'My life is boring.'
I thought when I was 14 years old.
I want an exciting life...
I've been an orphan pretty much since I was born, I don't even know who my parents are as they abandoned me near the orphanage after some weeks of coming into this world.
There's nothing special about me, even my name, Cole, just means black. How special is that?
When I turned 16 years old, I developed a hobby of reading novels.
When I started reading, it was just to pass the time, but novels are more entertaining than I thought and I got hooked in it. And ever since then, I've been reading novels every time I got the time to.
Whenever I'm reading, I get this feeling that something inside me is getting filled, and emotions that I really don't get overwhelms me.
And those emotions, made me think that maybe, this life is still worth living...
Don't get me wrong though, I was not planning to kill myself.
It's just that I was so bored in the past that I thought, dying might not be that bad...
If someone were to ask me before why I'm still alive at that time... I'll probably just answer, "Because I'm not dead yet.".
So novels do really means a lot to me...
Anyway, I got a scholarship in a university near the orphanage that I was in when I was 18 years old, that's cool...
But I still need money to provide for my daily needs and some school stuff anyway.
So I found myself a job, and I fucking hate it, also the fact that I'm lazy.
Add that reading is starting to get boring for me too... It's just that I can't find a novel that I can enjoy, which is bad for me because it's the only thing that is giving me entertainment in this world.
But then I thought...
'If I can't find a novel that I like, why not just make one myself?'
Which might be a good idea as there's a possibility that it can also solve my money problem!
And so, I made one.
Creating a novel is harder than I thought, I would sometimes suddenly stop midway and then continue again later on because of laziness, there's a lot more problem but I'm to lazy to list them all out...
But in the end, I successfully created one.
My first novel was inspired from a novel that I really like, I got the idea there, and created a whole different story out of it.
And surprisingly, people started reading my work! Reading their comments about it also made me happy, so I came to enjoy writing.
I found a new hobby for me...
With that, I continued writing... Again and again.
And now, I'm already 29 years old.
***
"Haa..."
A sigh came out of my mouth as soon as I finished publishing the latest chapter of my ongoing novel.
"Now what?"
I asked myself.
Writing is fun and all, but after that, I have nothing else to do...
It was so boring...
So I started reading the comments and reviews about my work.
Many comments were positive, but some were negative. They don't affect me anymore as it's normal anyway, I can't satisfy everyone, so I just continued writing based on my taste, not caring about them...
Ping!
"Hm?"
Then while I was reading some comments... I received an email.
And out of boredom, I opened it.
Click-
What greeted me was a weird and confusing message.
=====
[YOUR WORK HAS BEEN SELECTED BY A HIGHER BEING!]
[Congratulations! A Higher Being will use your work for their new creation! And in exchange, they will grant your wish, and add some bonus rewards too!!!]
=====
...
...
"What bullshit is this?"
I grumbled and frowned after reading the content of the mail.
I was about to close it without replying as it would be just a waste of time.
Swaahh—
When a sudden bright light erupted from my whole body and dyed the whole room white!
"Argh! What the fuck?"
I screamed.
The light coming from my body was so bright that it looks like I'm some godly shit that descended from heaven!
Strangely though, the light doesn't hurt my eyes...
"What the fuck is happening?!"
I exclaimed.
'Okay, let's calm down.'
I tried to calm myself down and started racking my brain.
But while I was thinking... I suddenly felt like I was being 'sucked' into something.
"OKAY! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! THIS IS SO CREEPY!"
I yelled unconsciously, I couldn't see shit but white, so I was panicking.
Calling for help didn't come to mind... Why?
Because what's happening to me doesn't feel dangerous at all. It's just... Weird?
Also, I bet nobody can help me in this kind of situation either way.
Worst case scenario, the one trying to help might get caught up in this too.
I'm also an introvert with a small number of friends, so I bet nobody will take the risk to help me anyway...
Yep, even with this all shit happening, I'm still assessing the situation.
I developed this thing when I was a kid that on any occasion or happening, my thoughts or thinking would still work properly.
Which is good because just panicking wouldn't do anything good to me in any way.
So, what conclusion did I get amid this situation by racking my brain?
Heh... Nothing.
So I just stopped struggling and shut my mouth.
"Thanks for nothing brain..."
I mumbled as I stayed still.
Anything I do will be just a waste of time and energy, so I just went with the flow.
Let's wait and see what will happen, then decide what to do after that.
'I'm bored anyway.'
So I stood still, letting the weird sucking phenomenon have its way.
"This better be good."
I mumbled.
And that's the last thing that I can remember as my consciousness got cut off after that...
***
I don't know how long I was out, but immediately after I regained my consciousness...
I opened my eyes and sat up.
And looking around me...
'Um... Where?'
Is what I first thought after seeing my surroundings...
I'm sitting on a bed in a small unfamiliar room with very little furniture, all the items in the room are just for the daily needs of a single person.
"There's even no TV in here."
Anyway...
I continued to look around.
First, I thought that maybe I'm in a hospital room, but the lack of medical equipment around makes it so unlikely.
'Let's explore the room first.'
So I decided to investigate more.
I got up from bed...
And started roaming around the room.
Moving my body feels a bit weird, but I thought it was just an after effect of the light before or me fainting, so I didn't mind it that much.
Anyway, after getting a proper look at the room...
"Messy."
Is what came out of my mouth unconsciously.
It's messy as hell here, it's like someone is preparing to move out...
I know this isn't my room, but the mess is bothering me.
"Let's clean up for a while."
So I decided to clean up.
And while cleaning the room, I'm also organizing my thoughts...
After some time, I decided to enter the bathroom with the thought of checking the toilet.
And as soon as I entered...
I was greeted by a huge mirror!
I was shocked...
"Dirty."
The mirror was so dirty that I couldn't see my reflection in it! So I started cleaning it.
And just after a few wipes in the mirror, It finally started reflecting things.
Which made me stop moving... Why?
Because I noticed that the mirror is reflecting, not me...
But someone else that I don't know!
"Who the hell?"
I started moving... And the reflection moved the same way that I did!
I tried finding another mirror because maybe this one is just special.
But all the mirrors I tried are the same!
"No way."
I mumbled...
Disbelief washed all over my body as I sat down on the bed while holding a small circular mirror.
I'm not stupid...
So I know that either I got transferred into another body... Or the owner of this room is a jerk who bought defective mirrors and placed them all over the room.
Anyway, looking at the mirror in my hand again.
I can see an average-looking young man... All of his facial features are not worth mentioning, except for his sharp eyes, and I think the sharp eyes are hella cool, he has black eyes and deep-black hair.
My previous body was also skinny but this body is skinnier... And maybe because it's identical, moving now feels normal.
...
...
"Can someone explain what's happening?"
I asked in the air after calming down for a bit.
And right after that...
A transparent window that normally appears in fantasy stories or games appeared in front of me.
Looks like it came from the watch-like device I'm wearing.
I was startled, but I calmed down right away because waking up in a different body was more surprising than this.
"Since when did I have this thing on me?"
I asked, looking at the watch device on my right wrist.
No answer came, but the transparent window remained.
It has something written on it so I tried reading them.
[Hello you inferior being, be glad because what's happening to you right now is a rare thing! So just shut up and your additional rewards will be given with a few explanations soon.]
... Is what's written in it...
I don't know who sent this message, but they sure are cocky.
Anyway... Not long after that, another transparent window appeared.
Then letters started to appear in it.
[You received 2 traits and 1 skill!]
After reading what's on the window... I tilted my head.
"What is that for?"
I asked.
And I received a reply from the same window!
The letters changed as a form of replying to my question!
[Please shut up, I'll explain it soon.]
But when I read the reply, a frown formed on my face.
'Jerk.'
I thought.
[Bastard, I can read your thoughts.]
And the thing replied again!
'Then better you shit.'
Looks like I can communicate with this thing.
[At least call me 'System' you punk.]
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
The system doesn't just project words and sentences to communicate with me.
I can hear a voice inside my mind saying the same thing that the system writes in real-time... So I concluded that the voice inside my head and the system are the same.
The voice sounds robotic so it's hard to distinguish if it's from a boy or a girl.
But I'm sure annoyed to hear a voice inside my head.
"Whatever, just start explaining things to me."
[Then shut up... Well anyway, you received 2 traits and 1 skill.]
"I know, you just said that earlier."
[...]
After a short pause...
[Well anyway, this is what you received:]
The system continued, ignoring my words.
And a new transparent window appeared.
=====
[TRAITS]
-Understanding
-I like the spotlight
[SKILL]
-Monarch's Presence Lvl.1
=====
And right before me are the so-called 'rewards' that I received.
"Hey system, what are these for?"
I asked.
[Try pressing the rewards, they have explanations attached to them.]
And the system properly answered this time.
Anyway, I pressed the only 'skill' in the rewards, and another blueish transparent window appeared.
=====
[Monarch's Presence Lvl.1]
-Lets you emit the pressure or aura of a monarch. This skill reacts to your emotions.
-The skill's strength is based on how much mana you use and the skill's level.
=====
...
...
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Staring at the explanation in front of me...
My heart started beating faster, I was getting excited, I don't know why, but it's a good feeling for me.
[You received that skill because you are like the creator of this whole place.]
The system then said.
"Me? Creator? Why?"
Then I asked it multiple times consecutively.
[Check the other things you got first, Tsk... You're so nosy.]
I know the system has a point, but I really want to slap it.
Too bad my hand just passed through it when I tried to...
'What a shame.'
I thought.
[Bitch, what did you just try to do?]
I ignored the weird 'thing' talking to me and checked the first 'trait' I got instead.
=====
[Understanding]
-Makes it easier for you to understand and learn things, it also improves your memory drastically.
=====
...
...
"This is what I really need right now as I still don't understand what's going on."
I said with a smile on my face as soon as I read what is.
[The Higher Being also predicted that that's the case, so they personally selected for you.]
The system explained.
"Ohh, really..? That higher-being thing is so nice... But, you aren't the Higher Being? I guess you're just some product huh."
[Well, I'm still a superior being to you so nothing changes, peasant.]
I tried to insult the system, but it was ineffective...
"Your insult is getting harsher with time."
I mumbled.
[So what?]
"Aren't I like... Your customer?"
[Your mom.]
Then the system tried to insult me more, as an act of petty revenge.
"I never met my mom."
Too bad, I'm an orphan so I don't really care about 'your mom' jokes.
[...]
"..."
But after my casual reply... an awkward silence engulfed the room.
[Shit, I'm sorry.]
Then the system apologized!
It's pretty creepy honestly.
"No it's fine, I don't care either way, growing up without parents is better than growing up with irresponsible ones."
That's my personal opinion.
[Just... Sorry. The last 'trait' is what I selected for you, I was just created like an hour ago just to help you as one of your rewards, and I already have the knowledge I need to help you.]
I don't know why, but the system got surprisingly nice and started explaining things about itself.
Anyway, I pressed the last 'trait' that is to be said the system picked just for me.
=====
[I like the spotlight]
-Uses attention that you gained to boost your growth.
-The strength of the growth boost changes based on how much attention you are receiving.
=====
"..."
I blankly looked at the transparent window as I re-read the trait's description again and again...
After snapping out of my daze...
My head shifted in the system's direction, and I glared at it.
"You bitch! Are you telling me to become an attention whore?!"
I exclaimed.
[Well... First, I picked that just to mess with you... Sorry.]
And the system explained.
I didn't reply and just continued to glare at the system...
[But hey look, it will help you with your training, right? I'm sure that you need it.]
But then its words caught my attention.
"How am I gonna need it?"
I asked with a hint of curiosity.
'Why would I need to train anyway?'
I thought to myself.
[Check your status.]
The system then said.
I looked at it doubtfully for a second then...
'Status'
I muttered in my mind...
And another transparent window appeared in front of me.
=====
[STATUS]
Name:Raven Obadiah
Rank:F-
Mana Control:F
Strength:F-
Agility:F-
Stamina:F-
Intelligence:E-
Luck:E-
Charm:F-
[SKILLS]
[TRAITS]
=====
[Oh, you can open it without me teaching you.]
The system said in surprise.
"I'm not that stupid, people with common sense can do that too."
I replied casually.
I read a lot of fantasy novels so I know.
Anyway, I scanned through 'My status'.
"But isn't this stats way too low? What happened to the charm?"
And I complained.
I don't know anything about this status thing... But seeing the Fs, I know they're not good.
"Hmm... My new name is Raven. It has the same meaning as my previous one, just cooler."
Then after that... I started asking the system questions to quench the questions running through my head.