Leon's eyelids trembled before opening. He was stunned to see a starry night sky filled with orbs of floating balls. They were all around him, in different brightness and colors. At every step he took, the ground rippled like droplets falling into water. The ground reflected the surroundings and he felt like he was floating in space. A lone traveler within the galaxy. He marveled at the sight before he called out to the surrounding.
"Um, is anyone there?"
'Congrats on being chosen. I am System No. 369.'
A 17 year old male voice spoke within his mind. It sounds a bit unusual, like there are no emotional functions within his tone. Leon's eyes wandered around, searching for the origin of the voice that flowed into his head.
'Turn a bit. Over here.'
Leon followed the voice and saw a floating ball that blended in with the other orbs of light. Unlike the light balls, this ball was fluffy in appearance and colored black. There were two triangles on its head and there were two rings of white and black circles within the whites. It didn't have a mouth either. It looked like a hologram but was not seen through. As if it had a real physical body. Leon reached out and tried to hold it. The system noticed and floated down onto his palm. Leon was amazed, he was able to touch it.
'Have you satisfied your curiosity?'
"Ah, yes."
Leon responded with a nod and let the system float up again.
'As I have just said, I am System No. 369. I am your personal system. My task is to guide you through different worlds. Your mission in these worlds is to collect energy, enough to give yourself a chance to become an immortal. A tiny portion of this energy will be given to me to function and upgrade.'
Leon was silent before asking, "What happens if I don't want to be an immortal? Or what if I don't want to do any of this? And why me? Why can't it be someone else?"
'If you give up this chance, then your soul will follow its original path of which you have died. Which means that your soul will obliterate and you will cease to exist. Are you willing to give up on living? The only reason you were chosen is because after inputting the requirements in the search. You are the only one with the highest survival rate. The people you have met all have good impressions of you. They stated that you are an honest and hardworking individual. We also screened for criminal records and you popped up clean.'
Leon frowned in contemplation. After some thought, he looked straight at the system and made a decision.
"Alright. If I am able to become immortal in the end, that means I can return to my world and change my fate right?"
'Correct.'
Leon released a deep breath and finally relaxed. He showed a big honest smile and asked a question.
"So if you are a system and from what I have read from the fictional novels of this type. Does that mean I get some golden fingers?"
'...I will give you an independent storage space. Use your mind to open and put away the storage. No need to openly voice the commands.'
Leon sent a mental command within his head and a holographic screen popped up in front of him. It was like a game screen. There were 10 squares aligned. Then he noticed an item within his first box. It had a red dot on the object's image, with the number 1 within the circle. On the top right corner. Similar to a phone app notification. He sent another telepathic command in his mind and the item in the box disappeared. Another holographic screen popped up with an image and description.
[Item: Chrysanthemum Love App Lvl.1
Description: Are you willing to accept and bind with this item?
* you will have the ability to view your chosen summoned character's dwelling just like the game
* you will gain all the skills you have developed within game
(This golden finger will be locked to a certain extent. There are 3 base levels. Upon binding, level 1 will be accessible. Levels will unlock after a certain amount of world energy is collected by the host. After base levels are reached, the golden finger is able to grow with the player and evolve. Evolution properties will be formed based on the host's unconscious needs and will.)
YES/NO]
Leon carefully read everything and was extremely pleased. He immediately accepted. Mentally pressing the yes option, soon he felt a warm current flow through his entire body. He opened his eyes the moment the warmth faded. Then an electric spark pierced into his brain.
"ACK! HISSS!"
When the unbearable and indescribable pain was gone, he felt the difference in his soul. He gripped and released his fist, feeling the strength flowing within him. His mind had knowledge from the game skills. His stats also grew. Before, he felt faint. Like a light wind would shatter his tired and exhausted soul from the burden in life. Compared to before and after, the only change is that he has gotten healthy. He now feels like a normal human being. Having enough food, exercise, and rest. His entire life was filled with stress and a not so healthy life routine. Leon has never felt so good before. He turned his attention back to the system.
'Are you happy with your new powers?'
"Yes! Thank you so much!"
'No need for thanks, you will need it to survive the task worlds.'
Leon put away his smile and returned with a firm and serious nod.
'The worlds are randomly chosen. Are you ready to start the first world?'
"Yes, let's go."
'Searching for the first world…found the selected world…Transferring in 3…2…1…0'
One of the colorful orbs of light swiftly flew towards Leon. He could feel the energy pulsed from the small orb in front of him. Soon, his sight turned white and he felt a heavy headache and dizziness pound into him.