2 Chapter 2: The benevolent System

System registering Souls.

The system finished registering souls.

Killing a whole family and then getting reborn, didn't feel right. The so-called system was saying that kill, murder and you will be rewarded. It didn't leave a good taste in my mouth.

Not that I cared, I had already rested my case.

I was surrounded by darkness, after blowing out my head. Until the system came with its words. Interrupting my peace.

But I guess it didn't matter, it probably needed a killer or not.

Congratulations you have been chosen to walk the path of a primordial.

Choose your race:

Human, Elf, Dwarf, Beast Man, Dragon, God, Titan, Elemental, Fairy, Phoenix, Goblin, Ogres, Giants, Mosquito And more

Just like everything I do in life, I just move on with the flow, until I make a decision.

Reality was always a bitch.

There were hundreds of options, and I didn't know where to start, so I began with the strongest race.

God - There are hundreds of different types of Gods. Gods are a race bound by their divine realm and faith, meaning they are both cursed and blessed.

Pros - They are eternal and immortal within their divine realm.

Cons - They are driven by faith.

God was an interesting race. They are eternal and immortal, but I didn't like how they are bound by their divine realm and faith. God was a no for me.

Next, I looked at Dragon, and a message popped up:

Dragon - Dragons are a winged race that dominates the land and the sky. They are loved by their plane and are protectors of it, which is why dragons can be as huge as celestial bodies.

Pros - Love for the plane. No other race can compete with your strength, speed, vitality, and size.

Cons - Not eternal or immortal; old age and death are not beneath them.

I really liked Dragons, but something was off. How could the system offer God and Dragon as races when humans and elves were options? What would I have to sacrifice to be a God or a Dragon? There seems to be a trade-off I didn't realize.

As much as the Dragon was tempting, I didn't pick it as a race. I also saw Titan and Phoenix in the list, but I didn't even look at the description because there must be a trade-off. There must be something I had to lose to get an overpowered race like that. People don't just become powerful.

People don't become a God or Dragon for free. This wasn't fictional, so I wasn't going to fall for it.

"System, what is the trade-off of being a Dragon compared to a Human?" I asked eagerly, waiting for a response.

"System?" I asked again. After not getting an answer, I looked at Human.

Human - Humans are a weak and pathetic race. They are short-lived. But once they gain access to one of the three energies, they are a force to be reckoned with. Their creativity and desire to achieve the impossible are dangerous.

Pros - Cultivation.

Cons - All.

When I looked at the message, I smiled. There didn't seem to be an underlying trade-off. And more importantly, I knew what cultivation was. The message described something I knew: humans, weak and pathetic. And I loved it.

"Congratulations, Connor William. You have chosen primordial Human as a race."

Status - Connor Williams

Skills:

-Internal Destruction

-Identify

Passive Skills:

-Empathy

You now have 10 minutes to choose your human features and skills. Your survival depends on your skill.

I was really amazed. This was like the system I read about online, but a bit different with only energy and attributes.

Then an avatar of myself appeared. I didn't linger on it.

"Done," I said. I didn't have a problem with my looks; I was already handsome to my dead wife. And it seems like skills were more important

The Skills list appeared in front of me.

There were three categories: offensive, defensive, and movement skills, and above that, a message appeared.

Skill Points: 60

I then looked for a close-quarter skill, something that I was good at. Many skills appeared, such as boxing, kicking, sword, hammer, spear, knives; the close-quarter skills continued, but the only two that interested me were boxing and sword skills.

Boxing Skill - 15 points. Embrace the skill of close quarters. With this boxing skill, you will dominate close quarters with your fists. Energy used: essence.

Sword Skill - 20 points. Embrace the skill of close quarters. With this sword skill, you will dominate close quarters with your sword. Energy used: essence.

These two skills were interesting, and I didn't know which to choose. Firstly, I wasn't a swordsman, and I didn't know if I would get a sword in this new life. While I knew a few boxing moves, I wasn't an expert.

Boxing skill acquired.

I had too many uncertainties about my next life to choose the sword skill. And I wasn't guaranteed a sword.

It was a simple decision.

Now I need a long-range skill.

A list of long-range skills appeared, with many types of elements that I didn't understand, but fire and lightning stood out.

Fire Blast - 30 points. A condensed fire mana. That is a blast at an enemy that explodes and burns. Requires: fire mana.

Lightning Blast - 35 points. A condensed lightning mana. That is a blast at enemies that explodes and shocks. Requires: lightning mana.

Pure Blast - 22 points. A condensed pure mana. That is to blast at enemies; it hits hard. Requires: pure mana.

But they were expensive; I couldn't afford them, so I immediately skipped them. Even though long-range skills were important, a hit chance wasn't guaranteed. This wasn't like a gun that I was trained with; I didn't know how to use them, and I'm guessing I would need practice.

Before I move on, I pause and wonder if my decisions were the right one, was it smart to do something that you are good at? Or to challenge yourself. Well, I will find that out later. 

6 minutes remaining

Shit, I got sidetracked. Now, I had 45 points left and six minutes remaining. I needed something for evasion and sensing danger. One thing I learned in war is that it's not the one who can hit hard, it's the one who can survive and come back for round two. Evasion and danger sense would do that.

Immediately, the system responded to my request:

Quick step - 20 points. With delicate usage of essence, you can achieve incredible speed for a split second. Energy required: essence.

Alert - 25 points. With this skill, you know when danger and death are around the corner. Knowing when death is coming and escaping it are two different things. The energy required: essence and spiritual energy.

"Two types of energy for Alert? What?" Never mind, I accepted," I said calmly. Now I had to wait.

I didn't have to wait long, because the system was ready.

Rebirth in progress- Ten seconds

Rebirth finished.

Everything went blank again:

I could breathe, but I was choking on air. Everything was bright, and then all of a sudden, I felt dizzy and hot, smoking hot. Then it was cold, the wind. My mind registered.

Then a massive headache hit me; the skills that I picked slammed into my head. Knowledge of five skills. I held my head in pain, and then I started to scream. Then it stopped.

Everything stopped. I looked around and understood that I was in a forest. No, I was on an island. Behind me was the ocean, and in front was the forest. The trees were ancient, massive; they were as tall as skyscrapers.

My surroundings were interesting. I wasn't on a beach. The reason I say that is because there wasn't any sand behind me, just black and red dirt. It felt like this island was split in half. That sends chills to my bones. 

I smiled and shouted, "I'm alive, I'm alive, sucker!" while touching myself, I realized that I was naked.

Congratulations, Primordial Human Conor, you are alive and well.

Your missions are:

Survive for 30 days: Reward - choose an ultimate skill to pass down through generations that can't be lost or stolen.

Prepare for winter: Reward - a winter camp that provides heat.

Kill the Goblin King: Goblin Slayer title.

Kill the Bear King: Reward - cultivation method.

Unlock your class: Reward - class.

Your actions will have an irreversible effect on you and your child. They will either prosper or suffer. This plane is yours to take.

"Ohh, shit," I said to myself. The system and its objective seem concerning. But I wasn't going to complain, I got the opportunity to start over.