Where am I?

I could not see anything. I could not feel anything. Everything was dark. Like I was floating in the vast nothingness of the universe.

How did I get here?

I had no memories of how I ended up in this place. How long had this been going on for? I could not tell. It felt like an eternity. Maybe it was. Time was not something I could not keep track of in the void.

And then... I felt it.

A soft blow of the wind to my right. It was just the slightest of touches, but, after all this time spent floating in the abyss, this slight touch felt overwhelming.

It was enough to wake me up from my slumber. It caused me to shoot up like a spring.

"Guys!" I yelled in panic as faint memories came back into my head.

"Gendor... Sheila... Jan..." I said silently as I searched around.

"Where are you?"

I could not remember anything, except for those three. I remembered their faces. I remembered their voices. I remembered their laughs.

I remembered nothing else about them. Who were they? How did we meet? And when?

Nothing.

But I remembered how they meant everything to me. And how he took them away. How it was all my stupid ego's fault that lured them to their demise.

That is where my memories ended. What happened after the fight? What happened before the fight? Why and how did we get there? And how did I get here? What is going on?

I did not know anything. Actually, I did know one thing.

I was going to avenge my friends. I was going to make him pay.

But first, I needed to figure out everything else. Figure out who I am and how do I get to him. My journey to tear him into a thousand pieces was about to begin.

I looked around and all I could see was a beautiful, green grass, as far as the eye could see. I was in the middle of nowhere, but at least that nowhere was stunning. I tried to walk, but for some reason I couldn't.

I tried again.

Nothing happened.

That's weird

Then it all made sense. I looked down and there was nothing. I could see straight through where would normally be my body. No legs to walk with. No body, no arms, no nothing. Just this endless green field.

Was I a spirit? Was I not meant to be here? Was there a body waiting for me to attach to it?

My questions got answered a few moments later, as a weird, robotic voice sounded inside my head.

Life initiated. Welcome, new hero.

New hero? Me? Did I not have a choice? What if I wanted to become a fisherman? What if I wanted to start a family?

I wondered, but these were not my goals right now. I had a goal and I would allow no one to stop me. I was going to get my revenge, whether this made me a hero or the devil himself.

As I was thinking about these things, trying to recall more memories of my three friends, a bright screen flashed in front of me. It was light blue in color and semi-transparent. But it was empty. Was it supposed to be like that? What was its purpose? I wanted to touch it, but I had no arms to do so. Suddenly, letters started appearing in the screen, forming words and sentences.

Name: ????

Race ????

Class: ????

Affinity: ????

Attunement: ????

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 0

[Strength]: 0

[Endurance]: 0

[Wisdom]: 0

[Agility]: 0

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[Perception]: 0

Tap on your name to edit.

My name, huh? Good question. Who was I? Was I even anything before this? Were these memories even real? And if they were, were they mine? So many questions, and I could answer none. If I had an actual head, it would probably be hurting by now.

For the time being, I had to answer the hardest question of them all: What is my name?

The screen advised me to tap, but I had no fingers to do so. I could not continue. Was I trapped here forever? No, I refused. There had to be another way.

And there was.

Instead of actually tapping my name to edit, I actively thought about doing that, focusing on it as much as I could. Surely enough, it worked.

After a lot of thought, I came out with the perfect name, one that would suit me better than any other. I typed it out in my head and was ready to press the 'submit' button.

I am XxDemonSlayerxX. Go.

I proudly pressed the button.

The moment I did, big, red letters flew out of the screen, bright, blinking letters. They would be right in my face — if I had one.

Name 'XxDemonSlayerxX' is already taken.

I instinctively thought about pressing the letters and made them disappear. Along with the letters, the name I had just entered disappeared as well.

Name: ????

Tap on your name to edit.

Dammit! I spent all this time coming up with the perfect name and I couldn't even use it!

I had to come up with something else.

XxDemonDestroyerxX

Name already taken

YyDemonSlayerYy

Name already taken

XDemonXSlayerX

Name already taken

Carl

Name already taken

At that point, I did not know what I was doing. No matter what name I put in, it was "already taken". Was there an error in whatever this was? Would I be left like this forever?

Feeling defeated, I thought of random letters, almost as if mashing my hand into the keyboard.

Jinden

Name available. Proceed with name: Jinden?

Yes, yes! Fucking proceed! Just let me be someone already!

Name: Jinden

Race: ????

After finally selecting a name, it was time for an almost equally hard decision. I had to choose my race.

I pressed the word with my finger and a new, smaller, equally blue window popped up, showing all the races I could choose from.

Human

This is the most common race in the entire Algeaa. Being well-rounded, humans can do a little bit of everything. Humans can use both Physical and Magical attacks, defend, and evade and craft. They are the most versatile race, allowing the hero to forge their own path to glory.

Human, huh? Jack of all trades did not sound like something I wanted to be. I would not be able to defeat the Demon King by being average. I was not going to choose this one, unless the rest of the choices were surprisingly bad.

Swipe left.

Elf

Elves are the fastest race. Their soft, smooth, and graceful movements allow them to outmanoeuvre everybody else, easily evading attacks and sneaking behind their opponents. They are very perceptive and their attacks are accurate, which makes them great at remaining hidden and fighting from a distance. Their higher Magical power allows them to become spellcasters if they ever so please to. They are the weakest race in terms of physical strength, which makes close combat unfavorable.

Very tempting. I liked the idea of using speed and perception in my favor, but such a frail body means that I should probably keep my distance if I choose this race — one wrong move and I'd be done for. I wanted to see if there is anything else available.

Swipe left.

Dwarf

What they lack in height they posses in might. Dwarves are physically the strongest of all the races. They like a good brawl and are usually the first to dive into a fist- or axe-fight. They are not the fastest or the best at evading, but they can allow themselves to get hit, as this usually means they will get to hit even harder. They are great at crafting, which makes them usually carry the greatest weapons and armour. Their magical abilities are average. Most dwarves don't cast spells, but weapon enchantments are far from rare.

This one seemed promising. Having unmatched physical strength seemed really appealing to me and I could practically win any battle if I managed to get close to my opponent. But that was a big 'if'. Maybe too big.

Swipe left. Swipe right. Swipe left.

Demon

Demons are the most feared race and for a good reason. Their intimidating appearance makes people think again before fighting them or even approaching them whatsoever. Surprisingly, their physical capabilities are less than those of humans, but they are still higher than elves. Their speed and magical abilities, on the other hand, surpass what the humans can do, but are not as potent as those of elves. They usually prefer a mixture of close combat and ranged spell-casting, always striving to take advantage of their opponent's weakness.

This... this beast. I was not going to become one of his kin. Not in a million years. Even if that meant becoming a human.

Swipe left.

Goblin

Goblins are cunning creatures that like to lurk in the shadows. Fighting fair is not their cup of tea and they would rather set up a trap for you or hit you when you are sleeping. In some cases, they are more than happy to just steal your coin pouch and leave, avoiding the fight altogether. Very smart and perceptive creatures, they tend to be masters of ambushes and have a strategic approach to fighting. It is not unusual for Goblins to be the commanders that lead armies to war. Wits over brawn and numbers.

The goblins' unique approach to fighting was quite intriguing at first. Enough to make me fall deep into thought, considering the possibilities. But in the end, I was not going to be a commander or fight from the shadows. I would be the one to destroy the beast.

Swipe left.

Anthir

Anthiri are the rarest of all the races. The grace, speed, and precision in their movement is close to that of an elf, but they pack a punch, almost like a human. They prefer close combat and utilize lighter weapons like swords, daggers, and rapiers that allow them to land quick, swift blows and counterattacks, but they can usually hold the ground in ranged combat if necessary, but it is far from the strongest point. They are comfortable using their magical powers to cast spells or enhance their abilities, but their crafting abilities are far from ideal.

This one showed a lot of potential. Quick on their feet, able to get up close and personal without getting knocked out by a slight gust of wind. Of course not as fast as elves, but giving some of the speed for extra endurance was a trade I would happily take. I was not the type of person to fight from a distance, anyway. But I wanted to see what else was there.

Swipe left.

Human

We came full circle? Really? Surely these couldn't be all the races in the entire world, but whatever.

It was obvious from the race descriptions that, depending on the one I chose, I would get a different split on my initial stats — this was not just cosmetic.

Of course, this meant that choosing my race was pretty much paving the path I wanted to follow — except if I chose the Human race — but it shouldn't be the end all be all, otherwise, what would be the point of classes? Surely the system did not mean classes as in royalty to peasants.

I should probably not put too much thought into this, but still...

What should I choose?