"Where am I?" When I came around after my vision was engulfed by blinding white lights, I was in an unknown place surrounded by strangers who were also panicking, like me.
Though I wasn't able to clearly grasp the reason why we were all together within just a moment, as a writer, I have a lot of experiences or should I say knowledge about what kind of situation we currently at.
There were two logical conclusion I have. The first one would be we were summoned in another world as heroes to protect the world against its enemies. The second one would be more scary that the first one, which we were summoned in an unfamiliar world to kill each other until one person survived.
Though it was the kind of plot that I usually wrote, it didn't mean that I wanted it to happen to me. I clenched my shaking hands together, fear ran rampant on my veins, striking me with an unfamiliar yet familiar emotion.
Just as an author who barely meets his needs, the fear coursing through my blood and veins was a familiar feeling when I didn't meet my self appointed quota, while also unfamiliar because though I fear it, I also welcome its embrace for it would signal my end as an author. In short, I was just a third rate author who wished to succeed but wasn't good enough to land a contract.
Looking back at the last thing I remember, all I was doing was staring blankly at the monitor of my computer, with an opened blank worksheet trying to write my next chapter. As I was dazed, I clicked the pop out message that appeared right in front of me not even reading it. As I was too preoccupied, instead of closing it, I clicked the accept button, then blinding light engulfed me.
"Where are we?"
"Are we in a hidden camera prank?"
"I want to go home, mommy!"
"I will sue you if you don't take me back home!"
The usual plot came. The panicked citizens showed different reactions but with the same panicked stricken face. Students cried, while adults tried to stay calm despite them feeling the suffocating atmosphere that was pervading the current location we were in.
Taking control of my emotions and incessant trembling, I walked to the nearest wall and touched it. The language on the wall was different from Earth. Just like I concluded, we were summoned by mysterious power that was why the passing of time and the distance was nothing but magical and mysterious.
The only thing unknown was the reason why. Telling others might have made them more fearful so I kept it inside me. But by looking at some university kids who were in uniform, they might have an inkling of what was happening right now.
Not giving us enough time to stabilize our moods, the person behind our summoning showed itself.
Bathed in resplendent light an angel who looked like a Goddess in stories slowly descended from a pathway of light coming from above our head, totally ignoring the roof like it was never there from the start. Truly unscientific yet wonderful.
[Welcome heroes that came from another world. Thank you heroes for answering our call in order to save the world from its doom.]
"What? Who are you?!" a fat middle-aged man who was clearly drunk spat at the angel-like Goddess. But instead of rage, it only continued to tell us its monologue just a damn robot doing only its job not caring for our questions.
[As heroes are made, not born, you will undergo a tutorial in determining one's potential and talent. I hope that everyone here will make it out alive, sadly we aren't omnipotent, we could only pray for your safety, nothing else.]
Pray... it was quite laughable when you looked at it calmly. People prayed for God's benevolence and blessing, yet the Gods themselves from this world wanted to pray. Then who will hear and grant their wishes? The story itself has its plot holes already showing, what will come next would be more questionable and laughable as the one who truly created this world was nothing as amateur... just like me.
I created a lot of novels with all of it having just passed the introduction of the main character. I never, even once, made it into the climax. It was all introductory. It wasn't because I lacked imagination, nor the will to write. No, it was actually the opposite.
As I have a lot of pent up frustrations of not being it perfect in my eyes, I restart, and restart, and restart, again and again until I couldn't no more. The will to improve the next story gets the best of me.
It was to the point that I forgot how to proceed to the next part. It was all just the beginning. Readers sometimes called me the Author of Unparalleled Beginning. It was because my first few chapters will hook you. Though it didn't have anything next. The readers still wait until I have the will to continue it.
Though as time passed by, the readers left me because I never continued my work even once. Nobody knew it, but I wanted to continue my unfinished stories, but due to unlimited plots that kept pouring into me, I stumbled doing the next part, only for it to be great in creating a new story.
[You will be given enough time to familiarize yourself with your talent, future potential, innate abilities, and attributes to fend the incoming monsters for this tutorial. I really hope that everyone will be safe.]
How could you always say that you wanted us to be safe when you already tried to throw us in a tutorial right off the bat. Hey, miss Goddess you're truly contradicting yourself there. As an author with a title of the 'Unparalleled Beginning' the way the Goddess introduces herself was missing. Her action not only brought dismay to the people listening, but now she was also contradicting herself like a mindless robot.
Was it because only those who deemed necessary and capable were the only one will receive the next information? Then, what will happen to those that failed? Death? How unfair was that. Earth was already unfair to begin with, now you wanted to make us work for you and to only die just from the start? Laughable, but simply practical.
The tutorial was just like filtering treasures from a garbage can. Revolting but I like it. Though I would only like it if I could survive.
[Now, good luck heroes.]
The goddess disappeared like it was all a lie. The people who already grasp the key point to their survival call their status window.
Not wasting time either, I called my own status window, hoping for at least enough talent to let me live the upcoming tutorial..
Name: Rain San Miguel
Age: 24
Level: 1
Tendency: Overly Calculative
Class: Author (Unique)
Title: None
Character Stats:
Strength: 11 (Common) [Potential: Rare]
Stamina: 8 (Common) [Potential: Heroic]
Agility: 21 (Uncommon) [Potential: Heroic]
Endurance: 23 (Uncommon) [Potential: Legendary]
Intelligence: 31 (Uncommon) [Potential: Legendary]
Mana: 33 (Uncommon) [Potential: Legendary]
Luck: 29 (Uncommon) [Potential: Legendary]
Innate Skills:
View Character (S+)
- View other's status info without fail.
***note: you can have a full view all of the information in their status window as long as they are in the view.
****PS: to activate the skill for the first time to a character, you need to chant the line: 'You can't escape my blue eyes!'
Character List (SSS)
- List of Characters you viewed who has an affinity with you. Can view their current location and their current situation if they are safe, in danger, or dead.
***note: To activate the character list you have to chant 'Bow down to the supreme me!' every time you use it.
Random Skill Generator (C)
- Can be used anytime, anywhere! Draw a random skill from the Akashic Records governed by Gods with the same rank or lower.
***note: due to the skill of the author, the skill has been degraded. One level is equal to one chance, please work hard in raising your level!
****PS: To activate the skill chant the words 'The time has come for me to be Eternal'.
Fusion (A+)
- Fuse two or more skills. The fused skill will be permanently deleted. Only skills that are the same or lower rank can be fused.
***note: the higher the number of skills fused, the greater the rank.
****PS: The chant for this to activate is 'Fu~sion, Ha!'
Author's Mind (SSS)
- Grants immunity from mental attacks, mental control, fear, and curses. Can reflect back the attack that was made to the Author.
***note: to activate the reflection, chant 'You have activated my trap card!'.
I should have been happy to see 5 Innate skills on my status window and my stats with great potential. I was blessed. I should have been happy, really, but in activating my skills I have to chant those skits.
When you were in a serious battle but you suddenly cracked a joke of a line, my dignity as a strong player will be no more!
I was granted power that exceeded my expectations but it was full of spiciness that I didn't even want to say!
Not only my dignity as a psychopathic author would be in peril but my dignity as well. But, life was more important, I know. But, I could still complain, okay?!
The Gods loved me so much that they blessed me too much. And due to their immense love, they played a joke on my status window!
Forget the panicking people around me, I was already close to dying just thinking about the situations where I was forced to say those lines... I wish I could turn back time. I promised I will update everyday.
Heck, I will even try to continue my unfinished novels! Just please, turn back the time.
But my prayers weren't answered. The door that I hadn't seen before swung open, behind it were dozens of goblins.
"Arm yourselves!"
"Those who were able, get weapons at the back!"
"Everyone, we can do it!"
"Mommy!"
Screams from monsters and the fearful yet determined people intermingled together. Creating a welcoming havoc to my own mind, clearing the doubts I have within me, questions that slowly crept on my mind, were soon no more.
The Author's Mind got activated. I was just an Author looking at his own masterpiece, seeing people die while fighting miserably. Goblins crying their war cry killing humans like they were livestock.
Yes, it was hell. But, in the middle of that hell... I was alone standing there looking like it had nothing to do with me. It was terrifying. My calmness was terrifying. Since then, I haven't been a normal author anymore. I was reborn. Reborn to be a cruel bystander.