The fated day arrived.
The awakening process was smoother than many had expected. They were all transported to an unknown dimension and were told to choose the attributes they desired from 10 different options.
For as far as the eye can see, there were people and they were of all different nationalities and races meaning that everyone on earth, that would awaken, was here.
Dom was also among this crowd, he was naturally as confused as the rest of them. However it was clear that something was about to happen. Though most expected it, almost everyone couldn't help but jump as a transparent blue screens appeared in front of them.
For almost everyone ten different options appeared.
[Please choose 5 attributes from the options below]
Strength
Dexterity
Mana
Aura
Casting speed
Stealth
Hp recovery
Life force
Healing
Sword skill
[Note that your attributes can't be changed after being chosen]
For most people this is what their attribute panels looked like.
There were exceptions however as the attributes they received as options were due to their affinities. Even with all this controversy and fuss about equality, no one was truly equal. Some people are born with what others don't have. For example talent. Hard work has its limits and this was the case even here in the other dimension. Some people were simply more blessed.
Everything continued to proceed smoothly for almost everyone, well everyone except from Dom. He had no idea what was going on. Around him whispers about attributes between different individual continued to enter his ears and in his head he cursed, "what the hell are these attributes everyone is talking about."
Indeed this was the case, Dom didn't receive any attribute choices at all.
Starting to loose hope Dominic started to believe that it wasn't meant to be; maybe he was destined to die with no power while always living at the bottom.
"You have 10 minutes left to choose", a booming voice sounded across the whole of the dimension startling everyone and forcing them to pick faster.
Hearing this, Dom gained some motivation to find a way, after all this would probably be his only chance. Well from the start, he had no options but his attribute screen wasn't fully empty either. There was one thing, a search bar. He was too reluctant to try it at first but now he had no other choice.
"I wonder what it does."
He pressed the search bar on the screen and a keyboard popped up on the attribute panel. Even though he was completely unsure, he though that he should at least enter something in. Dom, however, wasn't sure what to try. He wasn't even sure what counted as an attribute.
But after thinking back to forgotten times, he remembered one thing that was present in almost a very fantasy story and novel he had read when he was younger.. Mana.
He typed it in knowing that he would have to be quick. He was only hedging his bets but miraculously it worked.
[Would you like to pick Mana as one of your attributes?]
The message that popped up on the panel was like music to his ear.
"Wait, could I really type in anything?" Dom's thoughts were a complete mess and his heart started to race due to the infinite possibilities that were present before him.
"No, Mana is too basic. I need something stronger."
Dominic knew that this would be the moment that decided where he would be in the pecking order when he returned back into his world.
He wanted to be the strongest, so strong that he could control everything…
[Such an attribute does not exist is the system catalog]
"So I still have to choose something that is an attribute" Dom thought to himself as his previous attempt failed. He had tried to put god in to the search panel to see if it was possible to gain power instantly but it was not so easy to do.
"It's what Dom truly desired. To be able to control every living thing to his every whim. Only a god could do that and so that was his ultimate goal.
Dom wasn't without ideas as he remembered many thing he had seen or read in his childhood. Something came to his mind, something like mana but stronger. Aether, something Dom remembered as a stronger version of mana and something that had no limits.
[Would you like to pick Aether as one of your attributes]
Without much thought Dom clicked yes, knowing that he did not have a lot of time remaining.
[Aether has been added to your attributes.]
[Aether is the origin of mana. Due to being much purer than mana, it is far more powerful and has the ability to control all mana around you and turn it into Aether]
"Wow!" Dom exclaimed. He had expected Aether to be stronger than mana but to be able to control mana all around him, it really was overpowered.
Well now he needed an element, after all his aether, like mana, won't be of much use unless channeled through an element.
"The lightning element seems quite strong compared to the rest." Dominic was in deep though about which was the strongest element but he soon realised that he may not have to choose.
"How about all elemental magic" with this Dom would be able to use every kind of magic without a problem. After typing it in a familiar screen appeared in front of him.
[Would you like to add All Elemental magic to your attributes?]
After promptly clicking yes, Dominic Dmitry came to a realisation that he would need to be physically strong as well as having Aether. He also knew that it would be much more satisfying to take the lives of those mafia bastards with his own hands.
He thought that just having something like strength wouldn't be enough so he went with inner strength instead, which he had seen in some novels and comics he had read when he was younger. To go with this, Dom needed a skill that lets him master all types of physical combat. Though not having any idea as to what it would be called, he decided to enter all physical skills mastery into the search bar.
[Search unsuccessful]
[Such an attribute doesn't exists but a similar attribute All master has been found instead]
[Would you like to add All Master to your Attributes?]
For the first time Dom was happy to have the system AI, as it seems to be quite helpful and so he promptly clicked yes after glancing at the time above his head, which let him know that there was only two minutes left. He also quickly added inner strength to his attributes.
He needed one more attribute and as his final goal was still to be as strong as a god, he needed divine power. Although his earlier attempt to quickly become something akin to a god had failed, he had not given up on the idea yet.
[Divine power does not exist in the system catalog but similar attribute Divinity has been found.]
[Would you like to add Divinity to your attributes?]
Knowing that he would not be able to go back, Dom hesitated for a moment. It was almost as if this moment would decide everything going forward.
[One minute left]
The booming voice again sounded. Though everyone had already heard it once, it still managed to startle them. This also made Dom click yes on his attribute panel in panic and so now he had chosen all his attributes.
[10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 …]
As everyone hurried, a count down started at ten seconds which promptly ended and the system let everyone know that they would be given a class based on the attributes chose. Without much explanation everyone was enveloped by pure white light and the whole dimension started to shake.