With a breath, I slowly blinked my eyes open and patted the ground where I sat to make sure I was where I thought, and luckily, this time when I looked at my hands, they were covered in dirt rather than the thin dust of a ship.
Pushing harder on the ground, this time to help myself up, I finally looked up to confirm where I was.
It was finally time to make my decision, the one that could change everything. I had to be quick, because the boss would soon stop by. Luckily for me, the choice was obvious, as I would not go down lying down.
The path forward was simple: I had to go to the city hospital, show them my condition, and request the prologue. Sure, I would get pitiful looks as my clothes didn't exactly scream wealth, as they suggested more on the lines of a street rat finally ending it all.
But little would the others know I actually believe myself capable of completing it, well, to be fair, if they did, it would be hard for most to hold back their laughter. In addition, the rewards for completing it would be better than my life now at worst, and make me a living myth at best.
The range of rewards I could get varied widely; to the best of my knowledge, the ranks of the gifts were:
[Hollow]
[Inferior]
[Mediocre]
[Fair]
[Recognized]
[Superior]
[Gifted]
[Prodigious]
[Exalted]
[Sovereign]
While talents were innate, unchangeable, and a reflection of one's natural abilities, one thing could improve with time and effort: the rank of one's inner spark:
[initiate]
[intermediate]
[Baron]
[Master]
[Count]
[Grandmaster]
[King]
[Emperor]
And theoretically, they went higher, but as far as I knew, no one had gone further than a grandmaster.
It also seemed like the god who made the system had at least half a brain cell, considering the powers of the players were muted for the most part while on Earth. I could only shudder at the thought of monstrous abilities flying rampant, which would be the destruction of civilization.
After contemplating all the possible rewards I could get, I crouched down to pick up my book, "Prometheus". Since the book was quite dirty, I would have to wipe it off later, but now I had to move.
Heading out of my spot, I walked around the park one last time, not wanting to find myself sentimental, I quickly made my way to the city.
Just by walking around, it was clear that the builders of the city took more care here than they did for the slums.
Being by myself on the way to the hospital, I had the time to start fantasising about the life I could live with my newfound powers.
"Ahhhrggg cough, cough"
I had almost forgotten that my time was running out. It definitely was not ideal to attempt the prologue in this condition, but I had no other choice; I couldn't allow myself to die, and this was the only way forward.
Unfortunately for me, this whole scene was in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. People momentarily stopped to look at me, but eventually they continued walking, this time avoiding me, so as not to catch whatever I had.
Ignoring the stares, I quickly wiped the blood off my hand on my shirt; it was dirty anyway, so it wouldn't be an issue.
Even after passing everyone who had witnessed my little spectacle, people still stared at me, this time with a little more disgust, and I didn't need to be a genius to know why.
After about 10 minutes of walking, I finally made it to the nearest hospital.
Walking through the entrance led to more stares, the familiar, unfriendly ones from earlier, just with different faces. To them, at best, I looked like a beggar looking for help, and at worst, an eyesore of a rat.
I ignored them as it made no difference how they saw me, as anyone infected was, by law, to be treated with the prologue, as with the death of an infected, which led to only increasing the number of victims by air pollution.
A moment later, I was in front of the receptionist at her desk. Hearing my approach, her gaze remained glued to whatever document she was examining. Even so, she opened her mouth.
"How can I help you today, sir-"
She finally looked up after putting the documents down, after smelling something amiss.
"You can't be here, kid, leave before I call security"
When I did not leave, I saw two men flanking me from both sides.
Before I would start to burst out laughing like a lunatic, I let the corners of my mouth rise.
"I may be a rat, but I am not a stupid one to not know how things work around here. I didn't come here to beg; I am here by following the law"
"And what law would that be?" The receptionist retorted, more annoyed this time.
"I am here to complete the prologue."
The receptionist raised her hand to call off the security guards.
She shivered at my words, then her expression shifted from annoyance to mourning.
"You are right by law, I cannot stop you, but I will be the first one to tell you that you will face horrors beyond your imagination, you may wish you died of cold and starvation"