"Is this heaven?" was Alister's initial thought as he found himself standing in an extremely bizarre and hard-to-describe environment.
White! Pure white! remained the only colour he could see in this strange place. Even when he glanced down at his own body, it appeared to be completely enveloped in pure, cloudy white matter.
The size of this place was unknown. It felt simultaneously like a small room and an endless dimension at the same time. Merely attempting to comprehend the physics caused his head to ache profusely.
"Where am I?"
The more time passed, the deeper his confusion became.
The last thing he could recall was the humiliating beating he had received from those spoilt goonies. Strangely enough, he felt no trace of pain whatsoever, which in turn somewhat confirmed his initial thoughts that he had somehow made it to heaven.
"Is this truly heaven? Or am I ensnared within a dream or something of that sort?"
He had no answer for that. At this point, nothing made any sense.
[ Welcome to the preparation space, Alister Ashworth ]
A feminine, robotic voice shattered the deafening silence that prevailed over this estranged place.
Suddenly, Alister recalled that very voice.
"I remember it all now! Before I died, or lost consciousness, whatever the case may have been, this exact voice resonated in my head, uttering something about condition fulfilled and some other unclear words."
As the memory poured in, Alister's situation grew even more bizarre; yet, he resolved firmly to heed the voice, for it knew his full name. Who knows? Perhaps it could be an angel, and he was, in fact, undergoing his judgment.
[ Welcome to the preparation space, Alister Ashworth ]
The voice repeated once more, this time adopting a different tone that seemed to encourage Alister to reply verbally.
Alister did not really know how to converse with the unseen entity, so he simply offered a barely audible, "Thank you."
There was a brief moment of silence before the voice responded.
[ You have accepted your first inter-dimensional mission. Being your first mission, you're given ten minutes of preparation time to chose your first weapon for the mission as well and mentally prepare. ]
[ Countdown would begin now ]
[ 10:00.... 09:59 ]
"Huh? First inter-dimensional mission?"
[ Yes... You've unlocked the Infinite system, a system that grants you all your desires beginning from simple wealth or physical charm to attract the opposite or the same gender, or the ability to unlock and wield otherworldly powers. In return, you must complete missions to other dimensions and complete tasks..... ]
[ Once tasks are completed, you'll be transferred back to the real world! ]
[ Death is real ]
[ Growth in the other dimensions are permanent ]
Even with the lengthy explanation, Alister was still as confused.
What was this voice talking about?
Travel to other dimensions? complete tasks? Gain wealth, charm and superpowers? Death? What sort of dream was he having?
Alister slapped himself a few times with an attempt to wake himself from this unbelievable reality but it was futile.
[ You're not in a dream. Your body is currently in a state of rapid recovery hence pain cannot be felt. As for your confusion, the more time you spend with the system, the more your understanding increase. However, for the main time, pick your first weapon for your first mission ]
[ NOTE: Only hosts on their first mission access the preparation space. For proceeding missions, you'll instantly be teleported to your destination. ]
After the voice disappeared, an holographic window appeared in front of Alister containing several 3D box slots.
Different weapons were in each box slot.
Knife, rapier, dagger, spear, bow and arrows, needles, axe, katana, shiruken...
They were all melee weapons, most of which he have seen and used in videogames he played in the past.
[ Please select one ]
Alister was still baffled with everything unfolding before him.
[ 07:44.... 07:43 ]
Unfortunately, time wasn't patient enough to grant him the opportunity to understand his situation.
"Whatever this is..."
Alister muttered.
He doesn't know what world awaits him after the countdown ends, neither is he aware of the task awaiting. But he was sure of one thing.
"I would survive by all means!"
Swearing that to himself, he took a clearer view at the weapon list.
[ You can check the stats of the weapon by clicking on it ]
A message popped up.
Alister slowly nodded and began checking the stats.
---
[ Basic dagger ]
—Short-range, suitable for stabbing.
—+2 agility while equipped
[Select] Yes/No
---
---
[ Basic sword ]
—Deals light damages, suitable for every blade attributed moves.
—+2 physical strength while equipped
[Select] Yes/No
---
---
[ Basic bow and arrow ( 15 Arrows ) ]
—Long-range, covers an adequate distance.
—+1 Perception while equipped
[Select] Yes/No
---
---
[ Basic Axe ]
—Suitable for heavy attacks like smashing
—While equipped, agility reduces by 1 and physical strength increases by 1
[Select] Yes/No
---
Alister went through the list of weapons and their stats and he could not help but be utterly disappointed — They were useless!
Some even reduced most of his stats when equipped.
However, he had to pick one to proceed.
He went back to the sword and clicked select.
[ You selected (Basic-Sword) ]
[ Basic-Sword has been transferred to (Inventory) ]
[ Skill: Swordmaster (Lv 1) has been added ]
As the voice announced, additional holographic windows materialized.
Almost immediately after the announcement faded, Alister experienced a strange sensation as his head was flooded with unfamiliar data.
As that data settled within him, a new memory emerged in his mind, comprising a series of both simple and complex sword skills he had never seen or imagined before, and somehow he felt as though he could execute those skills without difficulty as though he had been practicing them for ages.
The feeling was bizarre but also satisfying.
It gave Alister a brief sense of confidence that he would survive.
As his preparation were completed, he could only watch as the countdown reached zero.
[ 00:04 ]
[ 00:03 ]
[ 00:02 ]
[ 00:01 ]
Immediately it struck 00:00.
A strong wind pressure appeared in the strange white space and the next moment, a portal appeared in front of Alister. It was a dark blue, spherical, fast spinning vortex.
A compelling force suddenly appeared as well, pulling him inside the portal.
Alister shut his eyes briefly as his body entered the portal which immediately sent him to his new reality.
* * *
Alister was greeted by darkness and an utterly inexplicable experience as he was dragged into the portal, the sensation was akin to swimming through a powerful sea wave or pushing oneself through a foggy storm.
Nevertheless, the moment of darkness and the odd experience lasted for a brief second before Alister was greeted with the familiar caress of a gentle breeze blowing across his face, its calming effect drifting through his body.
Alister subconsciously inhaled the cool breeze before opening his eyes to survey the new world.
"Heh?"
A questioning expression swiftly appeared on his face.
It was nighttime, as was evident since the full moon had already graced the dark sky, blessing the night with its soft crescent glow.
With the aid of the gentle illumination provided by the moon, Alister found himself standing in the middle of an unknown place, surrounded by humans.
They were several dozens of them; more than half adorned medieval knights armor, another even larger percentage wore casual crimson night robes while two were dressed entirely differently.
One, an aged man, wore a grey cloak, his time-worn grey hair hidden beneath a crooked hat. On his right hand was a long wooden staff embedded with a pink glowing crystal orb at the top. The orb emitted a subtly visible pink aura. His appearance quickly reminded Alister of the wizards seen in popular classic medieval fantasy movies.
Beside him stood the other oddly dressed figure—a middle-aged man with long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes—adorned in an exquisite purple robe accented with golden embroidery that loudly proclaimed his royal descent. Alister identified this character as the King.
The entirety of the group was silently focused on Alister as though he were a complete alien — naturally, he could be considered an alien since he was not originally from their world.
An atmosphere of awkward silence prevailed over the gathering.
Alister returned the same questioning gaze to the crowd, steadily shifting his gaze gradually amongst them. He was immensely relieved as none of them harboured any sort of murderous intent in their gazes, only pure astonishment and boundless curiosity.
("The summoning worked, but just how is this scrawny human supposed to save us?")
The silence was finally broken as one of the knights spoke aloud.
Strangely, Alister could not understand a single word he uttered, as he spoke in an unfamiliar language.
However, the knight's words seemed to ignite the crowd, and they began discussing among themselves.
("The hero summoning spell has never failed before. He might look scrawny, but he will undoubtedly fulfill his purpose.")
("How can you say that? I appear even stronger than he does.")
("I agree with you, he looks really weak, and what is that strange piece of clothing? It appears easy to pierce through.")
'What on earth are they saying?'
Alister attempted to comprehend their discussion, but it proved impossible.
'They don't seem like cannibals? But what if...?'
Alister shuddered at the thought. He vaguely recalled gory videos on the dark web where tourists were captured by cannibal clans who spoke different languages.
He subconsciously became even more alert to his surroundings, shifting his gaze about him.
Everyone seemed to be discussing, with some completely ignoring his very presence.
But only two were intently focused on him — the wizard and the king.
The wizard's mouth moved as he appeared to be quietly chanting a spell while the king focused on him.
The wizard suddenly pointed the tip of his wooden staff holding the pink glowing crystal at Alister.
Under Alister's astonished gaze, a spell circle materialized and glowed intently until it exploded into a brief, blinding radiance that compelled Alister to subconsciously shield his eyes.
"Welcome to our world, Hero."