Chapter 1: Absurdity

Author's Note:

Character Map:

"X" = Protagonist

"(X)" = Protagonist's strong inner thoughts

'X' = Extras

Other Notations:

[X] = What is written on something

--- = POV change

|||| = Time skip

== = Time recap

(X) = Explanation/author's note

([X]) = Sound effect

{X} = Buttons or actions that may trigger an event

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"With this, thy education ends! Now, aspiring gods, go forth! Descend to the mortal realm and forge your epic saga and legendary odyssey! To godhood!"

"!!!!!! TO GODHOOD !!!!!"

At that moment, a blinding light—brighter than the Big Bang—erupted from the one who had spoken those words. And just like thunder that follows lightning, a terrifying yet divine explosion of sound roared in approval of their proclamation.

There, before me, were strange and fascinating sights—beings wielding unimaginable power. One individual, or rather an entity, conjured lightning from their hand, while another raised a sword that summoned a beacon of celestial radiance.

Even more bizarre were entities defying logic itself—a winged being whose every flap stirred tornadoes, a horned figure whose very body burned like a living bonfire.

And these were merely a few among countless others. If you wish to grasp the scale of this absurdity, imagine a being unrestricted by reality, as limitless as a dreamer within their own dream. That would be the pinnacle.

As for the lowest...

"To godhood... Yay..."

That would be me—an ordinary human lost among these mystical beings.

How did I end up here, you wonder? Well, let's take a look at the past. Not that it will help much—I don't even know how I got here or what I did to deserve this.

Once again, I find myself the lone ordinary human in the midst of this absurdity.

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== TIME RECAP ==

"…Urrghhh…"

Ugh? Why is there a blinding light in my room? It's annoying. Is someone deliberately shining it in here? Wait… what is a room?

No, more importantly—whoever you are, could you turn it off? It's disturbing my sleep. Sleep?

As I open my eyes, expecting to see a familiar space—one I should recognize even though I have no real memory of it—I am met with something entirely alien.

Nothing feels familiar. In fact… have I ever seen anything before? Seen? Did I ever really have anything to compare this to?

Shoving aside my discomfort, I survey my surroundings, trying to understand where I am. Though, strangely enough, I don't even know if I should recognize any place besides this one. It's just… a vague feeling.

Before me, a long line of figures stands in formation, each clad in bizarre attire. Even without a reference, I instinctively find their clothing strange.

Looking behind me, I see more people, similarly dressed in outlandish outfits—some so minimal that I can't help but question, Is that even considered clothing? A moral discomfort stirs within me, though I have no memory of any moral framework to compare it to.

As for the scenery, I could only describe it as utterly empty—no one in sight, just an endless expanse bathed in pure white stretching far beyond the horizon. Even the ground beneath me was the same stark white, making me question… Am I even stepping on solid ground?

Though, come to think of it, why do we assume we need to step on the ground to stand? Why is that?

Moving on from that odd thought, I tried to see where we were heading. Looking as far ahead as my eyes could see, I noticed something—at the very front of the line, the first person simply vanished, leaving behind a trail of light.

"!!!!!!!"

What… was that?

Before I could even process it, the line continued moving forward, bringing me closer. I was now ninth in line.

"Wait, wait a minute! …Although, I don't even know what a minute is… but still, wait a minute!"

As I shouted in panic, the line kept shortening—eighth, then seventh.

I tried to turn, to move away, to escape—but my body wouldn't listen. It kept stepping forward as if controlled by something unseen. Sixth… then fifth in line.

Panic surged through me as I struggled to break free, trying with all my strength to move my body. But the only thing I felt was stiffness—an unnatural rigidity that forced me forward. My body trembled, convulsed, yet still, I stepped ahead. Fourth… third…

("What is this?! Where am I?! What's going on?!!!")

My body took another step. Second. Then first.

And the moment that happened, light enveloped me—completely consuming my form—before I disappeared.

---

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And with that alone, my fate was sealed.

Ahh, and just to let you know—after I vanished into that light, I found myself in a peculiar space. There, I was questioned by an extraterrestrial being.

How do I know that? Even now, I still remember the chill that ran down my spine when I first heard its voice. My gut told me one thing: We are at the mercy of this being—don't mess up. Just go along with it.

It asked me questions—starting with my name. But unlike the usual way of questioning… though I have no memory of what's usual, the being continued its interrogation without actually listening to my verbal answers.

After a while, I figured out why. It wasn't that it needed to hear my responses—it was simply reading my mind.

As the questioning went on, I remember it muttering things to itself—

"Oh? You came from a place called Mystica?"

"I'm surprised to see those 'gods' listed here."

"I wonder how that bunch is doing now."

"Well, even if something happened, they were my batchmates and colleagues. If it's them, there's nothing to worry about… except maybe the Soul Goddess. Probably."

And so on…

After the questioning, I was directed to another place. A figure arrived, guiding me toward a room.

After that, I remember trying to pull myself together—to organize my thoughts based on what little I had gathered about my situation.

Just as I barely managed to compose myself, I arrived at a room—or rather, a whole new place. Words failed to describe it. It was as if the entire universe and everything within it were contained in this single space.

But that wasn't even the most shocking part. What truly overwhelmed me were the beings present. Various kinds of entities gathered in that room, each radiating a presence so vast that my human frame felt like nothing more than a speck of dust in their midst.

Before I could even comprehend it, the figure who had led me here gestured for me to follow. Him? Her? It? Did these beings even conform to such pronouns?

Setting aside that technicality, I followed, and before I knew it, I was standing at the front of a gathering of other beings. Before me were ten figures, their forms vaguely similar to mine—though some varied in size, they felt inherently closer to me in some way. I couldn't explain it, nor did I have any basis for the feeling, but it was there.

The attendant who had guided me placed me behind one of them before bowing and leaving. More figures arrived, lining up behind me, and soon, a crowd had formed.

Unlike the chaotic gathering around us, these ten figures before me exuded focus. Their mannerisms differed, but they shared a certain presence that set them apart. Before I could even attempt to ask a question—

"Welcome."

At that single word, the noise around me ceased. The atmosphere shifted—order replaced disorder, and an unspoken sense of focus settled over the space. Instinctively, I straightened my posture, trying to appear appropriate—though I had no real understanding of what appropriate even meant.

"Welcome, Transcendents, and aspiring gods. I welcome you all to this prestigious—"

Ahh… to summarize, this place is some kind of institution. An academy that turns Transcendents into Aspiring Gods, and eventually, into true Gods.

I felt as though I had just heard something absurd—but without any prior knowledge to justify why it was absurd, I could only ponder in silence.

Then came the most shocking part. It was declared that we, the Transcendents, would undergo a century of training and guidance to become Aspiring Gods—or Young Gods, as they were also called.

I silently gasped. "What?! A century?! That's absurd! I'd be dead by then!"

But when I glanced around, I saw no one reacting as I did. No one seemed to think a century was particularly long. Even though I had no reference point to explain why I felt it was long, my gut instinct told me it was—and yet, I couldn't argue why.

The speech continued. We would each choose a mentor, and beyond that, there were no particularly noteworthy details.

As the principal—yes, the principal (or at least, that's what they called them, though I wasn't sure if they were a he, she, or it)—finished speaking, they summoned a brilliant light. The radiant glow scattered and descended upon each being present—including me.

The moment the light entered my body, I instinctively placed a hand over the spot where it had passed through.

And before I could even begin to process what had just happened…

A status window appeared. Even though I didn't know why, something about it felt familiar. Without thinking, I reached out and touched it.

([Pop])

As the window popped open, I unconsciously took a step back. I wasn't sure why, but that sound was… unpleasant.

The status window, which had momentarily disappeared, reappeared with a different look—this time, displaying words:

{God of War – Ares}

{Goddess of Wisdom – Athena}

{Goddess of Life – Gaia}

{Goddess of Hunting – Artemis}

{God or Goddess of …}

The principal spoke, announcing that we could choose any mentor from the listed deities and that we would be under their tutelage for the next century. With that, they gave a final remark and left.

Immediately, the beings around me came alive, their voices filling the once-silent space with noise and excitement.

I turned around and saw everyone discussing their choices, skimming through their status windows as they carefully considered which god or goddess to follow.

Bringing my focus back to the front, I realized something—the ten beings I had felt a strange familiarity with were gone.

(Ahhh, did they already choose? Ahh!! What bad luck! I at least wanted to talk to them…)

I had secretly hoped to have the same mentor as them. That way, we could have become fellow apprentices, and maybe I could get to know them.

Now alone, I took a deep breath and tried to collect my thoughts. I needed to decide what to do next.

(Let's see… First, information is crucial. If I want to understand my way around here, I need to learn the rules—what to do and what not to do. I also need someone who can teach me everything I need to know.)

(Based on their titles alone, these gods and goddesses probably specialize in different subjects… There's also the matter of my identity.)

(I shouldn't reveal too much. I don't know why, but I just feel like I shouldn't. So, to summarize—)

(I need a god or goddess who can teach me or at least give me access to the knowledge I need… while also keeping my identity hidden.)

([Pop])

As I formed that thought, the board glitched—like a signal-less television. Again, I had no idea what a "television" was, but the comparison somehow came to me instinctively.

Then, as suddenly as the corruption appeared, it ended. The list of gods and goddesses shortened, leaving only a few names behind:

{Goddess of Wisdom – Athena}

{Goddess of Knowledge – Mimir}

{God of Intellect – Mercury}

{God of Messages – Hermes}

{God or Goddess of …}

Well… that's helpful.

I had a feeling this process shouldn't have been this easy, but… helpful is helpful, so I let it slide.

Taking my chances, I carefully examined the remaining options.

(I shouldn't probably choose wisdom, knowledge, or intellect. I have a feeling they'd be the most likely to uncover my identity, as for others I could not really know how to decide just by seeing their Alias)

As if responding to my thoughts, the board glitched again, refining the list even further. This time, it removed any gods related or mostly related to wisdom, knowledge, or intellect and provided detailed descriptions of the remaining deities.

(That's… convenient. Let's see… God of Messages? That sounds like it has to do with communication and… high movement skills? What's that?, although I felt familiar to it?, And what about literature—...)

I read through each description, analyzing their domains, specialties, and potential benefits. Slowly but surely, I eliminated one name after another.

Until finally, I found one that felt… my thought of it as good and my feeling say it not bad.

{Goddess of Records – Mnemosyne}

With nothing else to do, and noticing that only a handful of beings remained in the space, I tapped the status window and selected her name.

The moment I did, a bright light enveloped me.