[Nightmare]

After a brief discussion on strategy, Macron and Helix decided to table the conversation and return to the Nightmare Induction Ceremony.

There was still much to do, and it couldn't be delayed.

When Helix arrived, he sighed inwardly when he felt the piercing glares of forty-nine young men and women boring into his soul.

There was a strong pressure in the atmosphere that he wished he could ignore.

The students were restless, gossiping about Helix and the situation they witnessed.

"Attention." Macron announced with a dry voice.

The students were lost in their own worlds and didn't hear him.

"Attention!" He said louder.

More than half of the students turned their attention to the man, but a third of them were still distracted.

"Line up if you want a harem!" Macron bellowed.

Everyone's eyes turned to the man in an instant.

"Hah. You're a pack of god damn heathens." Macron chuckled with a murderous gaze.

A wave of dread washed over the students, and fear burrowed deep in their bones.

"When I speak, I expect you to turn your attention to me with that level of interest and haste." Macron declared.

"If you don't, I'll crush your balls or flatten your tits so hard you can't enjoy your servants to the fullest."

The men and women covered their body parts reflexively.

"Good, you're finally paying attention.

While you're all excited about your new Nightmare, you cannot use them.

You will be endowed with physics-defying stats and a special gift now.

They're currently suppressed as part of the Nightmare Induction Ceremony." He announced.

The atmosphere became complex.

There was an equal mixture of excitement and fear in everyone's hearts.

"Your Nightmare seals give you access to a one-time opportunity to boost your fortunes.

After accepting your gift, your bodies will be endowed with power beyond anything you could ever imagine." He explained.

Seeing that he had the undivided attention of the students, he continued.

"There are many artifacts behind me.

Each can grant you unimaginable power.

You can choose one and receive its blessing." He explained.

"The first is the Eye of Beauty.

By holding this item, you can design your appearance from the ground up." He explained.

"Keep in mind that you cannot build out your muscles or assets beyond a certain point.

Using this system, you can make yourself beautiful or handsome beyond human comprehension.

While it can't fix diseases or ailments, it can also fix eyesight and hearing.

The agility stat will aid your eyesight.

However, it will lag behind your peers with strong eyesight." He explained with narrowed eyes.

Everyone looked at one another with shocked expressions.

Lina's eyes glittered after the announcement.

"The second is the Weight of Judgment.

If you choose this artifact, your physical-related stats, including strength, stamina, and agility, will increase by 50%.

Considering that you Earthians tend to have ridiculous power walking into Myriad, it's a powerful change."

A wave of shock washed over the crowd.

Macron smirked when he saw their shift in attitude from beauty to raw power.

"The third is the Amulet of Protection.

While there is a health stat that monitors your vitals, it will never increase in this world.

There are no healing spells in this world, either.

If you are cut with a sword, it will require the same amount of healing in the world you're from." Macron explained.

Fear washed over the crowd when the audience processed the shocking revelation.

"However!" Macron yelled, breaking the students free of their anxieties.

"There is a protective barrier that will envelop you in a natural layer of protection.

With this type of stat, you will receive invisible armor that protects your body from physical harm.

You are typically blessed with a powerful aura from when you arrive as chosen ones.

It decreases like health until it breaks.

However, repeated attacks in the same location will break it faster."

The students' hearts sighed with relief.

While it wasn't a health stat, it had similar properties.

"In your new system, it is called the defense stat.

The Heart of Zikon is a stone that will increase your defense stat by 50%."

Murmurs spread through the crowd, but their whispers calmed down when they felt overwhelming killing intent emanating from the platform.

"The fourth is the Soul of the Warrior.

It's a sword that grants you a soul weapon.

These weapons, which lack strength in the long run, cannot be lost, broken, or stolen.

It materializes out of thin air and requires no storage space." He continued.

Some of the audience members gasped in appreciation.

"The fifth is the Hourglass of Knowledge.

This artifact unlocks the knowledge of the world by 1%.

However, it's important to understand that it doesn't fill your mind with knowledge.

It has never been chosen in my lifetime, so there isn't much information on how it works.

The artifacts' records state that it works like an encyclopedia and only provides you with information you can acquire in a library.

It requires you to read through your system, so it's useless if it isn't actively utilized."

The crowd quickly disregarded the option in the face of the others.

Only a few individuals had interested expressions after hearing its description.

"The fifth is the Staff of Justice.

It increases your magic and mana by 50%." He continued.

"Lastly, you can choose the Leash of Cerberus.

It grants the user a soul beast.

It starts as an infant that needs to be defended but can grow and develop into a powerful entity over time.

The first three months will be harsh, as they cannot walk or fly for more than 30 minutes at a time.

They can't travel with you for the first three months.

For that reason, beast trainers will take care of them for most of the first three months.

They're beasts, so they can't live with you.

You can visit them, however.

Once they reach the first evolution, they'll likely be useless in battle or a liability.

They will only be able to protect you once they reach the second evolution.

They grow with you. As your spirit particle reserve increases, you can feed them more spirit particles to help them mature.

Once they receive enough to meet evolution requirements, they will evolve.

Earthians have high reserves from day one, so it's a good investment.

Once they're grown, they're ridiculously strong."

A portion of the crowd had sparkling eyes after hearing the option.

"These are the options that you can choose from."

The students erupted into a frenzy as they quickly tried to discuss which to choose.

"Ahem!"

Macron coughed loudly to regain the focus of the audience.

"This is a life-changing decision.

Before discussing the options and which to choose, you must consider a few things." He asserted.

"Aside from the ability to change your appearance, you can gain everything else in Myriad.

You can gain stats, learn of this world in the library, and obtain soul weapons and beasts with luck and money." Macron explained.

"It's important for you to think through the responsibilities associated with the gift.

If you choose a soul beast, you must protect it for over a year before it can protect you.

If you cannot do so, it will die, and so will you." He explained with a cold expression.

"You also don't get to choose whether you gain a dragon or a chicken.

That is a risk you must take."

Everyone in the audience fell silent, and their excitement was doused with cold water.

"The soul weapon you will receive will only take you so far in this world.

Its true value is rooted in its indestructibility and your inability to misplace it in a fight.

However, that makes it a tool of desperation in the long run.

They're legendary-grade artifacts that are extremely difficult to acquire.

It's a worthy option, but it's not a shortcut to power." He continued.

"You can not underestimate the value of stats.

Your beauty and influence mean nothing in a land festered with powerful monsters and beasts!

If you ignore your stats, you must be prepared to work harder to protect yourself.

However, your power means nothing in the realm of intricate social relations.

Beauty is a form of power.

If you make yourself beautiful and your face is scarred, it was a wasted investment."

Macron panned his eyes over the crowd of young adults.

"However, you must also factor in that your affinities are currently hidden in anticipation of this gift.

The value of the stats you receive will not be apparent.

For example, if you invest in your magic but find you do not have an affinity for it, you will have wasted your gift.

Some Nightmares are extremely powerful and require considerable spirit particles to use.

Others are weaker, but you can use them countless times in a battle.

If you get the latter, you're wasting your stat.

Everyone has the same ability to use magic, but affinity describes talent." Macron explained.

Every option comes with risks, and many will regret their decisions an hour from now.

There will be winners and losers.

That is life, and you must accept that."

After finishing his explanation, he looked at each student and eventually locked eyes with Helix for a brief yet impactful moment.

"You have fifteen minutes to decide.

Once you're ready, please line up in front of your chosen artifact."

Helix walked in front of the crowd and stood before his chosen artifact without a second's pause.

Everyone's eyes widened with shock when they saw him approach decisively.

No one could decide whether the man was confident in his intelligence or a complete idiot.

However, when they saw the artifact, he stood before the crowd erupted into a frenzy of gossip and confusion.

As for Macron, his eyebrow twitched as he stared at Helix with disbelief.

—

[A/N: Spirit beasts do not come into play until [much] later in the story.

Even when they show up, they will not immediately receive character development until they are strong enough to not be [liabilities] in battle.

—Characters can't use deadly, overpowered spells if their spirit beast is chewing on a monster in the target zone—

They must be trained to fight. That's realistic.

Equally important, small animals provide realistic complications in Myriad as they do in the real world—let alone massive, deadly ones.

You've been warned.]

Disclaimer: Grammatical mistakes and minor inconsistencies = more content.