When will I be chosen? Noah’s fingers fetched a cigarette from his pocket and placed the fine white paper to his slightly swollen, and wounded lips. It’s my last year–my last chance. Will I need to take matters into my own hands after all?

Noah patted his school blazer. His pocket was empty. Where was his lighter?

“No light?” Erik asked.

“Shit.” Noah spat as he glanced at the crowded streets. He fidgeted with his fingers.

“Here, dumbass.” Erik took out a lighter, lit it, then held it to Noah’s mouth.

The other people passing by shot faces of disgust as Noah simply flashed a toothy smile in response. A pouting small girl walked by as she held the hands of a completely disinterested woman. It looked like she was entirely worn out. Deep, dark bags looked as if they were etched into her face like a rough stone sculpture. A commonality shared by those of the older generations after the System Administrator arrived.

Noah stuck out his tongue, and pulled his face this way and that in an attempt to cheer up the girl. The little girl stopped and giggled, but the mother tugged her arm as they disappeared within the dense crowd.

The broadcast was starting soon. Everyone was gathered. After all, it would determine their future–for the worse. Well, not for Noah. No, he wanted to be chosen. He had prepared for it after all.

“I’m not dumb.” Noah took a deep puff of the cigarette. The bitter smoke swirled through his lungs, then back out in a murky cloud in a deep, relieved breath. He hated crowded places.

“Are we not going to mention the fact you’ve had to retake class this year?”

“And?”

“Noah,” Erik continued while frowning. “This would be the third year in a trot that you’ve had to retake.”

“School–” Noah grimaced.

“This is your last chance, you’re twenty-one already mate.” Erik shook his head. “I say this as your friend. You need to take your studies seriously this year, if not, you’ll be stuck shovelling shit, or worse–retail.”

“Retail–” Noah shuddered at the mention and took another puff.

“Besides, when are you going to stop hanging around with those guys? Peter and Miles, was it?” Erik brushed his hair back to the slick style he had. “You watch the otherworld broadcast with them like it’s the only thing that exists. They get by since they’re damn geniuses compared to us, but you're as thick as mince. No offence.”

“Non taken.” Noah shrugged.

Erik continued, “If it’s not that, you’re with your dog, or skulking around the streets at night, picking fights with rival gangs that you can’t win against. Man, if you need a place to stay, just let me know. Hell, when was the last time we even went out for a drink?"

“Hank passed away,” Noah said with a distant expression. A big part of his Otherworld preparation involved Hank. He found him sleeping on the streets, just like himself. At first, he was simply a means to an end. Hank was meant to give him a nice Taming Skill when he entered the Otherworld. But somewhere along the line, he fell in love with those droopy eyes, and the zoomies he would get after foraging his favourite food from a nearby bin–beef.

However, age was a battle too hard to fight. On earth, that was.

“Shit, sorry.” Erik sighed. “I know you loved that thing. Anyway, do you think you’re going to be chosen? With the shit luck your parents abandoned you with? Given that, I’m surprised they’ve not selected you already.”

Noah sighed as Erik continued. “The statistics are in your favour. Not many get chosen at the maximum age of twenty-one. You must be happy.”

“Who said anything about being selected?” Noah took another puff. It was a bad habit, but it was true what they say about smoking. The shit is addicting.

“What?” Erik tilted his head, only for his eyes to widen as he looked in a certain direction. “Oi, Noah.” He sent a jab to Noah’s side. “There’s Chloe.”

Noah frowned once more and sharply exhaled the smoke within his mouth. But this time it was from the pain from a few days prior. Group fights weren’t his forte, not when most were taller, and stronger than him, but when the boss called, there wasn’t much choice in the matter. He had to eat.

He glanced at a beautiful young woman not far in the distance. Surrounded by high rise buildings on all sides, she was standing with a group of friends. Worry was stricken across their faces as they sent panicked looks at the enormous tv screens that were glued to the buildings every now and then.

Within the group, she stood out like a sore thumb–like a swan amongst a herd of chickens. Shit, was it a herd? No, a flock, right? Noah sighed. He craned his neck, and a few pops followed, ridding it of a stiffness from having fought the other day.

Well, apart from a few young men and women that were clearly a cut above the rest. Noah could tell, because all the Trained had a stick up their ass.

Namely Jake, Declan, and Cai. The first was an olympic grade archer that was trained by birth to hunt, the other, Declan, was born to an insanely rich family with world class trainers in multiple subjects. Cai–well–he didn’t really know anything about him, but he seemed like an airhead that just lived in the weight lifting gym. Oh, and Chloe was also a Trained which only added to her prestigious stature.

Together, the Trained were raised to fight in the Otherworld broadcast. To garner pride and glory for their families. Yes, it was fucked up.

Noah wasn’t afraid to approach them, but women didn’t take kindly to him. Not with the rumours going around of him being in a gang. Well, they weren’t rumours, but still. Or maybe it was because of his height? Noah squinted his eyes.

Anyway, thanks to her looks, family standing, and talent with a sword, Chloe was the chosen princess. The popular type in school. The students around her were like the shit for the flies, everyone hovering around it at all times of the day. It looked absolutely exhausting, running after someone superior all day.

Damn, it sounded just like his part time job. Just that his line of work had more blood and violence.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Hello there, mighty Earthlings!” An excited voice boomed throughout the city.

The drone-like workers that were scampering to work immediately stopped and looked up at an enormous screen. Their previous expressionless faces lit up with elation. Hundreds of voices all broke out into a fever of cheering. They reached their arms into the air and celebrated. It was a stark contrast to the crying of the younger generation around him.

Noah looked up at the man within the LED screen hanging high above on the highrise buildings. His skin had a faint red hue, and the long horns emerging from his head was a reminder Earth no longer only had humans.

System administrators. Noah beamed a happy smile, was this the day?

The voice continued, “I am so very pleased to announce that the next selection is going to take place in ten minutes! Not only that, it’s for an entirely different world than you are all used to. I introduce you to Ruaturn!”

The cheers became even louder, however, Noah and Erik looked at each other. Erik gulped, his hands trembled. His eyes shifted around in panic to those around him. While Noah was the opposite. His blood boiled as he crossed his fingers, hoping he would be selected.

The System Admin laughed. “Now I know what you are all thinking. Another world, what was wrong with the Ubos planet? Well, it was too small! The transcendents have decided to move onto a new, vast battlefield. One that is unexplored, untouched, and unconquered!”

“By the System users, that is–It is filled with magical monsters of all kinds, kingdoms filled with life, and enough land that would take you many years to walk across. Not only that, we are opening it to the entire multiverse. No longer will you be restricted to a single planet!” The System Admin clapped in glee. “And we will even be adding in other races to the tutorial this time. To fight alongside each other–or kill each other! How exciting!”

The demon-like man placed the back of his hand against his mouth. “Now watch out, other races can be quite prickly. Some of them have more–how should I say this–beast-like tendencies. But I’m guessing you’re all used to that, now aren’t you?”

Chloe had tears in the corners of her eyes, while the other girls next to her were completely breaking down. They weren’t the only ones. It was the same for the boys.

“Please don’t pick me.” One girl cried.

Their wails filled the streets, but were instantly droned out by the intense cheering of the older generation around them. They looked at the students around them in glee.

Please fucking pick me. Noah clenched his hands.

“But first,” The System admin said, “it is now time for the daily highlight of the Otherworld Adventurers!”

More cheers.

“Newly brought over to Ubos just three months ago. You have all watched his meteoric rise through the tutorial in devastating fashion. Many of you have sponsored him, and for good reason, isn’t he just fabulous?”

The cheers exploded. Noah covered his ears and frowned.

“From just a rookie student, to a mouthwatering E rank adventurer in just three months! I am so happy to show you a never before seen picture of–Arthur Benet!”

Noah tried his best to mute the blare of voices by cupping his ears and watched as the picture on the screen changed.

It was a young man around Noah’s age standing in an attacking pose with a longsword. He had long flowing, middle-parted golden hair. He was tall, muscular, and the armour tightly hugging his body made him look like a war god.

Noah knew who he was–everyone did. He was the son of the illustrious Benet family. His father alone was worth billions. He was trained from birth to become an Otherworlder and his talent was unmatched. And with talent, arrived the paths to make him a powerhouse of the younger generation.

Despite the older women going crazy for the young man, which was definitely strange, the other girls' fearful expressions didn’t change. They cradled each other in their arms, and prayed to any god within the multiverse that would listen. But they did not.

“Look at that face. It’s the face of a gifted genius, and your son or daughter could be the next to join him. Let’s hope it is your offspring next, yes you!” The System Admin pointed to the screen. “Will they be the next Arthur Benet?”

“Yes!” the crowd shouted.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you!”

“YES!” The crowd belted out the words.

“That’s what I wanted to hear!” The System Admin continued. “Next up–”

Noah groaned at the reaction of the older folk that couldn’t be drafted. Years of gruelling hard work, subservience, and a lack of time to call their own had long warped their sense of entertainment. They truly believed that having their son’s and daughter’s selected would provide their family with pride and honour. Even at the obvious risk of their lives.

The System Admin moved from picture to picture, and highlighted each and every person that was doing well within the Ruaturn.

“Now for the moment you have all been waiting for. It’s time for the chosen to be selected.” The System Admin’s face twisted into a smile. “Remi of the Spence family, congratulations. You are the first to be selected, some even say that the first to be chosen has a higher chance of survival, so congratulations again!”

As his words finished, the air surrounding Noah and the hundreds of others swirled chaotically. Then, a floating eyeball flashed into existence. It had long lashes, and black veins coarsed throughout the enormous eye.

The girls screamed. The eyeball scoured the land, and stopped in front of a young freckled boy not far from Noah and Erik.

“N–n–ple–please no, take someone el–else!” Remi screamed.

A foul stench wafted toward Noah. His jeans turned dark, then a yellow liquid seeped out from his shoes.

The eyeball stared at Remi, then blinked. The moment its eyes shut, Remi vanished out of thin air. His body was nowhere to be seen.

“Hm, or was it the last chosen that has a higher chance of survival?” The System Admin nervously laughed. “Well no matter, next, Karson Mckenzie!”

The scene repeated itself. A few bodies disappeared, but the names called out already surpassed the hundreds. From all over the world, children disappeared from Earth.

Noah glanced at the eye, then up to another screen on the side of a highrise. The eyeball was also a camera.

“Chloe Weber!”

The girls erupted in cries. Chloe stood frozen to the spot, then fell to her knees. Then, she vanished.

“Erik Hampton!”

“Fuck.” Erik swallowed. “Fuck! Noah, what do I do? My family–they need me, dammit, I can’t go!” Erik gazed at Noah, his eyes bloodshot.

The eyeball appeared in front of Erik like a phantom. Its eye was slowly shutting.

Noah erupted into a crazed laughter. Everyone looked over in confusion. The eye was a second from closing.

“Dumbass.” Noah smiled and shoulder barged Erik down onto the pavement. “Give the parents my best–”

“Noah!” Erik wailed, he scratched at the ground and scrambled to his feet. It was too late.

The blink closed, and Noah vanished.

----------------------------------------

Noah’s eyes shot open. He instantly regretted it. It was like waking up in the middle of the night and having someone suddenly turn on flood lights. Only much worse. He squinted his eyes and used his hand as a visor. The heat was sweltering, and he already felt the back of his shirt stick to him like an adhesive.

Before he could see. He could smell.

Salt and fish. It was overpowering his senses. Then a gentle sound of waves breaking against each other. Something wet touched him, recoiling back, his hands felt like they had sunk into a pile of soaking flour. Noah’s eyes finally managed to gain a semblance of sight. First looking down, mainly because the sun looming high above forced him to. The golden sand sifted in between his fingers. Although, with his hands being wet from the budding tide, it stuck to him. The grittiness of the sharp grain rubbed against the soft skin in between.

Noah gazed out into the ocean, his mouth agape. It wasn't because of the crystal clear ocean the likes he had never seen before. Neither was it the clearly visible fish that made it obvious he was now in another world. But it was the three moons that loomed above.

He glanced around to thick, luscious palm trees at his back. Then he looked left, to right. He was alone.

You have been summoned to Ruaturn.

| You are being watched. Provide the people of Earth and the myriad galaxies entertainment.

| Sponsors: Borg, the Risk Taker.

| Grace Coins Awarded.

| Mission: Survive the tutorial.

| Reward: Based on participation.