Huh? I did it! Phew. Hardest minute of my life by a long shot. The race name sounds cool too!
I open my eyes and examine my body. The first thing I notice is that my arm hair is gone. With a jerk of my hand, I touch the top of my head with great anxiety. Phew. I still have my head hair. I don't have anything against bald dudes, not at all, but I prefer to have my lush short dark hair. It was one of my best features according to the ladies.
I flex my muscles. I don't feel much difference. I certainly didn't become a sudden level 100 superhuman.
My clothes are also not bloody unlike what I would expect after the event I've just gone through. Perhaps that black liquid absorbed it.
Now that I have taken a better look at my body, not much has changed.
I also feel better in general. Faster thoughts, more energy. No pain in my shoulder where it used to hurt a lot after getting injured during a basketball game.
My height didn't change from what I can tell, I'm probably still 185 centimeters (6'1) tall.
Looks like my body was restructured by that agonizing process.
If there's a system, maybe I also have those screens that keep track of my progress with levels?
"Status!" I say with a commanding tone and imagine myself opening a status window like that of an RPG.
Something pops out in front of me. I instinctively move my hand to it, and it phases through. It's not a physical construct; likely only I can see it. Perhaps it's a projection from my mind. I also imagine closing it, which succeeds and open it again with only a thought, which, again is a success. I thank all that is holy that I don't have to say this stuff out loud...
[Name: -]
[Race: Primordial]
[Title: -]
[Primordial Level: 1. XP 0/100]
[Primary Class: Commoner lvl 1]
[Secondary Classes:
1. -
2. -
3. -]
[Vitality: 11]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Wisdom: 10]
Why don't I have a name? Does it want me to decide what to call myself? Don't mind if I do, then.
"My name shall be Quinlan Noir henceforth."
[Name: Quinlan Noir]
[Race: Primordial]
[Title: -]
[Primordial Level: 1. XP 0/100]
[Primary Class: Commoner lvl 1]
[Secondary Classes:
1. -
2. -
3. -]
[Vitality: 11]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Wisdom: 10]
[Unused Skill Points: 0]
[Unused Attribute Points: 0]
As I'm looking I notice that I also have Health and Mana meters.
[Health Points: 110/110]
[Mana Points: 100/100]
I don't know how health points work in this game-like reality though. What if I lose an arm? Do I still regenerate to 110 HP after a while, do I have less maximum HP, or does my arm regenerate somehow? There's a lot of stuff that requires further investigation.
Cool. Now let's see… How do I ask for descriptions?
Just as I thought that, an additional screen appeared.
[Primordial: A unique race believed to be the ancestors of all others, Primordials are unmatched in adaptability. Gain three additional class slots and each class gains experience at 3x rate. Only the Primary Class gives attribute bonuses. Gain stat 'Primordial Level' which also receives the 3x increased growth rate. Increase 'Primordial Level' to gain Skill and Attribute Points. Gain the ability to swap classes in and out by a simple thought.]
Wow.
That is one hell of a starting gift. It doesn't make me OP from the start, but it gives me some amazing advantages in the long run. I'm a late game scaler, just like my preferred playstyle in a certain video game where one needs to destroy the enemy's Nexus.
[Commoner: Starter Class]
[Effect: Minor Vitality Increase]
[Base Skill: None]
So that's why my Vitality is 11 instead of 10. Looks like 'Minor Increase' amounts to a 10% buff.
Now the question to ask is how do I gain more classes? I hope I don't have to pay someone big bucks to tutor me for years…
Before I can further marvel at the new stuff life has thrown at me, I hear a loud screeching sound.
"Skreee!"
"Kyaaa! Goblins! Father!!"
"On it! Hide inside, Pumpkin!"
Oh boy. A starter scenario? It wants me to kill the goblins and gain the favor of traveling merchants? Maybe they will let me move with them to the nearby town and introduce me to how the world works and other basic stuff.
I move slowly through the forested area. I don't want goblins to catch me; I can't properly defend myself with my fists alone. I don't even have armor; I'm still in my hoodie and trousers.
The sounds of clanging, shouting, and screaming are becoming louder. I'm getting close.
I slow myself down even further and move as stealthily as possible.
What, did you think I would rush out there and play hero? Throw away my one chance at a life I yearned so vehemently for?
Hell no.
I don't have a savior complex.
I finally reach the scene of action as I peek from behind a sturdy tree from a hundred or so meters away. A cozy, safe distance.
Well, the merchants aren't winning. One guy is sitting on the road, clutching his hands at his bleeding throat. There's one man still fighting the dozen or so goblins. And let me tell you, these creatures aren't the prettiest bunch. They remind me a lot of what I've seen in that manga... 'Goblin Slasher', was it?
"Haaah!" he shouts as he lunges forward with a spear. He impales one of the little green fuckers.
The rest mercilessly gang up on him, hitting, biting, clawing at his skin. Their rusted weapons pierce his flesh. He cries out and then falls to the ground unceremoniously. Only two armed defenders for a merchant carriage? What cheapskates.
Yep. Here it is. Two women are getting dragged away. Of course, they are not getting killed. I wonder which one 'Pumpkin' is. Probably the younger one. They are screaming and crying at the top of their lungs. There's no gender equality in this world either. Though it is very highly debatable which of the two genders drew the short end of the stick. My vote is on the so-called fairer one. After listening to some of their barely discernible yells I now know that they are the wife and daughter of the first man that fell.
Poor dude is still sitting there with a cut throat, watching his life fall apart. He opens and closes his mouth but nothing comes out besides more blood. He is getting very pale until he finally falls to the side completely, devoid of life.
I imagine that the women are getting taken away because the goblins lack cooks and maids, so they got themselves 'hired.' Yep, nothing worse is going to happen to them. For sure.
Man, medieval fantasy worlds just hit different.
Do I feel guilty for not stepping in? Yeah, a bit.
Will I lose sleep over it? Nope.
I have no weapon, no armor, and no training. I'm a level-one Commoner. I'm not naive enough to think of myself as the main character type of guy who would be saved by plot armor even if he fucks up.
I've not been sent here by some deity to save the world or anything. At least, I wasn't notified of my God-given mission. Thus, I will live my life as I think best, which is to survive and grow strong smartly, not by jumping into scenarios where I have little chance of success.