'My life is boring.'
I thought when I was 14 years old.
I wanted an exciting life...
I've been an orphan pretty much since I was born. I don't even know who my parents are... They abandoned me near the orphanage a few weeks after I came into this world.
There's nothing special about me, not even my name, Cole, which just means black. How special is that? Did they even think about it?
When I turned 16 years old, I developed a hobby of reading novels.
When I started reading, it was just to pass the time, but novels are more entertaining than I thought, and I got hooked. Ever since then, I've been reading novels whenever I have the time.
Whenever I'm reading, I get this feeling that something inside me is being filled, and emotions that I really don't understand or feel normally overwhelms me.
And those emotions made me think that maybe, this life is still worth living...
Don't get me wrong, though, I was not planning to kill myself.
It's just that I was so bored in the past that I thought dying might not be that bad...
If someone had asked me why I was still alive back then... I'd probably have just answered, "Because I'm not dead yet."
So novels really mean a lot to me, they are a big part of my life...
Anyway, I got a scholarship to a university near the orphanage I grew up in when I turned 18 years old. That's cool...
But I still needed money to provide for my daily needs and some school stuffs.
So I found myself a job, and I fucking hate it, also the fact that I'm lazy.
Add that reading is starting to get boring for me too... I just can't find a novel I enjoy, which is bad for me because it's the only thing giving me entertainment in this world.
But then I thought...
'If I can't find a novel I like, why not just make one myself?'
Which might be a good idea, as there's a possibility that it could also solve my money problem!
And so, I made one.
Creating a novel is harder than I thought. I would sometimes suddenly stop midway and then continue again later on because of laziness. There are a lot more problems, but I'm too lazy to list them all...
But in the end, I successfully created one.
My first novel was inspired by a novel that I really liked. I got the idea there and created a whole different story out of it.
And surprisingly, people started reading my work! Reading their comments about it also made me happy, so I came to enjoy writing.
I found a new hobby for myself...
With that, I continued writing... Again and again.
And now, I'm already 29 years old.
*****
"Haa..."
A sigh escaped my mouth as soon as I finished publishing the latest Chapter of my ongoing novel.
"Now what?"
I asked myself.
Writing is fun and all, but after that, I have nothing else to do...
It was so boring...
So I started reading the comments and reviews about my work.
Many comments were positive, but some were negative. They don't affect me anymore, as it's normal anyway. I can't satisfy everyone, so I just continued writing based on my taste, not caring about them...
Ping!
"Hm?"
Then, while I was reading some comments... I received an email.
Out of boredom, I opened it.
Click-
What greeted me was a weird and confusing message.
=====
[YOUR WORK HAS BEEN SELECTED BY A HIGHER BEING!]
[Congratulations! A Higher Being will use your work for their new creation! In exchange, they will grant your wish and add some bonus rewards too!!!]
=====
...
...
"What bullshit is this?"
I grumbled and frowned after reading the content of the mail.
I was about to close it without replying, as it would just be a waste of time.
Swaahh—
When a sudden bright light erupted from my whole body and dyed the whole room white!
"Argh! What the fuck?"
I screamed.
The light coming from my body was so bright that it looked like I was some godly shit descending from heaven!
Strangely, though, the light didn't hurt my eyes...
"What the fuck is happening?!"
I exclaimed.
'Okay, let's calm down.'
I tried to calm myself down and started racking my brain.
But while I was thinking... I suddenly felt like I was being 'sucked' into something!
"OKAY! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! THIS IS SO CREEPY!"
I yelled unconsciously, unable to see anything but white, so I was panicking.
Calling for help didn't cross my mind... Why?
Because what's happening to me doesn't feel dangerous at all. It's just... weird?
Also, I bet nobody can help me in this kind of situation anyway.
Worst-case scenario, the one trying to help might get caught up in this too.
I'm also an introvert with a small number of friends, so I bet nobody will take the risk to help me anyway...
Yep, even with all this shit happening, I'm still assessing the situation.
I developed this thing when I was a kid where, on any occasion or event, my thoughts would still work properly.
Which is good because just panicking wouldn't do anything beneficial for me in any way. Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
So, what conclusion did I get amid this situation by racking my brain?
Heh... Nothing.
So I just stopped struggling and shut my mouth.
"Thanks for nothing, brain..."
I mumbled as I stayed still.
Anything I do will be just a waste of time and energy, so I just went with the flow.
Let's wait and see what happens, then decide what to do after that.
'I'm bored anyway.'
So I stood still, letting the weird sucking phenomenon have its way.
"This better be good."
I mumbled.
And that's the last thing I remember before my consciousness got cut off...
*****
I don't know how long I was out, but immediately after I regained consciousness...
I opened my eyes and sat up.
And looking around me...
'Um... Where?'
Is what I first thought after seeing my surroundings...
I'm sitting on a bed in a small, unfamiliar room with very little furniture. All the items in the room are just for the daily needs of a single person.
"There's not even a TV in here."
Anyway...
I continued to look around.
At first, I thought that maybe I was in a hospital room, but the lack of medical equipment around makes that unlikely.
'Let's explore the room first.'
So I decided to investigate more.
I got up from the bed...
And started roaming around the room.
Moving my body feels a bit weird, but I thought it was just an aftereffect of the light before or me fainting, so I didn't mind it that much.
Anyway, after getting a proper look at the room...
"Messy."
Is what came out of my mouth unconsciously.
It's messy as hell here, it's like someone is preparing to move out...
I know this isn't my room, but the mess is bothering me.
"Let's clean up for a while."
So I decided to clean up.
And while cleaning the room, I'm also organizing my thoughts...
After some time, I decided to enter the bathroom to check the toilet.
And as soon as I entered...
I was greeted by a huge mirror!
I was shocked...
"Dirty."
The mirror was so dirty that I couldn't see my reflection in it! So I started cleaning it.
And just after a few wipes, the mirror finally started reflecting things.
Which made me stop moving... Why?
Because I noticed that the mirror was reflecting, not me...
But someone else I didn't know!
"Who the hell?"
I started moving... And the reflection moved the same way I did!
I tried finding another mirror, maybe this one was just special.
But all the mirrors I tried were the same!
"No way."
I mumbled...
Disbelief washed over me as I sat down on the bed while holding a small, circular mirror.
I'm not stupid...
So I know that either I got transferred into another body... Or the owner of this room is a jerk who bought defective mirrors and placed them all over the room.
Looking at the mirror in my hand again...
I can see an average-looking young man... All of his facial features are not worth mentioning, except for his sharp eyes, which I think are really cool. He has black eyes and deep-black hair.
My previous body was also skinny, but this body is skinnier... And maybe because it's identical, moving now feels normal.
...
...
"Can someone explain what's happening?"
I asked into the air after calming down for a bit.
And right after that...
Swish—
A transparent window that normally appears in fantasy stories or games appeared in front of me.
Looks like it came from the watch-like device that I was wearing.
I was startled, but I calmed down right away because waking up in a different body was more surprising than this.
"Since when did I have this thing on me?"
I asked, looking at the watch device on my right wrist.
No answer came, but the transparent window remained.
It had something written on it, so I tried reading it.
[Hello, you inferior being, be glad because what's happening to you right now is a rare thing! So just shut up and your additional rewards will be given with a few explanations soon.]
... Is what's written on it...
I don't know who sent this message, but they sure are cocky and annoying.
Anyway... Not long after that, another transparent window appeared.
Swish—
Then letters started to appear in it.
[You received 2 traits and 1 skill!]
After reading what was on the window... I tilted my head.
"What is that for?"
I asked.
And I received an answer from the same window!
The letters changed as a form of response to my question!
[Please shut up, I'll explain it soon.]
But when I read the reply, a frown formed on my face.
'Jerk.'
I thought.
[Bastard, I can read your thoughts.]
And the thing replied again!
'Then better you shit.'
Looks like I can communicate with this thing.
[At least call me 'System', you punk.]
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
The system doesn't just project words and sentences to communicate with me.
I can hear a voice inside my mind saying the same thing that the system writes in real-time... So I concluded that the voice inside my head and the system are the same.
The voice sounds robotic, so it's hard to distinguish if it has a gender.
But I'm sure annoyed to hear a voice inside my head.
"Whatever, just start explaining things to me."
[Then shut up... Well anyway, you received 2 traits and 1 skill.]
"I know, you just said that earlier."
[...]
After a short pause...
[Well anyway, this is what you received:]
The system continued, ignoring my words.
And a new transparent window appeared.
=====
[TRAITS]
-Understanding
-I like the spotlight
[SKILL]
-Monarch's Presence Lvl.1
=====
And right before me were the so-called 'rewards' that I received.
"Hey system, what are these for?"
I asked.
[Try pressing the rewards, they have explanations attached to them.]
And the system properly answered this time.
Click-
I pressed the only 'skill' in the rewards, and another blueish transparent window appeared.
Swish~
=====
[Monarch's Presence Lvl.1]
-Lets you emit the pressure or aura of a monarch. This skill reacts to your emotions.
-The skill's strength is based on how much mana you use and the skill's level.
=====
...
...
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Staring at the explanation in front of me...
My heart started beating faster. I was getting excited, I don't know why, but it's a good feeling for me.
[You received that skill because you are like the creator of this whole place.]
The system then said.
"Me? Creator? Why?"
Then I asked it multiple times consecutively.
[Check the other things you got first, Tsk... You're so nosy.]
I know the system has a point, but I really want to slap it.
Fwip—
Too bad my hand just passed through it when I tried to...
'What a shame.'
I thought.
[Bitch, what did you just try to do?]
I ignored the weird 'thing' talking to me and checked the first 'trait' I got instead.
=====
[Understanding]
-Makes it easier for you to understand and learn things, it also improves your memory drastically.
=====
...
...
"This is what I really need right now, as I still don't understand what's going on."
I said with a smile on my face as soon as I read what it is.
[The Higher Being also predicted that that's the case, so they personally selected it for you.]
The system explained.
"Ohh, really..? That higher-being thing is so nice... But, you aren't the Higher Being? I guess you're just some product, huh?"
[Well, I'm still a superior being to you, so nothing changes, peasant.]
I tried to insult the system, but it was ineffective...
"Your insults are getting harsher with time."
I mumbled.
[So what?]
"Aren't I like... Your customer?"
[Your mom.]
Then the system tried to insult me more, as an act of petty revenge.
"I never met my mom."
Too bad, I'm an orphan, so I don't really care about 'your mom' jokes.
[...]
"..."
But after my casual reply... an awkward silence engulfed the room.
[Shit, I'm sorry.]
Then the system apologized!
It was pretty creepy, honestly.
"No, it's fine, I don't care either way, growing up without parents is better than growing up with irresponsible ones."
That's my personal opinion.
[Just... Sorry. The last 'trait' is what I selected for you. I was just created like an hour ago to help you as one of your rewards, and I already have the knowledge I need to assist you.]
I don't know why, but the system got surprisingly nice and started explaining things about itself.
That put a small smile on my face.
Moving on...
Click-
I pressed the last 'trait' that the system picked just for me. I'm pretty excited.
=====
[I like the spotlight]
-Uses attention that you gain to boost your growth.
-The strength of the growth boost changes based on how much attention you are receiving.
=====
"..."
I blankly looked at the transparent window as I re-read the trait's description again and again...
And after snapping out of my daze—
My head shifted in the system's direction, and I glared at it.
"You bitch! Are you telling me to become an attention whore?!"
I exclaimed.
[Well... First, I picked that just to mess with you... Sorry.]
And the system explained.
I didn't reply and just continued to glare at the system...
[Hey, look, it will help you with your training, right? I'm sure you'll need it.]
But then its next words caught my attention.
"How am I gonna need it?"
I asked with a hint of curiosity.
'Why would I need to train anyway?'
I thought to myself.
[Check your status.]
The system then said.
I looked at it doubtfully for a second, then...
'Status'
I muttered that in my mind.
FWISH—
And another transparent window appeared in front of me.
=====
[STATUS]
Name: Raven Obadiah
Rank: F-
Mana Control: F
Strength: F-
Agility: F-
Stamina: F-
Intelligence: E-
Luck: E-
Charm: F-
[SKILLS]
[TRAITS]
=====
[Oh, you can open it without me teaching you.]
The system said in surprise.
"I'm not that stupid. People with common sense can do that too."
I replied casually.
I read a lot of fantasy novels, so I know.
Anyway, I scanned through 'My status'.
"But aren't these stats way too low? What happened to the charm?"
I complained.
I don't know anything about this status thing... But seeing the Fs, I just know they're not good.
"Hmm... My new name is Raven? It has the same meaning as my previous one... Just cooler."
I mumbled curiously.
And after that, I started asking a bunch of questions to the system.
It responded and cooperated nicely, probably to make up with trying to embarrass me by picking the [I like the spotlight] trait.
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