Trunest looked down at the lake beneath him and frowned. The reflection staring back was not his own. It resembled a model's super handsome face, complete with black hair and blood-red eyes. He tried to recall what had happened to him. Just a high school student with average looks and grades, he had been on his way to get some food when he saw a flash of light coming at him.
Trunest thought, "Wait a second, did I get reincarnated like in an anime? Bruh."
Honestly, he didn't have much of a reaction to this revelation. (Author's note: My hands are hurting; I apologize for the short chapter!) He felt a bit bad for not having a life to return to.
Trunest muttered, "Of course, I feel like I'm a total wreck in every sense of the word. Wait, why can't I remember my family?" He suddenly realized he didn't have any recollection of his family.
"I hope I have some kind of cheat or system. Here goes nothing!" he said, trying to activate the system.
STATS... nothing happened.
STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS YOUR MOM STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS STATS.
"OH COME ON!"
{System has been activated}
....LET'S FREAKING GO!
{Host, the system's function is world travel. You can choose which world you want to go to, and the host will grant you a power based on the level of danger in that universe. The host is currently in the waiting room and has time to choose the power, or alternatively, to choose a character from whom to obtain the power and even modify it.}
"!!! Hmmmm, if I choose something from Hoyoverse or Miyuverse, what will you give me? A multiverse-level character?"
{Yes.}
"Then can I choose a Celestial worthy of Heaven and Earth for blessings that embody eternal darkness and chaos?"
{Yes, but there is a condition. If you choose a character like that, you won't gain all their powers at once. You will gradually gain them because receiving all the powers at once would destroy your body, and to acquire the powers of the character you choose, you have to act like them.}
"Hmmmmmm. From what I know, that character is the incarnation of a Seferah, which means the names of the potions are describing him. Every time I advance in a sequence, I become more like him."
Trunest was lost in thought but remembered to ask if choosing the character would result in any changes beyond just gaining their powers.
"Will I get any side effects from choosing the Celestial worthy?"
{Yes, the host will gain the memories of the Lord of Mysteries. Similar to the acting method in the Lord of Mysteries novel, if you get caught in the act too much, you might actually become the Celestial worthy of Heaven and Earth.}
"So I have to avoid getting caught in the act and just remember that I'm acting? Huh, that sounds easy."
{It's not as easy as it looks, host. You won't even realize you're changing.}
"Can't you just tell me if I'm changing?"
{NAHHH, I'm too lazy.}
What the heck…? That was Trunest's reaction. Wasn't that dumb system supposed to help him grow in power and become overpowered?
"So you'll just stand there and do nothing while I change into some eldritch being?"
{Yep… although I can tell you I wasn't sent here to make you overpowered.}
"Wait, then why were you sent here?"
{Heh, who knows?}
Trunest suddenly realized he hadn't asked who created this system or why it chose him. For all he knew, it could be a parasite, or he could be in a coma, and this could just be a nightmare.
"Will you try to kill me?"
{No, I won't save you from changing, but I will make sure you stay alive. After all, 'he' will be angry if you die.}
He gathered a lot of information from the system, but it seemed there was someone who wanted him to grow. He didn't know if that someone wanted to consume him or was just doing it for fun.
{Pft, don't make me laugh. He doesn't need any power anyway. Do you want me to send you, or should I let you die from a truck crash?}
Wait, so the two lights I saw… TRUCK KUN, YOU SON OF—
30 minutes later...
{If you don't go now, I will let you die.}
"Wait, wait, okay! But I want you to send me to Genshin first; it's safer than Honkai Impact or Honkai Star Rail."
"Last thing, can I come back to this place whenever I want?"
{You can come back, but only if you die. Oh, by the way, you didn't specify when to send you, so I'm just going to send you 10 years before Khaenri'ah's downfall.}
"WHAT? WAIT, WAIT! NO, NO!"
In a beam of light, Trunest disappeared.