It was a dream, a dream of a man who had been nothing but persistent in his life. The life which was his, but never felt like his.
It was always others, first his parents who gave nothing but pain which the other adults termed it child abuse at that time, before forcing him into a building with many kids of his age.
Then, the Building lady forced him and others of his age to steal things on the streets for days, and work like dogs in mines for nights. He fights for every scrap of food, either by force or begging. It was harsh, but he did what was necessary to survive and slowly got used to it, numb to it.
But then out of a sudden, some adults again barged into his stoic life that he was just starting to cherish and forced shut the building before spreading his buddies to other buildings that were far away from the one they kicked him into. Though he protests by biting before running, it doesn't end well.
After that, the New lady forced him to learn and write, which his rebellious mind refused. Again, it didn't end well.
Years passed, and the previous rebellious child became young with a sharp, but rigid mind. Forced to mold into a society with strict rules and regulations, and every early disobedience of his was nowhere to be seen just like his parents from this world. But the smoldering fire remains, snappily, crackly.
As instructed by the lady, he took the loan and the course from the agents that sponsored the building he had lived in for years. Without asking any question, he signed the papers, which later became the warrant and a free pass to torture.
Days passed, and his persistency got rewarded with a fancy single sheet of paper and a chair to break while working on a machine, like a drone manufactured in hundreds.
Nothing changed, day and night he worked just like in a mine in his early days. But what changed was his heart that grew distant, and his desire that bordered on selfishness.
His earnings, raised as per the laws, and so does the loan as per the blindly agreed rules. It was too late, he could do nothing but go with it, or be beaten with a stick.
Now a grown man, he seeks his early buddies for help only to meet strangers, with the same name, but new personalities. Nothing like his unchanging self.
He couldn't find them, the mates that promised to change the system were now cogs of a wheel, empowering it, fueling it. Now they too wear the same face, eager to sell their policy on behalf of their masters sitting on a floating city, like gods. The same gods that had brought the age of calamity.
He watched his early self in the dark alleys, in the corner of streets, and caged in buildings to become drones on a leash.
It's all a business, the place doesn't matter, and neither does the situation. Soon, they too would become another him, without knowing what awaits them, led by those who claim to guide them, like angels from the heavens.
Alone, and cornered he did what nobody did. He goes against the Rulers that govern the world. But like many others, he too became a history and engraved his name on an unknown hole in a street.
"I would say, this tragic life is enough for an isekai novel right?"
A voice suddenly reverberated in the dark opera theatre, right after the curtains got down and the show ended, performed by some puppets.
Spooking the Goblin at the front seat who had slept halfway through the show. Watching his own life on repeat isn't something he likes and finds entertaining.
"Huh?"
Turning back, wiping his drool over the seat in the process, the Goblin found the previously empty theatre seats occupied by a single man right behind him. Tinkering a dozen floating magic circles around him, an empty popcorn bucket was thrown to his side.
"Doctor Strange?"
With side parting hair, and a thick goatee on his face, while wearing a dark robe of mystery the man looks much like him at first glance. But as he watched, he found many dissimilarities. Firstly the goatee was too thick, and his hair had a reddish hue to it, and while the robe had a mysterious look, it isn't red nor does it move on its own.
"Hmm, your kind, do call me by that name whenever I visit one of their worlds, and I totally understand why that is so. But, let me assure you that I'm completely original and my name is… Prometheus"
Stopping himself from typing on many blue screens at once, he swipes them away and takes off his earphones. And finally moves his striking blue eyes before resting them on the frowning Goblin, who at some point took the seat adjacent to him while marking out the differences.
"Prometheus, who?"
Although, he had heard this name somewhere in the history books, or in some movies based on Greek mythologies. But he couldn't for the life of him recall the details of it, other than him always playing an insignificant or tragic role more often than not.
"Apologies for always being insignificant, Oscar. But we don't have much time to mull over my legends that always told as a passing thought as I have more important matters to discuss"
"Wait… so you do admit that you're a god?"
Though Oscar had many weird dreams, this one surely topped them all. First, a show performed by stringless puppets in an inescapable Opera Theatre, forcing him to rewatch his excuse of a previous life, and now this, an unexpected cosplayer of a Doctor Strange with a God complex, and not just any god complex, but an underdog God complex.
"Don't give me that look, and is it that hard to believe even after having reincarnated in this world for a month?"
Joining his both hands, the man-in-robe watched the time through his pocket watch.
"Yes"
"Oh, and why is that so?" Suppressing a smile, the man-in-robe heard the answer he had predicted, and even then it's hard not to get amused by it.
"Isekai rule No.1, you meet gods before your reincarnation, and not after your reincarnation. And if you do meet them, then he's no God but a demon in disguise trying to scam your soul"
And the Goblin was all but ready to run, after having exposed the creature. Even if he's sure it's a dream, Oscar was too paranoid to trust anyone and go along with the storyline.
"Well, in my defense. I would say why not check your status first before running?"
The man-in-robe suggested with the same amused smile a man would give to his chosen pet from a store.
Though growling, Oscar did call for it. Not sure if the status screen will even open in a dream, 'But, isn't it weird that I'm aware it's indeed a dream?'
But before he could mull over this strange mindset of his, a screen indeed popped open in front of him.
Name: Oscar
Species: Revenant-Goblin
Level: 1
Rank:2
Title: Kin Devourer, Bully Of The Weak, The Bone Carpenter, The Slaughterer, Wonder Goblin, Aspiring Trickster, Champion Of Prometheus (-)
Strength: 38
Toughness: 20
Agility: 27
Intellect: 22
Will: 42
Perception: 26
Luck: 10
HP: 69/80
MP: 250/250
Soul: 21/21
Gene Aliment: 0
SP: 100
Mutation (0/7) :
Mana-Based Skills:
Mana Concentration (II) Lv4, Incognito Lv1, Spectral Glide Lv1,
Non-Mana Based Skills:
Caveman Aggression Lv5, Revenants Possession Lv1, Deadman Devourer Lv1,
Toughness-Based Skills:
Poison Resistance Lv9, Iron Stomach Lv8, Fire Resistance Lv7,
Strength-Based Skills:
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Bite Lv9, Sharp Nails Lv9, Grip Lv8, Climb Lv6,
Agility-Based Skills:
Strip Lv5, Sneak Lv10, Elusive Dash Lv6, Butcherer Lv8
Intellect-Based Skills:
Trap Master(II)Lv15, Monster Mechanic Lv1, BackstabLv4,
Perception-Based Skills:
Pilot Lv3, Soul Vision Lv1,
Will-Based Skills:
Heart Of Isolation Lv1
Oscar read it, then reread it again and before the Man-in-robe could interrupt, after having checked his pocket watch twice. The goblin asked,
"Am I dreaming?"
"Technically, yes. But if you keep wasting your time with these questions then… you would also practically be"
Oscar did notice three new skills and a suspicious Title that had appeared in his status, other than the full name of Re-Goblin he had seen before, and this Soul thingy right beside his Whooping 250MP and somewhat Okay-ish 80 HP.
Namely, Spectral Guide, Revenant Possession, Deadman Devourer, Soul Vision, and Heart Of Isolation.
Leaving aside the last two, the first three skills look spooky, making him afraid of the reality where he might have become a walking skeleton. Though he's still a goblin with flesh right now, he knows it isn't a reality. And again, he couldn't explain how he's aware that it's indeed not a reality.
"Did I become an undead?" Asking mindlessly, Oscar tried calling the skill descriptions to further clarify his doubts as soon as possible.
*Snap!*
"And here I thought I had forgotten to unhide your Title. Looks like you have deliberately missed it, Oscar" Snapping, The Man, or the suspected God, forced shut his status window and replaced it with a new one.
"Huh!"
Champion Of Prometheus:
You're the chosen one of the God who presides over the authority of Creation, Foresight, and Trickery to represent in the Game of Conquest.
Effect:
-You're invulnerable to any mind control from other Divinities.
-Your fate can't be manipulated by other Divinities.
-Other Chosen ones won't be able to identify you.
-Once placed, You cannot withdraw the wager.
-Your Fate is tied to the God you're representing.
-You can not defy the rules.
Goal: Undecided
Reward: None
Rules: None
Restrictions: N/A
Timing: Not Defined
Prometheus…"
Now he remembered the name, the one who always gets rescued by Hercules from his Ill-fate in stories only to get forgotten right after that scene, 'Don't tell me that he had chosen me because he's-'
"Looks like I'm not that of an insignificant God am I? Yes, I'm stuck and I have chosen you for the rescue and you have to-?"
"Wait! Tha-that's too much"
Rubbing his head, Oscar sighed Internally. Though he had somewhat expected a God behind his reincarnation. But, what he didn't expect was the reason behind it.
Moreover, "I don't even know what world I have reincarnated into, can't I get an explanation first before you could skip straight onto giving me an Epic Quest?"
Closing his eyes, the fully confirmed God did what Oscar thought to be equivalent of calculating, if the numerous floating red and green magic circles are of any indication.
"Fair enough…"
The man then snapped his eyes open and took back the seat, relaxingly. With his eyes distant, seemingly searching over his memories, and an undisguised proud tone of voice he told Oscar a very short story that wouldn't be qualified as a summary.
"I will keep it short. I designed a game and invited Gods, and demons to play. They agreed and placed their bets, took their roles of choice, and dropped their respective Heroes in the storyline. And when they lose, they decide to seek revenge on me… I still can't understand how their defeat was my fault, guess they're all just sore losers" Chuckling to himself, the man shrugged.
"But anyways. They locked me in a Nightmare that counters my ability and perfectly cuts me from the outside world. And now that I have finally summoned you, I can rest assured and wait for you to rescue me"
Giving a light smile, the man watched the Goblin who still frowns at him with a dubious look.
"And if I refused?"
As expected, Oscar ignored everything but the part where he said, he's perfectly out from the outside world, which means he can't reach Oscar. Other than this dream if he had to guess.
With an amusing smile, The God Prometheus snapped his fingers, causing some changes to appear in the benefits of the Title of being a chosen one.
Champion Of Prometheus:
You're the chosen one of the God who presides over the authority of Creation, Foresight, and Trickery to represent in the Game of Conquest.
Effect:
-You're vulnerable to any mind control from other Divinities.
-Your fate can be manipulated by any other Divinities.
-Other Chosen ones will be able to identify you.
-You cannot place any wager.
-Your Fate is tied to the God you're representing.
-You can not defy the rules.
"I can't do much, other than removing some of the benefits of being my chosen one. And I would say, the world is currently filled with Gods hungry for my blood. And I'm sure they would be more than happy to devour my chosen one, at first sight to destroy any plan of mine before it could form. For example, do you know what happened to your predecessor, and how he died after losing my Bet in the game?"
His smile, evil, and his tone sinister.
Oscar did remember Jazz telling him of a certain reincarnated goblin Hero like him, at that time he had assumed his predecessor had died of old age, peacefully. But now…
He gulped, thinking of a scenario where thousands of gods ordered their fanatic believers to eat that heretic alive or torture him for an eternity before drowning him with hundreds of hungry piranhas.
"I-ahem! I was joking, God, you have given me another chance to live; it's my duty and honor to aid you in your great escape. This Oscar is at your command"
Giving a respectful bow, Oscar cursed internally and decided to play along for now. And forget about him and his mission impossible quest later when this God won't be able to reach him. He's sure this dream is limited, and this Doctor Strange look-alike won't be able to keep him here forever, as indicated by his habit to keep glancing at his pocket watch.
"Smart one, I like it. But no, this won't do. It can't be forced, it has to be done by your own free will"
Shaking his head, Prometheus, then asked simply.
"What do you want?"
"Reborn as a human..."
Although Oscar didn't hate being a Goblin and had certainly enjoyed his journey through this past month he still won't leave a chance to become a human again.
It has many benefits, like not standing out as a sore green thumb when you go to buy yourself a wine in a wine store… and many more which he can't recall at the moment.
"I can't, it's against the rule" Shaking his head, he asked, "anything else"
Oscar thinks hard. The things he wanted in his previous life were many, but the things he wanted in this life didn't amount to much other than living. Though he had primal hate for anyone in power and wanted nothing but to overthrow them, he can't ask for this from the God who sits at the same power.
"Yeah! Can you undo my undead transformation?" He asked hopefully, afraid of living as undead for the rest of this life, that may likely be his last.
Raising an eyebrow, Prometheus said with a voice that one would use when explaining something to a child that doesn't understand the implications or the value of the things they had gotten.
"You sure? But just so you know it was indirectly my gift to better kick start your levels. That, and it's the only way we are able to meet here. If possible I will suggest you to keep assimilating any cores belonging to this Nightmare, I mean Apoxal Dungeon. It will help you in the long run and we will only be able to meet when you do so-!"
Prometheus suddenly stopped midway and opened his pocket watch before sighing audibly.
*Thud!*
Out of a sudden, a human-sized doll dropped on the stage, and the spotlights focused.
Crackling its ball joints, It picked itself up and stood on two, backs facing the audience, without any strings or support.
Snapping, its head turned 180 and its block-like mouth opened.
"Prometheus, my friend, why did you kick me from my own house? And what's this… a guest?"
The voice echoes, grating along the walls, the ceilings, and the floors. While the doll's head keeps rotating and with an eerie rattle as its mouth keeps opening and closing.
"Oscar, I will keep it short…" The man intently surveyed his surroundings, completely ignoring the Doll on stage as he spoke with a voice that suddenly puts Oscar on edge.
"You have to search for the Five Crypts, named Apoxal, and collect the keys before entering the last Crypt in the Lands of Dead. Though I can't say if you will be able to do it. But remember that my fate is tied with you, and if I remain here longer than I had predicted… then let's just say it won't be something good for both of us and-"
"Ah… how long it has been since I had a guest. This certainly calls for a proper welcome…"
The curtains pulled open, and the previous Dolls that had performed his biography live lined like waiters in numerous rows. In the middle, a man wearing an outfit resembling a joker, with a cap of two partitions came forward with a Sickle of ridiculous size. Its skin was white like a ghost, and an expression frozen like an immortal image of a smile.
Ringing the bells on his legs and hat with each step, it gives a courtesy bow, while accidentally cutting the heads of the Dolls that now wear the withered adventurer equipment and tattered robes of mages.
Though Oscar didn't how. But, he was able to see the expressions of extreme fear in each and every lifeless doll.
"I'm Adorable Adori, the first guardian of the Nightmare Dungeon. And the best friend of the man that stands beside you… Mr. Oscar" Jerking his head above, it locked its eyes at the Goblin who all but hides behind the said God.
"Will you also want to be Adori's friend-?!"
Before that things could spout more bullshit, a laser blasted its face, revealing its wiggling flesh underneath.
Blowing off his forefinger that he shoots the laser from, The Creation God calmly said.
"-and if you're still having doubts on if you should follow my words and or not. Here,"
Tossing a gold coin from his side pocket, that Oscar unknowingly caught between his hands, Prometheus continued.
"Coin Of Prediction, take it as a gift from me or a bribe if you want. And remember you will receive such gifts from me on clearing each Crypt"
Giving a wink, the God then covered Oscar in circles that glowed brightly, and a force tried to repel him out of this place by breaking the link that had been tightened by the Monster in suit ahead.
"Prometheus… You. Can't. Take. Away. Another. Friend. Of. Mine!"
Its head grows back, but its smile doesn't.
With an abyssal maw stretched above, it screeched and leaped with the army of dolls that flooded the theater from every place possible, like insects. Crawling on all fours, trampling over each other, they surrounded the prisoner and the soon-to-be prisoner. While a black shadow crashed onto the barrier that had been erected by Prometheus effortlessly.
"Sigh… There's not much new you can do in a fight that had been repeated billions of times over''
Shaking his head, Prometheus watched the Lich trying to claw his way inside the barrier with its dolls before turning to the thoroughly spooked Goblin, "Any last questions?"
"Will you be alright?"
Smiling, he just replied, "A captured god is still a god" He was just about to purge Oscar out of this Nightmare when the Goblin suddenly screams, making him halt.
"Wait! I know this sounds cliche but…why me?"
Quickly saying so, he watched as the Lich and well above thousands of Dolls chewed the barrier. His breathing stopped.
"Again, the rules, and… I think our vibe matched well enough"
Winking, Prometheus snapped the fingers and broke the link right when the barrier cracked and the flood drowned upon him.
----------------------------------------
Waking up, Oscar felt a burning itch on his right hand. Though the place was dark, the goblin could still make out the mark of a Burning Torch that illuminated his dark surroundings like a guide in the darkness before fading away like an illusion to his mortal eyes.