Nysa would now open her eyes, only to see a whole new world...or rather, a whole new island. A small patch of stone and dirt floating in a sea of clouds, just enough space for her to stand up there without the risk of falling off. She did not even dare to take a step, though, as the clouds covered everything below her knees."Hello?Where am I?" She shouted, looking around, only to hear...nothing, for the next few seconds.
"Oh, hello. Usually the newcomers don't wake up so soon, but I suppose you are an exception." A teenager of the same age as Nysa herself appeared, from under the clouds .He was wearing white robes, similar to a white mage, although he had a smug grin on his face. "Welcome to the world of Apophis. Well, the introduction that is. My name is Seth, the ancient god of foreigners, and I am pleased to make acquaintances with you." He said, in an aloof way, almost as if he had no worries or doubts in his life.
"Right...uh...there are actual gods in this world? I thought that the players were the ones who could change the world the most." Nysa replied, rubbing the back of her head. What could she do against a god? Well, except talking and dying, that is.
"Everybody finds it surprising, yes. I am just one of the many beings that you'll meet in this world, but granted permission by the higher powers for the task of taking care of matters with people like yourself. The introduction, boring stuff, you know the drill." The god said, stretching his arms as he let out a loud yawn."As for what you said, Ms. little kid, you are completely right. Players have untapped potential, ability to revive, a reckless behaviour and...well, you are a player yourself, you know what I'm talking about. Even us gods have limits to our powers."
"I'm not a little kid, I'm already sixteen years old!" Nysa shouted, indignantly. "It is not my fault that my body never grows..." She said, looking down a bit, even feeling a bit nervous about her lack of chest.
"You can change that, at least right now, in this part of the world, y'know?" Seth said, with a wide grin."Of course, it isn't recommended to change your body a lot, though. Disorientation, lack of balance and so on." He shrugged, almost as if he had no care in the world.Well, he IS a god, so he probably was used to being higher than anybody else in the world.
"...I agree with you, so I'm not changing my appearance." Was Nysa's reply, as she already customized her appearance on such matters, at least just a little tiny bit. "...I mean, I'm not changing my appearance too much." She said, whistling innocently and looking away.
"Right." Seth said, rolling his eyes a bit. "Enough with the delays, and time to get on the introduction!" The god, Seth, said as he snapped his fingers, and suddenly all clouds that covered the island disappeared, showing Nysa a view of the whole world... or at least, the habitable parts of it, and not showing much of the 'unexplored' territory, which was pretty much the size of a small continent.
"This world, Apophis, is a world with few rules. Well, just one single rule actually: There is no rule except those you decide to obey. Of course, facts such as strength, hesitation, ignorance and so on can limit things you can achieve in this world, but even then, with enough dedication, anything is possible." The young god said, laughing cheerfully.
"...So, since anything is possible and all rules are gone...can one become a god?" Nysa asked, tilting her head.It was a possibility, but nigh-impossible at that. The god only laughed even more, after hearing the little girl's question.
"That's right!Even godhood is achievable!But so far, those who are gods are born as one, and there is a lot of things like trying to keep followers and stuff like that.Really, being a god is more trouble than worth." Seth said, laughing a bit."I mean, imagine having to micromanage your religion so they don't do anything stupid, and try to keep a good reputation for everybody else.But, I guess I am just ranting a bit by now."Seth said, now rubbing the back of his head with an awkward smile.
"Yes you are ranting a bit." Nysa replied, with a chuckle."Seth, god of chatterboxes." She said, with a small chuckle. "Now, can you give me the list of races and classes?" Nysa quickly added.
"I can't do this before I explain the setting! No more sidetracking, no more distracting your god from his godly duties!" Seth said, crossing his arms, now quite focused.
"The basic premise of this world, Apophis is that it is divided in three factions, two of them currently in war: Those who follow the hero in a path of justice and kindness, and those who follow the demon lord in a path of carnage and slaughter." He explained, although he sounded even a little bit bored as he explained these two.
"The last one is the 'wilders', where you don't follow either, but have less resources and are less trusted.Each race though, starts in one of the three groups by default.You can change it over the course of the game, but I don't advise it! If you do something, stick through it until the end!" He said, obviously enjoying to explain this last faction to Nysa.
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"...So...." Nysa thought for a bit, blinking. "What happens if a demon lord, or hero dies?" She thought, already finding a flaw in the 'big' factions. What was the point?These two 'leaders' would always end up in dangerous situations to protect their kind, otherwise they'd be kings for nothing.Well, at least the hero would...
Nysa's thoughts were interrupted, as the god, Seth, was roaring with laughter."If that fails, in the case of the demon lord, they pick the second strongest one...which would be the case of the demon lord.As for the hero, they pick the second strongest person in the hero's kingdom, and put him in power. Thus far, these two positions have only died of old age, as not even the hero can kill the demon lord, nor can the demon lord can kill the hero, as they both lack the burst power needed to kill before their rival escapes."
"That...makes sense." Nysa replied, blinking."So the hero and demon lord are just titles.Simple enough." She mumbled under her breath.Either way, any sort of attachment she got to either faction had just disappeared.It is just a position, just like a president who changes every few years, except their position is more permanent."I'll want to be a wilder, though." Nysa said, deciding that the best way to become stronger, and enjoy the world, was to avoid being forced into either one of the two factions.
"Oh? You're the second player who chose the wilders, just from this bit of information." He said, before snapping his fingers, and instantly, a window with all races of the wilders appeared in front of Nysa.
"Y-you can do that?" Nysa said, her eyes widening, before she sighed."...I guess that's a God for you." Afterwards, she began to consider each option carefully, deciding to eliminate some of the most impractical ones, deciding to stick with those that she considered relatively fun...only making her torn apart even more.Which one should she choose out of these...
NagaHalf-snake, half-human, they are often feared in their natural habitat
the jungles.As ambush predators, they often rely on their deadly venom
and strong body to win battles.Due to their long, snake-like tail, they
rarely are able to wear armours not specifically made for their kind,but at
the same time, have a natural plating to protect themselves.
10% STR bonus
Passive poison resistance
Huge body sizeArachneA hybrid between a spider and a human, they are often seen as crafty
predators who often rely on traps coupled with their venom and added
mobility, they often prefer to gradually weaken their opponent before
moving in for the kill.
10% DEX bonus
Passive slow resistance
Large body sizeFaeUsually playful, sometimes childish, they are folk who loves fun and
games more than anything else in the world.But behind their childish
behaviour and weak constitution, they are able to cast spells as if they
were a second nature, even having magic specific for their own kind.
20% MAG bonus
10% less CON
Racial skill: size shift(lv1, beginner)
Tiny body sizeSlimeOften the simplest out of all creatures, lacking any organs, they are also
surprisingly hard to kill.Capable of regenerating from close to any physical
injury, the only two solutions universally accepted is to rely on magic, or
somehow hit the core.
500% bonus HP regeneration
Immune to critical hits on the slime body
Guaranteed critical hit in the slime core.
Racial skill: shape-shift(lv1, beginner)
medium body size(scales with HP)
'Too many options' was what Nysa thought, as she stared at the five windows.
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Author's corner: Ah, this chapter frustrated me to no end to write, to be honest.I know the pain of all you readers, the exposition, but sometimes I feel like I can't avoid it.How else would Nysa know of the stuff? This was the first chapter I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish in time, since I had to rewrite it a few times until I got it right.Seth was at first an emotionless man, but soon the chat got too awkward.Then I wrote him as an Onee-san.Failed again. Now, I wrote him as the teenager boy he is there.
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