Alex lay in his crib, staring at the glowing screen floating above him. The Goal menu still blinked expectantly, waiting for his input.
'So… this is it. My grand destiny is just a glorified character creation screen. Great.'
He sighed internally. Not that he had lungs developed enough for an actual dramatic sigh.
The sheer absurdity of the list in front of him still burned into his brain. The system had somehow equated "becoming a legendary bread baker" with "shattering the fabric of reality" in the same category of life goals.
'Yeah, no. I refuse to believe those belong in the same universe.'
But the system had no shame and didn't seem interested in explaining itself. It simply hovered, silent and ominous, as if daring him to start overthinking his choices.
Step One: Eliminating the Dumbest Choices
'Let's go about this logically. First, I need to eliminate the ones that are just outright ridiculous.'
Alex focused on the first few entries.
Create the world's first edible clothing line.
Become a professional pillow tester.
Achieve the ability to sleep anywhere, anytime.
Invent a language that only consists of sneezes.
Convince the world that socks are an unnecessary construct of society.
'Who would even choose these? And more importantly, how is the third one even a goal? That's just being a cat!'
Though… part of him had to admit, the pillow tester one didn't sound too bad.
Step Two: Filtering the Mundane
He moved on to the next step—getting rid of the more ordinary goals.
Run a small but respectable inn in a quiet village.
Master the art of knitting.
Live a peaceful life with minimal stress.
Become the town's most reliable potato farmer.
Start a business selling premium quill pens.
'No offense to all the hardworking innkeepers out there, but I think I can aim a little higher than changing bedsheets for adventurers.'
And a stress-free life? That ship had sailed the moment I was born into a world with a system.
Step Three: The Tempting but Risky Choices
Now came the fun part—the high-risk, high-reward goals. These were tempting but also concerning.
Conquer the world and rewrite its history.
Unravel the deepest secrets of existence.
Become a cosmic entity by sheer force of will.
Invent a new branch of magic that breaks all known rules.
Manipulate time so that Mondays never exist.
Convince reality that I am the main character.
'Okay, look. I'm not saying these are bad ideas, but I feel like at least half of them would get me hunted down by either the gods or an angry mob.'
Still, cosmic entity through sheer stubbornness had a certain charm to it.
Step Four: The Final Decision
After overthinking for an eternity (five minutes in real time), Alex turned his focus to the four goal categories.
Power – Achieve ultimate strength, dominance, or destruction.
Knowledge – Seek truth, enlightenment, or the creation of something new.
Soul – Achieve transcendence as an individual and gain enlightenment for higher planes.
Body – Focus on physical mastery, resilience, or personal health.
He thought it over carefully.
Power? Tempting, but too straightforward. Everybody and their grandmother picked "Power" in fantasy worlds.
Knowledge? Intriguing. Having the secrets of the universe sounded fun.
Soul? That was transcendence and higher enlightenment. Basically, the philosopher's choice.
Body? He wasn't opposed to being strong, but it wasn't his main goal.
The answer was clear.
He had to go for knowledge.
If he understood how the world worked, he could figure out ways to obtain power and strength later. And transcendence? That came naturally with enough understanding.
'Yeah, I think this is the right call.'
He mentally selected knowledge, and the system reacted instantly.
[Main Goal Category Selected: Knowledge]
[Customizing Goal Path…]
The menu shifted, and new specialized goals appeared.
[Refined Goals Under KnowledgeCategory]
The list now contained a more curated selection, some of which made sense while others seemed as if the system still had a strange sense of humor.
Decipher the fundamental laws of magic and their origins. – 'Alright, that's a solid start. Understanding magic at its core could make me untouchable.'
Understand the fabric of reality and how to manipulate it. – 'Sounds like reality-breaking nonsense, but I'm listening.'
Master every known form of knowledge, from ancient to modern. – 'Is this even possible? If I start listing out everything ever learned, wouldn't my brain explode?'
Unlock the secret history of the world that even gods have forgotten. – 'There's lost knowledge even gods don't know? Yeah, I want that.'
Invent a universally applicable system of logic that can decode anything. – 'So… basically the ultimate cheat sheet for life? I need this.'
Achieve enlightenment so profound that even time ceases to exist. – 'Uh. Do I become some kind of timeless entity? That's either amazing or terrifying.'
Become the first being to consciously observe and understand the flow of fate. – 'If I can actually see fate, I'd be unstoppable. But what if I see something I really don't want to?'
Find a way to store infinite knowledge without losing one's mind. – 'Oh, this is necessary. No one wants to end up like those mad scholars who stare into the abyss for too long.'
Uncover the missing pieces of creation itself. – 'Wait, there are missing pieces? What kind of half-baked universe am I living in?!'
Alex took a long, thoughtful pause.
'Okay… this is actually kind of cool.'
Each of these goals had serious implications. If he achieved even half of them, he wouldn't just be knowledgeable—he'd be one of the most powerful beings in existence. He could transcend what it meant to learn and understand.
'Yeah. This is it. This is what I want.'
The system flickered in acknowledgment.
[Goal Selection Confirmed: Pursuit of Ultimate Knowledge]
[Goal Paths Now Available]
The menu changed once more, and now instead of Goals, there were Paths—structured missions that would lead him toward fulfilling his chosen aspirations.
Alex grinned internally.
'Now this… this is going to be fun.'