"Awaken, Chosen Ones," a sacred, almost unquestionably divine voice ordered, causing Alastor's blurred mind to regain clarity.
A brief trace of displeasure flashed across the teen's face. Argh. This goddamned process. He hated losing control over himself, however minute it may be. Like, seriously. Which idiot would sedate a player during the loading screen?
Alastor processed the new landscape he was in almost instantly.
He was standing in a pool of sky blue water, completely nude. Similar to him, countless other teenagers littered the water, standing upright in a daze, also nude. A chilly wind struck Alastor’s body, making him want to shiver. Pervert. Summoning minors nude, the Head Mage is a true pervert. Well, not like he has much control over the process, but still.
"Oh Chosen Ones, welcome," a masculine voice echoed, different from the ethereal, almost genderless voice that spoke before.
Alastor's gaze turned towards the source of the noise, an extremely old man donned in long, flowing robes. Forming a sight as beautiful as the starry night sky, white dots littered his purple robes. His long white beard blasphemed the picturesque robes and spread over them haphazardly. Even the layers of wrinkled skin that filled his face could not hide his red eyes, twinkling like embers of lava. A serene smile stretched itself over his face, unchanging and ever present. Despite the aura of dignity that pervaded through every single one of his actions, he looked like a kindly old man, one that’d not harm even a bug.
Ah. How nostalgic. Been a bit since I’ve seen Hecate, it has. He’s one of the only NPCs who’s not based on a cliche, man. Dude is way too noble for someone who serves a corrupt king. Which is weird. Old men like him are usually supposed to be evil old dingleberries.
Why am I going on an exposition dump, again?
"Go, Caretakers. Do your duty," the Head Mage, Hecate ordered, interrupting Alastor's train of thought.
The two rows of robed teenagers standing behind the Head Mage walked into the water, swiftly approaching a Chosen One of the opposite gender.
Alastor’s heart tightened when his eyes met those of the approaching girl. Despite wearing pitch black robes, she looked like an angel gracing the mortal world with her presence.
Well, that was how she’d look if one had Alastor’s bias, at least. Honestly, she looked like a standard girl next door, none of her features particularly standing out.
Raven. Alastor gasped melodramatically in his heart. One of my biggest regrets.
Well, she was probably one of my longer lasting ones, sure. This game’s immersion is off the charts, truly. However, it provided one with the luxury of being able to interact with their 2D—well, technically 3D, since they were never exactly 2D—waifus.
Goddamn, have I been afflicted with the exposition curse? Stay on track, mind! We have a lot of experimenting to do! Fighting!
While wrapping a robe similar to the one she wore around him using her mana, Raven smiled brightly. Alastor blinked dumbly in response, playing the role of a standard system drugged transmigrator properly.
"The tool of the gods must have introduced the current situation to you, Chosen Ones. Do not worry, for you can return back to your families, your normal lives, after this is done,” the Head Mage announced, his voice echoing off the walls.
Man, the old dude is not good at speeches at all, huh? Alastor pondered internally. Would teaching him how to deliver a speech effectively gimme points? That seems like a potential side quest, not gonna lie. Nope, shush, mind.
“Please follow the Caretakers next to you, Chosen Ones.” The Head Mage waved his hand, causing the giant doors behind him to open.
Raven grabbed his wrist gently, pulling him along with her, and Alastor made sure to gaze straight ahead, acting like he was in a daze. His ‘Caretaker’ was much sharper than she seemed, after all.
Light assaulted his eyes as soon as he crossed the gigantic doors. Blinking a few times to adjust, Alastor was met with a kingly… nah… an unnecessarily extravagant sight.
“Welcome to Deidamia!” thunderous voices boomed out, uniting into a single orderly chorus.
A hall large enough to fit hundreds of houses met his eyes, grand chandeliers lining its ceiling. The stone floor was polished enough that it shined, and not a speck of dust was present in sight. A red carpet lined its center, its vibrant hue pleasing to the eye.
Rows of ministers sat on elevated stands on either side, the red lion crest present on their robes the only thing common amongst them. All of them wore black clothes, forming a giant mass of black. Soldiers lined below them, their silver armor gleaming at the edges. All of them had placed the tip of their swords onto the ground, holding them with both their hands.
In the middle of them all stood an elevated throne, seating the king himself. A red fur coat adorned him, a golden insignia of a lion stretching over it. Slight wrinkles spread over his face, his smile only enhancing the sense of oppression he emitted. His blue eyes seemed endlessly deep, like he could see through the secrets of the world itself. He was like a lion, towering over all of them like a true predator.
The booming welcome of the soldiers reached every corner of the hall with the help of magic so as to not echo, allowing them to seamlessly transition into humming the introduction to Deidamia’s national anthem.
Oh for fuck’s sake, Alastor swore within his mind. I have to go through that national song again. Argh.
Even the ministers stood up once the national anthem’s chords began filling the hall. Of all those assembled, only King Belial remained seated.
In a flat, somewhat somber tone, the humming soldiers began to sing the anthem in earnest.
“There stands a mighty and great nation!
Which ruled the world from land to shining sea;
There were heroes who lived in that land,
who fought for freedom and justice with might;
And though they rode through danger and strife,
they never faltered or failed nor gave up their fight.”
Alastor completely fazed out the song. At this point, after his multiple resets, he couldn’t even bother to comment about the soul-suckingly boring song. Instead, he focused on a small task he had to complete.
“Chaos, consume system.”
Scanning Soul… New System Detected. Consuming…
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“The people loved them as true friends should,
for they did everything right to protect our world.
They stood against evil,
and defended the innocent;
And built Deidamia in its true right!”
Forty Four Percent Complete….
Abruptly, the soldier’s voices increased by a notch, their throats a thin line away from breaking.
“DEIDAMIA! DEIDAMIA!
You are our beloved homeland!
God is watching over us all,
as we watch over you!
With love and pride,
we stand behind our brave warriors!”
Seventy Eight Percent Complete…
DEIDAMIA! DEIDAMIA!
You are our beloved homeland!
Our hearts will not forget you,
our memories will last forever.
We'll keep your honor strong and proud,
we'll always be a part of you.
This is your country we stand on,
this is our home we'll defend!
DEIDAMIA! DEIDAMIA-”
System Consumed. Access To System Mainframe Available.
Maintaining his dazed expression, Alastor ordered, “Imitate system. Stats?”
Imitating System… Presenting Stats…
[Stats]
STR: ???
DEX: ???
WIS: ???
INT: ???
Comment: y̷̝̱̳͍͙̳̹̳̻͓̘͙̝̅̈́͑̈͆̋̓̒̃̍̓̚̕͠͠o̸̳̳̟͖͍̤̙̬̮̫̊̔͑ù̴̞̺̻̘͈̠̩͍͖͒̈ ̵̱̳̺̰̪̐̒̌̎̋͑͐̚͜͜͠͝ͅͅͅs̸̬͚̞̭̖̕h̷̛̫̘͖̹̳̹̮̙͕͓͖̯́̿̌̑̌͂͌͒̓̎̚͜͝a̵̱͕̞̪͋͗̽͊̿̏́̇̉͋͊̅͘ͅl̵͔͆̋̄̕l̴̗̳͇̬̞̬̋̿̄̂̋̂̇̄͗͛̆̚̕͜͜ ̸͚͕̭̠̂͗͑͂̚s̸̡̧̫̝̥̱̼̠̻̥̻̹̹̞͂ͅư̷̢͇̭͓̖̗̼̌̀̓̍̌̋͊͑͛̀̑͋̑͜͠ͅf̵̧͎̩̰̗͚͖͙̅̅̌f̴͕̞̅͊͒̔̃͑̓̊́̅̚͝ę̷̱̦̣̘̻̰͚̤͍́̃ͅr̴̨̢̛̝̠͎̳̳͈̦̝̝̗̗̗̖̊͊̓̚͠, y̷̝̱̳͍͙̳̹̳̻͓̘͙̝̅̈́͑̈͆̋̓̒̃̍̓̚̕͠͠o̸̳̳̟͖͍̤̙̬̮̫̊̔͑ù̴̞̺̻̘͈̠̩͍͖͒̈ ̵̱̳̺̰̪̐̒̌̎̋͑͐̚͜͜͠͝ͅͅͅs̸̬͚̞̭̖̕h̷̛̫̘͖̹̳̹̮̙͕͓͖̯́̿̌̑̌͂͌͒̓̎̚͜͝a̵̱͕̞̪͋͗̽͊̿̏́̇̉͋͊̅͘ͅl̵͔͆̋̄̕l̴̗̳͇̬̞̬̋̿̄̂̋̂̇̄͗͛̆̚̕͜͜ ̸͚͕̭̠̂͗͑͂̚s̸̡̧̫̝̥̱̼̠̻̥̻̹̹̞͂ͅư̷̢͇̭͓̖̗̼̌̀̓̍̌̋͊͑͛̀̑͋̑͜͠ͅf̵̧͎̩̰̗͚͖͙̅̅̌f̴͕̞̅͊͒̔̃͑̓̊́̅̚͝ę̷̱̦̣̘̻̰͚̤͍́̃ͅr̴̨̢̛̝̠͎̳̳͈̦̝̝̗̗̗̖̊͊̓̚͠, y̷̝̱̳͍͙̳̹̳̻͓̘͙̝̅̈́͑̈͆̋̓̒̃̍̓̚̕͠͠o̸̳̳̟͖͍̤̙̬̮̫̊̔͑ù̴̞̺̻̘͈̠̩͍͖͒̈ ̵̱̳̺̰̪̐̒̌̎̋͑͐̚͜͜͠͝ͅͅͅs̸̬͚̞̭̖̕h̷̛̫̘͖̹̳̹̮̙͕͓͖̯́̿̌̑̌͂͌͒̓̎̚͜͝a̵̱͕̞̪͋͗̽͊̿̏́̇̉͋͊̅͘ͅl̵͔͆̋̄̕l̴̗̳͇̬̞̬̋̿̄̂̋̂̇̄͗͛̆̚̕͜͜ ̸͚͕̭̠̂͗͑͂̚s̸̡̧̫̝̥̱̼̠̻̥̻̹̹̞͂ͅư̷̢͇̭͓̖̗̼̌̀̓̍̌̋͊͑͛̀̑͋̑͜͠ͅf̵̧͎̩̰̗͚͖͙̅̅̌f̴͕̞̅͊͒̔̃͑̓̊́̅̚͝ę̷̱̦̣̘̻̰͚̤͍́̃ͅr̴̨̢̛̝̠͎̳̳͈̦̝̝̗̗̗̖̊͊̓̚͠, y̷̝̱̳͍͙̳̹̳̻͓̘͙̝̅̈́͑̈͆̋̓̒̃̍̓̚̕͠͠o̸̳̳̟͖͍̤̙̬̮̫̊̔͑ù̴̞̺̻̘͈̠̩͍͖͒̈ ̵̱̳̺̰̪̐̒̌̎̋͑͐̚͜͜͠͝ͅͅͅs̸̬͚̞̭̖̕h̷̛̫̘͖̹̳̹̮̙͕͓͖̯́̿̌̑̌͂͌͒̓̎̚͜͝a̵̱͕̞̪͋͗̽͊̿̏́̇̉͋͊̅͘ͅl̵͔͆̋̄̕l̴̗̳͇̬̞̬̋̿̄̂̋̂̇̄͗͛̆̚̕͜͜ ̸͚͕̭̠̂͗͑͂̚s̸̡̧̫̝̥̱̼̠̻̥̻̹̹̞͂ͅư̷̢͇̭͓̖̗̼̌̀̓̍̌̋͊͑͛̀̑͋̑͜͠ͅf̵̧͎̩̰̗͚͖͙̅̅̌f̴͕̞̅͊͒̔̃͑̓̊́̅̚͝ę̷̱̦̣̘̻̰͚̤͍́̃ͅr̴̨̢̛̝̠͎̳̳͈̦̝̝̗̗̗̖̊͊̓̚͠ - 1
“Edit stats: STR: 7, DEX: 5, WIS: 8, INT: 7. Edit comment into: ‘A below subpar mortal. He has no potential.’”
Editing…
Alastor paused, waiting for Chaos to complete editing his stats information, when a realization struck him.
Since I’ve decided to experiment with social interactions, why not go all the way? Speedrunning all the time can get kinda boring, too. I should chill and experiment during this reset.
“Chaos, modify edits.”
Edit stats: STR: 8, DEX: 8, WIS: 9, INT: 9. Edit comment info: ‘An average mortal. He may not have the best potential in terms of physique, but his personality is unmatched.”
[Stats]
STR: 8
DEX: 8
WIS: 9
INT: 9
Comment: An average mortal. He may not have the best potential in terms of physique, but his personality is unmatched.
Hecate would literally orgasm when he sees this comment. With great difficulty, Alastor held back the laughter that was threatening to spill out.
The national anthem slowly trundled to an end after the soldiers repeated singing the first chorus once more. The ministers remained standing, a reverent expression covering their faces as they waited for the king to deliver his speech.
Silence reigned throughout the hall in the aftermath of the national anthem for a solid minute.
Then, King Belial cut through that silence with his booming voice. “Welcome,” he said, as his gaze flitted through the fifty Chosen Ones. “All of you are heroes. True Heroes. Deidamia truly thanks you for coming to our assistance.”
Seeing that the king had paused, the Head Mage turned his ember eyes towards them and lifted his hand. A faint blue glow spread over his bony palm, making everything in its surroundings look dull.
The Head Mage nodded towards one of the Caretakers that stood close to him. A bright, almost fanatical smile spread over the Caretaker’s face. He practically dragged along his Chosen One, a red haired girl.
Alastor recognized her- she was renowned for successfully killing a dragon with nothing but her bare hands. What was her name, again…?
The Head Mage lowered his palm to the girl’s forehead, causing the blue mana to rapidly surround her head. Suddenly, the mana morphed into a square, a notice popping up over the girl’s head.
[Stats]
STR: 10
DEX: 10
WIS: 10
INT: 10
Comment: A warrior specializing in strength. Her potential is endless.
The Head Mage clicked his fingers, causing the notice to grow ten times larger. Gasps echoed from the minister’s stands, a chorus of whispers breaking out.
“A strength specializer…” Raven gasped, muttering with slight awe.
Alastor rolled his eyes internally. This girl is way too naive. She always gets her hopes up, thinking all the Chosen Ones are just as strong.
The Head Mage gave no time for the whispers to subside, instead nodding to a female Caretaker this time. She dragged along the teenager next to her, holding him by the shoulders as the Head Mage lowered his palm.
[Stats]
STR: 10
DEX: 10
WIS: 10
INT: 10
Comment: A perfect mage candidate. His potential is endless.
Another Caretaker, getting the signal from the Head Mage, dragged her Chosen One, placing him under the Head Mage’s palm.
[Stats]
STR: 10
DEX: 10
WIS: 10
INT: 10
Comment: A highly versatile candidate. His potential is endless.
“Bravo!” the king exclaimed while laughing boisterously. “With such powerful heroes on our side, even those demons shall tremble in fear! The Chosen Ones must be tired, Hecate.”
The Head Mage nodded, gesturing to the Caretakers, before waving his hand. A large blue circle spread over the ground, teleporting all the Caretakers and the Chosen Ones away within a split second.