Nazareth strolled through the opulent corridors of the royal palace, accompanied by his trusted guard, Mokosh. Their footsteps reverberated in the vast hallway, the clinking of their metal boots and rustling of their intricate armor dominating the air. Nazareth tousled with his hair, trying to fix it up before he reached the chamber.
As he sauntered along, Nazareth absentmindedly trailed his finger against the cold stone walls, feeling the beauty of the craftsmanship beneath its tip. Observation duty... by the gods, it was such a waste of time. There were far more exciting ways he could be using his time and skills. He and Mokosh had debated it many times before, but of course, Mr. Professional never sided with him. Then again, expecting someone like Mokosh to grasp the idea of making better use of your time was a stretch. That man would happily gaze at a wall for days if ordered to do so.
Nazareth inwardly groaned as they rounded the corner and the observatory became visible in the distance. "Behold, Mokosh!" He said, "The embodiment of boredom, just waiting to greet us!" Nazareth said as he theatrically waved his arms in front of him. Mokosh just grunted in response, never missing a step alongside Nazareth, who merely shook his head at his unfazed companion. It’s not that he didn’t want to contribute to the cause… He was a team player, after all, but he genuinely felt it was an enormous waste of time for all involved.
Observation duty was exactly what it sounded like; observing the realm around their great Tyrian Empire. Every time a planet becomes initiated into the grand multiverse - particularly in his planet's sector- the responsibility of scouting that planet becomes his. The entire premise was for him to scout each new planet that showed potential of producing a high amount of resources or promising individuals. It was his duty to keep tabs on countless planets, and if he came upon a rare needle in the haystack, it fell to him to notify the empire, leaving them to decide whether or not it warranted trying to get a precious dominion slot on the newly initiated planet.
Honestly, if that was all there was to it, he wouldn’t mind the job so much. Alas, that was not the case. The cruel reality is that 99% of these planets were, effectively, cosmic tumbleweeds of planets due to the system meddling. And as much as he wished otherwise, that was not an exaggeration. It was a dull, mindless job sifting through the aftermath only to find nothing of value.
The system has always had a frustrating habit of exterminating the planet's inhabitants before each initiation. It was absurdly selective about who could join the tutorial, and any being who didn’t meet the requirements got executed - no ifs or buts about it. As fate has it, Nazareth's rank within the Empire was the one tasked with sifting through the cosmic graveyard, forced to meticulously search every newly added planet initiated in his realm. Sure, he knew it was important work—but by the heavens does it make watching paint dry look like a riot.
As the observation chamber loomed before them, Nazareth sighed theatrically and slowed his pace. Glancing at Mokosh, he playfully smacked him on the arm, "Aye Mokosh," he said with a grin, "Did you ever get the chance to look at the ledger? I was told by the ol’ geezer there could be some interesting planets in this batch.”
“Grrm” Mokosh said as he eyed Nazareth, removing his hand from his shoulder as if his laziness was contagious.
“Okay, you got me, I didn’t read the ledger.” Nazareth admitted with a sly grin, “I might have overslept…just a little. But you did, right? C’mon, gimme me some good news, buddy.”
“Grrmmmm.” Mokosh grunted.
"Naturally! The King's finest never skips his homework," Nazareth chortled, "So, what did I miss?"
“Grm.” Mokosh grunted, giving Nazareth a side eye.
“What! What do you mean I should have read it myself? Come on, loosen up, Mokosh. We don't always have to play by the rules.”
“Grmmmm.”
“Irresponsible? Ouch, that one stung.” Nazareth winced dramatically but continued smiling, “I would consider myself to be very responsible, actually. I’m the head of the observatory, remember?”
“Grrrmmmm.”
“Ah Mokosh, you always have such a way with words.” Nazareth laughed, “You should write a book with all your famous quotes. I bet it will be the next bestseller. Anyway, fill me in, would you?”
“...”
“Bah, no matter. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Nazareth said, sighing as they reached the large, vault-like door. His eyes traced the inscriptions and sigils covering the surface. Even after all this time, he was still in awe over the pure perfection in craftsmanship and skill that went into the inscriptions. The elegant artisanship of scripture was perfect, each sigil and inscription holding immense power reinforced with masterful enchantments so those without clearance could not access the interior.
From the outside, the observatory's colossal dome loomed above the city center like the heavens themselves were kissing the earth. Its outer shell was adorned with delicate etchings of constellations and celestial beings that seemed to dance playfully with the sun's warming rays. Hues of royal blue and gold glistened in the light, seeming to hold within them the very essence of the night sky even on the brightest of days.
The entrance to the hall of the observatory beckoned onlookers with its massive, arched gateway adorned with delicate filigree and guarded by two majestic marble statues, forged to resemble the two heralds of the cosmic realm, though few were allowed pass to marvel at the splendor of the inside halls of knowledge.
"It truly is a masterpiece.” he mused to Mokosh. The guard grumbled in response, which Nazareth took as an agreement.
Observatories stood as indispensable cornerstones within the heart of any empire. Only empires at the very pinnacle of the multiverse were fortunate enough to possess such incredible structures. They were either granted by overseeing deities or granted as rewards by the system itself. Of course, the system-given ones were the real deal; they were pure power and a pivotal tool for any empire. In fact, it was well known that system-given rewards surpassed even those crafted by the highest-tier gods in terms of quality and overall functionality.
Without an observatory, a kingdom would be unable to find planets worth conquering, and it would be near impossible to recruit people into their empire. Unfortunately, only the empires at the peak were able to get ahold of such a tool - such is the way of power. The strong only get stronger, and the only way to do that is to grow your numbers and resources.
It was rare for his empire to actually take interest in the natives themselves, however. The Tyrian Empire was an empire of elites, and the process of recruiting from newly initiated planets was quite rare. Normally, the standard of the empire was to conquer the planet, destroy the natives, and harvest all its resources and move on to the next. Naturally, there would always be rare occasions where a truly extraordinary world would be discovered, and it would be properly annexed with hopes of it becoming a flourishing outpost for the kingdom. Of course, finding such a gem was rare - but that was exactly how the Tyrian Empire had located their home planet.
And here he was, the great Nazareth, honored to work within one of these rare system-granted observatories that served the almighty Tyrenian Empire. And he hated every tedious moment that his work involved, so instead he stood outside the doorway trying his best to make small talk with Mokosh so he didn’t have to go inside.
“Ugh. Guess it's time to get this show on the road. I've got a bazillion planets on my to-do list, you know.” Nazareth huffed, slapping Mokosh's shoulder with an exaggerated wink. Mokosh returned the look like Nazareth had sprouted antennae, glancing from hand to eyes with visible judgment.
Narareath laughed out loud at the seriousness of his friend's gesture, “Well, you know the drill ol’ friend. I’ll see you in a few years – try not to miss me too much, I don't want you getting all emotional on me.” Nazareth flashed a cheeky grin as Mokosh simply grunted and removed Nazareth's hand. He then assumed his position at the side of the door, ending the conversation. Nazareth sighed and turned to the door, waving his hand. Thousands of sigils lit up at once across the door as the gears started turning.
"Oh...that’s interesting. Must be a pretty unique planet in this batch." A smile formed on Nazareth's face at the thought. Maybe he wouldn’t be as bored as he thought he’d be. As the door responded to his command , Nazareth's brow furrowed; something was off. The runes glowed more intensely than he'd ever witnessed before, causing him to put up his hand to shield himself from the blinding light. He could sense the observatory's pulsating power coursing through him, causing his body to vibrate with energy. Unconsciously stepping back, he stared wide-eyed as the sigils seemed to liquify and melt off the polished dome. He really wished he paid more attention in training now.
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The door creaked open with a metallic groan before it suddenly blasted open with unimaginable force – its hinges exploding sending sparks in all directions as they hit the floor and sent pieces of hard marble toward the opposing rooms at the end of the hall. Nazareth's eyes widened in sheer astonishment before the powerful shockwave violently blasted him off his feet. Caught completely off guard, he couldn't brace himself in time and crashed into one of the stone pillars behind him, coughing up blood as a result.
Clouds of dust engulfed the hall like a dense fog, and the shrill blare of alarms pierced the air. In an instant, Nazareth's instincts came to life; he sprang to his feet and conjured a protective barrier around himself, vigilantly scanning for any enemies. Mokosh suddenly appeared at his side, visibly worn but uninjured despite being nearest to the blast, and Nazareth cast his barrier over him. Wordlessly, they stood back to back, their gazes locked onto their surroundings as they prepared for any hidden assailants.
As the dust settled it revealed a clearer view of the room, and Nazareth's jaw fell open at the sight before him – an immense pitch-black chasm where the vault door had stood moments ago. The two marbled statues of the two heralds laid directly at his feet - one broken and shattered, and the other without a scratch in sight.
With a whisper soaked with disbelief, he muttered, "That's impossible... not even a deity could have destroyed that door." Glancing at Mokosh, he witnessed for the first time ever his stoic composure cracked by sheer bewilderment as they both stared at what remained of the door. An enormous, menacing pressure emanated from the hole and completely suppressed both their auras. Never in the thousands of years of being alive had Nazareth ever felt so vulnerable.
Time seemed to stand still as the duo stood side by side, there bodys tensed and ready to move at moments notice. Detecting no aggressors, the two comrades cautiously made their way toward the doorway, their defenses never wavering.
The pressure intensified immensely as they approached the abyss until it became so overpowering that they could no longer advance. Standing before the entryway, Nazareth drew in a deep steadying breath and mustered every ounce of determination to take the final step into the vault, knowing his friend and protector could not follow.
Nazareth jolted as he felt a hand touch his shoulder and he whipped around, only to find Mokosh looking with trepidation in his eyes. Nazareth was taken aback by his friend's gesture, never in the centuries had they known each other had he ever seen Mokoshs composure so cracked. Nazareth hesitated before meeting his friend's eyes and uttered resolutely, “I must.” Giving Mokosh's hand an assuring pat before gently pushing it away.
After a brief exchange of silent resolve, Narareth took a single step into the inky blackness of the observatory, then stopped abruptly. Nazareth stared ahead with vacant eyes. His body began to tremble uncontrollably as he looked at the flickering screen that materialized before his eyes. It had been an eon since the system contacted him directly.
[A Personal Notice for Grand Observer Nazareth Leonhart.]
[Earth initiation ongoing. Biomass High D-grade. Energy High D-grade. 0/7 dominion slots filled. 6,809,895,164 anomalies were detected and neutralized. One chosen initiate. Dominions will open in 1 month.]
Disbelief clouded his vision as he reread the text thousands of times in a second in search of an error. Slowly turning to Mokosh, he shared what was displayed on the screen. "Ch…chosen. A new chosen has ascended…"
*____________________________________________*
Richter gazed at the pond in the clearing, attending to his wounds using the dirty tattered clothes he had fashioned into a makeshift sling for his injured arm. As the night bled into day, painting the skies with hues of pink and orange, the water's surface danced with the gentle light. It was then Richter finally caught sight of his bruised and battered reflection.
“My god…” He muttered.
He could barely stomach the sight of his own wounds. He wasn’t one to normally get sick at looking at blood and gore, but the wounds covering his body were… Well, to put it simply, he had no idea how he was even breathing right now. Richter knew that under normal circumstances, even with proper medical care, he should have been dead hours ago.
Yet, that was the strange thing about his current state: it didn’t feel like his wounds were getting worse. He couldn’t feel the burning hot sear of an impending infection, though they were still throbbing painfully. His body hadn’t become cold and numb from the blood he lost, and he felt even more awake than he did during his fight with the anomaly. In fact, it almost felt like he could feel his body mending itself by the second, albeit negligibly slow.
After doing what he could for his injuries, Richter sat back against a nearby tree trunk and let out a long sigh. His exhausted eyes drifted to the notifications that had been patiently awaiting his attention. One by one, they began to blink like fireflies in the sky, lighting up his vision as though demanding not to be ignored any longer.
[You have slain Anomaly [3]. Increased experience gained for killing an enemy higher level than you.]
[Level 2 reached. Stats allocated. +6 free points earned]
[Notice: Congratulations! New title gained!]
Richter scanned the text, re-reading it several times, struggling to believe what he saw. He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. It was exactly as he first predicted, his life had suddenly taken on the characteristics of someone in a video game.
He hadn’t been the most avid gamer growing up, but he had definitely played enough to recognize the familiar hallmarks of a video game. He had stats that altered his body in every way, levels that would give him those stats, and finally, killing monsters would award him with experience to gain levels.
Richter eyes widened slightly at the realization. The fact that he was still alive and breathing was not a mere stroke of luck. It was the status points he had earned that had been keeping him alive all this time. Richter quickly pulled up his status screen, looking it over with new eyes.
[STATUS]
Name: Richter Alma l Level: [2] [F] l Race: [Human] [F]
Path: [?] [F] l Profession [?] l Crystal Currency: 0 [F]
Health: 36/190 l Mana: 140/170 l Stamina: 27/190
…
Stats:
Strength: 19 (+20%) [Path - Locked]
Agility: 16 (+20%) [Path - Locked]
Endurance: 19 (+20%) [Path - Locked]
Vitality: 18 (+20%) [Path - Locked]
Wisdom: 16 (+20%) [Path - Locked]
Intelligence: 17 (+20%) [Path - Locked]
Willpower: [EST. 39] (N/A)
Free points: 6
…
Bloodline: [Indomitable]
Titles: [Chosen Initiate] [Bloodline Patriarch] [Born Conqueur] [Newcomer] [Made for this]
…
Skills (Passive): N/A
Skills (Active) - N/A
“So this really is how it is. Huh… it grew quite a bit too.” He mused. After gaining that level, all of his stats had increased by 2 or 3. He quickly pulled up his previous stat sheet, nodding his head at the theory. It seemed that at every level he gained, he gained some points in each stat, including the 6 he could distribute where he pleased.
Even though he understood the general meaning of his stats, it still left him largely confused on why this was relevant to him. It’s not like he was inside a video game, so why was this being applied to him? No doubt about it, this was the real world. The cold air stinging his nostrils as he breathed in, the uneven texture of the roots under his body, the throbbing pain of his numerous wounds… It was all very, very real.
Richter shook his head, knowing there was no point in overthinking things. He had no clue why any of this was happening, and frankly, he had no clue how he could even find out. The best he could do was deal with what was happening now and move forward step by step. With that, he brought his attention back to his status - particularly his free points. If he wanted to have the best shot at making it through this, what he decided to invest his free points into could mean the difference between life and death.
Richter thought back on how the fight with the anomaly went. His speed was definitely a huge factor between everything. He had gotten repeatedly slashed and hit because he couldn’t keep up with the creature's agility, and he was slow in reacting even when he saw the attack coming. That wasn’t even the worst of it either, his defenses were sorely lacking as well. The creature's attacks sliced through him like butter to the point he couldn’t even think about defending - all he could do was make an opportunity to land an attack. Then again, perhaps a little extra muscle would do the trick - because really, when has brute force ever failed anyone?
“Ugh, all of them sound like good options” He groaned, staring at the free point icon with piercing eyes. “Damn. Maybe I should just pump some points into intelligence and let my brain carry the team for once.” He said, half joking.
The truth was that he just didn’t know enough to make a reasonable decision. Each option carried potential merits and demerits, and it was impossible for him to determine any outcome of such a chaotic future. In the end, all he could control was his preparation for the present situation – survival.
With a sigh, he split his points into agility and endurance. He reasoned those two were the most capable of keeping him alive, at least right now. Almost instantly, he could feel the subtle changes coursing through his body. His muscles became more supple and flexible, allowing for a greater range of motion in his joints. His breaths felt smoother and deeper as if an invisible weight had been lifted from his chest. It even felt like his eyesight was enhanced, making it easier to track movement.
When he had more information, he would need to figure out what would work best for him. But he was in the present, not the future. And right now, he needed everything he could to survive this hostile environment, and, most importantly, figure out how to get the hell out of this forest.