From somewhere in the darkness, in a place beyond space and time something stirred.
It felt a new world open, it would have ignored it but then a familiar feeling stirred within it.
It did not speak but it did turn its attention to this new world. It felt souls upon this world but it had seldom ever felt this many on one world.
How many were....
Its hands reached out and grasped this new world as the number of souls there appeared in its mind.
7.9 Billion souls...
The being of dark laughed for it knew it had found a new playground, a new battleground.
Its smile faded as its mind raced. If this would be the battle ground surely it would need soldiers, surely it would need generals. But would it bring them in or...
No...
That would be a waste. He had 7.9 billion souls to pick from, and so he would.
He watched as by the millions, souls were moved to the tutorials. Many died quickly despite the warnings handed down by the Ascender's...
He stopped in his thoughts there was little point in berating the worthless, weak things that died for such stupid reasons.
He watched as times raced within the tutorial zones, but he was ageless in a timeless place. To his eyes they might as well have been statues. So he began to prepare, he waited for them to grow stronger.
His patience's quickly ran out as he began picking people, even monsters, seemingly at random.
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In a place without light shadows wandered. Some fought each other, others knelt weeping though not a single tear fell.
In this dark place, the systems damned wandered.
This place was not unique however. It was a mass produced dungeon made to pose a great challenge to the new players.
The Halls of the Dead it was called.
Shadows wandered about their cavern home few paying attention to the ruined building as they passed them by.
Save for one.
He was trying to smash his fists into a section of ruined wall only for them to pass harmlessly into the masonry.
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He kicked, he screamed, and tried to throw things all to no avail.
Nothing he did had any effect.
Nothing any of them did had any effect save for interacting with each other.
He looked over to see a brawl had kicked off between the other shadows in this place.
The other damned.
He knew he had been a scumbag on the earth and so when he heard that voice telling him...
You have been judged by the system and are found lacking...
You have been slain by System command: Kill...
Your souls has been denied respawn!
Recalculating...
Your soul has been moved to the Halls of the Dead!
Trading permissions...
You have been ejected from the player system...
Recalculating...
Welcome to the Monster system!
Race selection...
Recalculating...
Race selection has been set to fixed...
Your race has been set to Shadow (Undead)...
Spawning...
He knew he was fucked.
For everything the dozen or so shadows had done and were doing in this place, all was silence. They had failed to make a single sound to pierce that deafening silence.
Until he heard a voice speak from the dark.
"Look at you oh pitiful shadow. No matter how you thrash and howl, you cannot create a single sound, or move a single pebble."
Whose there!? The shadow shouted in silent exclamation.
"I am Perival and I can give you many things. Wealth, sex, status, glory! Name it and it shall be yours. All you have to do is bend the knee and pledge yourself to my service."
For a long moment he was silent, what did he want?
WHAT DID HE WANT!? He knew in that moment what he wanted more than anything.
"I want to live again!" He exclaimed, falling to his...knees? The sound of his voice and the impact of his knees upon the broken cobblestones echoed through out the cavern.
For a brief second he swore at the pain in his knees before he realized what was happening.
Silence reigned as he slowly rose to his feet, feeling blood from his scraped knees slowly make its way down his legs.
He felt the beating of his heart and the breath in his lungs.
He took in a deep breathe and yelled at the top of his lungs exclaiming to the world one thing.
He was alive.
You have been granted the title, Shadow Squad Leader (Rare)...
Shadow Squad Leader- By your pact you have been inducted into the army or Perival. In his service you shall begin as a leader of those few undead you find around yourself now, Undead Shadows...
Title, Shadow Squad Leader, has granted you the skill, Shadow Command...
Shadow Command- You are granted dominion over the undead creatures known as Shadows within range. Range increases with skill level. Ease of control increases with skill level. Level of shadow you can dominate increases with skill level. Number of shadows controllable at once increases with skill level...
Shadows I road has opened to you!...
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