Jason embodied the essence of an ordinary, middle-aged recluse. He was a man in his mid-twenties, living a solitary life in a modest apartment nestled in the heart of England. The signs of an unhealthy lifestyle were evident in his appearance. His physique was large yet not in a domineering way, but one that had grown through the gradual toll of neglect, a result of the countless hours he spent indoors coupled with the copious amounts of calories consumed.
Furthermore, Jason's apartment bore the marks of his solitude. His room was dimly lit, curtains drawn to ward off the outside world, and the air heavy with the stale scent of isolation. His presence in the apartment was a solitary one, with no family or visitors to share his space. He was estranged from his relatives, not through force but by his own choice, with the ties that had once bound them now being firmly broken by his own hands.
In the digital realm, however, Jason found his sanctuary and escape. Perched on a cluttered desk, his gaming console was the nexus of his existence. The soft glow of his monitor screen cast a bluish light on his face as he immersed himself in virtual realms. In these digital landscapes, he transcended the mundane, donning the identity of heroes and adventurers, escaping the reality of his daily life.
Days blurred into nights as Jason navigated these alternate realities, forging bonds with fellow gamers worldwide while cocooned within his apartment's four walls. Unlike his actual existence, which was characterised by his physical isolation, Jason’s online persona thrived. The hum of his computer and the rapid clicking of keys filled the apartment, echoing the rhythm of his solitary existence.
However, as Jason sat fixated on his screen during yet another uneventful and mundane day, an eerie, soft hum suddenly began reverberating through the ground, gradually growing louder as if the Earth itself was growing increasingly enraged. Jason, caught off guard, tumbled from his chair as the tremors intensified.
Sensing the unmistakable signs of an earthquake, a rare occurrence in the United Kingdom, Jason swiftly sought refuge beneath his desk, seeking shelter from any potential debris or hazards that might descend from above. Given his elevated apartment, rushing outside might have been the wiser decision, but even in moments of danger, Jason clung to the familiarity of his reclusive habits.
Huddled beneath the desk, Jason closed his eyes and braced himself as the vibrations surged through his body, their intensity increasing with each passing moment. Strangely, these vibrations seemed to penetrate not just his physical body but also his mind, and in the wake of this mental assault, he lost consciousness.
Yet, he was not alone, for the sound had echoed throughout the once-vibrant world, causing everything to fall into an eerie slumber.
Time passed as minutes quickly turned to hours.
As Jason groggily awoke, he found himself sprawled out on the floor, disoriented and unsure of how he had ended up there. He pondered whether he had dozed off during another gaming session, but his confusion deepened when he remembered the unusual events of the previous day.
As he assessed himself and found no injuries, he speculated that he might have hit his head during the earthquake-induced fall. After a quick self-examination, his attention was once again drawn to the conspicuous absence of the usual background noise that permeated society. The silence was unsettling and pervasive.
With daylight seeping through the curtains, which was usually accompanied by the sounds of bustling city life, Jason ventured toward the window. He tugged at the drapes, pulling them apart to reveal the outside world. To his astonishment, everything appeared normal. There were no toppled buildings or shattered streets, though many cars had crashed, but surely this much was expected with an earthquake.
However, after further scrutinising the outside world, Jason finally noticed something strange. His gaze locked on to what he had assumed to be debris, but under a more focused gaze, whilst his elevation made it difficult to make out the shapes, he saw an assortment of unconscious bodies strewn across the ground.
“Ok. that’s not normal”.
Taking in the surreal scene, Jason squinted. Unaccustomed to the sunlight after being confined indoors for so long, his eyes stung as he continued to observe the surroundings.
As his gaze remained fixed on the fallen bodies, perplexed about what to do, an ethereal screen materialised before him, further enhancing the surreal quality of his current predicament.
Surveying the translucent blue screen, he could not help but notice its uncanny resemblance to the countless video games he had immersed himself in over the years. Curiosity piqued, he habitually read its contents.
System Notification:
Dimensional synchronization of world 024-0611* has achieved the mandated dimensional energy threshold. Planet 024-0611*, Earth is now poised to initiate its ascension sequence.
Greetings, inhabitants of 024-0611*, identified as Homo Sapiens, Humans. We extend our best wishes as you embark upon your Ascension Trials.
May fortune favour your journey.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
As Jason finished reading the ethereal screen, a few new pop-ups appeared.
System Notification:
Welcome, inhabitant of Earth. Would you like to commence your trial?
Y/N
Dumbstruck by the sheer bizarreness of it all, Jason's initial confusion soon gave way to a broad, beaming smile. Given the situation, with so many people either injured or dead outside, such emotions did not fit the current atmosphere, and yet those thoughts did not fill Jason's mind. Jason did not really care about others, not anymore anyway. No, instead, he was fully focused on the screen before him.
Wasn't this scenario reminiscent of the countless games he had played and the novels he had read?
Jason raised his hand with infectious giddiness, trying to click the "yes" button. As he extended his hand to interact with the icon, he was surprised to find it intangible, with his hand passing through the screen. Intrigued by this peculiarity and drawing from his extensive experience with novels, he focused his mind on selecting the button instead.
However, before Jason could select “Yes”, at the corner of the ethereal screen, juxtaposing the blue with its deep red, the flashing symbol of a mail icon unceasingly bleeped.
“A red icon? It has to be important!”
Jason decided to interact with the icon first. After mentally selecting it, a new notification appeared before him.
System Notification:
Congratulations!
The higher dimensional entity, 'The Hive,' wishes to be your Patreon.
Y/N
Jason's excitement was palpable as he read the message, a rare thrill rushing through him.
But just then, his phone buzzed, slicing through the moment. Jason's eyes dropped to his phone screen, and then his stomach twisted. ‘Her’ name appeared on the caller ID. The woman who’d broken his family. Jason’s fists clenched as bitter words rolled on the tip of his tongue.
“That damned wh…” Jason was about to explode seeing ‘her’ name on the caller ID, but the system notification and situation helped to control his boiling emotions, and instead, he ignored the call and refocused on the screens before him.
After reviewing the notification and thinking it could not be anything bad, he promptly accepted it.
System Notification:
Congratulations!
For being the first to accept 'The Hive' patronage, your rank has been upgraded from 'Lesser Devotee' to ' Patreon’s Champion.'
'The Hive' wishes to grant you a reward. Do you accept?
Y/N
With mounting excitement, Jason unhesitatingly selected "Yes." A gift box image promptly materialised on the screen, and he interacted with it with growing enthusiasm.
The box opened with a quick, dazzling array of light, revealing a minuscule, eyeless creature draped in a soft red glow. It was small, the size of a small worm, and softly swayed under Jason’s gaze. Jason observed the creature closely and had to say he found it cute. And so, under these emotions, he reached out a hesitant finger to poke at it.
As he did so, another notification appeared.
System Notification:
Do you want to create a ‘soul bond’ with ‘Gluttonous brood’.
Y/N
Jason was taken aback by the new message.
“What’s a soul bond?” Jason spoke aloud, trying to question the screen, but no further notification appeared.
As Jason looked back upon the small worm, he found it wriggling, trying to touch his outstretched finger.
“Despite the ominous name, you are kind of cute,” Jason chuckled before clicking ‘yes’. He doubted it was harmful; after all, the mighty system did say it was a gift from ‘The Hive’.
As Jason clicked ‘Yes’, a small change took over the worm. It began casting a ghastly red glow. Jason was perplexed by the ominous vibes emanating from the diminutive creature, but before he could react, it streaked towards him with uncanny speed, disappearing into his being.
The sudden influx of the creature's energy cast Jason into a maelstrom of darkness before he once again collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
--
In the demon world.
As the sizeable snake-like creature continued to move between the layers of hell, within its body’s dimly lit fleshy confines, the ceaseless movement of drones had finally subsided. At the heart of this cavernous space, Malgrith’s body remained unmoving. Instead, its squishy body gave way to a broad hole that seemed to tear through the demon's abdomen.
Despite the throbbing pain from the injury, Malgrith’s gaze remained fixed on the crystalline shards lying before it. The items glowed faintly with a soft, ethereal purple light, mesmerising and elusive.
The parasite's form trembled slightly, recalling the staggering price it had paid to obtain these items. Malgrith had bartered with actual demons! The merchants, beings known for their extortionate demands and prices, all for the sake of these items.
Unfortunately, the Ascension trials reset unexpectedly, and as a result, most of Malgrith's wealth, which he had invested in the human world, was now gone.
After selling what little Malgrith had left to the merchants, truly demonic beings with their exorbitant fees and prices, Malgrith managed to amass a small fortune of over 4 million SP, but even that was just barely enough.
To send patronage requests to all the humans who had once been part of his organisation, ‘The confluence,’ each message cost Malgrith 10000 SP. Having sent over 100 messages hoping that one human would accept before commencing their trial, Malgrith had already used over 1 million SP.
Malgrith used the remaining funds to buy these items, totalling another 3 million SP, meaning it had already used most of its available SP resources.
However, the subtle chime of a system notification disturbed Malgrith’s momentary thoughts, alerting it to the fact that some unlucky soul had accepted its patronage.
Malgrith did not know if it could reacquire this item; after all, it did not know if this gamble would pay off.
Instead, looking over the ethereal blood-red screen, Malgrith identified that the human named Jason had expected him as his patron. Usually, sending messages to players before passing their trials was impossible as they had not yet unlocked the social systems. However, Malgrith remembered the unique player code for each Human who had been in his organisation and used that knowledge to message over 100 humans before they started their trials.
Quickly, Malgrith interacted with the screen, attempting to send another message.
System Message:
Are you sure you want to make Jason Anderson your ‘Champion’?
Y/N
The demonic entity swiftly selected 'Yes,' conjuring a minuscule ethereal worm from the whole in its abdomen.
Would you like to send the entity 'Gluttonous Brood' to the human Jason Anderson?
Y/N Price: 100,000 SP
Once again, the demonic entity swiftly selected 'Yes’, triggering the transfer. A small window materialised before it, and the minuscule worm was placed within as it vanished from the demon realm.
As the ‘Gluttonous brood’ disappeared, Malgrith, for the last time in what would undoubtedly be a long time, that is, if he survived, addressed the room.
“I leave the rest to you, Magnus! Keep Mortus safe.”
After the ‘Gluttonous brood’ disappeared, the hive's overseer, the massive body at the room's centre, collapsed to the floor, now devoid of life.
In response to Malgrith’s disappearance, another creature, one that had been unmoving throughout all that transpired and stood over a softly glowing purple orb in the centre of this fleshy room, spoke in a similar hoarse, gravelly voice.
“It shall be done! Father!”
--
In a distant corner of the world, in the country known as the United States of America, another pair of eyes shot open. These eyes gleamed with a razor-sharp focus, accompanied by their owner jerking up with a sudden start.
As Elijah took in his surroundings and recognised his old room, a place he had not set foot in for years, an overwhelming sense of happiness and elation washed over him.
"I'm back!" he exclaimed with growing excitement.
Filled with anticipation, Elijah made a beeline for the door, eager to reunite with his family, whom he had not seen in years. But as he reached for the doorknob, he was rudely awakened to the fact that he was in his birthday suit, and his humble snake lay bare, unencumbered by the need for clothing.
"Well, I suppose I should put some clothes on first," he mused with a wry grin.
With that, Elijah sidled over to another door, hoping to resolve his current predicament first.