In a quiet forest, with just the sounds of chirping birds and chattering squirrels, a boy walks while his German Shepard runs wildly. He calls out to his dog whenever she runs too far.
"Rose, come back!"
Rose's ears perk up at the call and she runs straight back to him, tail wagging almost violently.
"You know you can't run that far away Rose, you have to stay closer to me"
Rose pants and barks as if she understands and starts running again, but closer to the boy. She happily prances around and lets her energy out while the boy keeps walking.
The boy stands at 6'2" and has medium length, thick natural black hair. He wears a tan beanie over most of it, with just bangs hanging out. The black hair covers the left eye as it swoops down in an attempt to cover a scar going straight down his eye.
He would look pretty emo if it wasn't for his radiant smile and kind right eye. It shines like honey in the sunlight poking through the summer forest. Even though it's summer, he refuses to change his usual outfit.
He always wears jeans, a beanie, black tennis shoes, a grey muscle shirt, and a zip up hoodie that's completely unzipped. The only thing that he ever changes is that when he's around people he zips up his hoodie and puts on a mask to cover his mouth and nose.
Our protagonist has severe agoraphobia so he always tries to cover his face in public and cover the rest of his body as well as possible.
This is also why even though he is incredibly handsome he's never had any friends or a girlfriend. He's always avoided people and choses to be in nature with animals instead.
He also has severe depression that he's always tried to battle by staying active and reading. This has always kept his body and mind in top shape as a byproduct of his attempts to escape reality or distract himself.
He is currently in the middle of his daily walk in the woods he takes with Rose after he works out for two hours. As always he's completely zoned out, thinking about a manga or Webnovel he's been reading recently. He loves to imagine himself in an isekai where a god sends him to a new world in a new body that doesn't have his families genetic depression and anxiety he inherited.
Today is just like any other day. He's walking on a path he's stomped out through repeated walks for years, walking with his dog he's raised himself since he was 12. He is currently 18 and this is his last summer before he goes off to college. Even though he graduated valedictorian, he has no real goals other than to do something in the medical field. He considered being a Veterinarian because he loves animals, but that would also mean he would sometimes have to put animals out of their misery and he can't imagine a worse job.
As he walks he'll sometimes speak to himself
"It's okay Luke, you got a full ride to U of M, they have a great medical field and you can definitely find something to do"
As a Michigan native and valedictorian, it was pretty easy for him to get a full ride to the University of Michigan.
While hopping between the future, the past, the present, and anime in his head, Rose suddenly starts barking loudly at something. Rose is usually very quiet as Luke hated loud noise and had trained her to not bark much unless she needed his attention.
Her barking immediately broke Luke out of his daze as he noticed Rose was now standing in front of him, ready to attack. He looked ahead and saw a brown bear 10 meters ahead of him. He had seen a bear before and knew that if he turned around the bear would ignore him and keep going on with life.
He grabbed Rose by the collar and turned around, only to have his heart sink to his feet. Behind him was a cub, wandering out of the woods like a drunk wandering out of the bar. He knew if he approached the cub the momma bear would attack, and if he approached the momma bear he would be attacked.
"Well, I'm definitely f**ked here"
He turned off the music coming out of his phone that was supposed to alert bears so they would avoid him. He didn't want to die and to a soundtrack after all.
He looked at Rose and then did something he had never done to her before. He screamed at her at the top of his lungs.
"RUN HOME ROSE! RUN HOME RIGHT NOW!!!"
Luke rarely raised his voice, and never screamed like he just did. Rose understood this meant he was serious and understood the word home. She immediately rushed off to their house, obediently following her masters orders. She didn't want to abandon him, but she trusted Luke.
.....
Luke watched his best friend run towards their house. She ran straight past the baby bear at her top speed. Luke drew his pocket knife knowing that her going near the baby bear meant that momma was about to charge her.
Luke saw the momma lose all internet in him as she started charging Rose. As she charged past him he stuck the pocket knife straight into the bears eye.
"I won't let you kill my best friend you b**ch!!!"
Luke was always suicidal, but Rose always helped him through his moments and episodes. He loved Rose more than anything and would gladly sacrifice his life for her.
As he plunged the knife into the bears eye, he heard a mighty roar. He let go of the handle, as he understood that the blade was already all the way inside the eyeball and had failed to reach the brain.
He knew reaching the brain was his one chance to win this fight and him failing to do so meant he was going to die today.
The bear rose up onto her hind legs and slashed straight at her attacker. He front claw tore through his neck and chest. The bear was lucky with her shot and immediately landed a fatal blow.
Luke fell to the ground, he tried to gasp and felt a new sensation of air entering and exiting his throat instead of his mouth. It was the most disgusting feeling he had felt in a long time.
Pain coursed through his body as he felt his life slipping. He tried to do what he always did when he was in pain and make a joke at his expense.
"I wonder if this bear will have a truck-kun effect and send me to god"
Unfortunately he not only did he barely believe himself as he was agnostic, his new throat hole stopped him from talking and just made his joke sound like a pathetic bubbling creek.
His one good eye glazed over as he died. His face still smiling as he was satisfied saving his best friend in exchange for his life.
....
In a large white room was a large round table with 100 seats. This was a conference of The 100. In a different world 100 deities ruled a world. They all gave themselves names that loosely, and sometimes barely, fit what they were best at. They all gave each other these names. Some were jokes, some were just to hide their true abilities, and some were very accurate. This is currently irrelevant however, as we are only here to listen in on something that may allow Luke to have his Isekai dream.
"Have all of us picked a championship to bring to our favorite planet and give a chance to have a fun, friendly challenge between deities?"
Simultaneously the other 99 deities nodded.
"Excellent! Then I, Zeus, the number 1 God of The Holy Faction declare the 23rd Deity Games to begin on the dawn of the Solar Equinox!"
...
In a large forest filled with fog, a 6'2" boy in strange clothes awoke in a confused daze. He slowly sat up as he examined his surroundings. He saw nothing but fog and trees with creepy vines surrounding him.
"Is this the afterlife?"
"No dipsh*t, you were isekai'd by bear-kun"
A strange imp sat before Luke and stared at him with annoyed eyes.
"Wait, what kind of cruel prank is this?"
"It's not a prank dumba**, say ID and you'll believe me"
"Not status? Okay, weird way to be unique but ID works too"
As Luke said ID, a strange blue screen appeared before him
***
Name: Lucas
Age: 18
Species: Human
Class: Summoner
Level: 1
Sponsors: Asmodeus (Beast God)
Stats
Strength: 8
Endurance: 9
Dexterity: 6
Agility: 8
Magic: 10
Skills
Reading 1
Writing 1
Studying 1
Cooking 1
Animal Care 1
Auras
Abilities
Analysis 1
Scholars Index 1
Summoning Familiar 1
Familiar Telepathy 1
Spells
Ice Spear 1
Dimensional Pocket 1
***
"Wow, that's a nice starting set kid, no wonder Asmodeus picked you"
"Who's Asmodeus"
"It's easier to show than tell, so think the phrase 'Scholars Index' and then the phrase 'The 100'"
Luke did as the imp said and suddenly he saw another screen pop up with the following
***
Demonic Gods
1. Asmodeus (Beast God)
2. Hecate (Magic God)
3. Odin (Knowledge God)
4. Hades (Dark God)
5. Anubis (Death God)
6. Ashura (Spear God)
7. Shesha (Space God)
8. Hephaestus (Fire God)
9. Vishnu (Barrier God)
10. Seth (Wind God)
11. Satan (Avian God)
12. Beelzebub (Insect God)
13. Baal (Mud God)
14. Lucifer (Poison God)
15. Ishtar (Love God)
16. Medjed (Soul God)
17. Kratos (Axe God)
18. Quetzalcoatl (Dragon God)
19. Ambrogio (Blood God)
20. Berith (Metal God)
21. Shiva (Cold God)
22. Krishna (Sound God)
23. Orochi (Snake God)
24. Loki (Trickery God)
25. Dionysus (Wine God)
Demon Kings
1. Pandora (Darkness Queen)
2. Thanatos (Death King)
3. Heka (Magic Queen)
4. Surtr (Fire King)
5. Ares (Sword King)
6. Hydros (Water Queen)
7. Vrita (Dragon Queen)
8. Nue (Storm King)
9. Achlys (Mist Queen)
10. Gaea (Earth Queen)
11. Fenrir (Axe Queen)
12. Aegir (Alcohol Queen)
13. Ullr (Archery King)
14. Akhlys (Poison King)
15. Tantalus (Punishment King)
16. Lyssa (War Queen)
17. Selene (Blood Queen)
18. Ogun (Metal King)
19. Apocalypse (Gravity King)
20. Eunomia (Law Queen)
21. Tithonus (Insect King)
22. Dryad (Tree Queen)
23. Dolos (Trickery Queen)
24. Khrysos (Gold King)
25. Ascelpius (Snake King)
Holy Gods
1. Zeus (Lightning God)
2. Phanes (Life God)
3. Khronos (Time God)
4. Rah (Light God)
5. Poesidon (Water God)
6. Demeter (Nature God)
7. Hera (Mist God)
8. Mut (Earth God)
9. Osiris (Law God)
10. Apollo (Archery God)
11. Hathor (Healing God)
12. Merkabah (Punishment God)
13. Athena (War God)
14. Erebus (Gravity God)
15. Psyche (Mind God)
16. Amaterasu (Lava God)
17. Moirai (Fate God)
18. Yggdrasil (Tree God)
19. Hanuman (Faith God)
20. Susano'o (Sword God)
21. Ifrit (Digging God)
22. Mammon (Money God)
23. Hermes (Games God)
24. Edesia (Food God)
25. Euphrosyne (Happiness God)
Holy Kings
1. Thor (Lightning King)
2. Thoth (Knowledge King)
3. Aphrodite (Love Queen)
4. Cu Chuliann (Spear King)
5. Aegis (Barrier Queen)
6. Aether (Space King)
7. Sekhmet (Healing Queen)
8. Gerdr (Nature Queen)
9. Huitzilopochtli (Avian King)
10. Fortuna (Mind Queen)
11. Ho-Musubi (Lava King)
12. Artemis (Beast Queen)
13. Boreas (Cold King)
14. Eros (Faith Queen)
15. Jiutian Xuannü (Life Queen)
16. Antaeus (Digging Queen)
17. Aeolus (Wind King)
18. Clotho (Fate Queen)
19. Aje (Money King)
20. Heracles (Games King)
21. Echo (Sound Queen)
22. Hestia (Food Queen)
23. Themis (Mud Queen)
24. Ebisu (Happiness King)
25. Daemonis (Soul King)
***
"What does this mean, umm, imp?"
"My name is Cinder, most call me Cid, and these are the 100 strongest deities to ever exist. They are second only to The Creator himself. You were summoned here because they are having a competition to satiate their boredom. They chose a champion from another world and send them here to go on adventures and enact their will upon the world. You will be given quests from the deities labeled as you sponsors and in return you will be given rewards."
"So I'll be given a quest system? What happens if I don't do any of the quests?"
"Nothing. You're free to live live however you want. The quests will give you nice rewards though, and if you do enough sometimes the Sponsor will give you quests that can grant your inner desires!"
Luke stared at the imp with a blank expression. His dream was being handed to him on a silver platter. He had magic, was a summoner, was in a different world, and had a quest system to give him clear goals! He didn't have to decide what to do with his life, this Beast God would do it for him!
"I accept your offer Cid!"
"You didn't really have a choice, but okay kid. Asmodeus will give you quests shortly. Bye!"
Without waiting for Luke to say bye back, Cid disappeared with a puff of smoke and left Luke alone in this creepy forest.
Luke looked at his stats, looked around, and then finally spoke again.
"How do I summon a familiar?"