11 Reina
─┈━═[Unknown Location, Myriad]═━┈─
Grey opened his eyes slowly, lying on smooth, natural stone tiles. Rising to his feet, he found himself on a balcony overlooking a vast, vibrant landscape that stretched for miles.
"Hmmm...." a cute female voice called out from behind. "He doesn't look special, and his track record doesn't align with the request. How peculiar."
Turning around, Grey discovered a young girl sipping tea at a pristine garden table shaded by a pink-striped parasol. She had princess-curled brunette hair, a frilly dark blue dress, and striking eyes with deep purple irises.
"Forgive me for not knowing what to do or say, miss," Grey said cordially. "It seems I know less about what's happening than I thought, which says something profound."
"How strange," she mused. "You address me as 'miss' rather than as a child?"
"Find me a twelve-year-old who evaluates the peculiarities of people's histories, and I'll pledge to rid my life of bias," he responded with a faintly mocking smile.
"Strange indeed...." the small brunette mused. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reina, and I am here to assess your attributes and affinities."
"I see," he replied pensively. "Is there a test I need to take to determine my abilities?"
"No need," Reina answered, waving her hand dismissively. "I have already evaluated your attributes: [F-]."
"Excuse me?" Grey's eyebrow twitched. "Surely you jest, Reina. I couldn't possibly have such a dismal score… right?"
"Your stats are your stats, so your score is your score," she replied humorlessly. "You arrived this way; my opinion of you is irrelevant. See for yourself."
-
┌─┈━═[User Menu]═━┈─┐
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├═[User: ???]
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├═[Legacy: None]
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├═[Entity Type: Untranscended]
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├═[Stats]
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├═──═[STR: 2]
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├═──═[AGL: 2]
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├═──═[DEX: 2]
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├═──═[INT: 2]
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├═──═[STA: 2]
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├═──═[LUK: 3]
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├═──═[Combat: 0]
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├═──═[Esper: 0]
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├═──═[Strategy: 0]
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├═──═[Political Science: 0]
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├═──═[Beast Taming: 0]
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├═──═[Finance: 0]
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├═──═[Business & Logistics: 0]
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├═──═[Science: 0]
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├═──═[Vehicles & Equipment: 0]
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├═[Skills]
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-
Grey stared at the screen in bewilderment, screaming internally. "Aren't these stats a bit… low?" That wasn't a question! He confirmed from an official testing guide that all players received between 10 and 25 points for each physical stat!
"In~deed, it's rather peculiar," Reina mused. "While it's theoretically possible, it shouldn't be possible to have stats this low; it's as if you've been reborn at birth. Regardless, these frivolous system numbers are insignificant, so ignore them."
"Are you saying they're inaccurate?" Grey smiled with murderous eyes. Myriad Online's leveling system doubled stats at thirteen stages to make someone a demigod. As a result, he was hit with a minimum loss of 65,536 points for all physical stats by the game's end!
"No, the numbers are accurate," Reina smirked, sipping her tea. "Age and distance traveled are also accurate numbers; they just don't tell you the quality of what they did or where you went. Someone's power and skill are determined by what they do.
Stats distribute the power rewards the Myriad Record gives you. The amount you get is based on your performance, much like a work bonus. That bonus alters the amount of power each stat point is worth; it's what we refer to as [power purity]."
Grey's eyes flashed with intrigue. "Can you increase your power purity in other ways?"
"Yes," Reina confirmed with a mysterious smile. "One can enhance their potential by refining their body, acquiring legacies, and receiving blessings. Conversely, impurities, poison, illness, injuries, and malevolent curses can diminish it."
Grey's heart quickened, wondering how much potential he had gained from a demi-god's cleansing.
"The most important way of increasing your potential is earning a legacy," she continued. "They give holders blessings from patron gods, access to their skill trees, and a fraction of their power. Legacies are institutionalized cheating, so it's imperative you get one if you wish to survive."
"So luck can make you unstoppable?" Grey smirked.
"Quit your lazy scheming," Reina harumphed, rolling her eyes. "You can only gain stats through using the skill, so you'll never meet a legacy's requirements without practicing the skill or the concept it represents. Your transmigrator advantages aren't shortcuts to strength."
"What a pain," Grey clicked his tongue. "What's the point of playing a game if the same amount of effort is required to achieve wealth in the real world?"
"So you can use magic," Reina quipped, sipping her tea and putting the cup down gently.
"Great answer," he chuckled in a daze. "So… can you give me some cheat magic?"
"I~refuse," she sassed, batting her hair locks with the back of her hands. "But I will let you choose your username."
-
═─┈─═─┈─═─┈─═─┈─═
Welcome, Player.
Please Speak Your Desired Username in 3… 2… 1… Begin!
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"Greed," Grey replied without a moment's hesitation.
Reina's eyes shot open, and she choked on her tea. "What did you just say!?"
"Greed," he reiterated. "Is there a problem with that?"
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═─┈─═─┈─═─┈─═─┈─═
Username: Greed
Status: Available
Usernames are unchangeable. Are you sure you want "Greed" as your username? [Yes/No]
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Reina stared at him blankly, unbelieving his words. "No... but why choose that name above all others?"
"It's honest," Grey replied enigmatically. "I've had everything stolen from me: my parents, freedom, and dreams. When a person has nothing, all they can do is desire.
For me, that hunger has grown insatiable. So after this game helps buy my freedom, I plan to obtain it all—wealth, prestige, fame, revenge, and that which is priceless. Everything encapsulated in the second deadly sin: Greed—I am that."
Without further discussion, he chose Yes.
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─┈━═[Username Accepted]═━┈─
Welcome to Myriad, Greed.
Your journey begins in 3… 2…
─┈━═━┈━═━┈━═━┈─═━┈─
-
"Let's get started," Grey grinned. However, his eyes widened when it suddenly halted.
"Disregard that frivolous system and join me," Reina commanded haughtily. "Time flows slower in Myriad, so you have a full day before your little [game] commences. Keep me company; if you entertain me, I might reward you."
Grey narrowed his eyes, pondering the opportunity—particularly the word [reward]. "It would be my pleasure," he smiled, sitting at the table.
"Tell me a story," Reina requested, studying his expressions. "It could be anything."
"Hmmm...." he hummed. "The craziest woman I ever met was a narcoleptic cock-fighting trainer," he chuckled, beginning a slew of morally questionable stories that kept the brunette smiling.
One pot of tea turned to two, two turned to five, and then Reina had her servant bring them an extravagant feast. The food was invigorating and enticing, but Grey couldn't see its information, as all item information was concealed before launch.
As the purple and magenta hues of the horizon gave way to the darkness of night, three moons emerged clearly in the sky. The time had come for Grey to leave and begin his journey in Myriad Online.
"Before you depart, take this," Reina said gently, reaching behind her neck.
To Grey's astonishment, an invisible necklace with a platinum chain materialized with a strange rune pendant from thin air. "What is this?"
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═─┈─═─┈─═
A patron god has offered you an item.
Item: ???
Type: Necklace
Grade: Deific
Description: ???
Do you accept? [Yes/No]
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"Consider it a token of confidence," the petite brunette smiled. "One must become immeasurably powerful to utilize this necklace. I believe you'll find a use for it."
"While I'm humbled by your confidence, I must decline this gift," Grey shook his head. "My circumstances prevent me from dedicating time to this game; please give it to someone who can."
"You'll find a way," Reina replied dismissively, taking a sip of her tea.
Grey's eyebrow twitched, and he responded with an icy smile. "Reina, you fail to understand. Power struggles loom on my horizon; I've recently survived an assassination attempt by poison."
"Yet you sit before me without a single health flaw; how curious," the brunette taunted, smirking derisively.
"I'll be frank with you, Reina," Grey frowned. "I don't want your necklace. I'm here to exploit transmigrators for unreasonable sums of money, not pursue power. I refuse to accept anything that screams 'forced chain quest.'" He boldly chose [No], declining her offer.
"That's a pity," Reina remarked, flicking her wrist while taking a sip of tea.
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A Myriad Record Keeper has overwritten a prior decision.
You have acquired the item "???" It is now in your item storage.
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-
"Wait!" Grey cried out, but it was too late. Reina waved her hand, and a spatial rift opened, forcefully pulling him into a dark void.
"Your gifts could jeopardize your Keeper status, Athena," her servant cautioned, bringing her a fresh pot. "Why go so far for someone who doesn't wish to pursue godhood?"
"As a war god, the God Alliance Pact is a cruel punishment, Diomedes," Athena replied, sipping her tea with a strange smile. "That boy has the talent, greed, and potential to plunge this universe into chaos—and I plan to help him do it."
***
Grey felt the scorching sun assault his body, causing him to wince as he opened his eyes. Fateful words appeared before him, floating and following his gaze.
[Welcome to Myriad Online, Transmigrator. May Your Path to Divinity be Paved with Fortune.]
BOOOOOM! Boom, boom… BOOM!
"Now, this is the world I read about," Grey grinned, rising to his feet as explosions echoed beyond the walls of a military base while armored skycruisers launched missiles at targets below. "Let's get started."
