A cold surge of water overcame Gim Woojin. His spines shivered hazardously and his muscles felt as though they were pricked by hundreds of needles and injected with ice. The pain hadn't faded when his heart suddenly stopped beating and his breath, which he could hardly muster, was caught in his throat.
If his life would ever flash before his eyes, Gim Woojin was sure this would be the time. What scenes would he see before he'd never see his family again? It was his unconscious question. Yet, he had forgotten to question, what happened?
As he thought everything was over, a yellow light swerved into his view. His inability to breathe had been healed; allowing him to gasp and grasp at reality. More specifically... a lack of it.
Bright-eyed and a little delirious, Gim Woojin twisted and turned his head to figure out was he was; It was dark, except for the yellow light, and inexplicably cold and empty. His inspection was interrupted by a feminine voice in a childish tone, sounding unnervingly like a pre-teen little girl.
"System 667965 has confirmed King Candidate 'GIM WOOJIN' s soul has remained undamaged from space transfer. Application progress beginning in 30 seconds!" |
Gim Woojin felt cold sweat run down his back, a feeling of doom restless in his chest.
As one second became ten and ten seconds became 20, the darkness surrounding Gim Woojin quickly dispersed into white. His empty surroundings turned into a 3-dimensional room, with blank floors and blank walls. The previous suffocation he endured felt like a vague delusion now, except, he could tell this was all real. Indeed, Gim Woojin knew it was too real.
His heart, which suddenly stopped moments ago, wasn't beating. Somehow, he was breathing and thinking, all without an active heartbeat.. The sting in his chest from his missing racing heart could not be mistaken for a dream effect.
This didn't make Gim Woojin, a supernatural fearing man, feel very pleasant.
Without his thoughts together, the yellow light started again. It floated without form in front of him, but Gim Woojin could feel the excitement radiating off of it. Very strange.
"At approximately 21:15 on 9/24/####, WISP- 'Gim Woojin', was sent a invitation to a special contest." |
It took a moment to pull the light's words together, but when Gim Woojin did, he understood. That invitation was to an actual multiversal competition??
"Gim Woojin accepted, therefore his response invitation was a yes! Applicant must have expected this, but it is not strange to have doubts. So, before 667965 explains further, do you have any questions?" |
The girl's voice was purposefully tender, but it resulted in Gim Woojin being uncomfortable. No matter how much he likes being coddled, this was too strange. However, afraid if he stayed quiet for too long the thing would move on, he blustered.
"Where am I? What happened? Am I dead? I don't want to enter that competition, can you send me home? And, ugh.. Why are you a thing of light!?!" He spilled the immediate questions on his mind. His expression was livid, his eyes slightly watery from confusion and a subconscious pout drawing out his befuddlement.
The voice had gone silent, contemplating. In the blink of an eye the yellow light dropped onto his shoulder with actual mass. He looked shocked at the creature, a spotted lizard!
"667965 can be in this physical form, if applicant prefers. To answer your questions: You are in a dimensional pocket, where no time passes. Nothing big has happened, so don't worry!
I staged a catastrophic accident to appropriately remove your soul from your body. You are not dead, you are simply disconnected from your body, as of now.
Your condition, life, and death, depends on how you fare in the competition.
That being said, it is impossible to withdraw this early, unless you wish to die?" |
'Nothing big' and 'catastrophic' were used in reference to the same thing. He wasn't sure if he should be scared or question this system's moral sense! Maybe do both?
But, even if his heart and mind were riddled with complaints, it wouldn't change the facts. Him Woojin frowned tightly, then asked another question. "I was on a bridge.. what happened to the other people?"
It was getting late, but it was definitely still busy. That particular route was the only connection between his city and his friend's. In other words, when this 'catastrophic' event took place, a lot of people must've died? He didn't know what to think about that, but the digested foods wanting to escape up his throat certainly knew how he felt.
To his relief, the system responded.
"Worry not! Just as you are alive, so is everyone else. In fact, don't think about it anymore. What's important is the competition!" |
Gim Woojin thought to refute that, after all, he really didn't want to participate. However, the system quickly moved passed the questions and started enthusiastically explaining.
"For you to understand, GIM WOOJIN, you must understand what I am. I am 667965, a Candidate System. We search the multiverse for worthy applicants whenever there is a need for a new ruler.
You were invited as a worthy applicants yourself, and have fully become a candidate.
It is very simple to win, and there are no complications after losing. So, do not fear for your life!" |
For it to say that.. is that the average first response?
"There are many types of Systems to entertain the worlds, but, recently an unregistered System has been wrecking havoc. We Candidate Systems have decided this to be a perfect test!
Every world has a pre-planned 'story'. And, like in most stories, every world revolves around a special few. Even your world!" |
The system giggled on Gim Woojin's shoulder, finding something very funny about it's words. While Gim Woojin, on the other hand, was entering an identity crisis. The words of everyone being equal truly were lies, huh?
"The story of a world is "viewed" by the World's Conscious. The World's Conscious cannot control what happens, but it can decide whether it wants a certain outcome or not. It is a System's job to help from there!
That is where the competition comes in. Across the multiverse, 'stories' that already have their ending determined are changing. The Worlds' Consciousness are very unhappy and enraged.
You candidates will go from world to world, learn the original story, and set the offtrack story back on path. Once a world is completed, the World's Conscious will give you a "rating", which will determine your ranking.
All rankings will be shown after every 5 worlds. It may not sound like a lot, but 667965 is sure you'll understand." |
It stopped. The explanation was finished, but Gim Woojin only had more questions. Based on all of this, life is really just a reality drama show??
What 'special few'? You mean MAIN CHARACTERS!
And, this World Conscious– God? –thing VIEWS us!? What, on a spacial television?
His sarcastic joke almost turned into mournful tears.
What big things he was learning! How could he not be shocked?
The system gave him time to soak the information in, then moved on. It crawled from his shoulder to the top of his head.
"Since you now understand the fundamentals and all questions have been answered, congratulations! You are now my Host. Most call me 667965, but, Host, you can call me Sixty! I've been trying to adopted nicknames, like you humanoids." |
"Um.. okay." It would be some time before he could get used to a talking lizard.
"Now, Host, it's time to start your first world. The details will be explained when we head over.
Are you ready?" |
Gim Woojin gulped. Although he ran a business and came from a family of big-shots, he did not have a strong spine. He was more of an extrovert with an introvert's personality, or a pessimistic person who's really good at being optimistic.
This was too out of the ordinary...
But, something important was at stake. He thought back to his world, his family, his friends.. if for them, he could totally do this. So, he confidently replied,
"Yes."