I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar world with no memory of my past life aside from the vivid conversation I had before this mess of a situation happened.
Like a video being replayed, I recalled the strange man that I had last spoken to in my past life. Recalling as far back as the start of our conversation, the oddly calming man introduced himself, saying, "No need to look so panicked, boy. I'm but a humble deity, hoping to contract you as my representative and grant you your dream in the process. My name is Munich."
For whatever reason, despite his alarming words, he had this aura about him that inspired a feeling in me of calm and assurance, as if he hadn't just said some of the most ridiculous nonsense I had heard thus far in my life. Inexplicably accepting of his introduction, I introduced myself, but now I can't seem to recall that introduction. My name is all but forgotten. Yet I do recall asking, "W-what do you mean you want to contract me and grant me my dream?"
"It may seem ridiculous to you," Munich started, "But to become recognized as an Elder God among deities, I was given a trial that involves choosing a representative. My representative is supposed to undergo the hardships and adventure of what you would call an 'Otherworldly Protagonist.' Given that such a life is your dream, I present myself before you to ask if you would like me to make it a reality."
"Wh- So you're telling me that just because I want to live out that fantasy, you came from the Heavens or wherever to ask me?" I could see that Munich no doubt caught the obvious skepticism in my tone. I would be an idiot if it weren't there…
Munich sighed and flashed a helpless smile as his response. "I won't lie to you, with the research I've done and the conditions of my trial, should you accept my request, you won't be given an easy life. Unlike most Otherworldly Protagonists, you won't be given some sort of ridiculous cheat. You won't get a wish, never mind several, nor will I be there to coddle you into becoming overpowered. The only thing I'll be able to offer you is the chance to coordinate a starting point."
"That still doesn't explain why you chose me, in particular." I muttered to him despite my doubt alleviating slightly.
"Well, not to make you feel bad, but you aren't exactly the first person I've asked. Several people have refused me after learning what signing up for this sort of thing entails." Munich responded with as much tact so as to not sound derisive.
"Oh? And what exactly made the others give up on this chance?"
"The condition to end our contract," Munich replied plainly.
"What? Are you going to ask for my soul or something?" I joked.
"Not exactly, I just need you, my representative, to eventually become the strongest entity in the world I transport you into. Essentially, you'd be signing up to live a life in search of power until you become a God like me."
"Ok, and?" I pressed. That couldn't be the only reason people had given up on this chance, could it?
"And… that's it." Munich looked amused by how little I was affected.
"Well, I expect it's at the very least possible, considering you're even offering. So what's the deal with the others rejecting your offer? I'd sign up for it immediately, since the whole point of my dream is to indulge in all the excitement of all the experiences I'd be able to have in a fantasy world. To experience it all, I would naturally have to grind my way up to becoming the strongest entity regardless."
"Hmm, fascinating," Munich placed a hand on his chin as he started sizing me up, "You're the first person I've asked that feels this way. I can tell you're not lying. Moreover, that reckless indifference of yours might just be that special something I need in a representative for my trial… Ok!" Munich smashed his closed right fist into his left open palm as the smile on his face brightened considerably.
From that point on, my memories seem fuzzy. Though, for whatever reason, Munich's divine powers if I had to guess, I can vaguely tell that unlike the rest of my memories from my first life, the rest of our conversation was sealed away in my mind. Munich mentioned something along the lines of, "instilling the fear of the unknown into my reincarnated self, such that I'd strive harder than if I already knew all, or at least some, of the answers."
In any case, I've pondered as much as I should for now. I'm in a new and magical world and my goal is to become its God. I sure as hell know that won't be happening if I just continue to sulk where I stand, er… sit.
After reincarnating, I'm not a human anymore.
I forgot what Munich told me I would become, but I do remember that as his chosen Otherworldly Protagonist, one of the few benefits he granted me is the fabled Game-like Existence. In my opinion, examples are always better than explanations, so instead of trying to explain this arcane ability, I called out, 'Status;' and by "called out," I mean, I thought of the command. Whatever creature I ended up becoming, certainly couldn't speak at several minutes old, if it could speak at all.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
[Status
Name: None (Pick a name? Yes/No)
Species: Lesser Avian Infant
Level: 1/5
Rank: E-
Life: 100%
Condition: Completely Healthy/Hungry
Magic Reserves: 10
Attack: 16
Defense: 11
Speed: 13
Endurance: 5
Magic Potency: 0
Magic Resistance: 2
Skills:
Peck Lvl 1
Hop Lvl 1
Grip Lvl 1
Appraise Lvl 1
Titles:
Name: No-name
Method of Acquisition: Reincarnating without being designated a name.
Effect: None
Name: Transdimensional Traveller
Method of Acquisition: Reincarnating outside of your original universe.
Effect: As a unique being tainted by two reincarnation systems, the memories of your previous life were not erased.
Name: Munich's Representative
Method of Acquisition: Entering a contract with God Munich.
Effect: Grants partial access to the System of Akashic Decrees and allows you the choice of deciding on an evolution path. As a consequence, your soul is placed under threat of eradication until you pay your debt to Munich.]
Ok…
I'm not at all sure how this compares to the other living beings in this world, but I shouldn't be entirely helpless. As far as I can guess, there should still be three Ranks of prey below me. My starting Attack Stat seems decent enough, so F+, F, and F- animals and insects are my prey.
Speaking of prey, after reading the Condition panel in my Status, I must admit. I am quite hungry…
Thank god, or Munich, I guess, for spawning me on the floor. Had I hatched out of some egg, I'd probably be in some nest right now. From what I know, fledgling birds take weeks if not months to grow capable enough of flight. It might be more dangerous this way, you know as an infant weakling wandering around a forest without protection of any sort. But it's what I signed up for, after all.
So, with the immediate goal of satisfying my hunger established, I started walking around the forest. That just about lasted a couple seconds before my patience ran out and I did the most sensible thing.
Forget walking, I have a Hopping Skill; and for good reason, too. My little bird legs are absolutely not designed for walking or running, so jumping around like a miniature kangaroo is both faster and less awkward.
Besides, soon enough into my hopping escapade, the first of my oh-so-glorious Level Up prompts arrived as I had hoped.
[Hop Lvl 1→ Lvl 2
Summary: Drains stamina slower, increases distance for each hop, increases the speed of starting a hop, the hop itself, and reduces the moment of lag before a subsequent hop can start.]
Ooh, the difference is subtle, but I can still feel it. Hopping around seems more natural than it was at first, even if at first it was a short while ago. In any case, navigating the forest is without a doubt easier and it only kept getting easier the longer I stayed active.
[Speed 13 → 14]
Good to know that my Stats can change like this without a proper Level Up. I half expected them to follow game logic, where usually I'd be given a set number of spendable points after the totality of my being Leveled Up. This is much better, in my opinion.
Still, my hunger only continues to grow and thus far, I haven't seen either predator or prey. Moving around and developing Skills and Stats no doubt strains my saddeningly-low Endurance Stat, so I can't continue this random trip to nowhere.
Stopping for a moment to catch my breath, I spotted an attractive flower and the dim light bulb in my tiny bird head lit up. Though I think myself to be intelligent for the most part, sometimes, like now, I can't help but curse myself for my overt stupidity.
Why was I even looking around for food in other living beings when I can just abuse my Appraisal Skill to forage?
After walking over to the flower I tilted my head in confusion, pondering exactly how the skill was supposed to activate. 'Appraise?' I thought, as if issuing a command similar to my Status.
[Appraise Successful
Name: Yellow Flower]
Uh… that's it? Before my frustration could develop, I sighed in reluctant acceptance that this was all I was getting with a pitiful Lvl 1 Appraisal Skill. After all, this isn't the end of the world. Not even close. I just have to grind for my Appraisal Skill to improve, before it shows me more information, right?
Wrong…
After just a couple more instances of appraising things other than the "Yellow Flower," I realized there was probably more to improving the Appraisal skill than simply spamming its activation. I probably needed to increase my knowledge of the things I want to appraise, but since I don't exactly have books to study out here in the forest, I settled for the next best thing.
Bleary-eyed and filled with apprehension, I muttered a half-baked prayer and took the gamble of eating the flower. Due to my attempt at leveling my Appraise Skill, I already knew where to find the closest patch where a different Yellow Flower stood and attempted to Appraise it again.
[Appraise Lvl 1→ Lvl 2
Summary: Grants additional information from experimental testing.
Appraise Successful
Name: Yellow Flower
Description: This unknown Yellow Flower is made up of coarse yellow leaves and produces mildly sweet pollen particles. The flower is edible but not very nutritious or filling.]
'Strange,' I thought, 'the description says it tastes mildly sweet, but I couldn't taste anything at all.' It probably had something to do with the fact that I'm both an infant and a bird, but after getting over the fact, I was happy to learn I would not starve to death as the forest was littered with these tasteless snacks.
I hopped around from Yellow Flower to Yellow Flower, consuming the plants from leaf to stem, but before I felt full, another prompt displayed itself before me.
[Peck Lvl 1→ Lvl 2
Summary: Drains stamina slower, increases speed, sharpness, and thrusting force of your beak, reinforces beak to chip away at stronger materials.]
Continuing along, almost an hour passed before I found the first other living being that didn't consist of the forest's trees, foliage, or plants. Unfortunately, the discovery was fraught with disappointment as I gazed at its form and called for an Appraisal.
[Appraise Successful
Name: Ugly Worm
Description: Appears to be an insect the size of an infant human's forearm. With no scales or noticeable protection, the Worm probably has F or even F- Defensive Stats.]
Welp, I'm a bird and it's a worm. Moreover, if this game-like existence is to be appreciated, I should at least attempt to kill it to see if I'll gain experience or maybe even level up. So, without preamble, I hopped over to the Ugly Worm and pecked it mercilessly with my tiny beak.
For a moment I panicked seeing as how my first attempt at pecking directly bisected the Worm, splaying its fluids both into my mouth, face, and body. Then, the instinctive action of swallowing the still spasming segment of Worm that I had in my mouth caused me to blanch. But strangely enough, the sickness that I felt was quickly washed away as I started feeling what I assumed to be my stomach filling.
The taste wasn't all bad, I mean, the memories of what human food tasted like in my past life were either being heavily suppressed or entirely gone and the only thing I could compare the Ugly Worm to was the Yellow Flowers I had been snacking on. So, after getting over the fact that I was eating a Worm and embracing that I was now a bird and not a human, I guess my psyche accepted the situation to promote self preservation.
Turning back to the two pieces of Ugly Worm that were left, somehow still alive, I pecked and pecked until it finally died. Having eaten several more pieces before another prompt left me satisfied.
[Level Up
Status
Name: None (Pick a name? Yes/No)
Species: Lesser Avian Infant
Level: 2/5
Rank: E-
Life: 100%
Condition: Completely Healthy
Magic Reserves: 10 → 11
Attack: 16 → 18
Defense: 11 → 12
Speed: 14 → 15
Endurance: 5 → 7
Magic Potency: 0
Magic Resistance: 2 → 3
Condition Fulfilled: New Skill "Magic Gizzard Lvl 1" Created!]