They were only performing for less than an hour, and they both received a whole point of Aura for it. Michael snickered and explained “It’s either because I’m a Player and you’re my Companion, or it could be because of our combined Luck being really high. Your Charisma also increased by three when you evolved, so that could be another reason.”

Elina sighed and sat down across from him, leaning her back against the wooden railing. She asked “I can understand why my Goddess rewarded me, but why did she also bestow her gift upon you as well?”

Suddenly a beam of blinding light fell from the heavens, and landed on center of the balcony, between the two of them. When the pillar faded, a glowing feminine figure remained.

It was a humanoid woman with porcelain skin, wearing a golden robe and with two gigantic dove-like wings, spreading from her shoulder-blades. Her face was covered by a silver mask, which had no discernible features and her wavy blonde hair was so long that it hung down to her waist. Above her head were the words “Sophia the Wise, Level-25 Lesser-Angel Priestess, Rank-E, Super-Elite.”

Elina was too surprised to speak, so Michael asked “Are you here for the key?” Since her name was yellow, he wasn’t immediately sure if she was an enemy or ally.

She turned towards him and her golden irises released a blinding light, as she whispered “I’ve heard nothing of this ‘key’ you speak of. I was gliding along the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest when I saw your beacon. Are the two of you survivors from Carrabelle?”

Michael told her “Pretty much… We were staying in Jacobstown when all that nonsense happened. We weren’t trying to let out a distress call or anything like that though; just playing a few Hymns for Lux.”

The Angel glared at him for a few moments, before turning towards the cat-girl and asking “Would you like me to carry you away from here? You might not have noticed, but our Goddess has sent her Supreme Emissary back to this mortal plane. Helel has summoned all the forces of pure Light, to return to the Holy Capital Luxia. I can take you with me, or you can travel there on your own… but I would suggest making your way there soon.”

Elina glanced at her smirking Companion, and bit her lip fiercely, before looking up at the relatively short woman and saying “Sorry, the Goddess needs me to be here for the moment. When my mission is complete, I’ll be able to heed the Morning Star’s call.”

Hearing that response, Sophia nodded and then gently floated off the ground, reaching a suitable height and then flapping her gigantic wings once. Her body was so light, that even the smallest amount of force was enough to allow her to soar.

Once she was gone, Michael started laughing hysterically and said “The fucking Supreme Emissary of Light is Lucifer? I mean, I get it, but I can pretty much guarantee that they’re one of the main end-bosses that we’ll have to fight eventually.”

The Priestess scowled and complained “How can you even think about fighting Helel? From the legends, her methods did seem a bit excessive, but ultimately, she definitely wasn’t ‘evil.’ Well, the Priestess Order of Healing Light typically doesn’t condone killing, unless it’s absolutely necessary. Besides, the Morning Star is supposedly a Rank-SSS World Boss, who has been around for so long that no one even knows what level she is anymore.”

He sighed, then gazed up at the brightening sky, while asking her “Why didn’t you go with that suspicious Angel?” as he unconsciously began playing the guitar that was still in his hands.

Elina smirked, while answering “You were right… I’m so pathetically weak. How could I possibly complete my task alone? Even if you’re vulgar, obnoxious, rude, and probably insane… If I stay with you, I’ll definitely become powerful eventually.”

Michael said “Yeah, I’m a crazy asshole, but that’s probably why I was brought into this world. Ah, I almost forgot! Oi, Arcana, you there? Do you wanna play Chess?”

The Priestess furrowed her brows and yelled “The Goddesses won’t just come play games with you on a whim!” as he shoved the guitar into his sixteenth bag-slot.

However, almost immediately after she shouted, an incredibly powerful aura erupted from the center of the balcony. An illusory chessboard suddenly appeared in front of the sitting man, and then a blurry feminine form became slightly visible.

Elina gasped and held both hands over her mouth so that she wouldn’t scream or speak. The most terrifying beings in the world that NPCs knew of, were the Goddesses that they didn’t worship.

Arcana smiled, while gently whispering “There’s no need for you to fear me child… Also, you are wrong about us; all of my daughters enjoy games and music. They all have preferences, but if you’re curious, why not ask Little Lux yourself.”

Hearing a ‘divine’ being actually speak to her, the terrified and star-struck cat-girl fainted: even losing control of her bladder. Michael complained “Of for fuck’s sake! Ugh, give me a second; I need to clean up after this brat.”

Before he could stand, the urine completely vanished into nothingness and then the unconscious Priestess was teleported into his bedroom. Arcane giggled and softly asked “Have you thought about which Class you would like to obtain?”

He sat back down and moved one of his pawns forward as he replied “Of course I’ve ‘thought’ about it… but I honestly don’t know what my options are. I’m really loving magic, and Arcane is probably gonna be my favorite Element, even after I have six others eventually. However, can something like a Battle-Mage act as a Tank? I’m the type of person who likes to be able to play the most overpowered Class, which can basically do everything: Tanking, Melee and Ranged DPS, plus Healing.”

Moving her own pawn forward, the illusory Goddess told him “A jack of all trades is a master of none… You are given six possible Companions to make up for your shortcomings. In the time before, when there were innumerable Players, they would band together into groups and conquer our Dungeons. It was entertaining to watch them struggle and eventually achieve victory, after suffering from many defeats.”

Michael snickered as he moved a knight, then asked “Yeah, I kinda figured that, but I can at least be a master of Tanking and DPS, while being halfway decent at healing or support, right? Hmmm~, what’s the deal with that anyway? Before me, you guys brought over a ton of people from my world… Did their subscription run out, or was there some other reason for them no longer being around?”

She sighed and solemnly answered “We were naive and foolish back then… Most Humans were nothing like you. They wanted to return to their original world and lives, so they disappeared. We may have the power to bring souls from your world into ours, but we do not possess the ability to force them to stay. After millions disappeared beyond our reach, we warned the remainder that they certainly couldn’t return from where they came, but without a strong will… they eventually left. Some of them lasted for thousands of years, and there were many who left this planet and explored the others.”

Then he said “Ah, so I’m allowed to stay here for as long as I want and you guys won’t kick me out, hehe~. The question is, are you planning on causing Noobageddon? Or am I the main character of this story… Oi, you didn’t pick me just because my initials are ‘MC,’ right?”

Arcana giggled and whispered “Perhaps we will, but no, it was because of your mental fortitude. You barely spoke during our last match… Are you attempting to distract me?”

He snickered and shook his head, before explaining “Nah, I’m not that clever; I was afraid to piss you off last time. I mean, I was kinda worried you would evict me from the world if I asked too many questions. Anyway, normally these games would have tutorials and a bunch of lore that I could read up on. Well, since the creator is right in front of me, I figured you’d tell me the basics at least. For example: What Classes can I choose from?”

Their Chess match was already halfway finished, and Michael knew that he would have to wait another twenty-four hours to speak with her again, so he wanted to gather as much information as possible. The illusory Goddess hesitated for a moment, then revealed “We didn’t create the Classes and Professions. The original Players were given the freedom to invent most of the technologies, spells, techniques, and even the various races. Using them as a template, their descendants could follow in their ancestors footsteps to attain similar Classes and Professions.”

He smirked and asked “So basically, you’re telling me I have to make them up on my own, or just learn it from an NPC. Hmmm~, well, that’s fine… I can probably think of something decent.”

Next!