"Initiation of the 93rd Universe confirmed. Introduction sequence starting."
"Welcome to the introduction. Preparing…"
When I opened my eyes, the voice welcomed me to an… introduction? And something was being prepared? What the hell was happening?
Several seconds passed, and despite my eyes being open, I could only see darkness. My body was completely numb, and the only thing I could feel was a growing headache. I tried to open my mouth, but I couldn't, as a wave of panic began to grow inside me. Had I been abducted by aliens? As my thoughts spun, the voice sounded again.
"Preparations complete. Initiating introduction."
Light flooded my eyes, temporarily blinding me with a huge spotlight shining directly in my face. As my eyes slowly adjusted, the feeling in my limbs returned as well. I looked at my legs and realized I was sitting in a chair. When I looked up, I found someone sitting across from me, with a table between us.
The room reminded me of an interrogation room, with two chairs and a table in a small, enclosed space, except for the two-way window. The difference, however, was how perfectly clean everything was. The walls and floor were white, the table white, the chairs white, and despite there being no apparent light source, the room was somehow still well-lit.
"Hello?" I asked cautiously to the… person in front of me. They looked human at first glance, but lacked discernible features. A bald head, completely white eyes, no pupils, and a chest that seemed too flat and featureless to be natural. Not a single strand of hair could be seen on the body, and although I couldn't see due to the table, I had a growing suspicion that this… thing also had nothing down there. As my internal assessment was nearing its end, the "human" opened their mouth.
"Greetings, human. I oversee your introduction. In this introduction, I will explain to you the circumstances of your new reality," the thing said with a voice that sounded synthesized, a mix of various male and female voices. Just as I was about to open my mouth to respond, it began to speak again.
"First, allow me to welcome you to this new chapter of your life. Your universe has finally crossed the minimum threshold required to enter the multiverse, and therefore, it has been initiated. Now, do you have any questions before we proceed to the matters relevant to the tutorial?" The thing finally finished.
...
My mind was in turmoil. Multiverses? What threshold had been crossed? And what did it mean by a new chapter? But instead of any of these really important questions, I ended up asking the most mundane thing possible:
"Who, no, what are you?" I blurted out, stumbling over my words.
"I am the entity tasked with greeting you and introducing you to the new world and the circumstances of your new reality," it replied promptly, giving no indication of wanting to provide more details.
"What new reality?" I asked.
"The reality named by the first enlightened races as 'The System,'" it explained.
"How do I see this system..." Before I could finish the sentence, a screen suddenly appeared before my eyes.
STATUS.
Name: Alexander Wood
Race: [Human (G) – lvl 0]
Class: N/A
Profession: N/A
Health Points (HP): 90/90
Mana Points (MP): 80/80
Stamina: 70/70
STATS.
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Stamina: 7
Vitality: 9
Resistance: 7
Wisdom: 8
Intelligence: 8
Perception: 10
Willpower: 6
Free Points: 0
TITLES.
N/A
Well, that answers the question, I thought. I was starting to get an idea of what was going on and decided to move forward. I was beginning to think this was just a weird lucid dream, so I saw no reason not to entertain myself a bit. So, the first step was to analyze the stats, since that seemed like the most fun.
Nine different stats, ranging from 6 to 10 points in each... my stats were quite balanced, with only willpower and perception standing out. Willpower, with only 6 points, meant I had weak willpower? Or was 6 low for someone in my situation?
My race was human, which was self-explanatory, but what the hell did the "G" mean? And I was apparently at level 0. Not only that, but I had no class or profession. Well, I'd argue that I'm upper middle class, with my profession being a financial consultant, but I doubted that's what the system meant by those two categories.
No title either, and with health and mana at 90 and 80, I started to assume these values were based on some of my stats, maybe multiplied by a factor of 10. Since Vitality was the only stat with 9 points, I concluded it probably determined health.
Mana was harder to understand, as it was at 80, and both Wisdom and Intelligence were at 8. One of these two was likely the determining factor. Stamina was at 70, which, following my previous deduction, suggested it was linked to Strength or Stamina. I'd bet on Stamina.
I tried to focus on the different elements of the screen, apparently with no success. It just told me that Strength was strength and Class meant class... But when I tried focusing on my race, something appeared:
Human (G) – The lowest level of humans in the system. This type is found only in newly initiated worlds. The human race is known as one of the most balanced and numerous among the myriad races of the multiverse, capable of walking many different paths on their way to power. Stat bonuses per level: +1 to all stats. +1 free point.
"Thanks for calling me the lowest level of human, I guess?" I thought. The description kind of confirmed that there were other races and humans in other worlds within what that thing called the multiverse.
I fiddled with the screen more, trying to explore everything I could, before looking back at the strange thing sitting in front of me, looking like a human.
"Hey, can I ask about the different stats on the status screen and their effects? Like, for example, which stats are tied to health points, or if there's any relationship?" I asked.
"No. It tells you what you need to know right now," it replied, still as monotone as before.
"Can I ask how I get a class and profession? It mentions a level here, how do I level up? What does the 'G' after my race mean? And why am I here, to begin with? Where are the others?" I asked, with a slightly more authoritative tone. Not that I blamed myself, this situation was undoubtedly the weirdest I had ever experienced.
"Your class is chosen when you enter the tutorial. This class will be the starting point of your journey and will help guide your path. A profession becomes available through the completion of tasks associated with that profession, either over a long period of time or through competence in such tasks. Classes focus on the pursuit of strength, while professions are the path of creativity, rarely offering direct increases in strength. You level up through a wide variety of actions."
"The 'G' after your race indicates the current ranking of your race. You are here because you entered the introduction. By 'others', I will assume you mean other humans, and these other humans are also in their respective introductions now," it explained concisely, not providing many details. However, this at least gave me a much clearer idea of what was going on. It was especially good to know that my fellow humans were likely doing okay and probably in a similar situation to mine.
"Now let's move on to the classes," said the thing, unsolicited.
Before I could respond, a screen appeared in front of me, showing a wall of text. I took a deep breath, collected myself, and began to go through the options one by one:
Warrior (Light) – Basic starting class. A light-class warrior focused on quick attacks, evasion, and finesse. Although faster than the medium and heavy variants, it comes with a decrease in attack power and survivability. Primarily uses weapons like rapiers, daggers, small axes, and throwing weapons. Stat bonuses: +2 Agi, +1 End, +1 Str, +1 Vit, +1 free point.
The first class seemed to be a light-class warrior, maybe something like a rogue? It mentioned daggers and throwing weapons. This intrigued me a little, though I was quite reluctant to become the type of guy who fights up close and personal. I always chose archery, not fencing.
Warrior (Medium) – Basic starting class. A medium-class warrior, focused on a balanced approach to combat, finding a middle ground between speed and power. Although faster than the heavy variant, it is slower than the light-class warriors. While survivability and power are higher than the light-class variant, they are lower than the heavy-class warriors. Capable of using a wide range of weapons from both the heavy and light variants. Stat bonuses per level: +1 Agi, +1 End, +1 Vit, +1 Str, +1 Tough, +1 free point.
The second one seemed like the choice someone would make if they wanted to be a warrior but had no idea which direction to take. Maybe it was a good option if I wanted more versatility.
.
The list continues...
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