When Laura opened her eyes again, she found herself in a completely white space. She was alone, unlike Dian, who had seen many others upon entering.
A transparent panel appeared before her.
[Welcome, Adorer Number 1 of Heir Candidate Number 670: Dian.]
[Before you can join Heir Candidate: Dian's adventure, please fill out your status first.]
"So it was all true!" Laura exclaimed.
As expected, Dian had never lied to her. This meant everything was real—the world called Savatia, the Conversion feature, all of it. And now, she was about to be able to enter that world with her boyfriend!
She had a huge desire for wealth, so the idea of making money by simply defeating monsters thrilled her.
Without hesitation, she rushed to fill out her status.
However, just before she could tap on her status menu, a new panel appeared.
[Detected that you are the first of the very first Adorer...]
"Hm?"
[Now counting the prepared prize for the first out of first Adorer...]
Laura adjusted her glasses, her eyes sparkling at the word "prize."
What would she receive? she pondered.
Before long, a new panel appeared.
[Congratulations! You have gained the Title: The First Adored One!]
Laura pinched her chin thoughtfully. She had heard about Titles from Dian. According to him, a Title is a mysterious feature that might influence the growth of one's status. His assumption was based on the default description of Titles, which often lacked detailed effects and only provided a vague overall idea of their significance.
In short, following Dian's reasoning, a Title would certainly be beneficial in the long run—maybe.
"A good start," Laura muttered.
She tapped to open the description menu of the title.
[Title: The First Adored One.]
[Description: Lucifer has given his chosen Heir Candidates from all over the Multiverse the ability to invite others to become their Adorers. You are the first to be chosen by one of His Heir Candidates. Are you worthy to stand so close to a Man chosen by Lucifer? The answer defines which path you will take: to Heaven or Hell. The answer is your own to decide.]
Laura adjusted her glasses as she read the title description with meticulous focus.
The key phrases that captured her attention were "Multiverse," "ability to invite," "a man chosen by Lucifer," and "Heaven or Hell."
Multiverse. That implied not only Earth but perhaps a vast and unknown multiverse encompassed by this 'game.'
Ability to invite. Just like what Dian did, it seemed that other Heir Candidates could also make others their Adorers by sharing knowledge of Lucifer's Legacy. Of course, just like her, they would have the right to decline the request.
A Man chosen by Lucifer. Laura understood that this referred to Dian, considering she was his Adorer—this statement made perfect sense.
Heaven and Hell. Laura wasn't entirely sure about the implications of these terms. Did they literally suggest that Heaven or Hell awaited her, defined by her performance? Or were they merely an analogy indicating the consequences of her actions as an Adorer?
That was her assumption. However, she felt confident that even if she was mistaken, she was not far from the truth.
She closed the panel and turned her focus back to her status menu.
At this stage, her experience was similar to Dian's status menu setup session, with one key difference: she had only 50 status points to allocate, could choose up to 3 skills, and was limited to Rank D skills and lower. She also couldn't select any Attributes, Unique skills, Legacy skills, or additional Titles.
"Heir Candidate and Adorer... So that's the difference," Laura muttered, nodding to herself as she made a mental note of this observation.
Given her limited options, she needed to carefully manage her status. True to what Dian said, they didn't know what would happen to their real bodies if they were killed in the other world. Naturally, she didn't want to envision a future with Dian but no Laura beside him. That would contradict her goal.
She needed to build a focused status with one specialized aspect and one growth goal—effectiveness over versatility.
To do this, she considered Dian's build. Dian tended to favor close combat despite having the ability to use Dark Javelin. After all, his skills, like Slow Motion, Undo, and Blessed by Weapons, all enhanced his close combat abilities more than a long-range strategy. While he could be an all-rounder with that skill set and stats, it was unnecessary since she was there to provide support.
She began allocating her stats and selecting her skills.
In her mind, she named this build: Frost Archer!
Once she was satisfied, she locked her status.
...
A golden clock slowly ticked, standing atop a man. Beneath him, a maw of abyss opened, continuously transferring its energy into the man's body.
Inside that space, a woman shrouded by wind—an attribute typically associated with elves—entered. The man welcomed her, as did the golden clock and the abyss.
...
"!?" she gasped.
Laura opened her eyes and found herself once more inside Dian's apartment. As she tried to take in her surroundings, she realized she was lying on Dian's lap. Looking up, she saw that Dian had already fallen asleep. When she checked the clock, she was slightly surprised to find it was already 05:34 PM. It seemed she had spent too much time adjusting her status.
She recalled the 'sight' she had glimpsed after locking her status.
"What was that?" she muttered.
However, before she could analyze the vision, it began to fade from her mind, like dust blown away by a gentle wind. Before long, the 'sight' became something she could hardly remember, so she decided to forget about it and focus on a more pressing matter.
She adjusted her glasses, got up, and reached for her phone. The screen displayed a 3D character that looked exactly like her, albeit in different clothing, along with numerical statistics and a large Start button beneath the figure.
She raised her finger, poised to tap the button, when she noticed how empty her stomach felt. She put her phone down and walked towards Dian's refrigerator to see what food might be available. Opening the fridge, she found only three eggs inside.
Dian must have forgotten to restock, Laura thought.
She reached into her skirt pocket, retrieved what was inside, and pulled out a $10 bill. That was all the money she had for now, which is clearly insufficient for dinner. So she decided to check Dian's pockets as well.
She found $70 in total from him and took $20 with her before straightening herself up and heading for the door. Once outside the apartment, she made her way to the nearby convenience store.
On her way, she pulled out her phone and opened her contacts, only to find four names saved: Dian, Mrs. Werra, Mother, and Father. After hesitating for a moment, she began typing messages to Mrs. Werra, her mother, and her father.
Once the messages were sent, she muttered, "Goodbye," as she closed her contact menu and slipped her phone back into her pocket.
Looking up at the sky, she felt a moment of melancholy wash over her. However, she shook her head and pushed those thoughts aside. A new sense of determination rose within her.
She recalled her status, which only further fueled her resolve. "The world is changing, Mother, Father. One day, I will prove my worth and show you my family!"
With that, Laura adjusted her glasses, a confident smile spreading across her face.
_____
[Name: Laura.]
[Level: 1(0/10).]
[Attribute:...]
[Race: Human.]
[Constitution: 5]
[Agility: 5]
[Dexterity: 5]
[Endurance: 5]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Sense: 10]
[Magic: 10]
[Money:]
[Stat point: 0]
[Skill point: 0]
[Skills:]
•{Active}
- Ice Enhancement (E)
•{Passive}
- Bless of wind (D)
- Focus (D)
[Title:]
- The First Adored One.
**[Detailed Advanced Status...]**
_____
[Name: Laura]
[Health Point: 500/500]
[Mana Point: 1,000/100]
[Stamina Point: 600/600]
[Physical Damage: 50]
[Magical Damage: 100]
[Physical Defense: 50]
[Magical Defense: 125]
[Speed: 50]
[Crafting Capability: 46]
[Luck (fixed): 35]
[Apprehension/Mastery Abilities:]
- Wind: ⭐⭐
- Darkness: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Time: ⭐⭐
- Ice: ⭐
- Bow: ⭐
[Special Status:]
- Adorer of Dian.
The first of the Adorers of the Heir Candidates. You chose to share a path with Dian, the one who wields Darkness and Time, granting you some of his blessed potential.
_____