Adventure King (R-18)

I felt sick immediately after I read the description, disgusted with what it was I had just been made to eat. Purging the contents my stomach as I tried to spit it up in vain. Washing my mouth out with wine, which helped somewhat but did nothing to help with the knowledge.

"What's the matter? Eat something bad?" The system asked me in a jovial manner as I hunched over miserably. Wordlessly passing the class information along to him only to hear a whistle in response, both at the classes I had acquired and the fact that I had reached level 10, which was according to everything I had heard, quite an important milestone. I would normally be getting access to my second class at this point, but given that I had 'two' souls I should theoretically be able to equip four at a time. Uninterested at testing it for the moment. 

"I didn't mean to get the class... but why is there even a class for that?" I asked, referring to the newly acquired [Cannibal] class that stared back at me in the mirror.

"There's a class for nearly everything. If it's possible in the natural world then the system encompasses it. Limiting the paths without good reason would only weaken our warriors and put them at a disadvantage. As soon as a user develops a new path, one with sufficient abilities that are deemed worthwhile by the system, then their efforts are added and incorporated to the system. In practice, over the many years and countless realms that have been brought within our grasp, the sheer number of users has created a near limitless number of classes for you to pull from. This is why I told you, trying to go against the goddess is not wise... the gods who created this system are more powerful than you could possibly imagine..."

"Eating humans isn't normal... I would expect anything calling itself a god to be against that. How can people worship a god like that?"

"This is awfully philosophical of you, you're a user, what's the point worrying about whether you eat a few of the natives? It's not like your body is the one doing the eating, neither are the ones being eaten truly the same as you... if things go wrong, you'll be back on Earth safe and sound.

"Back to Earth? You mean users won't die when killed?"

"As long as it's by something from this world, then no, it's generally impossible to be truly killed by anything here. There may have been some accidents every once in a while, but we really do have a good safety record. That's why you scared me half to death when you said you'd be going against the goddess, with how the system runs on souls, killing another user is murder in the truest sense."

"And that's why wars between these factions of gods aren't common... they aren't used to the threat of a real death."

"Most just think of it all as just a much more realistic 'game', and given what we know that's probably the most accurate way of thinking of it."

"You don't think the natives to this world have rights?" I asked him, a glint in my eye as I kept hearing that these beings treated us as nothing more than sheep to the slaughter. 

"Why would they? In a sense, everything in this dimension is simply an artificial 3D construct, the gods made these worlds for the purpose of extracting resources. True humans like yourself were never created, who's to say these replicas can even think or feel pain?"

Being one of those replicas he was talking about so dismissively, I didn't understand how he could say such things so confidently. 

"They all have souls, you told me that yourself." 

"And yet their souls might as well be empty, able to be taken over at any moment by a passing user."

Then why did I survive?

These users were completely immoral, from my memories I could tell they came from a world largely without war, something that still seemed like a utopia in my eyes, and yet when they came here they walked among us and acted as if they themselves were gods, but in my eyes people like Crow were no better than actual monsters. Letting the conversation drop after falling into a brooding mood, ignoring any prompts being sent through by the system. Staring out across the night sky as time passed, eventually turning to morning. 

Walking through the camp as if I were in a trance, looking at everyone through hollowed eyes. If Crow wanted he probably could have killed all of us last night, and he probably wouldn't have even cared. Looking at the familiar faces that emerged from my tent and feeling thankful they were still okay. 

Belle letting out a big yawn as she emerged, showing her canines unintentionally. Covering her mouth up after she caught me staring, before smiling again. Tammy emerging afterwards, her eyes going wide after seeing me. Worry showing through, probably because I hadn't come to bed at all last night. 

Next to the tent, besides them, was Marcella. Looking even more haggard than when I had last seen her. Looking like she was still trying to fall asleep, despite the morning sun having already risen. Her face was flushed and she shifted uncomfortably after seeing me, the potion clearly doing its job. Looking at me with an upset expression, one born out of sleep deprivation after a long days walk, and a dawning realization that she would have to do it all again today.