A burst of light followed a loud roar behind her. A purple-hue supernova spread everywhere, eclipsing everything else. From the center of this phenomenon emerged a colossal creature composed of a dense purple smoke. The creature resembled a wurm of galactic proportions.
The creature moved smoothly through the surreal space as if it were its natural habitat, disappearing into the vastness of the universe before abruptly reappearing from below, very close to her.
Jean shielded herself with her arms in a vain attempt to avoid being swallowed. But when it was very close to her, the wurm began to divide. I was as if it had several heads now, like a hydra. Each head struck the transparent floor without breaking it.
Nine columns of purple smoke formed around her, each equidistant and approximately seven meters away. From each column appeared a menhir with bright turquoise-colored runes carved into it.
The whispers informed her that each menhir represented one of the nine attributes. She should approach the one in which she wished to gain a significant advantage. That would mark her path.
“Kind of like the first approach to the class?"
“[»Attributes« selected previously.]”
“What?! Ah! Yeah! The kiss…!”
The menhirs vanished, forming six new columns of purple smoke. From each one, a couple of women formed. All of them very tall, with green eyes and reddish hair.
She initially believed they looked like her, but that perception quickly changed. Their appearance flashed by like slides, showing a variety of possibilities in height, complexion, facial features, and hairstyle. The whispers made her realize that everything was responding to her thoughts and desires.
Was that the promised customization? She didn't need the whispers to tell her that these were just some of her new options. It was a help. A quick character creation. If she threw it away, she would have to embark on a painstaking character creation process, setting everything up step by step.
“[»Fel-Har’s favor« obtained. You have chosen »Survival Instinct«]”
"Hey! I haven't..." Letting out a long sigh. "Whatever! This must be her doing!"
“[Mission: »Choose your destiny!« updated]”
“[Choose a predefined combat style or create a new one!]”
Unable to contain her excitement, Jean walked over to inspect her options. She couldn't stop smiling. She was very meticulous with her character creations. She could easily spend hours if the choices were deep enough. Things wouldn't be any different there, but she wanted to take a look at her options first. She knew it wouldn't be a waste of time to browse through those predefined examples.
At first glance, they all seemed perfectly equipped with functional armor. Nothing fancy or out of place. The weapons were a greater example of simplicity and efficiency, as well as fearsome. She knew that the character creation wouldn't provide her with all that initial equipment, but she enjoyed imagining what she would look like in the future.
At her 12 o'clock appeared a pair of women that she compared to the typical warriors. Both individuals wore heavy armors, with one being noticeably heavier than the other. Their weapons were also large and heavy. The heavily armored warrior carried a two-handed hammer, which sometimes appeared to change into an axe or sword of similar proportions. The other carried a shield that changed size based on her thoughts. Her weapons also varied, alternating between all types of one-handed weapons; axes, maces, hammers, swords...
A couple of hunters kept an eye on her at her 2 o'clock. They were dressed in leather and fur armor with strategically placed metal protection to safeguard vital points without hindering mobility. They carried bows, short swords, and nodachis. She glanced at them only briefly, eager to see the rest.
The individuals positioned at her 4 o'clock were dressed entirely in black attires made of cloth and leather. Their weapons were concealed. However, for a moment, she saw a lute on one of them.
"Assassins, rogues and bards? Quite different from each other! I guess it's just a setup to rely on."
Two female scholars, dressed in cloth, seemed thoughtful at her 6 o'clock. They held wands, staffs, and other magical artifacts that seemed to amplify or channel magic. Although seeing them made her smile, she didn't spend much time with them either. Her enthusiasm grew uncontrollably.
Those situated at her 8 o'clock were also wearing mostly cloth, but they had leather and metal protections on their arms and legs. They didn’t carry any weapons, suggesting they did not require them. However, for a brief moment, they had shurikens, kamas, and nunchakus in their belts.
Finally, those located at her 10 o'clock had larger metallic elements in their armor than the previous ones. Both wore medium armor. One looked more like a druid, always accompanied by a creature that alternated between beast, spirit, and totem. The other had conjured weapons typical of a battle mage or a cleric.
Jean couldn't wait to be all of them. She wanted to create every character she had ever imagined. However, just as she intended to approach and admire each of them as if they were exact, life-size reproductions of her favorite figures, a blinding light suddenly appeared from behind her. When the light began to dim and she could see again, Jean quickly turned around. Curiosity was killing her.
In the center, a beautiful and tall woman with an appearance and physique identical to most of the characters she created in video games. She was what she had always wanted to be.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Jean didn't focus too much on her height or body shape, she was captivated by her angelic face. She had a calm expression that showed she had overcome all the adversities that had dared to stand in her path. Her thin jaw and full lips radiated boldness. Her eyes were big and hypnotic, with a striking green color that exuded confidence. And her long, dark red hair fell sensually down her shoulders to almost her waist, embodying her warrior spirit.
"No way!! I'm gonna be like this?! Really?"
The beautiful woman smiled and began to approach with her hand outstretched. Excited, Jean approached her too. However, the whispers weren't so pleased. A storm of negative emotions surged towards the beautiful woman.
It was at that moment that the twelve women around raised their weapons and pounced on her. Jean jumped back, trying to evade their attacks, but fortunately none of them were able to reach her. A loud rumble in the distance caused them to dissipate all at once. Even the one who was supposed to be her disappeared. Before she could question what had gone wrong, new whispers came to her mind.
“[»Devourer« skill successfully rooted.]”
[Devourer]: Unknown skill that is modifying your being. It will mark your primary combat style."
"[Devourer has successfully copied the essence of the »Fighting classes«.]"
“[Unlocked the »Basic« and »Advanced« mastery ranks of all »Weapon skills«.]”
"Devourer?! What the hell is going on?"
“[Mission: »Choose your destiny!« updated. Go to the crafting tutorial!]”
Once again, the purple smoke rose. This time, it formed large circles around her, like the walls of a massive tunnel. The smoke spun, leading her towards a strange light shining in the distance. Although the light did not provide enough illumination to see where she was going, it was the only possible direction.
Jean took a few steps when suddenly, the tingling sensation that had spread throughout her body after the kiss intensified. “What the hell have you done to me?”
The woman returned, but she did not reveal herself this time. "I have given you what you asked for! Take good care of it! It is very special."
The whispers informed her that it was a flood of information that was changing her every second. Upon realizing the cause, an internal burning sensation arose.
“Don't worry! It won't be painful! It will be over quickly. You'll be pleased with the result. Trust me!”
The sensation became suffocating, making it difficult for her to breathe. “Really?!”
The woman’s tone abruptly changed to a more serious one. "Come on! Hurry up! Follow the light! Stay calm and approach him eagerly to learn. Avoid arousing suspicion, or you may not achieve your goal!"
Jean feared that the woman had done something wrong on her behalf, but he felt it was too late to back out. The whispers had told her that she must go through both doors, but now it was different. If they discovered she now had Devourer, what would happen?
Jean expected to panic, but nothing of the sort happened. She didn't recognize herself. Fear seemed like a shadow of her former self. "As if I know what that really means...!"
She only knew that she could no longer turn back and that her body was changing rapidly. The jelly-like substance that emulated her skin was no longer white.
“Wait! Was the smoke tunnel a trap door to avoid going through the other door?”
The woman yelled angrily. "Run, damn it! You won't make it at this rate! Didn't you long to be with Ian?!"
Jean rushed toward the dim light, emotions running high. Luckily, the burning sensation had subsided to a bearable level, and she had regained her normal breathing.
With each step, her destination became clearer. What at first seemed to be a blurry silhouette on the horizon, quickly revealed itself as a masonry building. A single-storey medieval building with wooden doors and windows, and a slate roof with a large smoking chimney.
Although distant, she noticed a familiar sound similar to the one often heard while trading with some blacksmiths in games. It took her a while to realize that someone was sharpening something metallic on a grindstone.
When she finally reached the door of the building, a small sign hanging with runes written on it caught her attention. It didn't take her too long to figure it out with Linguist. “Open.”
The door was slightly ajar, inviting her to enter. When she lightly pushed it, a current of hot air came out, carrying a pungent smell of burning charcoal.
“Hello?! Is someone there?!”
Since the sound of metal against grindstone didn't stop for a single moment, Jean pushed the door with determination.
A bell on the inside door frame announced her arrival, and a male voice greeted her. “Come in, come in! It's open!"
Inside, a man was sharpening an axe near the entrance. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties or older, with a large bald spot in the center of his head and a gray beard stained with ashes. The strong body odor suggested that he had been working for many hours, if not days.
The blacksmith continued working, unaware of the odor. “Come on! Come in! I don't bite!” He then smiled playfully, showing his perfect teeth. “Unless that's your thing!”
Jean took a step forward and finally entered the smithy. Immediately afterwards, the door slammed shut from the outside. The man stopped sharpening the axe and threw it on a nearby workbench. Jean panicked, thinking she had been caught.
"Ha ha ha! I'm glad you chose this door and not the other one."
He looked up and started mocking, pointing upward several times. "HA HA HA! Another point for me, Fel-Har!"
Jean was extremely embarrassed and didn't know where to hide, so she turned around. Unconsciously, her gaze fell on the plate armors and gleaming steel swords lying on a large table. Above them, another sign with runes. "Do not touch!!"
“Yes, I know! You can't wait to start cutting, smashing, polishing and sharpening!”
She immediately turned around and flashed a bright smile, trying not to raise any suspicion. “Relax, Jean! He's just a fan of Forged in Fire eager to show me his collection of Zodiac Knight armor!'