BAM!
"Tiny Paul, I want these done by Monday"
The man barked an order as he slammed a large stack of papers on the table.
"… but, it's the end of week" A sigh escaped Pauls lips, looking in horror at the humongous amount of work that was just dropped on his desk.
"That's your problem, so you figure it out" The man turned around and promptly left. His fat belly jiggled with every heavy step he took "You're not getting another chance. Mess this up and you're fired"
"Yes, boss"
The young man named Paul grabbed his hair, wanting to rip it out in frustration. He sat in silence in his small dimly lit cubicle for a few minutes before emptying his energy drink in one go. He then placed the can among the other ones that decorated one of the shelfs on the wall in his cubicle. He didn't even notice a difference anymore, considering how he had grown used to chugging them, but knowing the work that awaited him now, he reflectively grabbed another drink.
"This is going to be more than just an all-nighter" He swallowed a handful of pills and washed them down with the drink he just opened "Haaaa, not like anyone's waiting at home anyway"
As Paul starting typing away on his keyboard, he contemplated why things had come to be this way.
He was just bottom feeder in the company ever since he joined straight out of collegue and even after several years, that had not changed. But the worst came during his first year at the companys Christmas party, where he first met the bosses daughter Charlotte.
(That entitled bitch. I hope I never see again)
Back then Paul become mesmerized by her the second she walked through the door. She wore a glistening mint green dress that matched her green eyes, her chestnut brown hair moved like waves and her high heels clacked with every step. He never had any luck with women and she definitely was out of his league but he always heard it was only a matter of confidence, so he chose to take a chance. After all she looked perfect in his eyes.
However this infatuation did not last long.
Paul was noticeably nervous in the beginning and nearly fumbled his words but he calmed down quickly, once he saw Charlotte chuckle sweetly at his display. The two talked for what seemed like hours, all while he unintentionally ignored the looks of concern and pity that were thrown at him from all sides.
Eventually Charlotte leaned in with reddened cheeks and asked if they could step outside to get some fresh air.
Once they were out the door, she got closer and grabbed his waist. Before he could react, she yanked his belt off, making his pants fall to the ground. Paul frantically tried to pull up his pants, before he heard a strange noise.
Klick! Klick! Klick!
It was then that he realized what was happening.
"Hahahaha, I expected you to have some big balls since you came up to me looking like that, but that tiny pecker is microscopic" Charlotte stood there laughing while holding his belt in one hand and taking pictures with her phone in the other "But this will do. From now on you will buy me what I want when I want it, because if you don't I'll make sure the entire company sees this pictures with the caption that you tried to attack me. I wonder how long it will take for daddy to fire you"
Paul didn't know how she realized that he was dependent on his job, but she was completely right. He had no one he could rely on. His father had been out of the picture since he was a baby and his mother was still trying to nab herself a rich husband, going on several dates a week. Because of that their relationship had become strained, as she wanted to bring her dates over but couldn't while he was there. And she would have thrown him out, were it not for his monetary contribution. In fact ever since he started working at the company and earning a decent salary, it had been him who paid the rent instead of his mom. Of course that meant, he couldn't even properly save money to get his own place and what little he had managed to scrap together was now in danger. On top of that, he had no friends to fall back upon. The people he called friends, were all strangers whom he played online games with. He didn't even know their faces, much less whether or not it would be safe to crash on their couch. At this point he was stuck, with no way out.
"Stupid bitch and her shitty father …" He grumbled, as he typed away on his keyboard. He didn't stop, only taking short breaks to sip on his energy drinks, not noticing how the sun went down.
Pling!
Pauls phone lit up, as the notification sound made him stop reminiscing. He picked it up to check the new message, his eyelids heavy and weary, barely keeping them open. Looking at the phones screen hurt his eyes because of the brightness, as it had gotten so late that everything was dark except for the light in his cubicle and his desktop.
[Claim your daily login bonus for free rewards]
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot"
During the last two years, Paul had started playing Gacha games in an attempt to distract himself from his situation. And oh boy, did it work. All the money that Charlotte used to blackmail out of him, was now being funneled into his new hobby.
"Alright, lets see what I got today"
He logged in to the game and was greeted by a sweet and young female voice.
[Welcome back to Doki Doki Seasonal Waifu Impact]
[Login bonus: Free Character pull]
"Nice" He said, his smile being dragged down by the visible fatigue on his face "Who am I gonna get? Please be Super Rare" He pressed the option to redeem his bonus and get a character pull.
[New: Common rare village girl Mendy]
"Whaaaat? This is bullshit, gimme someone else" He almost jumped in place but couldn't because of his exhaustion.
[Would you like to spend 20 points for a new pull?]
"YES"
[New: Common rare village girl Mendy]
"FUUUUUUCK, again, new pull"
[You don't have enough points for a new pull]
Paul stared at his phone in disbelieve for a moment, before his gaze wondered over the humongous amount of work he still had left to do "Urgh, I don't have time for grinding"
[Would you like to buy points?]
"…"
5 minutes later, 50 bucks lighter and several pulls later, he finally stopped. His hand trembling, yet holding on to the phone like a vice grip. The picture of a beautiful woman surrounded by sparkling lights could be seen on the screen.
[New: SSS Rare Goddess Celeste]
"T-T-The legends were true … SSS Rare characters do exist" Overcome by his feelings, he failed to contain his excitement "hahaha … HAHAHA, this is the best thing that's happened all week"
He stood up to grab another energy drink but immediately sat back down, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. Breathing started to get harder, as he lost feeling in his left arm. His mind slowly started to drift off into the distance, while his eyes closed on their own. In the end everything went dark …
When Paul woke up, the first thing he noticed, was the strange place he found himself in. He saw pillars made of pristine marble, which looked like the ones that once decorated ancient Greece, or so he imagined. In between the pillars hung a glittering and ethereal cloth, whose sky blue color had a seemingly endless depth to it. They were placed in a way, that created a path forward and when he looked at what awaited him there, he was left speechless.
At the end of the path was a woman of otherwordly beauty seated on a luxurious and extremely comfortable looking couch placed on top of an elevated platform. The woman sitting there radiated an air of elegance, her silvery wavy hair parted in the middle to reveal a face of surreal feminine beauty. Her lustrous skin accentuated her youthful looks and her dress like robe appeared loose, yet somehow it perfectly demonstrated her curvy body.
"This is … impossible … you are … Goddess Celeste" He stuttered in shock without thinking.
"No, we are … yes, yes, we are the goddess Celeste" She answered.
"I knew it. But how are you here? Or rather where are we? And how did I get here in the first place? I though I was working late?" He started spewing questions like a machine gun.
"You died" Celeste replied.
"Huuuh? What do you ^You died^? I ain't playing Dark souls over here" Paul though she was making a bad joke and so he tried a joke of his own, only to realize that her demeanor remained unchanged "I died? Seriously? How?" His face instantly turned downtrodden.
"You had a heart attack"
"What? How did that happened? I'm way to young for that"
"You drank more than 20 energy drinks in one evening"
He turned silent, being slapped in the face with the reality of the situation.
"But you are lucky, because we shall give you a second chance"
"That's right" He suddenly turned energetic, his excitement palpable in each of his words "A strange room, a goddess, a second chance … to think such a thing could actually be true and I didn't even get visited by truck-kun"
Celeste smiled in satisfaction, seeing his reaction. That's right, this is how humans should act when in the presence of a goddess like her.
"We have a job for you" She spoke to get his attention.
"Oooooh, a valorous task for one who is destined to become a hero" He continued to get more excited by the second, as even his way of talking changed.
"Huh? Uhm, yes, of course"
"Do tell, what is the name of the world I shall save?"
Celestes eyebrow twitched after hearing his question. Why did this human decided that he is a hero? And he is supposed to save the world?
"The world is called Märchenland. It is a world filled with magic and monsters"
"Oooh, what a peculiar name" His eyes were practically shining after hearing that.
"However do not mistake our purpose. You shall save a race from extinction"
"Of course, a noble mission to be handed down by a goddess, how glorious"
At this point Celeste was tempted to tell him, that his simply happened to be first soul to arrive for her purpose. After all, why would anyone choose a hero who died from an energy drink overdose? But she resisted the urge and instead decided to dispatch him as quickly as possible in order to get rid of him.
"We understand that you must be in a hurry to start your adventure-"
"Yes" He interrupted her "So, what's it gonna be?"
"Excuse you?" She asked in such bewilderment, that she forgot to stay in character for a second.
"What will you give me? A skill that will make me invincible? Or maybe a magic weapon that will kill my enemies in one hit?"
"Neither, however we shall make it so you are reborn as a powerful race and we shall give you a bonus skill as well"
"Wonderful, I -"
"Yes, we know that you are appreciative of our kindness, so we shall send you on your way now" Despite their short interaction, she was already growing tired of this human and didn't wish to entertain him any further. She clapped her hands and called forth a torrent of light that enveloped Paul and as the light faded so did he "Good riddance"
A few minutes later, Celeste was looking a semi-transparent window panel. That was Pauls status window and she was making sure everything went smoothly.
"It appears that strange human was successfully reborn. We do somewhat wonder if he will continue to be so excited once he sees this"
[Status window
Race: Newborn Phoenix
Name: Unnamed
Class: None
Level: 1
HP: 3
Fey: 3 / (+++)
SP: 3
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 1
Defense: 1
Intelligence: 1
Resistance: 1
Speed: 1
Skills: [Budding immortality] [Polymorph] [Fire attack lv.1]
Description: The Phoenix is a majestic being known for it's fire abilities and it's immortality. In Märchenland, the adult phoenix is considered a Mystic-grade and is thus among the upper echelon of monsters. Its young however are sought after as prey by all, monster and humanoids alike. According to legend, killing a Phoenix and eating their heart will grant immortality to those who do. As such their species was hunted to the brink of extinction.
First objective: Survive until adulthood]