As I regain my consciousness, I could tell that I’m still in the dark space because I can see without blinking and there’s something wrong with me. I can’t feel my hands, legs and any parts of my body as if they didn’t exist. In short, I can’t move and can’t talk. Another thing is that I’m not breathing but I don’t feel suffocated which was strangely good.

What’s the use of my unblinking eye if I can’t move around?

I complained through my mind because the boredom hits me. Then a blue window suddenly appeared out of thin air.

System: Please be patient, player. The game is still loading.

…Game Loading… 10% …………………………… 11%...............

Wait? What did I just saw right now?

System: What you are seeing today is a game screen which allows the player to see the notifications and can be interacted for more information. Do you want to know more while the game is loading?

> Yes

> No

I want to press the Yes option because I have so many questions to ask but I can’t. So I just mentally wished that I pressed that option.

System: Since the player cannot interact with its current state. The Eye Tracker has been activated.

I’m impressed with this System’s AI because it knew my problem. A few seconds later, I saw the transparent bubble on the screen which follows my sight. Since I’m familiar with the Eye Tracker, I know how to use it. Then I focused my sight at the Yes option and a 3D holographic image of the keyboard appeared.

Does that mean I have to type some questions through my eye? What a hassle!

I mentally complained but since I don’t have a choice, I typed a very short question which took me 3 minutes to finish it.

Player: Where am I?

System: You are in the game lobby where the player is waiting until the game is fully loaded.

Game lobby? You mean, a menu?

This reminds me of the Simulation where we’re being trained as a soldier. I can still remember how it feels once you are inside the Simulation. It felt so real and I can’t deny how accurate that system was.

Player: Is this a simulation?

System: No. The game you are going to play is more than a simulation.

Player: What do you mean by that?

System: Error.

The system’s reply is colored with red which matched the word Error.

Why the answer is an error? Maybe the AI can’t understand my question.

Player: What do you mean by the game that I’m going to play is more than a simulation?

System: Error.

Wow! Just wow! That shit took me 10 minutes from typing through my eye and that’s your answer?

System: Since the player is too tired to use the Eye Tracker, Telepathy has been activated. The player can now ask questions mentally.

You little piece of shit! Who is the creator of this game? Because I’m going to beat its ass!

System: The Admin.

Who is the Admin?

System: Error.

Are you hiding the identity of the Admin? Just tell me who it was!

System: Error.

Okay! Fine! Why am I even here?

System: Your God has sent you here to fulfill your mission.

My God? I have no God! What mission are you talking about?

System: Your God is ______. You have a God. Your mission is to entertain your God through playing the game.

Blank… Even the system doesn’t know his name. Pathetic.

The system’s last answer made me thought about the things I learned from history books. I only knew a little bit of knowledge in The Era of Gamers. Before the apocalypse, most people such as MeTubers, Pro gamers, and normal gamers wasted their time, energy and money just playing video games. There are many gaming genres but one genre survived after the beginning of the apocalypse which was the simulation. Simulation is just a game for them but for us who played that is more than a game because it wasn’t used for fun but it was for training purposes.

Speaking of the game, Crack mentioned something in the game but I can’t quite remember it and now, I’m going to ask the system once more. Crack will be coded as Blank.

Blank wanted to see me play the game or his game?

System: …

System: Error.

Wow! It took you a minute to answer it. Is my question really that hard?

System: Your unanswered questions are understandable but the storage has a lack of sources.

So, are you still learning?

System: Yes.

Okay, I’ll answer my question. If Blank wanted to be entertained by ME playing the game, it was obvious that he’s watching me. As if I’m a MeTuber who made a video about playing a game while Blank is a viewer. He’ll watch my game series until the end including the secrets and Easter eggs since he was entertained by it. I don’t know what Easter eggs mean but that’s all I can say about it and I hope the genre of the game that I’m going to play is not boring.

System: …Recording 100%…

System: …Saving 100%...

System: …Game Loading… 99%...

System: Initiating the countdown…

System: 10… 9… 8…

The blue game screen suddenly turned into purple when the countdown starts.

System: 3… 2… 1…

Then the purple game screen became wider than before and there are some questions that I need to answer honestly.

Notification

Please answer the questions honestly.

Please select at least 5 genres of your likings. Action Adventure Arcade Board Card Casino Casual Educational Fantasy Family Horror Music Puzzle Romance RPG Simulation Sports Strategy Trivia Word

I selected Action, Adventure, Strategy, Puzzle, and Simulation but the screen suddenly became static. There was so much static on the screen and I couldn’t see the questions. A moment later, it comes back to normal but my 5 selected genres became 8. The other 3 genres are Fantasy, RPG and Romance.

What the–? Is this a glitch? Romance? That shit does not belong to my vocabulary!

I can’t erase my answers because it was immediately saved.

Why romance? That’s my nemesis dammit!

Do you like a human? Yes No

Why would I say no if I’m a human?

So I chose yes and proceeded to the next question.

Do you like an elf? Yes No

Elves? I would like to see those fictional beings with knife ears.

Then I chose yes again.

Do you like furry animals? Yes No

Of course, I like those kinds of animals!

When I chose yes, the purple game screen became static again when it comes back to normal while the furry animals turned into a slime. Then it saved and immediately proceeded to the next question. I don’t know what slimes are but it sounds disgusting.

Do you like Kraken? Yes No

A fictional monster of the sea… I would like to see that. So it’s a YES.

Do you like an undead person especially a skeleton? Yes No

That’s an odd question. Of course, it’s a NO! Why would I like a rotting corpse especially a person full of calcium? I don’t have necrophilia after all.

As I chose No, the Yes option was highlighted and it was saved before I could even confirm it.

What… The… HELL?! I swear! I chose NO! Not YES!

Do you like a dragon? Do you like a demon? Do you like an angel?

I chose yes because I’m tired of trying to choose no. The questionnaire is so biased and full of glitches since I can’t choose no.

Choose your game difficulty. Ultra Easy Very Easy Easy Normal Abnormal Hard Hardcore Ultra Hardcore A game difficulty which made you wished that you didn't exist in the first place.

Since I like challenges, I chose the very last option.

Let’s see how hard that difficulty is.

Do you want Loyalty as a feature of the game? Yes No

Loyalty? That sounds good.

Then I chose yes.

Whoever ended your life, do you want revenge? Yes No

Yes! I want revenge but how? But I still choose yes.

After answering the 12th question, the last one made me want to break the screen.

Do you have faith in your God? Yes No

Why would I have faith in him in the first place? I don’t trust him yet and he’s disgusting. Is he even a God? Did he ever granted my 3 wishes before? I don’t know…

Since the questionnaire has a bug, I chose yes and the purple game screen turned back into blue.

System: Thank you for answering the questions! The game has been set. Please standby…

The game screen disappeared and darkness took over my sight. A few moments of silence, I can finally feel my body as my eye is tightly shut. It felt like I was sitting on the armed chair. I tried to stand but my body refused as if my ass was glued on the chair.

“Our God has blessed us…” The familiar voices said through my head.

Their voices are so familiar which made me think that they are the shadows from before. I forced to open my eye and what I saw is unbelievable.

I am in a different world because the cloudless sky is purple and so the sun. The land was in complete darkness but I was mistaken. It was the ocean of shadows from different types and sizes bowed right in front of me. Those abominations are the same monsters that terrorizing my world. I’m confused about why these things bowing at me as if I’m their ruler.

When I looked down to see my legs and hands, it made me want to kill the bastard who created this character. What I see from my body is full of darkness and decorated with glowing purple lines. I stood up and realized that I wore a black dress that reached the ground. I glanced behind me and it confirmed that those abominations treated me like their queen. A black throne with glowing purple hue which I assumed that it was made of corrupted crystals.

I raised my pair of hands in disappointment because my fingers are longer than my human fingers and the nails are so sharp. My arms are long and slender as if I looked so fragile than these monsters.

Since I have these hands with no mirrors, I slowly touched my face and it’s strangely smoother than my old face. I have a mouth, nose and a pair of eyes. I figured it out through winking though. Then I proceeded to touch my head and found out that I don’t have ears. My hair felt like I was wearing an irremovable crown due to its shape and structure.

I sat on the throne and crossed my legs, watching those abominations continued bowing on the ground. Then the blue window appeared out of thin air.

Notification

Congratulations!

You are reborn as a Queen of Shadows.

I sighed and facepalmed in dismay, “Thanks for the late news. And what do you mean I was reborn?”

The first time I heard my voice sounds like a monster version of my old self.

System: You died from your previous world and your God gave you a new body in this world.

“I play as a Queen of Shadows until the end of the game?!” I asked with a slightly raised voice.

System: Yes.

I grabbed my crowned head in despair, “I can’t accept this! Do you know how I hate these monsters?!”

System: Please accept your fate. Do not forget the condition of the contract if you fail the requirements.

“So, I don’t have a choice? Fine! I’ll do it! But I don’t know how I’m going to start.”

System: Do you wish to see your Status?

Yes No

I pressed the Yes option and I can see the Character Model on the right side while the status was displayed on the left side. I can’t tell if the face of my character is ugly or simple because the skin is pure black as darkness. Then I looked at the Status and noticed that the System is asking me to change my surname. Since I’m not good at naming, I just combined the word shadow and my surname.

Warning!

The changes cannot be undone.

Do you wish to save the changes?

> Yes

> No

I pressed the Yes option and moved on.

[STATUS:]

NAME: Natasha Shadowwalker

RACE: Shadow

TYPE: Shadow Queen

GENDER: Female

AGE: 65

JOB: General of Darkness

[LEVEL: 0]

HP: 1,000,000/1,000,000

MP: 1,500,000/1,500,000

XP: 0/100

STATS PTS: 0

ATK: 999

CONT: 999

STR: 999

DEF: 999

CRIT: 999

DEX: 999

SPD: 999

MAG: 666

INT: 999

WIS: 999

SPT: 666

CHAR: 69

LUK: 777

[TITLES:]

RULER OF DARKNESS

HERO SLAYER

RULER OF THE 4 SILVER STARRED GENERALS OF DARKNESS

THE WALKING END

WORLD ENDER

NATURAL ENEMY TO ALL RACES

THE ORIGINAL DEMON LORD

THE 5 SILVER STARRED GENERAL OF DARKNESS

I was stunned at the stats and titles of my character. From what I learned from the gaming history, the beginners’ stats are starting with 1 to 2 digit numbers but mine is too much. I don’t know if I’m a real player at this point.

In gaming history, cheaters are always ruining the good games but they have a motto for that.

What is fun if the game itself is making fun of you?

That gives me chills as I realized that I'm considered as a cheater at this current level and my titles, it sounds like I’m the main villain of the game.

System: That is normal for a BOSS to have high numbers of stats. Be thankful to your God because he made your gaming experience easier.

I rolled my eyes, “Ptf! Yeah! Thanks. I appreciate it.”

System: You don’t sound thankful.

“It’s because… I don’t trust him yet. I don’t know who he was and what he was. I don’t even understand his anger with his older siblings. If he has siblings.”

System: …

System: Your questions will be answered once you walk across Octavia.

I glanced at the shadows and they didn’t stop their bowing and I sighed in boredom.

“What should I do next, System?”

System: Should we begin the tutorials?

> Yes

> No

The End of Chapter 4