Chương 2: Bloodline Gate

Joe blinked. Why was it so dark? He raised his hand to his head, rubbing his eyes as he tried to adjust to the sudden darkness.

"Dude, what the fuck, man!" Hakeem's exclamation shattered the silence beside him as he waited for his vision to adapt to the black void enveloping them.

"What the hell did you just do?"

"Alright. Calm down, guys; I just thought we should, you know... Go inside."

"Inside the giant green thing that appeared out of nowhere? Are you crazy? Why the hell did you think that was a good idea?" Hakeem's voice carried disbelief and irritation. Joe hesitated, unsure how to explain himself. Why had he done that? Was he crazy? There had been a compulsion, a deep, unexplainable instinct he couldn't ignore.

"I just thought it was the best idea at the moment," he muttered with a shrug. As his eyes finally adjusted, he turned to Hakeem, who glared at him, his face shadowed in the dim light.

"And dragging us along?" Hakeem's tone was sharp, his anger unmistakable. Joe felt Kai's hand settle firmly on his shoulder. Kai, too, was squinting at him, his expression a mix of confusion and frustration.

"Why?" He asked simply. Joe raised his hands, palms open in a placating gesture.

"Have you ever felt a compulsion from deep within that you just had to listen to? It was like my soul screamed, Enter that gate right now."

"Your soul? Really?"

"Hell yeah," Joe responded, then shifted his attention to their surroundings.

"Anyway, we're here now, so let's get our bearings and head towards that light." He pointed toward the faint glow at the far end of the corridor and began walking without waiting for a response. Where else could they go? The narrow corridor stretched ahead with walls sealing off any other paths. Behind him, he could hear the hesitant footsteps of Hakeem and Kai as they reluctantly followed. Their muffled murmurs carried faint echoes, but Joe didn't turn back to listen.

Reaching out, he ran his fingers along the smooth wall beside him. It was cold, like marble, but it felt wrong, alien. It was as if he could sense its texture, yet he could not come up with a comparison. The sensation was unsettling, and he quickly withdrew his hand, resisting the urge to touch it again. The silence stretched as they walked, each lost in their thoughts. For Joe, the reality of the situation was sinking in—a voice in his head, a tutorial, a magical gate.

Everything pointed to one conclusion: they weren't in London anymore. This felt like a game, but what kind of game? The possibilities were endless, and none of them comforting. Joe flexed his fingers as he moved closer to the light, trying to push away the unease growing in his chest. — Kai followed along behind the asshole who had dragged him into the big magic water thing. What the hell was going on? It was so confusing. One minute, he was buying some drinks and… he looked at the bag still in his hands.

And now he was walking down a very dark tunnel towards who knows where to do who knows what. He touched his head again instinctively. How could this have happened? Were they now in some fantasy book? He had no idea what was going on. — Hakeem glanced at Kai beside him, then at the other guy's back ahead of them.

"Hey, Joe. You sure this was a good idea? I mean, if we die today, I'm going to haunt you forever." Joe's shoulders shook with laughter. Typical. Hakeem stared at him, his thoughts swirling. What else could he expect? Joe was reckless to the core. Yet, buried beneath the fear, worry, and dread, there was a faint spark of something else: excitement. But he didn't want to die. Not today. Please, not today.

– After about twenty minutes of walking, the corridor gradually brightened enough for them to see their surroundings. There was no obvious source for the light; it just seemed to appear diffused around them. Joe wasn't about to complain, though. It was better than total darkness. Now that he could see the walls clearly, they were extraordinary. Calling them marble didn't feel right.

They looked almost slime-like, with an unusual brown and green hue and a mud-like pattern that gave them a strangely organic appearance. When he touched the surface again, it felt rigid and unyielding, almost unbreakable, if you could call that a feeling. He couldn't imagine anything being capable of making a dent in it.

"How long is this damn tunnel?" Kai grumbled. Joe squinted ahead and caught sight of what looked like an opening. Beyond it, a room was faintly visible, though he couldn't quite make out what was inside.

"Not far to go. I think I see something ahead," he said. The two behind him perked up and hurried to catch up, walking alongside him.

"Well, guys, in case we die as soon as we enter that room, just don't blame me, yeah."

"I one hundred per cent blame you," Hakeem replied.

"Me too," Kai added. Joe laughed, his voice echoing down the corridor. They finally saw what awaited them as they reached the room's opening. A desk stood in the centre, and a blue-haired, silver-skinned woman was seated behind it. Her smile was bright, almost unnervingly so, as she watched them cautiously approach.

"Welcome, Travellers, to the Bloodline Gate," she said in a melodic voice. They stopped a few steps away, exchanging uncertain glances. No one seemed sure how to respond or what to do next.

"The great and benevolent Mistress Catalina Terravignion has chosen you three," the woman continued.

"You are the first in your world to participate in this bloodline gate."

"Wait a minute." Joe interrupted, frowning.

"Isn't this supposed to be a tutorial?"

"Tutorial?" the woman repeated, tilting her head.

"This is not a tutorial. It was clearly labelled outside. This is the great Eludian Empire Bloodline Gate." Joe turned to Hakeem and Kai, their expressions a mixture of confusion and unease. They clearly expected him to keep the conversation going; neither looked eager to speak.

"Erm, well," Joe began, pointing vaguely around the room, "we were up, or across, on the surface. And we heard a voice saying something about a tutorial gate opening. Then, this gate appeared in front of us, and we entered. I figured this was the tutorial." He trailed off, waiting for her response. Stolen novel; please report. After five long minutes of silence, with the woman staring blankly as though gazing through them, Joe hesitantly added, "Erm, hello?"

All three jumped as she suddenly gestured dramatically, slapping her forehead.

"It seems your world was just integrated into a newly formed system consciousness. Puzzling." Her fingers moved rapidly as if typing on an invisible keyboard or manipulating an unseen screen. Joe stared, completely lost. He had no idea what to say or do, so he simply waited, watching her strange hand movements. Hakeem finally broke the silence.

"What are you doing right now?" he asked.

"And… What are you? Are you a robot?" The woman turned her eyes to Hakeem, and he instinctively took a step back. Her silver eyes seemed to pierce straight through him, hiding something unsettling beneath their surface. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Apologies," she said, her tone formal.

"I shall introduce myself." She stood up gracefully, lowered her hands to her sides, and bowed slightly.

"I am the artificial recreation of the consciousness of the one known as Marvos Terravignion of the Eludian Empire," she said smoothly, her tone almost reverent. She paused for a moment before continuing.

"For what I was doing, I was accessing my system files. Have you not accessed your system status or menu before?" System status? Joe thought, confused. A screen materialized out of thin air as if responding to his thoughts, floating directly before his face.

Status Name: Joseph Caldwell Age: 27 Race: Human (Grade F - Rank 0) Level: 1 Alignment: Human (World 43) Class: N/A Professions: N/A, N/A Titles First Steps Stats Strength: 3 Agility: 4 Vitality: 4 Endurance: 4 Wisdom: 5 Intelligence: 5 Luck: 99 Hidden Stat: N/A Free Points: 0 System Credits: 100"What the fuck!" Joe's mouth fell open as he stared at the screen. It looked just like a game status screen. Oh my god. He scanned over the details on the screen. His name and race were simple enough to understand.

But the Grade F next to his race caught his attention. Curious, he focused on the word 'grade,' and a small description box appeared: Grade F Human - The lowest grade of human. One who has just started on their journey into the multiverse. Focusing on different parts of the screen brought up more information. Nice, he thought. This was surprisingly intuitive. Next, he focused on the word 'rank' beside his race. Rank 0 Human - Your rank determines your future potential as a human in the multiverse.

The higher your rank, the more free stat points you receive per level up and the better your chances of receiving higher rarity skills and class upgrades. May your future be bright and fulfilling. Lowest Rank 1, highest Rank 10. Joe blinked in confusion. The lowest rank was 1… but his rank was 0. That must be a bug, right? How could he be below the lowest rank? Shaking his head, he glanced at his friends. Both of them were staring ahead, frowning. They must also be looking at their own status screens.

Deciding to continue, he shifted his focus back to the screen Strength - How strong one is. Agility - How fast one is. Vitality - How many health points one has. Endurance - How much damage one can negate. Intelligence - How strong one is with magic. Wisdom - How much mana one has. Magic? Can he use magic? That thought made his eyes widen. He looked at his stats, noticing that Intelligence and Wisdom were his highest, apart from one other. Luck - Luck is the defining stat that determines one's fate. Fate?

What did that mean? The stat descriptions were concise and easy to understand, but luck and its connection to fate puzzled Joe. He decided to ignore it for now, focusing instead on something else that had been nagging at him.

"Excuse me, Marvos. May I call you that?"

"Yes, please ask any questions you have; I can sense your confusion," Marvos replied smoothly.

"Great, erm. Well… you see, the class section on my status screen is flashing. But I'm not sure if I should check it or not. Do you know what will happen if I do?"

"Is this your first look at the status screen?" Marvos asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Odd," she said, pausing briefly. Then, with a loud clap of her hands, she continued, "Let me explain. Joseph, Kairos, and Hakeem." Joe's two friends turned towards Marvos, their attention drawn away from their screens.

"I shall explain. You have skipped the tutorial. I will guide you. You must choose a class before you take a Bloodline challenge. This will determine which Bloodline you can gain compatibility with." This statement raised a whole new set of questions in Joe's mind, but he decided to hold off, waiting for Marvos to finish her explanation before asking anything else.

"Focus on the class section on your Status screen," Marvos instructed.

"You will be given a class choice. The system will give you around ten classes to pick from. Your first choice is not that important towards your future goals; they will all be basic classes and are simply to get you to adjust to life in the multiverse and how to progress through levelling up and gaining stat points." Kai raised his hand towards his mouth and spoke up.

"Level up? Like in a game?"

"Yes," Marvos confirmed.

"Every class can level up, as can professions. However, to acquire a profession, you must either find a profession gate or have someone teach you. Additionally, half of the Bloodlines available at this gate are tied to professions. To obtain one of these Bloodlines, your profession will be predetermined." Bloodline tied to a profession? He still had no idea what a Bloodline was, and learning it could be tied to a profession left him even more uncertain.

This felt like a significant decision, and with everything being so new, how was he supposed to know if this was a good thing? His head started to ache just thinking about the implications.

"Damn, this is all complicated," he muttered under his breath.

"So if I have this right," he continued, "we should pick a class first, then we can get into the whole Bloodline thing and what that even means? Do you have any advice on what to look for when picking a class? I know you said it's not that important, but it seems like it would be somewhat important at least. Surely?"

"Pick with your instincts," Marvos replied smoothly.

"Only trust yourself when picking a class. Find your own path. Do not let someone else lead the way. That will only lead to mediocrity." She smiled that half-calming, half-nerve-shredding smile. There was something behind that smile, something Joe couldn't quite put his finger on. He glanced at Hakeem, who slightly nodded and focused on his screen. Turning to Kai, he asked.

"You got this, Kai?"

"No, I don't," Kai replied, shaking his head in frustration.

"I have no idea what any of this even means. Why do we have to pick a class? Why is this happening? Can't we just leave and go back to our lives?" They all looked at Marvos, who remained motionless, her expression unreadable.

"I don't think it works that way," Joe said after a moment.

"What if we leave and just end up in some other tutorial gate? Think about it this way. Marvos said that we can level up once we pick a class and gain stat points. That means we will get stronger and faster and magic! You read the Intelligence stat, right? About how it affects magic?" His eyes lit up as the possibilities began to form in his mind.

"Marvos," Joe said, turning to her.

"You said we will gain skills as we level? Does that mean we can use magic?"

"Yes," Marvos responded.

"That's correct. Everyone gains a few magic skills, even those focusing on physical classes."

"You hear that?" Joe grabbed Kai by the shoulders, his excitement spilling over.

"Magic! That alone is a great reason to pick a class!" He could barely contain himself.

"Just think about the future, being a mage who can teleport or throw fireballs. Surely you have something you'd like to do?" Kai stared back at him sceptically.

"Maybe I do?" Kai replied hesitantly. Got him, Joe thought.

"Exactly. Now, pull up your screen and pick a class. Don't overthink it. Just follow your gut. It's gonna be amazing!" Before Kai could respond, both of them turned toward Hakeem, who suddenly began to glow. Light radiated around him, and in a flash, a giant sword appeared in his hands, accompanied by armour materializing over his clothing.

"Holy shit!" Joe exclaimed, stumbling back a couple of steps. The sword was enormous. Hakeem smiled confidently.

"I picked the Knight class," he said simply. A sheath appeared at his waist as the glow faded. Joe couldn't hold back anymore. If that didn't convince Kai to pick a Class, nothing would. He needed to check his own class list.

'Status,' he thought, and the screen popped up before him. Focusing on the flashing Class word, a smaller screen appeared. System Message Class Farmer (Unique) Obtained congratulations. Title Unique Class Obtained. Wait what? Joe started to glow. Wait! What the hell was going on? Farmer! Before he could process what had just happened, the glow subsided, and a Quarterstaff appeared in his hand. System Message Skill Basic Farming(Common) Obtained. Skill Basic Cooking(Common) Obtained.

Skill Diabolical Quarterstaffmanship(Magic) Obtained.

"Unbelievable," he muttered as clothing labelled Farmer's Introduction Gear appeared on his body. You have got to be shitting me.