My head hurt.

Where was I?

My head hurt bad.

I was clearly lying on some wild terrain. It was too windy, too dusty, too uneven and hard on my back to be somebody's place.

"Wow. I just died and came back to life, huh."

My body was opaque again. No longer translucent. Still wearing the same clothes as when the earthquake hit.

"Only if I could've filmed all that. That would have made for an amazing video."

Too soon, I realized that my life as a MeTuber was probably no more.

"Only if I could film this."

I looked up to see the sun. It wasn't the usual blue sky with one bright spot you can't actually look at.

The sun was brighter than what I was used to. The sky had an odd yellowish tint. I also saw what looked like three moons, huge and clearly visible, although it seemed to be daytime.

I wanted to look around. The place was so calm and quiet that I wasn't worried, but I was lying on my back, in the middle of nowhere, with no idea as to where I was.

Was I safe?

Soon, I was sitting up, looking around. It was a wasteland. Not quite a desert, but pretty close. There was nothing to look, aside from a few tiny hills and the occasional spots of grass.

That was until I looked straight behind.

Behind me was a platform of some sort. Two curved bars jutting out the sides formed a ring. I couldn't help but think it looked like a "portal," straight out of a fantasy RPG.

"Am I supposed to walk through that?"

I felt my heart beat with both excitement and anxiety. I was experiencing something clearly supernatural, with clear elements of commercial works of fantastical fiction.

But it was also real. My caveman body wanted myself to run and hide, to find something familiar to latch onto.

As I became mindful of my anxiety, a wave of calm and dispassion ran through my body. I also noticed a faint glow of light emitted from my body.

[Beta-Tester's Mindset]

[Effect: You're a beta-tester. None of this is real. Everything is up for change. No pressure. Push boundaries. Try anything. You're safe. Your life is not on the line.]

I saw what looked like a video game popup window in front of me. It was exactly like looking at VR, but just more real.

Huh.

This really is like a video game.

Beta-Tester's Mindset. This looked like some buff or status effect. Maybe a passive skill, or an active one that activates automatically.

Whatever it was, it made me lose the anxiety. I felt as if I were seeing things more "objectively," from a distance. This scared me a bit. It wasn't a gradual change in mood. I suddenly felt different, on a profound level. It wasn't natural.

If the popup window was to be believed, I was here to beta test something. I recalled what the man had said to me in my ghostly state.

"Come work for us. Keep all your memories─your smarts, your skills, your knowledge─and help us build fantastic worlds for intelligent beings across universes to enjoy."

Maybe my job had already started. I did sign those contracts which listed nothing about my rights as an employee.

[The signee agrees to be employed at Terra Cube.]

"Let's pretend I'm beta-testing a game. What do I want people to do?"

I had no tasks. I had no one telling me what to do. This was a good way to figure out my next step.

But, I realized something pertinent.

"Shoot. I've never been a beta tester for anything. I definitely haven't beta-tested my own product."

I had no previous knowledge to go by. I was out of options. I had to think now.

[Beta-Tester's Mindset]

The same popup window. The same visual effects. Again, I was calm. I was indifferent. I didn't fear trying out ideas.

The "portal"-looking platform caught my eye. It stood out more than anything else in the area. I walked over. I didn't have a clue as to what I would do once I reached.

"Maybe I walk through it. It looks like a 'portal' after all."

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Soon, I was only a few feet away from the platform. I was noticing the various engravings on the platform when a vortex of light formed within the ring of the platform.

"It was a portal after all."

I swallowed the saliva in my mouth. It wasn't a conscious choice. I wondered if touching or going through the portal would hurt. I wondered where it would lead.

[Beta-Tester's Mindset]

[Would you like to turn off notifications for the activation of this effect?]

[Yes/No]

I instantly stopped overthinking. Seeing the same popup window and visual effects three times got old quickly.

I pressed "Yes" on the popup window floating in the air.

[Beta-Tester's Mindset: Notifications off]

I felt satisfied. It was like unsubscribing from an irrelevant mailing list. It didn't do much to improve my situation, but it made me feel freer.

I stepped onto the platform. I was ready to walk through the portal. The vortex of light seemed more intimidating than from far away, though this feeling also faded quickly.

I reached forward with my arm. I wanted to know what happened if I just stuck my arm in there.

"...?"

As I did, my hand hit something soft, like an animal with fur or fabric covering human skin.

Slap!

Something had slapped my hand away! Now I was focused─there was something coming out of the portal.

"Ehem."

A light voice cleared the air.

A figure walked out of the portal. It hit me instantly as feminine. Not sure why. Ah, I must have been preconditioned by the voice.

What walked out of the portal could only be described as an "angel." Toga, blonde hair, white feathery wings, shining light, perfectly proportioned faced, hourglass figure with cleavage. It wasn't biblical. It was renaissance. It was modern. It was anime.

The angel shot me a look. I wasn't fazed.

"Cracken! You are a hero. Sent from another realm to save this one, you will join five other heroes to form a party and survive against an onslaught of monsters-"

"Actually you can call me Michael-"

"Cracken! Soon, your comrades-to-be will arrive through this portal. As the leader of a party of heroes, your job is to lead and coordinate-"

"Could you just call me Michael-"

"Cracken! The gods have blessed you with the [System]. On your journey, it will guide you, letting you know of your progress and what you might do next."

I decided not to interrupt her anymore.

"Thank you for listening. See, you don't have to interrupt me every time-"

"You can read minds too-"

"Cracken! The journey may be full of obstacles, but let us start you off on the right foot."

The angel took a deep breath.

"Blessing."

A sparkling ray of golden light shone on me. In game terms, I expected this to be a "buff."

[Blessing of the gods]

[Effect: For the next five days, you're going to be in great condition. Hungry? Don't worry. Sleep-deprived? You'll be fine. Hurt? You'll recover at your fastest rate. Good luck!]

Basically, it's like a tutorial period. I have five days to get acclimated.

"Cracken. I trust you will lead your party to victory. I must leave now. Once I am gone, your party members will arrive one by one through this portal. But remember, once it is nighttime, so will the monsters."

"Could you tell me anything about what I need to do as-"

"I can't answer any questions. Can't hear you~! So long, Cracken!"

The angel ran out. She was covering her ears with her hands.

Huh.

That was a lot to process.

The portal started shining again, the lights forming a vortex like when the angel appeared. I expected someone─or some thing─to come out of the portal.

Most likely, this would be the first member of my party. We'd have each others' backs, killing monsters by night and sharing food and stories by day-

A head popped out from the portal.

"By the way, my name is Clare! It was nice meeting you! Let's see if we ever see each other again. Toodle-oo!"

It was the angel again. Now she was gone for good.

Probably.