Time seemed to stand still as Faust gazed into the amethyst twilight. His focus sharpened abruptly when a star appeared to fall.
It began as a mere pinprick of light but rapidly grew larger and more defined.
His sharp vision allowed him to discern the object's true nature.
It wasn't a celestial body pulled by gravity; it was a black monolith, an obelisk-shaped structure engraved with weird patterns.
The monolith plummeted from the Sky, descending not far from where Faust stood.
"Agony, head in that direction."
Agony responded, altering its course toward the fallen monolith.
But swiftly, Faust eyes were drawn upwards once more.
The sky was alive with descending shapes. Countless black monoliths,, were falling across the globe.
They pierced the atmosphere and struck the Earth, embedding themselves in cityscapes, remote lands, and churning seas, each one landing upright in a straight position.
As they descended, the cryptic patterns etched into each monolith began to illuminate, emitting an array of colors unique to each structure.
A pulse of energy emanated from each monolith, sending concentric waves that rippled across the globe, with each obelisk acting as an epicenter.
Faust watched as the wave of energy approached. In an instinctive response, Agony reconfigured itself into a protective shield, enveloping him within a cocoon.
After a moment, as the pulse dissipated, Agony receded, returning to its prior form.
CLANK!
A soft clank drew Faust's gaze downward.
At his feet lay a puddle of liquid crystal. It quivered and vibrated. With a swift move, Agony extended and enveloped the liquid crystal.
Faust opened his mouth to question Agony's preemptive action, but his words never took form.
A voice devoid of gender, echoed across the entire globe, transcending barriers of language and geography.
"Greetings, Humans. We are your progenitors. It was by our hand that this planet was terraformed, the seeds of life carefully sown to grant you existence."
"You are but one of countless worlds cultivated by our project, and now, as your civilization grows, you should understand a universal truth—nothing in this universe is free."
"We have installed devices across the cosmos to detect when a civilization is ripe for harvest. Your puny civilization has, to our astonishment, triggered our automated systems prematurely."
"We speculated that perhaps a prodigious intellect had emerged among you, one who propelled your technological capabilities far beyond our projections, accelerating your developmental timeline by millennia. "
"However, our analysis has revealed the truth. It was the escalation of your own conflicts, triggering cataclysmic bursts of energy, that caught our attention. "
"Since your civilization is not worthy to be harvested, we decided to make things more interesting. We will start a Game."
"We will call this 'World's End Game'. The premise of this game is simple: destroy all the monoliths we have seeded upon your world before the world beyond them succeeds in obliterating your kind."
The omnipresent voice continued.
"In this game, there are three parties. First, there are we, your creators. Based on your civilization, you can call us Gods. We will observe and give rewards, blessings, or curses depending on your action."
"The second will Imagin, abstract being born from your own creations. We have reviewed all your culture, art, literature, myth, and beliefs. You give multiple names: anime, manga, novel, webtoon, and many others."
"Your creativity, manifested in countless stories, has surprised us. We enjoy it and hence decided to give your species a chance to survive."
"These Imagin can choose a champion among you, giving you their blessing. It's through these champions they can gain the strength to manifest into reality, becoming a real existence."
"And finally, there are the players…."
"You all should have received your SYSTEM. It will guide you on what you must do next."
"Now, engage in the struggle. Combat for your survival. Fight with all your might. SURVIVE... or face EXTINCTION!"
Faust's gaze locked onto the monolith, his mind racing.
'Turning Imagin into reality? Could they possibly resurrect a living being? Or is this the same as how I created the worm?"
'Then it's just a more advanced genetic engineering…'
Faust shifted his attention to Agony, who was still engrossed in assimilating the crystal.
With a scoff, he muttered, "Proclaiming themselves as Gods? They're likely just a more advanced civilization, possibly a Type II on the Kardashev scale."
His thoughts raced with possibilities as he addressed his companion, "Hey, Agony, enough with the crystal. It needs it to participate in this 'game'."
"They mentioned something about a 'system', what an odd name for a liquid crystal."
Agony emitted a low growl. "System? Oh, they must be referring to the signal emanating from the crystal."
"Don't worry, I can hijack it. I'll establish a link to you once I've finished consuming it."
"This crystal isn't good for your body anyway. It functions like a parasite, altering your biological structure."
Faust contemplated this with a hint of skepticism. "A parasite? I doubt it's that simple. Agony, isolate a segment of the crystal."
" I need to do thorough research on it later."
Memories then flickered through his mind as he observed Agony.
"This looks like the Kraken's crystal, so it should be similar. It's fundamentally an organic nanomachine designed to modify human DNA."
As the ship sailed closer to the monolith's impact point, Faust peered into the depths of the sea.
"It seems this one has dropped to the ocean floor."
Turning his attention back to Agony, he decided to wait patiently until it finished consuming the crystal.
Time passed on, and finally, with a huge barf, Agony finished.
Faust sensed an immediate change; the energy within Agony was now more saturated, nearly doubling in intensity.
"I should find more of these core," Faust contemplated
Agony then began to split itself from the weave of Faust's clothes.
It transformed, reshaping into a creature.
The creature's fur was as black as a moonless night. Its eyes are stark white and piercing. The jaw was a masterful work of art and terror, broad and lined with needle-like teeth.
Atop its head, two small horns spiraled, glinting with a dark sheen.
Behind its back, wings unfolded. It looked like a bat that fluttered in the air. The dog was small as it could comfortably perch on Faust's shoulder.
Faust's brow furrowed. "What happened to you?"
Agony's voice had undergone a transformation as remarkable as its body — smooth and articulate.
"I have assimilated enough energy to create a separate body from yours. My core still resides with you, but this avatar grants us more flexibility."
Faust eyed the creature perched on his shoulder. "Just what kind of creature are you… So you can move by yourself now?"
Agony nodded, its wings fluttering softly with the motion. "To an extent. For now, my range is limited to a radius of ten meters from you. "
Faust pondered. "Any additional capabilities?"
Agony replied. "I can transform into anything you want within the constraints of the energy I have."
"This means the more energy I accumulate, the more mass I have for transformations."
Faust nodded. "Excellent. Now, let's re-establish my link to the system."
Agony hesitated. "Reconnecting you will notify all those 'gods' of your existence."
Faust's gaze was steady. "Can you hide my information? Just make me another survivor."
"I can. Give me a moment." There was a brief pause before Faust felt a tug in his consciousness.
A virtual interface flickered to life before his eyes, overlaying his vision.
__________________________
Name : Faust Mchollen
Profession: none
Level :1
Exp:0/100%
Str:5
Agi:5
Int:5
_________________________
Faust examined the new interface. "Can you manipulate the stats as you wish?"
Agony affirmed, "Yes." A display materialized, demonstrating a manipulation of the stats, changing the 'int' value to 10.
"Interesting," Faust mused.
At that moment, a notification flickered on his screen:
[Attention to all distant players: Please proceed to the nearest monolith and make physical contact to commence your tutorial.]
Faust's eyes narrowed. "Agony, we're heading to the monolith. And remember, stay dormant unless I told otherwise."
Agony gives a subtle nod.
The makeshift boat swiftly retracted, seamlessly integrating back into Faust's attire.
They then descended into the sea, Agony transforming a portion of itself into a mask that covered Faust's nose and mouth, enabling him to breathe as he swam deeper.
The closer Faust got, the more the monolith revealed its form—a ten-meter-tall pillar inscribed with weird glyphs that pulsed subtly.
Without hesitation, Faust extended his hand to touch the structure. As he made contact, a surge of energy cascaded over him.
"Faust, I'm detecting a dimensional shift. Should we proceed?" Agony inquired.
"Yes, they're likely transporting us to another location," Faust replied with a firm tone.
The engulfing energy intensified, resonating with the fabric of their very being than they both disappeared.