Jax stood in an unknown space.

No ground beneath his feet. No sky above. Just endless white stretching in every direction.

He tried to move. His body wouldn't respond.

'What the fuck?'

Hours passed. Or maybe minutes. Time felt meaningless here.

Then a voice echoed through the void.

"Come forward, my child."

His body moved on its own, gliding through the white space.

And then she appeared.

The Goddess.

She was... underwhelming.

Floating in the air, draped in flowing robes that shimmered with light. Her face was beautiful but vague, like an AI-generated image that couldn't quite commit to features.

'So this is the bitch who runs the show.'

"Welcome, Jaxon Sterling," she said, her voice warm and maternal.

Jax's eyes narrowed. 'She knows my Earth name. Of course she does.'

"You and the others have been chosen to represent me in a game," she continued. "You will be sent to another world. A realm my fellow gods and I have built together. There will be people there, most of them far more powerful than you."

'Great. A fucking isekai.'

"The rules are simple," the Goddess said. "Survive. Or kill the champions representing the other gods. Each of you will have a status screen displaying your name, health, and magic power. Your opponents will be visible to you, and you to them."

She waved her hand. A translucent screen appeared in front of Jax.

[Name: Jax Rayne]

[HP: 100/100]

[MP: 50/50]

[Skills: None]

'Of course my MP is shit.'

"Now," the Goddess said, her tone turning serious, "the only advantage I can give you is this: skills. But be cautious. The skill selection process is the most important decision you will make. It will determine more than half your chances of wining."

She snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, the space above them exploded with light.

More than a thousand glowing cards floated in the air, spinning, flipping, rotating at blinding speed.

"When you are ready," the Goddess said, "I will activate the timer. You will have ten seconds to choose three skills. Choose wisely."

Jax stared at the chaotic swarm of cards. 'Ten seconds? For a thousand cards? This is fucking rigged.'

"I'm ready," he said flatly.

The Goddess smiled. "Begin."

A timer appeared in the corner of his vision.

[10... 9... 8...]

The cards flipped faster, a blur of colors and text.

Jax's eyes darted frantically, trying to track even a single card.

He caught a glimpse of one: [Cooking Mastery]

'Useless.'

Another flashed by: [Alchemy...] The rest blurred.

'Come on, come on!'

[Engineering...] Gone before he could read more.

'This whole system is a fucking joke. It's pure luck. And my Luck stat is four. FOUR.'

His frustration mounted. Then he saw one more card, just for a split second.

His eyes widened.

The timer hit zero.

[Time's up.]

The cards vanished.

The Goddess looked at him expectantly. "Tell me, my child. What do you choose?"

Jax exhaled slowly, then smiled.

'So you want to play games, huh, Goddess? Fine.'

"Goddess, I've chosen my three skills," he said smoothly. "But I can't remember their full names. However, I know their starting words and what they do."

The Goddess tilted her head. "That is acceptable. Many of my children have complained about the same issue. I have granted them the skills they desired based on their descriptions. However, those who do not know what they want, I cannot help."

'Perfect.'

"Thank you, Goddess," Jax said. "First, I saw a skill named something like Highest Grade, with Sword written on it."

The Goddess's eyes lit up. "Ah! You mean S-Rank Sword King. An excellent choice. That is the highest tier sword mastery skill available."

'I didn't see shit. But now I have it.'

Jax knew that out of more than thousands it would be there and wit more refined prompting he got the best skill out there for swords

A glowing card materialized and fused into Jax's chest. Knowledge flooded his mind. Thousands of techniques. Millions of phantom battles. Every sword style, every weakness, every counter.

And then a sword materialized too.

"Next," Jax continued, "I saw something called Gun Master."

The Goddess frowned slightly. "Hmm. You must mean A-Rank Bow Master."

'No guns? Fuck.'

"Actually, Goddess," Jax said quickly, "now that I recall, that wasn't the one I wanted. I had discarded it from my mind but it came to my mind at the wrong time. I wanted the copy skill. The one that lets you replicate abilities."

The Goddess nodded. "Ah, Echo Mirror. A rare skill. Very well."

Another card fused into him. He felt the ability settle into his core. The power to copy skills he witnessed.

'Two down. Now for the fun part.'

Jax smiled. 'And for my last skill, the one I saw that really stood out, it was a body swap skill. With women. '

Jax was petrified after seeing that skill the one which lost his hope on selecting the skills. But its reverse may be true as well.

Jax added, "I want that skill too that body swap with men, one."

The Goddess raised an eyebrow.

'Did I just fuck up?'

The Goddess's expression shifted. Disgust flickered across her features.

Then she sighed. "Granted. Soul Thief."

The final card fused into him. He felt it coil in his chest, dark and invasive.

The Goddess stared at him, her voice cold. "Jaxon. I hope your lust does not cost me this game."

Her tone was deadly serious.

'She knows exactly who I am.'

"I am counting on you," she continued. "And yes, I know winning is the only thing that matters to you. I have added the wish as additional incentive. So understand the stakes."

Jax's grin widened. "Don't worry, Goddess. I'll come back to claim my wish right here. And my wish will be simple. I'll tell you to spread your le..." He paused. "I mean, I'll spread your influence across the world."

The Goddess looked confused. Then her expression hardened. "Do not be overconfident. There will be hundreds of champions like you. Many stronger, smarter, more experienced."

"Then give me a reason not to be," Jax shot back.

She was silent for a moment. Then she spoke, her voice softer. "Survive, Jaxon. That is all I ask. Survive and win."

Before he could respond, the world dissolved.

-- -- --

Jax's vision cleared.

He stood in a forest. Dense trees. Dark shadows. The sun was out, but the contrast was absurd. Everything looked oversaturated, like someone had cranked the saturation slider to 200%.

'Whoever designed this world put way too much contrast. It's daytime and it looks like fucking twilight.'

He glanced around. 'They should've hired Jennifer Reed to make this. At least her works look realistic.'

Then he heard it.

Clashing steel. Screams.

Jax moved toward the sound.

Through the trees, he saw a royal carriage surrounded by bodies. Guards in blood-soaked armor lay dead. Bandits, maybe a dozen, swarmed the remaining survivors.

Only one guard remained. The driver, clutching a broken spear.

A bandit raised his sword for the kill.

'Let's see how realistic these NPCs are.'

Jax drew his sword. It materialized in his hand, sleek and deadly.

The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, his mind exploded.

Thousands of techniques. Millions of battles. Every weakness, every opening, every flow of movement.

But he ignored it all.

'I don't need that to win here.'

He moved.

Eleven slashes.

Eleven bandits fell.

Their bodies crumpled, blood spraying in perfect arcs.

Jax stared at his sword, unimpressed. "This feels too fake now. It's like cutting through warm bread."

The driver stared at him, eyes wide with terror and gratitude.

"T-thank you, our savior! You saved..."

Before he could finish, the carriage door opened.

A woman stepped out.

Jax froze.

She was stunning. Long golden hair cascading over her shoulders. A gown that hugged every curve. Her face was delicate, regal, perfect.

'A queen. Definitely a queen.'

She looked at the carnage, then at Jax. "You saved us. Thank you, brave warrior. I am Queen Seraphine of..."

"Hey, NPC," Jax interrupted, walking toward her. "I don't need thanks. I need information. About this world. But first, let's test most important information first."

Her expression shifted. Confusion. Then fear.

"What do you mean? I don't understand..."

The driver stepped forward. "Don't come near..."

Jax didn't let him finish.

He spun, his sword slashing downward.

The driver's legs separated at the knees. He collapsed, screaming.

"Thank me," Jax said coldly. "I spared your life for interrupting."

The queen backed away, trembling.

Jax turned to her, his grin widening. "Now, let's see. Will I gain DP with NPCs? And how realistic are the bodies in this world?"

He stepped closer, raising his sword.

"W-wait! Please! I'm the queen! I can give you anything! Gold! Titles! Land!"

"I don't want those," Jax said.

He brought his sword forward and slashed downward.

The fabric of her gown tore cleanly, exposing smooth skin beneath.

The queen gasped, arms crossing over her chest.

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