Life is More Than a Game

Hello all! So, I know I've been... noticeably absent for quite some time. Then again, it happens almost seasonally at this point, so I'm sure no one even noticed. Anyways, I've been hard at work trying to find something to write that I actually enjoyed again, in the little spare time I have after work. I finally decided to give in and just try my hand at a Gamer SI. So far, I've had a fun time writing.

What brought on this particular story, you might ask. Well, I ended up being recommended to read Gamer's Guide to Necromancy by Black Wolf Shiro. It's a bit smutty for my tastes, but I generally liked it. So, you could say that this is kind of inspired by that story. There's probably a number of aspects of my Game's system that are heavily similar to his as a consequence of it being fresh in my mind though. I think I've distanced myself from his enough to not be a copy, especially since I won't be including any lemons at all. Though maybe a harem. Undecided as of yet.

Anyways! My writing, as always, will speak more for me than an A/N ever could, so I'll just let you read it!

Chapter I: Or is it?

Disclaimer: I do not own any copywritten material in this story. Please support the official release.

Congratulations! You have been randomly selected as a trial run recipient of our Deluxe Reincarnation package, complete with an all-expense paid trip through the multiverse and The Full Gamer Experience – sponsored by Mountain Dew.

Uh… what? What's going on? I can't tell where the voice was coming from. Or where anything is, really. I can't see anything at all. Or feel anything.

As I've already mentioned, you have been pre-selected to be our trial recipient of our new Deluxe Package. Given your recent death, the conditions to run this trial have finally been met! I'm sure you're as overjoyed as we are to finally help ready this process for the public. It's so wonderful to add someone new to the team!

Deluxe Package? Death? Trial run? What… what in the actual Hell are you talking about? I try to open my mouth to say something, but that feeling of no feeling hits me. It's not just that I can't feel anything, I can't even feel my own body.

What's going on!? Am I really dead? I… I can't remember anything. If I try really hard flashes of… something… come to mind. Heat… the color orange… screams… a fire, maybe?

Oh, don't worry about that! The voice was far too cheerful for my liking. Your body will need to be remade thanks to that pesky office fire that killed you and most of your co-workers, but we have a process for that. It actually works out in our favor extremely well since it means we get to try out our new and improved Physical Appearance Improvement Nexus. Isn't that great? Before we get to that though, we need to make sure you're compliant and calm. Why don't we take care of that little annoyance of an emotional breakdown?

[Gamer's Mind] (Passive) added.

Allows you to view life as a game. Emotional and psychological maluses are nullified and HUD is unlocked.

[Gamer's Body] (Passive) added.

Allows you to experience life as a game. Your body only requires 30 minutes of rest to become completely rejuvenated.

[Observe] Lv. 1 (Active) added.

0 MP

Gain insight into whatever is currently targeted. Information gained is increased at higher levels.

[Observe] allows you to gain insight into whatever you aim your senses at when activated. Gain more insight at higher levels.

As the voice finishes, several… pop-ups fill my vision. That's the only way to describe them. Rectangles of light and text informing me of whatever the voice has done and what their effects are. I think. My worry over having died recedes, but not because I feel calmer. Even as that thought appears, I do start to feel calmer. Whatever that voice is, has to be responsible for this. I've never been very emotional, but this is ridiculous. I'm not even allowed to feel negative emotions anymore?

They'll only get in the way, so it's much better this way! Just trust me. You'd go insane like the first three guys otherwise. I didn't like how I could almost hear the far-too-happy-to-actually-be-real smile the voice probably had. Now, let's begin, shall we? Our system will outfit you with a base to work from and you can just use your imagination to change things. Here's a mirror too!

That feeling of not feeling and the darkness both disappeared all at once, which was not a pleasant experience. Everything went bright white and I was forced to shut my eyes, which hadn't been there a moment ago, against the blinding light. On top of that, my entire body felt like it was simultaneously burning, freezing, constricted, and open as I had to get used to things like temperature and air pressure again.

Are you quite done screaming now? I think you're being a bit melodramatic.

I hadn't even realized that I was shouting until the voice brought it up. Controlling myself, I shut my mouth, slowly opening my eyes. Then that feeling of not calm but still calm washed over me once more when I finally saw my reflection in the mirror. What was allowing me to see it though? The confusion really set in deep, considering my body had the same plastic consistency of a window manikin. That, of course, included the lack of facial features like eyes, ears or a nose. In the end, I decided it was better that I just not worry about it, after all.

Now that you're focused, let's begin! Our new and improved system is quite easy to use, you know. All you need to do is visualize what you would like each part of your body to look like and the Nexus will take care of the rest. Go on, give it a shot.

At the voice's urging, I did so. Starting with my eyes, I watched as the plastic-y essence of my 'face' began to push inwards; with flesh, blood and nerves forming in a rather grotesque way. All at once I wanted to turn away, if that was even possible, and to keep watching out of morbid curiosity. After a few moments, that felt like hours, it was finally done and I had a pair of blue eyes looking back at me. It looked rather… uncanny when contrasted against the paper-white plastic of my form. Thankfully, despite the system's acronym it wasn't painful at all.

That's more of an unfortunate consequence of the naming than an intentional abbreviation. Our marketing team has been trying to figure out a better name for weeks, but nothing really comes up that does well in focus groups so it will have to stick for now. It looks like you're getting the hang of it though! Keep it up and we'll be able to move forward with the process in no time!

The cheery attitude of that voice was getting a bit creepy, but it's not like I could do anything about it. So I just ignore it in favor of shaping my appearance further. It's not like you get to decide on your looks down to a hyper-specific level every day, after all.

Watching all of my body parts being shaped and grown from this plastic-looking body is certainly an experience I don't think I could ever forget, even if I wanted to. And by God, do I wish I could forget watching my spherical head being ground down to shape my nose, or the lower half of said head slowly ripping apart as I finally opened a mouth I didn't have before. How I had been screaming just moments - or maybe hours? - ago was beyond me. Nothing about this makes any sense, but I suppose that's just the way things are.

I don't know how much time passed, but I finally finished my 'character creation' and was content with it. Generally speaking, I've never spent much time on making a character. In fact, I'm more likely to just take one of the stock options so I can dive into the game then and there, with the exception of a rare roleplay run. Still, I think I'm okay with what I've done here. Nothing over the top: black hair that falls just over the top of my ears, those same blue eyes, a lean build to my physique, and an olive tan. I took extra time to ensure all of my teeth were just how I wanted them – I do not want to have to deal with adult braces, if they even exist wherever I end up. My only complaint is the lack of clothing, but at least this place (wherever I am) seems to be a nice, cool temperature that's about as comfortable to stand in as I could hope for.

Ah, it seems that you're done. That's very good. Now we can get to the fun part! The mirror disappeared into the all-white limbo world I was in. Finally focusing on my surroundings, I looked around and felt Gamer's Mind force me into serenity again. There was nothing anywhere. All around me was whiteness. If not for the fact that I could feel it beneath my feet, I wouldn't even know for sure whether I was standing on solid ground or floating through a void. I'm starting to see why the first three people went insane.

The second one didn't even make it this far, you know. The voice informed me. Enough about them, though. Now it's time that we filled out all the proper paperwork. I couldn't help but let out a sigh at that. Paperwork? I've had enough of that to last a lifetime. Nonsense! Paperwork is the lifeblood of any organization. Plus, I'm sure you'll enjoy this!

Before me materialized another one of those slightly translucent and floating text boxes. This one was much larger than those before and looked more like a job application than a notification. Looking through it, I began to notice some stark differences though. Some parts were inconspicuous enough: name, age, occupation, things like that. Then there were things like race, class, specialization, perks, flaws, and things like that looked like they fit better on a D&D character sheet.

"This is the paperwork? How do I fill it in?" I can't help but wonder. I thought that my voice might sound raspy, considering I hadn't had a pair of lungs, throat, or mouth up until just now, but it sounded perfectly healthy. That was a welcome relief.

Simply think about the section you'd like to fill out and a new screen will appear, giving you your options. A quick [Observe] and you can see some details about your choices. Think carefully! Your path here will determine the base you need to work from throughout your entire journey!

Nodding my understanding, I decided to start where all forms should, with my name. I mean, that wasn't really that difficult. My real life and my escapist fantasies always had a line drawn between them, and I'd just use the me from the latter. Orpheus Kidwell, seems like you finally get to have your time to shine, for real this time.

From there most of the mundane stuff was easily taken care of. My age was set to 21. No matter where in the multiverse I ended up, that should be a good place to start, and it gives me plenty of time to enjoy myself… if enjoying myself is an option. There's a lot of dangerous worlds out there, after all. My gender is set to male. My sexuality is set to heterosexual, though why that was part of it I'm not too sure. My race is set to Homo Sapiens Sapiens. There are some other options, but considering humans have the most consistent treatment across everything I've ever seen, I'd rather not be an elvish slave or a Twi'lek prostitute.

Then came the less mundane options. These are the one that I actually had to put some serious thought into considering that these choices would decide my fate, if what the voice said was true. I had no idea where I was going to end up, so I had to be very pragmatic with my selections and take up what would be the most universally useful. So I started with occupation, which seemed to be my background. After a quick [Observe] I was given a couple of choices, but quickly narrowed it down to five.

[Occupation: Soldier]

Thanks to your experience on the field of battle you are far more in-tune with your instincts and combat ability. You gain an additional 15% experience with [Fighter] classes and start with the [Combat Instincts] ability.

[Combat Instincts] (Passive)

In combat situations, you are better at surviving. This decreases reflex save checks by 10% during combat.

[Occupation: Mercenary]

You used to be a sell-sword or maybe you still are. Either way, you are 5% better at haggling and gain a 10% experience boost with either [Fighter], [Mage], or the [Rogue] class type, whichever one you started with.

[Occupation: Artisan (Blacksmith)]

You were apprenticed to a blacksmith in your home village for many years, picking up the tools of the trade. Crafting with hard metals gives 10% additional class experience and skill checks become 10% easier.

[Occupation: Scholar]

You grew up either locked tight in a library or under the tutelage of a university and learned how to learn. All experience gains are increased by 5% and you start with one free [Lore] and [Knowledge] perk.

[Occupation: Merchant]

Your family plies its trade by buying and selling wares, and you've been made privy to the tricks that make a good shopkeep. All prices (buying and selling) are 15% better, barter checks are 5% easier, and you know how to find merchants willing to fence stolen goods.

It all came down to whether combat or practical skills were more important. Unfortunately, there weren't really any magic-based occupations, otherwise that probably would have taken priority. The mercenary occupation was the closest. Still, I was really leaning towards the last two. After a moment of thought, I finally decided and Merchant filled in my Occupation slot. I always roleplay as a merchant anyways, and having a background in accounting has to count for something if I start a business, right?

The voice has been eerily quiet since I began this process, but I ignore that fact in lieu of my next big option. There's only three choices this time. My class has to be either fighter, mage, or rogue. The choice is extremely simple. Or so I think. After I decide on mage, a second screen pops up titled 'Specialization'.

[Elementalist] [Illusionist] [Summoner] [Cleric] [Druid] [Warlock] [Bard]

Well, I could immediately cross Cleric, Warlock, Bard, and Illusionist off my list. I didn't really feel like serving a god or a demon, so there's no way I was going to rely on their power. By the same token, I wanted to be at least somewhat self-sufficient, so starting as a support class like illusionist or bard would be a really bad idea.

Of the other three, it was somewhat more difficult. That said, I marked Druid off. Convening with nature and having a pack of wolves to protect me and eventually being able to shape-shift into a magical bear sounded fun, but I like civilization and its perks a bit too much to be a mountain man.

That left the ability to manipulate the forces of nature through my spells or the ability to summon inter-dimensional beings to do my bidding. If I had an army of summons to protect me, I could probably more safely delve into other arts and command them rather than get up close and personal. On the other hand, creating tornadoes of fire sounds pretty badass.

What the hell! Looks like I'm gonna go elemental magic. Hopefully I can pick up some summoning magic later.

[Class: Mage] Acquired.

+3 INT and +3 WIS each level. XP from spellcasting increased by 25%.

[Sub-Class: Elementalist] (Lv 1/100) added.

A specialized type of mage that focuses on manipulating the forces of nature, especially elemental energies. +2 INT and +2 WIS each level. XP from elemental spells increased by 25%.

[Elemental Magic (Novice)] (Passive)

You have some basic knowledge of elemental magic. You can learn spells from scrolls and books so long as they are [Elemental].

[Fireball] (Active) added.

15 MP

Launch an explosive ball of fire at a target for 25 damage. Deals an additional 20 Explosive Splash damage to nearby targets. Will ignite the target, dealing an additional 2 damage per second.

[Raise Stone Wall] added.

25 MP

Raise a wall of nearby stone from the ground to protect yourself. May be repaired at a rate of 1 MP per 2% condition.

[Ice Spike] added.

15 MP

Launch a spike of ice at a target, dealing 40 damage. Has a high chance of critical hit and does extra damage to limbs.

[Vacuum Palm] added.

10 MP

Creates a vacuum in the user's palm. Will draw a targeted object or person towards the caster.

After I finished that up, the screen closed, to my immediate confusion. "Um… I wasn't really done with that. There was still a bunch of other things left."

Worry not! You input is not necessary for all of them! The rest of it will be filled in as you make your journey. This paperwork is for us too. There is just one last thing before we push forward and you end up in the first of many destinations in your afterlife. There are a couple of systems we're thinking of possibly integrating into our Full Gamer Experience. Would you be interested in acting as a beta tester for those as well? There is, of course, a signing bonus should you accept.

[Choose Your Path!]

We are offering you a once in an after-lifetime opportunity within your once in an after-lifetime experience! There are several experimental systems that we would like to test, and should you accept to do so, you will be rewarded handsomely with free XP, currency, a number of potions, and an epic-class item. There is no penalty for rejecting the offer besides the missed opportunity!

[Accept] [Decline]

I looked at the screen with a little suspicion but sighed. Getting a couple of early game boons could make things a lot easier depending on where I ended up. And based on the information provided it couldn't really hurt to take the offer, so sure. Let's do it.

(5)*Large XP Potions added to the inventory

(5000)*Currency Tokens added to the inventory

(10)*Large HP Potions added to the inventory

(10)*Large MP Potions added to the inventory

Drought of Strength added to the inventory

Drought of Dexterity added to the inventory

Drought of Constitution added to the inventory

Drought of Intellect added to the inventory

Drought of Wisdom added to the inventory

Drought of Charisma added to the inventory

Drought of Luck added to the inventory

Epic-Class GachaToken added to the inventory

Scanning over the list, the last item catches my attention. "Gacha token? Um…." I'm interrupted by the Voice overhead.

And with that, welcome to your new and improved afterlife Mr. Orpheus Kidwell! I hope for a long and fruitful partnership with you!

For a moment, everything went black and I was a little afraid I'd lost my body again. There wasn't anything to be afraid of though. Slowly opening my eyes, I looked around at a vaguely familiar scene. I was sitting, but moving outside. There was a slight creaking of wooden wheels moving over a dirt path and I tried to figure out where I'd seen this mountain and forest scenery before. I went to grab the seat behind me so that I could balance myself and look behind me, but I soon realized that I was bound at the wrists with thick rope.

"Oh, you're finally awake. You got caught at the border, like the rest of us. And the thief over there." Oh fuck… Divines help me.