⟐ Chapter 17

Pain... All I could think of was the mushed bones of my left arm that I used to block off this monster's attack. How did it come to this? It hasn't even been a day since I came down to this place, and I'm already at death's door. What did I do to even get myself into this situation?

Before all this, I was just having dinner with my wife, who was hospitalized the night before the selection. It all happened in a blink of an eye. One second I was laughing with my wife, and the next there was nothingness, and all I could feel was floating aimlessly as an artificial voice kept on speaking to me.

Earth has been selected? Why? I've been put into a faction? What is happening? All of those questions were put on hold as information was implanted into my mind without my consent, and after that, everything finally made sense. This event that I’m going to be participating in is called [The Great Game], and whether I like it or not, I’ll be forced to fight. What a messed-up world. I haven’t even been into a fight, and now I’m going to fight against monsters and former humans that are now monsters. But what can I do? I wouldn’t just lay down and get killed. I’ll fight even till the last of my bones are crushed, and so I opened the [Market Place].

This feature unique to the [Champion] faction that I’m a part of is our lifeline, as in this free market, we could buy and sell skills using [Skill Points]. Though the amount of those things is given and calculated based on the quality of the soul, and thankfully for me, it was said that my soul is that of [Superior] quality, and it gave me four times the average skill points given at the start. And so after looking at the body that I’ll inhibit for the foreseeable future, which was a good quality one too as it was the most compatible one with my soul, I picked out fire-based skills. I also bought some close quarters and long-range fire skills so that I’ll have more flexibility when it comes to fighting, and after that, I was transferred to the new world.

But then something strange happened while I was transferring. A voice quite different from the one I heard earlier, but I didn’t have to guess who it was as it introduced itself to me. A god. The voice was from a god, and it asked me to be its follower in exchange for a blessing and enhanced fire skills. I asked him a lot of questions, but it seems this god has little patience, and so it just gave me a notification specifying his advantages and the cost for it, and after weighing the scales of whether I should agree or not, I later on decided to shake his hand.

[Good Choice.]

[You have received ??? blessing!]

[??? has refused to reveal its name to you!]

…

After that, I was transferred to the new world, and as an introduction, I received the memories of the previous inhabitant of the body. The name of my new body was Josiah Helpant, a very talented son of a town mayor in the outskirts of the Yrarriel Empire. Josiah was hailed as the town’s hope to greatness, as he had enough talent to get a test to be a [Grand Royal Knight] of the empire. And so he was provided with a lot of things, including expensive potions and many more. It was weird being in a different body with the memories of the old inhabitant at first, but after the initial confusion and getting used to it, I managed to adapt quickly. Though the feeling of accessing the old owner’s memories still feels a little uncomfortable though, as it feels like watching a movie in an instant rather than personally feeling it. It acts like a barrier that separates me from the old owner of the body. Well, that’s good I thought. I’d rather not become a being with two different egos like some abomination.

And now that that was done and resolved, I moved on to getting information about my body, especially my new capabilities and skills that just a moment ago wasn’t something I even knew was a thing. So with that in mind, I went to the forest to test my abilities.

…

I am powerful, I concluded as after a series of battles, I didn’t feel any danger at all as every fight was easy and I barely sweated, and with that new sense of strength and confidence, I planned my future moves. I planned that I would familiarize myself with my new abilities some more for the next few days, and then I’ll challenge the strongest in this forest hopefully before the first week. But just as I was about to go back, I met a person, and after using my inspect skill on him, it seems he did the same, and we uttered the word at the same time.

“[Champion].”

“[Champion].”

“You too?”

“Earth?

“Yeah.”

“Thank heavens.”

He didn’t seem aggressive, and so we talked with each other, and after the conversation, he sounded like a normal guy too that was just kidnapped and forced to come here, but it seems like he has more knowledge about this than me, as he kept on telling me theories and ideas about our current circumstance. Well, it’s always good to have a familiar companion in a different place even when we just met. And with that, we shared stories and ideas about what we should do in the future as we go back to the village to get ready for tomorrow.

…

But reality wasn’t so nice with me after all, as it just gave me a little taste of finally feeling special before hitting me with a dark truth like a truck. What a bad joke as it seems my little foreshadowing became true. ‘Fighting till the last of my bones have been crushed?’ Easier said than done, who could’ve thought that I was going to be faced with someone several times stronger than I am? This game is rigged. What kind of game would decide the winner based on chance? What’s the point of skills and perseverance when one could just luck it out in the beginning and trample on people below.

I cursed the heavens and to whoever made this damn game. Why me? I didn’t even ask to be here. You gave me a little taste of power and then showed me how I am as low as an ant! I can’t accept this! I won’t! I can’t die; I have my wife waiting for me! And so after I watched my companion die of horrific agony just before my eyes, the monster before me uttered.

“Hmm, that’s a lot of [Souls], but my skill was too slow. I need to add more mana into it.”

No remorse whatsoever just like a true monster, how could a human being just a few hours ago kill someone like this without batting an eye? Is this a trait of theirs? A loss of their humanity? F***ing world! And after the man was finished with my companion, he slowly turned towards me. His face that I could barely discern and those eyes that I could barely see lacked any emotion and were staring at my poor condition as blood flew down my mangled arm.

“The world is full of suffering. Let me end yours too.”

What a farce; his voice sounded like a different person unlike the one he used just a second ago. Pity? Mercy? F***ing psycho! How could you change your emotions just like that? How could you sound human yet not? And now you’re acting like you sound like you're going to help me? I’d rather just die with you! But I can’t die. F*** you, f*** this world too. And so I used a spell of mine called [Ember Flash] and instantly traveled a hundred meters towards the town. It’s a very taxing spell that consumes a lot of mana and leaves a fiery trail towards the location I transferred to, so even if I use that, I’ll only be delaying my death, so what? I can’t die, and I’ll have to use everything I have.

“You can’t run away from me.”

The moment I got into town it was deserted. What? Where did everyone go? Why is nobody here? But then I saw people quite the distance away. What luck, but I need to run away from that monster? And so I ran towards them even using the active versions of my [Lifeforce Burn] which burn my lifeforce to give a short boost towards my abilities.

“S-sir Josiah you're injured?!”

“A-are you alright sir?”

Guards wearing their uniform asked me as they gathered more of the townspeople towards the other side of the town. But I wasn’t in any mood to talk any further as the moment I looked back I saw death approaching as the monster was running towards me.

“F***ING MOVE!”

I pushed the guards aside as I rushed towards the populated area. These people, they’re likely going to get killed by the monster anyways, It’s hopeless. I'd rather just use them as a distraction before I run away. I looked around to see the highest building and there I saw a tower and beneath it the people gathered in confusion. I didn’t waste anymore time as I can now hear gunshots behind me that caused the confused people into a panic. It seems like the guards opened fire at the monster. Not that that would do anything. Even a direct attack from my strongest spell didn’t do shit much less [Mana-Bullets]. And so I tried to activate my blink skill again but the moment I did.

[You cannot use the skill [Superior Fire Elemental Talent: Ember Flash (C)]!]

[The spell [Ember Flash] has been restricted!]

What? Why? Why? Why? WHY!

And then I heard a familiar voice in my head.

[Do not disgrace my blessing and fight till the last of your embers burn.]

“God? What did you do to me? And me? Fight that monster? I can’t. If you can see him you should know. He’s not something I can win against.”

[Excuses of the weak. Die if you might but do not cower while holding my blessing.]

“But!”

[For someone I blessed with the [Pride of Fire] it seems to have little effect on you, maybe I misjudged your soul, such a waste.]

“WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT?!”

[Enough! If you continue to refuse my will then be prepared.]

“You son of a b***h you’re asking me to die!”

[You dare insult and raise your voice againsts your god? I will not tolerate your insolence.]

“What the—”

Then I felt it. And as I clenched my burning chest.

[The blessing [Pride of Fire] has overtaken your will!]

[You are forced to use the skill [Ultimate Final Flare (B)]!]

[Perish and repay for your disgrace.]

“You m—”

How strange, it all feels like a dream now that I think about it. Are the things that happened today even real? Maybe I’m just having a nightmare and after this I’ll wake up again, maybe… but if it isn't… well then everyone sorry about all this and goodnight. And so my body glowed and my veins erupted in flames as I felt something within my very soul compress into an unstable form and then finally after reaching critical mass it released and at that moment in the middle of the night a sun rose at the center of the evacuating town’s populace.