Through the window, lightning crackled, and thunder boomed. After enjoying some leftover pizza from Circe's mini-fridge, he wiped his face with a towel. The TV only played static and recorded porn so far from the physical dimension. The lights winked out somewhere in the nightmare realm, and Circe replaced them with candles. He sat on the bed, listening to the thunder rattling the windows, enjoying the calm as a storm approached.
"Is that Zeus?"
Do you want to learn the skill Thunder Break?
Y/N
He declined and gave Circe his full attention. She smiled while staring out the window. "You need to be careful when you enter the other world. Some plants are of a higher rank, so you won't be able to excavate them. Sometimes, you must befriend people stronger than you to get assistance. I have some old books I wrote on potion brewing. You could call it my hobby. Think inventory, and a screen should open for you."
The inventory also showed a G- there were 50 little squares in which he could put stuff. Having an inventory was cool. There was so much stuff he could store, and it was so overpowered. That meant he could summon weapons on the fly and do so much more.
Circe opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out a leather-bound tome with a mixing bowl on its surface.
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"I like to play games and watch YouTube. I'm a little basic, and I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. It's normal for people in your peaceful world to go with the flow. Just remember hobbies are important. What kind of games do you like the most, RPGs?" Circe asked.
"No, I'm afraid not. I like shooters mostly and maybe some action RPGs." Zack looked out the window to see a roiling sea just beyond it. "What are we waiting for?"
"Orientation is about to begin. Then, you'll receive your blessing and be sent up the chaos ladder to a new world. It's going to be great for both of us. I'm glad you didn't die in an accident."
What was he supposed to say to that? "I'm glad I didn't, too." Zack frowned at the words coming out of his mouth. "Are we going to Mount Olympus?"
Circe giggled. "No, you wouldn't survive even at the base of the mountain as you are. You will be taken to a temple where Athena will give your orientation. Then we'll find out where you'll be dropped and manipulate the mortals' minds to make it appear as if you belong there. Don't expect a grand backstory. We'll make you the son of a farmer in the area." Circe said.
"Why not the son of someone famous or powerful while you're at it?" Zack lay back on the soft bed, feeling like a nap, but the day continued.
"The further our power reaches, the less control we have over it. Gods aren't omniscient even in our universe, much less another one that is more connected to the dreamlands and nightmares. Nope, you must either be a farmer's son, living in the wilderness like a hermit, or a traveler from a far-off place. The son of some obscure farmer on the outskirts of a Duke's land can be overlooked. If we tried making you a Duke's heir or even the heir of a noble house, we would have to alter the memories of countless powerful people." Circe said.
"You're very patient, you know that."
"I stopped feeling resentful about filling in mortals hundreds of years ago." At least she wasn't snappish, and he got laid, which put him in a good mood. While everything was based on her word, Zack didn't doubt her. "Do you want a quick lesson on herb lore?"
Zack listened to Circe talk as she became animated and discussed her hobby. He tried to listen to the dull subject and wished he had a pen and paper to take notes. Maybe an intelligence attribute would have come in handy.
A skill to make it easier to remember things or, better yet, record what he sees to look at later would be great. What he needed was a go-pro.
No skill prompt appeared, so it was back to the drawing board. Zack didn't know what he wanted, but he was sure he would know when he found it.
Circe dressed him up for meeting gods as she donned a toga and put her hair up. Zack watched her work fast in the mirror, manually braiding her hair even though she could do it instantly with her power. That was good to know gods didn't always make things happen. Sometimes, they preferred to do things the mortal way. Or was it all for his benefit to see her more as a human?
He stared at his hair, which was already messing up after Circe jelled it back like a gangster. Some things never changed; he only hoped they wouldn't have to take pictures. At least she didn't go through the trouble of styling his hair with some 90s boyband spikes. She was probably thousands of years old, and the woman had odd looks that sometimes came over her.
A knock came before the door opened, revealing a man with stars for eyes and perfect golden hair that made Zack feel more self-conscious about his baldness. It was his choice to shave his head.
"Oh, she found one. I might have lost the bet already. How about this? I will give you ten million dollars US. It will appear in your bank account, and the IRS won't bat an eye when it shows up on their records tax-free, too, if you go back to the material plane and forget everything you've learned and seen. A fair deal, right? If I were you, I would take it. The other world will be nothing but pain and misery for you. Trust me, I'm Apollo, the best, most bright and shining god around."
Zack noted he didn't claim to be truthful.
His mind ground to a halt, and he was tempted. If this was real, he could be rich and maybe even happy. Perhaps he could get back together with his ex; all he had to do was ditch Circe. They had only just met, and they weren't that serious.
He could also move to a lower-income country and live like a king for the rest of his days. With the money Apollo just offered, many doors would open for him, and a very important door would shut forever.
Then there was Circe, the girl he picked up off the side of the road who saved him from his miserable life. If the deer hadn't taken him out, his monotonous job would have worn away at him until he became a husk.
"I would have guessed Lucifer by your offer. My name is Zack Sin, and I reject it."
"A hundred million, and I'll make you a politician, maybe a state governor for a few terms," Apollo said.
"Stop trying to bribe the new hire. You might as well send your recruits home. Zack is all we need." Circe said.
"Oh, you are confident. Sorry, kid, but don't bother going for my blessing. I don't give it to losers." Apollo said.
He was starting to develop a terrible impression of Apollo.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't have chosen it anyway. Flashbangs are great for distractions but lame to waste a blessing on if you ask me." Zack said.
"What kind of skill did you get? I'm sure it's something from the dreamland or, worse, the mortal dimension. Did she warn you? I knew this one guy, but she forgot to tell him, and he never made it past G rank."
"Then there was Aaron Chester, a poor bastard who must have thought he was the second coming of Heracles. That's why we're sending you guys to snip this loose end. Oh sure, you're supposed to win the hearts and minds of the locals, but at the end of the day, you're killing a line of heroes meant to save the world." Apollo said.
Zack shrugged. He wasn't very keen on it, but if it had to be done, he would get it done.
"If I have to kill someone to save our world from a war, then I will," Zack said.
He was starting to feel it. Zack wasn't just saying it. He believed it. While he hadn't killed more than a few ants and deer, he would have figured something out. Maybe he could convince the guy that revenge wasn't the way or something gay like that.
Zack sucked in a breath and struggled to keep focused on the task at hand. Pop-ups continued appearing, and it was hard to say no as more appeared. His heart rate accelerated, and it became difficult to reject them.
Do you want to learn the skill Final Flame?
Y/N
He didn't want to learn that skill, even if it sounded cool. He tried to focus on what was important. Circe gave him a pleased look while Apollo picked his nose right before them. He flicked a giant yellow booger on the rug that caught fire immediately.
"You two are lame, and together, you suck even harder. Sis is waiting. We better not keep her waiting, or she'll unscrew the bolts on my chariot again." Apollo said.
Through lightning falling instead of rain and swirling spiraling galaxies above, they made their way to a theater. Circe placed a hand on his shoulder at the entrance.
"This is goodbye for now. I know you'll do great. I need to go to Olympus and file your paperwork. Do your best you've already made me proud?" Circe said.
Zack entered the theater and saw men covered in scars, women who looked like runway models, and thin guys with complex black chips for eyes. Zack sat next to one of the only normal-looking guys, a redhead with deep green eyes and the makings of a beard on his chin.
"Hey, I'm Jon. Nice to meet you."
"Zack, are you one of Apollo's? He seems like a nice guy with much better hair than me." Zack rubbed his bald scalp.
The guy chuckled at Zack's horrible joke. "No, lord Hermes is my sponsor. I'm an accountant for this big tech firm, and I've been inside trading for years. It's great. No one catches me because I bribed a bunch of politicians with information. Hermes noticed my skills and gave me a job offer just before a hitman would have splattered my brains on some hooker's asses. Luckily, I already snorted all the cocaine off of them before we left. Now I'm invincible. Do you do cocaine we can make a club?"
"More of a low-dose meth guy myself. It keeps my teeth nice and black." Was it too late to move to one of the guys covered in scars? Why was the normal looking guy a complete weirdo.
In a flash of silver, a woman in a silver toga and a silver shield buckled to her right arm appeared. Some people in the stands clapped, and Zack thought about copying them until he saw the goddess flare her nostrils.
He was here to make friends, not surround himself with enemies. That meant playing nice and not clapping with the guys, pissing the goddess of wisdom and war off.
Athena's voice was carried without a microphone. "Some of you have acquired amazing skills to assist you in your future endeavors and life as a private contractor. Others have skills that need a blessing to truly bring forth their potential, and to those people, I say plan well and execute ruthlessly. For those with mortal blessings know there is always hope. Practice until you bleed and your bones break, and even a mortal skill can rise through the ranks." She shook her head. "I will not lie. We are gathered together to throw lives at a problem in the hope that one of you gets lucky. None of our heroes can be spared for this task, so we gods of Olympus put our faith in you."
She glowed for a moment. "I've sent each of you a packet of data detailing your arrival strategy and circumstances. At this moment, it's possible to trade. If you desire that, then raise your hand, and I will see what we can do," Athena said.
Zack Sin is born the only son of the former soldier turned retired farmer Joshua Smith. He believes that Zack is the son of a whore he impregnated on a campaign and took to raising. He hated the thought of teaching his only son violence, but with talks of a coming raid by the Goths to the East, his mind is changing. This choice should allow the user two years of combat training and time to get their bearings. Duke Janus is the grandfather of the Hero Horus. At three years of age, the boy has been raised on stories of the slaughter of his family and Janus's daughter. It is advised that the boy be slain before the Goth invasion begins, or the boy will be moved when the Ducal Army routes.
He thought about his book of herb lore, potion making, and the farm. Demeter's blessing was the obvious choice. Two years might not seem like a lot of time, but what if he could grow plants faster? Zack turned his attention to the blessing tab on his system.
Demeter's Blessing: Grow plants faster, take traits from monsters, and breed them into plants.
Rank: E
Potions could raise attributes with the right herbs. He apparently had two years of safety, so why not work with where he was dropping in instead of against it? Zack was also going to get free tutelage about the ways of war. From where he was looking, it was wins all around.
Next 2 chapters on Patreon for 1$
CH4