[Welcome Challenger to the Otherworldly Survival System AKA the OSS]
[The God of Survival awaits your arrival!]
Groaning was heard on the side of a dirt path as our protagonist woke up from his portal-induced nap.
"Why do I feel like I was used as a chew toy by that ugly cat-lizard?" Aiden groaned in discomfort. After getting his head straight, he looked around at his surroundings. To say he was surprised was an understatement.
The grey and metallic metropolitan city were replaced with a green and humid forest with no sign of civilization in sight.
Even though he should be panicking, Aiden couldn't resist relaxing at the peaceful nature of the scenery. Unfortunately, this relaxing moment will have to wait.
A screen appeared.
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[Welcome Challenger to the Otherworldly Survival System AKA the OSS]
[The God of Survival awaits your arrival!]
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Huh? Challenger? OSS? God of Survival? What the hell is going on here?
Before Aiden was allowed to fall on the path of confusion and denial, another screen appeared.
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[You arrived here through a space crack formed when your world joined the spatial plane under the God of Survival.]
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"Wait, those were space cracks? So the invasion of monsters was not intended? An accident…." A somber and pained look grew as Aiden remembered his world's situation.
[Yes and no. There was a distinct possibility of space cracks forming, but the fragility of the space surrounding your world was underestimated. It should be considered an oversight, not an accident.]
A surge of anger welled up in Aiden. What kind of being would go through with this if they knew the consequences? A heartless being like that would be the epitome of selfishness and cruelty.
They are why his family is in shambles, and he is stranded in an unfamiliar place. Aiden is not a big fan of this God of Survival.
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[My Creator is neither a cruel god nor a generous one. He does what is necessary for survival. Nothing more, nothing less. However, he will not shirk his responsibility now that your world is under his banner.]
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[All those from your world that survive the calamity and have the necessary potential will be awakened under the OSS.]
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Aiden glowered at the System's retort to his inner thoughts, but he knew it was a losing battle arguing with an AI. No matter how the teen felt, it would just counter it with logic and truths.
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Aiden unclenched his fist and asked some questions on his mind.
"You keep saying my world. I guess God of Survival has multiple worlds, and I'm on one of them?"
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[Correct. The world you are in is called Aroura. A world permeated with spirits and magic. The inhabitants of this world have evolved through the mystical energy produced by the world. Multiple races inhabit this world besides humans, and animals have evolved into sentient beasts capable of affecting their surroundings by merely existing.]
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'Great.' Aiden mused. 'I end up in a fantasy land that most would kill for a chance to live in. Would I be considered lucky or unfortunate?'
Shaking his head, Aiden continued with his questions.
"What is this OSS thing you keep mentioning? And can I return home?"
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[The Otherwordly Survival System, aka OSS, is me. My Creator, the God of Survival, made me so there would be a direct connection between his subjects and himself. With the core purpose of raising strong powers and entertainment, awakening under the OSS provides all qualified individuals a chance to become Heralds.]
[Heralds are warriors who have proven their worth and are given the right to enter My Creator's main army. They are given the ability to travel between worlds of their own choice and can access many benefits that can raise their power to heights unimaginable.]
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Aiden wasn't precisely awed by this. His thoughts went back to his little brother, who was back home and was still being overrun by monsters. He had to get back.
"How exactly do I prove myself?"
The System was silent for a second before responding.
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[The overall strength of My Creator's forces is evergrowing. The current benchmark for Heralds is to be: above level 500, be one of or the dominating powers of a world, and challenge and defeat a Herald.]
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Level 500? Jeez, this was starting to hurt his head with how much information was being dumped.
Aiden massaged his skull before noticing he was wearing gloves.
'What the? How did I miss this?' Aiden was no longer wearing the clothes he wore before entering the portal.
He had on a baggy long sleeve grey shirt with baggy black pants. A black cloak hung around his neck and shoulders, with black fingerless gloves covering his hands.
Aiden inspected his clothing before nodding in approval.
"Hmm…very suspicious looking, but oddly comfy. Wait, not important right now. Levels? Why are you using game terms now?"
The System responded in kind.
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[The OSS was created in the beginning to be a game until the God of Survival realized the capabilities of such a concept. Of course, running the OSS requires a lot of My Creator's resources, but it has proven to be worthwhile in raising many incredible powers.]
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Suddenly, the screen flashed red, startling Aiden into taking a step back. He was not expecting such a sudden alarm.
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[WARNING]
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[Host has awakened, but his role or class is still undetermined. The host has been given a chance to acquire a Divergent Class.]
[Time remaining: 1 minute]
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Aiden heatedly replied to the sudden choice in front of him, raising his hands in indignation.
"What a damn minute! What the hell is a Divergent Class? I played my fair share of games, and this never showed up in any of them."
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[A Divergent Class is an untested class with abilities not found in any of the worlds belonging to My Creator. Only select individuals are given a chance to obtain a Divergent Class, and there can only be one in existence. You must-ERROR. No more can be said. Make your choice.]
[Time remaining: 32 seconds]
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Aiden's eye twitched in irritation. This had to be the most irritating god he had ever heard of! He was about to scream into his arm to muffle it but realized something important.
He was alone, and so he screamed to the world.
"SCREW YOU, YA ASSHOLE OF SURVIVAL! Throw your worst at me! I'll give you a damn show, you pretentious prick!" It didn't take long for him to regret those words as a new screen appeared.
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[Choice Confirmed: Divergent Quest Accepted]
[Difficulty Confirmed: Defiant Difficulty Accepted]
[Quest Name: Survive]
[Quest Description: Survive for 24 hours]
[Quest Parameters: No food or water, all white clothing, E-class awakening, enhanced presence, and location revealed every hour]
[Quest Reward: Divergent Class Unlocked, Apprentice Energy Sense, Apprentice Energy Control]
[Quest Failure: Death]
[P.S. Good luck ;)]
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A snap could be heard in the young teen's mind, and the cold stare Aiden gave the System could freeze Hell.
"You little fucker. You want to play? We can play." There was another fun fact about this teen.
His peers from his school discovered from a young age that one does not screw with Aiden. During a martial arts event, an opponent of his was a known troublemaker with a track record for unsportsmanlike behavior.
The same person had injured one of his teammates with an illegal move, and his teammate had to sit out for the rest of the tournament. This person was a close friend of Aiden.
Everyone expected him to blow up in anger as he usually did, but they soon found out those few outbursts were just playful tantrums. Regardless of the kid's taunt, Aiden never broke his calm façade.
However, the kid didn't talk for long as Aiden dismantled him without even giving him a chance to give up. While the kid only suffered only surface injuries, he had lost all confidence and couldn't even look at Aiden without shaking.
Aiden said when asked later about it, "I just showed him the respect he deserved with maximum efficiency. Can't do that blinded by rage."
And at this moment, Aiden had reached that point.
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[The Quest begins as soon as you go through all of the features you currently have available in the OSS.]
[Available Functions]
[Status]
[Inventory]
[Skills]
[Quest Log]
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Aiden only harrumphed at this and continued according to the instructions. His aloof expression from earlier was gone without a trace, with only cold indifference in its place.
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[Status Screen]
Name: Aiden Don
Level: 1
Class: ---
Combat Rank: E
STA: 15
STR: 13
AGI: 11
INT: 8
WIS: 9
CHA: 25
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Yeesh, these stats are depressing to look at. At least his CHA stat was pretty good, so he felt a little better.
Aiden moved on to the [Skills] function to see if he had any to take advantage of.
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[Skills]
[Sage] Apprentice
Growth Skill. Emotions are passing thoughts. Feelings are fleeting attachments. Understand them and never be controlled by them.
Passive Effects: Resistance to Mental Attacks and Afflictions, 25% EXP, and Skill Mastery Boost
Active Effects: Evoke [Sage Mode] for the following benefits.
100% EXP and Skill Mastery Boost, 50% INT and WIS Boost, 25% CHA Boost, Skills [Calm Beserker] and [Moment of Truth]
[Calm Beserker] Apprentice
You are a rare type of person who performs better when angered.
Passive Effects: 50% STR and AGI Boost, 25% INT and WIS Boost
[Moment of Truth] Apprentice
Everything aligns naturally with your whims. It can apply to everything you do.
Passive Effects: +25% Chance of Enlightenment, +25% Chance of Skill Enhancement,…
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Aiden looked at his Skills with wonder as he tried to gauge how good they were. There wasn't a ranking system for him to compare his skills to, so he just went along with the opinion that his skills were broken.
Aiden could recognize the [Sage] skill from that state he went into to calm himself. It made him wonder if the System takes what you already have and quantify it for the user to see—food for thought.
The only problem Aiden could see from the list was the lack of attack skills, but [Calm Beserker] is enough for the moment. He put them out of his mind as he moved on to his inventory.
Aiden wasn't expecting anything in his inventory, but he was surprised to see bo staff in it.
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[Tutorial Bo Staff]
An essential weapon for the tutorial. Its structure is enforced by the God of Survival's power and will not break. The energy will dissipate at the end of the tutorial returning it to a regular bo staff.
Durability: Tutorial Quest
Bonus Stats: None
Bonus Skills: None
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Curious about the weapon, Aiden took out the [Tutorial Bo Staff], and a bo staff covered in elegant engravings could be seen appearing out of the void. The teen looked over the staff with an appraising eye and nodded in approval.
Aiden twirled the staff and began performing some moves he learned from his time in the martial arts scene. It seems the System could recognize the weapon he was most suited for as this was the weapon he trained in the most.
The teen snorted in amusement at the memory of all the kids he beat with the boring staff. The sword was boring to him because it was just slashing or stabbing. The bo staff was far more versatile.
After testing it to his satisfaction, Aiden decided to keep it out for now. Never know what was out here in this new world.
Aiden looked at his surroundings and pondered which direction of the dirt path he should go. Usually, logic would assume animals would stay away from human paths as humans were quite dangerous.
However, that logic wouldn't count here as there should be plenty of monsters and beasts stronger than regular humans, and they would probably converge to the path, not avoid it.
While Aiden was trying to strategize, the System decided he was taking too long.
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[Quest Log]
Tutorial Quest: Survive for 24 hours
Starts Now
Revealing Location…
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"F#ck!"
Aiden could only let out a single curse before a bright light enveloped him and shot into the sky.