82 Giving Up #82
Amidst the clutter of my room, with a floating system interface in front of me like some techno oracle, I descended deeper into the murky abyss known as Gacha hell. The screen taunted me with its absurd offerings, each purchase dragging me further into the pit of despair.
"Ah, pain, anguish, and despair," I muttered, staring at the screen as if it held the secrets of the universe. "Whoever came up with this evil creation is surely Satan's unwanted bastard. Even Satan himself would disown such a hope-leeching, despair-inducing monstrosity...."
With a sigh heavy enough to rattle the windows, I recounted my tragic journey through the land of pointless purchases. Marshmallow magicians, living disco balls, dizzy doodlers—each bloodline more ridiculous than the last.
And to add insult to injury, I'd even dipped into my savings, converting a cool 2.4 million dollars into points just to keep the disappointment train rolling.
The best I'd managed to snag so far was a treasure goblin bloodline, but even that came with its own set of quirks. Sure, It would make me more sensitive to valuables now, but at the cost of slowly turning into a friggin' green midget. Just my luck.
But hey, they say 99% of gamblers stop before they hit the jackpot, right? Well, call me Mr. 1%, because I refused to give up hope. With gritted teeth and a dwindling bank account, I threw caution to the wind and bought another 2000 points to get two more random bloodlines.
I had already resolved not to spend any more than 10,000 points, and wish 8,000 points down the drain I only had two more tries left.
[Congratulations, you've acquired the Astral Void Beholder bloodline.]
"Void Beholder?" I echoed, a mix of disbelief and resignation creeping into my voice. "What kind of bull-- wait... that actually sounds good." I paused halfway through my grumbling as I took another look at the name.
Lost in the depths of Gacha despair, I stumbled upon a glimmer of hope in the form of the Astral Void Beholder bloodline. It sounded promising, at least compared to the marshmallow magicians and living disco balls that had plagued my previous purchases.
[Astral Void Beholder: a species of deep space creatures that roam the edges of the universe of a long-dead world. These creatures are known as the undisputed kings of the starry sky, using their bare bodies to traverse the vacuum of space and starlight as sustenance. However, their existence remains unknown as they only appear in dying worlds, ushering their end]
With bated breath, I delved into the description. "So awesome?" I mused aloud, my excitement building up with every word I read. "Could it be? Have I finally struck gold?"
But as the words sank in, a creeping sense of disbelief washed over me. This couldn't be real, could it? The Gacha had already played enough cruel jokes on me; surely this was just another trick.
I blinked, reading the description again and again, hoping for some clarity. It sounded too good to be true, like a cosmic jackpot in a sea of mediocrity.
The prompt appeared, mocking me with its simplicity. "Would you like to integrate with Astral Void Beholder Bloodline?" it asked as if the answer were obvious.
"Hell, yes!" I exclaimed, my heart racing with anticipation. I hit the confirmation button, bracing myself for whatever came next.
And then, it happened. A strange sensation washed over me as if I were being pulled into the very fabric of space itself. It was a sensation beyond words, something that had to be felt to be understood.
For a moment, I felt like I wasn't just occupying space—I was space. An empty void, vast and boundless, stretching out into eternity.
Amidst the confusion and disappointment, I couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation on my forehead, as if a tiny invisible bug was tap-dancing up there. It was odd, to say the least, but hardly the cosmic transformation I'd been hoping for.
"Damn, is this another scam?" I grumbled to myself, running my hands over my body in search of any changes. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. I was still just plain old me, with no superpowers or cosmic upgrades in sight.
But then, out of nowhere, a strange longing gripped me, pulling me toward the window like a magnet. Without hesitation, I dashed over, flung it open, and clambered up to the rooftop, my eyes fixated on the twinkling stars above.
As I gazed at the night sky, a sense of peace washed over me, calming my troubled mind. And then, something extraordinary happened. My consciousness began to drift, untethered from my physical form, until I was floating above myself, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight.
Before I knew it, I was soaring higher and higher, leaving behind the confines of Earth and venturing out into the vast expanse of the cosmos. It was like a surreal journey through the wonders of the universe, witnessing cosmic spectacles that defied imagination.
A supernova erupted in a blaze of light, a black hole devoured everything in its path, and two planets collided in a cataclysmic dance of destruction. It was a breathtaking spectacle, but more than anything it was humbling.
As I stood there, gazing up at the vast expanse of stars, a profound sense of insignificance washed over me. It was like a slap in the face from the universe itself, reminding me of just how small and insignificant my existence truly was.
All the grand plans and lofty ambitions I'd harbored seemed laughably futile in the face of such cosmic enormity. Did any of it really matter? Did anything I'd done in this world, or even in my previous life, hold any real significance in the grand scheme of things?
Lost in a whirlwind of existential doubt, I suddenly snapped back to reality, my mind reeling from the overwhelming experience. But instead of feeling enlightened or inspired, all I felt was a profound emptiness.
I looked down at my hands, the same hands that had worked tirelessly to build a life for myself in this new world. But now, they felt strangely foreign, disconnected from any sense of purpose or meaning.
For so long, I'd been driven by a burning desire to leave my mark on this world, to carve out a legacy that would endure for countless years. But now, faced with the vastness of the cosmos, that desire felt hollow and meaningless.
In that moment, all my motivation drained away, leaving me adrift in a sea of uncertainty. What was the point of it all? What difference could one person possibly make in a universe so incomprehensibly vast?
As I stood there, grappling with these existential questions, I couldn't help but feel a sense of profound disillusionment settles over me.
As I stood there, lost in the void of my own thoughts, a sudden chittering sound broke through the silence, pulling me back to reality. I turned to see Rattigan, my faithful rat companion, who seemed to have followed me to the room at some point, his tiny fists raised in what seemed like frustration.
"It's you, rat.... what do you want?" I muttered, my voice devoid of any real emotion. Rattigan continued to chitter angrily as if trying to convey some urgent message to me.
"Yeah, yeah, I know we're connected mentally," I sighed, feeling a pang of guilt at my own apathy that dissipated as quickly as it appeared. "But honestly, buddy, I'm not really in the mood for any excitement right now. I'm just... not feeling it."
I could almost sense Rattigan's disappointment, his little eyes pleading with me to snap out of my funk and pay attention to him.
"Look, I'm sorry, but you'll have to find your entertainment elsewhere..." I murmured, my gaze dropping to the ground. "I don't think I'm going to be up to much of anything you'd find interesting from now on. I've got enough money to get by, so I might as well just... exist, you know?"
I could feel the weight of my words hanging heavily in the air as I spoke, the sense of resignation settling over me like a thick fog.
"You once told me you'd go back into the void if I ever stopped being entertaining," I said, putting up a fake smile. "I think now might be the time... not that I really care what you do from now on anyway..."
