The Cursed Gamer

Chapter 3

Title: Reincarnation (3)

....

799 tried opening his eyes but ultimately failed. His eyelids were stuck as if they were glued shut.

His world was now dark, so dark that 799 could not even see the silhouette of anything. 

799 regained his consciousness a minute ago, now – other than his sight, his other senses were fuzzy too.

Without any way to open his eyes, he let his mind do its thinking. 'So.. was that all a dream? Am I still asleep, or is this a coma?'

A dream. As this thought crossed his mind, he instantly got a flashback of pain. The pain of being cut, the pain of being stabbed, the pain of being hit by a thorny club, the pain of being burned by a fiery fist, and finally, the pain of being kicked in the balls. 

He recalled everything that happened in that outer-space-like place as his imaginary body paled. 'That was not… no, it can't be a dream. A dream can never be that real.'

While expressing his grief, he also recalled that system message at last, just before he lost consciousness. 'That's right, the Gamer System...'

There was indeed a way to prove that he wasn't dreaming. 'Although I am not sure if I can see the panel with closed eyes, let's try it– Status!'

Instantly, even with his eyes closed, words appeared in his retina like a hologram.

[                              <1/2>                               ]

[Status:

Name: Strange Subject 799

Age: 0 (15)

Class: The Gamer

Title: N/A

Level: 1

Race: [Human]

HP: 5/5

MP: #/#

STR: 2

END: 2

DEX: 2

INT: 15

WIS: 15

CHA: 1

LUC: 1

Health Regen: END x 5 (Per Min)

Stat Points: 0 ]

'So all of that was real… phew, I survived.' 799 thought with an increase in heartbeat rate. 'My luck is divine, huh…?'

To think one day he will get his hands on the Gamer System. 'It also looks like it registered my name as 799, since I got the System when I didn't have the entirety of my memories.'

But there was one problem. 'What's up with the mana stat?'

He stared at the mana stat for a few seconds before sighing internally. He decided to think about it later. 'Perhaps the second page has answers to that, however–' The first priority was his current state.

'Anyway, where is this place? I can feel my body, slightly. I can't move freely since this place is too narrow. I also can't see anything. I guess this feeling will gradually subside…'

He was right. After a 'while', his senses got clearer. 'Good to know I am not crippled permanently. But now... I feel some kind of liquid is surrounding me. It's warm here too...'

Dark, narrow, warm, and liquid surrounding the body. It could mean only one thing.

Instantly, 799 yelped internally as he understood what was happening. 'Ah, I must be inside my mother's womb, right?'

And the body he was feeling was his new body. 

'Phew…' 799 sighed in relief. 'Not only did I somehow manage to escape from that hell. Now I am going to be reincarnated.' 

As the thought of a new life invaded his mind, memories of his previous life passed by his mind like a movie. 'That push…' he recalled that push on his back that threw him into the sea. 'Are they happy now that I am dead?'

He just sighed after spending a few minutes thinking. '...I wonder what this life's family is going to be like. I hope they are better than those bastards. Though truth be told, unless I spend a few decades with them, I don't think I can see anyone else as my parents.' He chuckled internally. 'Even though I hate my family, even though they killed me, I can't swap them – well, not that easily at least.'

This was a second chance. The Gamer System is just a bonus, the main perk is his rebirth. 'Let's take it easy in this life. It's partially my fault that led me to this ending, so let's be a a little cautious for now.'

He decided, but another thought passed by his mind. 'Those Gods…? Of course, being cautious doesn't mean I won't kill those "Gods" if I get the chance, even if it's a chance in which my life is at risk. The pain they gave me was too much. I am sure only Gamer's Mind stopped me from going insane.'

Not only that, 'Gamer's Mind' was helping his mind to think rationally even in this unknown scenario, and when his brain wasn't entirely functional just yet. 

799 continued thinking. 'I will enjoy this second life, unlike my 1st – I will actually try to "live" this time…. Hiayaah, I am getting sentimental.'

799 went silent for a few seconds to resolve his spirit. He wasn't a battle maniac, he wasn't a genius, nor was he a prodigy – but he will make sure to not waste the Gamer System's potential.

Speaking of worlds. 'I still don't know what world I am in… Well, I guess I need to wait until I am out of here.'

After another short silence, 799 tried to move his fingers and succeeded. 

'This is pretty boring in here.'

….

Another few 'minutes' passed as 799 didn't have anything left to think about. 

'Let's just check the status again.'

Thinking this, he chanted 'Status' in his mind as the panel again formed in his retina.

Nodding to himself, 799 thought, 'Okay, so the base stat of a fetus is 1. So the extra stat point in STR, DEX, and END must be from the time I got stat from hearing God's voice and used my legs too much. Though it's strange why I didn't get any more stats even though I withstood so many of the Gods' attacks... is it because 'Invulnerability' got updated?'

Thinking that must be it, 799 then decided, 'Let's see what's on the 2nd page of the Panel.'

After trying to figure out for a minute how to click that right arrow key in the <1/2> buttons, 799 just commanded from his mind as the page changed on its own with an animation!

[                               <2/2>                                ]

[Skills: 04                                           (🔔 °)                     

•Gamer's Body

•Gamer's Mind

•Curse of the Primordial 

•The Great Will of the Omniverse's Blessing]

'The blessing… no, that's not where I should look.' A frown appeared on his face as he looked at the curse. He was more interested in this than the other stuff.

Thinking about what the curse was about, without wasting any time, 799 clicked on the curse-skill as the panel instantly expanded.

[Curse of the Primordial:

A curse planted by a Primordial God by sacrificing a part of his divine soul. The victim of his curse will lose access to Mana, Divinity, and Ether. He will also lose EVERYTHING and die instantly.

Effect: Makes you a shackled being, only to die the next second. ]

'What the?' 799 looked at the details when an internal frown. 'Is this bullshit? Then why am I not dead yet?'

'Perhaps…' his eyes fell on the 'Blessing' again. 'If my eyes are not lying, this should be an OP buff.'

Deciding to ask the system for an explanation, 799 clicked the name of the skill to expand the panel.

[The Great Will of the Omniverse's Blessing:

You, a mortal soul, have survived the fight against Gods and Primordial Gods – even managing to escape from them at last. Surely, this feat is enough for the Will of the Omniverse to take an interest in you. 

The great Omniverse has taken an interest in you because of your luck and courage, and she has blessed you with a skill!

Effect: You are immune to all the debuff and all kinds of negative effects. ]

'Ah, I see.' 799 released a relieved sigh. 'All that work – only to gain nothing. Poor God.' 

He laughed to himself but after a while, another worry hit him. 'Then again, what's up with the mana stat?'

Coincidentally, he noticed the bell icon (🔔 °), which was obviously the notification panel of the system, sitting on the right corner of the system panel. 

'Perhaps this holds the answer to my question.' Leisurely, he imagined clicking the notification bell as the panel changed, and… millions and zillions of notifications filled his retina.

[Ding! 'Curse of the Primordial' has used its 'Take Everything' property! It is trying to damage the Host's soul.]

[Ding! 'The Great Will of the Omniverse's Blessing' has blocked the debuff!]

[Ding! 'Curse of the Primordial' has used its 'Take Everything' property! It is trying to damage the Host's soul.]

[Ding! 'The Great Will of the Omniverse's Blessing' has blocked all the debuff!]

[Ding! 'Curse of the Primordial' has used its 'Take Everything' property! It is trying to damage the Host's soul.]

[Ding! 'The Great Will of the Omniverse's Blessing' has blocked all the debuff!]

These messages were being spammed every second. 

With an imaginary sweat falling from his head, 799 sighed. 'The system must have considered them spam messages so I was not seeing them.' He was suddenly relieved and happy. 'This is good. I don't have to worry about the curse, at all— Wait… What's that?'

Between the thousands of same messages, the contents of some messages caused 799 to freak out. He wasn't sure, so he mentally commanded for those particular messages to stay still in his retina.

[Ding! 'Curse of the Primordial' has used its 'No Mana' property!]

[Ding! 'The Great Will of the Omniverse's Blessing' is busy blocking the 'Take Everything' property!]

[Ding! 'The Great Will of the Omniverse's Blessing' has blocked 95% of the Curse of the Primordial, but failed to block the other 5%.]

[Ding! 'The Great Will of the Omniverse's Blessing' has failed to block the 'No Mana' property! The host would now be affected by the curse!]

This was when 799's throat dried up.

[Ding! You are now unable to use Mana, Ether and Divinity!]

'Huh?!' 799 exclaimed in pure shock and surprise. 'I can't use mana? Not at all? No, no! This is not how it should be! All the skills from the gamer system need even a tiny bit of MP! I didn't sign up for this!'

While being freaked out, he suddenly felt a push force pushing him towards a slimy hole. He realized what was happening. 

'Maybe it's already time to be born... even though it hasn't even been 10 minutes.' He sighed lightly. 'Fuu, let's calm down first. I will think about it after I'm born. I don't want to injure myself while getting out.'

10 minutes, he said. In reality, it's already been 9 months since he was inside his mother's womb. It's just that his brain was in its developing phase, thus messing up his sense of time.

Soon light entered his eyes, making his body flinch as he was pushed outside through a tiny and slimy gap.

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