The entire cosmos ignited with light the moment Nick sat down. Looking up at the night sky, Nick's eyes became filled with death. All the gods he knew were dead. Only one part of them remained— their will.
He watched as a single ball of light floated down from the cosmos and landed right next to his face. Realizing he was probably in deep crap, he instantly tried to fling himself off the chair. 'I don't want some demon to eat me!' he screamed in his mind, unable to move because a strand of light held him down.
Doing a little twirl in front of him, the ball seemed to be almost taunting Nick. Then, it did something inexplicable—something balls didn't usually do in Nick's world—it began speaking.
"Worry not, Progenitor. The divines themselves have developed a system for you. If you want, you can think of it as their dying wish. Now, I'm going to go inside you, so please don't panic."
'Inside me—'
Then the ball shrank impossibly small and shot up Nick's nose and into his brain. His eyes widened as he felt the ball fill his head with a torrent of information—most of it indecipherable. In the next instant, his entire world went dark.
...
"Hello, thief. Long way from home, eh?" a rough voice called from the darkness, sounding as though it had spent a lifetime cutting lumber.
Nick tried to open his eyes, but they felt far too heavy. It was like those times he'd stayed awake for days to grind for a new Valkyrie or weapon.
Wherever he was, it was still and rocky. It was nothing like the tutorial he had known, where they started in the middle of a town. Demons slaughtered civilians as the character moved through the level, so maybe it was best he skipped that tutorial.
'Wait...'
He didn't want to die! Not again! Even if it would be a much cooler death, he preferred living. Living was cool!
"Where do you come from? Maybe you're a dwarf from the Losthian mountains, or an elf from the Chestian meadows?"
'Actually, I'm a human from 'Merica. Pennsylvania, to be exact,' Nick thought, thoroughly confused.
He was pretty sure neither of those places existed in the game Aether Babes. Even amongst his clan, he was probably the biggest weeb, reading logs for practically every character. Because of this, he knew a lot of the lore in the game, and none of the planes he had conquered ever held a 'Lesbian mountain' or 'Christian meadow.'
"Sir, we don't have all day. Soon, the goblins will be upon us."
--(In order to select your race, think of it in your mind. You have 8 options available to you, Progenitor.)--
Nick barely had time to comprehend the flashing message as a list of races appeared. It resembled an RPG, where the left side displayed race names and the right side showed their appearances and racial boosts.
--(Races)--
--[A nature elf is one with all things pertaining to life. They are often found among animals and plants, nourishing the world around them. A nature elf has a natural affinity with all life, allowing them to create a deeper connection with nature. Additionally, they regenerate mana faster and heal twice as much from potions]--
A nature elf had auburn skin and a lanky build, like a swimmer. On its chest was a strange dark gem.
'If it were alive, that gem would be glowing,' Nick mused, unsure how he knew that information. Maybe it was the glowing ball that possessed him?
--[A dwarf is one with all things pertaining to forging. They are often found in mountains and mines, taking any gems or metals they find for themselves. A dwarf has a natural affinity with blacksmithing, allowing them to instantly appraise metals. Additionally, they regenerate stamina faster and mine 10% more ore]--
The dwarf was small with paper-white teeth, but its hair was raven black. Without sunlight to bleach its hair, even the hair on its arms and legs was completely dark. Nick shuddered, thinking they looked hideous. There was no way he'd get a Valkyrie looking like that.
--[An orc is one with all things pertaining to combat. They are often found on the battlefield, slicing and maiming all of their enemies. An orc has a natural affinity with war, granting them a 5% increase in damage when using weapons.]--
The orc was gargantuan, easily over 8 feet tall. Somehow, it was still able to cover its body with millions of tattoos. It had a huge axe strung along its back and wielded dual axes. All in all, it looked more like a machine of war than a race.
--[A Mizukai is one with all things pertaining to the sea. They are often found on or near bodies of water, purifying them while also communicating with the fish. A Mizukai has a natural affinity with the ocean, granting them the ability to breathe easily underwater and heal when near water.]--
The Mizukai resembled a fish person. Nick hated fish.
--[A Vakir is one with all things pertaining to beasts. They are often found in the deepest parts of a forest, where only the strongest beasts dwell. A Vakir has a natural affinity with beasts, granting them the ability to converse with animals and gain 20% more experience by killing wildlife.]--
The Vakir had the lower half of a goat and the upper half of a human. It could've been called a Satyr, but maybe the game wanted to be different. Still, he doubted a Valkyrie would want to tango with an animal.
--[The Fallen is one with all things pertaining to the Dead. They are often found at gravesites and other naturally decrepit locations. The Fallen has a natural affinity with death, granting them a passive necromantic ability that works on any corpse 5 levels or more below them.]--
Well, that's a strong ability. The only problem is... Nick didn't want to become a skeleton. The Fallen lacked skin or muscles; it was just bones covered in a purple aura.
--[The Dragon Walker is the only one that can truly be defined as the embodiment of Destruction. It is found everywhere, at scorching forest fires, boiling oceans, and ashen fallen. Anywhere life exists, the Dragon Walker's shadow follows, strengthened by its scourging fire. All attacks deal 20% more damage and have a 50% chance to cause a combustion debuff.]--
Nick's eyes widened as the perfect specimen appeared before him. Not only was it beyond strong, but unlike some of the other stronger races, it was also physically aesthetic. The Dragon Walker looked mostly human, except it was beyond buff. It had a long snake tongue, reptilian eyes, and large red dragon wings. It looked like every RPG fan's dream character. No other class could compare.
--[Choosing a human shows a complete lack of creativity. Come on, you're better than this. You can literally be a fudging DRAGON WALKER!!!]--
'Yeah, whoever picked a human would be stupid,' Nick thought as he selected the RACE Dragon Walker.
[Requirement: Reach level 50.]
'FUDGE!'