{System talk}

'thoughts'

"Speaking"

...

Time, he thought, is a scary and active thing. It is seen throughout the multiverse. it is something that brings change, that brings death. But it is something that is also seen as beautiful.

He could not see how that was true.

Because in his circumstance, in this dark, blank void, where time does not seem to exist. where there was nothing but total unforgiving silence, He found it horrifying. How long has passed? How is he here? And how does he get out? Those were the thoughts that clouded his mind when he first arrived here, in this void. This prison.

But that was some time ago, how long? He does not know. But it was something he thought of frequently. It was just something to keep his mind active and sane, something he found that works.

During his time in this dark void like prison, he found out he could move, he could travel throughout its dark interior. When he found that out, he was ecstatic.

He finally found a way to escape, he thought. He could leave, escape this place, and be free.

That feeling, however, quickly passed. Not long after his revelation, he tried escaping, he tried running in any direction he could, but that only found himself right back to where he was, seemingly going in some sort of circle, crushing his newfound joy.

within this dark void of a prison, it seems such little things as joy, were hard to come by.

Every once in a while, a spark of reddish light would appear right before his eyes. Out of no wear.

He always wondered where it came from, but not long later he found out from were.

{Greetings, you unfortunate soul. You have been selected for a trial run of the new and approved Gamer system. Do you wish to be a part of this once in a million-lifetime opportunity?}

A red screen appeared Infront of him, with its white spiked outline, and the darkness of the void in the background. The words yes or no popped into existence and plopped themselves in the center of the screen. with no inputs from himself, the yes option lit up, with the word 'yes' glowing bright with the color yellow, like the sun.

Bringing back memories of when he was alive, somberly, his ethereal-like body drooped in a sad like motion, and with a nonexistent sigh, he reluctantly dispersed the long-forgotten memories.

The golden like glow, which remained for quite a while, its golden like hue lighting up the void. It would have blinded him if he were still alive, or if he even had eyes. Which upon previous inspection he did not.

{Congratulations and thank you for selecting to continue on with the trial. Now, on to character creation... Hehe heh}

The screen, once a dark reddish color, transformed and expanded into a character creation menu. The darkness of the void, now blanketed by the many colors of the character menu.

{here are the possible creatures to choose from.}

The menu, previously blank, was now filled with many different categories of creatures, their stats unknown except for his own general knowledge of their strengths.

{Draconic, Elemental, Humanoid, Vampiric, Mechanical, Insectoid... etc.}

While he would love to be able to play as all of them. He knew that was not possible, this is not a game anymore, no matter how much it may seem like it. He has been in the void for a long time now, so no matter the consequence, he wants to live his next life to the fullest.

While every one of these options are good, they all have downsides that come with them. He can even think of some right on the top of his head. Slowly, carefully he read throughout the added system notes that appeared when he looked underneath a creature's displayed name.

{Draconic- the draconic species, or any creature that is of draconic descent. That being a being that has the soul of a dragon, their entire existence being fueled by the draconic power within their soul-}

He can already think of a downside to that aspect of the draconic category.

Does the soul limit how much draconic power can be used? If so, then that choice is immediately off of his list.

Anyways, shaking his head to rid himself of unneeded thoughts, he went back to reading.

{-Or it is a being that has the body of a dragon, and has the racial traits associated with their draconic affinity. Draconic affinity being what element your soul is most associated with.

It is also a being that was created with the body parts of a dragon, although not technically a whole dragon, and still associated with the humanoids category, it has biological parts of a dragon and has earned its right within the draconic category.

This category is better for individuals who have an affinity for close range battles, and with little to no concept of the ability to share. Dragons are greedy creatures after all.}

He paused and thought about what the notes said for a sec, and while the draconic aspects interest him, it just does not seem suited to someone like himself. Someone who likes being away from the battle, someone who likes having others doing things for him, and someone who loves watching people fail miserably at achieving their intended goals. All the while he stays safe, far away from danger.

Some may call that cowardly, some may even call it being too cautious, he calls it being smart. Who in their right mind would want to be right up front where all the danger lies? Not him, that is who.

Moving to the next category, reading a little bit of its entry, he immediately finds himself skipping it, finding it too much like the draconic category.

Skipping to the next category, he finds himself far more interested. He does not know if it is bias, or just a genuine likeness towards the humanoid category.

{The humanoids are creatures which stand on two feet and have only two omnidirectional arms. They could be of any creature but must have those two requirements. They are usually the weakest out of the categories, but are intimately tied into every category, allowing for a diverse range of skills. They are usually best selected if the user is familiar with the downfalls of being a two-legged creature and a lower mortal being.}

Lower-level mortal being?

What- just before he could ask the question, the system replied.

{Lower-level mortal beings, my beloved Gamer, is a being that has a limited lifespan around 100 to 200 years. Which, unfortunately you were previously. Now, now, do not feel bad, most gamers are of this category. So, it is nothing to feel ashamed of.}

Tch, snarky much, he thought.

With casual ease, he continued looking throughout the categories.

And with little to no fanfare, he found a category that agrees with him.

{Eldritch summoner- An eldritch summoner, is a being that is supernatural in nature. It's being a mystery to those that are not knowledgeable in the arts of evocation of otherworldly entities. The powers that this category brings the user are ever-changing, relying on the powers of the summoned, and forcefully making them submit to your will. Although not individually powerful. This category's strength is the power of the many, and the power of few. Meaning, the more individuals you summon, the more powerful the user gets.}

With a mental confirmation of his selection, the screen, or menu in front of him, slid away. Replaced by the darkness of the void. Not that long later, a small text appeared in front of him.

{Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Here are the traits of the system, that you are to immediately receive upon arrival. Silly me}

(Gamer's mind- brings your mental state back under control in matters of duress. Allowing you to stay reasonable throughout.

Gamers body- your body is like a gamer, allowing for immediate recovery with adequate rest and recovery.}

Well, thank you, he supposed. With a little sway of his ethereal body, he thought of a simple 'what's next', and not that long later, a screen appeared with the words.

{Roll for selected perks}

He found it interesting.

What are perks he thought in his mind, already ready for the systems response.

{perks are the gifts that are applied with the category that was chosen. With each perk, there is a more likely chance that it will increase the probability of getting a major drawback. Drawbacks being the side effects of the perk that the user rolled.}

Ok, so what he was getting out of this was, is that if he rolled more than what was necessary and not get too greedy, he could get away without any major drawbacks? With there being an antecedent, that being major, he could only guess there could be small drawbacks as well.

Ok, seems reasonable enough.

Let's get this going.

{rolling]

{Rolled perk- increased willpower.

This perk allows the user to temporally increase their willpower in situations that calls for its use. It is only able to be used once per day but allows for it to be used as long as possible.}

{Rolled Side effect drawback- Stamina depletion

This drawback limits the user in stamina use and generation, only allowing for simple physical activities. Like for example jogging and small, long-distance walks.}

While the perk is nice, the drawback feels like it could be annoying, especially for himself. In his life before this godforsaken prison life within the void, he used to be a regularly active child, always running, and playing wherever he could.

So, while he is grateful for the useful-ish perk, he feels let down that the perk itself was not up to his expectations.

Hoping he could get a better roll; he asks the system to roll once again.

{rolled perk- Blank

[this perk allows the user to be invisible to powers of precognition, and danger perception. Allowing for the user to do whatever they please without alerting forces of higher powers of your activities.}

{Rolled drawback- Apathy

The user feels no sort of emotional reaction to stressful, or emotional situations. Allowing the user to be fully apathetic, and logical to their intended goals. No more useless emotions, no more interfering hormones, and no more distractions.}

While not the worst outcome, I mean, at least he could think logically all the time? He thought somberly.

Anyways, yeah, the perk was good, the drawback, not that bad considering other terrible options that could have been rolled. How hard could suppressed emotions possibly be?

[Rolling}

{Rolled perk- Loyal minions

This perk brings the user loyal and perfectly trained minions to the user's rescue. Allowing for more intricate and safer plans, and methods, for the user's goals. The minions all come with a preset bag of abilities, in support of the selected category of the user}

(Rolled drawback- Food addiction

The drawback brings the user an unsatiable appetite for food products, either healthy or unhealthy.}

Sigh...