is Alice. Who are you?"
"My name is Celine, Celine Luchtaine. Do you know where I am?"
"Of course, we're in my house! Come on, I'll take you to see my uncles!"
Alice took the girl's hand and led her outside the room, unaware of the girl's panicked state. "Stop!" Celine pulled away her hand.
"I'll… walk on my own, please lead the way."
Alice pouted and walked out of the room, Celine following at a distance.
'Bro… Where are you?'
"I have a bad feeling about this…" I muttered as I opened the front door to the apartment building, the white tower was growing from the side of the lobby.
The lobby itself was devoid of life, aside from a few plants that were just there for display. Everything looks like it was out of a Resident Evil game. The walls were dirty, far dirtier than they ever were. I noticed that the pillars supporting the building were now made out of the same marble as the constructs outside.
I walked up to the reception table, plenty of notes and papers thrown about, as if the receptionist was assaulted, or ran away in a hurry.
A tapping sound alerted my senses as I looked to my right, there near the far wall stood a woman in a business suit. She was looking away from me, looking far more interested in the marble wall that made up the base of the white tower.
Not seeing any hostility, I walked towards her, as I moved closer my [Observe] ability activated.
Kyouko Kuzunoha Lv. 23
Title: Ace Detective
HP - 560
REP - [0/100] (Strangers)
Emotions - Curiosity, Wariness
STR - 6
PER - 12
END - 4
CHA - 8
INT - 9
LUK - 6
[Telepathy Failed]
"Hello?" I asked and she turned around, a look of surprise followed by curiosity. "Konbanwa." She replied.
"I'm sorry, what?" I replied, was she speaking japanese? Actually, now that I got a good look at her, she looked to be slightly asian, but had some european features as well. I can't really explain it, but she must be half-european and half-asian.
She was wearing a black business suit, it wasn't one of those tight-fitting ones, it looked a lot more comfortable to wear. She wore a red scarf and had shoulder length black hair.
"Ano…" She seemed as stumped as I was by our language barrier.
'Demi, can I buy a skill that can translate?'
There is, or you can get a perk that gives you immediate knowledge of many languages. The skill is cheaper because it is active, the perk is worth more because it gives you the information instead.
'Great! I'll take the latter please.'
Bought perk for 500 Credits!
Perk Gained - [Multilingual]
You know almost every language in the known Multiverse, some are locked behind a mental barrier that only activates as you meet someone that speaks said language.
I felt a slight sting in the back of my head at the new information, but I shook it off in favor of processing the torrent of knowledge.
English, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, etc. But not only that. Demon, Abyssal, Daedric, Dothraki, Celestial, Sylvan, R'lyehian, etc. This is pretty awesome, I wonder if I can buy other sources of knowledge?
You can, but they cost a lot more. [Nigh-Omniscient] for example costs one million credits, quite impossible in the game's terms. Something like [Medical Knowledge] costs about 1,000 credits. [Multilingual] is quite cheap because it only gives a basic grasp on each language, not the cultural background or its local slang.
I see, I'll have to worry about that later then.
Kyouko Kuzunoha was her name was it? She's definitely Japanese, but then why was she here? "Hello?" She called out again as she pulled out her phone, this time I understood her perfectly.
"Hello, my name is Hansel Malkuth. Who are you?" I spoke in a subdued tone, I was testing the words, while I knew the meaning of the words and how to form sentences, the words themselves felt foreign on my tongue, you could hear my english accent.
She perked up as she realized I could speak her language. "Thank god! I thought I had to use a translator!" She put away her phone at that.
"I'm sorry, I guess I was just surprised to hear Nihongo here in England." I shrugged as I walked up to her.
"Yes, I'm afraid I have no idea how I got here," she sighed, before suddenly realizing something. The woman pulled out a steel badge from her pocket. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kyouko Kuzunoha, private investigator and current owner of the Kuzunoha Detective Agency."
I nodded, "Miss Kuzunoha then, I've heard of your agency." Who wouldn't? They were known worldwide for solving more than half of Japan's crimes, they even had branches in the west, but none in the east as far as I knew.
"Please, call me Kyouko." She smiled and took off her scarf, placing it inside her handbag. She extended a hand for me to shake and I took it.
"Then call me Hansel." I smiled, it was good to see a friendly face.
"Do you know why this neighborhood looks like a ghost town?" She asked and I shrugged. "I just got home from a trip and came to this," I frowned, I couldn't access my apartment room as it was on the other side of the building, blocked by this tower.
"My sister, she was still home when… this happened." I motioned towards the tower, Kyouko gasped, "Do you know if she's okay? Did you try calling her?"
I shook my head, "Signal's dead, internet is offline, it's like the world got hit by an EMP blast or something."
The detective frowned, "Then let's go back to my office, this area is not safe."
"Your office?"
She sighed, "When I was transported here, my building was brought here as well."
I nodded and followed her outside the apartment lobby.
Truth be told, I already knew that Celine wasn't at the apartment anymore, if she was then I'd spot her vibrations from a miles away.
Yes, I can sense vibrations, but only from those I recognize and if the frequencies were distinct enough. I don't know why her vibrations are different, they just are. It really helps though, since I could always find her when she got lost.
But now… wherever my sister was, she wasn't here. In fact, nowhere near this town nor Worcester.
'Celine, where are you?'
Hansel Malkuth Lv. 11
Title - King of Slaves
Race - Human
HP - 180 / 180
MP - 360/360
EXP - 160 / 1100
Macca - 5,132
Credits - 0
STR - 4
PER - 7
END - 3
CHA - 4
INT - 6 (+5)
AGI - 4
LUK - 3
HP Regen = END * 2
MP Regen = INT * 2