'This is how I die, at least it will be quick.'

  Chris was falling into the dark abyss; he could no longer see the beast, but he felt its partying gift. Its parting gift burned across his back: a deep gash from razor-sharp claws. The cold crept in as blood flowed freely, numbing him by degrees, but there might be someone up above who wanted him to live because he could hear the murmur of a river. Now he won’t be squashed by the impact with the ground, but he’ll drown as he didn’t have any energy left to keep himself afloat.

  'This was such a shity day. I’m sorry, Arwenwel, but it looks like I won’t make it back.'

  He felt the impact of his body with the flowing water. Because of the speed he fell, he went deep into the water, and his body could no longer move. He struggled to move his weary body, but to no avail. His mind began to drift away.

  'I can see a light coming for me. Wait, it’s not coming for me but from me. What is going on?'

  -DING-

  Because of the near-death experience and for the preservation of Chris Sully, your ‘gift’ has begun blooming.

  Your soul will be searched to find the most appropriate ability to awaken.

  Congratulation.

  Your ‘gift’ has awakened as the ability ‘I’m the player’

  Your ability will be carved into your soul.

  Prepare for synchronization.

  'Ha, ha! I might have awakened my ‘gift’, but I’m still a goner. What good is going to bring me now?'

  Synchronization 99%

  -EROR, EROR-

  Unauthorized awakening.

  The game will be paused until a solution is found.

  'What is going on now? Can’t a man die in peace? They weren’t kidding when they said that the game would be paused.'

  The water stopped flowing as well, and Chris’s body stopped going deeper in the water. The world got frozen in time.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  'Now I’ve got a lot of time to find a way to get out of this predicament. What should I do?'

  While Chris searched for a way out of the mess, the others were left to clean up the one he’d created.

  “Too bad, Arwenwel, all that time wasted, just like that.” He made a snapping notion.

  “Can you let me be? He just died, and you are making a mockery of his death.”

  “Who died?” A new person made his presence known.

  They both turned their heads to the source of the sound. It was Abugan, the host of the games. He snapped his fingers, and a Victorian-style chair appeared behind him. He sat down on it with his legs crossed.

  “Sir, Abugan. What brings you to my modest office?”

  “I came here because someone has managed to interfere with my game. And you two are familiar with him. Take a look at the screen.”

  “What happened? Everything is frozen. You don’t say that he did it; it is impossible.”

  “He could do it if his gift awakened earlier than it should.” Arwenwel stood up and wiped her tears. “It’s a slim chance to be able to awaken it early, but he managed to do it.”

  “You mean that puny human is one of those legendary figures that got their abilities earlier. They all became important figures in this company. How can that fool be one of them?” Her supervisor began to crash out.

  “Calm down, Althus, or you’ll pop a vein from anger. You can’t be envious of that puny human, can you?” Abugan chuckled at Althus as he got angry. “I wasted enough time with you, too. I’ll take my leave and see what those old monsters decided to do.”

  He disappeared without making a noise and left an angry Althus, who was hitting the ground in anger with his fists, and an elf who found hope again.

  “Good job, rookie. Now come back alive and take your place as one of the next reapers.” Arwenwel began crying again, but this time it was because of happiness.

  Chris had a lot of time to think, but didn’t manage to find a way to get out. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but it felt like days. Finally, he heard a coarse voice inside his head.

  “We have come with a verdict. We’ll allow the human Chris Sully to continue participating, but as a penalty, most of his abilities will be sealed until the official awakening. Let time flow again.”

  Synchronization 100%

  Your ability has been synchronized with your body.

  'What is happening? I feel like my strength is coming back.'

  Chris thrashed his arms and legs, fighting his way to the surface. He broke through, gasping for air, lungs burning. For a while, he floated, letting the river carry him downstream. But then the current pulled him toward an underwater tunnel. With no other choice, he dove. The water led him through, and he emerged into a quiet, hidden lake.

  'Finally, I’m out of that cave, now I should go ashore and dry myself, and see what my ability can do.'

  It was already night as he managed to get ashore. It was a risk to make a fire, but he had to take it if he didn’t want to freeze to death.

  'How should I activate my power? It might activate if I think about it. Ok, let’s give it a try. ‘I’m the player’ open.'

  A lot of blue pop-ups appeared in front of him, but all of them were sealed away; he could only access one, the achievement list.

  'Let’s have a look at what this is about. Open the talent list. It looks like I got one. It is named ‘Tis but a scratch’. Let’s open it.'

  [Tis but a scratch]

  Passive

  You can now endure the pain of your wounds with greater ease. Infection is less likely to take hold, and the healing comes faster than before.

  'That’s why I don’t feel the wound on my back. I thought that I no longer felt it because of the freezing water.'