Chapter 16: Multiversal Ranking

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Multiversal Ranking

Victor was barely conscious and struggling to remain that way. By the time he read the last words the System had for him, he could no longer endure the combination of his wounds closing and the exhaustion from his previous escape.

Surrounded by the dark mist, he fell into a deep sleep. He didn’t know when he would wake up or if it was safe to fall asleep in the middle of nowhere. He’d had enough for today, and he couldn’t stay awake any longer.

Hours passed after that. Maybe it was nighttime, or maybe it was still daytime. With the mist filling every corner of the scenario, it was difficult to tell where the sun was. What could be hiding in the mist? What universe did this scenario belong to?

Starting his day with those questions, Victor opened his eyes. Well, he thought he had opened them, but everything was completely dark.

’Where the hell am I?’

He carefully sat up and touched his abdomen. What a surprise. He could still feel that everything was in one piece. He sighed in relief and looked around for an explanation.

’It’s so dark that it feels like I’m floating in the void. Though I’m actually sitting on... stone.’

Rather than overthink it, Victor ran his hands over the stone and soon reached the remains of his backpack. Searching through the torn pockets and praying that it was still there, he pulled out his lighter.

’There it is!’

There was nothing else within reach, so he tore off some of the backpack’s fabric and, with the help of his lighter, set it on fire. Light filled the darkness, and Victor was able to see what surrounded him for a few meters.

He frowned in confusion.

"All my items... came with me?"

His walking stick was lying nearby, along with his knife and the other remains of his backpack. That brought back the memory of the stone that had saved his life. Checking his pocket, he found the item.

The stone had lost its color and was cold. Even its description had changed.

[Stone.]

[Rarity: C]

[Description: A stone that once contained a light of hope. It is now empty, cold, and colorless.]

Victor squeezed the stone in his hand and said:

"Thank you."

Another day. Victor had lived another day, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it. That anger was still burning fiercely inside him. He squeezed the stone even harder as Ayax’s face filled his mind.

’I have no idea where I am, but I’m alive. I can become stronger.’

He stood up and looked at the sky, assuming there even was one.

"Ayax... I swear, if I ever see you again, I’ll kill you on the spot."

Victor had never killed anyone he considered a person, but now that he knew what this gods’ game could be like, he knew that sooner or later, he’d have to kill anyone who stood in his way if he wanted to survive.

Then he took a moment to breathe because he could feel his anger getting to his head and picked up everything he could. Stuffing everything into his sleeping bag and using his walking stick and the remains of his backpack as a torch, he was ready to continue his journey.

As he tried to figure out where he was, he received that daily message that always put him in a good mood.

[You have one Daily Summon available.]

’So a day has already passed...’

He smiled calmly and said:

"I still need to check the System, but until then, summon the gacha."

The sphere of light formed, strangely failing to illuminate the darkness like the torch did. The colors changed one after another until finally stopping on gray.

[Congratulations!]

[You have obtained: Deluxe First-Aid Kit.]

[Rarity: C]

’For the most basic rarity, it’s surprisingly useful. I already had a first-aid kit from the Basic Survival Pack, but having more is never a bad thing.’

He stored the first-aid kit, a somewhat large box filled with everything needed to properly treat wounds.

Then, using his torch for light, he walked for a few meters, hoping to find something. The ground had already given him an idea of where he might be, but the wall he nearly walked into confirmed it.

’There’s a door. Is that a door?’

He approached it. The wall was made of bricks, while the door was made of hand-carved oak. It didn’t look like an old place, like the castle ruins from his home world, which immediately made him suspicious.

He was already wondering what was inside when he looked at the darkness surrounding him and thought:

’Maybe it’s safer inside whatever this is than out here.’

He was far too exposed in this place, so he tried to open the door. However, it was stuck, and it took him several pushes to finally get it open.

He entered an even darker place, but his torch illuminated the inside much better, allowing him to see that this was the interior of a small, remarkably well-preserved medieval house.

"Can this be considered luck?"

He dropped his "sack," which was actually his sleeping bag.

’I’m starting to think that for every two bad things, one good thing will follow.’

There was a table with unlit candles in the small place, so Victor lit them using his torch. With a smaller source of light now available, he extinguished his torch by covering it with scraps from his backpack and sat down in one of the nearby wooden chairs.

’What a cozy place. It almost makes me forget that they tried to kill me.’

Safe behind four walls, the System window was ready to provide new information.

"Well, while we’re at it. Status."

***

Status

[Name: Victor Sapphire (Prime)]

[Rank: Initiate]

[Classification: 777,777,777]

[Path: Gacha System Master]

[Path Rank: Initiate]

***

[Victor Sapphire (Prime) is now part of the Multiversal Ranking (Initiate) at position 777,777,777.]

"So it really is a game to them, huh..."