章 2: First Step in Destiny

Suddenly a green line extended out in front of me. I was surprised at first as it appeared out of nowhere, but I knew it must be leading me to my test area. I followed it to enter a vast space that had no visible boundaries.

On the sides of the wide area, I noticed rows of seats. There were a huge number of participants in front of me. That didn't discourage me as it instead made me feel a great sense of challenge. I simply needed to beat them all, right?

When I arrived at my test area, I found a small platform that was similar to many others I had passed on my way here. Without delay, I climbed the three meters high platform and then waited just like everybody else around me.

After two minutes I heard the same pleasant voice saying directly in my ears:

"Welcome to the Frod test. You have ten hours to answer all the questions. Your answers will be evaluated by me.

The percentage of right answers you get will be very important in determining your future. Please choose your answers carefully. Judges are watching you, so try to perform well as their evaluation is important too. Good luck. Test is officially starting."

In seconds, I found a strange screen that appeared in front of my eyes. It somehow hung in the air, but I felt it wasn't real. I tried to touch it, but my hands just passed through it. How could I see something that didn't physically exist? That seemed strange to me, but this was Frod's Technological world so I wasn't too surprised.

Suddenly a row of questions appeared in front of me. Each question had over ten possible answers. I remembered Respon's advice, so I started rapidly choosing my answers. Some questions were simple, but others were strange like:

"You have a guild army's worth of players under your command. Your guild is at war with three other guilds. Your guild is losing. What will you do to change the course of the war?"

"A very strong player has applied to join your guild, but this player is famous for betrayal. Your guild is in desperate need of a strong player. What will you do under this situation?"

"You have found a high-level treasure chest. The chest is in the den of very strong monsters. You are a solo player. How will you get this chest?"

Questions like these filled the whole test. I didn't know what these terms meant, but I felt that they were like real-life situations. The question about the guild being at war with the other three guilds was just like my kingdom, it was also at war with three other kingdoms.

I didn't choose any of the answers from the list that followed that question since there was an option to write my own answer. I wrote that I would use diplomacy and break their guild from the inside.

I would focus on offense by focusing on one kingdom and make it break internally. I would then use this pressure to cause inside strife between the three guilds.

I would spread rumors about my guild allying with other guilds to cause more panic inside their forces. I would hit one guild so badly that the other two guilds would hesitate.

I would then offer a peace treaty to one of the remaining guilds. The war would end by one guild being nearly destroyed, one guild becoming my ally and the final one would end up in fear of my retaliation.

I used the same method of writing my own answers to solve the questions that I didn't understand. The majority of these questions were about guilds and guild wars. It took me around five hours to finish the test.

I didn't know if I was fast enough, but it took me quite a bit of time just trying to understand these weird questions and terms. I thought I would be tested about kingdoms and imperial problems, but it felt weird answering guild and player issues.

Even up until I finished, I didn't understand what a guild was or what players were!

"Congratulations! You have finished your test. Your score is 98%. It is a very high score. The evaluation from the judges will be announced now.

The judges evaluate your performance to be at 97%. Your final score is 97.5 %. Congratulations you are now in the first percentile of all the participants. Your final evaluation is "Guild Master". You will receive your post in ten minutes. You can now contact anyone you know from your friends or family."

I didn't understand a word of what those words meant. What "guild master" post? I didn't have any family here in the Frod Empire, but I do have one person that I know here. I didn't waste any more time and said:

"I want to speak with the crown prince, Respon."

"Starting to contact the crown prince, Respon. Respon has accepted your call request. "

Suddenly the screen showed the young face of Respon. When I saw him I couldn't help but acknowledge that he was handsome!

"My little fighter, you finished the test rapidly! I estimated you would take a few more hours to finish the test."

"That was all thanks to your advice, my prince."

"Ok, enough of this chit chat. I guess you have succeeded in the test, so your time is limited. Tell me what your rank is."

"I got a strange rank called "Guild Master." What is this rank? Is it a high rank? "

I noticed the sudden change on his face. He looked very serious as he asked me:

"What rank did you say you got?"

"The Guild Master Rank."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. What does this rank mean?"

I noticed his hesitation before he asked me again:

"What was your final score?"

"I got a 97.5 % total score!"

"That's weird! Have you ever used our technology?"

"No. I actually didn't understand most of the test questions."

"Then how did you answer them perfectly?"

"It was similar to the many issues that my kingdom faced. I didn't think of these strange names like guilds or players. I thought of these questions as kingdom related questions and answered them as such."

I heard him muttering to himself in disbelief:

"That's strange! It seems that you have fate with Frod!"

"What do you mean my prince?"

His absent look instantly changed to become serious, as he said:

"You are now responsible for establishing a guild. I don't know if you'll like it or not, but you will be now transferred to a game world. This game is a new game that has begun with the test participants from this month.

Your rank is Guild Master. That means you will have a guild establishing stone. Do not use it in the beginning. I will try to send help to you as soon as possible. "

I felt the urgency in his voice, so I said immediately:

"I didn't understand a single word of what you just said!"

"Don't worry. When you enter the game you will understand. Be careful and don't tell your rank to anyone. Your rank is very special, and many will try to push you down. Keep a low profile till my reinforcement arrives.

What name will you choose to play with?"

"Name? I don't understand. I already have a name."

"Oh, forget it. There's no time. Choose your name, and don't forget to keep it low profile. My reinforcements will use the code "Respon game "when they contact you. Keep a low profile and play safe. Don't f..."

He didn't have time to complete his words to me as I sensed a huge strength pulling me from my seat. I felt dazed and disoriented. What was happening to me now?

When the pulling force vanished, I found myself in a very wide open space. I looked around and saw everything was absolutely white. Suddenly a yellow dot appeared in front of me, and then it transformed to become a very beautiful and seductive lady.

"Welcome adventurer, to the game of Destiny. Here you will take your first steps towards glory. I'm Onita. You can consider me as your assistant. You have taken your Frod assessment test.

Your test results put you in the rank of Guild Master. Do you want to establish your guild now as an adventurer?"

I looked at this pretty lady wondering, "what the hell is she saying to me?". I remembered Respon's warning so I said without thinking:

"No, I won't establish a guild for now."

"It seems to me you are from an outside kingdom, correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand what you will be experiencing or do you want me to explain it to you?"

Finally. I found someone that could help me! I said at once:

"Yes please, I don't understand anything at all."

"That's fine. Many newcomers here don't understand the core of our civilization. Our Empire was built over a technological heritage.

We use the power of XP to improve ourselves. Everyone in our Empire has a level and a ranking. The level determines your power, and ranking determines your authority. Your particular rank is a very unique one within the Empire.

In Frod we place Guild Masters at a very highly esteemed position. We believe that guild masters are the core of our civilization and our hope for a better future.

Any Guild Master can upgrade himself using our technology to create a kingdom and eventually, even an Empire. That for sure is part of a distant future and needs a lot of hard work and sacrifices. Also, it would require a lot of luck to do so.

You are the first newcomer in a millennium to reach this rank. Descendants of aristocratic families in the Frod Empire have always held this rank exclusively.

You will experience a new game system in which you will strive for hegemony. You will try hard to gain XP as this will make you stronger. As a Guild Master, you also need to make your guild stronger.

Guild wars here in the game are very brutal, so I advise you to take this game seriously. If your guild is destroyed three times in one year, you will lose your qualifications as a Guild Master. Do you understand, adventurer?"

It was a lot of information to take in but I needed to know all this. I will be living inside a game. What does this game look like? Is it like the real world?

"I understand. What if I get killed in there?"

"You will lose one level and you can resurrect. There are different penalties for dying in this game, so try to stay alive. Every time you die your soul becomes weaker.

If you die ten times in one year, you will be stripped of your rank qualifications as a Guild Master. If you die more than thirty times in a year or your level becomes zero, then you will be expelled from the game.

If this happens, you will lose your right to use Frod technology. So, cherish this chance adventurer, as you won't get it again"

It seemed safe yet dangerous at the same time. This Frod game world seemed incredibly challenging to me. That's good. I love challenges. I thought about her words and remembered Respon's anxious face.

It seemed that I would be in great danger if the aristocratic descendants knew about my identity.

"Can anyone know about my score and my name?"

"Yes, the test results will be published to the public. Anyone can reach the test results easily. Now, are you ready Adventurer to choose your in game name?"

That was a close call! If I had decided to choose my true name, then anyone could find me easily. I mustn't choose my real name at all! This name must be temporarily forgotten if I wanted to live! I smiled with tension and said:

"My name will be Agatha."

Agatha was my little sister's name. Sorry, Agatha, I needed to borrow your name for a while.

"Welcome Agatha to the game, Destiny. What class will you choose?"