Zero Fate Against the World (New Version)

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…

"... Is this really it? The fountain I was meant to find?"

It looked elementary, with nothing unusual besides a moss-covered statue at the center of a circular water reservoir.

The statue was that of a woman with her face covered in a veil. She had a simple robe, but what attracted his attention was the only colored thing in this fountain. The red jar. 

The water was still surprisingly flowing from a red jar, despite the many centuries it laid abandoned.

"Yeah... The fountain of the Goddess of the Valleys and Mountains, Eridia."

"Good... I suppose all that's left is to find a coin and throw it inside?"

Looking inside the murky fountain, he could see a few ancient rusty coins lying inside.

'Are those the ones I should pick?'

'For some reason, I feel as if I shouldn't... Something's wrong.'

"I don't like this place... I feel as if I'm being watched."

"Heh... There are no more coins left."

"What?... So... I suppose this Title's a gooner."

"No, not at all… It's rather simple in fact. In ancient times, we would have to undergo rigorous tests to reach this point. But those don't exist anymore..."

"The most sacred part of her temple... Now only a broken room covered in moss and dirt."

Dae crouched and picked a dark, metallic object from a hidden hole behind a stone slab near the fountain.

If all of its ancient rust were to be removed, Philip would say it would've looked like… A waffle maker. 

"This is our solution, we will make our own coins."

"That... Is a straightforward solution."

/Step step step.../

"Are you guys done? Petter asked as he made his way from the other end of the Church

"Petter? Are you finished?"

"Not yet... I still need to clean my window. It s full of shity skills."

"So join us here; it's a free Title anyway."

"... Anyhow, what do I need to do?" 

"First, let me clean this."

Dae immediately sat down and picked up a piece of cloth before scrubbing the grime and dirt from the coin maker.

Petter sat on the side of the fountain's edge, messing with his profile window. Meanwhile, Philip rested on the side, his head still hurting occasionally.

…

/Later.../

"... I've cleaned it; let's get to it."

Dae dusted his pants as he took several bottles from his inventory, putting them around him.

"Each of you, fill one of these with your blood... Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Philip; now is the time for you to finish those pendent things, choose your rewards, and pass your Skills."

"Petter, can you fuse Skills?... If not, then it's a shame, but…"

"I just received the Skill; I haven't tried it yet, though..."

"Good. Having that Skill is pretty important; if you don't have it, you would have to go to a Guild house every time you wanted to fuse a Skill until you gained it. Not a lot of privacy there."

"You... Aren't you going a little too fast?"

"Am I? I've been a little on edge recently. Must be the lack of sleep."

"If either of you have any questions, now's the time to make them."

…

"..."

'So it's time…'

'Open Secondary Status.'

[

Name: Philip Vinten

Class: Old Hunter (Rare)

Subclass: Military veteran

Caryll Runes: N/A

Insight: 26

Blood echoes: 22376920 (707617 for next Level)

Level 278

Vitality: 99

Endurance: 90

Strength: 99

Skill: 90

Bloodtinge: 50

Arcane: 40

Abilities:

Lady Maria Combat Technique Lv5 (8)(Hybrid)

Gehrman's Footwork LvMax (10+3)(Hybrid)

Ludwig's Combat Technique LvMax (10+3)(Passive)

SuperHuman senses LvMax (11)(Passive)

Greater Riposte LvMax (15+3)(Passive)

Perfect Throwing technique LvMax (Hybrid)

Stealth Mastery Lv4 (7)(Passive)

Handcraft LvMax (Passive)

Butchering LvMax (Passive)

Medicine Lv9 (Passive)

Tinkering Lv9 (Passive)

Smithing Lv8 (Passive)

(...)

Skills:

Summon messenger Shop Lv8 (Active)

Predator's presence LvMax (Hybrid)

Combat Genius LvMax (Passive)

Critical strike LvMax (Active)

Multi-Task LvMax (Passive)

Beastify Lv0 (3) (Active)

Eviscerate Lv0 (Active)

Traits:

Old blood infusion

Hardworking

Unyielding

Inventory(+)

]

'From the looks of it, I can pass three of these "skills" to my main Status.'

'It's not quite obvious what I should pass on... But I can always get my Abilities through training and hard work, while some of these Skills aren't exactly impossible either.'

'As long as I know how to get them, there's no need to waste this opportunity to pass them on unless they're hard to train and develop quickly...'

'But Traits… Not any Traits, beneficial ones... Those are almost impossible to gain through normal means, regardless of how much effort one puts into them.'

'Traits define who we are, be it for the better... Or for the worse. But more than psychological definitions, they also hold meaning within the System itself.'

'I may try to steer my mind into being focused and calm, but if the System never recognizes it, then no matter how much I try, I'll never be able to benefit from it... Not that I'd need it.'

'I can't deny the System's assistance... I'd rather make use of it until a certain point, but with how effective it is, I'm afraid I'll soon be unable to live without it. Quite the hurdle.'

'I can't tell if this is the right choice... But if I can correct myself... It has to be these ones:'

'Pass the Traits: Hardworking and Unyielding to the Main Status.'

[Choose one more "skill" to pass]

'Oh? It has to be all three at the same time... Stingy... The last one…'

'It has to be a Skill... Why? Because Skills are the hardest to get. They only appear when certain conditions are met, and most of the time, they are achieved through the System's recognition of one's actions.'

'I can't guarantee that the System will reward me with one of those again.'

'I have seven Skills available... I can remove Critical Strike, as I know the conditions for getting this skill... Petter also seems to have it, and I think some of the other Heroes have it to, or at the very least, something similar.'

'It's not my priority.'

'The next choice was quite hard, but I decided not to pass Messenger shop.'

'Most of the items sold there can only be used if I am a Hunter, otherwise, they would be incredibly lethal to a normal Human consumption.'

'There is a chance this Skill may change or adapt since I am removing it from this Class, but… I don't want to bet on uncertainty. But it would certainly be a choice if I had some chances to spare.'

'Multi-Task is also out. My newly evolved Trait has already granted me a similar bonus, and Dae told me that although both effects may stack and work side by side, the pressure on my head may be too high.'

'Albeit, honestly speaking, I didn't need his input to tell such an obvious thing... It could be beneficial in the long run, but I'm already having issues keeping my thoughts in line.'

'If I give my brain any more power, I may end up with an alter ego forming... It wouldn't be too far off reality given how weird this world is.'

'This leaves me with Predator's Presence, Combat Genius, Beastify, and Eviscerate.'

'Eviscerate is a little experiment of mine, however, it carries with it the essence of the mystical powers that inhabit a Hunter... Without my Class, I'd be unable to bring it forth, but if I have an anchor...'

'Beastify wouldn't do either because my main Status represents my ordinary body, and giving it such a brutally demanding Skill may only end up leaving me crippled.'

'As for the other two, both are very useful.'

'From what I have read, both are quite rare. The first is a Skill that exudes a sort of psychological reaction; it's perfect against weaker mobs, and the second increases my Talent in Combat.'

'Both are quite excellent in their own ways, but one has to be left behind for now.'

'Taking their strengths and weaknesses into consideration, what I need the most right now...'

Philip chose Combat Genius to move on.

[DING!]

[The Traits Hardworking and Unyielding have been transferred to your Main Status]

[The Skill Combat Genius LvMax has been transferred to your Main Status]

Good, open Main Status

[Opening...]

[

Name: Philip Vinten

Race: Type 1 Human (+)

Home World: Earth (+)

Registered World: Eden (+)

Level 0

Class: None (+)

Title: Hunter Genius (+)

Exterminator of Nightmares; Ancient Explorer; One man army; Jack of all Trades; Number 1; Scholar; Martial enthusiast; Magical enthusiast; Mental Lord; Pioneer

"Vital info"

(+)

Mind> 29 (92.9) (+) 

Physical> 20 (44.6) (+) 

Energy> 35 (+) 

Spiritual> 15 (24.3) (+) 

Mystique> 12 (+) 

Abilities:

Mental force Lv0 (Hybrid)

Mental force manipulation Lv1 (Hybrid)

Mental domain Lv0 (Hybrid)

Skills:

Gamerverse (+)

Intermediate Skill fusion Lv13 (Hybrid)

Western continent language(Incomplete) Lv0 (Hybrid)

Scholar Vision Lv0 (Active)

Combat Genius LvMax

Traits:

Castle Town *****

Hardworking

Unyielding

]1

Philip proudly snickered at his Status as he scratched his chin.

'Is this the Stats of a Level 0? I guess this is why Heroes are always in high demand…'

At the same time, Petter also seemed to finish messing around with his window tab.

He took a quick breath and approached Dae with determination.

"I am ready." 

"Me too, but I just need to choose my final reward… You said something about me falling unconscious?" 

"That's right, but it shouldn't be immediate."

"I am ready on my end as well. Just drop your blood in these flasks, and I will do the rest; once the coin is finished, just throw it inside the fountain."

/Crackle!/

As he said that, Dae ignited a small bonfire, adding dried wood into it to make it burn even hotter.

"Okay."

"Sure thing."

'Open the previous reward tab.'

[The last reward shall be a pick between several choices]

[1- Race

2- Talent/Potential

3- Skill

4- Title

5- Knowledge

6- Order

]

[The host has 20 hours, 21 minutes, and 44 seconds to make a choice]

'I've already thought it over... I hope I don't regret this.'

[DING!]

[Choose your Race evolution]

[Type-1 Pure Human

 Type-2 High Human

 Type-2 Mental Construct (Shell: Human)

 Type-2 Carmesin Demon (Human form)

 Type-3 Mortal Shell Judgment Angel

]

"Hm..."

"Huff..."

/CUT!/

While Philip became pensive, Petter slashed his wrist with a pained expression, trying his hardest to fill the bottle as his face grew pale.

Meanwhile...

{{So… What is a Mortal Shell Judgment Angel?}}

"Wha... PFFT! Cough!"

Caught by surprise, Dae had a coughing fit, prompting Petter to look at him in slight worry.

"Are you okay, man?!"

"COUGH COUGH… I'm... I am okay… I just choked on some saliva…"

{Don't scare me like this again!}

{{How else am I supposed to talk? Would you prefer if I whispered first?}}

{Just...}

{{What is it?}}

{... It's something trashy, don't pick it up}

{{Why?}}

{I... Sigh... You make everything that more complicated... I'll try to explain in a way you can understand; don't blame me later for overly simplifying things once you learn more about it}

{A mortal Shell Angel is the codename for an Angel who has been reincarnated into the mortal realm because of something, and after finishing this task, he can ascend to Heaven again as a fully-fledged Angel}

{This Race will open the possibilities for the Angelic race as a whole… But the Angels aren't really that great. I suppose you had other choices?}

{{Type-1 Pure Human; Type-2 High Humam; Type-2 Mental Construct (Shell: Human); Type-2 Carmesin Demon (Human form); Type-3 Mortal Shell Judgment Angel}}

{How generous… Or ominous... I'd choose the first one, Pure Human, the rest is trash}

{{Why? I need a proper explanation here; this is for my future, after all}}

{Sigh...}

/Shuaa.../

Dae picked several potions and poured them into the metal object.

He then poured his own blood and placed the "Waffle maker" in a shabby bonfire to heat everything up. 

{let's jump Pure Human}

{High Human is the direct evolution of a normal Human, but I consider it a waste of potential. You see, a High Human is a Human whose potential has reached its theoretical pinnacle. His muscle mass, DNA, and such have been perfected to the Limit}

{Like a being of pure fiction, this is what science seeks to one day reach and eventually, perfect, albeit then, they would be attempting to surpass humanity rather than perfect it}

{But that's all. You can't go on from there unless you do some crazy thing... The only perk they give you is that this race is recognized as a Noble one of the Humans, and upon evolving into one, you would automatically rise to the top of aristocratic and ordinary society}

{Even so, I won't lie... I suppose it is, to some degree, better than being just an ordinary man... But if you put your faith in me, there's no need to rely on such shabby means of development}

{I don't even need to talk about the next two. A Mental Construct and a Carmesin Demon are both inhuman creatures, and choosing one may give you immense power, but you will lose your "Humanity"... And recovering it is a pain in the ass}

{It doesn't matter if you retain your appearance; even if a Demon disguises itself, their Soul will remain twisted, albeit that's just a figure of speech}

{Lastly, a pure Human is… Well… How do I put it… It is the original form of the Human race, untainted by other forces… But...}

{{But what?}}

{All of the Human flaws are increased. Its emotions are enhanced, and its strength is actually... Decreased... Your overall stats would go down rather than up}

{{Seems like a trashy Race to me}}

{Right, you aren't the only one to think like that...}

{Humans evolved over the eras and adapted to their surroundings; little by little, we accumulated characteristics that allowed us to thrive pretty much everywhere; that's why some races straight up call us weeds and pests...}

{We abandoned many features to make space for others. Transformed, gathered, enhanced, wilted... Over time, our true essence was diluted as we mixed in many foreigned forms of power to survive or even just for the sake of it}

{This Race is the beginning of all Humans. Their weakest state, yet at the same time, our purest one}

{That's why it is the best choice out of the five. The future potential that this race has… Even more when it's in your hands… I guarantee you that although this Race has a very rough start, it can match a Dragon if treated well}

{Like a newborn, it has endless potential, shaped only by the conditions it shall grow in}

{If you aren't convinced, we can leave this to later. I will properly go over all of its characteristics...}

{{... I have made my choice}}

Philip already had his own thoughts regarding his future; hearing Dae's words only reassured him.

There would be no space for hesitation from here on. Like before, he'd walk forward and only forward.

That's the path he was beginning to shape.

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Notes

This chapter was very small because it was part of the other one, but I cut it since it could be in its own sequence.

That said, I wanted to post both soon, so here they are; it's better than waiting a few extra days for me to edit more and put this together with another chapter.

What do you think of Philip's choice? What do you think the story would've been if he chose a certain race to become? What if he remained as an ordinary Human?

Peace!