As the blinding light enveloped Alex, a voice—genderless, neutral, and cold, resounded across the world.
Assessment underway…
Planetary Grading: D+
Metaphysical Manifestations: F-
Beginning terraformation. Integrating Metaphysical Manifestations.
Starting System Announcement.
The voice shifted to a man’s.
Natives of Universe 39F72, Integration 192, Local Name: ‘Earth’.
Congratulations.
You have reached a point of development suitable to begin Integration into the System.
The leaders of your world have accepted our offer and chosen to join the system, and thus, a Tutorial will begin for all sentient and sapient species of planet Earth for a smoother transition.
One hundred days (local time) will be provided to complete this tutorial, during which you will become familiar with the system interface and how to utilize it. Afterwards, there will be a brief grace period before the planetary campaigns will begin an Invasion to claim your planet.
You have been given a chance to fight for its sovereignty and become a rising power within the Multiverse. Should you succeed, you will join the many planets under the System as a new Sovereign self-governing entity.
Good luck.
‘Good luck’ it said. As if it were wishing a neighbor well on their new venture rather than sentencing most of humanity to their deaths. It sent a shiver down Alex’s back, remembering how casual it had all been.
The announcement ended and immediately his reality shifted. He stood in a dark void in which size and distance seemed to hold little measure and the only tangibles were a distant collage of stars. Distant, and yet they felt closer than they had any right to be, not just in the sky, but all around him, even beneath his feet. They shone blue, red, white, and with colors vaster than imagination—and they all seemed to watch him as he took a step.
That’s because they actually were watching, Alex knew. If not them then their vassals.
He walked forwards anyway, plastic bags crinkling at his sides like candy wrappers in the silence. There was no ground beneath him but faint light shimmered underfoot to platform his every step. He came to a stop eventually and tentatively reached out, until his fingers met cold stone. They slid roughly against the chiseled, patterned surface of the first gate and his trailing touch birthed just enough of a glow to see the rest of it there, tall as two men, ageless as time.
He followed the grooves until his fingers found a smooth orb embedded in its center and a sudden dark, obsidian light rushed from the orb and reached into the core of his being. Space seemed to ruffle slightly, like curtains in the breeze, and as effortlessly as that, Alex awakened.
“Hello Alex Smith, welcome to the Sanctum,” a voice spoke.
Alex turned around. With his senses back, the light from the stars was now enough to illuminate his surroundings. The Sanctum couldn’t have been called a room, lacking an identifiable end or beginning for walls, but it now felt less the great expanse it had at first seemed like when he’d been unawakened. A vaguely-human-shaped creature now stood in the middle of the Sanctum where it had not been before.
The Arbiter, Alex thought, That which oversees the System’s Gates.
The thing had smooth sockets for eyes, a pale blue, almost holographic body, and skin that both looked more textured than a mannequin’s but at the same time like it was laid thicker with slicker plaster. It’s smile was sly and far too jagged to be cordial and it wore a business suit over it all as if of the opinion that it made him look human enough to pass.
The guise wasn’t convincing to someone who’d seen its true form.
System. Alex commanded.
Immediately a virtual screen popped up in his field of vision, blocking out the Arbiter. He’d hardly been an hour without the system, but at the familiarity of the blue screen Alex felt a sudden surge of relief, as if he’d gotten back a limb that he hadn’t even realized was lost yet. Then he looked down at his left arm and it registered with him that he actually had. Funny, that. He turned his attention back to the screen.
His relief was replaced by pure horror as he read what popped up.
Identity: Alex Smith
Race: Human
Class: N/A
Level: 2
Titles: N/A
Traits: [???]
HP: 92%
Mana: 100%
Stamina: 44%
Skills: None
Stats:
Vitality - 2
Strength - 1
Dexterity - 2
Fortitude - 2
Perception - 4
Arcane - 2
Alex gaped. It was gone. All of his stats—literally everything he had earned over the years.
Of course it was going to be this way, he chided himself. Afterall he certainly didn’t feel like someone who had a C ranker’s stats.
He wasn’t deluded about that, but there was something just infinitely more visceral about seeing his Strength stat back at 1 than knowing that he’d fail at doing ten measly pushups if he layed out this second. And as someone who had been at a bottleneck for years, to see all that effort be erased…
Dammit.
He clicked his tongue, but left it at that. Perhaps this would’ve been a devastation on another day, but now, with everything that had already happened, it was just more icing on an already unappealing-looking cake.
He tightened his grip on the plastic bags and, reminded that he was still lugging around pounds of the supplies he’d gathered, quickly vanished them to his inventory. He’d been about to close out the screen too when a notification triggered in front of him.
Welcome to your stat page! Here, you’ll be able to see the quantification of all your amazing progress. Let me guide you through…
Annoyingly, he wasn’t able to exit the System’s triggered guide at command. It seemed his mental commands had been reset to default. No, instead he had to physically close the screen out, and call him privileged, but after mastering his mental commands after fifteen years, doing it manually felt clunky. It added another layer of irritation to the whole thing.
…in addition to your three Conditions, each Awakened has six attributes—
And to even more displeasure, it turned out just closing the window wasn’t enough to get the explanation to stop! It still echoed in his skull with that grating buzz direct transmissions had to them.
It took him a minute to find what he was looking for in the settings.
Are you sure you would like to disable Orientation mode? [Yes / N—
Yes. Please.
In Alex’s first life it had taken him the entire speech before he’d realized the system guide was comprehensive enough without its ostentatious and—frankly, uncomfortable—telepathic explanations.
The voice stopped and finally there was some quiet, leaving him only with the guide page it had triggered.
[Stat Glossary]
Vitality - the capacity of one’s body to grow and to recover from stress and damage.
Strength - the capacity of one’s body to exert force or pressure.
Dexterity - the capacity of one’s body to exert control over its motor function.
Fortitude - the capacity of one’s mind and body to maintain function under duress.
Perception - the capacity of one’s mind to comprehend and process sensory information.
Arcane - the capacity of one’s spirit to channel mana and cast magic.
Patience—the capacity of one’s sanity to not self-destruct at this bullshit.
Alex sighed as he closed out the window.
Begrudgingly, he knew this wasn’t strictly such a bad thing—he wasn’t stupid. With his curse, he’d been so deep in shit that frankly, nothing short of, well… all this, would’ve been enough to drag him out. He understood. But just because medicine was good for you didn’t mean you had to like the taste of it.
[Orientation Ended!]
The last of the notifications winked out, bringing The Arbiter back into view, which was suddenly a lot closer than it had been. Its soulless, plaster sockets glimmered with what could only be intrigue.
“Curious, Mr. Smith. It says here you’re human—not fae, not vampire, not a mage—but a natural born human, yes?” the Arbiter straightened, hands clasped behind its back as it circled inquisitively around him, “Curious that you would adjust so fast, Mr. Smith. Curious, more, that none of the stars in this sky seem to be taking special interest…”
The Arbiter trailed off as if it expected Alex to spill some secret in the gap. He offered nothing, trying to remind himself that as personable as it seemed, the Arbiter was not a living thing—not anymore. It was a representative of the System and it didn’t have the urges or desires that those of flesh had, nothing untoward would come of its interest.
But it was still creepy as fuck.
“You don’t have anything you want to ask me? No ‘who are you?!’ or ‘waah, where is this?’ No?”
Alex supposed he could fake it, but there’d be no point. Dream or not—and really, there was no point to chalking this all up to imagination by now—he couldn’t hide much from the System itself.
“Not a talker I take it, Mr. Smith. In that case…”
The Arbiter fastened its tie and with a flourish of its wrist, extended a white envelope towards him.
Alex’s heart started beating in his chest.
He already knew what it was, and with some resignation, he touched the seal. The envelope disappeared in a flash and the letter it contained reappeared as text on his interface.
Dear Alex Smith,
The High Justice Council of the Multiverse acknowledges your potential as the pinnacle of what your world has to offer, and we extend to you an invitation to an alternate tutorial, Nightmare:
“Stretch your wings! Test your strength! Vanquish evil from all the worlds! The risk may be great, but the rewards are worth it. So come and prove yourself against the terrors of the night! We hope to see you there!” - Council Member Justin.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Note: This is an exclusive opportunity—only one million spots guaranteed. If you refuse, yours will be given to the next in line.
Sincerely,
The High Justice Council
The words faded from his vision leaving Alex with just the physical letter. He promptly crumpled it up and littered it onto empty space where it shimmered on contact. It was hardly an explanatory thing, but he supposed that’s what the Arbiter was here for. Not that Alex needed any reminding of what Nightmare was really about.
“Tell me,” he sighed, “What was my priority in queue?”
“What makes you think you weren’t first to receive this invitation?” the Arbiter deadpanned.
Alex didn’t answer stupid questions.
“Three-million, five-hundred-sixty-thousand, two-hundred and two.”
He grunted. That’d been about what he expected to hear, though it was nice to finally have confirmation. This… “opportunity” had to have passed through two and a half million people before it ever reached him.
Exclusive my ass.
Sure, he supposed that put him in the top .0005th percentile of those with magical potential on Earth, but in the grand scale of the universe that kind of talent was meager at best. Anyone of what little noteworthy talent on offer had likely been in those first hundred-thousand to receive their invitation, and most of those who previously knew it probably knew to pass the opportunity up as well.
“I will say, there’s a quite generous signing bonus—”
“Shut up, I’m thinking.”
A white lie. There wasn’t much to think about by this point, lest he wanted to go splat on the concrete in front of his apartment. He already knew what he had to do, he just didn’t like it one bit. And why should he? Just the thought of going back to that forsaken world sent a shiver down his spine and he could feel his dangersense tingling too, somewhere in the back of his skull.
Still, he had to do it.
Alyssa, I’m sorry.
He didn’t know if he had anything to be sorry for, but he still felt a tinge of guilt. The normal tutorial took place on a terraformed earth, and the facts were, if she…if she couldn’t take advantage of the information he’d sent, then she’d probably meet her end in those first couple days anyways. When he’d be in Seattle, unable to reach her.
No, if Alex wanted any chance at all in protecting her, he had to focus on what would come after. On how he’d protect her once the invasion began in full—because god knew, no meager amount of power could guarantee her safety then.
But if it was power he was after…
Then Nightmare it is.
Alex balled his fists and met the Arbiter’s stare. Above its head a timer began, counting down from five minutes. He matched the thing’s toothy grin with one of grim determination.
Truthfully, the power he sought wasn’t all for the sake of protection. There were wrongs in this world that needed righting—too many of them. And they required more strength than he’d ever known. Facts were, he was sick of being on the knife’s end of the dagger. Sick of the shit you had to put up with when you were weak and feeble in a world full of predators. He’d been lied to, misled, and ruined too many times in his life—and honor be damned, he wasn’t going to sit back and watch as it all happened again.
No, this time he would take charge of his fate. No matter the cost.
[4:46]
The timer ticked down and the Arbiter’s gaze bore into Alex, almost goading. In his first life Alex had spent every second of those five minutes micro-analyzing his options, searching, but there was no chance he was spending another 4 minutes in a room with the creepy thing.
He’d decided.
“Very well then,” the Arbiter said, “I’m certain we will be seeing another soon, Mr. Smith.”
For the third time that day, Alex was consumed by a blinding flash. And as his world disappeared around him, the Arbiter’s smile seemed to stretch into something deeply unsettling.
***
Signing Bonus Received.
Basic Essence-Refinement Method has been integrated.
Inventory has been augmented to Grade C.
Universal translator has been updated with all Earthen languages along with 500 additional ones.
[Inspect] has been added to the interface.
[Identify] has been added to the interface.
Additional Shop privileges have been granted.
Your balance has been started at 1,000 Essence Crystals — non-consumable.
[Welcome to the Nightmare! The Council of High Justice applauds your decision. What bonus set woul–]
Bonus set C Selected.
Standard Dagger.
Leather armor set.
Beef Jerky.
[Stealth]
The items appeared with a thwump, collapsing into a pile at Alex’s feet. He didn’t need to open his System to feel the stealth skill as it settled into his soul, intertwining with his being.
Soon, others began to teleport in around him.
“What, where is this–”
“Hah! Come on, this can’t be real–”
“Molly? Molly?? Goddammit, pick up the phone!”
Alex sat himself on the edge of the grass clearing, shoving jerky into his mouth. The bag wafted an intense umami smell that made his stomach gurgle. Arguably, his greatest regret from his last life was not grabbing a bite before the apocalypse, and even if this would only recover a fraction more of his stamina in his malnourished state, it warmed his stomach regardless.
Still, 44% stamina was pretty horrendous for what he’d be up against. Luckily, the caffeine from the can of Monster he’d downed was beginning to kick in and it would help him bridge the gap a little, but he should’ve completely looted the employee fridges when he’d had the chance.
Alex gave a regretful sigh. All around him was chaos.
people fretting to and fro, panicked and confused, shouting or mumbling as more newly awakened teleported in after them. There’d been only a handful at first—those like him who had wasted little time on their decision, or others perhaps who were too shaken to think over theirs carefully. Alex ignored the ruckus and began strapping on his armor. Torso first, then greaves, lassets, and bracers. By the time he’d fitted it all, there was already a steady flow of newcomers.
A voice spoke from over his shoulder, “What the–”
Alex glanced at the broad man as he finished materializing, he was built like a professional wrestler—and given what he was wearing, probably was one. “Where—hey, did you talk to that Arbiter thing too? Options–what do I…” he went silent, then tapped the display in front of him and a pile of items appeared at his feet as well.
Bonus set B, Alex noted as he immediately set his System to invisible. But at least the man had been decisive with his decision.
“Hey,” Alex asked, “What skill did you choose?”
Truthfully, Alex had already seen it. [Guiding Light]. A pretty standard scouting skill that had some particularly neat uses when creatively applied. Almost all of the Bonus selections came with one skill or another, but since the System pulled some strings to increase learning proficiency for the first equipped skill, all the offerings had to be something they were relatively suited to learning already and were rarely too out there.
But Guiding Light… Alex gave it some thought. Assuming this scenario is the same as it was last time, I could see use in that. Could be used as a decoy. Then someone could loop around and…
The man opened his mouth as if to answer, then closed it again. His jaw set and he looked Alex over with judging eyes. “What, did you think I’d tell you? The Arbiter said only one tenth could make it out anyways.”
And that’s why talking to Arbiter is worthless.
Alex hardly felt enough surprise at the response to be disappointed. He resisted a snort as the man stalked away. A tenth? Did he really think that many of them were going to make it out?
He finished the last of his jerky as a crowd developed in the middle of the clearing. There were still people who were out of sorts, but the reactions were more mixed now. This was Nightmare after all, most of them were athletes, mathematicians, geniuses or eccentrics of one sort or another, and they were all here because they had a deadly ego. He heard specific words echoing over more often now: “Challenge”, “Fantasy”, “Game”. He watched as a decently built man tugged pitifully at a gigantic, oversized sword, clearly already regretting his choice in weapon.
Alex looked down at his own dagger, he saw how his spindly arm bent from its weight. He didn’t inspire much confidence, did he?
Heck, he was probably more scrawny than anyone else gathered here today. He’d seen the look in that man’s eyes when he’d asked him about his skill. Hardly a passing glance and he’d already been dismissed from mind. He knew what went through people’s mind as they looked at him. He looked weak.
He glanced over at the moshpit of heightened emotions where everyone had gathered. They all fitted their armor like bad cosplays, straps not nearly tight enough, and waved toys around like they were going to slay dragons with them. There were still a few people with skills worth considering of the bunch. Like the healer with [Bone Restoration] who was currently… making his own bones firmer? Or the buff guy with a good sword swinging skill… who was wielding… a scythe.
They were a familiar sight. People—normal people, all things considered—in over their heads, unaware of the death about to befall them.
Looking at them, Alex suddenly felt his trait tingle in a way it never quite had before.
Gray clouds swooped overhead, looming there, casting a dark shadow over the field, and he watched as the crowd turned towards him in unison. Their eyes seemed starkly pleading even as they melted into bloody goop. Flesh fell away from their faces, revealing patches of bone and wound. Their empty sockets bore into him intensely and it took all he had not to look away. Then through chattering teeth he could almost hear them call his name.
Alex, save us.
The sensation passed in a second. The sun matted the clearing as if it had never been disturbed. No one even spared him a glance. He thought about it then—of going in there, introducing himself, finding a few capable individuals, stringing them together into some semblance of order. Then he caught drift of a heated argument, between that wrestler and a sharp tongued woman as they vied for leadership. He glanced again at his measly dagger.
No, there would be no room for cooperation there.
Not yet.
Stifling a yawn, Alex stretched. Then rose up, cracking his back. His bones were frail underneath his skin and blood rushed to his head in a way that was oddly refreshing as his vision failed for a second. He shed his blazer, loosened his tie, and slid the dagger beneath his belt into its accompanying sheath. Unnaturally fast, the sun had begun sinking behind the mountains, creating a sudden dusk. The forestry was flush with life and the clearing would’ve been the perfect place for a twilight picnic if not for the fresh circling of bony crows.
Subtly, the influx of new people started to slow. It was about time.
In the center of the clearing, a dark orb-shaped void appeared. He counted the crowd at thirty-four as they stared at it, dumbfounded.
[00:59]
[00:58]
No, thirty-five.
As Alex turned the other way, he spotted the pitifully small woman who’d been the last to teleport in. She’d probably spent the entire countdown indecisive on the invitation—and just like he once had, she’d decided on Nightmare in the end. As he disappeared into the treeline he gave a silent prayer for her next life. And in that same instant, he decided how he wanted to spend this one.
Survival was a goal for the weak.
Alex would be weak no longer.
[0:00]
Nightmare has begun. Starting Players: 999,836
Mandatory Scenario Has Been Triggered
Title: Initiation
Lobby count: 35
Rewards:
1,000 Essence Crystals.
Skill Paths Unlocked for purchase in shop.
Basic Skills Catalog.
Clear Conditions:
Survive the attack or be the one to receive immunity.
Good luck!
***
Jun had always believed there was nothing he couldn’t overcome through effort. He’d believed it when he’d spent his nights cramming to get into Harvard Medical, he’d believed it when he’d made enough money to get his mother a heart transplant, he’d believed right up until the very moment when monsters started pouring from the gate and hell had broken loose.
No amount of effort would have prepared him for this slaughter.
“Shit–shit–shi—”
He didn’t turn as a woman stumbled and was killed somewhere behind him. He heard her scream, heard the voice turn to gurgles before nothing but the wet sounds of a monster feasting remained.
I– I should help her.
He ran faster.
Branches whipped past his face, his legs started to sting from countless scrapes, tears welled in his eyes but he didn’t dare slow his run. It was dark now—unnatural now that he thought about it, how quick it had gotten dark—but he stayed vigilant, preening his ears for inhuman snarls or footsteps. All he heard was screams… and the clang of metal from the giant armored knight.
It wasn’t like they’d been clueless. It wasn’t like they expected anything good to happen when that countdown ended. But… there were just so many of them! Those sharp teeth, their beady little eyes!
And that armored knight… it still freaked him out. One of the others had sent a pulse at its head—knocked the helmet clean off of it—and he’d seen it then… there had been no one inside.
He forced himself to run harder.
There was a skirting sound to his left, another scream to his right. He slipped on something slick and came face to face with a decapitated head. Only then did he truly understand what Nightmare was. He reached for his sword—
—but had forgotten he’d already dropped it. The creature snarled as it launched itself at him.
“SHIT–”
Jun closed his eyes, ready to be torn to pieces.
But no matter how long he stood frozen, his body remained whole. And as the fear of death passed, he slowly pulled one eyelid open.
A man’s shadow blurred and suddenly the creature had a dagger embedded in its neck. Then the shadow shifted and he saw who it belonged to. He was a lanky kid, unhealthily skinny and with a complexion so pale it was visible even with so little moonlight out. He struggled a little, pulling his dagger free as he kicked the limp body down.
“Nice skill you got there,” he said, “Shame that you’re using it wrong.”
“Huh?”
“Your skill,” he repeated, “Saw you using it earlier. What do you say we help each other out?”
Jun hesitated, “You–you mean to survive?”
The man looked like he could barely support his own weight, hell, he already looked half-dead himself. And yet there was something to his eyes, the way he scanned his surroundings, the way he carried himself–
He looked off in the direction of the carnage.
“Survive?” The man gave a slight chuckle, “No. I plan to win.”