novelraw Chapter 122: A New Update from Genesis*
Chapter 122: A New Update from Genesis*
Astraga's nose was the first thing to wake up.
It started with a stinging sensation, as if he were trapped in a burning room. That familiar, suffocating feeling clawed at his throat—was he choking to death on smoke again? His eyes began to twitch, fighting to open. Slowly, surely, light began to pierce his dilated pupils, but a thick haze was all he could see.
Through the acrid smoke attacking his lungs, a silhouette formed. A man was staring down at him intently, a cat perched precariously on his shoulder. Both pairs of eyes bore into him.
Suddenly, a wet cough erupted from the man, and a small glob of spit landed squarely on Astraga's face.
*What kind of fresh hell is this?* Astraga thought, his mind reeling. *Being sucked into the void was one thing, but being placed in these conditions? Why does the universe insist on putting me in such places?*
He wiped his face and muttered under his breath, "Yep... definitely an old man." He cleared his throat, his voice raspy. "Can you step back?"
The moment he spoke, the old man reacted with sheer terror. He scrambled backward, nearly tripping over himself in shock and panic.
Astraga frowned. *I had my eyes open. Surely you expected me to say something eventually?*
The reason for the man's shock was a mystery for now, but his reaction was chaotic. The cat, startled by the sudden movement, bolted under a table. The man, however, recovered quickly. He started to chuckle—a low, manic sound that rose in pitch until he looked like he had just won the lottery. He even did a little jig of visible joy, screaming so loudly that the cat abandoned the table and threw itself out the window.
As the man grinned, Astraga grimaced. The man's teeth were horrendous; a sight not even a mother could love.
"Boss!! Boss!" the old man shrieked. "The man's awake! Awake! Wake! Wake! Boss!!"
A rough, mean-sounding voice roared back from a nearby room. It was accompanied by the heavy, rhythmic *clang* of metal striking metal—the sound of a blacksmith at work. Astraga's hearing was finally starting to return.
"It's about damn time!" the voice bellowed. "That freeloader has been consuming all our herbs! Genesis better be right about this one. Tsk."
Astraga lay there, confused. It was the usual predicament: *Who are these people? Where am I?* The standard questions one asks when transported to a new place.
He lifted his head slowly, trying to understand why his body felt so heavy and numb. He looked down and saw that he was wrapped head-to-toe in bandages like a mummy. But that wasn't the shocking part.
*Wait... am I... grown?*
Yep. Astraga was no longer a child. He was in a fully grown adult body, covered in bandages. What a rude awakening.
Heavy footsteps shook the floorboards. A massive man stepped into the room, his bulk casting a shadow that eclipsed everything else. If this man wanted Astraga dead, he could snap him like a twig. And if he had other, more nefarious plans that could traumatize Astraga for life... well, he could probably do that too.
Instinctively, Astraga clenched his butt cheeks together, frantically trying to feel if... *anything* had happened while he was unconscious.
He relaxed quickly. *Okay. Feels safe back there.*
"You took too damn long to react to my brother's herbs," the giant grunted, staring down at him. "The rest responded instantaneously. Tsk. Lazy cunt. Anyways, Genesis needs us to train you."
The giant crossed his arms. "Since you're awake, you will start to get your physique back."
"But... but..." Astraga stammered, his throat dry.
"But what, huh? Can't speak any other words?" the man replied rudely.
"But... why do you need to train me?"
The giant looked at the frantic old man beside him and sighed. "Brother, Genesis really picked the dumbest one this time."
The one called Brother chuckled even harder. "So you can begin your trial, stupid! Didn't Brother just say it? Genesis needs you, and you have been chosen."
The giant nodded. "I'm sure you see it by now."
Astraga was getting irritated. He knew if he asked "See what?" he would just get an earful of crap. So, he lied.
"Yeah. I see it."
The giant scoffed. "Clearly, you're a liar, too. You sure don't look like someone who has seen crap. Look down at the corner of your vision. You see the gift box looking icon?"
Astraga blinked, confused. He looked at the physical corners of the room. Nothing. He turned his head left, then right. Still no gift box.
The giant gave a massive, chest-heaving SIGH. "Even with your inner sight, you're blind."
The giant barked a command: **"System Glow."**
And there it was. At the periphery of Astraga's vision, a digital icon of a gift box began to pulse with light.
"Yeah... okay, I see it," Astraga admitted. "What does it mean? What should I do?"
The crazy brother giggled. "Request it to open."
"The command is: *Gift Box Open*," the giant instructed.
Astraga, finally gaining some control over his new, larger limbs, scowled. "That's kind of a stupid command."
"Just say it!" the rough man roared.
Astraga sighed. "Fine. Gift Box Open."
As he said it, the interface exploded into life.
**[Notification]**
**[Congratulations! You've been rewarded.]**
**[Congratulations! You've been rewarded.]**
**[Congratulations! You've been rewarded.]**
**[Congratulations! You've been rewarded.]**
**[Congratulations! You've been rewarded.]**
The messages cascaded down his vision, an endless stream of updates from Genesis.
***
Astraga, taken aback, stared at the floating interface. "Why... why are game mechanics appearing to me like this?" he asked, his tone dripping with shock.
The giant smirked. "You like them? Genesis created them. It makes it easier for us to train her Chosen ones faster."
He waved a dismissive hand. "Now that you know how to check your gifts, we will leave you be. I'm going to the store to tally up exactly how many herbs we wasted reviving your sorry ass. You will repay every single leaf before your real training begins."
The old man, Junior Brother, piped up nervously. "Senior Brother, surely he shouldn't be left alone to recover? Shouldn't he at least take more herbs to skip the natural healing process?"
The giant shook his head. "No, Junior Brother. Let him grind for that on his own. I'm sure once he sees his current stats, he will be plenty motivated to work."
He paused at the door, glancing back at Astraga with a strange expression. "Your mother was one crazy person."
Astraga's face hardened instantly. He glared at the giant, ready to fight whatever insult was coming next. "Watch your mouth."
The words left his lips on instinct before his brain could check them.
The giant didn't get angry. Instead, he grinned, a predatory glint in his eyes. "Wow. You might have some spunk in you after all. Sooner or later, you will learn what your mother did. For now, rest. Again, call out 'System' and it will give you whatever information it can. Let's go, Brother."
And just like that, they vanished from the room—out of sight, but definitely not out of mind.
*What did he mean by that?* Astraga thought, his fists clenching under the bandages. *What did my mother do?*
That answer would have to wait. For now, the "System" they spoke of—and the rewards blinking in his vision—intrigued him. What was so special about being Genesis's Chosen? And why would this Genesis entity use game mechanics? It all sounded strange.
*Well, better to find out than lie here thinking all day like a fool.*
"System," he said aloud.
Instantly, a blue translucent screen flashed into existence before him.
**[Welcome, Candidate Number 566: Astraga Fula.]**
**[Or perhaps... should I call you Tamado Grey?]**
Astraga froze.
*My names...*
The System knew both. It knew Astraga Fula, and it knew Tamado Grey. How was that possible? The only logical explanation was that this Genesis had been watching him across both worlds. Was she a god? Or some higher intelligence that transcended dimensions?
As the screen glowed brighter, humming with mystery, Astraga asked the obvious question. "Can you answer any questions I ask?"
The System replied in a monotonous, programmed voice, like a generic AI.
**[I can only answer questions related to your development and trials when access has been granted or available.]**
*Hmm.* Astraga wondered what he could actually get out of it. Nothing really stuck out to him except the big picture.
"Who is Genesis? And what does she want from me?"
Surprisingly, the System didn't block him. It seemed information on Genesis wasn't restricted. Perhaps this entity wasn't as secretive as he thought.
**[Genesis is the Master of this Realm and the General Overseer. She seeks the Chosen so they may become her Adjudicator in the required worlds. However, before one may become an Adjudicator, they must pass her Trial of Death.]**
"Trial of Death?" Astraga scoffed. "Yeah, absolutely not."
Anything with "death" in the title wasn't going to help him. He was surely under the thumb of some evil god. He just needed more proof that this Genesis person was trouble.
But then, a thought clicked. *Wait. I'm already an Adjudicator. I'm Derrick Ashborn's Adjudicator.*
If that was the case, he could just use his abilities. The *Khetemu of Revelation* would come in handy right now to analyze this place.
He closed his eyes, focusing his will, trying to secretly activate his power.
**[Khetemu of Revelation: ACCESS DENIED.]**
Astraga gritted his teeth and tried to force it.
**[ACCESS DENIED.]**
**[Warning: One more attempt and Candidate will receive punishment.]**
**[Checking Punishment Severity... Extremely Deadly.]**
If there was ever confirmation that he was screwed, this was it.
*Extremely Deadly?* Was it bluffing? He was the Chosen One, right? Genesis wouldn't want her precious candidate dead before the trial even started. It had to be a scare tactic. He wanted to call the bluff so badly. What could actually happen if he tried it a third time?
Curiosity got the better of him. Channeling the spirit of early humans who touched fire just to see if it burned, Astraga decided to learn through trial and error. As the famous saying went: *Fuck around and find out.*
He activated the power again.
**[System Limit Reached.]**
**[Candidate will be punished.]**
**[Selecting Zone for Punishment... Loading Simulation 105.]**
**[Simulation Completed.]**
In the blink of an eye, *POOF*.
Astraga vanished from the room entirely. He was about to receive his first lesson for going against Genesis..