NOVEL WEB B1 | Chapter 1 - The Initialization
This is a very basic map of the world, showing the three continents and the World Tree, along with the locations of the capital cities of each continent and their general climates.
It is also not 100% complete and will be filled in more as the story progresses.
“There are many types of wrath in the world. Constant wrath that simmers all the time, expressing itself most when boiled to a certain degree; A fiery hot wrath that leads one to doing rather indiscriminate acts in a berserk rage; And even beneficial forms of wrath, where someone is spurred on by hatred or malice towards someone or something to improve. But the most dangerous wrath of them all?
A cold wrath.
One that you – and maybe even the one expressing the wrath – may never notice until it’s too late.
A wrath brought all the way to the point of apathy. To a one-sided stretch towards a goal.
To the end.”
~Cassandra de Luna, otherwise known as Wrath
Cassandra
Year 819 | Month 15 | Day 31
One of the best things about the human race – in my humble opinion – is that, despite all of our overbearing complexities, humans are actually rather simple.
Like this idiot.
“So, what do you say? It’s not a bad proposal.” he says, repeating the same actions – albeit in a not-so-smart manner – as many of the other nobles attending this ball have done.
I mean, who thinks proposing to me while drunk without even having spoken to me before is a good idea?
Of course, he’s hiding the fact that he’s drunk… kinda… sort of well, but it’s still pretty obvious to me, considering the many signs indicating towards it.
Such as the fact that he keeps losing his footing before regaining it. While standing in place.
I glance towards father and find him looking at me with a vaguely amused smile. Before I can get mad at him though, he nods his head towards the stairs, indicating that I can leave the stupid ball.
With an inaudible sigh of relief, I turn back to the noble – whatever his name was – and, while placing my drink down onto the nearest table, say, “My apologies, but I’m going to be leaving for the night.”
Then, without even giving him the chance to say anything, I quickly make my way over towards the stairs and up to the second floor, away from all of the people.
I don’t really know if the guy is lucid enough to know a rejection when he sees one, but I don’t hear any shouting or complaints from behind me, so it’s not my problem.
Not like he could do anything anyways.
After reaching the second floor of the castle, I begin making my way over towards my room to change out of this dress, only to run into my brother along the way.
Charles has a frown on his face, which probably has something to do with him finding me skipping out on the rest of the ball again, and looks like he is currently on his way towards where I just came from.
“Father let you leave early again?” he asks, sounding both exasperated and annoyed at the same time.
I simply nod with a faint grin before continuing past him, completely ignoring the disapproving gaze he’s sending towards my back.
He really should just give up on his attempts to get me and father to be more traditional. I’m not even sure why he’s so big on tradition and nobles anyways.
At least Rodrick – my other brother – isn’t big on tradition. Although his ‘pranks’ can get annoying sometimes.
Anyways, I push my long black hair over my shoulder as I walk before glancing at my reflection in the window and focusing on my black eyes.
Each of the three royal families rules over one of the three continents – the Sacred Continent not included – and we all have our own colors by which we’re known for.
But I never could figure out where our families’ color originated from.
We’re all practically required to wear black to every official event – hence the black dress I’m wearing – and we even have quite a lot of the color black going around the castle as well.
The only thing I can think of that might have started this for our family is that we all have black eyes and hair. But that’s not exactly an uncommon trait in our kingdom, so who knows.
My thoughts are interrupted as I reach my room and enter it.
Before I can begin changing, my gaze is attracted to the beautiful moon shining through my window. Interestingly enough, it’s actually shining blue for some odd reason.
I walk over towards the window before opening the doors and stepping out onto the balcony.
The moon looks to be at its highest point in the sky right now, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.
Does it have something to do with tonight being the last night of the year? But I don’t think I’ve ever seen the moon like this-
A loud cracking sound echoes from everywhere around me, followed immediately by the sight of the entire sky taking on the same blue hue as the moon.
Uh… what?
I suddenly stumble backwards as several strange lines of text appear in front of my face.
When I try to touch them, nothing seems to happen, so I just focus on reading the words instead.
Global Announcement
The plane known by the locals as ‘Midgard’ will now be initiated into the universal System.
As the last plane being initiated, you are being given a warning.
Invaders from the other ninety-nine planes of the universe will now be able to enter Midgard.
These invaders will have their strength restricted for the next two years and will be unable to use any sort of advanced technology with the exception of System items.
I blink a few times to make sure I’m not just imagining this before opening my mouth to say something, only to close it again as another flow of text appears to replace this one.
Global Announcement
Every individual within the System will have their personal talent awakened.
Some people may have rare talents, while others might have extremely common talents.
Okay, what exactly is going on?
I step forwards and lean up against the edge of the balcony as the next ‘announcement’ appears to replace it.
Personal Announcement
Congratulations! You have awakened the talent ‘True Body’!
This talent grants you full immunity to all true damage!
Note: True damage is a type of damage that ignores any and all resistances and defenses, including natural, magical, and equipment related defenses.
Hmm, still not sure what’s going on, but I might as well roll with it. Because it’s certainly a lot more interesting than that ball was.
Personal Announcement
Congratulations! The talent ‘Attuned(46%)’ has been discovered already awakened inside of you from prior to the System’s initialization!
This talent multiplies your initial statistics by 1.84.
Another talent? Base statistics?
Is that due to my consumption of the World Tree’s Sap?
I tilt my head in confusion, but whatever this ‘System’ is, it moves on without bothering with my internal questions.
Global Announcement
Every individual within the System is granted access to see and increase their physical and mental capabilities in the form of ‘Statistics.’
A statistic – otherwise known as a stat point, or stat – of 1 is the average stat of each individual human being in the universe prior to the System’s initialization.
In order to increase your stats, you must level up your species level.
However, to do this, you must assign your species a certain amount of EXP. Furthermore, you may gain EXP through completing various acts including but not limited to completing System assigned quests, killing other living beings, and completing class-related tasks, such as making a potion or a weapon.
My eyes widen slightly at the information.
There are ways to get stronger outside of the World Tree Sap?
Just like with the previous times, the words disappear and are replaced once again with new ones.
Global Announcement
Last, but certainly not least, every individual can obtain things known as ‘skills’.
These are inherently linked to your ‘class’, which is something the System will be assigning you in three days’ time.
Skills can be anything, from magical attacks, such as throwing fireballs or lightning, to physical boosts, such as rapidly increasing your strength for a limited amount of time. They can even include crafting skills, such as a one-time increase in the quality of a material.
You will gain a new skill from your class at every five racial levels, and you may also spend your EXP to level up your skills instead of your species level in order to improve them.
However, some rarer species have racial skills of which they are inherently born with, such as sacred beasts and angels.
So much information.
I raise my head again, only to find the blue light in the sky beginning to fade away again.
At the same time, another announcement appears, replacing the last one.
Global Announcement
Good luck, locals of the Midgard plane.
Because you’re going to need it.
Note: Your status will appear after this announcement. However, for future notice, think the word ‘status’ in order to open it when you wish to do so.
I raise an eyebrow at that one but am quickly distracted as a slightly different flow of words replaces it.
Name: Cassandra de Luna
Species: Human +
Level: 1
Class: N/A [To be assigned in 71 hours, 59 minutes, and 57 seconds]
EXP: 0
Talent/s: True Body, Attuned(46%)
PHYS: STR – 1.9, DEX – 2.3, RES – 1.9
MENTAL: INT – 2.5, WIS – 2.4, MP – 20
Skills
Okay, so this is my status?
The stats look pretty good based off of what the notes said before was the average, but that’s obviously because of the Attuned skill. Which I’m still assuming is due to the World Tree’s Sap that I’ve been having since birth, the same as every royal.
My thoughts are interrupted again as a weird bloop sound comes from behind me.
I turn around rather quickly, only to find myself staring blankly at some sort of… okay, actually, I don’t know what that is.
Whatever it is, it looks like a floating mirror, where the world around it just stops, and on the other side of the mirror is like the other side of a door.
And through that door, comes…
A heart?
“A glowing heart,” I correct myself with a faint nod while attempting to back away slightly as the heart continues making its way towards me, only to remember that I’m at the edge of my balcony.
Uh… what’s-
The heart suddenly speeds up and flies straight into my chest in a blur of movement, all while the strange mirror thing behind it closes itself.
I hurriedly feel around my chest for the heart, but it’s already gone.
What the he-
Warning: Sin Organ Recognized
True damage from the Sin Organ is negated by talent ‘True Body’.
<----->
The Heart of Wrath will now integrate itself into local ‘Cassandra de Luna’.
“What the hell?” I raise my voice slightly for the first time in a while. “What exactly do you mean by 'it’s going to integrate itself into me'?”
Surprisingly, the words – or System, I suppose – actually seem to respond to me as the words begin to update, adding a note to the end.
Warning: Sin Organ Recognized
True damage from the Sin Organ is negated by talent ‘True Body’.
<----->
The Heart of Wrath will now integrate itself into local ‘Cassandra de Luna’.
Note: The Heart of Wrath will now replace your current heart, therefore changing your species entirely.
My mouth drops open at the fact that it actually responded, but it closes again as the note at the end changes to a not-so-nice sounding warning.
Warning: Sin Organ Recognized
True damage from the Sin Organ is negated by talent ‘True Body’.
<----->
The Heart of Wrath will now integrate itself into local ‘Cassandra de Luna’.
Note: This may hurt a little.
Um, would you mind-
Before I can finish my thought, a burning pain suddenly begins to radiate out of my chest. One that makes me feel as if I’m being burnt alive from the inside-out.
You call this a little!!!
My vision begins to grow fuzzy as I lose my footing, falling to the ground while still in my dress.
The last thing I see before losing consciousness are several humans in strange-looking outfits walking out of another mirror thing – like the one the heart came out of – towards me, with several metal objects pointing out from behind their backs, held there by some sort of leather straps.
But what I do recognize on their persons, are the various swords and knives they’re all carrying on themselves.
Well… shit.
That’s the last thought that runs through my head before everything goes black.