*Assimilation imminent, prepare for System introduction and planetary terraformation*
These were the words that cut off a completely normal day that most would consider to be uneventful. The entire world saw these words at the exact same time. At that moment, nobody knew what these words meant or why they were floating in front of them on a blue screen. It would later comfort many to know that the entire world was united on something in that moment. Pure and utter confusion. Exactly 3 seconds after this text appeared, the entirety of the world's population disappeared.
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Mike appeared in a cozy looking room, sitting on a brown leather couch. He looked around, wondering where the hell his cubicle went. As he took in his surroundings, he noticed a man sitting across from him. The man was wearing a sharp looking tuxedo and had a thin pair of glasses sitting on his face. Between the two was a small coffee table that some papers neatly sat upon it. Mike saw it all as eerily similar to a job interview. As he stared at the man with a blank expression, the man began to speak.
“Welcome to The Universe. I’m sure you have many questions, but first let me get this out of the way. This is a waiting room of sorts, and no matter how long this conversation goes on, you will need to be here for at least 30 minutes before leaving. You may begin asking questions.”
Having absolutely no idea what questions he could even ask, Mike started with the simplest one he could think of, and in that moment it was the only one he could think of.
“Who are you?” He asked. His Mother had taught him that introductions were the proper way of greeting people. He didn't bother giving his own name, as he was still in a bit of shock from the jarring change of scenery.
“I am a System generated entity. One specifically tailored to help make this transition as smooth and easy as possible for you.”
The man had answered fast, almost instantly after Mike was done talking. Slightly unnerved by the man, he asked his next question. “What system do you keep talking about, and what transition?”
Once more, the man answered almost immediately, seemingly not needing to consider his answer. “The system is the entity who controls The Universe, and the transition is you being assimilated into The Universe.”
The term assimilation didn't sit very well with Mike, and he felt the need to voice his concern. “What do you mean assimilation? Am I getting absorbed?”
“Not quite, but close. Being assimilated by the system means that you are being introduced into the system. Explaining why the proper term is assimilated would require explaining how the entire system works, and this information is something that will be covered in your introduction. In the meantime I can assure you that you will not be getting absorbed by the system, and can answer questions you have about starting your new life in the system.”
Mike was still very confused, he had no idea what this man in front of him was talking about. He was still very rattled from the transition of organizing digital spreadsheets to sitting on a couch, talking to a man about how he was to be “assimilated” into a system he knew nothing about. It was this shock that kept him from feeling fear, worry, or anything other than confusion. His next thoughts were about how the man said he was going to be starting a new life. This was what caught his immediate attention, bringing forth his next question.
“What do you mean new life, what's going to happen to me?”
The man in front of him seemed to have endless patience as he answered Mike's questions. “You will be placed into the new version of Earth. There will be many changes to both the planet and yourself. Namely, you will be able to grow stronger, much stronger than even the strongest of your planets ‘strongmen’. As for your new life, it will be a life of infinite potential, with nothing but you determining how far you can go.”
This man suddenly started sounding a lot like someone trying to sell Mike on a pyramid scheme. As his brain felt like he was going into overload, he began to think that maybe he was just unconscious. He must have fallen unconscious at his desk and this was a dream caused by whatever drugs he was given in the ambulance. He decided to just roll with it, and assume he was going to wake up any moment.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“What kind of potential are we talking about, because I must say that all of this does sound a little far fetched. Do you have any way to show me that I really can get stronger?”
The man smiled at Mike before reaching for one of the papers in front of him. After writing something on the paper, Mike suddenly started feeling weird. His body started to feel twitchy, and as the seconds ticked on he felt full of strength and energy. He felt that he could have lifted a building if he wanted to.
“As you can see, the system can give you great power. I must tell you though don't expect any freebies like this. You must grow on your own. The System merely assists and facilitates your growth.” The man erased whatever he wrote on the paper, and the energy melted out of Mike. He stared at the man across the table from him. It had felt so real. He began feeling dread as the weight of all this rested on him. It was all just too real to be some kind of drug fueled dream. He truly felt the power in him. The strength in every fiber of his body, the seemingly instant reactions he had in those brief few moments. He would be lying if he said he didn't strongly enjoy the experience.
“What the hell did you write on that little paper in front of you?”
“Just rewrote a few stats, to show you the sheer power you have the potential of reaching.”
“Stats?”
“Ah yes, they are one of the many methods the system uses to facilitate growth. They quantify you as a person, and what you can do. Take a look.”
The man slid over the paper, and Mike picked it up and began reading it. On it he saw a sheet of these ‘stats’, as well as several other things.
Name: Mike Jones
Race: Human (level 0)
Class: N/A
Profession: N/A
Trait: N/A
Titles: N/A
Health: 100/100
Mana: 70/70
Stamina:100/100
Health Regeneration: 13 Per minute
Mana Regeneration: 5 Per minute
Stamina Regeneration: 14 Per minute
Stats:
Strength: 7
Constitution: 7
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 5
Charisma: 6
Perception: 6
Fortitude: 6
Skills:
Advanced language comprehension (Uncommon)
“As you can see, your stats all add up to an even fifty. Every human will start with a total stat count of fifty, though this will quickly change, and with time, a few of you may even gain or lose different types of stats through various means.” The man said, after Mike finished looking over the papers contents.
“Why is my wisdom the lowest?” Mike said, a bit miffed that he apparently was not considered to be very wise according to the piece of paper.
“As I said this is the system's way of quantifying you. I must say, your stats are much more balanced than the average, most people have at least one stat at 10, and one that’s 3. You are quite the well rounded individual.”
That made Mike feel a bit better. Still though, it would have been nice of the system to not blatantly insult his wisdom, although he admittedly didn't know what wisdom was to the system. Mike spent a few more minutes thinking about what the stats really said about him, when his thoughts wandered over to the “Class” portion of the paper.
“What does class mean?”
“It typically represents what form of combat you mainly use, though there are the rare few exceptions where it can act more similarly to a profession. A profession represents the method you use to grow in power outside of combat. It can be something as simple as crafting to as complex as leading a society. The possibilities for both Class and Profession are functionally infinite.”
“So how do I get one?”
“Before you leave this room, you will need to pick a class. A profession is earned through various actions, and early on is much more open to being completely changed.”
Mike found this interesting, as it all seemed to be relatively important. The dread he felt previously reemerged as the words said hit him. Combat, as in he would be fighting things. The more he thought of it though, the less nervous about it he really got. He always thought that in a fight, he could hold his own. He of course had never been in an actual fight, but he didn't think of himself as completely helpless.
“No point in waiting, let's just pick one.” Mike said, Wanting to just see what was in store for him.