01. Awakening

"What the hell..." Mace said while looking around himself, surprised and impressed with his surroundings.

A beautiful room made of sturdy wood, a tatami floor, paper doors, and a minimalistic approach that made the place seem both dignified and humble.

The small low table in the middle had a set of tea. An amazingly crafted teapot made of clay, cups made of glass, and a tray made of wood. All handcrafted and designed with care, with beautiful ends and golden decorations. A sweet aroma came from the pot, filled with a delicious tea that was caressing his senses most delicately.

Under him was a comfortable fabric to sit with his legs crossed, each strand made to stay for years to come, entangled into a delicate design that I could not see, but I could recognize what seemed to be a boat.

But none of that was what was making him feel surprised and almost frustrated. It was someone on the other side of the room, the one who brought the tray with the delicious tea.

"S-sorry for not being enough, my h-holyness.." she choked in her own words, shaking where she stood, avoiding his eyes, "B-but... please! Don't destroy the village!"

The girl who was in front of him was probably around 18 years old. If Mace were in his old world, she would have been 6 years younger than he. She was cute, with brown hair held in two pigtails by her sides, and blue eyes. Slim body, medium chest, the dress the villagers made her wear made her features more obvious, and she seemed uncomfortable.

And she was slowly pulling it down, slowly revealing the skin of her breasts.

"Y-you can... You can use my body how you see fit!" she said, almost screaming at him with her eyes closed, forcing herself to say it. "J-just don't eat me..."

"...HUH?!" he reacted in confusion.

And, in a flash, he remembered what happened before he woke up in that place.

[SEED System initiated...]

[Body reconstruction deemed impossible. Patron deity power low]

[Beginning new body construction. Please select the desired race]

Mace found himself in a dark void. Nothing was around him, and he could not hear anything. He knew his eyes were open, yet he could see no object except for the flickering blueish screen in front of him that seemed to appear like a computer interface.

What is happening? He thought, before saying "Hello?! Is someone there?!" To the void. No one answered. Yet, he felt observed.

His attention returned to the skin that was prompting him to choose from a long list of races. Skeletons, minotaur, slimes... All kinds of choices for him to pick.

Unconsciously, still in confusion, he made a random choice without giving it any thought.

[Chosen race: Kitsune. Please stand by...]

An immense pain mixed with sensations his mind could not process, confusing it with a myriad of other different stimulations like tickling and cold or warmth, coursed through his being as around him bones, meat, and skin slowly took form.

[Warning: pain is possible during body formation]

Yeah no shit!

For what seemed like an eternity, Mace endured the pain of a lifetime in the few seconds the body formation lasted. He was not capable of screaming through the whole process and was breathless once it finished.

"What the fuck was that?!" He screamed in frustration.

[Body construction terminated]

He immediately started to inspect his body, and he immediately noticed the differences between his old one with this one. He was thinner, but his muscles were more defined... In comparison, at least. Shorter hair, picking up a couple of strands, he noticed they were goldenish.

No ears. Panicking, he looked around his head and found that they were higher than usual and were more pointy and a soft fur.

"Oh no..." He was getting afraid.

Then his attention went behind him, confirming a suspicion. Not one but 9 tails of golden fur were now attached behind him.

The realization slowly dawned on him.

"God dammit! I became a furry!" He screamed in frustration while still holding one of his tails.

[Received racial passive skills!]

[Golden aura] (Rank F) received!]

[Grace of the woods] (Rank F) received!]

[Friend of the shadows] (Rank F) received!]

[Yokai kind] (Rank F) received!]

Motifications started to appear in front of him. The blue screen flickered with each one.

[Received racial skill!]

[Bewitch] (Rank F) (0/10) received!]

[Faery fire] (Rank F) (0/10) received!]

[Weakened Chrona (Goddess of Clockwork) says she wishes to speak with you in person!]

Before he could answer, a small woman who seemed to be young appeared in front of him.

Her hair was brown and she had green eyes. She was wearing a green dress decorated with gears and moving parts that moved each exact second in a threatening precision. On her back were a couple of wings that seemed to have been made out of wood, metal, and cloth, like the ones from old theoretical flying machines.

"I hope your new body suits you, Mace." Chrona, the goddess, nodded her head in approval.

"Why is there a loli in front of me?" Mace asked.

"Huh?" Chrona was caught in her words and looked at Mace in confusion.

"Agh!" Mace complained, still holding and brushing his tail, "I am now a furry and there is a loli in front of me! I need an explanation of where I am and why I am here!"

"S-stop calling me a loli!" Chrona demanded, pouting and stomping her foot on the floor. "And stop rubbing your tail! Is distracting!"

"But it is so soft! And it feels nice to get brushed..." He held his tail like she could take it away from him.

"Okay, listen!" Chrona cleared her throat and regained her composure. "My name is Chrona, Goddess of Clockwork. I brought you here as a way to preserve your soul in the mortal realm as a thank you and to ask you a favor. You died, and I brought you here."

"What?" Mace was surprised. "I died? H-how?! When?!"

But the answer came from his own memories.

Before dying, Mace was an archeologist, going through his PHD, making a thesis on a so far unknown civilization that inhabited a jungle region. He followed the steps of a certain Dr. Caine, who got lost in he dens jungle.

Mace admired the doctor's work, he wanted to follow in his footsteps and prove the existence of said civilization. So he decided to get his hands dirty.

And he found it! Ruins with carvings that were not identified with other cultures from around the place. And instead of returning to inform of his findings, forming a proper expedition with a team, he decided to explore with the little equipment he had at hand.

While exploring what he considered to be a kind of pyramidal temple, he found a room with a stone sphere in the middle with hieroglyphics. In the middle was a picture of a woman with a dress similar to that of Chrona, with similar wings.

When he touched it, something stirred awake in the temple, and it started to shake. What sounded like gears invaded the room.

But as the building was old, the heavy movement made it fall with Mace inside.

The next memory was him waking up in the void.

"Ah..." He muttered when the memories rushed in.

"I'm sorry for what happened... But thanks to you, even if you didn't know, I was pulled back from the Void of Souls," she said, holding her hands together. "If you had just died, and your soul sent to Hell, Heaven, or the Purgatory, I might have likely returned there, so to avoid that destiny for both of us, I brought you here so we could make a deal."

"And why couldn't you give me back my body?"

"Because bringing you here was exhausting enough. You are the only alive mortal that knows about my existence, and you are not even a follower. I barely have any energy as it is. So the only way was to use the SEED System to give you a new body."

And he was stuck being a kitsune.

"And what kind of pact are we talking about?" His curiosity, however, was piqued. "You need me to do something for you?"

"Yes, and you might be the kind of person I need for this." Chrona got closer. "I need you to find what happened to my followers in the world. I will send you. They disappeared and I could not see why, how, or when. And if it is possible, find them." She placed her hand on her chest, "They are the reason I exist, their worship made me come into being a long time ago, but now you are the only person who knows me. You went far and beyond to find the ruins of a civilization that believed in me in your own world. Please, do the same on this one!"

Mace was surprised by her request. To find a lost civilization, the same type of job he had always strived to do. Since the beginning of his career, he wanted to find those lost remnants of time's past. Voiced buried deep into dirt and stone, sometimes killed into oblivion with steel and gunpowder.

He nodded, resolved to do what he felt was his calling.

"I don't see why not... If I am dead already, I couldn't return to my original world, could I?"

Chrona shook her head.

"Your original body is too damaged, and I cannot restore it to its original form. And without a body, your connection to said world is severed forever. I am sad to say you cannot return ever."

So he had to leave his life behind. Just like that.

[Weakened Chrona (Goddess of Clockwork) is offering you a pact in exchange for power! Do you accept?]

He contemplated his current situation for a moment. How could he just give up on what was his life? His friends from university and work, his projects, and his family.

On that last one, he wondered if they would even care.

But he knew all he needed was to accept reality. No point in allowing himself to suffer for too long. He was not one to let himself down for failing or a setback like that, especially if he was given a chance after death. And he would continue doing what he considered his passion.

"I accept," he answered.

[Deal with Weakened Chrona (Goddess of Clockwork) accepted! Enjoy your new agreement!]

[Benefit [Goddess blessings] shop obtained!]

[Clockwork aisle unlocked!]

[Obtained 10 blessing coins!]

[Choosing class based on background... Done!]

[Class, [Apprentice Archeologist] (Rank F) unlocked!]

[Level set to 0/10!]

"What do you mean apprentice?! I was going through my PHD!" Mace complained when the notifications appeared.

"You have to start from 0 in this world," Chrona answered.

"Shit, fine"

[Received class passive skills!]

[Tomb raider] (Rank F) Received!]

[Instant appraisal] (Rank F) Received!]

[Danger reflexes] (Rank F) Received!]

[Indoor orientation!] (Rank F) Received!]

[Received class skills!]

[Lockpicking] (Rank F) Received!]

[Quick survival crafting] (Rank F) Received!]

Mace was seeing the number of notifications; if they kept popping up like that, they would get annoying fast. And he had obtained too much stuff already! He knew he had to check their descriptions later, and if those were like RPGs and other games he had played, things would get complicated.

"Thanks for accepting. You have no idea how much that means to me!" Chrona said, smiling at him. "Now, I will send you where the last of my believers were before they were gone. Hopefully, you can figure out some clues with your skills and the tools you can make. I cannot bestow anything else on you, I'm sorry."

"I am naked," Mace pointed out. "What if someone sees me? I'm kind of shy..."

"Y-you haven't shied away in front of me..." Chrona pointed out.

"I still need clothes!"

"D-don't worry! The system should-"

"What kind of goddess are you?" Mace crossed his arms.

"Excuse me?!"

"I will die of cold out there!"

"You know what?" Chrona was annoyed. "Just go!"

[Weakened Chrona (goddess of clockwork) is teleporting you to the new world!]

The image of Chrona distorted in front of him as he felt himself getting pulled away. Everything went dark.

[Please, stand still. Sending you to the Forest of Dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh h h h h h h h h 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0]

[Warning! Warning!]

[Entering (Ultimate Dungeon of the Dread Lord of Betrayal) rift!]

[Floor 1 (Rank F)!]