Author’s Note: I wrote this a long time ago in a bout of inspiration and thought I would throw it out to you in place of today’s Eternal Anime War. I know how you love content so I spent this morning finishing off chapter 1 and cleaning the writing up a bit. This was originally my idea for a third book once I finished End Online.

Leave a comment, tell me what you think of it.

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– World Raid –

– Prologue: Year 20XX –

On a large holographic screen projected above New York’s Times Square, an interview on the popular television show Raid Today was being projected. The current leading professors of various fields would answer questions asked by a gorgeous blonde female host. Large crowds of people who were passing by stop to watch the screen while others rushed away to watch it at home.

“I would like to thank you all for appearing today on our show,” The pretty blonde lady with emerald eyes and a physique like a fairy spoke to the guest professors on the show. “Professor Julius Monroe, as a leading figure in the field of philosophy, we hope you can answer some of our questions and provide insight into what the World Raid is and why it came to be. There are statements of all opinions available on the internet and nobody knows what the truth is and what is wrong, so nobody knows what to believe.”

“That’s truly a difficult topic, Sandra. It is difficult to provide accurate answers on something that is as intangible as the World Raid. Science cannot explain nor define what it is, it is an area that humanity has no experience with. However, several of my colleagues and I have studied the World Raid for years, so I can give you the best answers possible.”

“We are pleased to hear you can help. Well there are a lot of questions to ask so I won’t dwell on the small talk and let’s get on with it. The first question is the most common one. God spoke to every human on the planet and told us about the Akashic Records accumulating enough experience that the World Raid was born and every person has the right to enter, seeking fortune, treasures and the chance to become stronger. This makes us question, who or what is god? Is he, or she, the one responsible for creating and implementing the World Raid?”

“Sandra, to explain that we need to look at the original existence known as god. Throughout history, no matter the civilization, humans have always come to offer piety towards a higher existence to find rationalism in their existence or give meaning to their lives. This also became a tool which united people together under a common belief and allowed communities to unite. As for whether any god is real or not, it has always been an endless debate. Religious believers have never been able to prove that their god actually exists, but at the same time science has never been able to prove that their god doesn’t exist.”

Professor Julius Monroe quietly picked up a glass of water and drank a large mouthful, licking his lips carefully before continuing.

“As for whether god formed the Akashic Records and made the World Raid, it is to our understanding that is incorrect. The Akashic Records are the records in which all knowledge and experiences are recorded. God had always been intangible before this, but with the birth of the World Raid, god became tangible. This shows that rather than god creating the Akashic Records, it was the Akashic Records that created god.”

“What you’re saying is that the being we all know as god is not in fact the god we have always known?”

“Not at all. If this god has an appearance, it would probably be in the visage of a long bearded, white-haired man that we all think of when we imagine god. The God that was created through the Akashic Records based on our experiences and beliefs, so while it may not be the god said to exist since the beginning of time and created everything we know, it is indeed the god we have always believed in.”

“But there are so many gods that we have believed in, including those of ancient times. Why has this one god become the central pillar of the World Raid?”

“The God portrayed by Christianity has had the strongest belief. Compared to ancient times when empires with their own religion rose and fell, Christianity has had no borders and spread throughout the world through its two millennia existence. This makes it incomparable to any other religion that has been formed to date. It isn’t like the other gods don’t exist, some of them have even been spotted or speculated as to where they exist, but they are not dominant like the one true god that reminisces an administrator for the World Raid.”

“That is truly a lot to take in. What about the raids themselves, how many of them are there?”

“They are truly endless. Even today, after countless years, new raids are constantly being discovered. There are over a hundred thousand guides on the internet for people entering the World Raid and speculated to be ten or even a hundred times more that people have experienced. Works of fiction, mythologies, religious beliefs and even the experiences of ancient civilizations agglomerate in the Akashic Records and form an endless formation of different raids. Not only that, but increasingly more raids are being birthed every year.”

“With so much knowledge forming the World Raid, why is it portrayed like a game? Everyone who has entered the World Raid has characteristics like a character in a game, but why is that so?”

“Games have always existed. They are a form of both competition and entertainment that are constantly evolving. The reason it is like a video game is potentially an effect of modern society, but no one knows for certain.”

Times Square was a silent as even all the cars had stopped. The people on the streets just silently watched the interview as if it was the most important thing in their life. The female host, Sandra, lead with several other philosophical questions before then addressing Markus Flint, a professor of science.

“Professor Markus Flint, what are your thoughts on the technology and knowledge that is brought out from the World Raid. It is a common fact that most raids are based on fictional ideas, so why is it that technology brought out from the World Raid can still be used?”

Professor Markus Flint is a wizened man in his late fifties who always seemed to be frowning, yet he answered as carefully as possible so that everyone watching the show could understand.

“That is because the world raids are only theorized from fiction, but what makes them up is actually fact. Every piece of technology, mineral, or even advanced theories are constructed by fact. It is true that there should be no information in the Akashic Records for certain science, such as our current holographic technology, because it is something humans have not created.”

“The creation of these technologies is the information brought about by an agglomeration of countless records arranged in a method more complicated than we can possibly understand. The amount of information within the Akashic Records is impossible to even calculate, and each piece of that can be rearranged in near infinite possibilities.”

“What about life? There has been an influx of intelligent races: humans, elves, aliens and many other beings. Excluding the people who bring them out of the world raid and our anti-slavery reforms and world immigrant fair treatment policies, does this mean the Akashic Records also hold governance over life?”

“The Akashic Records hold governance over everything. Just the worlds created are an impossible feat. It is called impossible because they were created out of nothing. The Akashic Records have created matter, a fundamental impossibility as portrayed by the law of conservation of mass and energy. To create intelligent life, when compared to surpassing the laws of physics, is as simple as basic addition and subtraction.”

*****

“Professor Hillary Smith, can you explain to us what a bloodline is? There are many human conservation groups which accuse those with bloodlines as people who have forgone their humanity, which has also caused a large amount of discrimination worldwide.”

The only female professor in the room, Hillary Smith, is an attractive woman in her late twenties and graduated university with a PhD in Molecular Biology, takes the role of answering questions directly related to the changes in humans through the World Raid.

“Bloodlines are actually one of the most innovative and interesting products to emerge from the World Raid. By having a bloodline, a human can gain additional traits which make them stronger, give birth to strange powers, and even multiply a person’s life expectancy. They are obtained within the World Raid, but through medical science, they can be harvested from willing participants and implanted into other people, even those who never entered the World Raid. Sandra, you too have a bloodline, don’t you?”

“Indeed, I have the Bloodline 274, also known as the Winter Elf Bloodline,” Sandra carefully brushes her hair to the side to reveal her pointed ears. “This bloodline truly cost me a fortune, but being able to live several hundred years is completely worth it. No! We still haven’t addressed the question. What are bloodlines, and do they make us less human?”

“Of course, I don’t mean to brush over the question. Bloodlines are formed from DNA implanted into our bodies, but they do not take away our humanity. The initial results from studying some of the first recipients of bloodlines gave us shocking results which lead to several breakthroughs in medical science.”

“It is known that our very beings are carefully sculpted by the DNA passed on to us from our parents. However, there was one thing we were never aware of. That was the possibility for every cell in our bodies to contain two sets of DNA! A bloodline is a second set of DNA that resides within every cell and acts in a supportive role for our human DNA, strengthening us at a cellular level. This is also the reason that regardless as to what bloodline someone possesses, they still maintain the basic human physique. That people with bloodlines can have children with those that don’t have one is a clear factor that we are still very much human. These bloodlines will also be passed onto those children, but in the case both parents have bloodlines, only one of the two will be genetically inherited.”

“If we are all still human, why is all this discrimination going around? Is there a way to stop it?”

“The discrimination is a result of a person’s altered appearance after possessing a bloodline. It has always been something common between different nationalities and skin color, it is merely gotten a new target this time. The only way to currently resolve it would be to allow it to run its course while waiting for the situation to become less tense. Perhaps it will take another year, or even ten, but eventually one person will decide to no longer discriminate, followed by another and even more later on. It is such a big change that it will simply take time for people to become accustomed.”

Sandra nods her head repeatedly in understanding before continuing, “There is already a large social pressure on these groups who wantonly discriminate. I can only trust in your judgement that time will solve this problem.”

“Regardless as to how we look, Sandra, we are all still human.”

“Yes, we are. But no more about that, we need to get on the next topic. Professor Trent, as a professor in history, we hope you can enlighten us on some of the dungeon types we are unfamiliar with, especially some of the new ones that have been recorded.”

The screen hanging above times square flashed as the scene changed to that of a recording made inside a dungeon by one of the participants. The scene was that of an ancient stone city within a forgotten desert. There was even uncensored footage of battles between the participants and demon like people with horns growing out of their heads.

Surprisingly, very few people within the audience at Time’s Square were off put by the bloodshed, as if they were used to it. From a narrow alley not far away, a young man also looked up at the screen, only to quietly turn around and vanish into the alley. The only thing that remained of his presence in the end was a single white feather, so pure it appeared untainted by all things in the world, lying on the ground.

– Chapter 1: World Raid –

March 31, 2019

Late at night, a young man, appearing only 20 years old, rummaged through a dumpster in a dark alley of the streets of New York. The yellow glow of streetlamps light the entrance of the alley while the horns of impatient drivers would constantly sound from the nearby streets.

Heavy rain poured down, yet this young man paid no attention to how drenched he was and continued his task. He pulled out a few food scraps from the dumpster before revealing his appearance beneath the light.

He wore a black hooded jumper with a large logo on the back so faded it was unrecognizable. His jeans were torn at the knees and revealed his skinny legs, fresh stains on them from being in the dumpster. His black hair was long enough to reach his shoulders but in a dirty mess of knots due to not being washed or brushed in months.

The young man placed his food before him in the alley and rested on his knees. He placed his palms together in prayer, closed his eyes and lowered his head.

“Dear Lord, I thank you for this food and pray that I will maintain my health after eating it. I ask of you to look over me and keep me warm this night once more and that I shall have more prosperity in the future. Amen,” The man quietly murmured under his breath before eating the smelly food scraps as if he was ravished.

After he was done, he sat against the wall and raised his face to the sky, allowing the rain to cleanse him. He would hide in this dark alley tonight to avoid prejudice from the people of New York.

The young man was dirty, smelled afoul, and had no home to call his own. He had been this way for the past year, and at first had felt like his life was over.

He never used to be religious, but after becoming homeless he was lost in life and soon began withering away. A priest offered him a bowl of soup and saved him from starvation at that time and brought him into the church. showing the stained-glass windows with a depiction of hope within them. The young man found his will to live within the faith of god and had been extremely pious ever since, his religion the only thing keeping him together spiritually.

At this moment that he was gazing up at the sky, a wizened voice revibrated in his mind.

“Children, I am god. The world’s Akashic Records have finished accumulating and formed an immemorable register. As of this night, the World Raid is open to all sentient species on the planet who have the ability to comprehend the records.”

“Humans of mature age may enter the Akashic Records once per month and shall not be able to enter again until one month later. The knowledge of entering and your personal information has been imprinted in your souls by the records so you will naturally understand how to enter. All entries are optional, and nobody is forced to experience the trials of the Akashic Records, but you may not return until the current record is complete.”

“Enter and challenge your limits, gain glory, power, and riches above all other men. This is a game of survival of the fittest”

The voice in the young man’s head stopped, as did all the honking of the cars nearby. It wasn’t just this young man who heard the voice, but every single person in the world. Some heard it from the car radio, television or as a phone call, while others had the voice directly enter their head.

The young man didn’t question the authenticity of the voice and quietly said, “Lord, is this but another trial for me? But one more obstacle in my path of life?”

Just as the voice said, he naturally knew how to enter the raid and check his personal information, otherwise known as his stats. It was as if he had always known how, just recalled that specific information now.

A simple thought from the young man and his stats appeared before him.

 

*****

Bloodline: None
Name: Trent Greenwood
Age: 20

Level: 1
Experience: 0/100

Stamina: 18
Mana: 14

Physical: 8
Endurance: 9
Mental: 14
Immunity: 13

Equipment:
None

Skills:
None

Titles/Achievements:
None

*****

 

Trent also understood each of his stats. [Physical] increased his body strength to affect both offense, defense, and speed. [Endurance] was how much energy the body could store, how fast it would restore, and the general speed that the body healed as well. Not only healing, but a high enough [Endurance] stat could even allow people to regrow limbs.

[Mental] was directly related to the strength of the mind and soul, increasing intelligence, willpower and resistance to mental and spiritual effects. It also had an influence on mana.

[Immunity] was the most basic of the stats. It was directly related to the body and resisting anything that was not a part of the body, such as viruses, diseases and poisons.

When someone gathers enough experience, the Akashic Records would automatically compile this experience into a level up phenomenon, allotting ten free attribute points to be placed on the four attributes, increasing the base stamina and mana multiplier by one factor, and even extending the life expectancy of the individual.

This meant that while stamina was equal to twice the value of [Endurance] at level one, at level 2 it would be worth three times the value, four times at level 3 and so on. Mana was equal to [Mental] at level one, while level 2 was a multiplier of one and a half, two times at level 3 and so on.

It was increasingly difficult to gain levels based on what Trent had suddenly learned, so the best way to increase these values was still naturally to spend free points on the base stats.

“Lord, I shall participate in this trail of yours as it is but one obstacle you have set before me,” Trent piously prayed on the spot before disappearing from where he kneeled like a split frame in a movie reel.

*****

Trent reappeared within a boundless world with no one other than himself inside of it. The ground of this world was that of a lake, yet the surface of the water could not be broken and instead was easily walked on.

Around this lake were ten massive stone doors evenly spaced apart, gold and bronze gilding inlaid in the frame which created a mystical sensation from the doors. Each one had a number range for recommended individual’s level. The first door has a recommended level of 1 – 9, while the second was 10 – 19, and following this pattern all the way to 90-99.

Floating above the lake in the pitch-black sky that was like an abyss, was the most mystical object Trent had ever imagined. A massive planet made of gears, cogs, hinges and springs lightly glowed a vivid blue, lighting up the lake Trent walked on with luminous glows.

If one looked closer, they would actually notice that every single part of this ‘planet’ was made up of smaller tablets, otherwise known as records, interweaved with each other and constantly shifting positions. There were countless more of these records floating aimlessly in the sky like little stars and would move in alignment with the plant’s movement, slowly merging into the collective whole with time.

Trent faced away from the ‘planet’, walked across the lake to the basic level 1 – 9 door and pushed it open before he stepped in and blacked out.

*****

When Trent came to, he found himself in the chapel of a church. The wide wooden seats down the aisles were all overturned, splintered and broken, while the pillars supporting the ceiling had all been smashed and scattered as debris.

The faint tune of a pipe organ resounded throughout the church, the source of the sound impossible to determine other than it was in a distant location. A faint golden glow emitted from the broken windows on the ceiling, both soft on the eyes and at the same time bright enough that it was impossible to see anything past the window itself.

It wasn’t just Trent here. There were nine other people sprawled out on the ground, seven men and two women. Everyone seemed to be of middle-class status in society and were dressed in casual attire, but one of the women with a voluptuous body was wearing a night gown.

“I-I didn’t know it would actually work… How was I supposed to know?” The woman stated in fear and hurriedly covered her body.

A burly black man gawked at the woman and eyed her body, but showed no intention of becoming depraved and sexually assaulting her. A few of the other men however seemed to be thinking of pushing the modern-day boundaries and taking advantage of her.

“Why don’t we introduce ourselves first?” I tall man with a large football shirt on cleared his throat nervously and suggested.

“I’m Jenifer, an accountant,” The woman in the nightgown embarrassingly stated.

“Brian, unemployed,” The man in the football shirt replied.

“Lawrence, factory overseer.”

“Pauline, primary school teacher.”

“Justin, carpenter.”

“Greg, also a carpenter.”

“Derik, studying law in university.”

“Paul, public relations officer at Minisoft.”

“Andrew, owner of a small computer company. I also do commissions for creating apps and webpages.”

When it was Trent’s turn to introduce himself, everyone looked away from him and ignored his existence. One of the men scoffed and said, “So there’s a dirty bum here too.”

Trent turned his head in silence and ignored them too, he tried his best to avoid people as the discrimination based on his appearance was always painful to hear. He faced a broken chancel at the end of the nave, where an altar was split in two from the middle, and silently continued to pray.

“Why don’t we have a look around, this is supposed to be a raid like in a game right? There must be something around here to give us a clue as to where we are supposed to go, right?” Justin said lazily as he kicked over some rubble.

Lawrence also analysed the situation and said, “The pipe organ is a good start, how about we locate that first.”

“Agreed. If this is a raid though, there will most likely be some minor monsters for newbies to train on along the way, so we will need weapons,” Brian said uncertainly, picking up a piece of rubble about the size of his head with both hands.

The nine people quickly formed a group where the men grabbed pieces of broken stone each and the women timidly hid behind them to be protected. Jennifer did her best to continue covering her body while Pauline took her phone out and began recording everything around them.

Trent remained by himself in the nave as the other’s ignored his existance and left through an arched door off to the side. It wasn’t until half an hour later that he finally stood up, broke of a large enough piece of wood from one of the long church seats to be considered a weapon and walked through an arched door on the opposite side of the hall.