In the void floated a small, glowing ball.
Wibble wobble.
This was the ball's way of screaming profanities at the top of its lungs.
Wibble wibble wobble.
These wibbles represented the ball's anguished cries, having been unjustly ripped from life.
Wobble wobble wobble.
These wobbles showed the ball's absolute despair, and resigned acceptance.
After some time had passed in which no wobbles occurred, the ball heard faint sounds. The sounds were muffled at first, but steadily growing louder.
The ball looked left, so much as it could: rather, it maneuvered its consciousness to the left.
The ball maneuvered its consciousness to the right.
"Up here~"
Startled, the ball jumped up - or that's what would have happened had the ball been a human. Instead, it wobbled rather violently.
"Oh ho! Just what I'm looking for!"
Wibble?
"Wonderful, wonderful! So, little soul, wanna be a demon king?"
The ball wibbled some more in confusion. Turning up, the ball could make out what was talking to it: a big, burly red man wearing what looked like breeches and a black T shirt. He had a small goatee, and his eyes were a deep brown. He was also grinning ear to ear.
"So?"
The ball, thinking that perhaps its previous wibbles hadn't been understood, wibbled a bit more, more violently this time.
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"Ah, you don't understand? Yes, yes, I've heard about this ... confusion in Mari's preferred Hero candidates. That's okay! So, you can reincarnate as a new human. No memories, just baby. Wanna do that?"
The ball wobbled.
"No? No! Of course not! And so, that's why, as the very first soul I've found after travelling all this way, I've decided to give you a better option! Be my champion!"
The ball wibbled, then wobbled.
The red man had his arms outstretched now. "You, my friend, will become my chosen upon descending into my world! You will receive benefits the likes of which you could never imagine! All I ask is one thing." As he leaned in, he whispered, "Kill the Hero."
The ball remained still for a short motion, and then slowly but surely wibbled.
The grin on the man's face was so large it looked like his face was splitting apart. "Excellent! Your benefits start with ... a basic core skill!"
The ball wibbled.
"You don't understand how skills work?"
The ball wibbled some more.
"I, as your patron, grant you skills you may use in your adventures! The more you use and connect with the skills, the more you'll be able to use them, and if you're good enough, you can evolve your skills to the next tier! This only works with skills I grant, however."
The ball wibbled some more.
"Don't worry, you'll figure out the logistics of it on your own. Now then, pick a skill! Also, you should hurry."
The little ball saw, as much as it could see, words floating in mid-air. When it focused on a word, the ball suddenly saw a fireball launching from a man's hands, incinerating a small target. In shock, the ball mentally jumped back, and the word went back to normal.
"Ooh, Fireball? Nice choice. Shall I send you on your way?"
The ball panick wobbled. There was so many more words it needed to look at! Mentally pushing at another one, this time the ball saw a man breathing underwater. The ball wibbled again.
"Turtle Breathing? That-I don't think that's terribly useful, but hey, whatever floats your boat. Shall we head out now?"
The ball wobbled again. To kill a Hero ... this is the only directive ...
After an hour had passed, the red man had gotten noticeably impatient. No, the ball thought. Not impatient. Worried.
Good for him that the ball had decided on its skill!
"Finally! Is this your skill?"
The ball wibbled.
"Then off you go! Now! Go!"
The ball felt an intense sucking sensation, and then poofed out.
Rather than be relieved, the red man began to fret more.
------------------
When I come to, I'm lying face down on the ground. That won't do! I cheerfully flip myself over, to be greeted with the sight of a blond man impaling a demon I know to be my father with a sword.
...
So that's why he told me to hurry.