The first major change he noticed was that the air seemed to be filled with a kind of particulate matter, small glowing dust that floating aimlessly in the air, passing through his hand when he reached out to touch one. Observing closely it could be seen that these particles cared little for the physical world, seeing as they floated up from the ground or appeared to phase straight through buildings, and high above the sky was filled with clouds of radiant blue, replacing what was previously an entirely clear sky.
As the red glow from the markings on the ring faded, so too did the visions of the strange particles, and the world slowly returned back to the one he was used to.
"So what power did I get?" Ray asked impatiently, taking everything in stride and only focusing on the things he could comprehend, holding his breath in suspense.
Super strength? Telekinesis? Flight? Teleportation?
For a lonely soul who yearns for companionship more than anything, your power is summoning. May you never walk alone again.
A single mark appeared on the back of Ray's right hand, a straight black line that lacked any decorations or flair. Instinctively he knew that his summoned familiar was contained within this mark, and that simply by wishing it he could make the creature appear. Expectation surged in his heart, beating heavily in his chest, anticipation building up with every breath, until he could wait no longer. The mark on his hand shined as he called forth his summoned creature.
A thin grey and earth-toned worm appeared before his eyes, no bigger than the size of his pinky finger, floating in mid-air for the briefest of moments before it fell unceremoniously to the ground.
"Floor hot... hurts... move me... also... hungry.... feed me..." The tiny worm cried out pathetically as it laid unmoving on the blacktop pavement.
"This is my familiar?" Ray crouched down as he picked up the defenseless worm with his hand. How was this supposed to help him? Comparing it to the monster soup that he had peeled off of his wheels, he could only see the worm being about as useful as a goblin's snack.
The closer he got the more the worm begged to be laid upon the corpse, swinging in the air as Ray pinched its tail between his fingers.
"Eat... grow... assist..."
Letting out a sigh, Ray discarded any useless doubts while letting the worm unceremoniously drop onto the goblin corpse. Watching the small worm proceeded to do nothing fast. Moving its segmented body parts around as it positioned itself comfortably.
"I'm going to just leave you here then, will you be alright?" Averting his eyes as the worm began slithering into its disgusting meal. It wasn't just that he didn't want to watch, the world was changing and there were things to do; he couldn't exactly stand to wait around for this tiny worm of his to eat its fill.
Driving off from the scene as he made up a checklist for the day. The first priority was food, Ray knew with the unnaturally large appetite he had developed this morning he would need far more than normal. Not to mention he could already foresee food shortages in the near term. If monsters like these were going to be roaming the earth, there's no way farms could operate as normal. Right now he had the pick of the earth, but that would change when the other difficulties returned, or rather 'if' the other difficulties returned. Seeing as his difficulty level only had one survivor total, he wasn't exactly holding out hope.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Pulling up to his old workplace, Ray surveyed the area. Carefully peering through the supermarket's windows, the automatic sensors above the doors triggered and slid open. Almost as if it were welcoming him back. Back to the start of the apocalypse. He hadn't turned off any of the lights from the night before, so everything appeared the same as he had left it.
He walked in cautiously, checking every aisle before proceeding with his business. The sight of his coworker's abandoned mop, making him a bit wistful. Even if he never liked the kid, he at least hoped he was making it alright in his own tutorial. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, and continuing on with the shopping spree. If only his boss knew what he was doing right now, he'd be pissed.
Loading up cart after cart with canned and frozen food, enough to last him quite a bit even with his enhanced appetite. After about his fifth cartful, he started feeling a little conscious of the theft. Deciding to leave some for others, or come back at a later date when he actually needed more.
Pushing his loaded cart to the front of the store, Ray skipped the checkout only to stop at the door's exit. Pausing at the truly unusual sight of a short and stubby goblin, balloon-like in appearance and rippling with fat; blocking his way while standing with arms crossed as if confronting him for trying to get away without paying.
The waist-high creature pulling out a tiny club from its loin-cloth before walking towards him slowly. Patting the spiked end in its other tiny green hand as it cackled ominously.
"On second thought... you know what I'm just going to take the fire-exit. You stay there."
The goblin continued walking forward while Ray backpedaled with his cart, wishing futilely that the goblin would just leave him alone.
It might look comical being chased around by a fat goblin the size of a preschooler, but the little weapon in its hand looked like it was more than enough dangerous to him. Grasping the handle of the small fruit-knife in his pocket like it was his only hope.
The goblin screaming with a high-pitched war cry as it charged forward, smashing at the cart full of cans puncturing one but getting its club stuck temporarily.
Despite his unnatural confidence, Ray still felt the panic of battle fill his bones. He'd never so much as gotten in a fight before, let alone taking on a monster like this directly. His mind naturally turning to the ability he had received earlier, summoning. He didn't know what that worm could do, but it was better than nothing. The symbol on his right hand lighting up with a brilliant flash that filled the air as his worm materialized in front of his eyes. Falling unceremoniously onto the waxed tiles at his feet.
"Master." the worm whispered, acknowledging his presence through the mental connection the two of them shared, but otherwise doing nothing helpful.
"Do something!" Ray cried out, moving around the cart in a circle trying to keep the cart between him and the goblin after it managed to free its club and scramble around after him. Its flat feet slapping against the floor with each step, taking two tiny steps for every step Ray took, growling angrily that Ray was running away instead of fighting. The stalemate between the two of them continuing uneventfully until the goblin's foot squished on a certain worm.
Catching it off-guard as one foot slipped forward and one foot bent back. The weighty goblin tumbled straight back, smashing its head against the smooth floor with a loud crack before a small stream of blood poured from its mouth into a small pool.
"Huh...." Ray couldn't help but notice the unexpected turn of events. First it was winning that dark lottery of fate, and now he was seeing a monster practically kill itself before his eyes. It was all so unusual, but his new way of thinking was able to piece the two together. Hard difficulty's integration was a lottery, the path of 'fate'. If he won out of a billion people, could it be that he was actually pretty lucky?