Huff.. huff.. Jeyra's breaths came in ragged gasps as he leaned forward, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. The exhaustion was evident in every fiber of his being, but impatience bubbled up within him, overtaking the fatigue.
"Now, what?" Jeyra snapped, his voice tinged with frustration as he glanced around nervously, waiting for Pinochio to respond. The eerie silence of the frozen world around him only heightened his anxiety.
[Here we go, this might sting in your head, but I'll count down to prepare you,] Pinochio's voice echoed calmly in Jeyra's mind, a stark contrast to the chaos Jeyra felt brewing inside.
Jeyra rolled his eyes, trying to muster some courage.
"Alright, just get it over with."
He muttered under his breath, his fingers twitching nervously by his sides. He could feel his heart racing, pounding against his chest like a drum.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Then, suddenly as it had begun, the pain lessened, leaving Jeyra panting heavily, and sweat dripping down his forehead. He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear his vision, but instead of the green grass, he was supposed to be seeing. A strange translucent screen hovered in front of him, filled with symbols unknown and text he couldn't comprehend.
"Wha- what is this?!?!?"
Jeyra's voice trembled with both confusion and awe as he stared at the floating screen, trying to make sense of what he was seeing
[It's called a system, Sir Jeyra. This one is yours and named 'Nui,'] Pinochio explained, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather, completely unfazed by the monumental change that had just occurred
Jeyra, with a confused expression, stammered, "I—I don't understand anything here. Mind helping me out?"
[Sure, but on one condition: you have to compliment me on what an amazing assistant I am,] Pinochio replied proudly.]
"What...?" Jeyra muttered in disbelief.
[Just do it.]
"Fine. You're a good assistant..."
[Aha, I knew it! Either way, here you go. Let me grant you the ability to understand the 'Keliz' language—specifically designed for interfaces like this Nui.]
[Tadaaaa! Here it is.]
And with that, Jeyra finally understood. On the screen, a character customization menu appeared, closely resembling those from classic RPG games. There were several tabs in order:
[Race], [Class], [Attributes], [Elements] and lastly, [Talents]
Jeyra first clicked on the [Race] tab, and immediately, a flood of unknown names appeared in an overwhelming number.
"How many races are there? God dang, you know I'm indecisive, right?" Jeyra said, worry etched on his face as he stared at the endless list.
[Don't you worry, Sir Jeyra. Each race has a description if you click on them,] Pinochio reassured.
"That will take too long!" Jeyra groaned.
Then suddenly, his eyes widen when he caught a familiar word.
"Well, this is it," he said with relief.
[ELF]
[Are you sure? This decision will play a great role in your adventure. Press the green button if you've made up your mind.]
"No need! I've always read about elves in manga. They're agile, and I really like their pointy ears," Jeyra declared proudly.
[You're a funny one, Jeyra. Most people take days just to pick a race, and you managed it with your moron head in exactly 10 seconds...] Pinochio said, laughing.
"Yap all you want; I know what I'm doing," Jeyra said with pride, crossing his arms.
"Now, is it time to choose a class?"
[Correct.]
Jeyra clicked on the 'Class' tab and was immediately overwhelmed by a list of familiar words like "Paladin," "Blacksmith," and others.
"I hate this. I swear, they should really limit the number of options they put in here."
"Uhhhhh, well... is there an Assassin here, Pinochio? Can you highlight that class?"
The screen quickly scrolled through a vast list of 20+ other classes, displaying various options and their descriptions.
[Yes, Sir Jeyra. Here it is, the first one.]
[Assassin - An agile and elusive killer who excels in swift, lethal strikes with dual daggers. Masters of stealth and precision, Assassins specialize in taking out enemies before they even know what hit them..]
[Paladin - A stalwart defender of justice and righteousness, the Paladin excels in both combat and support roles. Equipped with heavy armor and a shield, Paladins are known for their powerful defensive capabilities and healing abilities.]
[Dancer -A graceful and agile fighter who uses rhythmic movements and dance to charm, confuse, and defeat enemies. Dancers excel in evasion and crowd control, using their performances to support allies and hinder foes.]
[Bard - A whimsical performer who uses music to inspire, heal, and bolster allies. Bards are known for their wide range of supportive abilities and enchanting melodies.]
[Reminder: Before you choose, please read through all the options or at least some of them. Feel free to click on a class to view all its traits and future skills.]
Jeyra decided to view the classes in order, starting with the Paladin class.
"A big defensive guy, huh? Nah, too boring."
Next, he checked out the Dancer.
"Tried dancing once and got embarrassed. Hell nah."
Finally he clicked Bard
"Sounds goofy, lol.
RUSTLE— a sound from the bush caught Jeyra's attention.
"Hey, Pinochio, I thought everybody is frozen in ti—"
As Jeyra's focus shifted towards the rustling sound, his finger inadvertently brushed against the screen. Without realizing, he tapped the green button labeled [Confirm].
In an instant, the screen flashed brightly, and a series of confirmation messages appeared. Jeyra's eyes widened in shock as he absorbed the gravity of his unintended choice.
[Congrats, you have chosen the class: "Bard."]
Jeyra stood there, stunned, as he tried to process what had just happened.
"He-hey!? PINOCHIOOOO!!!!!" Jeyra screamed, his voice echoing loudly throughout the empty school halls.
A/N : Poor guy.
[Not my fault, moron head...]
"Can't you do something about it?" Jeyra pleaded desperately.
[You already pressed the Confirm button...]
[I suggest you jump off the school building to get a second chance.]
"Seriously??" Jeyra asked, his face lighting up with false hope.
[Obviously, no. We can't do anything about it now.]
Jeyra lost all hope.
"Yeah, this is it. My life in the new world is ruined, hahahahahaha…"
"I'm just a useless Bard who plays instruments, and the fact that I hate music makes me want to cry even more."
[Cheer up, Sir Jeyra! Don't lose hope—Bard can be a great class if the user is smar—]
[Okay, yeah, nevermind. You're pretty much doomed.]
---
A/N: Hi there, new readers! Thanks for joining for this chapter. I hope you're enjoying the comedy, even though I'm still learning the ropes. Please leave a comment—your feedback and support mean a lot! I can't wait for you to see what's next for our not-so-heroic Bard!