Creak
Creak
Nothing like waking up to the sound of a nearly decrepit bedframe to really set the mood for the day… I could almost remember a time when my bed didn't look like something out of a damn horror movie.
Wincing as I struggle to my feet, I grabbed my crutches, and after grabbing some clothes, I stumble out of my room… Checking the time, I see that it's 6 o'clock in the morning, so I've got at least a couple hours to get to this interview before my next job.
Opening the door to the living area, I begin to make something resembling a breakfast using secondhand and possibly expired food—about the best you can get on a budget that barely passes the triple digits.
Moving in a small kitchen with crutches on isn't exactly the best, but after years of this, I make it work…
"Good morning, hon…" I watch as my mom wheels in on her wheelchair… The bags under her eyes are so evident.
"Morning, Mom. Stayed up late, trying to find a job again?" I smirk, but she just looks at me with that same parental glare.
"I didn't stay up too late. It's just a bit hard to find a job with my physical condition. There isn't exactly anyone promoting for Cripple R Us… Don't worry, once I find one you—"
"It's OK, Mom. I got it. Look, I found another third job. This one says it's gonna pay a lot. The hours seem good, and I'm—"
The mom just wheeled over towards me and put a hand on my face… "I'm sorry you have to do this… You shouldn't have to work so hard like this…" This time I stopped her by putting a plate in front of her.
"I get it, but it's my fault you're in that chair… Don't worry, it seemed legit. Besides, I've gotten pretty adept with these crutches—could be considered lethal weapons at this point." That caused her to chuckle as I ate my portion.
For a moment, I just enjoyed myself—enjoyed the moment of peace. But as I looked up at the leaky ceilings and the cracking walls, I glared as if I could somehow get a reaction.
"Don't worry, Mom. When we're rolling in cash, we'll be sipping martinis off of cruise liners that cost more money than sense." Mom just looks up at me with that same pitying look, and while I should be angry—and to be honest, I was the first couple times—I've always realized that she just doesn't want me to become obsessed.
"Just come back home. That's all I want. I don't need to sit on a golden throne. I don't need servants waiting for my beck and call. I just need you to be safe… I love you 3000…" And there's the cringe movie line. Practically looking like I had been struck, my mom just slapped me lightly on the back.
Growing up, we had some differing interests in entertainment. While my mom was into movies and old comics, I was into video games and manga. Could never go a day without her making some reference—I swear I could practically mouth the entire script of Revenge of the Sith off of memory. I guess it was her way of coping with the decisions she made…
But just for today I will indulge her. "I love you 3000 as well. But I need to get going. You could put the plates away?"
"Of course. Still got my arms. In fact, I feel like I'm using them too much. I'm starting to develop muscles." Mom then proceeds to try to flex in front of me, and I could almost see the whoopee cushion beginning to deflate.
I try my damnedest not to laugh, but a couple chuckles come out, and as I give her a hug and a kiss on the forehead, she begins to put the plates into the dishwasher… I take a look around the apartment—barely the size of somebody's walk-in closet—and I just imagine myself somewhere else.
Thankfully, we were only on the second floor, and I can manage stairs decently well, although the pain in my legs and hips is almost unbearable. But I've long adapted to the pain…
Shuffling on the street and into the nearby parking garage, I enter the beat-up SUV I managed to find at a junkyard. Turning the key, I have to do it five more times just to get it to start, and as I do, I begin to drive, feeling pain every time I have to push my foot into the pedal… For the next 20 minutes, it's just that, and given the fact that the AC is barely working—it's 90° outside—I'm not exactly having a fun time.
The radio isn't much help, as the only channel I can get is Christian radio. And it's not even the good one. It's more of the kid version—because to be honest, at this point I'd just take Gregorian chants… At least then I could hum along and pretend I'm doing the Halo theme.
For now, however, I just look forward. The place I'm heading to is someplace called Oz Co. I almost laughed thinking of its resemblance to that Oz Corp. place from my mother's comics, and when I told her about it, she almost laughed at me thinking it was some kind of joke within the paper.
But I looked it up. The place is legit. Seems like they build parts for appliances as well as various aeronautical contracts. The position I'm applying for just simply states it has a contractor. Maybe it's just another name for driver or something. Hopefully it's nothing too far, like out of state, but to be honest, if it pays good, that's all that matters.
Pulling up to the building, it seems both out of place yet perfectly in place at the same time. It looked like one of those old brownstones—like an old general store. Parking the car in front, I exit out of my car, feeling the excruciating pain of my bones grinding together. Perks of being me, I suppose.
Hobbling through the front door, I thankfully don't have to actually push it open as it opens on its own—some type of motion sensor… The weird thing is it looked like an old-fashioned door, got the bell on the end and everything, and as I walk in, I'm hit with the smell of old books. To be honest, it looked similar to the average library.
But making sure I'm definitely more than punctual, I walk over to the front desk, and as I do so, the woman at the desk looks up at me. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks so similar to someone, but I couldn't place it.
"Are you here for the interview?" Giving her the best business smile that I could, I nodded my head, and as she places a finger on what I assume to be an intercom, before she even says anything, I hear a male voice… "Send him in, please."
The woman then directs me to the door behind her, and as I walk behind her desk, I give her a nod in thanks, and as I do so, she seems to smile and blink at me, which must be some weird kind of farewell or something. And as I open the door, I find myself in a room that's entirely different from the outside. While outside could be confused for a library, this one could be confused for a high-tech cyberpunk startup.
What was even stranger is the fact that there were windows that showed something that definitely isn't supposed to be there. However, I just chalked it up to some kind of holographic display.
"Welcome… an entire hour early. Truly makes me wonder who would be willing to come to an interview at this godforsaken hour… but in this case, I guess you would be said person. I admire the initiative. So please, sit." The man in the business suit gestured toward the chair, and as I sat down, I placed the crutches next to me on the floor.
As he sat down opposite me behind the desk, he began reading through the file that I sent through earlier.
"True and excellent resume. Experience in multiple fields, multiple years of employment across different jobs. Truly the perfect employee… now it's time for the business question. Why should you be the one to get this job?" Let it be known I will always hate that question.
But to be honest, honesty always seemed to work for me with these interviews, so I led with that. "Well, sir, I have experience in multiple fields. I can work flexible hours—"
He raises his hand toward me, bidding me to stop.
"You misunderstand. I don't want the business jargon answer. I want your honest answer." Taking a deep breath, I give him an answer.
"I need the money… The apartment my mother and I are living in is not in good condition, and I need to pay for her medication. If she doesn't take it, she experiences extreme amounts of pain within her legs and lower body… I've also been trying to save up to get her into an operation to fix her lower spine. But being completely honest, I'm just sick of waking up in a bed with rats being my next-door neighbor… I can give you my time. I can do any work. I won't complain. I just need the cash." The man in the business suit just looks right into my eyes—seemingly gazing into my soul, as if looking for something. His blue eyes just stared directly into me.
We sit there in silence as I wait for him to answer, but soon enough, he smiles—or smirks in this case. "Well, in that case, I do believe I've asked all I could. Now I want to ask you one more thing… If I paid you to kill someone, would you do it?"
A part of me wanted to ask if they were decent people, but hesitation was defeat. "Depends on how much and how many?"
The man just continued to smirk. "Again, I can tell you're not lying. That's good. Honesty is always a good thing between boss and employee. But now I'm going to introduce you to the real boss. I would tell you to prepare yourself, but from my experience, meeting them is something you'll never be ready for."
"Wait—who am I meeting?" But as I blink, he disappears, and instead of being in an office, I find myself in an empty void. But I'm not alone, as multiple thrones are set up in front of me, and as I look upward I see everything.
My eyes begin to burn, my nose begins to bleed, my ears feel like they're going to pound out of my skull, and as I fall to the floor, I feel more pain than I've experienced in my near 27 years of life.
[I do believe you should assist him, angel. It seems like he's going to expire before we're even able to offer him the position.] A mechanical voice speaks directly into my mind. However, I do believe I'm bleeding internally, so it just comes out as garbled nonsense.
But then a booming voice echoes throughout the chamber, and I feel the pain begin to cease. "Be at peace, young one. All of us have gathered to offer you something of great importance."
I wiped the blood out of my eyes, and as I looked upward again, the thrones were still there, but they were much smaller, and the beings were a lot more human-like. One looked like he was made of skulls. Another looked like a living machine. The others were different, each one entirely separate from one another. The largest of them was a dragon that sat behind all of them.
"Why the pomp and circumstances? Angel, offer him the position. I have a nap to return to." The large dragon just looked at me with its reptilian eyes that seemed to glow with the universe seemingly within its depths.
"Calduin, don't be so rash. You agreed to help us with this… Now, you have been judged worthy of what we are about to gift you. The question is: are you willing to receive it?" As I looked upward towards the angel, I could see his face constantly shifting, his armor glowing with endless constellations.
I picked up my crutches that were still beside me and stood up as best I could… "What is the job?"
"That is the thing. You shall exist at the beginning of something entirely new. You see, my young friend, all of us have our acolytes and those who are currently seeking their own routes to power, but none of us have someone who can act on all of our behalfs. I would like to ask if you would be willing to essentially be a contractor for all of us… The things we will ask you to do may be difficult, and they may change you… So again, you have the right to refuse. Just to put things in perspective: everything you've read and everything you've seen—every idea exists. All of us have our own universes, multiverse, and omniverse under our purview, and to keep things under control, we need agents. Those agents shall be empowered by something natural—grant them limitless potential… Let me show you." The angel then shrunk down to my size and placed a finger on my forehead, and as I saw what all of them had created, I was shocked. Just a basic description was enough to question their sanity.
"You chose me to accept this?" The angel simply smiled, while the one who sits upon a throne of thunderclouds simply winked at me. The rest were looking at me as if studying my entire being—past and present.
However, the angel refocused my attention. "I understand the weight of all this is exponential, but I do believe you understand the benefits of this transaction." Now he was speaking my language.
"So, to put this in mortal terms: I accept this job, and you give me this system that you created, and I go to fix things that you ask me to fix and kill those you want me to kill… If that's the job, then I accept." I then hear laughter coming from the dragon sitting behind the thrones.
"I do admire this one. I can smell his greed, but it's rare that those who have such greed seemingly have such for a good cause—or at least a good cause for themselves… However, do not question this: if any of us were lying, you would know or you simply wouldn't be here." Looking back toward the angel, I ask my one condition.
"If… no, when I accept this job, I want one thing. I want my world's time to be slowed. I don't even want my mother to know I'm gone. She worries a lot." I expected to be laughed at; however, I was met with silence.
Until the one sitting at the head of all of the thrones smiled at me, "You know, if there's anything we admire in this council, it's loyalty. All of us can sense the care and love you have for your mother. So here's the deal: you work for us, we stop time for your world, and when you return, you'll be able to fix your mother on your own—live as lavishly as you want. All it takes is for you to handle a couple of things here and there… You have our word."
Seeing them all nod, I walked into the center of them as the angel retook his place on his own throne. I walked into the center of the chamber, and as all of them stood up and walked toward me like giants walking towards me like giants walking towards a human I placed my crutches onto the ground And as they fell, they disappeared while I tried to stand as straight as I could.
As all of them placed their hands on top of each other—all of which above me—I closed my eyes, and as a beam of light landed straight onto me, all I felt was pain…
I screamed until my lungs felt like they were about to exit my body. My eyes felt like they were liquefying in my skull. My skin bubbled and burned in equal measure. I felt my bones restructuring, breaking and becoming new, and then breaking again…
Words were being said toward me that I couldn't understand or just simply couldn't hear as my body contorted and broke and shattered and reformed at the same time. The process felt like it was taking an eternity, and as I fell to the ground, my arms and legs barely recognizable, I knew that if I just fell asleep, the pain would be over.
But I also knew if I fell asleep, I would fail, and this pain would mean nothing. So I screamed. I clawed at the empty void. I felt my body begin to reset into place. My arms and legs cracked and burned and broke back into their original positions.
Soon enough, the light dimmed, and as I turned to face upwards, I saw all of them looking down on me—with some looking apathetic, others empathetic. Yet all of them seemed so far away…
The angel, however, bent down, and as I tried to speak, he laid a hand on my chest, and I felt peace. And then he snapped his fingers. "Your condition has been met. Your world has been paused for the time being. When you are strong enough to heal her and provide her with a better home, you will be able to return. But for now, I do believe an initiation is in order. If it's worth anything, I apologize for the pain. But for now, your journey begins. See you soon. We will be in contact."
I watched as he took out a sword, and as he slid it downwards in a vertical line, a portal opened. And as he picked me up, he simply dropped me into it, and I wondered what I just signed up for… That was my last thought before passing out.
[Initializing gamer system… creating physical avatar… optimizing avatar… Membership Of The Harmonizing Efforts for Lasting Solutions/HELP Authorized… Granting Initial Perks…]
Words begin to enter my mind and engrave themselves upon my soul. I could barely hear the voice—like an old song you can hear in the depths of your mind…
[Gamer Body Granted… Gamer Mind Granted… Gamer Soul Initialized… Gamer's Fate Unwritten… Receiving Gift From Gluttony Embodiment… Charm Of A Gamer Acquired]
Again, I can feel my body beginning to change, yet in my state I could barely understand. I couldn't see. I couldn't hear. I couldn't feel anything… The only thing in my thoughts was simply to keep going—for her.
I have to be stronger… I have to…
[Stats… Initialized… Skills Granted: Observe And Setting Connection… Inventory Created… Connection To HELP Store Finalized…]
It was like being a physical ghost. I couldn't move, but I could feel. I couldn't feel, but I couldn't move…
[System Finalizing… Bonding With Artificial Intelligence… Match Found… Titles Granted… Gacha Function Locked Until Further Progress Is Made]
The mechanical voice began to change, becoming something more emotional… I felt like I was drowning, but any second I could come up for air… But yet the automaton just kept speaking in my mind.
[Gamer System Bonded… automaton: interesting name for artificial intelligence… sleep well… wake me when you need me… Cyrus.]
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Skills/Perks Gained:
Gamer Body: Grants you the body of a gamer. Upon resting for eight hours, your body will be fully healed along with your magic capacity refilled. Any lost body parts shall be immediately returned upon successful resting, and any injuries/poisons shall disappear as if they were never there. On a side note, you technically don't have normal DNA anymore so your abilities/DNA cannot be copied or reproduced along with you being protected against forceful race/species changes.
Gamer Mind: Protects you from any and all mental debuffs which includes anyone attempting to corrupt or control your mind/emotions. In addition to any attempt to read your mind will be refused. However, it is important to note that this will not protect you from your own mental state. Your emotions and mental well-being are yours to control. (a.k.a. this is not the psychopath version of this skill.)
Gamer Soul: Protects your soul from any attempt to possess, remove, manipulate, steal, corrupt, or destroy your soul. In addition to the fact that it protects you from the consequences of using conflicting esoteric abilities while also keeping said esoteric abilities from being suppressed or negated regardless of the universe, you find yourself in.
A Gamer's Fate: Protects you from any and all reality/time warping/erasure abilities while making you immune to precognition/post-cognition and fate/luck manipulation. Also increases your likelihood of permanently dealing with those blessed by fate in all its forms. Gamers make their own fate.
Charm Of A Gamer: You will always be able to romantically, emotionally, and sexually satisfy your lover(s), spouse(s), or any other significant partner, no matter how many there are. Your stamina, and sheer charisma increase, to the point where even if you have a harem of experienced succubi or literal sex goddesses, you will be able to leave them happy and hungry for more also, you don't need to worry about STDs or your life force being drained nor losing that "spark" in the bedroom. Allows you to perfectly control your fertility and grants you NTR protection. (A Gift To A New Employee..Have Fun!)
Omniversal Citizenship: Whenever you travel to a new universe, you can choose to have a legal identity there. This perk also grants you a bank account to use if you wish through your HELP Points. (HELP Member Benefit/Have Fun Dealing With No Taxes! The IRS Can't Stop You!)
Observe (Level 1/100): Costs 0 MP: Provides various information on people, items, and even places. At higher levels this observation skill will allow you to even eventually pick up on people's thoughts and be made less likely to fail when used against higher level targets. When using observe on higher level targets, this skill has a higher chance to fail.
Setting Connection: (Max Level): Can make/connect to 5 fictional settings to start and with every 100 levels, you gain an additional 5. Once a setting connection is stable after six months the used setting slot opens up again.
Titles:
The First Gamer: Grants you access to the newly created gamer system. Grant you the skills of gamer body, gamer mind, and gamer soul. However, due to being the first gamer, your system is unique, but how it is unique is for you to find out. +5 to Luck.
HELP Newbie: Recognizes you as a valued member of the team! Due to your exposure to celestial forces, any who recognize themselves as divine beings will slightly favor you. +5 to Luck.
(Well ladies and gentlemen, we have another one. In the next chapter we shall see which world our intrepid main character has entered at least for his starter world. I have a couple ones in mind but again feel free to recommend. I saw someone recommend one piece and to be honest I'm kinda into it, but I've only watched East Blue so far and to be honest the one piece power scalers might kill me if I make it look like I'm scaling their characters wrong. And as you can see, he has no instant dungeons every level he gains has to be in the real world or at least in the world he goes to. To be honest, the biggest issue with writing these snippets is that I just have so many ideas in my head that it's hard to put them to the page while I was writing this I was thinking of doing an inspired inventor story in invincible pre-Omniman arrival. But I digress so depending on when you guys are reading this I wish you a good morning, good afternoon, and good night.)