As the virtual water enveloped him, Saad felt a strange mix of excitement and trepidation.
The pond continued to glow, and the water rose before Saad, forming a screen where writing and pictures slowly appeared. However, his excitement quickly turned to disappointment and frustration as he realized that there were only 39 character profiles, with most of them being female characters. Only 12 male characters were available, along with 5 dwarves, 3 beastmen, and 4 humans. The limited options infuriated him, and he couldn't help but turn to Aeorn with anger and disbelief in his voice.
"What is this?" Saad demanded, trying to control his rising anger.
"It's the soul index," Aeorn's nonchalant attitude only served to aggravate him further.
With eyebrows twitching, Saad tried to keep his temper in check and asked, "There are only 12 male characters! That's all I see! Wasn't this game supposed to have thousands of unique characters? What is this? Is it some kind of scam?"
"You can always chose a female soul, since there are many good picks left," Aeorn seemed to see no problem and that only made Saad frustrated. He could see it as well but he had no interest in doing that. No, he refused to do that! As if reading his expression alone the NPC decided to be benevolent.
Aeorn took a deep breath, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe this human's ignorance. "Did you read the instruction manual before starting the game?" he asked.
Taken aback, Saad was about to reply, but Aeorn stepped closer, his tone more serious now. "It is clearly written in the manual to synchronize the set with the location. Since the set was preprogrammed with the date and time of the place of manufacturing, you logged in to the wrong server where the time is already 11 pm, and all the characters have been chosen."
Saad's anger subsided as he realized his mistake. Embarrassment flooded over him, but he quickly gathered his composure. He still felt frustrated, "So, what do I do now? Do I have to wait until tomorrow to play?" he asked, trying to salvage the situation. After all, since he had waited for so long, he could wait a little longer.
Saad's frustration slowly transformed into resignation as he absorbed the implications of his mistake. "You have already registered your link into the Chimerical World System,"Aeorn moved closed and passed him to sit beside the pond, touching the water. "If you want to enter the world with a new link, you will need to destroy the current link."Aeorn's cryptic words made Saad stare in disbelief.
"I... I need to buy a new suit?" he asked, his hopes dwindling. The idea of having to purchase another expensive suit felt unbearable. He couldn't believe there was such a ridiculous condition, and he wondered if he was the first person to make such a blunder.
"As I said, you need a new link. Do you not understand?" Aeorn's words sank into Saad's heart. Buying a new suit was out of the question. He had already taken so many loans to afford the first one; he was now left with nothing. The suits couldn't even be sold.
With a heavy heart, Saad walked toward the water screen again, Aeorn's indifferent gaze following him. He felt trapped, with no way out. The only option now was to play the game and earn the money needed for a new suit and a better character. He sifted through the available characters, each having their flaws that explained why they had been left behind.
Among them, Saad found 'Kael Emberflame,' a character with a semblance of normalcy – gorgeous chestnut brown hair, striking emerald eyes, and a respectable family background. But there was a catch, a haunting line written in his fate: 'A mysterious and ominous fate is at play.' Who would choose him after reading that? Yet, Saad felt cornered, left with no other option.
Aeorn looked up, his eyes momentarily revealing something hidden beneath his stoic demeanor. "Are you going to choose him?" he inquired.
"You ask as if I have another choice. I will choose him, but! As soon as I earn enough money, I'm getting the premium pod and a new character!" Saad proclaimed, his determination masking his insecurities.
Aeorn got up, rolling his eyes, seemingly unimpressed by Saad's words. Saad looked at the annoying NPC one last time and then turned back to the screen. Without further hesitation, he pressed the glowing 'select' button, initiating the 'possession.' Aeorn stood quietly beside him as process started.
As Saad pressed the select button, an interface opened up, revealing more details about the character named Kael Emberflame. By default, Kael's age was set at 16, the starting age for adventurers. However, Saad noticed that he could change the age and even make the character as young as 13. He had read that some players chose this option to build a strong foundation for their character, as opportunities would be endless, but the character's age could never be altered again. It was a special privilege.
Beneath the age setting, the character's race was stated as human. Saad then focused on the potential bar, which showed Kael's above-average potential in charm, magic, and combat, with an average potential for creation. However, what caught Saad's attention and worried him the most was the last option in the potential bar - 'Fate.' The potential for Fate was at its maximum, and unlike the other options that were faint silver and sparkly, Fate's bar was pure black, with an enigmatic asterisk underneath it and a cautionary line.
'A mysterious and ominous fate is at play.'
Saad stared at the warning for what seemed like an eternity. No matter how he analyzed it, Kael appeared to be cursed. He sighed and continued reading Kael's background story, learning that he came from a family of merchants in the capital city of Seraphia, under the rule of Duke Easton. They were a middle-class family with prosperity but had not been fortunate when it came to potential as magicians.
Kael's character potential hinted at higher chances of becoming a merchant if he followed in his father's footsteps and sponsored a character with higher potential. 'What fun is that-' Saad thought to himself, contemplating the choices before him.
"It would actually be beneficial for you if you do that. Don't you just want to earn money? You are not playing it for adventure anyway," Aeorn suddenly spoke, startling Saad. The idea that Aeorn could read his thoughts shocked him for a moment, causing him to momentarily forget about the cursed character.
"You- You can read my thoughts?" Saad looked more than spooked as he stared at Aeorn, who seemed unbothered.
"Did you forget that this entire conversion is through the synchronization of your mind's waves? Are you sure you're going to be okay playing this game? Since you obviously lack intelligence for it," Aeorn's arrogance irked Saad, making his blood boil. He refused to entertain further conversation with this AI who had a strange way of making him feel stupid. He was 'not' stupid!
"Then you should stop acting stupid," Aeorn retorted, proving he couldn't be silenced.
"Can you stop talking and let me think?!" Saad grumbled out loud, frustrated that Aeorn continued to read his thoughts.
"It's just a coincidence," Aeorn added crisply, reading his thoughts once again. Saad closed his 'eyes' briefly with shame when Aeorn spoke, grateful that his celestial form hid his expressions.
"Either way, there is nothing to think about. You can't choose another character, and the only things you can change are his age, hair color, and eye color options. You're taking too long," Aeorn pulled away and a grandiose chair materialized out of thin air, and Aeorn sat on it, looking bored.
Though Saad wanted to curse at Aeorn in his heart, he couldn't deny the NPC's words. He could see the portraits of Kael's parents in the direct family tree. Other faces were hidden, leaving him with limited choices. Since both his parents were slightly taller, Saad couldn't choose a shorter height. The same was the case for skin color, which was fair for both parents, and even the body type was slim. So, he was left with only a few options: chestnut brown or purple hair and emerald green or brown eyes.
There was no way he would choose purple hair, so he settled for the default appearance with chestnut brown hair and emerald green eyes, features inherited from his handsome father. His mother, portrayed with long wavy purple hair, was a beauty herself. Saad took a moment to appreciate how beautifully crafted the portraits were, even with the purple hair. However, it would feel strange to act as their son.
His finger hovered over the age bar. He wanted to start earning money quickly, which meant starting the game at age 16, but that would leave him with little time to explore Kael's curse. The brief backstory provided no mention of the curse. Ultimately, he decided to begin the game at 16 and figure out how to handle the curse later.