In a world where traits determined one's fate, Ella was undoubtedly the most pitiful of all. Cursed by a trait that made her magnetic to death, the idea of becoming a Magical Girl was beyond her wildest imagination.
Yet fate had other plans for her. On her eighteenth birthday, she was chosen as a Magical Girl representing Earth.
'Fuck… fuck… fuck…' Ella cursed silently, not allowing her internal anxiety to break through the poker face she maintained at all times.
She felt as though the world itself scowled at her extraordinary luck as flashes from countless cameras assaulting her retinas mercilessly.
Awakening a trait was sheer luck. Only one percent of humanity was blessed enough to awaken one. But for Ella, this was a curse rather than a blessing. She summoned her trait once more.
[Trait: Goddess of death.]
'Goddess my ass…' The trait sure sounded majestic if one didn't read the following words.
[About: When death hovers near those around you, become the shade covering them from it.]
Simply put, any death-threatening danger to those around her would always redirect itself toward her instead. And it seemed that fate was mocking her again.
'I shouldn't have gone outside…' she mentally lamented. Knowing today was both the first day of the new year and the selection day, she should have stayed home instead of visiting the convenience store.
If only she hadn't stepped outside and met that random boy, if only he hadn't insisted on drinking together, and if only that boy hadn't been this un lucky—none of this would have happened.
If becoming awakened was everyone's dream, becoming a magical being was universally regarded as a nightmare. The primary reason was the mortality rate. The mortality rate for magical beings from Earth was one hundred percent.
Every five years, ten people were chosen as magical beings, representing their respective planets in a cosmic challenge held in an ownerless realm in the fourth dimension.
Each of their journeys was live-streamed to trillions of universes, garnering quintillions of viewers. Should any of these magical beings win the challenge and become the owner of that dimension, they would ascend to become a true god capable of controlling that realm.
Alongside them, their home planets would also have the chance to become god-tier worlds. Sadly, no one from Earth had ever managed to clear even the first challenge.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen…" Ella glanced upward, noticing a humanoid figure floating in midair. He had a pitch dark skin, pointed ears, and a grin stretched unnaturally wide across his face.
"A nigg-…"
"I am Valero Rodrigo, a dark elf." His gaze lingered on Ella for a few seconds before shifting to others around her. Ella followed his stare and saw nine equally disoriented youths beside her.
Whoever was responsible for selecting magical beings seemed like a pedo—
"…the selection coordinator and streaming moderator..." The dark elf continued his speech, his eyes returning to Ella several times. Ella quickly zoned out from his monotonous words until she suddenly felt herself yanked backward by an unseen force.
Her vision darkened momentarily before refocusing on a vibrant blue sky. Squinting against the brightness, she covered her eyes to adjust and cautiously surveyed her new surroundings.
Golden cascades of sand stretched as far as her eyes could see, huge and jagged stones decorating that endless ocean of sand. Before she could take in more details about her surroundings, sudden pain overwhelmed her entire being as a blue screen abruptly appeared, displaying messages before her eyes.
[System notification]
Welcome to Primordial Lotus Domain
Processing system awakening.
Checking for innate bloodlines.
One bloodline found.
Force awakening bloodline.
Accompanied by increasing warning sounds, the pain intensified tenfold, forcing her to collapse onto the sand. Just as suddenly as it came, the pain vanished before she could shed a few more drops of tears and snot. Ella blinked once. Then twice. And finally thrice, as her blurred vision gradually steadied and the world around her solidified.
[System notification.]
System awakening process completed.
You have awakened the following bloodline:
True dragon of death.
She staggered slightly, noticing the distance between her eyes and the sandy ground seemed slightly greater now. Her once-blond hair had turned pitch black, accented with violet streaks running from the middle.
"Hm... it's so ugly," Ella muttered, pulling out a strand of violet-streaked hair. She immediately gritted her teeth in response to the sharp pain that followed. Her surroundings were eerily quiet, broken only by the persistent dinging sounds from the system.
[System notification]
Bloodline legacy found and unlocked.
Endless death: Every cause of your death becomes your power.
'What the hell…' Her inner complaints were cut short as the system continued its relentless notifications.
Physique of the true dragon of death: You can now transform a part of your true body.
Aura of the true dragon: Weaker monsters may avoid you now, but stronger monsters….
'What does that even mean?'
You can now view your status. Just say "status."
Your broadcasting has already commenced. Don't worry, the streaming will pause whenever the streamer needs privacy or is doing activities not suitable for work...
You can see the live symbol at the right corner of your vision. Click on it to see your broadcast details.
To view fan messages, priority messages, and sponsorship messages, click on the bell icon on the left side of your screen.
Happy streaming.
An uncomfortable feeling spread throughout her body at the final messages. Due to her trait, Ella had always avoided interactions with others. Being an orphan had eliminated the last remnants of her social life, making her comparable to a vampire hiding deep in its lair.
Now, suddenly aware that people were watching her, knitting their brows and judging her every move, her stomach churned. She despised this kind of attention.
'Whatever, it's not like many will be interested in watching me anyway.'
She was certain her trait was public knowledge now. Given her cursed trait, nobody would waste their time on her stream since watching a magical being's broadcast required paying ten credits per hour.
Ten credits could buy a can of beer. Nobody would waste that much on her, right? Shrugging off her concerns, she decided to move from her current location.
She was standing in an open space—though realistically, there wasn't much cover available in a desert—so finding shelter, water, and food became her immediate priorities.
However, did the ground just tremble? Ella frowned, staring down at the sand. Then a shadow stretched over her, momentarily blocking the scorching heat of the twin suns. Thank god. No… wait.
She gulped nervously and slowly turned around. A massive foot was all she managed to glimpse before it violently crushed her into a pulp.