CHAPTER 1: The Webnovel reward system's first participant
1st December 2022, it's a hot and sunny day in the city of Johannesburg. A young man taller than average with brown skin and an above-average face could be seen walking on a road in a school uniform. The man stares ahead of him with lifeless eyes. The man arrives at a house and enters it. He walks into a bedroom, drops his bag on the floor, and falls onto the bed as if he lost all energy." I hate grade 12 with all my heart and soul" David said while laying on his bed staring at the ceiling as if the world had wronged him.
" Hahaha! sucks to be you right now" a laugh came from the side of the bed. Sitting on a chair while using a laptop David's younger brother Samuel laughs at his brother's suffering." Was today's exam that bad bro?" Samuel asked. David stared at him with cold eyes and replied " I want to kill the person who created physics". " Damn, that bad huh. Well just 5 more exams and you can say goodbye to high school forever, hehe!" Samuel said with a little laugh feeling pleasure at his brother's pain. " Baam!" a pillow hit Samuel right in the face as David revealed a smug grin. While the two boys are having their fun non of them noticed that strange lights flashed on the surface of David's phone.
The day went on and it reached 9:00 pm. the whole Ford family can be seen leaving the dining table with satisfied looks on their faces. As David's mother Sarah takes the dishes to the kitchen, she brings Samuel and his twin sister Sandra to wash the dishes. While his father Pascal goes to the sitting room to watch TV. David checks and sees that everyone is busy and he rushes to his room. For a boy with a big body, he surprisingly moves fast. Arriving in his room he takes his phone out, lays on his bed, and opens it going to an app labeled Webnovel.
----- 1st PERSON POV DAVID
The day is almost over and I just couldn't help myself. As I open the app, the familiar Webnovel logo greets me. Honestly, if the past me, knew how much I enjoy reading novels he would be shocked. I have always been an anime fan but, sometimes watching and downloading shows takes money which I don't always have. Luckily in the 8th grade, I discovered Webnovel through an ad on Facebook, and out of curiosity I tried it, and I've been using it ever since. Opening my library I looked at the last novel I read feeling a sense of satisfaction but with slight disappointment.
I have read many novels but not all of them have truly satisfied me. Arcane kings online is the name of the last book I read. I don't like the main character but the story is well-written and it kept me going until I finished the novel. Although some characters I like died it is a very good story. As I was about to click on another novel and start a new story I received a notification unlike any I had gotten before. It was so beautifully decorated that my curiosity peeked
[Congratulations reader, you have been randomly selected to be the first participant of the Webnovel reward system. Do you wish to participate YES or NO]
This has to be a new event. It also says I'm the first to participate, which means I can get more benefits. I do not think about the matter any further and click YES.
----- 3RD PERSON POV
As David clicks the yes button he does not realize that the whole world around him has stopped, as if someone had pressed the pause button. Cars driving past are stopped in motion including their drivers. People in other homes are frozen in whatever action they were doing. Everything and everyone is motionless not even a single sound could be heard. The only one not affected by this phenomenon was David himself. David suddenly feels that something is wrong as his phone turns off and as the whole world went silent he notices the abnormal silence as well.
He stands up wanting to find out why it suddenly became so silent. He places his phone on the bed wanting to get up, but weirdly his phone is stuck to his hand." What the heck!!" David exclaims as he tries pulling the phone from his right hand using his left hand." Aaaarh! what's happening? " David says as he uses his full strength. But no matter how hard he tries the phone is stuck in his hand. Suddenly wisps of different colored lights surrounded his phone and hand. Then lines of light appear on his phone and dissect it into tens of different sections
." SHATTER!!" a sound similar to that of glass shattering but far louder is heard. David's phone explodes as the space around it begins to break like glass. A portal with various colors, large enough to swallow David appears in front of him. With his hand already stuck in the portal David realizes what's happening in front of him. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!!" David curses as his body keeps being sucked into the portal. " Damn it, I know I always wanted something like this to happen. But seriously, right now is not a good time, aaaaah! I have dreams to fulfill, friends here, and I'm still a fucking virgin!!" with each word he says his body is further swallowed by the portal.
His legs and half of his stomach are already in the portal and he can only grab the edge of the bed using his left hand. It seemed like the bed was held in place by some force as it wasn't dragged with him. Tears began to fall from his eyes as he cried out" My family is still here I can't leave them, not now. I haven't even become rich, I haven't even seen my siblings finish school I...I... haven't bought mama and papa their own house" " CRACK!!". The wooden edge of the bed that he holds on to breaks and his whole body is finally swallowed. " Crack, crack!" with the sound of glass breaking the destroyed space fixes itself and the portal disappears. On the 1st of December 2022 at 9:15 pm David Ford was taken from Earth against his will.
-----1st PERSON POV DAVID
I scream as I passed through the portal, but no sound leaves my mouth. It feels like I'm being shot through a tube of spiraling colors. Suddenly my vision goes black and I lose the sensation of my body. After a few seconds I believe, I see a flash of light as my vision returns. I look around only to find myself sitting on a comfortable chair in a black space. The space is filled with endless shining balls of light that stretch out as far as I can see. I get up off the chair due to my feelings."Aaaaaaa!" I scream out due to fear. Underneath my feet, there was no ground or anything. But strangely enough, I don't fall. "Tap, tap!" I tap my feet on something I can't see but it's supporting my body.
"Sigh! Ok, I'm still alive...I think" I sigh in relief. "Are you done with your antics" I hear a voice behind me and I jump 1 meter away on reflex. Years of being jump scared by dogs in the kasy [1] had given me good dodging skills. Now in front of me, I can see a floating....emoji. I expected many things, from a beautiful goddess or an evil god but a floating emoji just appeared in front of me. How am I supposed to react? "How long do you plan on making me wait," the emoji says as it turns into an angry one. It has a feminine voice so I will assume she's a girl.
"And how long are you planning on kidnapping people and being weird," I said to her still angry about being taken without my consent. The emoji turned to a shocked one" How dare you, do you know who I am? " the emoji said as it turned back to an angry one again. "How the hell am I supposed to know who you are and why should I care," I say and then I begin to approach her as I continue. " First you kidnap me and bring me to god knows where. Then you scare me and don't even introduce yourself and you expect me to know who you are. Are you soo bored with your life that you have nothing better to do" I use my anger to give me courage.
This floating emoji created a portal and took me away from my world, only god knows how powerful she is. Shit, maybe she is god. So yeah I'm fucking scared. The emoji just stared at me as it turned into a wide-mouthed emoji. 'Yes, that's It believe that I'm different from most mortals and see potential In me. I mean other main characters in stories I've read show those powerful entities no fear and sometimes even arrogance and they receive extra benefits. Even if I can't go back home I will do my best to get the most out of the situation' I think to myself. As I try and put on the bravest act of my life.
The emoji turned blank before bursting out into laughter "Hahahahahahaha!!" as literal flames surrounded it. Tiny hands pop out next to her and a big crown appears above her head. A name in bright gold appears above her crown. She turns red and two pointy curved horns appear on the sides of her head, and then she speaks. " Impudent mortal, you wish to know my esteemed name. Are you even worthy of such a privilege? Hahaha, do not fear mortal for I shall bestow upon you this sacred knowledge. I have been called many things. Goddess, holy one, divine sacred empress these are all names I have had. But you mortal only need to know this one. I am Clarice Heavens Heart, master, and ruler of all creation" with that statement of hers I see something that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Countless galaxies appear out of thin air and many other things I can't describe properly.
"Damn that's cool." I say out loud without realizing it." yes mortal, praise me, and maybe I'll reward you hahaha!!" Clarice says with a smug smile." Why the hell would I praise you, you must be dreaming" I say to her not willing to accept how much I'm impressed. Clarice for some reason still had that same smile even after what I said. 'Wait can she read my mind' I think to myself, then I smack myself in the face " Of course you can read minds, why am I even asking? it should have been the first thing I thought of" I say this out loud ."Ok, Clarice, I think you've played with the boy enough don't you think" I hear an old-aged voice and turn around. Then I see a new emoji but this one has a beard and wizard hat. " Yes, Clarice, we need to get done with the business at hand" I hear another masculine voice and turn to see a new emoji with a cape and mask similar to Robin from Teen Titans.
Above the bearded emoji is the name Grandpa Sage and above the caped emoji is the name Hero." You guys, I never get to play as the villain" Clarice says in a wronged tone" Welcome young David this is the Webnovel reward system. You have been chosen not at random but by us three here to see just how far you a human from Earth can go once allowed to experience a world above your own." Hero says to me. This time I decide to keep quiet and listen for whatever may happen from now on. Will change my life forever, I'm sure of it.
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Authors note: thank you for trying out my novel. It's my first time doing this so please help me see any mistakes I make so I can improve. please add this book to your library if you like it
[1] kasy: a term used in South Africa meaning 'the hood' or community. It's a slang word.