1 From Death to System
My name is Max Frost. I met my end on my way home from university in the most extraordinary of ways – struck down by a gleaming, light blue Ferrari. What an honor, being claimed by a Ferrari. To be fair to the driver, though, I did attempt to cross the bustling interstate with cars whizzing by at 75 mph, so it's not all that surprising. I hope they don't carry too much trauma from the incident. Ah, I'd rather not discuss it.
Right now, my soul simply drifts in nothingness. I can't quite explain how I know there's nothing here when I see nothing. It's just a sense of emptiness. My only hope is that I'll either be reborn or dissolve into the void, or whatever destiny awaits the deceased, as this existence is dreadfully mundane.
Reincarnation is the preferable option; then, perhaps, I could reach the pinnacle of existence.
Just a moment ago, I felt a slight shift in my surroundings. Now, I'm falling. How does one fall in this vast nothingness without gravity? I have no answer to that. But if I'm descending, there must be something beneath me. I can only pray that the landing, if there is one, won't be painful. Please, no painful landing. Another instant death is preferable.
Then, a beacon of light. Is this what people mean when they say, "I see the light"? Perhaps this is my path to reincarnation.
A blinding flash followed, akin to gazing at the sun through a powerful telescope, magnified again by ten. I instinctively closed and shielded my eyes with my ethereal hands. But this futile act provided little relief.
Why must it be so blinding? Can souls even go blind? Will my next life be one in darkness?
Gradually, while still shielding my eyes, I sensed the light receding. I started to feel as though I was resting on something. The ground, perhaps? But don't we reincarnate as infants? I turned my head to the side and beheld tall, deep-green prairie grass, approximately two feet high. So, I'm lying on the ground. How did I end up here? I don't know, and at the moment, I couldn't care less. The pressing concern is whether there might be insects sharing this grassy patch with me.
Swiftly, I rose to my feet and examined myself, turning every which way. To my surprise, I appeared uninjured. I was still dressed in my favorite pair of black ripstop pants with zippered thigh pockets, a plain t-shirt, and shoes. If I still have my clothes, then my backpack should be here as well, right? But scanning the immediate vicinity revealed no sign of my backpack.
[Loading...]
[Please wait]
[Progress 1%]
A light blue, semi-transparent window with text and a progress bar appeared in my field of view. Awesome! I've always been a fan of novels featuring a system. "I have a system!" I exclaimed with delight.
[Progress 25%]
Oops. I hastily glanced around, concerned that someone might have heard me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized I was surrounded only by grass and trees. I grinned and thought, 'Now, I'll stand atop the world, beyond anyone's reach!'
[Progress 32%]
While it continued to load, I took in the surroundings. The clear blue sky with wisps of white clouds and the reddish-orange sun ascending in the east, a sight so perfect it could grace a professional photograph. A solitary, majestic bird gliding lazily, perhaps in search of prey. To the north, tall, bluish-grey snow-capped mountains reached for the heavens. A faint sparkle in the southeast hinted at a body of water reflecting the rising sun – probably a small lake. The open prairie, adorned with scattered trees, stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. However, a dark spot to the west marked the presence of a forest. Besides the bird, the only other living creatures I spotted were a herd of somethings in the south, too distant to identify except for their movement.
The warm, clean-scented air, lightly tinged with the fragrance of the grasslands, gently caressed my senses. There were no sounds except for the rustling of the grass in the breeze and the occasional chirping of insects.
[Progress 72%]
My impatience grew as the system continued to load. I yearned to begin, to cast off the shackles of idleness. I no longer wanted to be useless, just waiting for death, unproductive and unable to ask for help with life. I would have met my end long ago had I been certain there was no God. If he does exist, I would rather not meet them, only to have them ask, "Didn't I have a plan for you? Are you challenging the supreme being's wisdom?" I believe that might be even worse than not dying.
[Progress 100%]
[Multiverse Devouring System loaded]
[Host, please examine the status window and ask any further questions. To examine the status window, say "Status Window."]
"Status Window"
Name: Max Frost
Health: 100%
Title: (No titles)
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Occupation: None (You're Jobless)
Physical Description:
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 152 lbs
Eye Color: Royal Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Affiliations: Multiverse Devouring System
Stats (Average Human stat is 1):
Combat power: 0.8
Energy: 0 (Purest form of Mana/Astral Power/Qi/etc...)
Strength: 0.5 (Self-explanatory)
Agility: 1.1 (Self-explanatory)
Stamina: 0.5 (How long you can keep going)
Intelligence: 1.3 (Calculative ability, a little above average)
Wisdom: 0.3 (Ability to make good decisions; Hehe, crosses the interstate on a bike)
Luck: 2 (No wonder you made it to 19 with your wisdom)
Charisma: 1.1 (Looks and social ability)
Skills: No skills. (You're useless; hurry up and get some skills.)
'Is the system insulting me? Not that it's wrong, but does it have to be so explicit?'
"Hey, System."
[I'm not Google; no need to say "Hey System" and pause. Just spit it out.]
'...'
"I'll give you a name then. How about Kitty? Your name is Kitty. So, hey Kitty, how do I get Energy?"
[... I'm the Multiverse Devouring System. How do you think you get energy? By devouring things. At this time, only living things can be devoured.]
[Quest: There's so much grass around you. Eat grass to increase Energy to 1.
Reward: Heavenly God Body Forging. The top body forging technique in existence.
Time limit: None]
"Hey, Kitty, eat grass? Do I look like a cow to you?"
[I'm a system. How could I determine whether you're a cow or not?]
'Is it insulting me again? My stats clearly say "Human." Eat grass? Fine. Whatever it takes to rule the world, I'll eat some grass, then.'
I plucked a stalk of grass, about two feet high. 'It should be a one-to-one exchange – one grass for one Energy, right?' So, I chewed on the grass. At least it didn't taste bad, though it was somewhat flavorless, with a slightly bitter and astringent undertone, leaving a tingly, drying sensation. I swallowed.
[Converting to Energy]
[+.000000001 Energy]
Three zeroes. Six zeroes. Eight zeroes. Hundreds, thousands, millions. One hundred million. I slumped to my hands and knees in despair. I needed to consume another 99,999,999. What can this system possibly offer to make eating that much grass worthwhile? It can't be worth it.
I lay down, despondent.
"Hey, Kitty, what can you eventually allow me to do?"
[Finally asking the right questions, huh. You will consume entire multiverses. Hence the name. All matter is energy, and you can harness this energy. With enough energy, you can rule all the multiverses. Their creation and destruction will be as simple as a thought to you.]
'Well, that's worth eating grass for.'
Renewed hope surged within me, and I sat up, ready to continue eating.
