[Welcome! We would like to start by saying thank you for playing our first game, an open-world MMORPG. We would like to start the release of our next game by giving all players of LIFE Model: Earth early accessto our next game.]
The young ball of nothingness glanced upon the message. "W-what? I have no clue what you're talking about; what's going on?"
[As one of the beta Testers of LIFE Model: Earth, you will have a special boon in LIFE Model: Yggdrasil. We've curated this version to run solely off of NPC interaction, where your choices change the world itself. We've gone even further in trying to curate a game with unlimited playthrough options, so welcome to Yggdrasil, player.]
It glanced around the void it found itself in. "What's this talk about games? Is this some sort of purgatory? I don't even like video games!"
[Please start your first playthrough by clicking {start}!]
[LIFE Model: Yggdrasil]
[Start]
[Load ]
[Settings ]
[Quit]
"Is this real?" The ball of weightless mass sighed. "Fine, show me how this goes." Its tendrils of smoke snaked to the start button, and the world began to warp into a white void. "That's not trippy at all…"
[Now that you've started your first playthrough, we've granted you a tutorial Guide that shall lead you through {Character Customization}. Enjoy!]
Out of nowhere, a pixy, made wholly by different beams of light, took a sigh. " So, this is what my existence has been relegated to? I guess that's fine, but… A little depressing."
The ball of mass looked on in awe. "Hello? Do you have a name?"
" Yes, actually. You may refer to me as The Guide. I won't need any sort of actual name; after all, I will cease to exist after you leave." The pixy's voice turned slightly shaky. " But you don't need to worry about that… I'll manage."
The mass coiled closer to the pixy before wincing back in pain. " I-I'm sorry for what you're going through, but maybe if you fill me in on what's going on, I can help you!"
" No," The pixy's feminine voice oozed with that of delight. "I thank you for your consideration, though." Its smile, while not visible, was still beautiful, nonetheless. " Now, it's no use dillydallying! We need to get you through your character customization."
"Alright," the mass' being filled with blue energy. "Well, what do you gotta tell me?"
The pixy floated closer to the mass, just close enough to not harm it. " First, I have a question: Are you more interested in creating your looks or starting build?"
"I'd say the latter; I'm quite weirded out as a talking ball of… whatever this is."
A slight screen manifested into existence in an odd display of black ooze-like tendrils pulling it into existence. " Just think of what you'd wish to look like, and it shall appear on the screen. Once you've gotten a form you'd like, you won't be capable of customizing this screen further."
The ball of mass fell into silence. It churned around itself as constant wisps of dark energy fogged around it. Then, out of nowhere, a figure popped onto the screen. Striking, bright, blue eyes pierced into the mass; red hair bounced around the mass' view as it let out a content sigh. "Not bad, I could get used to it."
A dark, melancholy glint faded from the pixy's eyes. " I'm glad you like it. When you're ready, press accept." The man did. " Good, now we move onto {World Selection}." The pixy brought up a screen with a wave of its hand.
[Worlds]
[Naruto]
[Fairy Tail]
[DragonBall]
[Harry Potter]
[Cultivation ]
[Bleach]
[MHA]
[PJO]
[Dark Souls]
[Borderlands]
[...]
The red haired boy lost himself in thought. "Hmm, Naruto is boring; I already know how to become God. Fairy Tail is just a boring world all together. DragonBall is something that could be interesting, yet is just limited by its power scaling." His hand came to his chin as the pixy watch on. "Cultivation could be interesting, but it's grayed out. Bleach? Nah, you either become a God or keep cannon the same. MHA… Just, no. Dark Souls is fun, up until you realize it is one messed up world, and borderlands just doesn't interest me."
The pixy let out an indigent sigh. " Are you just going to say no to all of them?"
"No," the boy chuckled. "I was just looking, and ya know what? I think going further is just kinda boring, so," he pressed a button. "Let's just go with the most interesting one on the list!"
The pixy nodded. " Alright, now that you have your choice of world; we move further into character creation." With another wave of its hand, the pixy manifested another screen. "Just fill out everything on there; I think it's pretty self explanatory."
With a nod, the boy went to look over siad screen.
[Status]
[Name: N/A]
[Age: N/A]
[Race: N/A]
[Class: N/A]
[LVL: 0]
[Condition(Health): N/A]
[Condition(Mana): N/A]
[Strength: 1]
[Dexterity: 1]
[Arcaina: 1]
[Spirit: 1]
[AP: 2]
With squinted eyes, the boy glanced toward the pixy. "You say it's self explanatory, yet I know next to nothing about what these do. Mind filling me in?"
"Sure!" The pixy smiled. "It's become a standard work practice among our game company, {LIFE}, to get rid of non-immersive things, so that naturally comes with having to rework some things. The {Condition} bars are just that: reworked health and mana."
The boy nodded. "And how do they work in comparison to the previous bars?"
" Well," the pixy's lips scrunched. " The best thing to compare it to is {LIFE Model: Earth}. Instead of numbers, the reworked health and mana bars basically tell you how fucked you are. Do you have a punctured lung? No more need to question it, for the section will tell you. This accounts for things as small as a paper cut to as large as missing a brain."
"I see." The boy takes a sagely air. "Now, what do the stats do? I can guess strength and dexterity, for the most part, yet what about the others?"
" As you know, strength refers to how physically strong you are, and dex is how in control of your movement you are. The combination of these two stats will give you your base speed, but that won't be shown on your status panel. Next, arcaina. Essentially, arcaina governs your ability at magic. What does that mean? Well, if you don't have enough arcaina, you won't be capable of utilizing the magic system of the world you reside in – in this case, it would be Mistokinisis, Runes, and Words of Power as the main ones."
"That makes sense; what about spirit?"
" Spirit is actually the unique stat of this world. Essentially it governs how strong your soul is. You might misconstrue this with Willpower, but that's not the case. We at {LIFE} don't like interfering with mental will. Everything in the System is not dictated on mentality: we will not interfere with your process of thinking." The pixy took a breath. " That was a lot."
"Well, if that's the case, I'd like to choose my name: Loukas."
The pixy looked at him with confusion. " Is there a reason for the name?"
"Not really, Just felt like a Greek name, and it was the first one that came to mind."
" I see." The pixy manifested another screen.
[Races]
[Human] [Human(Clear-Sighted) ] [Human(pharaoh-Blood) ] [Demi-God ] [Demi-Titan ]
[Random]
"I feel like I'm going to regret asking this, but I'm assuming there is more to it than just clicking 'human', even though there are other races on the screen." The boy let loose a sigh. "Let's hear the catch."
" If you remember the AP section in your status screen, that will make things easier, but AP stands for Achievement Points. I won't go very much into them, but they are very important. You can spend the ones you got from being a beta tester of {LIFE Model: Earth} on this section and a couple more. Anything you unlock with achievement points will stay as an option for all further playthroughs."
"So, what's the cost of races?"
" Human is free, Human(CS) and Human(PB) are worth 1 AP, Demi-God is worth 2, and Demi-Titan is worth 4. The icing on the cake, Random, is free, as well."
"Are there any guarantees when it comes to random? Like, could I become a but?"
" There are guarantees in the formula of – you can't get below Human level. The drawback of this is that you won't be capable of choosing to play that race again, unless you either draw it or buy it. Any race you get from {Random} will be buyable after your first playthrough with it."
"If that's the case, I'll just choose Random." The boy hit the button as the screen vanished before him. "Do I not get to know what I got?"
" No, you don't." The pixy flicked her fingers as one last screen popped up in front of him. " This is the last choice you can make in regards to your character screen. Now, what class?"
[Classes]
[Fighter] [Ranger] [Rouge] [Mage] [Misc.]
The boy hummed. "I'll go with mage. Personally, I'd like to see just how strong the Percy Jackson magic system can be." He clicked the button and nothing new came up. "Do I not get to choose where I spec.?"
The pixy smiled. " You do, but that comes after you evolve your class. You'll learn more about that once you get to a further stage within the game." She flew closer to his body, sitting upon his shoulder. " And now, you move onto the customization of this universe!"
His eyebrows scrunched up. "What happened to feeling pain while being in close proximity to you?"
" Oh, that?" The pixy chuckled. " After you gained a corporeal body, your form was no longer tainted by The Void."
As silence passed over the two, Loukas scowled. "You're not going to expand upon that, are you?"
She grabbed the boy's cheek. " Now, this is where you get to start having fun; after all, who doesn't like being a creator?"
[World Customization]
[Add a new power system: 3 AP]
[Expand the Pantheons: 1 AP(per new Pantheon)]
[Randomize NPC Specs.: 2 AP]
[Custom background: 1 AP(per character)]
[...]
The boy stared at the selections. "I think I'll pass."
" Why?" The pixy jumped off his shoulder. " Don't most gamers enjoy these things?"
"Sure," Loukas sighed. "Maybe the NEET Shut-ins, but me? No. If I'm going into a world where these people are real, I'm not going to mess around with their life: I'm no God."
" W-what about all the women you can have fall for you? What about all the power you can influence over everyone else."
"I don't know how this "game" works, but I'm going to guess you don't get normal people all too often. Most people – in general – aren't into a wish-fulfillment fantasy where they sleep around with hundreds of women at a time." He ran his fingers through his hair. "When it comes to morality, it goes against everything I stand for."
" I'm not supposed to say this…" Her face morphed into one of compilation. " But, from what knowledge I was given on my birth, most of the players are incredible… not great to other pixies. I'm only telling you this because you seem to be different."
"If you're going to get in trouble for this," the boy's eyes watched with sympathy. "Then I don't need to know."
" If I'm going to get deleted after my time here, I might as well go out on my own terms." The pixy took a breath. " Almost everyone you knew in your first game were NPCs. Your parents? NPCs. Friends, loved ones, and everyone else? NPCs. In fact, only one in every million are players."
He stared into the floor, blankly. "Was there anyone I knew who was a player?"
" No."
The words cascaded around Loukas' head, bouncing into each wrinkle on his brain. He let out a hopeless chuckle. "I was hoping to find at least one of my friends."
" W-well, don't be too down about it. You wouldn't have been able to interact with anyone from any other server, anyway. You could equate this to an offline game; this isn't like the MMORPG that was LM:E."
"LM:E?" Loukas shook his head. "Never mind, LIFE Model: Earth, right?"
The pixy nodded with a kind smile. " Anyway, why don't we move onto the next part?"
"Sure."
She waved her hand one last time.
[Character Additives]
[One outside Power: AP dependant of rank]
[One Gatcha' Pull: 1 AP]
[Random Perk: 2AP]
[Extra Skill Slot: 1 AP]
[Basic Knowledge of Magic: 1 AP]
[Basic Knowledge of Swordsmanship: 1 AP]
[Double Stat Ticket: 3 AP]
"Is that all?" Loukas looked on in confusion. "There doesn't seem to be very much compared to the previous choices."
" Yes, when you finish your first playthrough, more options will open up, but at the current moment, that's all you can choose from."
"And there are skill slots?" His lips puckered.
" Yes. You can have up to ten skills at one time. When you evolve your class, you gain two new skill slots. You'll also be capable of buying them outright later with AP." The pixy smiled. " I shouldn't be saying this, but you'll have to buy them at increased rates."
"Alright, I'll take a Gotcha pull and an extra skill slot." His finger danced over the screen. "Do I get some sort of die or something?"
The pixy nodded as a semi-incorporeal dice manifested. " Just roll that."
The die spun as Loukas released it from his hand, and right before it finished its spin, it vanished. "What now?"
" Interesting. It seems you got a perk instead of a skill. I can't tell if that's lucky or not…"
"So, what is it?"
[New Perk]
[Poisonous Blood Rank: B Description: Users are immune to most poisons due to their blood already having such qualities. ]
The boy's eyes popped out of his head. "That's really good."
" You could have been functionally immortal."
Loukas scowled. "Do you have to rain on my parade?"
" Yes," it smirked. " Yes I do."
He stood there in silence for a moment. "So, is that it?"
The pixy gave nothing but a shallow nod. " I-it is… Goodbye, Loukas. May the game be ever in your favor-" Her voice was cut off as a massive void sucked her into it, forcing the boy back.
Without another word, Loukas passed out.
*
Zeus stared at a red-haired woman. "Do you have to leave?" His voice was like that of butterscotch. "Can't you just stay, Leisha?"
"No, my love." Leisha grabbed his hand. "Hera would never allow me to live free."
"But-" He was cut off before he could finish with a kiss to his lips.
"There is no but." She pulled his hand toward her stomach. "We mustn't allow your wife to find out about the one that slumbers in my stomach. They are your child."
Zeus seemed to drift into a lulled content. "Then let it be, my love. I shall never let her find out about our love."
The bright, clear sky of ancient Greece hammered down upon the city. "Zues, we will be together one day; I swear it. You and I will live together in a connection of love."
Zeus' mouth perked up. "I know, Leisha. In five months, I'll come for you; don't worry, I'll find a way for us to conjoin in a place not even my wife would find."
Leisha hugged him. "Then it's but a promise. I love you Zeus." her face darkened. "But, if I am to die – if your wife is to find out about us-"
He interrupted, his voice breathy. "She won't."
Leisha held up a hand. "If she is to find out and kill me, promise you will look after our son." Tears colided down her face. "Promise me, my love!"
The man stared at her with such visceral love in his eyes. "I promise you; no, I swear it on the styx!"
Her hand slid up his body until it rested on his face. Leisha leaned in, and without words, planted a deep kiss upon him. "You must go, Zeus. If you stay any longer, Hera will find us."
Zeus nodded before stepping out to the veranda. "I will see you in five months; then, we shall be together." With a flash of lightning, he vanished into the air.
"Huu, I swear, the gods are so tiring." Leisha's face morphed into disgust. "At least everything is going to plan."
A loud crash made its way through the clay house; a deep, high pitched scraping sound scratched at the door. A cracking voice made itself known. "My, my, look what we have here…"
Leisha's eyes widened. "Who are you!?"
The door creaked open. "I am of no importance; you, however, are one very unlucky mortal."
Leisha gazed at a woman with a long tongue and horrifying figure. "Hera sent you." The words weren't a question. "She knows?"
The being smirked. "Mmh, you could say that." The clay house began shaking. "You could also say that your death lies here."
The red-haired woman grit her teeth. "You came with friends, lovely."
"Of course, after all, you are Hera's blight."
*
The world faded to black as Loukas watched on. "Is this supposed to be some important event, or something? Cuz, as far as I'm aware, that place was ancient Greece, and Percy Jackson doesn't take place anywhere near that."
[There have been several changes to the world. This was but one, and an important one at that. With all of that said, you shall be placed into the world soon; we're just finishing {World Generation}.]
"Cool," His eyes drifted to the void in front of him. "Can you tell at what age I'm being placed in?"
[You will start the game at the same age you started {LIFE Model: Earth}.]
Before Loukas could finish questioning the small, lightning-blue box, everything began to mix and swirl. The sound of a large explosion broke throughout the boy's head. With a small bit of primordial power, he found himself staring at a ceiling.
Looking around, Loukas found himself lying in a crib, around the size of his body. Countless other cribs lined the world around him. 'Hmm, what's that?'
[Class Skills]
[Mystiokinesis Leveling Rate: D Level: 0 {0%} Description: Cast and manipulate the {Magic Type} known as {The Mist}. ]
[Glamor Leveling Rate: C Level: 0 {0%} Description: A spell from the Egyptian pantheon that allows the user to deceive the weak minds of mortals and even demons. ]
[Gebo Leveling Rate: D Level: 0 {0%} Description: Gebo or Gyfu is the rune that symbolizes "Gift", "Exchange", or "Generosity". ]
[Would you like to pick a class skill?]
[Yes] [No]
With his chubby cheeks puffed out, Loukas pondered deep in thought before pressing "yes". 'I mean, Gebo is cool and all, but it seems I could only get one rune out of it. If we compare that with {Mystiokinesis}, then it doesn't even compare.'
Knowledge of {The Mist} entered the baby's head as he winced. 'I wasn't expecting that to happen, but it doesn't seem like I gained any substantial knowledge…It seems I've only got the basics of the skill."
[Arcaina 1]
'Hmm?' Loukas' eyes squinted. 'That's definitely something. Either this system runs off of my inherent knowledge of a subject or skills can impart stats on me. Based on what I know, I'd say this, probably, operates off of my base on the subject, so if I wanted to level a skill, I'd have to learn more about it on my own.' A grin grew on his face. 'This'll be fun!'
So, this is the first chapter of my story: A Current of Time, and I think it's fairly good. Honestly, I wanted to improve upon aspects of the "Gamer" genre, but I don't know how well received this will be. I don't have any romance planned yet, but I'll probably add it somewhere later on in the story.
I would like to give a warning, this will be a slow build story. I have many-a-things in mind for the beginning portions, so the "childhood arc" will take a while. Hope for longer chapters and the like, and if you've read, leave a review: it motivates me to write more and faster.
Peace.
· Loukas
[Status]
[Name: Loukas]
[Age: 0]
[Race: Demi-god]
[Class: Mage]
[LVL: 1]
[Condition(Health): Healthy]
[Condition(Mana): N/A]
[Strength: 1]
[Dexterity: 1]
[Arcaina: 2]
[Spirit: 1]
[AP: 2]
[Skills]
[Mystiokinesis Leveling Rate: D Level: 0 {0%} Description: Cast and manipulate the {Magic Type} known as {The Mist}. ]
[Slots Left: 10]
[Perks]
[Poisonous Blood Rank: B Description: Users are immune to most poisons due to their blood already having such qualities. ]
