1 Chapter 1 - Fantasy Deity System

He knew he must keep very still while he waited for his soul to settle. He had just managed to find the Orb Of Immortality which was the last thing keeping him from attaining godhood. The young man closed his eyes, trying to remain calm while willing every muscle in his body to not move an inch.

Slowly but surely, the Orb began to glow and levitate. His servant gasped, causing him to mentally frown. He'd tried his best to hide his true nature since he was born by becoming the most powerful and beloved hero of all the lands, but this stupid girl always annoyed him.

"Master, master, you're really doing it!" She exclaimed with a bright and innocent smile that would melt the hearts of even demons. Even with his eyes closed, Asmound could sense the pureness that seemingly radiated off of her. He hated it. He hated her. He hated everything she was, is, and ever will be.

'I just wish that annoying insect would die and be someone else's problem.' The Young man thought. The Orb quickly began to increase in its glow, which caused the girl to jump in excitement. "Master, Master! You're doing it, just a little further, you can do it!" The young man was confused, but assumed the girl was just cheering him on like a moron as usual.

Once the glow filled the entire cave they were camping in, the young man's eyes suddenly snapped open, as he realized what happened. He rushed towards the Orb to quickly destroy it before it could fully activate, but it was too late. The Orb exploded, sending a wave of absolute death to everything in the cave, and consumed the young man's soul as payment.

----------------------------

ONE YEAR LATER

----------------------------

Stray struggled to open his eyes, feeling as though he'd been asleep for centuries. Eventually he managed to do so, and instantly was confused. Last thing he remembered was Andy pointing a gun at his head and pulling the trigger. After that, Stray found himself in a void for a few minutes, and woke up here.

Although his entire body felt sore, the more it moved the quicker the pain subsided. Looking around, Stray saw he was in a cave that was charred black, and there was an unnerving skeleton nearby that was sprawled on the ground. Looking at his own hands, Stray found not the scarred and burnt fingers he knew, but flawless and soft fingers that still had fingerprints.

He saw on his torso an expensive looking armor that was mostly dark brown with golden trims, on his waist was a blue belt with gold outlines, and his were a spotless white with red at the back. Around his collarbone was a hood attached to the armor, that was white on the inside and the fabric had a heavenly smoothness. A genderless, monotone voice broke through his curious thoughts.

{System Installation successful.}

{Welcome to the Fantasy Deity System, Host}

His eyes went wide and Stray gasped at what he realized had happened. He'd been reborn in another world with a system, just like those novels he loved reading! Stray took a few minutes to calm down his excitement. 'Can you hear me System?' Stray asked in his thoughts.

{Correct. Host is recommended to only speak to the System via his thoughts, as revealing the Fantasy Deity System to others will terminate the System.}

'Oh alright. It'd suck to lose something that seems really useful anyhow. So what kind of system are you?'

{I am a Fantasy Deity System}

'I mean, what can you do, like what are your functions? Do you have a certain goal or purpose?'

{I exist to aid in Host's existence as a Fantasy Deity. Here are the current following functions: [Store], [Status], and [Inventory]}

Stray thought about the various options and tried to remember what all the main characters in his favorite novels did at the start. Some checked for starting packages, others their status, and a few looked at the store or explored the world first. Stray sat down and leaned his back to the wall of the cave, deciding to ask the system as many questions as possible.

After about three hours, Stray ran out of questions. Basically the Store focuses on using Divinity as currency, Divinity being gained from being worshipped, selling things to the store, or gaining it from the Gamble section. Status just displays everything about himself, including his stats, physical inventory, current spells, and how much Divinity he has. Inventory is like a separate space that is infinite, but cannot hold living things that aren't from the Store.

Letting out a bored sigh, Stray decided to get up and leave the cave. According to his Status, he only had 1 Divinity, and felt it'd be depressing to see what the Store could offer without being able to feasibly get anything. Outside of the cave was a forest, and the cave was actually part of a large mountain.

It was almost pitch black outside, which annoyed him, but Stray chose to explore rather than wait until tomorrow. It didn't take long for his foot to get caught by a root, and Stray landed face first into the ground. Getting up, he was angry and confused as to why his face hurt so bad. 'System, what's my HP?'

[Status: HP - 13/17]

Letting out his frustrated mood through a long sigh, Stray treaded onwards through the forest. He eventually found his way out of the forest, and saw a town about a half a mile away.  Looking at the ground, he saw a dirt road that led straight to it. Stray was about to walk along the road when the System spoke up.

{Host is recommended to use the 'Athletics' skill to reach the settlement}

'Hm? Oh right, I have those. What is my Athletics at right now?'

[Status: Athletics = +14]

"Athletics!" Once those words left his mouth, Stray felt the skill activate. Taking a single step, he looked back to find he reached 90ft with one step. This newfound power filled Stray with glee, as he moved at high speeds towards the town.

The guards at the entrance suddenly saw a blurry figure rushing towards the town, but knew it'd be too late to sound the alarm bells. The two of them stood in front, pointing their spears towards the approaching figure. "HALT!" They yelled in unison. Once the figure was about to reach them, it stopped, revealing a familiar young man.