Beta Wave - A long awaited moment.

PROJECT'S POV

I ran a finger over the sleek surface of my V.R. Pod. It wasn't the first time I had seen it, neither was it the first time I would be entering it. Yet, I couldn't help but savor this moment. At least that was what I told myself. I was actually just waiting for their timer to hit zero.

Dad had been the one to get me the pod once the registration for the Beta waves had begun. Like any other company, he had enlisted me to gain ground in any of the universes for the company. Since Dad knew how hard it would be to gain access to the desired universe he reduced the expectation to spawn in the star rings as long as I did well in whatever area I found myself in. As the second son of the Ginormi family, this was a chance to gain respect and also have something under my name. After all, if I succeeded then I would have fifty percent shares in the plan.

Unlike the First players and the Alpha testers, we the Beta testers, or as we preferred to be called the Beta wave did not get summoned to the Elder God's facility. I was neither happy nor sad about it. But I was just at least glad to not have to see Alex's prideful face. He of course would expect that things would go his way. While I would hardly pray for misfortune to any member of my family I couldn't help but wish my luck be better this time. Still, my thoughts hardly stayed on him.

My focus and expectations were on what the game would be like. For long I had watched it all on streams. From the fights to the sights Creator Online offered. Something made by the hands of other players.

I looked back at the table behind me where a long book detailing my in-game plans lay. Those would soon matter or not. My eyes moved to the timer and smiled as I found it ticking down the seconds at six minutes.

"It's almost time". I moved to the pod and began checking it over, making sure all the wirings were connected and all the instructions were followed to the tee. Once done I changed into something more comfortable and stepped into the pod. The covering hissed as it closed while I fixed the helmet on my head. I saw a spinning sign in my eyes as I noted the timer at zero minutes and a few seconds ticking down.

My body was relaxed just as the timer hit all round zeros. Then the screen went dark. An option appeared before me to enter the game. Without hesitation, I clicked on it and the option vanished.

[Honor is a tool to give the weak a breathing chance. Will you give honor or receive mercy]

I couldn't think about the words as all around me was darkness and I wasn't sure if I even had control of my eyes. The darkness was parted by a huge globe of ethereal most descending before me. I watched waiting as it finally halted before me. The lights dimmed and on its body words began lighting up, the globe began spinning and I watched all of it with confusion.

As the globe turned again I noticed a name on it that made what was happening click. It was selecting a universe for me randomly. It made me think of a lot of things, like what was the probability of each chance and why was it being randomly selected. Okay, maybe I knew the answer to that one. If everyone could make their choice then most universes would receive fewer players. I didn't care where I got dropped as long as it was not a borderline out-of-order universe. With that thought I watched the globe end its spin. The last word flickered as it came to a stop right before me.

" Well, it seems my luck stat is already at work. If there is a luck stat". I stopped talking as the words ignited in a bright flash of light that blinded me to everything. The light was quick to die down replaced by the system prompt that was shown in my face.

[Welcome to the Star Rings]

[Please select your Deific physicality]

[Daeva]

[Djinn]

[Celtrak]

[Ordaeus]

[Daeva]

[A god rejected by reality and shunned from making or acting physically on any mortal land. These manifest their greatness through signs, nature, and the ethereal]

[Djinn]

[Gods who have sacrificed their freedom for the chance to interact with those of the flesh. Their powers while not weakened are restricted by the laws of the world they are bound to.]

[Celtrak]

[Chaos gods. If ever there was an evil alignment then it would be them. But of course, the lines between good and bad are not that clear. Unlike Djinns and Daevas, Celtraks are in no way restricted by anything. Only the Absolute keeps them from descending into a mortal plain and shredding reality]

[Ordaeus]

[Unlike the Celtrak who are more inclined to be either good or evil or neither the Ordaeus are strictly order aligned. While powerful enough to contend with Celtraks, the Ordaeus have a weakness that the Celtraks can exploit]

I was stunned by this. The Daeva seemed to have it bad but as I thought of it I realized both how advantageous and fortuitous it was to not have a physical manifestation. Though if I was being honest I understood little of what would happen. Still, it felt better than those of the Djinn who not only sacrificed freedom but also had their powers restricted by rules.

'Or is the freedom sacrificed referring to this.'Still, I knew I was going for Daeva. It was too good to be overlooked. I felt like being either a Celtrak or an Ordaeus would drag me into a meaningless war that might spring up for nothing. The description that showed Ordaeus was clear enough that it didn't matter for the Ordaeus God the kind of individual a god was. A chaotic alignment would mean death surely.

[You have selected Deific Physicality - Daeva]

[Please select your race from the list of available ones or make yours]

[Races]

[Zeskos]

[Avaran]

[Raqus]

[Thortes]

[Desiso]

[•°•°•°]

[•°•°•°]

[°•°•°•]

[Zeskos]

[Pure Lightning beings with little to no restrictions on the manifestation, control, and command of their very elemental essence]

[Avarans]

[Forged and given life from the primordial waters of creation. Their lifeblood is the tides of the sea and they breathe the storms of the skies]

[Raqus]

[Embodiments of ruin. Raqus are known for their love of destruction. With an essence of fire flowing within them.

[Thortes]

[The embodiments of creation. Given inspiration by a colossus that lives beyond reach]

[Desiso]

A being of pure wind and air. Rarely seen and rarely found.

All of the options had little to no helpful descriptions. Which would be more powerful, more versatile more profitable. A scene flashed before my mind for just a moment right before I chose.

'Power was good and all but it means nothing when I can't catch my enemy. Speed is also useless if I can't harm my foe. The last thing I need to become is a tank. Which leaves the last options. Avarans and Desisos'.

'One has a good chance if my ideas are applicable to become both a defensive option and an attacking option. While it offers less durability unlike Earth it still offers some. Air will bring speed too but less defense, more offense. It might lack destructive capabilities but it definitely doesn't lose out in pure power.'

Just like the countless players who entered this game before me, I was already falling in love. I did wonder if the effect would have been the same if I had ended up in another universe. It made me evaluate how smart the Creator had to be to create something like this to keep the Beta Testers' interest.

[You have selected race Desiso]

[As a Daeva you have no body]

[Creating Ring Core]

The pain began. It felt like something hot was burning my heart, striking it hard and dipping it in hot lava. Luckily it was over as fast as it began.

[Ring Core created]

[Ring Core of a Desiso Daeva alligned]

[Please name yourself]

I thought over it for a long while. Normally most would have jumped into choosing normally-looking game-generated names, but I held back. From what I had watched in the streams, names would play a part in making one's lore or legend sound out in the game.

'Something Befitting me. Something with meaning to my life.' I mused for a moment before realizing it.

'The Reader'. It was the best I could come up with. My love for research and reading would definitely come in handy in this world. If there were books.

[Name selected - The Reader]

[Name resonating with Daeva physicality]

[You have gained Ability - Silver tongue]

[You have been gifted Divine Relic - Book of Carleis]

[Silver tongue]

[Your love for books and scripts of the written form has attuned your essence to itself. Words read out of a book will find purchase in reality as long as none are a physical manifestation of you.]

[Plus 50% effectiveness with wind-related options]

[Book of Carleis]

[As a Reader you have touched on the higher goddess of wisdom's sector. As a gift for your love of books, she grants you the relic - Book of Carleis. Crafted hand in hand by her and the goddess of crafts. The book records all knowledge you have within for later use. Reading from it adds 30% effectiveness to all attempts.

20% Chance to activate boons while reading

Passive - Boon of the Illustrator will be acquired]

[Boon of the Illustrator]

[Your words have the added effect of creating illusions and mental assumptions about the victim. Depending on the words read and the intent your words have an increased chance of creating a false reality]

[To Receive Gift you accept to come under Carleis' banner]

[Warning this puts you as a subordinate to the Higher Goddess Carleis]

'Already!' I exclaimed. The game had not even begun and the Higher gods were vying to grab subordinates. On one hand, it would elevate the power of several gods while on the other it would shackle them to the bidding of said gods.

It was an idea of Hilde's which she felt was quite interesting and also looked like a good way to grow a pantheon in the mortal realms. Of course, I didn't know this, but the book was very tempting, very tempting. For one I didn't know how I would be spawned and where. If there would be any way to get access to a book or script. My main abilities now correlating around reading a book or paper would be my sword.

'Wait a minute. This makes me a mage now, right?.'

Deciding to hold off on rejecting or receiving the book I went on down the notifications to see what came next.

[Random spawn activating]

I realized now that I had been so immersed in the option selections that I had not even bothered to look around me. If only I knew I wasn't the only one this had happened to. It wasn't that I hadn't bothered to look around but that there was nothing to look at. Of course, I didn't realize this even as the texts before me faded away and I found myself floating in darkness with nothing but a little light in the far distance calling to me.