[[Wake child, for you have many things to do that may entertain us.]]
I hear a voice, why am I hearing voices? I live alone… I must have finally lost my mind reading all the terrible events in the news for the last several years of my life. Yes, that must be it, I am insane. And insane people should stay indoors and sleep to avoid bothering the sane who are going about their business. It is a weekend anyway so no phone alarms or urgent business to handle, perhaps I should just sleep until I can think straight again.
[[We say, you have a vivid imagination. Perhaps you will be more entertaining than we first expected?]]
The voice continues, so I may as well wake up and deal with this specter so my brain can stop conjuring it up to bother me! I toss off my blanket and stand, or I would have if I was in fact in bed. But to my surprise I feel no movement when I think of performing these actions! Great, sleep paralysis, I finally get to experience this feeling as well… wait!
My eyes snap wide open, yet I cannot see my ceiling. I glance down to find no blanket or body, just blank whiteness that is far too white to be the surface of a wall or bed sheet.
"What is going on? I have truly lost my mind?"
[[You are slow to realize child, but that may be expected as this is not how your world normally functions and would be outside of your expectations. However, we did expect more from one who spends so much time reading stories that begin this way.]]
"What do you mean? Those are stories, a way to escape the unfulfilling day to day life we live. How could they ever be real?"
I turn towards the voice; it feels odd to move without a body. As my eyes finally meet the owner of the voice I am stunned into silence. A pure white manikin with no head stands before me, drooped over its body is something I would expect to see in a roman play.
"What, or who, are you?"
I manage to ask, hoping that maybe the hints they have been dropping are real.
[[We are nothing important, our names change with the seasons of each world we watch. You may call us what many might, Gods, however we are not here to save your world or spare the people. Their world is their responsibility, we simply watch with interest and prevent outside interference.]]
"Figures, I never quite liked the idea of relying on something I cannot see to save me from daily life. Why am I here?"
I never really believed in a benevolent creator anyway, so I guess I should count my lucky stars that the gates of judgment ended up being as fake as I thought.
[[You are here simply because the humans of your world have outgrown themselves, we watch too many who have abandoned reality to pursue the fantasy in the pages of a book or in the images of a game or movie. We have decided that those with this hunger would be better off on worlds without these struggles, worlds that require more residents to properly maintain themselves.]]
I nod along since that makes sense, I guess. Taking someone from a world that they wish to escape and placing them in another world fitting of their escapist fantasies would be helping them and the world you move them into. Two birds one stone as it were.
[[As such, we have decided that we shall be the outside interference we normally prevent. Instead of just passing into our realms to be cleaned and recycled for use elsewhere, we shall allow these souls to retain their knowledge and grant them power. Perhaps this way they can improve the worlds they land in and prevent the same problems that have stagnated their own world.]]
Never seen a headless body shrug before, looks odd without the head to move along with the shoulders...
[[We shall grant you such power, we cannot grant enough to make you a God of course. But it should be a simple task to grant something similar to the 'OP' powers your fantasy novels often rely on.]]
Hmm, I have daydreamt of what I should ask for in this situation numerous times. Each time it was different and now that I am standing here a concrete choice is even harder to decide on.
"First, can I ask what the world I will end up in is like? What kind of fantasy would it be if related to the novels you talked about?"
[[A commendable question, the world that has been selected for your soul is one of the 'sword and sorcery' variety. However, we would classify it as closer to one of your RPG's rather than a novel given that this world has developed a numerical way of tracking the growth of those that live within it.]]
"So, it has a level system with stats? I assume that means it has jobs and skills as well? How similarly does it function in comparison to a game?"
[[Unlike games, this world is very real. A slice to the neck will end you in moments, not counting the use of any healing magic to spare your life. What would normally be a set number of HP in your game is just shown as a percentage in this world. A slice to the finger would bleed less than a cut to the leg, resulting in less percentage lost over time. Think of it as if it is an hourglass, the lower the current value the more urgently you would require aid]]
"I see, would mana be the same way, a percentage?"
[[Another excellent question, we shall just display for you what a status page looks like in this world with the same descriptions that a resident would be given, that should make it easy. First, we shall show you what this world calls your Constitutions, these would be similar to stats in an RPG.]]
—————
〈Constitutions〉
◊Vigor (Percent)
Represents overall physical health. Influences physical performance and status. Reduction by disease or injury will impact the ability to utilize the full constitution values of brawn, perseverance and finesse efficiently.
◊Brawn
Increases physical force. Reduces the impact of physical related trauma on the Vigor constitution.
◊Perseverance
Increases the range of physical activity before tiring. Reduces the impact of disease-related trauma on the Vigor constitution.
◊Finesse
Increases agility, flexibility and reaction speed. Reduces the impact of Ether related trauma on the Vigor constitution.
—————
◊Instinct (Percent)
Represents overall mental health. Influences mental performance and status. Reduction by disease, mental attacks or current mental state will impact the ability to utilize the full constitution values of logic, perception and charm efficiently.
◊Logic
Increases deductive reasoning, the stability of thought and concentration. Reduces the impact of Ether related trauma on the Instinct constitution.
◊Perception
Increases mental acumen and sound decision making. Reduces the impact of disease-related trauma on the Instinct constitution.
◊Charm
Increases the ability to notice and understand hidden social clues. Reduces the impact of physical related trauma on the Instinct constitution.
—————
I glance over the list that displays before my eyes, floating in midair like a hologram from a futuristic movie or even the VR games that are common today. Okay, so it appears that this world classifies physical and mental health in percentage values. I imagine that reaching zero in Vigor means death, that would mean reaching zero in Instinct would be…
[[A coma or insanity depending on what caused it to reach zero, which would also mean physical death in a world without life support machinery and mental therapy. Staying alive in this world would require a nearby healer to keep you healthy or a priest to restore your sanity.]]
As I thought, moving on. The stats under Vigor and Instinct are separate, so the values for those only affect how the main constitution for a stat is affected by damage?
[[Correct, the Instinct constitutions also have some sway over the next set of status entries, however race usually impacts these more than constitutions will be able to counteract.]]
—————
〈Essence〉
◊Ether (Current/Maximum)
Represents Ether consumption and overall reserves. Used to create or modify natural phenomena.
◊Spirit (Current/Maximum)
Represents Spirit consumption and overall reserves. Used in ways to increase bodily performance such as strength or recovery.
—————
[[As you can see, this is where you would see your MP and it is listed how it would be in an RPG. Showing you your currently available amount alongside your overall maximum.]]
"So, mana or MP is split into two categories here? One for applying to the world and one for applying to myself?"
[[Yes, and some races do not even have one of the these two listed. Depending on what race they are and how much from each parental line they end up with.]]
"Can you tell me what races this world has and what the pros and cons are for each?"
The manikin shrugs its shoulders again and if it had hair to scratch, I bet it would be doing that as well.
[[We will tell you which races this world has, but we feel like it would ruin some of the adventure if you knew before arriving what the strengths and weaknesses are for each race you encounter.]]
I guess, I will just settle for trying to find any written information about these races. Or failing to find books I will ask historians or storytellers. Oh, time to read about these races instead of getting distracted thinking about if there will be books.
—————
◊Human
◊Beast-kin
◊Demon
◊Demon-kin
◊Fairy
◊Elemental
◊Dryad
◊Ent
—————
Hmm, it seems like a short list. Probably just all the humanoid or intelligent races are listed?
[[Correct again, only races of at least human-level intelligence can acquire jobs with this world. Skills, Constitutions and Essence also apply to every beast or animal wandering the wilds. Some can be rather difficult to fight even when considering that humans in this world are on average stronger than the ones in your previous world.]]
"I was hoping for more of the staple fantasy races, some of them are here but some are missing."
[[Indeed, unfortunately not all of the races in your fantasy works are real in this world.]]
"Would I be able to become the first of one of those races as part of the power you can grant?"
I ask hopefully, gazing at the list to choose my backup in the likely event that my wish cannot be granted.
[[It is not outside of our ability to encourage the growth of an existing race and allow it to become more. Fortunately, there is already a race that could easily become the race you are hoping to be. You wish to be a Dwarf, no? To command the rock and flames to do your bidding in order to forge superior arms and armor, to stand proud and tall against even taller foes knowing that your relationship with rock grants you supreme levels of strength and a sturdy body?]]
"YES! The Dwarves, a proud and noble race of master artisans and rambunctious drinkers!"
I practically shout, my eyes going wide at being able to be the first of this mighty race in the new world I will call home.
[[We shall grant it, your soul shall be implanted into a superior Elemental for the first few seconds of your new life. After which this rare dual attribute Elemental of earth and fire shall evolve into a new race upon being imbued with your will, the noble and powerful beginnings of the Dwarven race.]]
At last, I will have my very own story of reincarnating into another world like I have daydreamt about in between each novel release of the same genre, as the Dwarven King!