Novel I Saved Worlds By Being... Nice?

Discussion in 'Community Fictions' started by Deathisbestwaifu, Jul 1, 2022.

  1. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    Hello there! I'm writing a story called "I Saved Worlds By Being... Nice?", you can also read this story at Royalroad and Scribblehub.

    You can find the link to the discord server for this story in the Royalroad/Scribblehub synopsis!

    [​IMG]

    Synopsis:

    Elena stumbled upon a game one day.

    It had positive reviews, and a lot of downloads, so she decided she'd play it.

    It's storyline was interesting too. Three worlds whose fates she could control. Three people whose lives she could make better.

    She played it diligently, dedicating all her free time to it.

    When the game finally ended, though...

    The three game characters she helped with great devotion stood in front of her.

    "I still remember the first time you gave me soup!"

    "I still remember the first time you gave me a cultivator's dead body!"

    "I still remember the first time you killed a knig- Oh wait, never mind, I was the one who did that."

    ....What?

    Click this to read two chapters ahead on my patreon!

    Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Slow Romance, Comedy

    Table Of Contents
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2022
  2. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    “You’ll be handling this task, then.” The Eldest God said during the meeting.

    The third born, who looked at the eldest with widened eyes, muttered,

    “...What?”

    “...You’ve not done anything since the beginning of the fifth epoch.” The second born spat.

    “What about all the young ones? None of them have done anything either!” The third born argued.

    “Seriously? You’re comparing yourself with children who haven’t even completed their first ascension? Shame on you, Avahul.” The fourth born goddess hissed.

    “Alright. Fine. What task have I been assigned to?” Avahul asked the Eldest.

    “Ange, Eios, and Leit shall collapse into each other if their progenitors do not achieve stability. Their souls are already dissipating, and the Eri constellation shall fall into disharmony at this rate.”

    “The demons were able to corrupt three newborns?” The third born muttered, solemnity finally seeping into his eyes.

    “…Yes. The demons have attacked very aggressively, and the rest of us are occupied at the moment. This task is too big for the fledglings to handle. Please, Avahul, for once, please bear the discomfort and do this properly.” The eldest pleaded.

    Avahul nodded silently.

    ***

    “Wouldn’t the mission be much easier if there’s just multiple versions of me?” Avahul muttered, his previous worries all fading to the back of his mind.

    “Ava… Is it really alright to experiment with such an important mission?” A teenager with bright red hair asked hesitantly.

    “I’ll only choose a human who I deem is suitable, and make sure to supervise them at all times.” Avahul assured.

    He felt like a genius. This way, the workload would be much less, and he could complete this mission with flying colors.

    ***

    I looked at my phone with deadpan eyes.

    This was so boring.

    I feel so goddamn bored!

    I scrolled through videos without any particular goal, trying to find something that would interest me.

    -CHANGE FATES!-

    An obnoxious male voice shouted.

    “...Ugh, goddamn ads.“ I muttered while looking at the ‘Video will begin after the ad’ symbol with abject hate.

    -EVERY ACTION OF YOURS WILL HAVE GREAT INFLUENCE!-

    I was about to click on another video, when the visuals of the ad caught my attention.

    The game that was being advertised looked quite fun, and it was right up my alley too.

    I knew better than to trust random ads, of course, but I was just that bored, bored enough to try random games based on their ads.

    In the worst case scenario, I could at least laugh at the sheer difference between the ad and the actual game. There’d be no harm done.

    I clicked on the ad, which redirected me to the app store.

    ‘...Five hundred thousand downloads? Man, maybe the game isn’t that bad after all? The reviews are positive too.’ I thought.

    It was three GB, too. Had I finally found something to battle my boredom?

    I shook my head. I knew better than to fall for good statistics.

    I clicked download.

    “....”

    I stared silently at my phone.

    What now?

    I glanced at the books littered over my bed.

    ‘...Do I really have to resort to studying to ease my boredom, now?’

    I found no excuses for procrastinating any longer. Guilt was catching up to me.

    “Ugh, for goodness’s sake.” I muttered while sitting up.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  3. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    While I do try to find any and every excuse to procrastinate, when I actually got into the zone, I studied very well!

    And luckily enough, I had gotten into the zone at that very moment.

    Yes! I felt fired up! I would study the entire syllabus to-

    -DING-

    I looked at my mobile phone.

    It had probably only been a few minutes since I had grabbed my textbook.

    I was really getting into the zone too.

    But... just what could that notification be about?

    Was it a message the government sent warning about a disaster…? Were monsters currently spouting out of wormholes all around the world?

    Was it a message sent by a demon, willing to make a contract with me?

    Was it a notification for a message a super hot CEO sent, expressing his boundless love for me?

    Man. I really had to stamp down on the amount of webnovels I was consuming.

    I was now infinitely curious, which caused the tiny critic and the lazy demon in my head to begin battling it out for dominance.

    ‘What if you're a character in a dungeon novel, and that message allows you to choose a class? Are you really willing to suffer for years to come, willing to leave this regret to eat away at you till your eventual death? Are you really willing to give your future self an opportunity to cry in her deathbed, wondering why she couldn’t take just a glimpse? A tiny glimpse shouldn’t hurt, right?’ A demon seemed to whisper into my ear, seducing me to grab my phone.

    My hands began itching. I couldn’t focus on the book in front of me any longer and was about to grab my phone-

    ‘Are you really addicted to your phone? You had scoffed to your mom that you weren’t addicted to your phone just yesterday. That aside, do you really think you’re in a godd*mn webnovel? Is your self control this weak?’

    The tiny critic in my head began criticizing me to no end.

    But it was too late.

    The demon had already seduced me through and through.

    I grabbed my phone and looked at the notification.

    It seemed my favorite video maker had released a new video!

    ‘One small video won’t hurt, right?’

    ***

    Half an hour later.

    “Ehehehehehe.” I giggled while watching a second video.

    -DING-

    ‘Ooh, the game finally finished downloading!’ I muttered happily and closed the video site. I was just getting slightly bored too, so this was perfect timing!

    I opened the game.

    An exquisite logo, consisting of the word ‘Harmony’ flashed past my screen.

    A cutscene began playing.

    Three planets were shown, right next to each other.

    A male voice began narrating gently, a tinge of melancholy present in his voice,

    “Three worlds.

    Countless lives.

    The fate of the entire Eri constellation.

    It shall all lie on you, dear godling.

    Help the progenitors. Help them achieve what they dream of.

    I give you my most sincere blessings, godling. While it may not seem like much, my blessings shall make your life much more comfortable.“

    The voice was quite soothing. It made me feel completely relaxed, and made me instinctively tear up, like it had fulfilled desires of mine I never knew I had.

    ...Why the hell was I even crying?

    I sniffled and wiped my eyes, tapping on the screen that had stagnated onto a closeup of the three planets. I felt quite incredulous, yet strangely attached to this game I hadn’t even started playing.

    [​IMG]

    The voiceover continued narrating as the image changed to a scene of the three planets crashing into each other.

    “If you fail, godling, the three worlds shall collapse into each other.

    It’s residents shall see hell that they've never even dreamed of.“

    The voiceover muttered one last line before ending the introduction.

    “Be careful, and take care of your mental health, godling.”

    ‘Well, that’s quite the thoughtful thing to say. Mental health issues are quite rampant after all.’

    My impression of the game became slightly more positive.

    A pop up covered my phone’s screen.

    [The three game worlds will be temporally equal with the real world while you deliver this divine assignment. That is, if one minute passes in the game worlds, one minute passes in the real world. This can be changed in the settings.]

    ‘Ooh. Okay.’ I thought while tapping on the screen.

    The words ‘World One’ appeared on my screen in a beautiful font.

    I tapped on my screen again.

    A cutscene began once more.

    A girl that was only bones was leaning onto a wall. Her eyes had no focus, and she seemed to be on the brink of death. Her hair was messy enough that it could be considered a makeshift nest which birds could use.

    The man who narrated in the previous scene began narrating again.

    “The girl you see in front of you is Adelle, an orphan. She is currently on the brink of death due to starvation.

    Go to the shop if you want to save her.“

    “Hah.” I sighed. But of course, all mobile games would be pay to win.

    I clicked on the shop icon that had appeared after the voiceover ended.

    Pay to win games try to enchant players before slowing their progress down. I could enjoy it till it becomes a drag.

    I looked at the various sections and the rows of options within the shop. I clicked on ‘Food’ and looked at the options I could buy.

    Except for two, all of them were grey.

    Well, that was to be expected. I had just started playing the game.

    I clicked on one of the grey options out of sheer curiosity, wanting to see how much money they were charging.

    [Divine Power is not sufficient. Keep up the good work and gain more, Godling.]

    ...Where’s the option to buy divine power...?

    Aren’t pay to win games supposed to remind you that you could pay to progress every opportunity they get?

    I tapped on the screen to close the pop up. Probably prompted by it, another box had appeared on the upper left of my screen, behind the shop icon.

    [DP: 1 (Blessed Human)]

    I clicked on the box, thinking that that would open the in app purchases. I wasn’t interested in actually spending money, of course. I was just quenching my inquisitive nature.

    There was no response.

    I shrugged and chose the first option that was unlocked to me in the Food section, a bowl of soup.

    A blue box popped up, with multiple options in it, like whether the soup was supposed to be hot or cold, and many other minute details that I could customize.

    ‘...These many options? They’re probably only for decorative purposes and won’t change the character’s reactions.’

    I only changed the soup from hot to cold, and then clicked on ‘Proceed’ ignoring all other options.

    Since the orphan probably had not eaten a hearty meal from quite some time, I felt a bowl of cold soup would be better to give than bread, the only other option unlocked to me. A semi-liquid dish would be easier to digest, right?

    A bowl of soup appeared in front of the orphan.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  4. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    Adelle felt like molten lava was rolling around in her stomach.

    It was a familiar sensation, something she had gotten used to at this point. She had always been saved by god’s grace till now, but it seemed that her luck had ran o-

    A bowl of soup landed on the ground.

    "What…?" She muttered hoarsely.

    She couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

    '...Food appeared out of thin air…?' Her mind was bursting with questions.

    But, even though she was starving, she was still alert.

    She measured the situation in front of her. The only people who could teleport stuff, or make themselves invisible to do something like this, were the awakened.

    But why would the awakened even try to do something like this?

    Even though the thought that this could be a ploy made by a slave dealer passed through her mind, she quickly dismissed it.

    No awakened would be poor or desperate enough to delve into slave trading. Even if they were, they'd be one of the top shots, not assigned to menial labor like this.

    Not to mention, there were far more efficient methods, especially against a weak, defenseless, and malnourished teenager.

    She, who wasn't too familiar with the world of the Awakened, couldn't think of any reason that an Awakened, one who was blessed by the fickle gods themselves, would do something like this.

    In the end, her hunger overwhelmed her concerns and she ravenously consumed the soup.

    '...I should've eaten slower.' She thought while looking at the empty bowl.

    She sighed, and looked around her. She didn't know who or what had given her this food, but she wanted to thank them.

    Especially because she hadn't already fainted, which meant this probably wasn't the work of a slave dealer.

    If this food was given by an awakened with the ability to turn invisible, they should still be somewhere around here, right?

    Even if the food was instead teleported by an Awakened instead, they'd still probably be observing her, right?

    She hoped so.

    "Thank you…" She croaked.

    ***

    I looked at the downcast girl, who had a small bar which was only half filled present on the top of her head.

    Her expression looked quite realistic, and it made my heart heavy.

    "Thank you…" A voice that was barely a whisper reached my ears.

    I didn't know why, but I had an intense urge to pat her when I saw her being so thankful.

    So I, with my fingers that had been trained by years of mobile games, skillfully changed the perspective to the top of her head and tapped it.

    ***

    "Ehhh?" She spluttered, while instinctively curling up towards the wall.

    'W- What was that?!' She screamed internally, goosebumps popping up all over her body.

    She felt nothing else even after a few minutes passed, and she finally regained a semblance of calmness.

    She took deep breaths in while thinking about what just happened.

    She had thanked the mysterious stranger who had given her the soup, and a second later, a burst of wind engulfed her from the top of her head.

    It had nearly made her get a heart attack.

    It was a miracle she was even still alive.

    Just what the hell was happening?
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  5. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    I looked at the pop up that had covered my screen.

    'Congrats on performing a divine action for the first time, godling.

    You probably have almost run out of divine power, considering you are still merely a blessed human.

    Creating something requires a lot of divine energy. On the other hand, moving objects is much less energy consuming.

    It is time for you to be assigned your first task.'

    *DING*

    A cool little jingle played after which I noticed a logo of a world that had cracks running through it appear next to the shop icon.



    [​IMG]



    I was slightly disappointed that there was no voice over this time that explained what to do next, and instead only a text box. Especially considering that the voice was quite pleasing to the ear.

    Well, that was to be expected. They couldn't voice over every little thing in the game. That'd cost way too much money for far too less returns.

    The font of the text in the pop up instruction box was aesthetically pleasing, though, so it wasn't all bad.

    I tapped on the screen.

    The text inside the box slithered and merged into each other, forming a new message.

    'Ooh. They really pay a lot of attention to small details like these, huh?'

    For example, even though an instructional text box had popped up and slightly blurred the background, the girl I had fed still flinched back onto the wall and trembled, in reaction to my action.

    It was extremely cute.

    'No, not the fear part, rather her actions were inherently cute.

    I'm not a creep, I swear.

    ….I'm only even trying to justify this to my own mind because I'm not a creep.

    Man. I really have to get rid of this habit.'

    I had once again lost myself in thought, arguing with an invisible entity on why I wasn't a creep.

    I shook my head and focused on my phone.

    'Convince the orphan that you are not, in fact, an evil ghost / monster, but instead a nice goddess which wants to help her.

    Rewards-

    Gain two more DP and become a 'Divine Human'.

    Unlock the main storyline.

    Tip-

    Explore the world around you.'

    I tapped on my screen again.

    The text box shrunk in size and entered the world logo.

    I was once again left alone with the orphan and the occasional sounds from the world around her.

    The orphan still absentmindedly stared at the dirty wall in front of her, her eyes out of focus once again.

    She reminded me of a dead body. Unmoving, lifeless, lost... Especially her eyes. They had no traces of life, of vitality in them. The girl's eyes honestly made me feel a headache creep in.

    She was just a little girl. She was at most, what, thirteen years old? That's already a stretch, and she honestly looked like she was ten. If not for the fact that I considered she was malnourished, I would definitely say she was ten with great confidence.

    And such a young girl had eyes that looked like that? Now, that couldn't be allowed. I wouldn't let this continue.

    ….well, what do I do to change that, exactly?

    All I had gotten was a vague hint to 'explore the world around me'. It was obviously not referring to the real world, but rather the world that the orphan was in.

    So, that's exactly what I'll do.

    I like exploring the worlds that games present anyway. That's why I play a lot of open world games.

    I looked at the husk of a human in front of me and decided to give her a little surprise before going on my voyage.

    I gently touched the screen where the girl's cheek was, trying my best to just barely graze the screen. Since even a normal tap seemed to frighten her, I was being really gentle.

    Blood pressure raisingly gentle.

    I had genuinely not known how hard it was to get your phone recognize soft taps till now.

    Ironically, the frustration I felt from trying to use a minimal amount of force made me want to use a huge amount of force and throw my potato phone onto the ground.

    …I wouldn't get a new one anytime soon, though, which made my anger fade away.

    One of my gentle taps was finally registered, and the girl lifted her head up. The girl looked at a location that was a bit further up than where the game's perspective camera was positioned, though, but her twinkling eyes still made me smile brightly.

    Alright! I would venture on my journey of enlightenment now!

    I dragged my finger across the screen, and exited the alleyway, ending up in a deserted street.

    Based on the houses and the tattered path, I inferred that I was in a rural village.

    I dragged my screen again, aiming to enter one of the houses.

    Luckily, it seemed that the houses weren't just props.

    A middle aged couple sat in cozy chairs, abnormally close to a medium sized T.V, with their eyes glued to it. The TV was barely audible, too.

    'Oh, T.V's exist?'

    I had just instinctively assumed that this game wasn't set in the modern world after I saw the village.

    Medieval fantasies were trending these days, after all.

    I raised my phone's volume in order to hear what the news channel was saying clearly.

    I pinched my fingers out on the screen and zoomed in towards the T.V.

    This house probably had news running on the T.V purposefully, as a way to provide some hints to the player.

    "Thirteen dungeons have opened all over the world at once.

    Please stay in your homes, and do not engage with any abnormalities.

    The Hunter Guild has advised people living close to the dungeon breaks to make as little noise as possible.

    Emergency rations will be teleported in by hunters.

    Do not step out of your houses.

    Thirteen dungeons have-"

    The warning repeated endlessly, while showing videos of dungeon monsters wrecking havoc.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  6. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    The warning repeated endlessly, while showing videos of dungeon monsters wrecking havoc.

    All the monsters looked breathtakingly beautiful.

    I watched the footages of absolute carnage absentmindedly, not breaking out of my trance until the warning repeated for the fourth time.

    I zoomed out from the T.V and went into the other rooms.

    The girl was still hungry. If I could find a few fruits, maybe I could drag it to her?

    There must have been a reason why the tip was 'Explore the world', after all. I should be able to find some kind of food to bring to the girl.

    I finally found the kitchen after a bit of searching. I only wanted to take an apple and a small piece of bread, if possible.

    I wouldn't be able to sleep in peace if I made this family starve to feed someone else.

    I had already subconsciously accepted the nonsensically strong emotions I felt towards this game.

    A bunch of fruits caught my eye.

    'Those two will be fine even if I take an apple. They won't starve to death. Not to mention, they'll be getting emergency rations too.' I reassured myself.

    I didn't open the shelves and cupboards because I didn't want to make any noise.

    The A.I of this game was surprisingly humanlike, so I didn't want to scare the NPC's. Even though I had a tiny tinge of curiosity and wanted to see how the NPC's would react, the logical part of my brain warned me not to.

    Before taking the apple though, I searched the house to see if there were openings to take the apple out into the outside world.

    While I could pass through the walls, the apple probably couldn't.

    Luckily, I found a pet flap on the main door.

    It was big enough to push an apple through.

    I went back to the kitchen and carefully picked up an apple from the basket of fruits.

    By the time I had moved it out of the kitchen and into the corridor, though, a forced smile stretched my face.

    With my right eye occasionally twitching, I gently placed the phone next to me, onto the bed.

    I cupped my face with my hands and took a deep breath in.

    I glared at my phone.

    I took another deep breath in while taking a drastic decision.

    I… will turn on music.

    Yes. With headphones on.

    Situations like this warranted it.

    I simultaneously felt both slightly embarrassed and extremely cool.

    Embarrassed by my chunibyo behavior, cool because I was currently imagining a scenario in which I would gain powers when I listened to songs.

    I even had a whole anime scene playing out in my head, with epic background music playing while I put headphones on in slow motion, while other characters' eyes widened dramatical-

    'Ahem.'

    I coughed in my mind after putting my headphones on, to clear my scrambled thoughts.

    I put on my favorite song and narrowed my eyes, entering into my ultra focused state.

    I entered the game once again.

    I patiently dragged the apple, trying my best to not make any noise.

    Since the T.V wasn't put on high volume either, the couple would definitely hear any noises I made.

    After I reached near the hall, I lowered the apple, holding it barely above the floor.

    The middle aged man was immersed in the T.V, switching channels to see if there was any more news about the current situation, while the woman scrolled through her phone, so they did not notice the apple that had quickly scurried behind their sofa.

    I placed my phone on the bed, and put both of my fingers onto the screen.

    I gently pushed the apple through the pet flap with my left hand's finger, while faintly tapping on the pet flap with my right hand's finger to make sure it did not make any noise while closing.

    Miraculously, I managed to bring the apple out without making any noises.

    I could've just dropped the apple out and then dealt with the pet flap, but I didn't want to dirty the apple.

    Especially since Adelle probably had no means of washing it.

    Pleasure bubbled in my heart as I dragged the apple towards the alleyway. Was this how a bird felt when it was successfully able to bring good food for its chicks?

    Suddenly, I felt uneasy.

    '...Would the girl even still be there?'

    I momentarily forgot that Adelle was supposed to be an NPC.

    Relief washed over me when I saw her trying to snuggle up to the wall, her eyes once again dull.

    'Ah. I'm so dumb. I should have tried to bring a blanket too.' I regretted, realizing she was cold.

    I tapped her with the apple.

    She flinched like a cat and turned around alertly.

    Her eyes twinkled when she saw the apple.

    She grabbed the apple, immediately taking a large bite from it.

    I felt quite satisfied seeing her eat so happily, feeling a renewed sense of appreciation for the food I had taken for granted.

    Right at that time, though, a bone chilling roar pierced my ears.

    I turned around using my finger, and froze when I saw the sky.

    It was blood red.

    Author's Note:

    This is how the alleyway Adelle was in looked--


    [​IMG]

    The music during the anime scene she imagined is like the AOT BGM that comes in during titan scenes.

    Also, do you like her antics (internal monologues, her chunibyo antics) or do you want them to reduce?
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  7. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    Chapter 5
    It was blood red.

    A blue crack that had ripped apart space and time itself fragmented the sky.

    "A dungeon crack…?"

    I turned around towards the source of the voice and saw a trembling Adelle. She had dropped the half eaten apple, and stared at the crack with widened eyes.

    The scenes from the T.V flashed in my mind.

    'A dungeon crack?! I have to take Adelle away!'

    I dragged the girl up into the air gently, pulling her out of the village.

    By the time I had gotten a considerable distance away, though, a notice engulfed my screen.

    [WARNING. LIFE FORCE SHALL BE CONSUMED FROM NOW ON.]

    I placed Adelle onto the ground as exhaustion seeped into me.

    I felt like I had just run a marathon till my muscles tore. Every part of my body was sore.

    I blinked blearily as I fell asleep, my phone still in hand.

    ***

    Avahul sighed. The godling still had too little stamina and DP. She burned the bit of the Divine Power she had regenerated and her stamina just by carrying a malnourished child for barely a few hundred meters.

    It would be much easier if she knew everything, because then he could give her proper instructions, like, 'Do not, for goodness's sake, exert yourself too much without checking your Divine Power.'

    If he hadn't forcefully made her sleep, she would have definitely died by burning through her life force too.

    But… this was too big of a burden to be placed at a mortal all at once. Sure, sociopaths could probably deal with his mission and its contents, but giving it to them would defeat the whole purpose in the first place.

    It was an iron clad requirement for Gods to have a good set of morals, and a positive personality. Otherwise, they'd be no different from the demons.

    Finding a person who met all the conditions and also had a good sense of morals was hard, so he needed to take this slow.

    She was, in the end, just a teenager.

    Avahul blessed her with a wisp of Divine Energy to help her recover, and sent his consciousness next to the orphan.

    He lifted her into the air and swiftly took her to the nearest village.

    ***

    I opened my eyes and blinked.

    'Did I… fall asleep? This suddenly?'

    That was unbelievable! It took me a lot of twisting and turning to fall asleep, even after a day of vigorous exercise! Could an insomniac like me even fall asleep unknowingly?!

    I wiped the saliva that had dripped onto my chin while I slept.

    I looked at the phone in my hand.

    Is this because of the game? Nah, that makes no sense.

    That aside, I needed to see how Adelle was doing. There was a dungeon crack, right?

    I turned my phone on, which already had the game open.

    The game restarted while I bit on my nails, slightly anxious about what could have happened to Adelle.

    The game's logo faded and directly shifted to Adelle.

    She was in some other village, sitting… in an alleyway.

    What was with this girl and alleyways? That aside, it looked like she ran to a nearby village on her own. Awesome!

    Only then did I notice the various new icons and options that had appeared all over the screen.

    I clicked on the [News] icon, and it took me to various articles released by the game company for its game's community.

    One particular headline caught my interest.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  8. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    Chapter 6
    One particular headline caught my interest.

    'A DP today goes a long way.'

    I thought it would teach me a few tips on how to use DP properly, so I clicked it.

    But, contrary to my expectations, it was… a lottery?

    'For just one DP, you have the chance to win $2000, A VR headset, and the opportunity to become an exclusive tester!'

    There was a lottery wheel below it.

    '...Do I really need to waste a whole DP for this?'

    Even though I knew that I would not win anything, a small part of me urged me to try anyway.

    It seems my DP had refilled, so I decided to take a gamble.

    The wheel spun, and the pin stopped…

    AT THE GRAND PRIZE?!

    What?

    Ha. I'm dreaming. Of course.

    I chuckled and pinched myself.

    "Ow!"

    I gasped.

    This was real?

    What?

    WHAT?!

    I felt dizzy. I won. I actually won!

    "What the ****?!" I screamed.

    I felt a giddying high took over me, but it all faded, leaving only a dizzying numbness behind, when an ominous thought popped up in my mind.

    'Isn't this too good to be true?'

    I looked at the popup that had covered the screen.

    [CONGRATULATIONS!

    You've won!

    Please input your mobile number/alternative means of contact for our representative to reach out.]

    I definitely didn't want to input my mobile number in case this was a scam, so I chose 'Dismord' as my alternative means of contact and put in my Dismord ID.

    I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and went out of my room, to tell my mother about what had just happened.

    ***

    "Here, the representative already reached out to me." My daughter said while giving me the phone.

    "This quick…?" I narrowed her eyes while skimming through the message that was sent.

    'Hello ElenPlay!

    I'm James, a representative of Harmony!

    You've won the grand prize! If you can give me a method of payment, I can send over the prize money. I'd love to discuss with you about the opportunity to become an exclusive tester. If you can give me your address, I can also deliver the VR headset!'

    I read the message over and over again before pondering about it.

    Giving my PoyPol email shouldn't be a problem, right? I wasn't willing to divulge any details other than that, though.

    Just in case, I searched the internet to see if scammers could scam people with just a PoyPol mail, and most results said it should be okay.

    So, I responded,

    'Hi!

    This is ElenPlay's mother. This is my PoyPol email- ……….'

    I was honestly ninety percent sure this was a scam, and didn't even want to risk giving my PoyPol email, but, seeing Elena's expression, which was filled with suppressed excitement, I couldn't just not try at all… even if it meant taking a risk.

    *DING*

    I grabbed my phone to see what the notification was-

    'You received $2000 USD from Harmony Inc.'

    Author's Note:

    ElenPlay was the MCs Dismord ID.

    [​IMG]



    How's the new cover?
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  9. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    ‘You received $2000 USD from Harmony Inc.’

    I stared at the notification blankly.

    Elena, too, stared at my phone’s screen blankly.

    “Ahem.” I coughed. “It could still be a scam. Do not let your guard down.”

    Elena nodded, and stood up to wash her face and cool down her mind.

    I checked my PoyPol, and sure enough, the balance was actually updated.

    I was still distrustful of this whole thing, since there were still many ways they could try and scam me, like asking for ‘a refund’ or something like that.

    Those kinds of scams were quite common, though I’ve never heard of a scam where $2000 were actually debited...

    Well. The scammer should be asking for a refund soon.

    I grabbed Elena’s phone when I saw that he had sent a new message.

    ‘Did you receive the money?

    Can we also discuss about ElenPlay becoming an exclusive tester?’

    I replied,

    ‘Yes, I did receive the money.

    Could I know more about the exclusive tester role that you’re talking about?’

    After a few seconds, his reply popped up.

    ‘The winner also gets to work in Harmony Inc as an exclusive tester. I assume ElenPlay is a minor, since you, their guardian is the one currently talking with me, so you can think of this as an internship/part time job.

    We will accommodate ElenPlay’s work schedule according to their school timings and what they can manage, and ensure that this will become a very valuable and precious experience for them. I work as a game developer in Harmony, and I can assure you that we place high importance on work-life balance.

    Of course, ElenPlay will also be compensated monetarily for all the time they invest for Harmony Inc if they do join us.’

    He also sent a document titled ‘Part Time Employment Contract’.

    I bit my nails and pondered for a bit, before finally deciding to type,

    ‘Could you give us a few days?

    I’d like to get the contract checked.’

    A reply popped up immediately.

    ‘Sure.’

    ***

    I buried my head into the pillow while flailing my legs.

    My heart felt like it was about to burst.

    It had already been around an hour since the $2000 were debited, and I was slowly believing that this was not a scam.

    My mom told me that she would get the contract checked, and to not keep too many expectations.

    But I just couldn’t help but get my hopes up.

    The $2000 was the first prize I won, and I was also getting the opportunity to become a game tester!

    And, if my mom fully believed this was real, she’d give our address and I’d also get a VR headset!

    I opened the game ‘Destiny’. I believed it was my lucky charm.

    My heart felt queasy, and the feeling did not subside even after I washed my face.

    I looked at the orphan who had burrowed herself into an alleyway once again.

    I sighed.

    I needed to get her a house, and also a stable source of income.

    But... how?

    After racking my brain on the issue, I realized that I could try asking James, the representative of Harmony Inc, about it.

    I knew next to nothing about this game, so I definitely wouldn’t be able to think of a way for her to earn money.

    But, James should, shouldn’t he? He did say he worked as a game dev at Harmony.

    However, awkwardness pierced my mind as I imagined asking him questions about how I could progress in the game. He was probably quite busy, and I could just scour the internet about it, or watch a few walkthroughs.

    ***

    Avahul panicked.

    He did forge an official website for ‘Harmony Inc’, buy had forgotten to make any posts/videos related to ‘Destiny’.

    He subtly influenced her emotions, in an attempt to make her feel that messaging ‘James’ would be better than searching the internet for it.

    ***

    On second thought, I felt that sifting through the internet to find an answer would be quite tiring, so I decided to just message James.

    I opened Dismord and typed out,

    ‘Hi. This is ElenPlay. I have a few questions regarding Destiny. Could I ask you about them?’

    I felt dumb after I sent the message.

    Why would he even answer questions related to in game progress? Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t reply immedi-

    I received a reply immediately.

    ‘Hello!

    I’d love to clarify any questions you have, even questions regarding in game progress!

    Just think of me as a fellow gamer and fire your doubts!’

    His positive reply made feel slightly reassured, and I asked,

    ‘I’m currently in the part where Adelle reaches the next village after the dungeon crack.

    Is there some way to help Adelle earn some money and rent a house? Or does that come later in the game? Or is that just not something we can do?’

    After a few seconds passed, I got a reply.

    ‘Destiny is based on the concept that the player decides the character’s destiny.

    The story is very fluid and changes based on your decisions.

    So, you can definitely try and help Adelle earn money right now, if you want to.

    My advice is to explore. You might find a dungeon, and you could steal monster cores from it. Or you might stumble upon a dollar bill on the floor.

    The possibilities are endless.’

    I mulled over what he said. Is he trying to say that Destiny is a literal open world with no whatsoever restrictions?

    I found that quite hard to believe, but I decided to follow his advice and just explore.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  10. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    Chapter 8
    I found that quite hard to believe, but I decided to follow his advice and just explore.

    I once again found myself looking at the alleyway Adelle was in.

    I pondered about which direction I should go. A mini-map would have been extremely useful in situations like these.

    While I lamented about this game having no mini-map internally, a life saving idea popped up in my mind.

    ‘I could just zoom out and scout the surrounding area!’

    My idea did seem quite obvious and basic for it to be life saving, but the number of times I brute forced through a situation only to later realize a much simpler solution was awe inducing.

    I dragged three of my fingers into the center of the screen, which gave me a sky view of the surrounding area.

    Little icons popped up along with an ‘i’ symbol on the top right.

    ‘Hmm?’

    The first thing that caught my interest was the ‘i’ symbol. It was a soft but gleaming red color, and it was on top of a white circle.

    I clicked on it, and it opened a popup.

    There were two symbols with a few lines of text next to them.

    The first symbol was that of a house, and written next to it was,

    ‘Represents a village. Village that were already visited by Adelle are green in color, while new places are red.’

    The second symbol was that of a cave, and written next to it was,

    ‘Represents a dungeon.

    White color represents a F Class Dungeon.

    Yellow color represents an E Class Dungeon.

    Orange color represents a D Class Dungeon.

    Blue color represents a C Class Dungeon.

    Purple color represents a B Class Dungeon.

    Red color represents an A Class Dungeon.

    Black color represents a S Class Dungeon.’

    I narrowed my eyes while looking at this popup.

    I was quite pleased that such a system existed, but... wasn’t this quite the roundabout way to go about it?

    Instead of leaving it to the player to discover that they could navigate the world by zooming out and depending on the icons, couldn’t the game devs just put in a mini-map?

    It seemed like the more obvious way to do it.

    While I was lost in my thoughts, I remembered about the dungeon crack that had happened in the last village.

    Was it dealt with?

    James did suggest that stealing monster cores would be a viable option to help Adelle.

    The monsters that came from the dungeon crack did look quite strong. And... quite a bit of time had already passed. I should probably be able to find a few monster cores lying here and there, right?

    It would be worthwhile to check it out, anyway.

    I tapped on my screen and closed the popup. I dragged my fingers in, zooming out even further.

    I flicked my finger towards the right, staring unblinkingly at the shifting scenery to make sure I didn’t miss the village.

    After a few times of repeating this in multiple directions, I finally found the village that Adelle was previously in.

    Along with a B Class Dungeon.

    I zoomed into the village, and saw a sight that made me momentarily forget I was watching a game.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  11. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    I zoomed into the village, and saw a sight that made me momentarily forget I was watching a game.

    The village was strewn with corpses of monsters. Humans, who were drenched in blue blood, continuously slaughtered the new monsters which were tearing their way out of the dimensional crack.

    I gulped. The scene in front of me looked like it was straight out of a high budget, finely produced anime.

    ‘By god, this game is truly epic.’

    I inhaled deeply and tried to calm myself down.

    Since this game was based around the concept of ‘dungeons’, a monster core should be located right in the center of a monster, right? Atleast, if this game's world was anything like the dungeon webnovels I had read.

    I zoomed into a monster corpse that was lying quite far away from the commotion, since I did not want my actions to be noticed by any of the warriors nor the monsters that were still alive.

    I had chosen a corpse that was still relatively intact, with only its head cut off.

    This way, if I didn’t end up finding a monster core, I would be able to surmise that monsters’ had their cores located in their heads, or that monster cores would disintegrate after monsters died.

    I carefully swiped on the screen to etch through the monster flesh. I strangely did not feel disgusted by the excessive amounts of blood it was releasing, probably because the game’s visuals were in an anime like, cartoonish style?

    Luckily, my guess was right. The game’s creators did base the game off of the standard dungeon webnovel rules.

    I found a small glowing stone buried deep inside the monster.

    I carefully lifted it out and shook it to get the blood off of it, which made it finally reveal its white lustre.

    A sense of satisfaction filled my heart, as I imagined giving this to Adelle.

    While I didn’t know exactly how I could help her using this core, I was extremely excited to see how she would react when she saw it.

    I levitated the core above the ground, dragging it out of the village.

    After around a minute passed, I had finally gotten out of the village.

    I looked back, and decided that the warriors were much too occupied with the monsters to notice me. So, I quickly dragged the core high into the sky with multiple strokes, making sure my finger remained on the screen. I couldn’t afford dropping the core I had obtained.

    [​IMG]

    Twenty minutes passed in silence as I carefully dragged the core. I couldn’t quickly flick through the map like before, since I had an item I was dragging along with me.

    But, the scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and the serene sights of nature made me feel peaceful.



    [​IMG]

    Author's Note:

    All the images in this chapter were made using Dall E 2! It's amazing!!
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  12. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    Chapter 10
    But, the scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and the serene sights of nature made me feel peaceful.

    Before I knew it, I had reached the village that Adelle was currently in.

    Because of the warning that the Hunter’s Guild had issued, the village was completely deserted, so I didn’t try to be secretive while transporting the monster core.

    I found the alleyway Adelle had cozied up in as soon as I entered the village.

    I swiftly dragged the screen to her, and dropped the monster core into her lap. Adelle flinched and looked at the small white jewel with apprehension.

    She picked it up and examined it, her mouth shifting into a tiny ‘o’ shape. It looked quite adorable, if I did say so myself.

    [​IMG]

    Suddenly, I noticed something.

    The gem was rapidly being filled with a yellowish undertone.

    Adelle seemed to also notice it and was about to drop the stone when-

    A bright white light burst out of the monster core.

    [​IMG]

    The sudden explosion of light made me drop my phone, as I covered my eyes with my hands.

    After a few seconds passed, I slowly took my hands of my face and peeked at the phone.

    Adelle was lying face down on the ground.

    I gulped as I gently tapped at her.

    ‘She’s okay, right? No, she’s fine. She is quite fine.’ I muttered internally, her lack of response causing me great distress.

    I gently flipped her over, my fingers trembling.

    Her eyes suddenly popped open. Her black pupils, that had a tinge of red in them, made me feel like I had witnessed the awakening of a demon.

    She slowly got up, a low groan escaping her lips.

    ***

    –Adelle's POV–

    I took in deep breaths while leaning onto the wall.

    ‘W- What just happened?’ I bleakly muttered in my head while clutching at my stomach.

    I felt like my bones had been stretched and then dipped into acid. My entire body was sore, and even taking in a breath made me feel like I was about to die.

    But, even while experiencing such intense pain, the only emotion I felt was exuberant happiness, because I knew exactly what this was.

    This was the fabled awakening.

    I had heard countless tales of hunters being engulfed in holy light before awakening superhuman powers, when they finally gained the favor of the fickle gods.

    I… I had finally awakened. I would no longer be treated like a disgusting rat, and I would finally be able to gain some power of my own.

    I slowly tilted my head up to the sky, trying to guess where that invisible awakened was.

    I did not know what that white gem was, but it had changed my life. It was most definitely extremely valuable.

    I forced out a few words with great difficulty.

    "Who... are... you?"

    ***

    I stared at Adelle with all sorts of conflicting emotions boiling inside me.

    What the orphan asked was surprisingly philosophical.

    Who was I? What is this world? What will-

    A series of knocks sounded from my room's door.

    “Elena, my friend skimmed through the contract. I’d like to talk about it with you if you’re free right now.”

    I dropped my phone onto the bed and dashed to the door, unlocking it in a jiffy.

    “What did she say?” I opened the door and spluttered.

    “Well... She says all the terms look okay and are unusually permissive and liberal. Despite their scammer like approach, everything... seems surprisingly legitimate. I’ll leave the decision to you. I don’t mind if you join them as long as you can maintain a good balance between both your work and school.”

    The giddy joy once again bubbled in my heart as my mom confirmed that this was indeed not a scam.

    I had actually hit the jackpot!

    “I want to join! I promise I’ll maintain a good balance! I’ve always wanted to work in the game industry!”

    My passion to work in the game industry greatly diminished after I had heard rumors of how exploitative the game industry was to its workers, but my mom did say that the part time employment contract was quite liberal.

    My mom wouldn’t let me join if there was anything that made her feel the slightest tinge of unease.

    I couldn’t help but giggle almost maniacally.

    ***

    I looked at the VR headset I had just received.

    Hadn’t my mom given our address only yesterday night...?

    I decided to just chalk it up to my luck as I read through the small paper slip given.

    [​IMG]

    ‘Experience a different reality!

    Live a new life!

    Introducing V4.1, which comes with thought based controls and the ability to experience all five senses!

    Warning:

    Extended use may cause tiredness.

    Being able to experience the five senses may cause blurring between reality and VR. It is advised to turn this feature off if the user’s mental health is affected.’

    I stared at the paper slip with narrowed eyes.

    ...Was this VR Headset a fraudulent product, by any chance? Because boy oh boy, it was making some very exaggerated claims.

    I decided to ask James about it. After all, last night, he had told me to reach out to him no matter what doubt I had. After all, he would be my supervisor from now on.

    I opened Dismord and quickly typed out,

    ‘Hello James!

    I just received the VR Headset. I have a few doubts about it, though. It says that it is based on thought based controls and that it can also allow me to experience ‘all five senses’.

    That... seems a bit exaggerated. Is it just hyped up for marketing purposes?’

    James, as usual, replied quickly.

    ‘Ah, about that. I was planning to tell you about it. Harmony Inc is actually developing cutting edge VR technology, and we made a major advancement just a year ago.

    The testing phase had been going on till now, and it will be released in the market quite soon. It is not hyped up. Trust me, try it on! You’ll absolutely love it!’

    I blinked and re-read the message he sent.

    If the VR Headset was actually as good as what James promised, wouldn’t it overturn the VR market? No, being able to experience all five of your senses and also be able to control a game merely by your thoughts... that was technology that would overturn the world.

    I gulped as I looked at the VR headset in my hand. This was probably very costly, right?

    I gently strapped it to my head, subconsciously acting like it was fragile glass that would crack at the slightest touch.

    [​IMG]

    Author's Note:

    All the images in this chapter were made using Dall E 2! It's amazing!!

    Hope ya all enjoy this chapter! Please do leave a comment or a review, or follow to know as soon as a new chapter releases!

    I'll begin editing the images and fixing the small errors they have from now on, and also try to maintain all new chapters at a minimum of 1k words at the least!

    Anyway-- I'm thinking of making a patreon. What d'ya guys say?
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  13. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    I gently strapped it to my head, subconsciously acting like it was fragile glass that would crack at the slightest touch.

    A logo with the word 'Harmony' flashed past the screen.

    The all so familiar male voice exclaimed deeply,

    'Welcome, Game Tester El.

    -Opening Destiny-

    Please keep the following two things in mind.

    First and foremost, please do not reveal to any of the NPC's that the world they are in is a game.

    It leads to various bugs which we are currently fixing.

    Secondly, you will assume the role of a godess, who is assisting the NPC's to improve their lives.

    Now, please close your eyes.'

    I obediently shut my eyes.

    'Last but not least, please do enjoy yourself, and take care of your mental health.

    Good Luck, Tester El.'

    A few seconds passed, as I calmly waited with closed eyes.

    'Ah. You can open your eyes now.'

    The sight that met my eyes blew my breath away.

    Nature stretched endlessly in front of my eyes.

    I gulped, still stunned to the core.

    Everything from the noise, to the smell, to what I was seeing... it felt alive.

    It felt much more real than real life itself.

    "So they weren't exaggerating." I muttered under my breath.

    'Imagine yourself levitating, Tester,' The male voice uttered.

    I imagined myself flying free-

    "AAAAAGH!"

    ***

    I lay on the ground with a pale face.

    I was about ninety percent sure that I had vomited enough to fill those small inflatable swimming pools.

    Imagining a person entering an inflatable swimming pool filled with vomit made me retch again.

    I really needed to find a way to not imagine stuff like that.

    'Do you want to repeat the flying tutorial?' The male voice, who I decided to call 'narrator' asked.

    "No." I groaned. I had gotten a pretty firm handle on how to fly.

    Most mechanics in this game seemed to run based on imagination, and they were relatively easy to master.

    'Main Storyline Unlocked.'

    A message popped up at the corner of my vision, and disappeared after a few seconds.

    I sighed and sat up.

    I had no time to dilly dally. I wanted to check on Adelle.

    I gently levitated myself into the air and flew towards the village Adelle was in.

    Luckily, the VR version of 'Destiny' has a mini-map, which made my life so much easier.

    The narrator began speaking again.

    'In your current state, the in-game characters will be able to see you.

    Please imagine yourself turning invisible if you do not want to be seen by the in-game characters.'

    I swiftly imagined myself vanishing in third person view, and continued my leisurely flight once more.

    I kind of wanted to just fly around slowly for a while.

    The scenery was just way too beautiful, and flying like this felt... magical.

    But, as a hard working and diligent employee, I would, naturally, not ignore my duties.

    After about half an hour, I reached Adelle's current location. I went into her alleyway when I suddenly remembered about yesterday.

    She had been engulfed in a bright while light due to the monster core, and I had also not given her any food since around afternoon yesterday, had I?

    I felt like a major piece of s***. Yes, I had been busy and excited, and a lot of things had happened, but forgetting about her completely till I arrived at her alley-

    The thought that she was just a game character greatly eased my guilt.

    I gently descended next to her and opened the shop.

    I now had 2 DP.

    It seems I had finally leveled up.

    I was still a Blessed Human, though.

    After a little bit of thought, I decided to give Adelle soup again. If I bought her bread, I'd also have to buy her the option I newly unlocked, a mineral water bottle. After all, she did not have access to a water source. I wanted to preserve at least one DP for emergencies.

    A bowl of lukewarm soup appeared in my hands.

    Adelle spun her head and stared at the soup for a few seconds, before calming down and smiling softly.

    "She's really cute." I muttered, her actions reminding me of a stray cat.

    Adelle stared at me with shock, her eyes and mouth widening.

    'Wait, what?' I exclaimed in my mind.

    With how advanced the VR headset was, I should have expected that Adelle could hear me, especially after the narrator had said that the NPC's could see me.

    I asked nervously, "Um, Hello! Can you hear me, Adelle?"

    She stared at me with nervousness spreading across her face for a few seconds before nodding her head vigorously.

    'Kyaaaaa!' I squealed in my mind while grasping my heart.

    This girl... her cuteness is seriously way too lethal! It's off the charts! It's over 9000!

    "Who are you?" Adelle asked, interrupting my stream of thoughts.

    'It should be okay to turn visible,' I thought. After all, I wasn't really all that uncomfortable with being visible to the NPC's.

    I imagined myself turning visible and declared, "I... am a goddess."

    ***

    -Adelle POV-

    I stared at the wall in front of me while pondering about what I should do next.

    I had awakened due to the stone that the invisible hunter had given me, but what now?

    That aside, just what was that jewel?

    I have never heard of a stone helping someone awaken. It definitely must be something very special and rare.

    Just why did the invisible hunter give me, of all people, something like that?

    Their kindness was... unreasonable.

    I couldn't believe that their kindness had no whatsoever ulterior motive behind it.

    Suddenly, a bowl of soup appeared at the corner of my vision.

    I reflexively turned my head towards it, but calmed down when I realized it was probably the invisible awakened.

    "She's really cute."

    "Eh?" I grunted subconsciously.

    'That... is that the invisible person's voice?!'

    A series of thoughts flashed through my mind before I finally began processing the contents of what she had said.

    'She... called me... me... cute?'

    That made no whatsoever sense. I was caked in dirt and grime, and I was wearing rags that barely passed as clothed.

    Even if I was completely clean, I was not really all that beautiful nor cute.

    I stared at her blankly, not knowing how to respond.

    People either shot me looks of disgust, or gave me their sympathy. I didn't really mind sympathy, since it was what allowed me to survive this long.

    But for the first time, someone complimented me.

    That too, that I was cute.

    "Um, Hello! Can you hear me, Adelle?" The awakened asked.

    'Why wouldn't I be able to hear you?' I pondered for a few seconds before nodding my head.

    She seemed... surprised that I could hear her. Is that why she hadn't talked at all till now? Or maybe she did, but I couldn't hear her till now?

    I let my mind simmer for a bit before deciding to have another go at asking her who she was and why she was helping me.

    "Who are you?" I asked.

    My heart felt like it was being devoured by a swarm of ants.

    Should I even be asking her questions like these? What if she gets angry? What if she gets offended?

    She was someone who was able to easily help me awaken, after all. She could probably crush me like I was a small bug, especially considering that I am an orphan with no whatsoever backing.

    Powerful people did have eccentric temperaments, and could be easily angered.

    I knew nothing about her, nor her intentions.

    Suddenly, a girl materialized in front of me.

    She looked to be about... fifteen?

    "I... am a goddess," She declared, her voice filled with authority.


    Author's Note:


    I've edited the past few chapters. No major changes, just a few grammatical errors and a few flow issues. I'm also stockpiling chapters, so hopefully, you guys won't have to face my constant disappearances with no update of chapters.
     
  14. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    Chapter 12
    "I... am a goddess," She declared, her voice filled with authority.

    I stared at her blankly for a few seconds, stunned speechless.

    She awkwardly scratched her cheek and chuckled.

    “Weeeellll... yeah, I don’t really look the part, do I?”

    “N- No! You look absolutely div-” My praises were interrupted by her words.

    “There’s no need for empty complements. Adelle, how do you feel? You had... absorbed the monster core, right?”

    “I feel excellent!”

    I wasn’t lying. I did feel quite good. My body did ache for a few hours, but I stopped feeling cold, and hadn’t felt hungry even though a day had almost passed since I had last eaten.

    “You’re absolutely sure, right?”

    The goddess asked once again, with a nervous expression.

    I nodded vigorously, a smile covering my face subconsciously. The girl in front of me felt like a normal teenager, not a goddess.

    “Phew.” She sighed in relief, and then continued, “James did say those monster cores would help you, but I didn’t expect they’d help you this way. You know what, I’ll go to that village again. If there are still monster corpses lying around, I should be able to get you a few more cores.“

    I nodded, my mind extracting information from what she said. Apparently, there was this ‘James’ fellow who had told her that monster cores... Wait, monster cores?!

    This girl had gone to the dungeon crack to bring her a monster core?! Is she crazy?!

    I calmed down when I remembered that the teenager in front of me was in fact, someone probably very powerful. Otherwise, there would be no way she would risk her life and head into a region where a dungeon crack opened.

    I had never heard of any awakener absorbing monster cores, though. I chalked it off to my limited knowledge.

    The goddess absentmindedly stared at the ground.

    Unmovingly.

    A few minutes passed, after which she rapidly blinked, a huge smile blossoming on her face.

    “Woah. They’ve added so many new features.”

    She looked at me, and said, “The dungeon has been cleared. They’re currently cleaning up the aftermath.”

    I nodded, my mouth slightly open at her amazing ability to see things miles away.

    “Hm. Adelle, what do you want to do next?” She asked, looking around at the dingy alleyway. “Shall we change locations?”

    She slightly bent over and offered her hand to me.

    I took it, excited at what she was about to do. Would she teleport?

    Contrary to my expectations though, she mumbled ‘It worked!’ and suddenly soared into the sky with me.

    I gasped, even though the speed at which she was levitating was quite slow.

    “What if someone sees us?” I asked.

    “I turned both of us invisible.” She said, giggling pleasantly.

    ***

    -Elena POV-

    I plopped onto the ground, spreading my arms and legs. There was quite nothing as comfortable as soft, slightly cold and damp grass.

    Then, the thought that insects would probably be roaming in this grass made me bolt up.

    Adelle giggled at my antics. She had gotten a lot more comfortable around me.

    “So, what do you want to do next, right now? How do you want develop your life?” I asked.

    She took a deep breath while staring at the scenery pensively, before finally saying,

    “I... want to join the Hunters’ Association.”

    ***

    ‘Alright! Things should go smoothly from now on!’ Avahul thought, feeling slightly impatient.

    It had been decades- well, days, since he had sunk into his research.

    His body felt itchy, and he felt like a child overdosed on sugar.

    ‘I was getting close to a breakthrough, too.’ He grumbled angrily.

    Suddenly, an idea surfaced in Avahul’s mind. He looked at the teenager with red hair, that was sitting next to him, with a wicked grin.

    “Whatever you’re thinking, no.” The red haired teenager scoffed.

    “Even if it means a vacation, Blythe?” Avahul asked, his evil smile growing even wider.

    “...What do you want me to do?” Blythe asked, his face becoming impassive.

    “It’s a very easy task. All you’ve got to do is monitor Elena for me. Just call me if there are any sorts of emergencies that you can’t handle.“

    “I can’t interfere with any of the worlds until I’m a full fledged god.” Blythe muttered.

    “Correction, you can’t interfere without permission. Who am I? One of the fifteen. My permission should be more than sufficient. Not to mention, it’s not like you’ll even have to interfere. Just call me if anything problematic happens, and occasionally fabricate a few websites and posts to quell any doubts she has. This is all elementary stuff. She’s just a teenager. She’ll get drawn into the game in no time, enjoying it to the fullest. Don’t worry.“

    “I can’t constantly monitor her thoughts. It’d make me feel like a creep.” Blythe shivered. “Not to mention, I’m still not that good at invading others’ minds. It might cause some backlash from her.”

    Avahul sighed.

    “Then don’t.Avahul said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You fledglings for goodness's sake, worrying about every small thing. You won’t need to monitor her thoughts. Just call me if there are any emergencies.”

    “Will the vacation be long?” Blythe asked.

    “Yes, yes, yes, yes. Actually, if you help me out with this task, then I can just bring forward your first ascension. I’ll conduct it as soon as this mission is over.”

    Blythe’s face brightened up instantly.

    “Really?” He exclaimed.

    Avahul smiled helplessly. “Yeah. You really are much too attached to your origin world. Your lover was granted immortality, yet you still pester me and meet her every single day, Blythe.”

    A small blush crept up to his cheeks, as he muttered, “What do you know, you loveless old bachelor?”

    Avahul rolled his eyes, “Alrighty then. I shall be going into seclusion! Oh, and also, don’t let any of my siblings in. They’ll be livid if they get to know of this.”

    ***

    -Elena POV-

    I opened my minimap, and put a marker on the closest city.

    Adelle had said that she wanted to take the hunter’s test, which she could only do in the nearest city.

    I picked her up into a princess carry and began flying towards the city.

    The journey passed in silence, both of us enraptured with the beautiful nature below us.

    There was just something different, something so free about watching their surroundings from the sky. It was addictive.

    After around ten minutes, I spotted a road which looked quite narrow, probably because I was considerably high up in the sky.

    Only after I levitated higher and crossed the mountainous terrain did I finally see a familiar sight.

    I gulped as I saw the bustling metropolis that was in front of me.

    A translucent barrier surrounded a majority of the city.

    I inferred that the barrier was a form of protection and suddenly had a thought.

    Why were people even living in those villages, when this city would probably be much safer?

    Seeing me look at the city with a stiff face, Adelle muttered,

    “Don’t worry, the barrier only stops monsters. We should be able to enter.”

    I broke out of my chain of thoughts and nodded, finally entering the city, when I froze again due to a stray thought.

    Would... the hunters’ association even let Adelle take the test? She does look like a beggar, so...

    At Adelle’s curious gaze, I voiced out my concerns awkwardly.

    “Oh, that’s okay! I’ve heard of many cases where beggars have awakened suddenly, so they’ll probably not turn me away.”

    “Ah.” I nodded in understanding.

    I gently landed in an alleyway and turned both of us visible. I was wearing a normal hoodie and jeans, so I didn’t look all that out of place.

    We walked towards the big building that was in the very center of the city. I grasped Adelle’s hand firmly when I noticed the looks she was getting. Adelle smiled at me, indicating that she was fine.

    I suddenly flinched as I heard my room’s door opening, and my mom saying,

    “Elena, it’s been quite long. Why don’t you take a break and give your eyes a rest?”

    I took my headset off and replied, “Mom, I’ll play for a bit more and then take a break.”

    “Fine.” She said. “But only a bit more, alright?”

    I put the headset back on and was about to continue walking when the fact that I was playing a game on a VR headset with thought based controls finally sunk into me.

    ‘Thought based controls.

    Being able to experience all five senses.

    And eerily real NPC’s.

    Is this all just a game?’

    ***

    Blythe noticed Elena’s expression. She looked... scared?

    A sense of anxiety took over his heart, and he began debating trying to read her thoughts, when Adelle asked her,

    “Are you okay?”

    Elena looked up at her and nodded, saying, “Adelle, I have something to do. Can you manage this on your own?”

    Adelle nodded hesitantly.

    Elena took off her headset, and headed straight for her bag.

    “Sh*t! I totally forgot about the test I have tommorow!” She grumbled.

    Blythe released a sigh of relief. It seemed he had gotten worked up over nothing.

    Author's Note:

    Want a hint of what to expect next chapter? Here ya go-

    She... is a very paranoid person, you see. All this does is give her more reasons to... worry.
     
  15. Deathisbestwaifu

    Deathisbestwaifu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2022
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    9
    Reading List:
    Link
    Chapter 13

    Author's Note:

    I made a patreon! Click this to read two chapters ahead on my patreon!

    ***

    I gulped while looking at the textbook in front of me.

    Technology that was at least decades advanced.

    A company had just given it to me? Bullsh*t.

    There was definitely a conspiracy buried within all this.

    Then, I suddenly remembered the plot of that anime I had watched.

    A group of evil people developed sentient AI and trapped them in a game, hoping to eventually use the sentient NPC’s for all sorts of stuff.

    The specific details had become blurry to me because it had been a long time since I had watched that anime, but this should be the general gist of it.

    I gulped once again.

    Just what the f**k had I gotten myself into? All I wanted was a peaceful life.

    I did not want to be the 'main character'. I wanted to be the 'side character' that lived peacefully, blissfully unaware of all the magical stuff happening in my world.

    I was confident that they were monitoring me. Especially since they had given me such advanced technology.

    Were they testing to see how the general public would receive this technology? Were they testing how the NPC's would react?

    I gently messaged my head with my right hand.

    Fear and sympathy bubbled in my heart as I remembered Adelle.

    The people who made this technology... how could they be so cruel? How could they force a sentient being to live such a painful life, all just for their own ulterior motives?!

    And people who were cruel enough to do something like that... would undoubtedly not hesitate to kill.

    I could trigger the death of both me and my mother if I acted rashly.

    What the hell do they want?

    Do I express suspicion and scour the internet about it or ask James? After all, this whole thing was much too abrupt. Any sane person would express doubt and search the internet about news related to 'VR Tech', to see if VR technology really had advanced to such an extent, for something like this to be even remotely possible.

    But what if that wasn't what they wanted? What if they would kill both me and my mom if I acted like I was suspicious?!

    That aside, why did James tell me to keep giving him daily written updates about what I had done in the VR Headset?

    Were they not able to monitor what I was doing in the VR Headset? Do they, perhaps, not have absolute control over the ‘game’?

    Wait...

    Was I a guinea pig? To see the effects the VR Headset had on a human?

    I bit my lip.

    That... was the most reasonable explanation I could come up with.

    I felt like crying. But I was afraid to, in case 'they' would get suspicious.

    I took a deep breath in, to flatten the wave of anxiety that was engulfing my heart.

    There was nothing that would be gained my being scared. I had to calm down.

    ‘I have to calm down. Calm down. Calm down-’ I repeated endlessly in my head, closing the book in front of me.

    I plopped onto the bed face first, my eyes closed.

    ‘Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down-’

    After a few minutes of my repeated chants, I fell asleep, before I knew it.