Project Anima : A Virtual Reality / Reincarnated Tale

Chapter 1.2: Character Creation

"You lost the Test of Wrath," the vixen said. "But don't worry. This is already a commendable score of virtue. As I've mentioned, only a few percent ever made past the first challenge."

"What's the final item reward?" he said.

The vixen winked at him. "That's a secret."

Seems like something really rare and important.

"Did anyone complete all the challenges?"

"Only one unnamed player so far," the vixen said.

Must be a saint.

"Your efforts are not without merit," the vixen said. "Since you have completed three of the Tests, please accept this virtue reward."

A pale, metallic key with angelic accents appeared and hovered before him. The man took it.

Acquired 1 Sacred Silver Key.

"What's this for?" he said.

The vixen waved her hand. "You will know in due time."

After a few seconds, the item vanished into his inventory.

Strolling forward, the vixen smiled. "Let us proceed to the Character Creation phase."

Seven, beautifully painted statues began to form in the room.

Except that they weren't statues. The mannequins moved and breathed, but otherwise remained in place.

Gesturing towards the statues, the vixen spoke. "Here are seven races you can choose from."

As the man focused on each, a contained bubble of simulation emerged—like a large, animated snowglobe—and the respective statue began to move within those radius and bounds based on its racial idiosyncrasies.

He watched as the human-looking race jogged, talked to another person, and shifted equipment.

"Haman, the common race," the vixen narrated. "Though not as powerful or magically-adept as the others, they make it up for intelligence and versatility."

Turning to the next one, the man watched the haman returned to its stationary pose, and the simulation balloon shifted to the next—a fox-like race who strolled, casted magic, and played with tongues of fire.

"Fennic, the vulpine race. They are by nature, charming and magically-attuned."

Intrigued, the man switched to the other. This one was a gigantic, scaly race, and a large horn protruded from its forehead. It lumbered along within the spherical simulation, began to tackle several adversaries, thumped its barrel chest, and roared at an unseen prey.

"Rhy'Gan, the giant race. Powerful and sturdy, this race is an unstoppable force."

The man's eye darted to the next race. It looked like a normal human, except for the wolfish ears that peeked from the sides of the head where a normal ear should. The wolf-like race began to run within the orb of simulation, sniffed at the air, and slashed through random enemies. All of a sudden, it morphed into a full wolf form, prancing and loping across fields.

"Lykant, the werewolf race. With their agility and lupine senses, they are naturally good hunters. Equipped with the right class, they can even shapeshift with ease."

He looked at it for a while, and turned to the next. The man found himself staring at a midget looking race with beady eyes, as well as whiskers jutting from its cheeks. It reminded him of a chinchilla. The midget race scooted about, fidgeted with metals, and gunned down a goblin.

"Munchkin, the tiny race. These diminutive race are masters of machinery, thanks to their natural aptitude for tinkering and gadgeteering. They are also deceptively agile and evasive."

Slightly amused, the man shifted to the other. This time, it was a slender, winged human. The feathered race sprinted for some distance and then took flight, hovering across fields within the bubble.

"Alark, the winged race. Capable of flight, these sharp predators can easily reach hard terrain and track hidden targets."

He turned to the last one—a human with webbed hands, having a full black iris, so that its eyes looked like a doll's or a baby's. The froglike race plodded by and dived into a pond, swimming with grace across the simulation bubble.

"Tadfolk, the amphibious race. While they can tread on land, they are at their best when submerged in water. This aquatic race can dive for a seemingly endless duration without resurfacing for air."

Haman, Fennic, Rhy'Gan, Lykant, Munchkin, Alark, Tadfolk?

"Please choose wisely," the vixen said. "Unlike some character options, the race is something you won't be able to change later on."

The man paused. If this was a dream, then this has to be the most detailed and sophisticated one he ever had. Most of his dreams were chaotic and mercurial, shifting to one scene to another without any proper explanation.

This, however, was different. Surprisingly, this was coherent, and had a recurring theme: online virtual game.

What was happening?

If this wasn't a dream, then what could this be?

Could it be an actual game? No, that's impossible. As far as he could remember, no such virtual reality game had ever existed before, and even if there was, he had no memory of diving into one.

For now, his only option was to see this through.

Focusing back to the races, he palmed his chin. The animated statues breathed, awaiting for his choice. He backtracked at them, glancing at the floating descriptions of stats and abilities, and analyzed the best one suited for him.

The man pointed. "That's my choice."

"Please pass through it."

He paused for a while, but did as he was instructed. Gliding forward, he went through the holographic statue of his selection. A resistant, rubbery force held him back, but he pushed through it. As he did so, the substance began to envelop him, morphing his features. The other living statues melted away.

The man was now a Lykant.

Note1: Which race would you pick? (Haman, Fennic/Fennica, Lykant, Rhy'Gan, Munchkin, Alark, or Tadfolk?)