Rachel slowly woke up, an unnatural drowsiness clinging to her consciousness. Something wasn’t right, but her brain wasn’t able to process what it was yet. She tried recalling what she did last night that would leave her in such a state. She didn’t go out drinking, nor did she do any drugs, so why did she feel like crap after waking up?

“Ah, you’re awake.”

The calm voice jumpstarted her body awake, the scare causing her to jerk away only to find that she was unable to. Panic started to set in as she realized that she was bound to a chair, and her mouth gagged. Her eyes flicked around the room she found herself in.

She couldn’t make out many details, since all of the walls, the ceiling, and the floor were covered in some kind of plastic. Several lamps were spread around the room, illuminating her bound figure perfectly. She struggled some more after spotting the trolley that held several tools on it. Things such as a hammer, pliers, a hacksaw, knives of various sizes, and other appliances which she didn’t recognize.

There was no way that somebody was just renovating this room.

“Please, do calm down.”

Rachel’s head whipped to her right, where she had heard the voice. From behind one of the blinding lamps, a man stepped into the light. His brown hair was neatly combed back, and he was wearing some sort of medical gown. She could feel his green eyes pierce into hers and immediately stopped moving.

This man felt different. Not human. It was as if a predator was staring straight at her, and Rachel instinctually clamped up. Her breathing came heavy as she watched him approach, a cold shiver running down her back.

“Much better,” the man approved. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here and what is happening. You people always do.”

Rachel could do little more than slowly nod her head, fearful of the man approaching the tools next to her.

“You know, I’m a prophet,” the man said with a smirk. “My god talks to me. He tells me things. Things that the ignorant masses are not ready to accept… yet…”

The man started inspecting the tools, seemingly making sure that not a speck of dust remained, neatly arranging them on the little trolley.

“He tells me things about other people. How they’re not worthy of his kingdom. How they need to be removed, like the cancer upon this world that they are!” The man got angry as he said this, spittle landing on Rachel's face. “And YOU! I knew it the moment I first laid eyes upon you!”

The man suddenly approached Rachel, tightly grabbing her wrists, which were bound to the chair. His face was now mere inches away from hers. Gone was the predator, and instead a crazed madman was looking at her.

“You are the worst kind of human there is!” The man was now almost screaming. “I could feel it when I first saw you in the distance, your mere presence made me sick. And I quickly got confirmation after I followed you around!”

Rachel started crying and struggling against her constraints. Finally, the fear that had her paralyzed transformed into pure panic. She tried screaming, calling for help, but the gag prevented her from doing so, and the ropes that bound her only chafed her skin as she struggled.

“You’re a vegan!” The man shouted. “A pacifist as well! And worst of all, you believe in that false god! A Heretic!”

Almost spitting the last words with barely contained rage, the man retreated away from her, back to his beloved tools. He picked up a garden lopper from the trolley, before clearing his throat. All the rage that was on display seconds ago was seemingly gone, replaced with the calm behavior from earlier.

“But worry not,” he spoke as he made a few test cuts in the air. “My god, Tranesh, blessed be his name, saw it fit that you shall receive salvation. Yes, he has arranged our fates, so that we may meet, and that I may show you the way.”

“Humanity is growing soft,” he approached, tool in hand. “They are forgetting what they are, where they come from, and who they have to thank for their measly existence. We ought to return to what we truly are at heart, but people like you… poison humanity with their backward ways.”

“So REJOICE! I will offer you up to Trahnesh, the mighty, primal god of slaughter! This way even a lost lamb like you can find its way into the promised land after death!” He slowly positioned the lopper over her left hand’s pinky finger, ready to cut it off at a moment's notice. “Revel in the pain that I will inflict! Feel the true nature of humanity! And return to your roots!”

Just as he was about to cut off the first finger, a faint sound could be heard through the walls, causing the man to stop. Rachel’s heart pounded as she tried to get away from this crazy man. Slowly, the man stood up straight his eyes glued to a window that was barely visible through the plastic.

The sound was gaining in volume, now clearly recognizable as sirens. The familiar blue and red flashes visible through the window sparked hope within Rachel. “Could it be? Truly?” The man muttered flabbergasted.

Rachel rejoiced, just as the man had demanded earlier, albeit for different reasons than he wanted. The police were coming to her rescue!

“Amazing! Truly Amazing!” The man suddenly exclaimed, much to Rachel’s confusion. “My time has finally come! Oh, what an auspicious day! Marvelous!”

Rachel watched in confusion as the man started ripping off the hospital gown, revealing a neat suit underneath. The lopper had been abandoned, clattering to the floor as the man moved to where he originally came from, behind a lamp. It didn’t take long for him to come back, armed with a handgun and a rifle on his back.

“I see now, I finally understand why my lord has led me to meet you,” the man happily explained with a mad grin on his face. “He guided me to you, the vilest of humanity, so that I may take you out before I am finally allowed to join the kingdom of the LORD!”

Rachel didn’t have any time to scream, before the handgun put a bullet straight through her brain, ending her life immediately. “I am truly sorry that I was not able to show you the true joy of the slaughter, but you will learn in time, as the Lord himself has chosen you. We shall meet again in the great beyond.”

Leaving behind the lifeless body of Rachel, the man moved to lie in wait by the door of his little abode. He waited there until the sirens reached a crescendo, voices shouting orders as car doors opened and closed. With a final prayer to his most precious lord in heaven, he ripped the door open and fired at the policeman beyond the threshold.

It would be his final moment of glory before he ascended.

Calm.

I felt calm.

I felt like I was floating in a pool of warm water. Comfortable. Rested. Safe.

After enjoying the sensation for a while, I opened my eyes, only to be greeted with darkness. The only thing I was able to see was my own body, perfectly healed from all the gun wounds I had just sustained, surrounded by an endless black void.

So I had finally made it to the great beyond. It was certainly a lot emptier than what my lord had promised me, but maybe this was just a waiting room of sorts? Ever the pious follower, I moved into a praying position, repeating the sermon of the lord, as I had done hundreds of times before.

Once I finished my heartfelt prayer, a change occurred. A blinking blue light made itself known to me. Taking it as a sign from God, I reached out to gently touch the apparition.

Congratulations! The earth has reached an assimilation rate of 11% and you have been chosen for the traveler initiative!

Marvelous! Simply marvelous! A textbox appeared in front of me, seemingly out of nowhere. I didn’t know what the traveler initiative was, but since it was no doubt the fate prepared for me by the Lord himself, it was doubtlessly a good thing. I immediately resumed my prayers, thanking him profusely. No sooner had I finished, than the text in front of me changed.

Welcome, human, to the traveler initiative! As a traveler, you have earned the right to traverse the manyfold planets associated with the program! You will be expected to perform certain duties and will be given the tools necessary to complete them. Before you receive further instructions, please select the planet you would like to be reconstituted to.

As expected of Lord Tranesh, his reach was wide and glorious! Apparently spanning over many planets that humanity had yet to even discover, once again proving how backward modern humanity was. Apparently, my skills were finally acknowledged, and I was chosen to continue my work somewhere else, somewhere more meaningful.

After yet another quick prayer of thanks, a truly massive list of names unfolded before me, extending far beyond what I could see. I cried tears of joy as I realized just how much influence my Lord had, as well as just how insignificant a planet like earth was in the grand scheme of things.

The blue textbox seemed to work similarly to operating a PC, so using it was very intuitive. I started going through the names presented, the textbox supplying me with more information on the planets, as well as what my holy mission would be should I choose to go there.

There were planets that were engulfed in massive wars, where my God-given mission would be to take a side and slaughter as many enemies as I could. Truly a task befitting of my Lord. Yet, there were others that didn’t have anything to do with slaughter at all.

Was this a test?

I quickly looked to my right, once again being reminded of just how massive this list was. But! I was nothing, if not meticulous. I always carried out my tasks with the utmost care, neatly making sure that nothing was amiss. If this truly was a test, I would give it my best to find the solution. Even if it meant going through every option, one by one.

The end was finally in sight.

I wasn’t sure how much time I’d spent with analyzing every single planet on the list, since the void around me didn’t indicate any time passing. Hours? Sure. Day? Probably. The most difficult part was that I had no way to take notes. So whenever I was presented with a planet of heightened interest I had to commit its name to memory before moving on.

Going through the last few planets, I finally arrived at the very last option. I scoffed at the option of selecting a random planet in exchange for some increased reward. This was clearly just there to lure in those weak of faith. Whoever chose that, was just plain stupid.

Finally done with this momentous task, I closed my eyes and mentally went over the information I had gathered. A lot of these planets and missions were very similar, if not outright the same, apart from the planet's name. Yet, there were a select few of them that stood out from the rest. From the thousands of planets available, only maybe twenty or so seemed to be of interest.

And since this was a test, my task most likely consisted of figuring out which one of these twenty was the one for me. Well, I say that these twenty stood out, but even within these twenty existed similarities.

They all had similarities, except for one.

I quickly scrolled the list to the left, to the approximate location where I remembered reading about this particular planet. It took me another hour or so before I finally found it again.

Suigoss

Tier 1 Poison Jar Type Planet

No intelligent lifeforms detected. Inhabited solely by Monsters.

This planet serves as an experimental world for the administration. The monsters inhabiting it are in a constant state of slaughter, growing stronger and descending the eight layers that separate the world. Descend to the final layer and complete the quest you will be given there, to complete your task.

This was the only, truly unique planet on the list. Most remarkable was the mention of the administration. Something that was only mentioned in the description of five planets. But, even more importantly, it was the only planet where the word “slaughter” was specifically mentioned in the mission description.

A single planet, out of thousands, featured the word “slaughter”. If that wasn’t a sign of the Lord, I didn’t know what was. Hidden among a throng of distractions, tucked away in an unassuming corner, obscured to all but the most observant followers was the true promised land.

An entire planet, dedicated to the holiest act of slaughter. Of course, I selected it without hesitation.

Traveler Type selection will now proceed.

Please note that your Traveler Type will stay consistent through your iterations and cannot be changed. Please select carefully.

Error.

Due to the first-ever destination of the traveler being a planet with only one type of being, the traveler’s type will be forcefully selected.

Please note that due to the forced selection, additional benefits will be granted.

You have been assigned as a Type:Monster. Congratulations!

Please select your desired species.

After carefully reading through this new information, a new list presented itself before me, this one significantly smaller. It quickly became apparent to me, that I would have to shed my human form, instead becoming what was considered a “monster”. Now that I had found the perfect planet, this selection seemed a lot more accommodating. It was as if I was being told to just pick what I considered the most effective to carry out my mission, effectively making it up to preference.

So without any further ado, I started meticulously going through this list as well. I had a few ideas of what would be nice, but I still wanted to go through the options to make sure I got myself the best possible outcome. I wasn’t even halfway through the list, when a particular option caught my eye.

Monster Wolf.

Now, there had been some very interesting options on the list so far. Certainly, a lot of them more powerful than a wolf would be. Equipped with more avenues of slaughtering the opposition. Bigger, better, harder, and stronger than a random big canine.

But one of the symbols often associated with Lord Tranesh and his followers, was a wolf.

I quickly glanced to my right, where there were still a lot of different monsters left to check out. Yet, I found myself drawn to the monster wolf. It might not be an unstoppable force of destruction, but it held a lot of meaning. And, for the first time in a long while, I made a decision based on impulse, rather than cold calculation.

Seeing as you are embarking on a new journey, a new life, you may now rename yourself.

I never liked the name my own parents had assigned me at birth. They had been weak, and Lord Tranesh had assigned them as my first targets for salvation. So I gratefully accepted this chance to rid myself of this last remnant of weakness, left behind by my birth-givers.

You have renamed yourself as: Caedus.

Congratulations Traveler, you have completed the basic settings for your new life. Here is your temporary status:

Name: Caedus

Traveler Tier: 1 Type:Monster

Species: Monster Wolf

Level: 1

Strength: 3

Agility: 6

Intelligence: 2

Wisdom: 1

Constitution: 4

This so-called status screen reminded me a lot of the video games that were popular on earth. I myself didn’t partake in this waste of time, too busy carrying the will of the Lord, yet I could see the benefits of having one's capabilities neatly listed like this.

The system provided me with an explanation of what all of these so-called attributes did, much to my satisfaction. It appeared very basic, for now, but apparently, I would get the opportunity to increase my stats by slaughtering everything else and gaining levels. Just the thought of it made me shiver with anticipation.

You will now be given any additional rewards that you have collected during the previous process:

Forced Type selection: Bottomless Inventory system will be unlocked.

The system went on with listing several of my newly acquired skills. There was a bite skill, that would let me enhance my bite attacks. Another skill that would let me boost my speed for a while, and the aforementioned inventory which would let me store things in a sort of hammerspace.

This was all very neat, although these skills apparently cost something called MP to activate, which I had preciously little of, due to my low wisdom stat. I would need to increase that if I wanted to effectively use these skills.

Congratulations Traveler! You have completed the advanced settings for your new life! The last thing to determine is to assign you to the overarching system that will accompany you throughout your travels.

This process is automated and dependent on your choices, please take a short break while the optimal system is calculated.

Just as the system suggested, I took a moment to re-center myself. I once again went through all the information that had been presented to me. From the moment I had breathed my last on earth, to right now.

I had spent a lot of time with the planet selection but was confident that I had chosen correctly. My Lord had guided me well so far, and now I was about to enter paradise. An entire planet dedicated to slaughtering. According to the hints I had picked out, this was by no means my final destination.

The system had mentioned that I’d continue to another planet after completing the task on this planet, implying that Suigoss was little more than a staging ground. A place where the followers of Tranesh could hone their art, before eventually being sent out to spread the gospel and carry out the Lord's will.

As I ruminated, the system seemed to have finished its calculations, displaying a new message to me.

You have been assigned to the F2C System, Congratulations!

This rather unassuming system lacks a lot of the advantages other systems have. Yet, neither does it contain any of the downsides other systems suffer from. You will be able to enjoy your new life, free from worrying about needing to pay upkeep costs or anything of the sort. You will even receive a small reward every time you kill 100 enemies, with a small chance of receiving a greater reward.

Best of luck in your new life, Traveler!

With this final message, I could feel myself blacking out. It would appear that the time had finally come for me to descend upon Suigoss, reincarnated into a new body, and train my skills in order to become a true apostle of slaughter.