[Say, do you wish to play a game?]
The very moment as that question formed on the slightly transparent magic panel floating in empty air, the tremor that shook the whole world vanished, no longer threatening the earth to split and the trees in the distance to fall.
On the other hand, Raven was still on the ground in a daze, his eyes glued to the magic panel in front of him with so much disbelief that they were threatening to fall out of their socket!
Though despite his shock and puzzlement, when he saw the question, especially the last three words, almost as if he got some sort of stimulation, his head moved, and even before he could have realized it, he nodded.
"Yes, I want to."
[Great, then let's create your Avatar first, shall we?]
"Huh? Wha- shit! H-Hey! Wait for a second! I-" quickly realizing what was happening, Raven tried to correct his mistake, but it seemed it was already too late and just as he could have moved an inch, white light engulfed his vision and in a blink, everything changed around him.
The vast green grass field under him changed into floating white clouds while the sky which previously was filled with darkness got cleared completely with the sun now perfectly observable in its full glory high above!
"W-What kind of sorcery is this? What the hell is this place!?" Raven asked the very first question that came to his mind, clearly noticing that he was no longer on Earth.
A second ago he had been hit by a tremor that made him believe that it was the end of the world, yet, now here he was, standing on top of floating clouds below the clear blue sky that was filled with numerous shining stars despite the sun glowing with almost blinding rays of light!
It was almost like he was stoned and now he was so high he was hallucinating! ...Or at least this is how he would imagine it if he was, but unfortunately, he wasn't as he despised those things.
Wait... If that was the case, was it also possible that he hit his head so hard when he fell that now he was in a coma, dreaming about some sort of weird fantasy? Was that even possible?
Or worse, did he... Die? Was he really that unlucky? Did life really bless him with such terrible luck just to watch him crack his skull open the very first moment he accidentally fell behind because he lost his balance?
Well... Considering the ever-so-great bad fortune that always accompanied him from his birth, it was not absurd to think so. As a fact, it was very plausible that what happened with him was exactly that.
[Sorry to disappoint you, but you have not died, or at least not yet.]
"Huh?" opening his eyes that he closed to mourn over his past sufferings but also thank life he was finally freed from his curse, Raven quickly spun around only to find no one behind him.
In fact, it was not only behind him, it was everywhere around him- just as always, he was still alone.
[If I were you, I would just give. Even if you would possess God's eyes, you would still fail to see me, much less find me.]
"Who are you? And what is this place? Is this really not the afterlife?" Raven asked his doubts when he realized it was pointless searching for the individual whose voice sounded like a little girl's.
[Oh? Quite interesting. Seems like you are not scared?]
"I would lie if I say I am not a little, but would it help me if I go and start screaming for help despite it being pretty much obvious that I am the only one here?" Raven asked with a casual shrug as he raised both his palms facing upward to the level of his chin and looked left and right.
Of course, what he meant to say with his previous statement was that, while although he was a little frightened, as only those without any emotion or those who have experienced something similar like this would not freak out, he knew it was pointless and would also push him closer to his demise if he suddenly got a mental breakdown or started to cry for help.
That is why he knew that the most important thing right now was to stay calm and gain as much information as possible to help him move forward steadily and safely.
[I see. That is quite the logical answer.]
The voice exclaimed out with praise before continuing;
[Well, for your previous questions, as I have already said, you are not dead so this is not the afterlife. You are currently in a separate space called Empty World, the preliminary shape of every Realm Game. As for who am I, you are not qualified to know that yet.]
"Empty World? The preliminary shape of every Realm Game? Can't you just please explain everything with a little bit more clarity? I am pretty much lost here."
[You ask quite a lot considering your position.]
"I mean if you were suddenly taken away from your world into another to play a game by an alien, then wouldn't you also want to know what is happening with you?" Raven asked with a raised brow which resulted in a long silence without getting any answer.
[First of all, I am not an alien, I am a deity. Secondly, you were not taken away 'suddenly'. You had the choice and time to decide if you want to play or not. Lastly, no, I would not ask so many questions as I love secrets and I prefer uncovering them by myself.]
'...'
[Also, where is the fun in knowing everything right off the bat? A little bit of a mystery never hurts, you know?]
Raven's mouth twitched scarcely but he did not say anything. He knew that it was not a wise choice to start an argument with this 'deity' as it was pretty much apparent he would be the one who draws the short straw if he does.
Therefore, taking a deep breath to calm himself down he nodded and asked, "Understood. Then please, Miss Deity, tell me how to create this so-called Avatar of mine."
[That's what I like to hear! Now then, summon your panel by swinging your dominant hand downward.]
"My dominant hand?" Raven mumbled and after pondering a little while he raised his left hand. Then, with a casual motion swung his arm downward.
Whoosh!
Not even a second later, a slightly transparent panel emerged out of thin air in front of his face, holding numerous information that Raven found pretty much similar to those video games he has played in the past.
------------------
[Avatar Status]
~~~
• Name: Raven
• Rank: 0
• Avatar Title/s: None
• Avatar Class: None
• Artifacts: None
~~~
° Vitality: 0 [0]
° Mystique: 0 [0]
° Strength: 0 [0]
° Speed: 0 [0]
° Constitution: 0 [0]
° Dexterity: 0 [0]
~~~
<!! Only at the start !! You are free to distribute 9 Avatar Points between your Traits!>
------------------
'So many zeros...' Raven sighed helplessly in his heart.
[This is your Avatar Status. Here, you will be able to keep track of your growth until your very last breath. Also, your Avatar Status is not invisible to others, so be careful where and when you check it.]
"What are these Rank, Avatar Titles, Avatar Class, and Artifact? What do they mean?" Raven asked soon after the deity finished talking.
[Except for the last one, you have to figure those out by yourself. Now, go and distribute your Avatar Points so we can get onto the main course!]
Raven opened his mouth as he wished to say something, but as no words came out of his mouth he just shook his head helplessly and directed his gaze at the part where his Traits were.
Vitality, Mystique, Strength, Speed, Constitution, and Dexterity.
Although Raven had no idea just what kind of 'game' he will be playing that required him to distribute points between such elements that he has only seen in video games, he at least had a brief understanding of which Trait did what.
And exactly for that reason, Raven knew or at least had a rough guess that if he now screws up the way he allocates these 9 Avatar Points, he will very likely end up in a tight spot. And considering his luck, that was the least he wanted.
[Oh, I almost forgot to mention this but you can also choose to distribute your Avatar Points randomly. If you happen to choose that way, your rewards after completing the first game will not only double but will be much better too!]
"Huh?" Raven's fingers froze just as they could have touched the panel to distribute his Avatar Points to the best of his knowledge, and his eyes widened.
Did he hear it right or not? Not only double but also better rewards if he chooses to randomly allocate his Avatar Points? Wasn't this just like...
Wait... Why was his hand lowering on their own all of a sudden? Didn't he just say this was the most important part? To distribute his Avatar Points to the best of his knowledge so he won't have to fear the approaching unknown? Then why was he even taking a step backward now?
Raven's pupils shrunk to the size of a needle as he realized just what was happening to him, but in contrast to the previous times where he just went with the flow, he wished nothing more but to resist and stop himself.
But unfortunately, his struggles bore no fruits at all...
"I will randomize," Raven's quiet voice sounded the next second, and even before he could have blinked twice his Traits underwent a great change.
And the very moment the numbers next to his Traits altered, permanently, almost as if lightning just struck him on the head Raven collapsed onto his knees while tears began to fill the corner of his eyes uncontrollably.
"T-This..."
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