Chapitre 1: World of Orion
Thump... Thump... Thump...
'It's dark…'
My mind registered two things: It was dark, and I could hear my heart beat with an uncommon clarity.
'What happened?'
Memories of the events that occurred moments before flickered in my mind.
'Ah... That's right, I'm dead... or at least, I should be?'
The blinding light and heat were the last things I remembered before darkness took me.
The nuclear apocalypse…
We all knew it was coming and the death it would bring.
We were warned for years. All it'd take was one lunatic with too much power to start the chain of events that would end the world.
'Why can I hear my heartbeat then?'
........
'Ah, there it goes…'
Silence joined darkness as the sound of my heartbeat abruptly stopped.
....
'I can still think though. My mind still works.'
And so it went, I was alone with nothing but darkness and my thoughts. My concept of time slowly slipped away. My five senses… gone. No hunger. No pain. Just, nothing.
I tried to take refuge in my memories, but even those were starting to slip away.
***
Time passed.
'How long has it been?'
I couldn't tell how long it had been since I died. At least, I assumed I was dead. The memory of how I ended up in this situation had long blurred and faded. It sort of 'felt' as if centuries have passed. Just me, and my thoughts. Alone, in the darkness.
'I miss them…'
Memories of my family were the last things anchoring my consciousness in this eternal void.
Their laughs.
Their smiles.
Their… Voices?
I wasn't quite sure I could remember those now…
'I'm losing myself... Is this how it's going to end?'
Suddenly...
Ding!
[System loading... Target acquired.]
'Well, this is new.'
A lone line of green text appeared in my mind's eye, right in the middle of my "vision". For the first time in a very, very long time I felt a trickle of old, yet fresh emotions as the green text started to fade. I was worried that the text would leave me alone again. That worry led to another feeling: Anxiety.
But it didn't disappear for long, a new set of green text appeared a few seconds later.
[Lost soul located, offer initiated.
Would you like to join Orion?]
'Well…' I contemplated briefly, 'I don't know what Orion is, but I certainly have nothing to lose.'
'How do I accept? Do I just say yes?'
[Reply received. Target has agreed. Initiating startup in 3… 2… 1…]
A blinding light instantly snuffed out the suffocating darkness.
White replaced black as tiny dots of color started to phase into existence. At first a few, then more, and finally a flood of them connected. Familiar images now filled my newly created eyes.
'A beach?'
Emotions overwhelmed me.
I could see!
I could smell!!
I could hear!!!
My vision blurred from tears as I looked out at the endless water in front of me.
[Welcome to Orion. State your name to complete your registration.]
'My name?'
'What was it again?'
….
'Ah. I remember.'
The corners of my lips rose as my second chance at life sank in as reality.
"Abel"
My voice was soft and clear, albeit different now. It was deeper… and foreign.
[Name accepted. Registration complete. Basic functions of Orion can be accessed by focusing your thoughts on one of the corresponding keywords to access your information. Keywords: Status. Quest Log.]
'No fucking way.'
My heart rate increased as a certain possibility struck me.
'It's like some kind of game?'
Faded memories of hours spent playing games in my past life were made clearer as my mind attempted to restore what was lost.
I chuckled happily as my brain quickly connected the dots.
Well, this sure beats a crumbling existence in the void. I took a deep breath and stretched my new body as I looked up and down the beach. It seemed to be a small cove with dirty sand that was littered with tiny rocks.
Looking down, I took note of my pale skin and thin frame.
'It seems I was only given shorts and boots to start off in this world.'
Both of which seemed old and worn.
I focused my thoughts on the first keyword: 'Status.'
[Name: Abel
Race: Human
Level: 1
Health: 100/100
Mana: 10/10
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 10
Vitality: 10
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
EXP: 0/100]
'Mana?'
My eyebrow raised as I registered the possibility of magic existing in this world.
'No no, I can't get excited. At least not yet.'
I pushed my excitement away. Better to lower my expectations than be disappointed later.
I focused my thoughts again, this time on the second keyword: 'Quest Log.'
[Active Quests:
Slay a Paruven Crustacean. Reward: 10 exp]
'A Paruven Crustacean?'
I looked around the beach. There was no movement other than the steady rise and fall of dark seawater. To my left, the beach curved further out to sea. My vision was cut off by a cluster of rocks peeking out from an ascending tree line. The opposite direction also curved out to sea, but the tree line was flat.
Behind me, the trees were thick and absurdly tall, unlike anything I had ever seen back on Earth. The canopy was so thick, barely any sunlight made it through. As a result, there was little to no underbrush. Peering deeper, I could see an ascending slope that was eventually cut off from view by the lower crown of the trees.
As I got my bearings, a certain nervousness started to rise in my chest. I was in a completely foreign world. I knew nothing.
I began walking down the beach towards the level tree line, as a flat landscape would take less energy to traverse.
I barely walked for a few minutes when I noticed a peculiar reddish-brown rock protruding from the otherwise smooth beach ahead. Intrigued, I walked towards it. I must have been about ten steps away when suddenly...
Eeep!
The "rock" rose an inch off the ground exposing several tiny legs… and scurried towards the water.
Before I could properly register what happened, it was gone.
'It seems to be some sort of crab? Will I even be able to kill one of them?' I looked down at my bare hands with doubt.
The Paruven Crustacean, if it was the same creature as mentioned in my quest, seemed highly alert.
Considering my options, I knew I needed some sort of weapon to try and penetrate its defense; And the first thought that came to mind was some sort of spear.
That was the first obstacle to overcome. A strategy for getting close enough to attack it… could wait.
With that in mind, I walked towards the forest to see if I could find a suitable stick to serve as the shaft. Upon reaching the tree line, the sound of panicked footsteps accompanied by snapping sticks echoed from my left. I turned towards the source of the disturbance.
"Ah!"
From between the trees, a small girl came into view. She was bleeding from several deep gashes on her arms and legs. Her skin was dark and ashen, unlike anything I had ever seen before. She wore what appeared to be nothing more than rags, which were badly damaged but still relatively intact. She looked to be in rough shape, but more importantly...
'Horns...'
She had horns!
My eyes widened and my mouth fell open. Slack-jawed, I stared at her horns. The horns were peeking out from beneath her long, jet-black hair – which was several shades darker than her skin. They were red and looked to be about three to four inches long. And sharp.
As soon as she noticed me, she let out an adorable "ah" sound. Her eyes were wide as she was clearly surprised to see me. We both stood there wide-eyed and staring at each other until suddenly, her eyes turned sharp. She gritted her teeth and lunged at me.
'Fast!'
I had but a moment to react before she was within reach. I took half a step back, and… she struck me. With a force disproportionate to her small size, her small fist barreled into the side of my face sending me flying back.
[Damage received: 13]
[You have been stunned.]
My body flew back ten feet before crashing into the sandy beach. Although I could no longer move a muscle, I landed in such a way I could still see her.
She stood there dazed, as if she didn't expect such little resistance. As she took half a step towards me with a murderous glint in her eyes, distant shouting pulled her attention. She hesitated for a moment, before taking off up the beach.
'That hurt…'
The pain radiating from my cheek was intense, and I suspected the bone to be bruised, if not fractured. My thoughts were a mess, and I couldn't help but lament my misfortune. 'Less than an hour into my new life... and this...'
Ominous.
It wasn't a good sign.
Three seconds passed and the paralysis holding me in place faded. I sat up and started rubbing my cheek gingerly, trying to rub away the pain. After around twenty seconds, a group of bulky men clad in silver armor rushed out from the forest. My eyes were drawn to one of their breastplates where a white horse-like creature was engraved neatly into the metal. They were all wielding long black spears with various smaller weapons strapped to their waists.
The armored men, of which I counted seven, took one look at me then took off down the beach in the direction the girl had run.
'They're following her footsteps...' I noticed.
Right as I sighed in relief, thinking they had no interest in me, one of the men broke away from their group. He was heading back in my direction.
'Uhh... Should I run?'
The men were likely responsible for the young girl's injuries. Although they were clearly chasing her and shouldn't have any interest in me, I couldn't help but glance at the forest, retreat on my mind.
I quickly got back to my feet when the man finally walked close enough that I could see his eyes. Those eyes betrayed his intentions. They carried same murderous glint the girl had after socking me.
I turned and sprinted for the tree line.
Just a few steps from the outermost trees, I heard something flying. Although I didn't know what that sound belonged to, I didn't dare look back to find out. I dove, lunging into the shade of the forest.
As I crashed to the ground, the man's spear passed right over my head, plunging into the ground a short distance in front of me.
I scrambled to my feet, not wasting any time as I rushed towards the spear. The man noticed my intentions and quickly unsheathed the weapon strapped to his waist - a short sword. He was still twenty steps away from me when I reached the spear, which had plunged deep into the forest floor. I wrapped both hands around the shaft and heaved as hard as I could, attempting to free the spear from the ground. My first attempt was unsuccessful, but I clenched my teeth and tried once more.
[You have obtained – Paruven Kingdom Standard Issue War Spear]
Taking a moment to acknowledge the green text floating in my vision, I glanced over my shoulder at the soldier who was now only 10 steps away. I considered fighting for a moment, but quickly dismissed that thought. I had no idea how to fight, and the man had armor, while I… did not. My only hope was that I might be able to outrun the man.
And so, I ran.
Ten steps became twenty and twenty became thirty. His armor slowed him down just enough.
When he realized he wouldn't catch me and that I was pulling him further from his real target, the man turned and ran back. At the time however, I didn't notice that. I was still running like my life depended on it.
I kept running for several minutes before I stumbled over a tree's roots. Despite being exhausted, I fought off the desire to lay there catching my breath. I pushed myself back up, took one glance back – and he was gone.
I nervously looked around while taking rapid, deep breaths - trying to claim enough oxygen to replenish my screaming lungs and muscles. To my right, I could still see the beach, though I had run far enough that I was almost out of the cove. I nervously made my way back towards the sandy beach to get a better view of how far I had run.
Stepping back into the sunlight, the armored men were nowhere in sight. Not taking any chances, I decided to keep moving – in the opposite direction.
A few minutes later, I finally made it to the edge of the cove. The sea was much rougher here, and to my right, I could now see a vast shoreline dotted with titanic trees. The only thing that broke up the monotonous view were distant shadows peering over the tree line, which I guessed could be mountains.
I took a deep breath.
'This world seems… massive…'
The curvature of the planet didn't seem to exist as it did on Earth. Even so, my vision was still eventually obscured by what I guessed could only be distant weather. Not only that, but the trees… If they were put to scale, they'd be three to five times the size of even the largest trees on Earth. And they looked so… Alien. The bark was dark, almost black, with small crevices between the larger plates. Although the shade from the crown above made it difficult to examine properly, I swear I could almost see what looked like… flesh… in those crevices.
It was a disturbing thought.
Although I was still concerned about my encounter with the natives of this world, and slightly unnerved by the massive trees, I knew I had things to do. I possessed barely any clothes, no shelter, and now the spear I managed to snag from the armored man's miscalculation. If I had been even a moment slower, that spear would have plunged into the back of my skull and ended my new life just like that.
Looking at the spear, I couldn't help but grip it a little tighter. It was now my most valuable possession - the only thing I could count on in this strange new world.
I looked away from the spear and down the sandy beach. A few hundred feet away, I could see a certain peculiar rock resting in the distance. The corners of my lips raised slightly as I began to contemplate how to ambush the shifty little crab. I needed to find food, shelter, and something to wear. But first, I wanted to see what would happen if I completed the quest.
With that in mind, I took a step forward. A step of great significance, as I steeled my resolve and readied myself to learn and adapt to my new life.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone