《How-not to be an Olympian God! 》Chapter 1: Suspicious Email
Advertisement
To be good at everything, yet great at nothing, that was the fate Alex had 'endured' all his life
He was lacking any sort of passion and ambition pushing his involvement in academic life or 'life' in general. He graduated high school with above-average grades and could have very well pursued a well-earning major and entered the corporate battlefield, enjoying a few weeks of rest a year, a nine-to-five day job, an occasional vacation, a spouse, and some kids.
In middle age, he would be so numbed by life that discounted microwaves at the local big supermarket would start to seem exciting.
Eventually, he might become unhappy in his relationship, get a divorce, have his children move out, and form a life of their own, visiting him twice or thrice a year right until his deathbed, where he would have died.
END OF THE STORY
Ah, The textbook life of happiness.
This was a bit too far into the future, however, as our Alex was still a 20-something youth in the prime of his life and overwhelmed by the tragic life of an adult.
'Becoming a scientist? Nah, too troublesome'
'Becoming a doctor? Nah, my lifespan shortens just thinking about it'
'Becoming a politician? Nah, I don't want to get assassinated at the age of 40 in my spare mansion in Monte Carlo'
'Becoming a writer? Nah, I lack the patience to write full-length novels and I'm not confident in making any profit at all'
Additionally, if it were law, engineering, financing or administration, Alex would only give different variations of the preceding quotes.
And graduating in the midst of a global pandemic didn't help his case too much, as entry-level jobs, which already required years of experience that freshly-graduated bachelors needed to somehow invent, now started straight-out refusing youngsters.
Which is why, despite having a resumé and a past track record worthy of a goody two-shoes that could easily(in most circumstances) land him a good job, Alex has instead been juggling a dozen or so online gigs, having had an ophthalmologist-offending screen time and eating instant ramen for lunch, dinner and reluctantly, breakfast.
Advertisement
Frozen peas and unseasoned chicken breast were really his only real source of nutrition.
It is often said 'You are what you eat'.
Alex, by that logic, was therefore cheap and empty junk.
He could definitely ask his mother for financial aid but he wouldn't dare. His mom raised both him and his younger brother, Alexander, as a single mother.
And due to him finally somewhat achieving 'financial independence', his mother has been able to afford toys and other such forms of entertainment necessary for raising young children to Alexander.
He would never steal that just because he can't take care of himself.
Thinking of his mother, Alex began to tear up. 'I should really visit her and Alexander as soon as the travel restrictions are lifted' Alex thought, but he didn't know that, for the foreseeable future at the very least, he wouldn't be able to visit anyone from his world.
Putting aside his feelings, Alex was awaiting certain payments he was scheduled to receive today and was looking forward to finally having a proper meal, aka heart-attack inducing pizza. He could definitely, instead, order a nutritionally balanced and good-tasting meal but, wise men often say 'a healthy mind is a healthy body' or whatnot.
For his own healthy mind and hence, healthy body, Alex needs to savor health-destroying trans fats and an excess of cheese and MSG.
Checking his inbox, Alex refreshed the page a few times but nothing to his interest appeared. He sighed but did not express any further dissatisfaction at the unpredictability of freelancing, after all, if he wanted a stable job, he would join a law firm, not a freelancing website.
To kill some time, Alex decided to check the infamous 'spam folder'. Involving mass-hacking operations and elaborate scams and cult invitations, the spam folder of the emailing software has become somewhat of a trending issue.
Advertisement
Alex's spam folder, however, was a bit more underwhelming than that. It had more of the usual feed. Useless self-help books, very casual satanic cults, Nigerian scammers, just some everyday things.
Below that was an interesting and ridiculous email.
--------------------------------------
(God Recruitment!!!!!!!!! Info below!!!!)
Greetings I am Hermes representative and messenger of the Olympians in the Mortal Realm I have come to this place to recruit our newest addition to the pantheon we don't have any requirements
xoxo, Hermes
---------------------------------------
At first glance, the contrast between the childish title, the serious tone and the lack of punctuation really did make for a funny combination. But at second glance, the purpose of the email seemed unclear. It looked too suspicious to be a scam, too childish to be an invitation to an exclusive posh club and too ridiculous to be taken seriously at all.
'Pfffttt' Alex chuckled in amusement.
'God recruitment? Email pranks? is that how kids have fun these days?'
He then responded to the email saying he wants to participate, while he really just wanted to lecture this mischievous kid.
"O thou Hermes, I am enamored by your presence. I have perused your email and thus find your offer interesting and want to become a member of this 'Olympian pantheon', please enlighten me on how to proceed, and send my regards to my dearest Zeus, Athena and Aphrodite" Alex bemused as he typed and proceeded to send the email.
Immediately, his vision darkened and his senses dulled and he couldn't feel his body anymore.
Advertisement
Super Gene
In the magnificent interstellar era, mankind has finally developed teleport technology, but when trying to teleport, they are not sent to the future, the past, or any land known to men…
8 372Soul 1/2 (A progression fantasy, Academy story)
***********TEMPORARY HIATUS*************** If you had a chance to be a real hero, with all the power and responsibility that comes with the role, would you take it, or is it just a fantasy for you? Altair had always dreamed about becoming a cool hero that could save the day and get the girl. In reality, he is a quiet kid thrown into a society where noble heritage and riches determine one's worth, and having none he is at the very bottom of the totem pole. After making it on a scholarship to the prestigious Baignard Academy, he finds himself the target of every young master in the vicinity, with the prospect of four years of hell looming ahead. He is determined to escape the path life had prepared for him, yet the daily beatings are testing his resolve. One day, he is summoned to a duplicate world where his dying counterpart was fated to be humanity's champion in stopping an upcoming demon invasion. To save the future, Altair needs to walk in his predecessor's footsteps, mastering advanced magic under a tight deadline while living a double-life across both worlds in order to climb the ranks and grow strong enough to protect his family and those dear to him from the ultimate threat with roots in a millennia-old conspiracy. *** Release schedule: a chapter a day, chapters are about 1700 - 3000 words on average.
8 207Storia: Sins of the Fathers
Kris Rosenfield has just turned 20, and is getting ready to face adulthood and the path that lies ahead of her. But when an unexpected turn of events overturns everything she ever thought she knew, she begins to question certain facts that she'd always taken for granted... like the truth behind her father's mysterious death.Masato Ikeda has stepped up to assume his father's position as a Yakuza enforcer, and one of his most important duties to the clan is to be part of a political marriage - to a vampire. What does this mean for his future, and that of his men?Tetsuya slips through the shadows of Tokyo's underworld, pulling invisible strings and uncovering insidious plots on behalf of his sensei. But do his interests fully align with that of his Guild's, or does he have an unseen agenda? Hello, everyone! Do you enjoy urban fantasy action, adventure and battle in the vein of A Certain Magical Index and Fate/Stay Night? Do you want to see magi, vampires, and all manner of otherworldly badasses clash both in the open and behind closed doors? If you do, I present to you: Storia! If you enjoy Brandon Sanderson's intricate and comprehensive magic systems, or Patrick Rothfuss's beautiful prose, or Stephen King's facility with language, or Max Gladstone's use of fantastic elements as a means of explaining the invisible forces that move the real world, well... I am not any of those authors. I am, however, deeply inspired and influenced by their work, and strive to approach their level of writing. I hope you give Storia a try, and do let me know what you think!
8 78Fallen Moon
For centuries, Vampires and Werewolves have waged war on one another. At last the blood war is near its end. Currently, the war is at stand still granting both sides a chance to live what could be their final moments and to prepare for one last battle. For Vampire, Angel and Werewolf, Raven the blood war is least of their worries. Their fates had been intertwined. Will their love be strong enough to stop a feud that has been there since the dawn of time or will they have to kill one another?
8 73BLOODTHIRSTY
He was a sinner even before he was born. A sin that he couldn't be forgiven for. A sin he couldn't be held accountable for. No matter how hard his parents begged, no matter how hard they tried to keep their son safe. Their only option was to hide him. In the process not knowing what kind of monster they had created. They had no idea what kind of evil he held within him. On top of that he realised that a mere human was his only way to sanity. -- "I expected you to run human? Or hear you scream. Why aren't you running?" The smile got replaced with a frown. He looked disappointed. "Why aren't you screaming human?" His eyes turned black and he looked more terrifying than he did before."Y-you won't hurt me."The story is completely made up, the angels and the demons are not the same as in other religions. I have made up a whole different story about the Gods in this book. So be aware.
8 220The Life that Never Lived Harry Potter and the ? (Philosopher's Stone)
Harry is lost back in time with four people he felt he really should remember...with no memory and only seven books to find out the truth of his life, before it's too late to save his new family. A reading the book series with no actual book usage.
8 104