Atlas was confused but spoke, ''No problem. But where am I?''
"We'll address that shortly. Time is of the essence," Luxia remarked, glancing at the black-haired Goddess beside her. "Allow me to introduce my younger sister, Nyx, the Goddess of Darkness."
He greeted the woman with a smile, but she only gave them a half-hearted nod, which Atlas found endearing. Afterward, Luxia continued talking, ''You died back on your homeworld while rescuing that little girl. Which is admirable but sad nonetheless.''
"Yeah, but I don't regret it," Atlas responded. "Cindy's got her whole life ahead of her. Me? I was just a lost, depressed teenager with no family.''
After speaking, Atlas saw the look in Luxia's eyes and recognized it as sadness. She quickly shook her head and resumed talking, ''Right now, you're in the soul realm where all the dead return. But I have the perfect vessel waiting if you wish to restart your life and experience everything you missed in your previous one.''
''What's the catch? You have other motives for bringing me here. I doubt you'd do it out of the kindness of your heart,'' he questioned after hearing her offer.
Luxia smiled. ''You will become the champion of Light and Dark, which means you must fight the Chaos King and anything that comes with him when the time comes.'' She said, ''That's the price for a life of love and adventure, simple, isn't it?''
Atlas thought, 'It's straight out of a novel. How is this real?'
''It is real,'' she commented while reading his mind. ''You will become the Voidwalker. A being who controls all mana and walks the Void where countless horrors dwell. You have the potential to harness such power to save my world and, in turn, gain a life that most can only dream of.''
''Voidwalker? Sounds cool,'' he said while nodding his head.
Luxia smiled before asking with a hopeful voice, ''So, do you accept my offer?
''Will I be put in a family that hates me and banishes me?'' Atlas asked her a question instead.
The two goddesses looked at him like he was a strange creature as Nyx inquired, ''Why are you asking such a specific question, boy?''
Atlas chuckled. ''It's a common trope in novels back on Earth.''
Luxia giggled before shaking her head, ''Your family situation is very interesting, to say the least,'' she explained. ''You will be alone for a while, but you will build your own family in the end, so does it matter?.''
He shrugged as it didn't sound bad. The white-haired Goddess regarded him with a thoughtful gaze, nodding with a smile before she began to speak. "As your Goddess, I will bestow upon you three spells and two skills to aid you at the beginning of your new life. However, when you progress to the first rank, you will be limited to learning only one additional spell, rather than the usual four the system allows, due to the ones I am granting you now."
''First rank?'' Atlas asked confused.
Instead of Luxia, Nyx informed him of the world's system that every sentient being owns. This lets people keep track of their overall status and can level up by killing monsters that would give them a certain amount of experience.
Every rank had a certain amount of experience one needed to earn before ranking up, and the stronger they became, the harder it would be to increase their stats. This world forces the higher-ranked warriors and mages to search out strong opponents.
The second way of progressing was through hard work and training. There were levels and ranks, along with something called a Mana Core, but Nyx wouldn't discuss it any further and told him he would have to learn about it in the future.
She did note that upon reaching the second rank, he could use up to eight spells, limited by the world's rules. But as he progressed to the third rank, it would let him use twelve. However, upon reaching the fourth rank, all restrictions would be lifted by the universe, granting Atlas the ability to learn a limitless amount.
When he inquired about the limitation, Luxia explained that it was a universal law beyond their understanding. Nevertheless, she did mention speculation that the spell limitations were connected to the individual's soul, though she couldn't confirm it with certainty.
After hearing all this, Atlas was interested, so he questioned with excitement seeping into his voice, ''So I just have to go into a forest and kill monsters to level up?''
"Yes, that is one way, but scattered across the world are dungeons, which can aid you in leveling up by offering monsters to kill for experience," Luxia said before continuing. "They range from level one to level ten, each hosting various ranked creatures."
''Okay,'' Atlas answered with a smile before asking, ''What are the Monster ranks?''
"It ranges from Rank G to SSS+ and even beyond," Nyx replied. "You'll delve into the finer points once you embark on your new journey. However, what's crucial to know that the Chaos King and his minions harbor animosity towards the Voidwalker, which you've now become our chosen one."
"What's the name of the world?" Atlas inquired, his curiosity piqued about the place he was being sent to. "And what's it like?"
As Nyx fell silent, Luxia took the lead this time, "It's called Valoria, which is hundreds of times the size of your former Earth. But it's a world of magic, swords, and monsters. With enough determination, one can rise to the top and become something entirely different."
Atlas nodded, ''Can't wait to see all this,'' he said before asking, ''Will I ever see you two again?''
When Nyx heard this, her pointy ears twitched, but Luxia smiled, ''Yes,'' she answered. ''We will visit you in your dreams until you're strong enough to receive our messages.''
''Okay,'' he answered. ''Is there anything else I should know before you send me away?''
''You'll have minutes to react, but just think about status and then think about using the spells I gifted you, and you may survive,'' Nyx said.
"Remember, death is a common on Valoria, and you mustn't allow it to sway or affect your judgement otherwise it will be you dying. To have the courage to kill will be crucial for you to survive your journey, my little champion," Luxia advised.
Atlas nodded before the Goddess smiled, ''Thank you for helping us,'' she continued while waving her hand. ''Now enjoy your new life and make sure to give it your all.''
Unknown to him, she had placed a mental barrier from the overwhelming onslaught of experiences that would otherwise drive him into madness. As Atlas vanished, Luxia spoke to no one in particular, ''When darkness surrounds us, the only thing that pulls us out of it is hope. Sometimes, it makes us feel special, sometimes, it is the only thing that connects us to life."
Meanwhile, the next thing Atlas knew, everything went black as an unknown power sucked him into a wormhole. He fell through a colorful tunnel resembling a bright canvas, where shining stars dotted the expanse, amazing him.
Soon, he spotted a massive planet and accelerated toward its surface before everything turned white. Atlas felt the cold against his skin, and then a throbbing pain in his head caused him to open his eyes.
Above him, tree branches devoid of leaves let him see the dark clouds overhead. Sitting up, he was hit by another throbbing pain in his head, causing his sight to blur momentarily before returning to normal after rubbing his eyes.
'What the hell is going on,' he internally complained. 'My head is killing me.'
The scene shocked Atlas to the core; lifeless bodies of men lay all over the clearing he found himself in. While scanning the area, he soon spotted two white-colored wolves covered in blood, standing opposite a man who held a sword and pointed it at them.
Baffled, Atlas quickly threw up as the smell of blood overwhelmed him but soon calmed down, remembering Luxia's words, and realized he had to get used to seeing dead things as he saw dozens of wolf bodies lying everywhere.
Shaking his head, he thought to himself, 'Status.'
After Atlas thought that, blue writing started appearing in his sight, which shocked him, but he started reading the spells Luxia gave him.
Name: Atlas
Age: 13
Race: Voidborn
Class: ??????????
Level: ---
Rank: ---
Experience: 000/200
Affinity: ????
____
Health: 4/20
Mana: 500/500
Strength: 20
Stamina: 20
Charisma: 200
Intelligence: 20
____
???? ????:
???? ????
???? ??????
???? ????????? ?????
____
Spells:
Attack: Lv-1: Void Bullet (0) Lv-1: Void Arrow (0)
Defense: Lv-1: Void Guard (0)
Support:
Utility:
____
Skills:
---- ----- (-) Silent Casting (-) Void Sight (0)
After briefly looking at the status, Atlas aimed his hand at the wolf about to attack the wounded man. 'Void Bullet,' he thought.
At that moment, something incredible unfolded before his eyes: an azure-blue bullet, resembling a tennis ball in size, materialized in front of his hand. The projectile spun before it streaked through the air, piercing the wolf's hind legs.
A fountain of blood burst out of its skin, and a small explosion rippled through the monster's body, 'Oh this is so cool! I can use magic,' he internally celebrated before casting it again.
Atlas cast six more Void Bullets that rocketed onward and slammed into the wolves, causing them to snarl in pain. It gave the soldier enough time to impale the first before attacking the second with a blast of wind that sliced its head off.
When the monsters dropped dead, Atlas stared in shock until an excruciating pain hit his chest, causing him to stumble back while letting out a yelp of pain, catching the soldier's attention, who looked at him with wide eyes.
He dropped on his backside while the pain ripped through him. While that was happening, Atlas's head got lifted as something disgusting was poured into his mouth and then onto his chest.
Atlas felt the pain vanish before his eyesight slowly returned, and he saw the soldier barely able to stand. ''Young Master,'' he said. ''It's good you're alive; everyone thought you died when the monsters ambushed us.''
When hearing this, he looked down to see the tunic he was wearing was torn apart and covered in blood, but before he could say anything, an uncomfortable feeling rushed into his mind as fractured memories started to flow in.