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I was never one to get so drunk that I didn't remember how I got somewhere or not remember what happened the previous night. After hearing all the worst-case scenarios on the internet, it was easy to see why I hated the idea of being unable to control my mind and actions. So, the sudden location change was definitely strange for me.
As I blinked awake, disoriented, I squinted against the dim glow in the otherwise pitch-black void. The only thing in my field of vision was a hovering ball of light, faintly pulsing in a rhythm too precise to be organic. Its glow illuminated nothing else—not the floor, not the walls, not even my own hands. It was as though the room stretched endlessly in all directions, or perhaps the light simply didn't reach far enough to reveal the edges.
"Congratulations!" The ball of light began with a monotone but smooth and inviting voice that sounded a lot like Samantha from the Her movie. If it wasn't for the fact that I was staring at a literal ball of light floating in the air, I would have asked if this was some kind of Scarlett Johanssen prank. "You have been employed by the system to undergo transmigration."
I stared blankly while my mouth moved on its own. "I don't remember applying for any job detailing transmigration… or any travel for that matter."
"This position has been allocated to you in accordance with your compatibility." The ball of light droned, utterly ignoring my remark. "You will be transmigrated to The Six-Faced World—known to you as the world of Mushoku Tensei. Please bear in mind, you will be the only person form your own reality that will be transmigrated to this world."
I froze, thinking about going to a world of swords and magic like any other nerd in my position would, before my face instinctively twisted in disgust. "Nope." I shook my head. "Nah, I'm good. I want no part of being a baby again. I'm not going through that whole diaper phase or impotence like Rudeus."
"You will not be reincarnated." The light replied, seemingly unbothered by my outburst. "You will be transmigrated."
"Transmigration. Right." I blinked, absentmindedly rubbing the back of my neck. "So, not starting over as a baby? Great. Except…" My brow furrowed. "If I'm not being reincarnated, then I won't be able to use magic. I'll just be another Nanahoshi, stuck with boring old Earth physics just 'cus she wasn't born there. What's the point of going to a fantasy world if I can't use magic or battle aura?"
The ball of light pulsed faintly, as though considering the question—or pretending to. "Much like others transmigrated before you, you will be granted access to the system, the Essence of Blank, an inventory linked to the system, a character to assimilate and an ability, skill, or object."
"Is this system like the usual kind? You know, the kind that gains points from defeating enemies? Or does it also hand out missions? And if it does, can I decline those missions without dealing with any penalties?" I asked, not wanting to be stuck with a system like Solo Leveling, which teleports the user to some monster-infested wasteland to be devoured by dangerous monsters due to failed quests. I swear the reason Sun-jin Woo survived in the start was because of pure luck.
The ball of light pulsed once again. "The system does not provide missions. Points are generated based on the deeds the user accomplishes in their new life."
"Deeds, huh?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Sounds vague. What's stopping people from racking up points with a little… creative destruction? Y'know, like some Infinity War, Thanos-style destruction."
"Innately evil deeds do not generate system points." The light clarified. "Only actions deemed by the system to contribute positively or neutrally to the world or the user will result in point accumulation."
"Fair enough." I crossed my arms, having already come to the conclusion that the system was most likely given to people by some ROB who wanted to fix things rather than watch another Rudeus stumble around for years before actually trying to save the world. Granted, he didn't know who the real villain was until later. "So, what's the deal with this 'character assimilation'? Do I get to pick, or are we spinning a roulette wheel on this one?"
"The character for assimilation will be chosen randomly," the light replied. "The chosen character's backstory will be altered and integrated where necessary to suit the world, making your existence seamless within the fabric of The Six-Faced World. This will also have the added benefit of preventing mind readers or methods of lie detection from finding your true origins."
"Practical." I acknowledged with a nod. "Okay, that's nice and all, but you still haven't answered my question. Can I use magic or not? And who am I 'assimilating' exactly? Will they be able to use magic?" I asked, hoping the ball wasn't some automated thing that won't be able to provide more information.
"You will transmigrate into a body capable of using magic." The light replied, practically cutting me off before I could properly finish my thoughts. "Additionally, any character you assimilate with will have their skills, abilities and muscle memory integrated into your new body without any negative consequences. There will be no personality imprint, however, increased knowledge may provide options not previously available to you. Therefore, you may find yourself making decisions you may never have previously made before transmigration."
I mulled it over, before accepting the words for what they were. I may not have been a murder hobo in the past, maybe even decided to let some villains get taken to jail. But, if I end up getting a character that analyses a situation indicating the villains will escape and kill again, well, I don't exactly see that as a bad thing. It was probably a good thing that I didn't end up in the DC universe, because I would be constantly beefing with the Justice league for killing their rogues gallery.
"I guess that's not too bad. So, can you pick the character now?"
The ball of light pulsed brighter for a moment, as though acknowledging my request. "Random character selected: Galen Marek, from an alternate timeline of the Star Wars reality."
My eyes immediately widened as a grin spread across my face. "Oh shit," I chuckled. "Starkiller?"
He may not be Sidious, but the guy was insanely powerful in his own right. Lightsabers, Force powers that can topple starships. All in all it was a jackpot, especially considering I could learn more force abilities, even if I had to buy it from the system..
The light pulsed again, interrupting my excitement. "The relevant backstory will be simulated and integrated. You will experience the key events of your new body's life before you awaken in The Six-Faced World. This is necessary to ensure proficiency in the character's skills and abilities."
My smile dropped like a stone. "Wait, what?! You mean I'll have to live through all of that? Going through gruesome training by Darth Vader? Constantly fighting for survival? Dying in the end? No thanks!" I held up his hands. "I'm not going through all that pain and drama, thank you very much! Pick someone else!"
The ball of light ignored my outburst entirely as it pulsed again, almost as intense as when revealing Starkiller. "Random object selected: Dawn, from an alternate timeline in the A Song of Ice and Fire reality closely related to the Game of Thrones show as you may know it. Please think of the word 'Status'."
I groaned as I crossed my arms in irritation, shifting my weight back and forth before taking a calming breath. With a sigh of resignation, I closed my eyes and huffed, opening the status screen with a thought. 'Status.'
Fanboying over Arthur Dayne's sword will have to come later.
A soft chime echoed in my mind as a semi-transparent screen materialised, hovering at eye level with a faint glow. Its aesthetic is rather similar to Han Jihan's screen from The Gamer.
[STATUS]
[Name: Theodore Marek]
[Character Assimilation: Galen Marek]
[System Functions: Inventory, Shop, Help]
I couldn't help the frown making its way to my face as my brows knitted together in confusion. "That's it? Where's all the good stuff? Strength? Speed? Intelligence? I've seen games from decades ago with more detailed stats than this." I jabbed my finger at the screen. "And Theodore? Seriously? You're telling me my new name is Theodore? How's anyone supposed to take a Force-wielding badass seriously with a name like that?!"
The ball of light, clearly unmoved by my complaints, pulsed again. "You can access the other functions of the system by thinking of their names. Additionally, to protect against direct and indirect usage of the system, a mind and soul shield has been applied to prevent external mind control and blurring future sight to a degree. However, manipulation such as physical force, deception and encouragement will still be effective."
I blinked, allowing my mind to immediately go to Hitogami's ability to delve into dreams. But the fact that he wouldn't be able to see me, even if only a little when looking at his own timeline was still a huge advantage… until he figured it out, that is. Which probably won't take long, if my current abilities and those I could get from the system are used to make a name for myself.
…And they will be. At least to some extent.
"Well, that's good to know… but what about Hitogami?" I asked, just to be sure as I waved my hand through the floating screen, watching as my hand went through without problem. "He's supposed to be this creepy — and rather evil — dude that shows up in people's dreams. Can he still mess with me?" I frowned. "What specifically do you mean by blurred? And what timeline am I being dropped into, exactly?"
The ball of light remained silent for a moment, then pulsed one last time. This time though, its glow expanded, engulfing the semi-transparent screen before I could ask more questions.
"Preparations for soul placement are now commencing. Good luck in your new life!" It intoned with its voice fading into the growing light.
"Hey! I need to know—" My protests were swallowed by the brightness as my form dissolved.
When the light finally dimmed, the void was empty once more.
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Transmigrating without the whole 'extreme headache due to influx of memories' may be seen as an irritating start to a new life, but those who say that is the most painful thing they have ever been through are just huge babies compared to what I had to go through.
Unlike a headache, I was actually there. Learning, training, suffering through Varus Nocturnus' — basically my memories' replacement for Vader — training. If it could truly even be called that. I was more partial to the phrase, 'decade of torture'.
I was starved for weeks at a time. Had my limbs broken before sparring sessions. Beaten while restrained. You name it. All to ensure I was ready to fight an opponent at a significant disadvantage. All to teach one lesson.
'A battle will never be fair.'
After trudging through it all, I was led to one definitive conclusion. Unlike some Sith that just want power and over-exaggerate the reason for their anger at the world…
Starkiller's anger was definitely justified.
Varus, my teacher, decided to train me after killing my father in single combat while I was a young boy, looking to win a legendary milky white sword that was passed down to the most skilled swordsman in the family. But, during some trash talk before the fight, his arrogance led him to promise he would train me to the best of his ability if my father could even wound him. Then they fought at speed I couldn't even see, and Varus walked away the victor…missing a portion of his left arm.
After the fight that lost his arm, Varus decided to put me through the gruesome training that would result in my current capabilities using seven combat styles not directly linked to the sword styles of Mushoku Tensei — the Star Wars forms. Unsurprisingly, I ended up preferring to use forms III, V and VII similar to Galen. But the entire time, he never asked to be given the sword, only if I knew where it was. I assume, unlike Vader, he was feeling bad about killing a boy's father in front of him.
When I reached age 17, he went and got himself killed while fighting his currently unnamed teacher — who also didn't survive the duel, according to the letter I received from a courier.
I groaned as bright rays of sunlight pierced through the curtain on the window, landing squarely on my face. Shifting uncomfortably under a thin blanket, I tried to escape the light, but my eyelids fluttered with the brightness, making it impossible to continue sleeping.
"Ugh… what a weird dream," I muttered groggily, rubbing my eyes with one hand. "Force powers, transmigration, a system..." I trailed off as I stretched and yawned, cracking my neck. Finally blinking my eyes open, I was greeted by the sight of a bare, spartan-like, entirely wooden room with a single wooden bed frame supporting the thin mattress beneath me. To my left, a small closet stood with its doors slightly ajar, revealing neatly shelved clothes. There was nothing else—no decorations, no signs of comfort, just practicality.
Exactly like my new experiences of this body left it the night before.
"Well… I guess it wasn't a dream," I whispered to myself, hating the fact that I wasn't a morning person for important moments like these… not that I had ever been in a moment like this before, but it was the principle. Luckily, Starkiller — or at least whichever version I was given — was a 'whatever time of day doesn't matter, I want all the smoke!' person. So, I was currently feeling the rise and shine of the whole situation.
'Status', I thought, wanting to make sure all was good on that side, having read some fanfictions with faulty systems in the past. Thankfully, the soft chime didn't make its return when the semi-transparent screen appeared in front of me, and all I had to do was think, 'No chime'.
I couldn't help the smile that made its way to my face as I read the screen again, but I couldn't let myself be giddy just yet. Without wasting a moment, I focused on the [Help] function. The screen changed instantly, now displaying a simple search bar. I stared at it for a while with a flat expression, somewhat disappointed, before shrugging and typing a rather crucial question I needed answering earlier rather than.
Am I susceptible to falling to the Dark Side?
The response came almost immediately.
[Due to the effects of the Essence of Blank, you are capable of using all Force abilities, regardless of alignment or mental state.]
"...not even gonna properly answer my question, huh?" I muttered under my breath. "That's not exactly comforting. But 'all force abilities' is definitely a good sign." I started knitting together as I closed the [Help] screen before expanding the [Essence of Blank]. A new window instantly appeared, displaying its definition in neat, precise lettering.
[Essence of Blank]
[Description: Your potential becomes limitless. You can learn any discipline or skillset, even if you shouldn't be capable of it, without forgetting it and practice them into mastery, no matter how many you learn. Any abilities you have from other Essences will increase where possible and develop in ways beyond their initial purposes.]
I whistled as I leaned back, resting my head on my hand while smiling like a loon the entire time. The smile instantly turned to a grimace as I realised there was even less of a reason to make me go through StarKiller's gruesome torture that the system called training. The Essence alone was just that good. The only consolation I could think of was that I might not be the only one in the multiverse to go through a process like that, unless the ball of light was just being especially cruel to me.
Taking a deep breath, I went to check the [Inventory], where [Dawn] had been throughout the entire decade of torture. Ignoring the several empty slots, I saw the icon of a sword that radiated a faint light occupying a single slot at the top.
Without hesitation, I focused on summoning it, making sure to picture it summoning with my hand holding the handle. Answering my will, the legendary sword materialised exactly as I wanted in my hand, allowing me to instinctively tighten my grip around the hilt as the weapon's weight settled perfectly into my palm. I chuckled as a small amount of relief washed over me as I remembered all the times I was on my phone at night and it slipped, falling on my face.
The sword itself wasn't the greatsword version I thought would appear, but rather a Longsword variant. There was a rising sun etched on the pummel and crossgard, and the smooth and flawless surface of the blade was gleaming and milk-white. Even in the sunlight streaming through the window, the sword seemed to emit its own gentle glow, which I had no doubt would make sneaking up on people next to impossible at night.
A frown formed on my face as I waved the sword experimentally in the air, easily noting that, unlike what the fandom thought, the sword weighed the same as other swords its size, not light like Valerian Steel. Either way, with all my training, it felt like an extension of my arm, natural and precise. With a few more light test swings, I nodded in satisfaction before sending the sword back into the inventory before moving to the next order of business.
Force Lightning.
Extending a hand cautiously, I concentrated, attempting to channel the smallest amount of power. Focusing on a faint spark, no more than the tiniest flicker of electricity.
What I got instead was a crackling surge of energy that burst from my fingertips in a dazzling arc of blue lightning. The power overflowed in my hand, leaping uncontrollably upward and scorching a section of the ceiling, leaving a shower of dust and charred debris raining down toward the bed.
Instinctively, thanks to [The Force] and my trained reflexes, I jerked my head to the side in time to avoid the falling soot and rubble, which landed on the pillow where my head had been moments before. For a moment, I just stared at the damage, blinking in surprise as I examined the scorched ceiling and the mess on the bed, muttering to myself. "Well, that was… expected. He was trained to essentially be a grenade to throw at Vader's enemies, after all. So I have power, but little control."
I leisurely found my way to my feet, brushing off my clothes as I straightened up. Unlike my counterpart, I had the whole 'train until mastery' thing going for me, so it was time to put it to good use. Rolling my shoulders and stretching my arms, I left the room with a determined, giddy smile, ready to begin a minor morning control training arc.
It just wouldn't do to kill the first person I use it on when only trying to maim or grievously injure.
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"Never let your guard down! You expect the battle to be fair?! A battle will never be fair!"
—Antiope
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Hello there!
Long story short, I was watching Mushoku Tensei season 2 in the background while writing a chapter for PWM….then I switched to watching some Star Wars lore. So, instead of doing another chapter for AITC, I ended up doing this.
On the bright side, it allowed me to use one of my favourite Star Wars characters without forcing my other fics' MCs to purchase him from their own system.
Hope you liked it!
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Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC and original ideas. All credit goes to their respective owners.
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If you want to support me, join me on Pat reon by searching for Lightest_Reader
Any support is appreciated.
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Thank you for reading.
Special thanks to my patrons.
As always, stay awesome.
Until next time, Light's out.