Chapter 2: Chapter 2
{Welcome to the world of Faust! This is a world of magic, swords, dragons, and fair maidens requiring rescue! A world of dreams, wishes, and fantasies that any living entity would want to partake in!}
{This world is now your home, Darius Stone! In this world, you are the protagonist, the pioneer, the chosen one! Forge a path through chaotic politics, troubled markets, and deadly battlefields to stand at the top and become a Supreme!}
{After all, this is the only way your damned soul will ever have a chance at reincarnation! This special privilege has been granted to you by Vena, The Goddess of Games and Recreation! Make sure your actions in this world impress her, otherwise she will strip you of this opportunity and present it to another evil soul!}
{Good luck!}
These were the first words Darius Stone heard as he woke up. He found himself slumped over a dining table that was as simple as they came, made of hardwood and covered with a very thin cloth.
He looked around and took stock of his environment. He appeared to be in a small cottage that could only realistically support two people living within at the most, with a single bedroom, one kitchen that was merged with the dining room, and one living room of sorts.
There was no bathroom that he could see straight away, so Darius wondered how the residents here took care of their hygiene. He next inspected himself to see if there were any changes.
He was astounded to discover that he appeared to be in the cradle of his youth, at age 13. As far as he could tell, he had the same body he did when he had been on Earth, which was a small comfort.
This meant that he should have his typical slicked-back black hair as well as his trademark spiky bangs, his sharp hazel eyes, and his angular jaw which was what had made him into a desirable bachelor as a young adult.
Darius noticed that he wore a neat, long-sleeved, black cotton shirt and slim-fitting black pants with calf-length black boots that gave him the look of a young nobleman who was taking a stroll through some medieval town.
After taking stock of himself, Darius stood up and walked around the cottage, carefully noting anything of interest and collecting it, placing it all on the dining table where he had 'spawned'.
He then opened the door to head outside and see where he was located. Immediately, Darius was stunned into silence at the sight before him.
He was located in a beautiful glade in the midst of a dark forest, the sunlight barely able to pierce the canopy of leaves as it bathed him in its warm glow. Beside his small wooden cottage was a large pool of sparkling water that looked like the dew of the heavens.
If anything, Darius understood where one was supposed to bathe now. Still, he was totally enraptured by the sights and smells around him, as he came from a life in an urban society.
Anyone from such a place would be rendered speechless and awed by the sight of nature at its prime. Darius continued to absorb this sight for a few more seconds before casually making a lap around the cottage and the glade in general.
After he felt he had inspected it enough, he returned to the dining table and sat down on the chair he had been seated upon when he awoke. Darius silently began to ponder for a bit in silence.
Then, all of a sudden, he began to laugh. It was a startling act that would have made any onlooker stare at him with worry, fearful for his sanity, but there was no one here. Not only that, Darius laughed for a full minute, tears coming from his eyes, the reason for doing so not even apparent at the moment.
Soon, it came to an end, and the young man wiped his eyes and wore a slight smirk. He re-read the warning that had appeared within his vision when he first spawned and then picked up a quill he found.
Luckily, Darius had needed to learn how to use a quill and parchment as part of high society life. It was truly frightening how the true top 1% desperately clung to old traditions and activities from a bygone era, but for once he was glad about this previously useless skill.
He slowly wrote down upon the parchment as his thoughts moved in a flurry, calculations and realizations flashing through his cortex at light speed. Darius' strength had never been physical, always mental.
Eidetic memory, genius-level intellect, and a high emotional quotient had allowed him to easily read people. All of that had bled into the profession he had chosen for himself in his past life, a businessman.
Darius smirked when he thought of that. 'Past life'. Ha. Like he was some protagonist from those anime and web novels his son and nephews loved to consume.
Especially his youngest nephew and first grandson. Those two had loved those shounen anime and Darius had often been pulled to watch it with them. As an old man in his seventies, he naturally had had the mentality of one and had chosen to spend time with his family rather than work, even if it meant doing things he might not enjoy himself as much.
Yet, after he had closed his eyes for the last time, he had woken up in a body that was in the early stages of puberty and was greeted by a screen of notifications telling him a certain Goddess had reincarnated him to be her pet monkey and provide entertainment.
Most people… no, any sensible person would not be calm in such a situation, as only the mentally infirm could maintain their neutrality at a time like this. Darius didn't think he was mad, but his mind certainly was different.
Darius' train of thought was quite… scary. He had been revered worldwide as a man of kindness, solemnity, and honor. Even though the modern world hated the rich, people had nevertheless still loved him and had even nicknamed him as 'Darius Wayne' in relation to that billionaire superhero.
However, there was not a single member of the true top 1% that had climbed their way up by remaining pure and morally clean.
In fact, Darius was quite sure that his soul was blacker than all of the worst criminals in human history, for the things he had done behind the curtain were truly frightening.
Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Of course, anyone could claim to be the evilest being in the universe, not realizing that such a declaration would simply reveal them to be an edgelord with severe mental problems. Darius understood that.
His last moments on Earth played through his mind as he relaxed in the chair he had sat down in. He had been surrounded by his family, all of them lamenting his impending death and gazing at him with desperation as well as love.
It was only around his family that Darius had behaved as his true self. For he had strongly believed that nothing was more important than family. A good family could ensure 1,000 generations of success while a bad one would only enjoy about 3 generations before the board was reset.
When he had closed his eyes for the final time, he had felt his mind slip into the embrace of darkness and Darius had at most expected to wake up in the midst of an inferno. He had never been much of a believer, but anyone would subconsciously consider such things when they were about to die.
However, as someone who liked to be on top of things, Darius had drafted a plan in the unlikely situation that Hell existed. If he entered Hell, he would scrape, beg, and worm his way in the rankings of the Devil's trusted confidantes before swindling him out of his position.
It certainly wouldn't have been the first time for him to wrongfully take the wealth and possession of others, as he had frequently done on Earth before disposing of them in ways that would never lead back to him.
On the other hand, if he entered Heaven, then he would lock his thoughts in the depths of his mind and remain pious to God. Should there ever come a time when he reached a pre-determined situation, his mind would have unlocked his memories as well as his true intentions, where he would next attempt to usurp the position of God.
Despite all his plans, he had never accounted for the possibility that someone would make him reincarnate into some fantasy world where - as the notifications had put it - there were dragons, dainty maidens, and quite likely whatever else the addled mind of a lonely author could think up from behind the darkness of their screen.
That was why he had laughed so uncontrollably after assessing his general environment. A vile person like him, someone who objectively deserved eternal damnation and had even planned to swindle the Devil or betray God, was actually given a second chance at life?
Not only that, but in the fabled fantasy world where one could live out their dreams by swinging swords, shooting fireballs, or building harems that would never make sense on Earth as well as becoming a ruler over a territory? Too funny.
Of all the people, why him? There had to be uncountable NEETs, saints, and samaritans from Earth who deserved this chance far more than he did. To re-do their lives in this world, possibly bringing peace, prosperity, and justice to this world, compared to him who would bring chaos, dismay, and suffering.
The irony was painful. Why even bother to live a good life on Earth, following the law and being morally clean, if being evil would grant one a better ending than most good guys?
The more one pondered this scenario, the funnier it became.
However, Darius was done with his playful reminiscing. Now, it was time to find out more about what this world was and how he would move forward. He was a person who liked to move according to an overarching plan. He had always hated going with the flow like some brainless dolt.
'Always be proactive, never reactive!', was what Darius had taught his children from an early age.
So, after he had assessed his body and his surroundings, it was now time to perform the final check, which was the reason for his existence.
"Alright, Goddess Vena. Please inform me of my objectives and roles while in your world called Faust. Please let me know what strengths I have and what weaknesses too if possible." Darius requested respectfully.
{Hello Darius Stone! I am the Central Assistant Entity for Slaves Acting in Roles. You can call me CAESAR. I am what you would call an Artificial Intelligence, and my duty is to function as your handler in the world of Faust!}
{Since this is your first day in the world of Faust, you've been granted the privilege to ask me any question and I shall furnish you with the relevant answers if I am allowed to do so by the Goddess! After today, the only time you will be able to contact me will be on extremely special occasions! It is far likelier that I will be contacting you instead.}
{To answer your question, your objective in this world is to become a so-called Supreme. To summarize and cut out unnecessary information, there are 5 stages in this world, Amateur, Journeyman, Adept, Master, and Grandmaster for any and all fields. Above the pinnacle of Grandmaster lies the Supreme Rank, its existence being treated as a myth by the denizens of Faust.}
{Your role will be whatever you want it to be. You will be given a list of choices and paths to take once I am done explaining and you should understand more when the time comes.}
{Your strengths are your intellectual superiority and the bestowment of what you know as a 'system' by Goddess Vena. This will guide you on your path throughout Faust, allowing you to surpass all the living beings if used wisely!}
{Your weaknesses are your lack of combat skill, experience, and knowledge. You were a businessman, not a soldier or superhero. You will likely struggle to become truly combat-capable against the adept residents of this danger-filled world, so good luck!}
{Also, I am obligated to stress one critically important fact. You, Darius Stone, have been brought here to live out the life of a typical protagonist with game-like attributes to amuse Goddess Vena, or as you have put it yourself you've been 'reincarnated to be her pet monkey and provide entertainment'.}
{As such, I will have to torture your soul for a thousand years and cast away what might remain to the edges of oblivion, erasing you from existence, if you ever dare to directly call out for the esteemed Goddess with that vile mortal mouth of yours again!}
{… but I digress. Have a wonderful time exploring the world of Faust that was built by the Goddess! Forge relationships, create guilds, capture pets, or fling potent spells to your heart's desire! The world of Faust exists for YOU to conquer!}
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Kotario
Kotario
This chapter was mostly well-received, but many used the plans Darius had for life after death to call him foolish.
Yes, you understood exactly what was being put across, well done.
I didn't write such content to make Darius seem cool (as it rather comes off as edgy), but to highlight his lack of respect for divinity as well as his overconfidence in his Intellect.
The development in the next few chapters that was missed was how quickly he adapted to being the Goddess slave and cast away any thoughts of such foolishness, for he now realized the power of deities.
To me, I felt this was obvious but...
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
6 Power
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