Octavia’s heart dropped as the words hung in the darkness. A multiverse? Why were there words hanging in the air? Fear blossomed in her chest as all her senses faded. But just as suddenly as it all faded, a blazing white light exploded into existence, followed by the taste of a sterilized room touched her tongue as the feeling of the ground under her feet brought her back to reality.

Please standby as introductory preparations are made..

Her vision once again filled with white words. Each was whole, yet they were opaque enough to see through with no detriment. The words appeared briefly before disappearing, leaving Octavia alone in the unfamiliar room. She whipped her head around, seeing that she was now seated in a white-tiled room. Despite the absence of a light source, the harsh white hospital lighting emanated from above. Two chairs and a single white table sat in the center, with Octavia sitting on one of them.

Was she drugged? Knocked out? Was she dragged into this room to play a game with an angry toddler on a bike? The options were myriad, yet everything came up blank. “Hello?” she called out into the room, only to find her words stifled at conception falling flat into the stale air.

Preparations completed, please stand by for your advisor.

Once more, the floating words appeared, startling her. Her advisor? What the hell. She tried to bat them away, only to see that her fingers passed right through them as if they didn’t exist.

A soft sound split the silence, causing her to jump as she noticed a mannequin who sat across from her. There were no features. Just a flat face on a head shaped like that of a person. There was no hair, just a shiny porcelain sheen that shimmered in the harsh lighting.

“Greetings, human. I will be your advisor as you prepare for your tutorial.” Its words were a twisting male and female voice, but they were not in sync, only layering amongst each other.

“Advisor for what tutorial? Who the hell are you?” Octavia hissed as she jumped up in shock. The chair screeched across the floor, and much like her words, the sound fell flat, unable to percolate across the room.

The advisor regarded her with its blank face, following her movement. “It is advised to sit. Time is limited.” The feeling of chains slithering around Octavia’s legs punctuated its strange words, pulling her down onto the chair, dragging her back to the table.

A feeling of helplessness settled on the woman as the strange power unfurled and took over her legs. “Are you god?” The words left her lips as she came to terms with the fact that death may have come for her early. Was this her judgment? She tried her best to be a good person, yet staring at whatever this made her doubt all the choices she’s ever made up to this point.

“Negative. I am the system.” Its strange voice echoed in the air. “Regarding your previous query, the system is a multi-universal force. Your universe has just passed the age requirement to join. So welcome.”

This didn’t seem to be real. This had to be nothing more than a dream. Maybe she overslept and still hadn’t woken up. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t even recall her morning. But if this was a dream, perhaps, it was best to go with the flow. It wasn’t often that she had lucid dreams, but if it was, all she had to do was take a deep breath. If it wasn’t, well, it was still for the best to go with the flow. Either way, it was happening, and panicking was only going to screw her over. No, she had to take it slow and be pragmatic. Even though she was terrified. “How many universes are there, then?”

“Currently, one hundred and three. Yours is the most recent.” The strange being shot back with no hesitation.

That was a strange number to be given. If this was a dream, was her subconscious trying to tell her something? If it wasn’t, then her worldview was going to shatter, and she wouldn’t be ready for that. Instead, Octavia asked a simpler question. “So, what is the role of this system?”

The strange mannequin tilted its head, seemingly as it stared at Octavia. No more than two seconds later, it spoke. “After consulting your planet’s data, it would seem that the populace has a negative connotation towards a system arriving in a large amount of novels and video game culture.“ It paused again, and a strange chuckle filled the air. One that sounded like boulders rolling down a mountainside. “How interesting, it seems that your planet knew a little too much.”

There was a threat implicit in the strange being’s words. One that dumped cold water into Octavia’s soul as the mannequin seemed to grow. Her breath was stolen, and her heart raced, but as soon as it started, it stopped, as if it was nothing more than an illusion.

“Unlike the negativity that your reference material portrays, the system is designed to help life grow. From those who seek to grow through combat, or the simple farmer who tends to their crops. The system performs a myriad of functions to aid in that endeavor. Though death is an unavoidable fact of life.” The advisor replied, as it sat there, unmoving.

Octavia shuddered at the casual display of indifference. Whatever this was transcended reality in a way that she just couldn’t comprehend. Trying to question it seemed fruitless, as no matter how she looked at it, it seemed too good to be true. So what was the underlying reason? There was no such thing as altruism. Everything wanted something, and it was safe that this system was no different. “I see. But what for? What do you get out of it?” The words left her lips in a whisper that once again fell flat compared to the swirling voice of the mannequin.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

The advisor stared at Octavia. Its response came slower than before, as if it was judging how much it should tell her. “As you are curious, I will answer with some truths. Think of the relationship as mutually beneficially. The system allows growth that wouldn’t inherently be natural to your universe. In turn, it gets data and alternative sources of internal growth. As for the rest, it doesn’t matter to you until it does.”

Octavia’s eyebrow drifted upwards at the revelation. It was a seemingly beneficial relationship, but there was something more. Not that it mattered. What was she able to do? If what this thing said was true, it’s already taken over whole universes, what was she but a speck of dust?. “Ah, well, in that case, how do I access this sys–” As the words left her mouth, a screen appeared.

Name: Octavia Rossi

Race: Human

Class: N/A

Level: 0

Subclass: N/A

Health Points: 70/70

Mana Points: 80/80

Stamina Points: 60/60

Stats:

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 7

Agility:8

Vitality: 7

Constitution: 6

Perception: 9

Will Power: 8

Endurance: 6

Free points: N/A

The words burned themselves into her brain. Meaning that was inherent to each formed in the depths of her mind and how they interacted with her body. It was a truckload of information implanted into her brain in the blink of an eye. It left her twitching, as if she’d just binge studied the night before a major test without sleeping. Something she was acutely familiar with, as she did it many times.

“If you have no further questions, we will begin the next phase of preparation. You will select your class. Please note once again the system offers many branching paths. From growth solely through combat, to the use of classes that are designated for civilian life. Whatever you choose is solely up to you.” As the entity spoke, the pressure that filled her brain vanished, and the knowledge hung just out of reach, though it was easily brought back if she just focused on the words.

Her mind, though, was still lagging as she tried to keep up with the mannequin. She felt small and worthless and knocked off balance. Everything that she thought she knew turned out to be false. The reality of it all was too much to bear. But at least now the option was freely given to her.

This was a moment in time that she could finally determine her own future, and she would hold on to it till her fingers bled. But did she want to fight? Seeing as there were magic and stats, it was a pretty safe assumption that there were monsters to deal with as well. Maybe not monsters in the traditional terms that she thought of them as, but things she would have to fight nonetheless.

The sheer amount of choices was overwhelming. If what this thing said was true, it would simply serve as a catalyst for growth. She could live a simple life away from everything, tending to a garden, or maybe exploring the secrets of this new life?

Carefully, she balanced her choices. Growth through combat felt wrong, yet there was an allure to it as though it were a forbidden fruit that could unveil a whole different life if only she took a bite. Growth through her own strength. Excellency wrought with her hands. “I want to do a combat dominant class.” The words left her lips in a soft whisper. This was the right choice, a way to unshackle herself from her life. No longer would she be the same woman she had been before.

For the first time since she got there, the advisor waved a porcelain hand.

Please choose a class archetype:

Warrior: A basic class with a focus towards both offense and defense options. Primarily uses one handed/two handed weapons and shields.

Rogue: A basic class with a focus towards swift, overwhelming damage. Primarily uses lighter one handed weapons, and some ranged options.

Caster: A basic class with a focus towards magic and the arcane. Primarily uses mediums to cast.

Archer: A basic class with a focus towards ranged usage. Primarily uses bows and off-hand weapons.

Tank: A basic class with a focus towards defensive skills and crowd control. Primarily uses one handed options with shields.

Octavia’s eyes widened as she took in the classes. They were exactly how she would have pictured a game. The only option that she was missing was a healing class, which made sense because she asked for all combat classes. Regardless, she peeked through them to make up her mind. The first option was the Warrior, which looked like it was the all purpose class. Contextually, it looked like the class that someone picked if they were not sure what they wanted.

The next class was the Rogue, which she felt rang with her a little more. While she wasn’t quite eager to pursue the alley of assassinations she associated with the class, it was definitely the option that she felt comfortable with. In the end, she desired freedom and the ability to move as she pleased. While she could probably get that from the warrior class, there was just something about the Rogue that sang in her chest. Was it the freedom to sulk around in the shadows, or was it knowing that there would be no door that could bar her path?

However, she did at least want to look at everything else before a final decision was made. The Caster class seems interesting simply because it dealt with magic. Who didn’t want to wield magic with the power of a god? Granted, that god was relative, as she didn’t believe in any kind of god, but it still made for some fun imagination. So, that would definitively be a contender for the class selection.

As for Tank and Archer? They were both no-go’s in her eyes. Put simply, she didn’t have any interest in being an archer. While she had nothing against using a bow, it really wasn’t her forte or anything like that. The last option was the tank. Which, no. Just no. She wasn’t a masochist by any stretch of the imagination.