[ System Notification:
> Welcome to Astral Arena player Jay Sai.
> Astral Arena has swallowed Earth and added nine billion new players.
> Sorting players based on eligibility to become Astral Lord.
> Earthlings over the age of 18 and under 60 years old, except for those with disabilities, ailments, sickness, and other conditions, are eligible to become Astral Lords in Astral Arena.
> Earthlings who don't meet the eligibility will lose their memories and enter Astral Arena as wandering souls.
> It is detected that the player has met the eligibility to become an Astral Lord.
> Would you like to compete to become Astral Lord or give up and enter the Astral Arena as a memoryless wandering soul?]
Surrounded by a darkness that robbed him of all his senses, Jay wondered, 'What's happening?' recalling that he went to sleep in his room and was awakened by the system notification in a dark void.
Reading the system notification Jay gathered that a cosmic entity named Astral Arena had swallowed Earth. It's now compelling the humans it had trapped to participate in its game, sorting them into two groups: those eligible to become Astral Lords and those entering it as memoryless wandering souls.
A myriad of emotions and questions welled up in Jay's heart and mind, but before his mental and emotional state could enter a state of turmoil, they cleared up. This allowed him to accept the devastating but new reality faster despite the uncertainty surrounding his future. But knowing that, as an orphan, his worries were minimal compared to those with families, gave him a strange comfort. He did not feel guilty for feeling this, as being an orphan finally had merit. Still, it was scary how fast he adjusted to the news. He wondered if this was the system trying to help him make his choice.
After a quick contemplation, Jay decided to compete to become an Astral Lord, as he did not want to lose his memories. Though he didn't have many fond memories, without these memories, he would not be him. When Jay made his choice, the system prompt updated, informing him:
[ System notification:
> Congratulations! The player's choice has met the requirement to access the Astral system interface.
> The player is rewarded with the skill 'Astral Hack.'
> Transferring player to designated Astral domain.
> Player transferred to designated Astral domain.
> Total number of players in the Astral domain reached maximum occupancy. (100/100)
> All players will participate in a death match.
> The last player remaining will become the Astral Lord of the designated Astral domain.
> Eliminated players will lose their memories and enter the Astral Arena as wandering souls.
> Commencing death match in 10, 9, 8..1 fight!]
The darkness surrounding Jay cleared, and he found himself standing in the middle of a patch of a dimly lit grassland about a few acres in size and enclosed in a luminous grey mist dome. He noticed that he was not in his PJs, but wearing a linen shirt, pants, and straw slippers, holding a knife, surrounded by players in similar clothing, and wielding knives.
Even before Jay could contact the blonde player next to him, he heard him yell, "Je suis désolé, mais tu dois mourir pour ma survie. Tornade!" Jay didn't understand what the player said. He seemed to be speaking a different language, perhaps French.
However, noticing a mini tornado manifest with the wave of the player's hand and headed his way, Jay tried to jump sideways, but it was faster than him. It carried him up high and then flung him. Jay fell, crashing into something or someone, cushioning his fall. When he was still in a disoriented state from his fall, he received a system prompt:
[ System Notification:
> Congratulations on claiming first blood in your designated Astral Domain.
> Congratulations on claiming first blood across all new Astral Domains.
> The player is rewarded with the title 'The First Murderer' for the achievement.]
Reading the prompt, Jay immediately rummaged through his surroundings to learn that he had landed on a middle-aged man's neck. It snapped on impact and instantly killed him. As a result, Jay gained first blood across all the new Astral domains and received a title as a reward for the achievement.
However, he had no time to celebrate as the grassland echoed with death cries while the players used their skills to kill each other. Jay saw players commanding fire, thunder, wind, ice, etc, to hunt down the players who weren't fortunate enough to gain powerful skills. With nothing to take cover behind, it was a massacre. A few players at the edge ran to the mist to hide, but their bodies disintegrated into ashes when they came in contact with it.
Witnessing players were either busy killing or running, Jay planned to take the opportunity to hide among corpses and familiarize himself with his skill and title. However, a young player whose body was encased in a dense layer of mud, resembling an mud exoskeleton, spotted him.
"Dude, I can't believe you're still moving after that fall," saying that, the player dashed at Jay with his knife aimed at his throat.
Faced with a threat, Jay did not panic or freeze in fear. Instead, an unconscious smile graced his lips. After being awarded the title 'The First Murderer,' he felt an inexplicable change within him. The death cries and smell of blood made him excited. It was as if murder was natural to him.