《Blade Mage (LitRPG)》


 1 - Off from Work

    To succeed, hard work was necessary. John Creed had lived by those words since he was a child. It was hard to forget, considering his father pummeled that idea in him every day without a break.


    ¡°Go home, John. You know the company won¡¯t pay for overtime,¡± said Michael, the manager of the marketing department.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost finished. It won¡¯t be long,¡± said John.


    The manager sighed with a smile. It was hard to find a diligent rookie like John. More so in this current generation. ¡°Don¡¯t get burnout, kid. It¡¯s only been six months,¡± the balding man said his piece and left John to his own.


    The office was silent. Despite the brightly lit space, the lack of people made the whole place a bit eerie than usual. Yet John was indifferent. He was focused on his work, crunching the numbers as he clicked the noiseless keyboard. Even the sound of a perfectly well-placed cup falling near the water dispenser was ignored. Tough luck to whatever entity that tried to pull a prank on the zealous John. The man was deaf to whatever around him, and nothing mattered more to him than the work in front of him.


    ¡°Done,¡± John said. He smiled as he stretched his arms in the air. A groan escaped as he had been sitting there for the past three hours without a bathroom break. He glanced at the clock and it was close to striking eight. John packed things up and readied to leave.


    Ring¡­


    His phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw who it was. ¡®Dwight Wilson? That¡¯s weird. I didn¡¯t recall giving him my phone number. But wait, when did I put him in my contact?¡¯ despite the confusion, he answered. The flustered voice of a man in his late thirties rumbled in his eardrum.


    ¡°John! Are you still in the office?¡± Dwight asked.


    ¡°Yea, but I¡¯m on my¨C¡±


    ¡°Good! You¡¯ve got to help me,¡± Dwight cut John off before he could finish. ¡°This isn¡¯t how I usually function, but I forgot to send the document file to the regional manager. Stupid, Dwight, you fucking stupid piece of¡­¡±


    John pulled his phone away. Hearing a grown man cursing and turning unstable was unpleasant to the ear. He even wondered whether this co-worker of his needed some counseling or perhaps a trip to a shrink.


    ¡°Dwight, it¡¯s past eight and I¡¯m tired. I need to go home,¡± said John. Whatever the deal with Dwight, it wasn¡¯t his business.


    ¡°No, no, no! You¡¯ve got to help me, John. My life is on the balance here. I, Dwight Wilson had never made an error in my work, and tonight shall not be that night where I fail!¡± Dwight said.


    John felt the passion in Dwight¡¯s voice, but he wanted nothing more than to go home.


    ¡°Dwight, I hope this isn¡¯t the case of an office bullying, because if it is, I¨C¡±


    ¡°No, no, no! You shall not be mistaken. I, Dwight Wilson never condone the act of bullying. I¡¯m a righteous mind, and a man that honors his colleagues, no matter how long they¡¯ve worked¡­¡± Dwight cut John off as usual and kept rambling on until John focused back on listening.


    ¡°Please, John Creed. I beg of you as a fellow office mate, do me this favor and I shall heed to whatever you need no matter the time and place,¡± Dwight said.


    It sounded like an empty promise. But considering he was dealing with Dwight Wilson, he thought this man might do more than what he promised. From what John heard about Dwight, the man wasn¡¯t the type to play around.


    ¡°Please, John Creed,¡± Dwight begged.


    John heard a loud thud from the other end of the line. He didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason, he imagined Dwight was kneeling on both knees. Thank goodness it was just only a phone call and not a video.


    ¡°Wait, John. I need to turn this into a video call¨C¡±


    ¡°No!¡± John roared the moment he heard about a video call. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, Dwight. No need for a video call.¡±


    ¡°You sure? I¡¯m currently kneeling, showing my servile attitude for asking for your kindness. From what I read about people from the east, this action is a show of¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Dwight. There¡¯s no need for kneeling. Just guide me through your desktop, and I¡¯ll help you with what you need,¡± With John¡¯s urging, Dwight dropped his intention to video call.


    He sat on Dwight¡¯s table and turned on the computer. It seemed to be a long night for John. The passionate officemate aided John in helping his work. After a while.


    ¡°Done,¡± John said.


    ¡°Thank you, John Creed. I don¡¯t know how I can repay this immense generosity, or would you like me to do a quarter of your work? Or is it too little? I¡¯m fine with doing half, I guess this is a good way in testing my limits,¡± Dwight proposed something ridiculous.


    But John felt it was overboard. ¡°Just treat me lunch for a whole week, and that will settle it,¡± John said.


    ¡°Lunch? Well, I can¡¯t complain since you asked for it. But a week? That¡¯s too short. Your kindness deserves more than this. How about a month? Or perhaps, six months? No, no, no. I think a ye¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that Dwight? I can¡¯t hear you? I think the line is breaking up. Bzzz,¡± John hung up.


    ¡°Now I can go home,¡± he packed and he left. This time, he did it without wasting a single second. In time, he reached the bus stop as he waited for his ride back home.


    It was late and the time was close to reaching ten. One of his legs kept shaking as he waited. Yet the familiar tune of his phone came greeting him. ¡®Please don¡¯t be Dwight. Please don¡¯t be Dwight,¡¯ he prayed as he pulled out his phone.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Thank goodness, it wasn¡¯t Dwight. But the name on the screen was a bit of concern. Barney, a buddy of his who shared an apartment with him. John hoped nothing was wrong.


    ¡°Hello,¡± John said.


    ¡°John!¡± Barney sounded excited. ¡°Hey, about the thing where you do with that samurai sword, what is it called again? Was it kendo? I need to borrow that shit.¡± Just from that alone, John didn¡¯t like where this was going.


    ¡°I hook up with this Asian chick, and I¡¯m about to show her my way with the sword. So, I need you to tell me the lock combination for that cool sword.¡±


    John was speechless. He should have known better about this friend of his. Everything in that blonde head of Barney was only girls, girls, and more girls. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°First of all, I don¡¯t do kendo. I trained in iaido. There¡¯s a big difference between both of them. And second, there¡¯s a reason why I locked my sword, Barney. It¡¯s a dangerous weapon despite having a blunt edge. In a hand of an amateur, you can hurt yourself. For the third point, it¡¯s not for impressing women for you to get laid, Barney. So, that¡¯s a big no from me,¡± John said.


    ¡°Aw, come on, dude. For once, be a good wingman for me. This chick got some pretty fine ass, and I¨C¡±


    John hung up. He loved curvy asses but listening about it wasn¡¯t something he was fond of. ¡®Great, just in time,¡¯ the bus pulled to the side, and John hopped on his ride back home.


    It was barely occupied. Besides him, there was only a woman with blonde hair. She was quite a looker as John couldn¡¯t help but stole a few glances.


    He found himself a seat near the back and sat by the window. Gazing outside, he yearned to go back to that little studio he leased. There was nothing greater than landing on that queen-sized bed of his after a hard day of work. As he dreamed of his sleep, the bus stopped.


    The noise of a rowdy bunch rang from the front. He glanced and saw men holding on to familiar-looking bottles. ¡®Great, here comes the drunkards.¡¯ John turned away and ignored those men.


    ¡°What do we have here, boys? It seems we¡¯ve got ourselves a fine-looking babe,¡± one of the drunkards approached the lone blonde-haired woman. The first drunkard took the lead and the rest followed. They circled her with eyes full of lust.


    The woman in a beige trench coat pulled her handbag close to her chest. The glint in her eyes showed there was fear in her. Who wouldn¡¯t if they were surrounded by a group of intoxicated men.


    These men laughed and hurled vulgar words. They were having a blast tormenting a pitiful woman, who was probably heading back home.


    The office worker at the back couldn¡¯t simply ignore such a scene. If he could, he would have just ignored it. But his heart wouldn¡¯t let it be. ¡®There goes my peaceful bus ride. I just hope things won¡¯t end up too bloody.¡¯


    John got up. His left hand grabbed tight on an uncapped pen. But he stopped midway. ¡®What the?¡¯


    The blood-curdling scream made him confused. It wasn¡¯t the voice of the woman as it was clear to his ears that it was the scream of a man.


    ¡°What the fuck did you do to me you bitch?!¡± the first drunkard stared at the sight of his bloody thigh. His dark crimson blood spurted out as if it was a leaking pipe.


    The rest of the drunkards sobered in an instant. The bloody situation was not something they expected. Fueled by their instinct alone, they backed away as they gazed at the woman who held a bloody butterfly knife.


    She got up and the drunkards flinched. They saw the gaze in her eyes. No longer flickering in fear, the light in her eyes was replaced by a cold-blooded gleam.


    ¡°Fucking bitch!¡± but the first drunkard let his rage took over. He swung wide and he missed his shot.


    The blonde-haired woman with brown eyes vanished from the drunkard¡¯s sight. Then she appeared. Lunging from under with her sharp knife. Her hand motioned like a stinging wasp, and under a second, she punctured six holes on the drunk man¡¯s torso.


    The drunkard let out a muffled scream. The blood rose to his throat, as it diverged and filled his lungs. Yet it flowed out from those wounds as if a dam broken with holes. The drunkard trembled in fear as he felt his death looming closer.


    ¡°No¨C¡± the drunkard was about to beg. But a slash at the neck ended it all.


    The drunkard fell silent. His knees buckled as he dropped on the floor. Blood spewed from the cut on his neck. He gurgled for his last breath on top of his own pool of blood.


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯ John was lost for words.


    It was not every day for John to stumble on a grisly scene like this. The last time he saw this much blood and gore was back when he watched Dawn of the Dead. But compared to this, reality was harder for him to stomach.


    ¡°Fuck! She¡¯s crazy,¡± said one of the drunkards. Yet the moment he said those words, the bloodthirsty woman charged at them with a creepy smile.


    Some ran. While some fought back. Yet their drunken state hampered their movement and awareness. And in a fight, they were like sitting ducks.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The first scream echoed, and the next followed from behind. The scene got bloodier. These men screamed for their mommies as the woman unleashed her wrath.


    The commotion finally tugged the bus driver¡¯s attention and finally, she pulled the brake. ¡°Oh, hell no,¡± the bus driver saw it. She didn¡¯t waste time as she cranked the bus door opened and fled for her dear life.


    John heard the noise of the door and ran to the nearest one. But¡­


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The door at the back was jammed. He slammed it a couple of times, hoping it to open. But alas, it stayed close.


    John turned and rushed to the other side. He felt his heart almost bursting from his ribcage as he wanted nothing more than to get off this rectangular metal prison.


    ¡®Shit, shit, shit. Why now? Damn it!¡¯ He questioned his fate as tonight was worsening by the second. He was fine with a little brawl. But this?


    Fighting against a killer was way out of his league, even if she was a woman. He could overpower her with pure strength, but the unpredictable nature and drive of a killer were something he wouldn¡¯t gamble on.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with these fucking doors?!¡¯ He was panicking. Even the other door couldn¡¯t open. It seemed fate had pulled a fast one on John, and it wasn¡¯t looking good.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the breathy voice of a woman echoed in John¡¯s ears. He turned and locked eyes with the approaching killer.


    Her eyes were dead. But that vile smirk hanging on her face made him shivered in his shoes. Her blood-stained coat only made her killer aura even more chilling.


    She inched closer to John. The squelching noises of her blood soak shoes filled the whole bus. Blood dripped from the edge of her knife as it sought another prey.


    John faced his whole body at the killer. He stood in a stance and gripped tight on the only thing he could use his uncapped pen.


    ¡®Calm down, and focus, John. Remember what Sensei always taught you. ¡°Rice tastes better with soy sauce, my disciple,¡±¡¯ Wise words from his eighty-year-old master. But not in this situation. ¡®Fuck! I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to help. Think, John. There must be something else that Sensei said.¡¯


    In that split-second moment. He remembered a time when his Sensei displayed his sword. His technique was beautiful and flowed like water. That nonsense Sensei of his finally did something worthy of his title. In the end, Sensei said these words. ¡®Fast as wind. Tranquil as a lake. And strike like lightning!¡¯


    He calmed down and faced his enemy. His hand readied to let loose his pen as he waited. John knew better than anyone else that iaido was far from being practical like kendo. But he learned something far greater than how to smack someone¡¯s head. He learned to focus to the extreme. Right now, his every being was honed down on the killer¡¯s movement.


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± the killer cackled like a maniac. As if she was amused seeing a different prey.


    ¡°You¡¯re a different pig, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked. Her words didn¡¯t make any sense.


    While John stayed true to himself. He turned deaf to those words as he waited for the right time.


    ¡°Pigs. Shouldn¡¯t. Exist!¡± She lunged forward, baring her knife at John.


    Then.


    She entered his range.


    John executed his motion as if drawing a blade from its sheath. The pen in his hand flew. It was like the edge of a blade, searching for blood.


    ¡°Ah!¡± the killer screamed. Blood spurted out from her right eye like Niagara Falls.


    John, on the other hand, stood tall as he flicked the pen. The blood of the killer flickered away from the ballpoint of his pen. He continued his motion as if sheathing back his sword.


    But his leg gave out on him. John fell to the floor as he leaned on a bus seat.


    ¡®As I thought, the range is too short,¡¯ blood seeped out from his mouth as a knife was lodged right at his heart.


    His strike connected, but so did the killer.


    ¡®I¡¯m dying, aren¡¯t I?¡¯ John felt the warmth leaving him. He never knew he would die this early. ¡®What a bummer. I¡¯ve been thinking about saying this thing to my future children when I¡¯m on my deathbed. But I guess now I can¡¯t say it.¡¯


    A shadow loomed over him. It wasn¡¯t Death, but she was the soon-to-be killer of him. She glared at John with one eye, fuming in rage.


    While John had a thought.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he realized. ¡°Since you¡¯re here. I might as well say it,¡± he paused, grinning like an idiot. ¡°Boobs are truth¡­¡±


    His last words would undoubtedly deserve a rank in a list of famous last quotes. But sadly, no one other than his killer heard those glorious words.


    John fell silent. Slowly he was succumbing to his death. Yet before the life in his eyes was completely gone, a bright light exploded from below. It engulfed everything inside the bus as he heard a muffled scream of his soon-to-be-killer. He didn¡¯t know what was happening but the warmth of the bright light gave him an intense feeling of comfort as if he was floating on cloud nine.


    Then the light vanished. Inside the bus, no one could be seen, not even a dead body. It was emptied without a soul. Yet bloodstains decorated the whole bus from the seats to the windows, and to the floor.


    On the next day, the news blew up. They called it the Midnight Bus Massacre, even though it didn¡¯t happen during midnight. Even with a key witness, the bus driver, the cops, and the FBI couldn¡¯t find the victims as well as the killer.


    In the end, the case was labeled as a cold case, locked in an archive with no chance of being solved.

 2 - Is This the Afterlife?

    John opened his eyes. The bright blue sky greeted him with clouds moving in unison, herded by an invisible shepherd. Yet this wasn¡¯t the time to appreciate mother nature. He propped himself up as there were others like him. They sat in a dazed with their eyes wandering, trying to get their bearing. But most of them were still sleeping on the ground, oblivious to the predicament that was about to come.


    ¡°Wait,¡± his eyes went down, glancing at his chest. His white office shirt was still bloody with a hole, but his skin was intact. His fingers traced over his chest as the knife that stabbed him was no longer there.


    ¡°Is this the afterlife?¡± was the most rational explanation he could think of. Since surviving through a stab in the heart was not something that easy like in the movies. Even if there was a chance he got saved by a paramedic, he should be on a hospital bed and not here.


    He stood on his feet as he looked around the vast plain. At first glance, he could roughly estimate the numbers of the people that were in the same situation as him. ¡°Give or take, probably around a hundred fifty or two hundred or so.¡±


    His eyes gazed at the far end of the plains as he saw the tree line of a forest. While on his back was the mountainous range that looked no different than the Himalayas. Scratching his head, he wondered whether this was paradise or something a tier lower than that. ¡°This can¡¯t be it, can it?¡± he thought beautiful angels would greet him but so much for his ideal fantasy dream.


    ¡°Hey, you,¡± a voice pulled him over. He looked and saw a middle-aged man standing up from the ground. The receding hairline and the sparse gray hairs were enough to tell him that this man had gone through his years.


    ¡°You know what¡¯s going on here?¡± the middle-aged man asked. He was as clueless as John.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he replied. He was hesitant in telling him that he was dead. Breaking bad news right after waking up was the most terrible thing that someone could do, and he wasn¡¯t going to be that guy.


    ¡°Psst,¡± a suspicious sound drew his attention. He turned and found a man with a tin-foil hat. He questioned the fashion sense but to each his own.


    The gaunt man whispered something, ¡°we¡¯re being abducted.¡±


    John heard it, and again he didn¡¯t want to be that guy. He thought that this unique man might have been struck by thunder or some accident in area fifty-one. A pity he didn¡¯t know that he had already died.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s the lizard aliens,¡± the tin-foil man whispered as he got closer to John.


    ¡°I believe you, man, a hundred percent,¡± John gave a thumbs-up as his feet shuffled backward. ¡°I¡¯ll spread the words that way, and you go that way. Got it?¡±


    He left the daze tin foil man while he had the chance, in the name of spreading the truth and message, John escaped.


    ¡®Why does the afterlife feels like being alive? Shouldn¡¯t I at least not have the urge to pee or something? Better yet I hope I don¡¯t need to poop anymore.¡¯ Questions kept emerging while John had the sudden urge to leak his faucet. Looking around, people were starting to get up one by one. They were confused and distraught. And it would be a bad idea if he peed in front of these people.


    John was a man who valued his privacy especially in regards to dropping the one and two. He barely even used the public toilet let alone the urinal. Straying away from the group, he found the closest tree line. If he could he would have wait until he found a hygienic toilet but nature called.


    A hundred yards away, he stood behind the tree away from any possible gaze from those people. Looking around the idle forest, he hoped there wouldn¡¯t be a bug flying around while he did the deed.


    With the coast clear, he took it out, and down it went. Relief set in as the tension went away. Yet as he zipped his pants up, a familiar ring echoed close to him. ¡°My phone?¡± he sounded uncertain yet he could feel the vibration in his pants pocket.


    He pulled out his Uphone 12 Mini, tilting his head to the side while pursing his lips. In his hand was something he couldn¡¯t comprehend. ¡®I¡¯m dead, but my phone is still working? Hold up, this thing shouldn¡¯t even exist here. Should it?¡¯ Numerous questions bombarded his mind as he didn¡¯t know what was what right now.


    The Unknown Caller on the screen wasn¡¯t making it any easier for John to pick it up. But with those questions stuck in his head, perhaps this call might have the answers.


    ¡°Hello? This is John,¡± his voice was polite as a salesman giving his first pitch. ¡°Who am I speaking to?¡±


    There was no reply. Nonetheless, he waited since he definitely heard the breath of the caller.


    ¡°Is this an angel perhaps? Or is it a service where I can ask anything I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± the caller shouted, and his lips tightly sealed as though it had never been open.


    That was something he never expected to hear at the other end of the line. He didn¡¯t know an angel would be this harsh or perhaps the angel that called him was a tsundere? Someone rude but tender at heart.


    ¡°Listen here, you idiot,¡± the caller had no intention of curbing down her rudeness.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, even if you¡¯re an angel, can you please use more¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up and listen!¡± again he was silenced like a sheepish lamb. Whoever arranged this angel to him was definitely turning his paradise into hell.


    ¡°Hey, are you listening?¡± even with a question, he still got shouted.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied, wishing he had the most elegant angel.


    ¡°Did you just arrive?¡± she asked.


    ¡°More like waking up,¡± he replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s the same you moron,¡± again this feisty angel never stopped hating at him. ¡°Now, listen to me. Whatever you do, you need to get out of there and run towards the Crown Deer Forest.¡±


    ¡°And which one is that? Is there a landmark that I can easily spot? Cause from here I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s the opposite direction of the Balkan Mountain. Now get your butt up and start running!¡± her urgent voice was gone as she hung up without notice.


    ¡®For a tsundere angel, she really couldn¡¯t wait to get a taste of my fine D.¡¯ His fantasy ran wild again. But who could blame him? He thought he was dead and inside paradise. It would be a bummer if he realized he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®Hmm? What¡¯s that noise?¡¯ He peeked from behind the tree and his eyes widened. People were running away for their life despite the so-called afterlife. They ran like ants, scattering through the plains as a predator lurked among them. Even from a hundred yards away, John could see it, the thing that hunted them down.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± a beast the size of an elephant yet it wasn¡¯t those gentle creatures that roamed the savanna. It was a lizard-like creature with scales shimmering in obsidian. Yet its head was unlike a lizard. It had the head of a tiger with its lower fangs resembling a tusk. From those descriptions alone, it was safe to say it was a monster.


    It bit and snapped a man in half as it swallowed those two parts in one sitting. The swing of its claws was enough to paint the ground with crimson. Its cry or roar or whatever in between sent shiver down the spines of whoever heard it. What John was seeing was a massacre, and then he remembered.


    He turned and bolted further along the inner side of the tree line. Keeping in mind the word spoken by the harsh angel. He glanced a few times back and saw the mountain mentioned by her. It was behind him and he desperately prayed his direction was right.


    ¡®Shit, this isn¡¯t paradise is it.¡¯ With realization hitting him in the face, the feeling of embarrassment came creeping up on him. Those words talking about an angel and so on with a stranger would definitely haunt him for the rest of his life.


    The roar of the beast was slowly fading in the background as John kept his pace. He didn¡¯t know where he was but it was better than being lunch for a monster. In time, his breath grew heavy with his legs slowing down. He was reaching his limit and for a guy who packed a few muscles in the arms and in the body, long-distance running was not one of his fortes.


    He stopped as his lungs couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He slouched with his hands on his knees. John couldn¡¯t say a word and the only thing that left his mouth was the loud noise of his breath.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Looking around, there was nothing but trees and more trees. There was no sign of men or any other people that he saw back there. He wondered whether he was the only one who escaped. Then the familiar ring tone rang, and his hasty hands answered.


    ¡°Huff. Hel-lo?¡± He wanted to say more but his lungs weren¡¯t letting him.


    ¡°Where are you right now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Wait. Huff. Huff. Huff,¡± he tried to catch up his breath first, but the woman was way ahead of him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk, and just listen. Do whatever I say, and you might live for another day,¡± she said. It sounded like a threat but for some odd reason he knew it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°No matter what, I need you to keep on running. The Onyx Panthera won¡¯t stop hunting you, not until your scent is far away from its range,¡± her words sent a shiver down John¡¯s spine. It wasn¡¯t what he wanted to hear, but a warning was good enough for his survival.


    ¡°For now those people would buy you some time. But that isn¡¯t enough. You need to reach the domain of the Crown Deer for you to truly be safe from that Panthera,¡± she said.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m already in the Crown Deer Forest, shouldn¡¯t I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only at the outer perimeter. What you need to do is to run further. Deep inside the forest until you see the silver fireflies. Once you¡¯re there, you¡¯re safe,¡± her words were reassuring and for once she didn¡¯t shout at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say this. But thank you. I really mean it, thank you so much for helping me even to a stranger like me. If it wasn¡¯t for you I would have panic and shit my pants,¡± John said ending it with a slight chuckle. Despite the unknown identity of this person at the other end of the line, he was immensely grateful.


    Silence reigned for a whole minute as she didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Um, would you mind telling me your name? It kind of bothers me how I don¡¯t know my own savior¡¯s name,¡± he said.


    ¡°Stop being feeble and get on with your feet,¡± her shout came back. It was either she was always like that or John hit a nerve. ¡°I¡¯ll call you back when it¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait¡­¡±


    She hung up.


    ¡°Well damn,¡± John a had lot more questions especially the part on how to maneuver oneself through a forest. He had a vague direction and a vague indicator, but nothing on how to know which direction was which. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope I don¡¯t get lost.¡±


    He kept his eyes peeled as he moved forward. He jogged at a pace, while thoughts circled in his mind. ¡®If this isn¡¯t the afterlife, then what is this place? For sure it can¡¯t be Earth, since there was no way a cat that big wouldn¡¯t be discovered by now.¡¯


    But someone came to mind.


    ¡®Probably he was right, we¡¯re probably being abducted.¡¯ He deduced as such after knowing he was alive, healthy, and being in a strange place. John just wished he knew more about whatever was happening.


    Yet not paying attention had its cost.


    He tripped over a dead branch and slammed himself right at a tree trunk. ¡°Ow,¡± his hand was on his face, rubbing his forehead with a grimace. He glanced at his fingers a few times, hoping his forehead wasn¡¯t bleeding.


    But rather than blood, something bluish floated in his sight. He stared at it for a few seconds with his body as still like a statue. ¡®Am I seeing things? Or is this the start of my mental breakdown?¡¯


    A blue window depicted a set of numbers, with two letters that were more than just recognizable.


    ¡®Let¡¯s think this through, John. It¡¯s either a visual hallucination or I¡¯m dealing with the real deal here.¡¯ He preferred the latter since being mentally ill wasn¡¯t going to be much helpful in this situation. ¡®But after that big cat, it kinda hard not to think this game-thing is real.¡¯


    The thought of the Onyx Panthera made him stood back on his legs. He ran knowing he wasn¡¯t in the clear yet, not until he saw those silver fireflies she told about.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get this straight, I was stabbed in the heart and died and then came back alive again in some unknown place with a monster running loose. Or I didn¡¯t die and went into a coma while some nutcase doctor put me in an experimental virtual reality world where the creator had a thing with RPG and fantasy settings.¡¯ Both of his reasonings didn¡¯t make any sense. Although the latter seemed more possible since virtual reality existed. But that kind of high-tech stuff was still far in the future and the degree of realism was too comparable to reality. John didn¡¯t want to put down the capability of humankind but he doubted we could create something like this in this current century.


    ¡®Why is it have to be that guy again?¡¯ The tinfoil hat man came sneaking up on his thought again. His remark of being abducted didn¡¯t seem far-fetched right now.


    ¡®Nah, it can¡¯t be.¡¯ He shook his head denying that possibility. The aliens that he knew of wouldn¡¯t attempt such a thing. ¡®They¡¯ll probably prefer probing our asses than putting us in a game-like world.¡¯


    To his surprise, another blue window opened.


    ¡®Can¡¯t say no to that. I might as well play along with this until I figure it out with the others.¡¯ He hoped he wasn¡¯t the only one surviving. At least if he found someone else, he might have the chance of writing mental illness off from the list of possibilities.


    ¡®Or should I just ask her?¡¯ He pulled out his phone and opened up his call history. The Unknown Caller was at the top of the list, and she probably had the answers to his questions. ¡®Should I? Or should I just wait?¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to get screamed again as he swore his right eardrum had probably gotten swollen by now. But he had to know.


    ¡®There, I did it.¡¯ He pressed the number and waited for it to ring.


    ¡°The number you have dialed is not reachable.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± his eyes found the signal indicator. The big cross was enough to tell him why he couldn¡¯t connect. ¡®Fuck, I¡¯m an idiot. Of course it won¡¯t work here.¡¯ He realized once again that this wasn¡¯t earth where every stretch of a mile had a cell tower. But the bigger question was. ¡®How the hell did she call me?¡¯


    Standing alone in the forest with his back opened wide, John was making himself too vulnerable with his sight glued at that phone of his. Then he heard a branch snapped. He turned out of reflex and he froze. ¡®Shit!¡¯ He could only curse himself from the inside as he was surrounded.


    Goats with twisted horns like the devil emerged from the shadows of the forest. Their red eyes glowed menacingly like the saber of a Sith Lord. It would have been fine if they were normal goats, but those rows of sharp jagged fangs told him otherwise. Saliva dripped from their beards as if they had been starving for days. John could even smell the stench of their salivas as they crept upon him.


    ¡®F it!¡¯ John turned and fled, pushing those legs of his to the max. ¡®Do your thing Running skill.¡¯ It was unfortunate but his running skill wasn¡¯t the active type.


    The clopping noises of numerous hooves chased him down from behind and the feeling was shitting bricks. His fight and flight response kicked in as it stimulated the glands to secrete those powerful hormones of his. Adrenaline rushed into his bloodstream as his speed just got a little bit faster.


    Yet a high-pitch bleat came like a siren. He jumped to the side and rolled himself before finding his feet back on the ground. His body ached with all the little twigs and pebbles stabbing him through his clothes. A loud thud echoed as he watched the four twisted horns slamming against the thick tree trunk. He heard a crack as he swallowed a mouthful of his saliva. John didn¡¯t want to imagine what would happen if he was the one who got hit.


    ¡°Maa,¡± the goat¡¯s horn was stuck to the tree. It struggled to free itself with its hooves dug deep through the dirt ground, pushing itself away from the tree.


    John got up, preparing to flee as his eyes fixated at the sight of those goats huddling around the stuck one. They tried to set their kin free, slamming their horns against the oaken trap.


    He found his chance and readied to bolt. But his eyes found a lone goat straying from its trip. It stared at him with its glowing red eyes. ¡°Huh,¡± he sighed. ¡®Why does it always have to be that one guy who just needs to make things difficult.¡¯


    John ran, and the goat chased him down like it was a hound. Yet its bleats were less than intimidating. They raced against each other, but in a sprint, no man could contest against a goat. Just after a few yards, the goat was right behind his tail bone.


    Then the hair on the back of his neck rose as if it was a sign. He threw himself to the side and the goat lunged forward, missing him by a hairbreadth. Its horns crashed against the dirt ground as dust and dirt went flying. It got up, shaking its horn from the dirt. But out of nowhere, John tackled it from the flank.


    ¡®It¡¯s just a goat, John, it¡¯s just a harmless goat.¡¯ You could call it self-hypnosis but for John, that was the best option. As he took the goat by surprise, his hand swiftly grabbed one of its hind legs and pulled it upwards. Its hoof left the ground and the goat lost its balance. The stinking ram fell to the side. It bleated louder, shrieking right beside John¡¯s ears. Yet the man was persistent. ¡®I ain¡¯t going to die from a goat.¡¯


    John took out the pen from his pocket and stabbed the goat right at the neck. The billy started squirming on the ground, bleating and moving its head. It tried to stab John with its protruding horns. But it couldn¡¯t reach him. John stuck his head closed to the neck, breathing in the smelly fur as he had no intention of letting go. His legs wrapped around the ram¡¯s hind legs while his free hand strangled it by the neck.


    Again, and again, John kept jabbing it with the bloody tip of his pen. It almost saved him from that bus massacre and now it finally had the chance to redeem itself. Like they always said, the pen is mightier than the sword.


    Half a minute later, the struggling stopped. The goat was dead, and John could finally take a breather. He rolled himself away from the carcass and stared at the thick foliage of the treetop. There was barely any light weaving through those leaves. Then, it appeared again.


    ¡®Oh, yeah. I forgot it was a game.¡¯ He smiled, and it didn¡¯t last long. A cacophony of bleats made him propped his upper body up. At a distance, a trip of starving goats was coming at him. ¡°Ah, fuck.¡± He scowled in annoyance. Then his eyes found that same blue window again. He thought of a possibility and he hoped he was right.


    ¡°Open status sheet?¡± nothing happened. ¡°Character status?¡± again no new blue window. By this time he was already up on his feet and ran like hell. He tried every possible word he could come up with, and they were all a dud. ¡®Damn it! At least give me something here.¡¯ His legs were fatigued as the lactic acids were piling up and his body was close to reaching its limit. He couldn¡¯t continue, not until he found the way to open it up. Then it crossed his mind.


    ¡°Menu?¡± a blue window emerged.


    ¡°Status?¡± then the thing he wanted appearing right in front of his eyes.


    ¡®Fuck. Who the hell made this shitty user interface!¡¯ It pained him of how difficult it was to open something so simple. Yet now wasn¡¯t the time to complain. He made a split-second decision after briefly scanning the whole status. ¡°Distribute one point to vitality and five points to agility.¡± To his words, the pain in his lungs and muscles lessened to a degree. While his speed was unlike before.


    He sprinted like the wind as the distance between them remained stagnant. And coupled with a few zigzags between the trees, it wasn¡¯t long before the goats finally gave up. Yet John didn¡¯t stop.


    He kept running with a wide grin on his face.

 3 - Night in the Forest

    ¡°Where are you right now?¡± a woman¡¯s voice rang the bones of John¡¯s middle ear. Her voice was more than welcoming for him who had been in solitude after getting away from a trip of terrible flesh-eating goats.


    ¡°To tell you the truth I¡¯m not sure,¡± His eyes kept glancing around from the trees to the dead leaves on the ground. It was the same thing back when he took a quick rest a couple of minutes ago. All of it looked similar from one tree to another. As if he was caught in a maze that kept looping itself.


    ¡°What?¡± she shouted, and John had to tilt his head away. The frown got worse as no one liked to be screamed at in a situation like this.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be there by now! Do you want to get yourself eaten? Is that what you want?¡± the screams kept on coming, and the crevices on John¡¯s frown just got a lot worse. Then something snapped.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± John shouted back. ¡°You think I¡¯m doing this on purpose? You think I¡¯m purposely starving myself to be with what? The trees? Mother nature?¡±


    Then his voice changed to a mocking tone. ¡°Like. Hey, look at me, I¡¯m an outdoor enthusiast who loves mother nature and right now I¡¯m in the process of dying while doing the things I love.¡±


    ¡°See how stupid that sounds?¡± his usual tone returned and his face dead as a pan. John was exhausted, and his patience was running thin.


    They stayed silent as neither were talking. The rustling leaves tickled by the breeze were loud enough to fill the empty air.


    John took a breather as perhaps he went a little too overboard. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just come here and pick me up? Isn¡¯t that better for the both of us? Who knows I¡¯m probably close enough to the edge and¨C¡±


    She hung up.


    John gripped his phone hard as he restrained himself not to throw it away. ¡®Calm down, John.¡¯ He eased himself, breathing in and out in slow motion. ¡®Don¡¯t let that anger eat you away. Just let it go with each breath you let out.¡¯


    He took his time, calming himself down. Being angry in this sort of situation wouldn¡¯t help him at all. Looking at it on the bright side, at least the anger management workshop he attended prove to be useful. It wasn¡¯t like he had issues, but it was a compulsory thing to do during his first month working at his company.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting dark,¡± he noticed the dimming light in the forest. Looking up, the sky that was once blue was getting darker of purple and orange hue. Dusk approached while his time was getting shorter. John had to find a way to the inner area of the Crow Deer Forest. But no matter where he looked, he couldn¡¯t find anything remotely resembling a firefly much less a silver one.


    He continued jogging down the forest floor, wishing he was on the right path. Time went on, and the forest was getting darker. His steps slowly dialed down until he was at a walking pace and it wasn¡¯t because he emptied out his SP. The forest during the night was a whole other place when compared during the day. His eyes couldn¡¯t stop looking around, flustered at every snap of a twig to the coo of an owl. John wasn¡¯t liking this, and he kinda regretted lashing out at the girl on the phone. He would have been somewhere safe if he just played it cool and not acted out.


    ¡°Help.¡±


    John turned as quick as lightning. Staring at the vague darkness barely making out the shape of the trees. The distant voice he heard was asking for help, and John couldn¡¯t help but swallowed what was left of his saliva.


    ¡°Help.¡±


    Again, he heard it. For a voice asking for help, the tone had a tint of spookiness in it or it might be just John, affected by the darkness that surrounded him.


    ¡®Should I?¡¯ His mind kept shifting back and forth, deciding whether it was a good idea or not. He assumed it might be a trap, something unworldly luring innocent people for their good deed. Or it might be just a person in a bad situation.


    ¡®No. I need to do it.¡¯ Rather than putting himself in their shoes, his situation was more or less similar. He was desperate for help and so did this person. With a will of steel and the heart of a wannabe saint, he followed the voice into the darkness. He tripped a few times as he could barely see, yet he never gave up. John stood back up again and followed the voice that was becoming clearer with each step forward.


    ¡®Should I just use my phone?¡¯ The flashlight of his phone would be a big help. But he couldn¡¯t risk wasting his battery. The call from that woman was more important and without any options of charging his phone, he wouldn¡¯t risk it. Yet at the far end of the darkness, there was a hint of light. It was barely noticeable but it was there. John was sure it was there. His feet picked up the pace and as he grew closer, the light got brighter, pushing away the dark mass of the night.


    The orange flame of a candle burned with splendor encased in a lantern. Yet the owner was nowhere in sight. John came closer with careful steps. His eyes darted around, wary of the unknown and the unseen threats.


    ¡°He¡­lp.¡± He heard it again. The plea for help was clearer but feeble. It came somewhere close to the lantern and John tread right beside it. He grabbed the handle of the lantern and noticed a patch of pitch-black on the ground a yard away from where he stood. He shone the light of the lantern and there he saw it. At the base of a tree, a hole big enough for someone to drop.


    ¡°Hello?¡± John asked as he kept himself at a safe distance from the hole. A slight misstep and he would join whoever was down there.


    But his words were left unanswered. It was a moment where his silence had never been quieter. The chittering of the crickets was absent and so did the distant owls as if they had flown through the night leaving this part of the forest unguarded from their prying eyes. Something felt weird and John could feel it to the bones. The hair on the back of his neck rose, yet he stood there waiting for an answer, like an idiot from a campy horror movie.


    Again. He asked, ¡°hello?¡±


    Five seconds went by.


    ¡°Please, can you help me kind sir?¡± it was the voice of a boy. But the tone was different. It wasn¡¯t as frail as before, the boy sounded like he chugged a whole bottle of Mountain Dew.


    There was hesitation in John¡¯s eyes. The boy didn¡¯t sound like he was in danger, or the boy might have been taught well by his parents to speak politely with strangers no matter the place, time, and occasion. It would be quite fucked up if it was true.


    He shone the lantern closer to the hole and yet the orange flame barely lit the deepening abyss. The depth was unimaginable as nothing could be seen from up there.


    ¡°You okay there, kid?¡± he asked.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but there would always be a lapse of silence before the boy answered. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you for asking, sir.¡±


    Goosebumps rose up against his skin as that reply was far from being normal. John had the urge to run. But knowing there was a possibility it was just a polite boy down there guilt-trip him. He couldn¡¯t just leave even if the boy sounded creepy as hell.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡®It¡¯s a boy, John. There¡¯s a fucking creepy boy that needs your help. So let¡¯s just do this and move on.¡¯ He made his decision. Standing close to the pit. ¡°Kid, I¡¯m here to help,¡± he looked around, searching for anything that might be of use. It would be a good thing if there was a rope lying around.


    ¡®There has to be something here that can help.¡± He trod around the area and found a few dead branches on the ground. Yet lengthwise it could hardly be of help.


    ¡®I got it.¡¯ An idea came at the right time. His hands scrambled at the waistband of his pants as he took off the belt. Yet John wasn''t stopping, he removed his clothes piece by piece until what was left of him was only him and his brief.


    The night breeze brushed against his skin as he felt the cold, spreading down his feet. ¡®Let¡¯s hope this works.¡¯ John started tying his clothes together, ignoring the cold that was embracing him closer with each passing second. From his jacket to his socks, John checked the knots in between, making sure they were sturdy to hold a climbing kid out of a pit.


    His breath wheezed slowly as he shook his hands and his body, warming himself up for the real deal. ¡°You can do this, John,¡± he said. His gaze and mind were locked and loaded.


    ¡°Kid! I¡¯m throwing a rope,¡± he shouted from the edge of the hole. John took action, not waiting for a reply. He threw his makeshift rope as it went down, vanishing into the abyss. He held the other end tight and found himself a footing just behind the tree that was close to the pit. At least he secured himself not to be dragged into the pit.


    ¡°Do you get it?¡± he asked, bracing for the weight that would come.


    ¡°Sir, what will I owe you of this kindness?¡± the boy asked, and it was the strangest thing John heard. ¡°I have nothing in my name. No money, no status, and no benefit that would suit your kindness, sir.¡±


    John tilted his head. Rather than calling it odd, it suited more with bizarre. Who in the hell would say these things while getting saved?


    ¡®Fuck, this kid is weird. Or this kid might be living in a more fucked up world than mine.¡¯ Knowing he was in another world, he let go of the weirdness of this kid.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, kid. Let¡¯s just get you out of there,¡± John said.


    ¡°You do not want anything, sir?¡± the child sound confused.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nothing at all?¡± the boy reaffirmed.


    ¡°Kid, I know it¡¯s hard to believe a stranger, but you don¡¯t need to worry. I¡¯m just your friendly neighborhood guy next door, and I¡¯m here to help,¡± John said his piece and he finally felt the tug.


    ¡°Woah,¡± he almost lost his grip but his hands recovered it immediately. ¡®What on earth did this kid eat?¡¯ he never knew a boy could be this heavy or it might be just him, slacking in his gym routine. Since he worked pretty late these days, John couldn¡¯t find the time to fit in a visit to the gym.


    Nonetheless, he gritted his teeth and anchored his feet down at the base of the tree. Before long, the veins on his neck started popping up as he tried leaning back, countering the weight with his own. Sweats rained down his forehead as his muscles tensed and contracted to the limit of his capability. Things were getting weirder but John didn¡¯t stop. His face was getting redder as the thought of giving up came to mind. Yet another thought clashed. ¡®Is he there yet?¡¯ John was determined to save the kid, no matter what.


    The tension was gone as his strength got the better of him. John fell on his back and groaned. He rolled a few times, scratching his back. A new screen emerged, showing him he lost one HP. His eyes twitched, seeing it. It looked as if the system was mocking him.


    He waved his hand, and the window disappeared. It was one of those things he learned while spending too much time alone in this forest.


    The thought of the boy made him hurried on his feet. He stood there beside the tree, staring at the little boy who was less than half of his height. The lantern on the ground revealed the gaunt and thin face of the boy. The impassive look didn¡¯t fit for someone of his age. While his clothes, a tunic that existed in the past looked a bit too big for a child of his size.


    John snapped out of it and came close to the boy. ¡°You okay?¡±


    The boy held his words and just nodded. It was strange, yet at least John saved the boy. ¡°You know your way back?¡± he asked, hoping the boy would nod. Even if he couldn¡¯t get into the interior area of Crown Deer Forest at least the village where the boy lived would be a safer place than being out here alone in the forest.


    The boy pointed in a direction, and John couldn¡¯t hide his smile. Soon, he would get the comfort of a bed with a roof over his head. Not to mention, the foods and drinks that would fill his starving belly. John untied his makeshift rope and noticed the stretched-up clothes of his. At least it was wearable, unlike his jacket which was already on the brink of being torn apart. Nonetheless, he wore it without question. His skin alone wasn¡¯t enough to fight against the chill of the forest.


    Soon both of them trod through the forest floor. The boy led at the front with his lantern in his hand. While John followed closely from the back, keeping his eyes to the things around him. ¡°I¡¯m John, by the way, John Creed,¡± he introduced himself, attempting a conversation with the boy. ¡°You know back then when I pull you? That was tough as hell, I thought you weight more than two twenty. But I guess it must be these weak ass arms of mine. These days I could barely lift what I¡¯m used to and I¡¯ve should have seen it coming. It kinda happened if you neglect your irons for too long¡­¡± John kept on rambling as his sole listener kept on listening in silence.


    Then the boy spoke.


    ¡°Do you not desire anything, sir?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­desire, huh. That¡¯s really a deep question you ask,¡± there were a lot of things John wanted, but a desire was something stronger. It was more than just wanting it. ¡°I can¡¯t really say, perhaps I have or perhaps I don¡¯t. But for now, I don¡¯t think I have one.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a no?¡± the childish voice sounded curious.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure about it. It¡¯s a no for me,¡± thinking back, he had a dream once when he was a kid. He wanted to be the strongest swordsman alive, and it was no doubt a ridiculous one. Yet it made him pursued iaido and there, he met his ridiculous Sensei.


    ¡°Then what about power?¡± the mellow voice of the boy turned harsher by the end. A tone that was many times lower like those of a man with a grating voice.


    John stopped on his track as he felt chills running down his spine. He didn¡¯t dare say a word as he froze and witnessed the thing in front of him.


    The boy¡¯s tunic tore apart by muscles of unknown proportion with a ghastly mist dancing around it. The muscles grew at an unprecedented rate as furs sprouted covering those muscles. While bones snapped and clicked, rearranging themselves as if forming something bigger, something larger. The little boy was no longer there as a monstrosity stood before John. Standing tall at eight feet, its yellow topaz eyes stared at John from above. Then it asked.


    ¡°What about now? Do you now desire my powers?¡±


    John dropped on his ass, with his jaw hanging. His body was stiff as a board as if rooted on the ground. He didn¡¯t even care about the warmth trickling down his crotch. While his eyes couldn¡¯t glance away as though a curse forced him to see how his life would end by the maul of a standing beast.


    The head of the werewolf grew closer to John¡¯s until it was an inch away.


    ¡®Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck, fuck¡­¡¯ at this point, John was out of his mind.


    Yet that grating voice came back again.


    ¡°Do you desire my power?¡±


    John was speechless. He couldn¡¯t say a thing as if his throat was locked from the inside. The man just stayed there frozen like a statue with the werewolf not budging even an inch. It was hell on earth, a suffocating feeling that was choking the life out of him. Waiting for his death couldn¡¯t be more painful than this.


    An hour passed or perhaps it was just one minute, John had lost track of his time. Facing death itself, why would he cared about borrowed time. Yet the werewolf distanced itself, standing tall over John.


    At this point, his throat loosened a bit and he finally got his chance. ¡°No-nothing,¡± it was barely audible but it heard it.


    Out of nowhere, the ghastly mist that surrounded the werewolf thickened. It propagated until it also engulfed John whole. The man that soiled his pants waited there with his eyes closed as his death was about to come.


    Yet no matter how long he waited, the fangs didn¡¯t sink in his flesh. He peeked with one of his eyes and the mist was gone. He opened both of them and there he saw nothing. The werewolf vanished along with the mist. He didn¡¯t know what had happened and why it happened.


    But then he heard the bone-chilling voice again.


    ¡°I smell the scent of Panthera¡¯s blood lust on you. Follow the path lit by the moonlight and you shall find the flying silvers¡­¡±


    The voice was gone, and darkness succumbed to his vision again. ¡®What the heck just happened?¡¯ John still couldn¡¯t believe it. Yet another surprise came. The blue windows emerged.


    He stared in disbelief. Not even for a second that he would think that it was a quest. Then he snorted, seeing the title of the quest. ¡®This isn¡¯t how I remembered the story goes.¡¯


    As relief set in, John¡¯s composure returned. He got up on his two feet, sighing at his dirtied pants. But now wasn¡¯t the time. His eyes looked around the darkness keeping in mind the words spoken by the ghastly werewolf. And by chance, he found it. He rushed on his feet and trod the path lit by the moonlight, where the treetops were sparse and the moon visible in the sky.


    Yet he stopped. His ears perked, hearing something at a distance.


    ¡°He¡­lp¡­¡± it was that boy again.


    John didn¡¯t look back and bolted with his life on the line.

 4 - Encounter at the Pond

    ¡°I made it,¡± John lay on the ground, caring less about the dirt and the prickly pine needles. He smiled. His eyes reflecting the glow of the silver fireflies as if they were carnival lights. They flew and blinked like light-bulb with wings. It was a beautiful scene. Something he never had the chance to see back on earth.


    ¡°Menu. Status. SP,¡± his words came in a row, opening his desired window. It was tedious at first. But after enough time John got used to it.


    ¡®I guess that¡¯s good enough,¡¯ John jumped back on his feet. He stretched his neck and limbs, preparing for whatever was ahead. As of now, he was clear from danger, away from the jaws of the Onyx Panthera. But who knew what would await him in this new ground.


    John walked among the swarm of silver fireflies. He was carefree and relaxed, far from that chase he had with the goats. It felt different in a way. And he had to admit, this part of the forest was quite lovely. It wasn¡¯t too dark as the ambiance was just right. Similar to a well-kept backyard. Even the smell was different. He assumed it was lavender, perhaps a tint of it. Nonetheless, the pleasant smell soothed his heart and mind. As if this part of the forest was blessed by some higher power. No wonder the woman kept urging him to get here.


    Still, his stomach was still empty and his throat dried like an empty well. He had been wishing he would stumble on a pond or a lake. Quenching his thirst had never been so important to him, and he realized how blessed he was back on earth. Everything was of convenience. Like they always said, you would never truly appreciate something until you lost it completely.


    By sheer luck, his ears picked up something. His frown grew deeper as he focused himself to listen. ¡®A stream?¡¯ his smile couldn¡¯t be contained. It seemed hope had not yet abandoned him. With thirst driving him on, John rushed on his feet, chasing down the sound of water.


    He leaped over a shrub and for a brief second, he witnessed the thing he sought. That lapse of losing attention made him misstep on his landing. He fell and rolled, but the pain didn¡¯t bother him. Right now, his eyes were fixated on the pool of water. It was just a few yards away with heavy mist clinging around the pond. The pond¡¯s edges were strewn with pebbles and stones, neatly as if a person had done it.


    Like a separate entity, his parched throat demanded the water. John pushed his legs off the soft grass as the mud scraped by the sole of his dress shoe. In mere seconds, he reached the edge and with his body carried by the momentum, he plunged headfirst into the calm surface of the pond. John vanished underneath as waves rocked the whole pond.


    Water came rushing through his open mouth, and he welcomed it gladly. He swallowed it without a care and the still water had never been this sweet. His feet found the muddy bottom of the pond and he lunged himself back to the surface. Water splashed and new waves rolled through the pond again.


    John¡¯s thirst drove him as his hands scooped up water after water. He quenched his throat, ending the drought that had been plaguing him in the last few hours. John was satisfied. His whole body was drenched from top to bottom, with cold water slipping over his skin, freshening him from the fatigue of the whole day. He rinsed his hands, then his face. The urge to take a bath took over as he slipped off his shirt. Yet the corner of his eyes caught something.


    The mist dispersed and revealed a silhouette at the other end of the pond. John¡¯s guard went up. He unconciously retreated a few steps, wary of the sudden appearance of a stranger.


    ¡°You finally notice,¡± a sensual voice echoed softly around the pond. The mist further dissipated like a curtain being parted. In the sky, the clouds moved, clearing the night with the moonlight descending over the small pond. The dark scattered, retreating under the shadows of the tree and John finally saw her.


    The vague moonlight was enough to illuminate the beauty of this damsel. Her complexion was fair yet the unknown hue of her skin made John curious. Her hair was long and lush, yet it rested on the edge of the pond and not the water. She was leaning at the edge as if relaxing by the pool. The big flower hairpin on her crown was an interesting choice of accessory. While her bewitching jewel-like eyes gazed at John like an invitation for a romantic evening soiree. His eyes couldn¡¯t tear himself away and moving down, those luscious lips looked as sweet as ripe peaches.


    John fell into a trance, grinning like an idiot. His guard dropped, thinking he had a chance with the ethereal beauty.


    Then he gasped, his heart racing. His quivering eyes fixated at the maiden who rose from underneath the water, unraveling her figure below her collarbones, a set of beautiful mounds. Water slipped over the curvatures of those peaks, falling like Niagara Falls. It was like John always said, boobs were truth.


    The maiden of the pond unraveled everything under the moonlight. She came closer as the water rippled from her approach. Her rosy slender fingers playfully teased the surface of the water.


    Soon, she stood right in front of John with barely any space between them. John never looked away as if he was charmed by a spell from this alluring vixen. She was taller than him by half a head, probably at six feet. But height was never an issue for John.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I last saw a straggler,¡± she grinned, looking at him from above.


    John could have replied with a witty answer. But the man had his jaw hanging, lovestruck like a virgin.


    The lady of the pond slowly shook her head. She had a bitter smile as it seemed her tantalizing scent had done it again. ¡°A pity. I thought I would have you for dinner.¡±


    She passed by him and graced the ground with her supple legs. The lady sauntered through the ground with her arms stretched wide. Tree branches around her grew and stretched. The leaves from those branches fell above her, swirling around her figure, forming into fabrics as soft as silk. It completed itself into a chiton dress with a slit on the side. Vines from the tree top snapped on their own and slithered around the lady¡¯s waist. It knotted itself and perfected her attire for the evening.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Yet a presence caught her off guard.


    ¡°Did you say dinner?¡± a voice from her back. She turned and saw John standing there with water dripping from the edge of his clothes.


    Her confusion lasted for a few seconds before turning into curiosity. Never had anyone broken through her charm this quickly. She thought she met an ordinary man, but now, he was unlikely to be ordinary.


    The grumble of John¡¯s stomach broke the silence between them. John looked down and so did her. He looked up and flashed an awkward smile.


    ¡°Come,¡± she said, smiling slightly.


    Her dulcet voice was candy to his ears. John followed her, hoping there would be food for his belly. Yet he wasn¡¯t as unguarded as he looked. ¡®Shit, I almost lost myself there. If it wasn¡¯t for this belly of mine, I would have been stuck like that for ages.¡¯ Instead of continuously dreaming in a cage of lust, his hunger pulled him back. Thank goodness he heard the word dinner, triggering him back to reality like a snap of a finger.


    It was a short walk with not many words between them. John looked around and witnessed the field of flowers before him. Even in the night, the petals glowed unlike when under the sun.


    ¡°Surprise?¡± the lady asked. She chuckled seeing the look on John¡¯s face. ¡°What you see here is a different breed of flowers. They only bloom under the light of the moon and hide when facing the sun. Yet ironically, they still need the ray of the sun.¡±


    She walked through the field with John trailing from behind. They reached the foot of a small hill and stood before a curtain of vines and roots. The lady gently waved her hand and a path opened. She went first and the grotto¡¯s wall began glowing in a greenish hue as if acknowledging her presence.


    John stepped inside, finding the moss and algae on the walls the source of this luminescent light. Dimmer than a light bulb, but far more efficient. His fascination only grew stronger as the scent that lingered within these walls was like the smell of early spring. It was far more different than the scent around the lady that bared everything to him.


    He passed through a tunnel and was greeted with the high ceiling of a cavern space. Yet the inside was nothing like your usual cave. Flowers, vines, and climbing plants decorated the walls. While tree-like furniture sparsely filled the cavern floor. It was just like a house and it should be since a lady lived here.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± her hand gestured at the end of a long table.


    John nodded and sat. He tried adjusting the seat but it wouldn¡¯t budge. Looking down, it seemed the chair itself had rooted itself to the ground. He raised his eyebrows and sat there obediently.


    The lady left him for a while and soon she arrived with her hands filled with wooden plates. This time his hunger took over. Saliva filled his mouth, preparing himself for a feast.


    Yet the moment the plates were set down, his ravenous hunger was cut in half. It seemed he expecting too much from a lady who controlled the flora to her whim. Plates of fresh herbs, salads, and fruits were the delicacy of a woman like her.


    ¡®No wonder she¡¯s so slim,¡¯ John thought. Yet his eyes were drawn to those bosoms hiding behind those thin fabric. ¡®I wonder how she got it so big. Is it genetic or diet?¡¯


    ¡°Not to your liking?¡± her voice snapped John back. Both found each other eyes as they gazed without looking away.


    ¡°No, I love it,¡± John grabbed an apple-like fruit and took a chunk out of it. The juice seeped into his mouth and something went wrong. He quickly covered his mouth, pretending to chew while at the same time trying not to retch.


    ¡®That is not an apple,¡¯ he cursed with his eyes and sneakily slipped the leftover inside his blazer. He made an important mental note to throw it out later if he had the chance. John couldn''t let his blazer reeking of rotten apple-like fruit. The taste was out of this world and it was in a bad way. It was bitter and slimy with the sudden pungent smell that assaulted his nostrils as soon as his teeth sunk into its flesh. As of now, John wasn¡¯t going to touch any of those apple lookalikes.


    Looking around the plates, he found something that might be edible. The second time was the charm and the berry-like fruit was his best bet. He popped one into his mouth and the familiar sugary taste carved a smile on that face of his.


    With his hunger reignited, John gorged those fruits like no tomorrow. It didn¡¯t take long before the plate of fruits was empty except for those poisonous apples.


    ¡°Now,¡± the lady spoke. She rose from her seat and walked closer to John. ¡°Your hunger had been appeased, and what else that needs to be satisfied?¡±


    That look in her eyes was an invitation. John got the hint, but it wasn¡¯t as easy to accept. His experience from before taught him to tread this issue carefully. He sat there, thinking.


    But before he could open his mouth, the lady beat him to the punch. ¡°Are you wondering whether this is a quest or not?¡± she ended it with a smile that hid a thousand possible intentions.


    John sat there with his mind getting numb. This wasn¡¯t what he expected. The sense of fear started to grow in him like that time he encountered that ghastly werewolf.


    ¡°Ease your heart, straggler,¡± the lady walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. The skin of her face caressed the side of his cheek as that particular scent of her just got more overwhelming.


    Her smell rose something within him like a water down version of an aphrodisiac. He could feel something stiffening down below, luring him to that side of pleasure. Yet he wasn¡¯t going to back down. He calmed himself and imagined the cutest thing he could remember. That cat video he always watched popped up just in time as it was enough for a deterrent for now.


    ¡°Do you not want me?¡± her whisper rattled his heart. And to make things worse, she kept planting small kisses on his cheek down to his neck.


    He still didn¡¯t know who she was or what she was. John couldn¡¯t deny the possibility of getting into a trap. But then came the heavy bombardment. She moved and sat on his lap. Slowly, her hands pushed the straps over her shoulder and once more revealed those bountiful peaks.


    He stared with wide eyes as she grew closer to him for a hug. John could feel it against his face and his last line of defense was crumbling down to smithereens.


    ¡®Fuck! Don¡¯t do it, John! You might die if you do it!¡¯ that thought came at the last minute. John bit his lip as blood dripped down to his chin. The pain got to him first, and he finally shouted what he desired.


    ¡°Sleep!¡± he said.


    ¡°And I as well,¡± said the lady, hinting of something else.


    ¡°No, you misunderstood. What I meant is really sleeping. My doctor said I need a good eight hours of sleep or else I¡¯ll keep yawning the next day,¡± John said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the lady was genuinely surprised. She had never met with this kind of response before. Strangely for her, it was quite refreshing.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± John pulled her attention. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have an extra bed would you?¡±


    To his request, the lady got down from his lap and guided him to a room near the back. Yet it wasn¡¯t simply a room. The metal door that opened it was unlike the thing he saw back in the main quarters.


    She turned down the lever on the wall and gears could be heard spinning.


    John was getting suspicious of this. He hoped this wasn¡¯t an attempt to put him in a prison. The sound of gear stopped and the metal door opened on its own.


    The lady went in first while John stood there, looking from the doorstep. Yet what he saw triumphed everything he had imagined.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t a prison cell.¡¯ He stepped in, taking in the sight of the shimmering reflection.


    ¡®This is a freaking treasure vault.¡¯

 5 - The Common Old Man with the Beard

    ¡°Here it is,¡± the lady presented the bed he requested.


    He laid his eyes on the normal-looking bed. The frame was made out of mahogany-like wood, and the design was as simplest as it could be. Pale yellow dyed the mattress and pillows as the color was not as inviting as the usual white he was used to. Yet beggars couldn¡¯t be a chooser. And it was quite strange for a bed to be here in the middle of the vault room.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± John said. Smiling at the lady for her courtesy despite the many rejections he made.


    But the lady hadn¡¯t given up. She lay on the bed, seductively arching her body with a gaze of a temptress. ¡°You sure you won¡¯t change your mind?¡± that soft tone of hers snuggled his eardrums. John was sure that any men would drop down to their knees over this woman. But being a dead man wasn¡¯t what he was looking forward to.


    He faked a yawn and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. It¡¯s not you, it¡¯s me. I¡¯ve heard lack of sleeping is one of the main causes of lack of performance in bed.¡±


    The lady sat and for once she glared at John. ¡°Fine then,¡± she got up and left, leaving a trail of her sweet scent. Yet by the door, she said, ¡°rest well, straggler, I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me tomorrow.¡±


    She left for good this time with the metal door shut right behind her. He thought he might be prisoned here but the lever on the wall told him otherwise. It seemed he wasn¡¯t a prisoner like he thought.


    Then he turned back to the vault room. The high ceiling bested against the main cavern area while the dunes of gold scattered throughout the vast room. From coins to trinkets, you named it. Everything that could be of luxury was in this room. As though it was a vault owned by royalty.


    Yet the lady didn¡¯t seem to be bothered letting a stranger like John knowing about this place. It was either she didn¡¯t care about materialistic things or she had that much confidence in herself that John wouldn¡¯t grab even a zilch.


    Nonetheless, John toured himself through the vault. Everywhere he went his lips were smiling and his eyes twinkled like the stars. Golds coins were literally on the ground and different ornaments half-buried in those little gold hills. If he had this much gold back on earth then he was pretty much set for life.


    Looking around, John was up to something. He had always wanted to do this ever since he watched that stingy duck on the television screen. John jumped on the heap of gold coins as he started swinging his hands and flapping his legs. He was swimming in gold like old Scrooge McDuck. A few yards was all he could muster as it was pretty much difficult than it looks.


    John lay there half-buried in the gold coins, staring at the ceiling with his mind clouded by uneasiness. It was the first time since he felt this safe in this world. Well, partly safe considering the lady was still an unknown anomaly. Yet this free time let him sunk in his thoughts.


    ¡®Why am I here?¡¯ it was the biggest question he could think of. A sense of purpose drove a person to grow and live their life. Back when he was on earth, he was like the rest. Working a job for a better life and down the line perhaps he would have married a girl that loved making latte early in the morning. Then perhaps having a kid or two, one girl and one boy. Watching them grow until they left their nest. Leaving him and his wife to grow old together with their hairs turning gray. At times the children would visit in the holidays with their own children. Then they came and went with each passing year. Perhaps he would be lucky enough to see them in the next year or perhaps he would rest six feet under.


    ¡®On second thought, that¡¯s pretty sucks,¡¯ he thought about it. That kind of stable life felt pretty lackluster in response to what he had been through. John got up with gold coins falling over his clothes. The coins chinked against each other as the sound had a pretty nice tune to it. Yet John¡¯s mind was not at the gold around him as his interest lay on something bigger.


    ¡®Since everything about this world is a game, then I could be anyone I like,¡¯ his mind opened to endless possibilities as the simple thought of it made him smiled from ear to ear. And by luck, he found something sticking up among the pile of gold coins.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be,¡¯ he fleeted across the floor and stood before the thing he saw. The pommel of a lion head staring at him in the eye. His hand reached out and grabbed it by the hilt. John pulled it out and the glistening blade unveiled itself to his eyes. It was a brilliant sword as he could see his own reflection over the shimmering blade. And John couldn¡¯t stop smiling. He was like a kid having his own playground.


    ¡®For an ornamental sword, it got quite a good balance,¡¯ his experience in handling swords started to show. John swung it a few times, testing it like a brand new toy.


    But his smile weakened a bit. ¡®It¡¯s a bit heavier to my liking, but for my first sword I can¡¯t really complain.¡¯ The thought of the lady came to mind. ¡®I wonder if she wouldn¡¯t mind.¡¯


    John fiddled with the sword until he remembered something. ¡°Menu. Equipment,¡± John said.


    A coronation sword was made for the late King Aslan the 13th. Carry a hint of regal aura, enhancing dominance against a weaker opponent.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡®As I¡¯ve expected. A weapon this fancy would have its own requirement. But I guess it¡¯s better than having nothing.¡¯ Despite not knowing whether he could own it, John walked around with it in his hand as he continued his leisure search. He kicked a few gold coins along the way and one of them started to roll across the floor. With nothing else to do he tracked the coin until it suddenly vanished.


    ¡®Where did it go?¡¯ John opened his eye wide and raced towards the spot it vanished.


    ¡®I swear it went through here,¡¯ John stared at the wall in front of him up and down, hoping he would find a clue. ¡®Damn, I should have finished playing Uncharted.¡¯ A bit too late for regret, yet playing a game wasn¡¯t the only solution. Grabbing a coin, John threw it at the wall.


    ¡®It went through!¡¯ the coin vanished without a sound and John reached his hand towards the wall. Inches away before he touched it John had a change in mind. He held his sword up high and stabbed the wall with the pointed edge. Again, there was not a sound that could be heard. Half of the blade went right through the wall as if it wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± John took the plunge. Darkness took over his sight as memories from the forest came back. But instead of panicking, he had an ace up his sleeve.


    ¡°Lucerna. Est. Lux,¡± uttering those words, John held his palm up. Within seconds, a little light flickered above his palm before burning brighter into a small ball of flame. The warm orange light pushed the darkness away, returning John¡¯s sight. His only arcane spell, Lantern¡¯s Light came in handy in a situation like this. It really amazed him how a person like him just did the most impossible thing. The words came naturally to him as if the knowledge was embedded right into his brain. He had to admit, the game system really did wondrously.


    With nothing blocking his path, John trod forward. It was dead silent within this narrow path, the only thing he heard was the flickering flame of his floating Lantern¡¯s Light. ¡®Is it me? Or the path is getting narrower?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t his imagination. After a few more steps, he could feel his shoulders sliding over the walls. Yet John wasn¡¯t stopping. For a casual gamer, a hidden path was a must thing to do, no matter the cost.


    Reaching the end, John escaped the tight path and stepped inside a perfectly square room. ¡®I¡¯ve to say it. If this is a game, it¡¯s a pretty weird one.¡¯ The room was mostly empty except in the middle, where a complete circle was carved perfectly in the ceiling. Letting in the moonlight shining on the small study table.


    For precautionary sake, he took a quick lap around the room. Shining with his Lantern¡¯s Light, seeking for any clues on the floor or on the walls. With nothing turning up, John flicked his hand and the light vanished.


    His eyes found the study desk, empty without anything on top. ¡®An odd choice for a study room.¡¯ He thought of the lady. Yet everything about this room didn¡¯t fit the loving nature aspect of the woman who wanted to get in his pants. ¡®Or it might not be hers.¡¯


    Tilting his head, John sat on the chair and adjusted his seat to the study table. ¡°Great. Just like elementary.¡± Nostalgia flooded him as the chair and table made him remembered those innocent days of his. Yet out of nowhere.


    ¡°The heck?¡± his hands were stuck on the surface of the table. ¡°I¡¯m not liking where this is going.¡± No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t remove his hands. As if it was glue right to the wooden fibers of the table. His senses were tingling and it wasn¡¯t a good sign. Only a single person came to mind and his mouth parted as his voice blared like a megaphone.


    ¡°Lady!¡± he didn¡¯t know her name and lady was the only thing he could think of. ¡°Hel¨C¡± his voice stopped before he could finish as he felt his energy being sucked dry by whatever that trapped him here.


    His eyelids grew heavy and slowly his consciousness was fading. Then, he blacked out.


    ***


    ¡°Ugh, my head,¡± John woke up with a bad case of a hangover. He didn¡¯t drink but he just felt he had.


    ¡°Forgive me for that, the headache is just a mild side effect and it won¡¯t last long,¡± said a voice.


    ¡°Yeah, right. You¡¯re not the one who¨C¡± John realized something. There wasn¡¯t a man before he fainted. He turned and faced the source of the voice. And there stood a white-bearded man with a funny hat dressed in a long robe. The wrinkled face man smiled even with his eyes.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± John asked, flustered by the sudden change of venue. He was no longer trapped on the study desk as the vast whiteness of this whole room seemed infinite. ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°What you see here is a fabric of space created by a sliver of myself,¡± for someone who talked nonsense, the old man was pretty confident.


    John was left in a daze for a while, not knowing what to say in this sort of situation. He tried to calm his nerve. Doing the breathing exercise he learned in the anger management workshop, yet something felt odd. ¡®Am I not breathing?¡¯


    ¡°Indeed, you are not,¡± the old man spoke as if he just read John¡¯s mind.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± John asked. His eyes rapidly blinking as the worst-case scenario came to mind. It seemed everywhere he went, danger kept greeting him like a friend.


    ¡°Hush, child,¡± the old man raised his hand, hinting at him to stay still. ¡°The you right here is not the real you. Your body is still sitting there in that old study desk of mine.¡±


    John looked down and scrambled his hands all over himself. His body felt real except it wasn¡¯t. The talk of one soul came to mind and it dawned on him. ¡°Wait, if this is my soul, then¡­¡± he thought of something terrifying. ¡°¡­is my body still breathing?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry, young one. The you here is not your soul, it¡¯s a sliver of it or you might just call it an astral projection of yourself,¡± the old man said. His tone was calm and collected like teaching a new student the wonder of the world.


    But John wasn¡¯t buying it. The old man could have spun a tale of lies and trapped him here for who knew what.


    ¡°A skeptical one, aren¡¯t you,¡± the old man waved his hand and the vast whiteness replaced by the little square room. Both of them floated in mid-air, translucent in body with a sprinkle of magical dust floating around them.


    John saw himself. Sleeping on the table with his body heaving in tandem with his breath. The sight of him being alive relieved him.


    ¡°Enough?¡± the old man waved his hand once more and the vast whiteness returned.


    Despite the calming outlook of John, he was still wary of this old man. The thing he just saw might be an illusion conjured by the old man. But the current situation left him at a big disadvantage. He had no power in deciding his own fate and for now, he had no other choice than to play along.


    ¡°A wise decision,¡± said the old man.


    John frowned. Getting his mind read was the most unpleasant thing he had ever felt.


    ¡°Now why do you brought me here?¡± John asked.


    The old man had never lacked a smile, and it grew wider from that question of John¡¯s.


    ¡°Would you like to be a Warlock?¡±

 6 - The Not Good, The Bad, and The Worst

    ¡®It¡¯s a job quest,¡¯ John stared at the smiling old man as his impression of him took a different turn. Having a job in a world like this would make a whole new ballgame for him. And what came with a job change was a whole set of new skills.


    ¡°Do you mean it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to lie,¡± said the old man while stroking his long beard.


    ¡°But why me? Is it because I sat down?¡± John was skeptical of his luck. To him, nothing came without a price.


    ¡°Indeed. But it will only work if someone had mana along with knowledge pertaining to the arcane,¡± the old man said. ¡°And you my boy have both of them. So in my eyes, yes, you¡¯re more than qualified.¡±


    The reward from the ghastly werewolf turned to be the deciding point of why he was eligible to obtain a job of his own. It seemed he had to thank that creepy little boy. But just the thought of the werewolf made him shuddered.


    ¡°Oh, you met a wraith and survived. How interesting,¡± said the old man.


    ¡°Wraith? You mean the werewolf?¡±


    ¡°A wraith can be anything. But the myth has foretold that what they become depends on what they fear. In a way, as they died in resentment they¡¯ll rose into the exact thing that they fear,¡± the old man said. ¡°So this werewolf wraith you spoke about, did it try to tear you limb to limb? Or did it try to get into your mind, torturing your soul with illusions of torment?¡± The old man was getting a bit too excited over John¡¯s encounter. It was to the point that he got a little bit too close to his face.


    John distanced himself a bit as he was getting a bit too uncomfortable with those eager eyes of the old man. ¡°Sir, can we get back about the warlock thing? You said you¡¯re offering me to be a warlock.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Pardon me for my curiosity. It¡¯s a thing about us mage. We¡¯re too prone to learning new things,¡± said the old man. ¡°And enough with the sir, it¡¯s a bit too polite for my taste if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I call you?¡± John asked.


    ¡°Alden Longbeard they called me,¡± Alden said with his beard combed by his old wrinkly finger. For an old man of his age, his beard was quite silky, and the pride on that face of his could never be more obvious.


    ¡°What about yours? I can read minds but I can¡¯t know the unspoken,¡± Alden said.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. It¡¯s John, John Creed.¡±


    ¡°John Creed, a good name,¡± Alden chuckled. ¡°Now, coming back to the main deal here. How about it? Are you interested in joining the union of warlocks?¡± Alden handed out his hand to John. A sign of his invitation.


    Contrary to his expectation, John stayed quiet. His eyes were on the ground while his hand cupping his chin. The man who was in front of a golden chance was deep in his own thought. ¡®A mage type of job doesn¡¯t sound so bad. But I¡­¡¯ he remembered a time he spent training with his sensei. It was just the two of them in a dojo at the outskirt of San Francisco. Practicing the iai, a motion of unsheathing the sword from its scabbard. ¡®¡­want to be a swordsman.¡¯ His desire couldn¡¯t be any more than truthful.


    ¡°A swordsman. How generic,¡± Alden wasn¡¯t amused. For a man that pursued knowledge of the mysterious, he wasn¡¯t the type that preferred swinging cold steel.


    ¡°Is there something wrong with being a swordsman?¡± John asked. Frowning from that remark. If Alden took pride in his beard, John took pride in his Sensei¡¯s teaching.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s not. It¡¯s just them and us warlocks are a different breed,¡± a cold gleam hidden beneath those blue eyes of Alden.


    John noticed the change. He would be a fool if he didn¡¯t notice something so apparent. ¡°Would l be unable to learn a sword skill if I become a warlock?¡±


    All of a sudden, Alden appeared tired. The talk of swords bored him to death. ¡°You can learn anything under the sun. But only a fool would do it. Mastering spells would take years and if you add up those paltry tricks you spoke off they would only impede your success in becoming a high-caliber warlock.¡±


    Alden sighed and looked at John in the eye. ¡° Heed my advice, John Creed. A master of none could never beat a master of one. So what would it be? Are you in?¡±


    John had his answer. Thrusting his chest out, he said, ¡°I accept. I want to be a warlock.¡±


    The apathetic face on Alden brightened up like the sun. He rushed over to John with his astral feet, smiling like an ass-kisser. ¡°Now before I induct you as one of our own, you need to know that this process would take two steps. First, I¡¯ll impart you the base knowledge of a warlock, and two, you need to find my pet serpent, Sylvie, and ask for her a part of her heart core.¡±


    ¡°Wait, do you just said serpent?¡± one word caught him off guard. But before he could retaliate, the zealous old man poked his finger right at the middle of John¡¯s forehead. A plethora of valuable knowledge flowed into his mind like the river of time. Yet the amount was too much for the brain of an average human.


    John fell to his knee as the white of his eyes was showing. His jaw slacked loose with no sound or scream. While back in the real world, John¡¯s body convulsed like a floundering fish on land.


    But the friendly bearded man watched without a trace of sympathy. He stood there stroking his beard as his free hand formed weird gestures. Purple flame erupted around him, circling the warlock like he was the center of the solar system. He finished his final hand gesture and the flames converged, forming a fiery rune. Then Alden grinned like a devil. As if he won luring the naive.


    Alden motioned his hand at John and the fiery rune flew at the defenseless man.


    ¡°Disgusting,¡± a woman¡¯s voice echoed out of nowhere.


    The smile on Alden vanished as he shouted. ¡°Who goes there?¡±


    ¡°Someone you shouldn¡¯t cross,¡± to her dulcet voice, the vast whiteness broke into pieces like a mirror being smashed.


    Alden screamed in madness before a flick of invisible force threw him off his feet. The bearded man flung far away until his astral body dispersed into specks of stardust. He was gone but John was still there.


    John was oblivious to what was happening. Then from nothingness, a woman emerged with a big flower on her head. ¡°Oh, straggler,¡± said the lady as her slender fingers caressed his face. ¡°For power, man would do anything.¡±


    The lady embraced John and both faded from the astral plane.


    ***


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    John woke up. Greeted by the green canopy of flowers and trees. The soft mattress beneath him was comfortable. A bit too comfortable that his desire to get up and walk around was slowly losing to drifting back to his sleep. Yet the incident from last night made him got up.


    ¡°Shit,¡± his eyes looked around and noticed the unfamiliar bedroom. Nature took over the walls with furniture similar to the thing he saw in the living quarter, decorating the small bedroom. The ray of sunlight beamed through the wide natural window on the wall, warming John up for a brand new day.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the last thing he remembered was Alden poking his forehead. ¡®Damn it. He should have at least warn me about the blackout.¡¯ John didn¡¯t even remember the massive headache he felt before losing his consciousness.


    ¡°Did I do it last night?¡± To him, being here only meant one thing. The lady probably heard his plea of help before being sent to the astral plane and then kidnapped him while he fainted. It was the most logical explanation he could think of and knowing the tendency of that lady, the possibility of him doing it last night was probably high.


    John peeked under his brief. Tilting his head, there was no sign of any fluid at the tip of his little brother. ¡®Now I¡¯m not sure, or she might be the thorough type. Cleaning everything up, leaving no evidence of me having unwilling sex.¡¯ Then it dawned on him. ¡®Shit. Did I just got rape?¡¯


    Before he could dwell further into that topic, his silent phone finally rang. He saw the caller and picked it up.


    ¡°Hi. You miss me?¡± he said in a cheery tone.


    ¡°Oh, thank God, you¡¯re still alive,¡± said the woman.


    John was annoyed. Did she really think so little of him?


    ¡°Hey, I did pretty well by my own you know,¡± John had a second thought. ¡°Well, there were a few close calls. But in the end, I still live.¡±


    A long sigh came at the other end. It seemed the unknown woman had a bit of a heart for him. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky, you just got lucky,¡± said the woman.


    ¡°Some say luck is also a skill, you know?¡± John tried to be smugged about it. It had been a while since he had the upper hand against this unnamed lass.


    ¡°Tsk,¡± the scoff was loud and clear for him to hear. ¡°So where you at? Are you in Borjak Town or are you still in Tidig village?¡±


    Both of those places were foreign to his ears. It seemed her expectation of John was way off the mark.


    ¡°Um¡­ I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding here. I¡¯m still in the forest,¡± John broke the news.


    ¡°You what!¡± the familiar scream came back. And he dodged it right in time before his eardrum got swollen again.


    ¡°Why the fuck are you still in the forest? And how the hell are you still alive in there?¡± her tone was a mix of everything. From anger to confusion and a little bit of concern.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a good question,¡± he paused, thinking his answer carefully. Another scream was not what he wanted. ¡°And I also have a good story to go with¡­¡± John iterated to her about his little adventure with the werewolf wraith.


    ¡°Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God¡­¡± if John could see her, she might be pacing around trying to compute what she just heard.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. You really survived the wraith quest,¡± she was in disbelief.


    ¡°Yeah. I think so too. I still can¡¯t believe how I survived that. It just let me go after I said nothing,¡± thinking back on those memories gave him the shudder. The memory was so strong that he had the urge to pee. ¡®Is there a toilet here?¡¯ he wished he knew.


    ¡°You said what?¡± again, the confused voice rang from the woman.


    ¡°I said what, what?¡± He didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°I mean you said something to the wraith?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I said nothing. Why?¡± John didn¡¯t get the big deal about it.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be. If you did so, you shouldn¡¯t be alive right now,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± John asked. Her words tugged his curiosity.


    ¡°The key to that quest is to say not even a single word at all after the boy transformed and asked the last question. If you say anything, you¡¯re dead,¡± she explained.


    ¡°That¡¯s a weird way to complete it,¡± he tried to remember. Did he really say nothing to the werewolf wraith? Or was his barely distinct tone only audible to his ears and not to the werewolf wraith?


    ¡°Could a wraith have a hearing problem?¡± John had to ask for clarification purposes.


    ¡°Oh my God, I can¡¯t handle this,¡± her voice was distant as if she needed time to walk things off. Then she came back, greeting John with a long loud sigh.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just forget about it. As long as you¡¯re safe right now, that¡¯s fine,¡± she said with her voice as calm as a meditating monk.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re frustrated and all hearing this bad news of mine. But now comes the good news,¡± John paused for dramatic effect. Waiting for a curious question from the other side.


    ¡°Just fucking tell me!¡±


    John jumped a bit on the spot as he could never be prepared for those soprano-like screams. ¡°Okay. So listen carefully, this is what happened¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, no¡­¡± the endless no kept repeating. From her reaction, John¡¯s good news was probably the opposite of it.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t getting a job a good thing?¡± John told her about his warlock job quest. But hearing her reply made him nervous. His foot kept bouncing, waiting for the woman¡¯s reply.


    Then a distant scream rang from her side. It was long and full of pent-up frustration and it made John wondered. What kind of thing did he mess up this time?


    ¡°I left you for a night and here you are, siding with the dark side,¡± there was disappointment in her tone. Along with the unending sigh that kept getting heavier and heavier.


    But John was frowning. Whoever she was, she didn¡¯t need to go overboard with her words. He had been through a lot on his own and this sliver of achievement he got wasn¡¯t going to be tarnished by an unknown woman.


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re being like this? But you need to take that back. Saying I turned to the dark side is a bit overboard, don¡¯t you think?¡± John tried to be civilized in his words.


    ¡°Warlocks are the most heinous job under the Dark affiliation. Most of their skills and spells require the most outrageous demand, and one of them is a blood sacrifice. To make things worse all of those warlocks would always have a few screws loose. In simpler terms, those filthy evil mages are fucking sociopaths,¡± she said. Her tone was full of loath and hatred.


    ¡°No,¡± John shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re lying. That can¡¯t be true. Alden is a good man. He was always smiling and he had the curiosity of a kid.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, this can¡¯t be happening. Why does it always have to be a lot worse than I thought,¡± she said. ¡°Of all people, you had to be bounded by the sleaziest warlock I know.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by bound?¡± John asked with a frown. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this.


    ¡°I hate to break it to you. But you¡¯re basically a slave,¡± she said.


    That knowledge left John in a daze. He wanted to deny it, but why would a stranger like her lie to him about something like this?


    ¡°But how?¡± John felt the need to get to the bottom of it. Being a slave didn¡¯t sit well for him or for anyone else in that matter. ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything to me except for the¨C¡± his words fell off as there were a few events that stuck in his head. From his hands being stuck to the table to Alden poking him at the forehead.


    ¡°With things pertaining to a slave seal, it would be a lot easier when the soon-to-be slave is mentally impaired. If I¡¯m guessing this right, that bastard probably overloaded your mind with the knowledge transfer. Am I right?¡± she was spot on.


    Her rational assumption proved to be the truth, and John was shaking in his boots. His hands couldn¡¯t stop shaking at the thought of being someone¡¯s slave. But in the midst of his mind breaking down, his denial fought back.


    ¡°Menu. Status,¡± he opened his status window, for the sake of verifying it with his own two eyes.


    He scanned from top to bottom, repeating a few times as he didn¡¯t get it. The title of being someone¡¯s slave was not there, or the slave thing might not be eligible of being title worthy.


    ¡°Hey, how do you know if you¡¯re a slave? Is there something I should see in my status window?¡± John had to ask, clinging on to that single glimmer of hope.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the title bracket and beside your name,¡± her tone was flat as she had given up over John.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it,¡± the corner of John¡¯s lips started to curve upwards. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t see it! There¡¯s nothing about me being a slave here.¡± John¡¯s tone raised by a notch. Hope was finally in his heart.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be, you must have missed something,¡± she wanted to deny it but she too had her hope up.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. And you might be wrong about Alden,¡± John said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be naive. I know that fucker like the back of my hand. If he had the chance to enslave someone, he would do it in a heartbeat,¡± she said with conviction.


    ¡°You sure?¡± John was still not convinced.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure,¡± she said. ¡°Unless during the process of putting the slave seal, someone interrupted him, is there someone around you while you went to the astral plane?¡±


    ¡°There is someone,¡± John hadn¡¯t mention about the lady with the flower hat. His story with her was a bit too explicit to share with someone else.


    ¡°Who?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know her name. But she¡¯s a gorgeous woman who¡¯s very fond of wearing a big flower hat,¡± John said.


    He waited if she recognized her, but silence reigned on the other side. And he had to ask. ¡°Hello? Are you there?¡±


    ¡°A-a-ar-are you sure about her?¡± she stammered.


    ¡°Yes, and why are you talking like this?¡± John could hear a hint of nervousness under her breath.


    ¡°Are you somewhere close to a field of flowers that only bloom in the night?¡± her specific question triggered something in him.


    His heart palpitated and he answered, ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an alraune!¡± she shouted. ¡°John, get out of there, now!¡±


    ¡°An alraune?¡± he said.


    Out of nowhere, John heard a voice in front of him.


    ¡°Did someone call me?¡±

 7 - Pact

    A gorgeous lady was leaning on the side of the door. Her arm rested upon her curvaceous hip. While her silver-gray eyes gazed at the man on her bed.


    John sat there, listless. The revelation from the woman of the call made him see the alraune lady in a different light. Yet his hand quickly hid his phone behind him. Ignoring the constant shouts that were fading by the distance.


    ¡°My ears might be deceiving me, but I think I heard you¡¯re talking to someone,¡± the alraune lady sauntered towards him with her hips swaying side to side.


    Yet John¡¯s gaze had no intention of being lecherous. His mind mulled over what kind of horrid monster was an alraune. Then the sun shone over the alraune lady¡¯s skin, warming her mint green complexion. Her lustrous dark green hair draped over her shoulder as John finally witnessed the true appearance of this vixen.


    ¡°Judging from that look on your face, I think the cat is out of the bag,¡± she stood in front of him, looking from above with her hands on her hip. The little smile on her had never been so confusing for John.


    He couldn¡¯t tell what she was going to do. His hands turned clammy and his beige complexion lost its color. ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡± he asked.


    What came next defied his expectation.


    She laughed with her brilliant white teeth. Down below, John could even see her pink palate as the alraune lady took her time enjoying John¡¯s torment. ¡°Oh please, if I want to I would have done so by the pond,¡± she elegantly wiped the little tears at the corner of her eyes.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to kill me?¡± he asked, staring at the lady before him.


    ¡°Why? You want me to?¡± she smirked.


    ¡°No!¡± he shouted, standing up on his two legs. ¡°I mean¡­I prefer not to be killed,¡± he barely looked her in the eyes and glanced away to the floor.


    ¡°Then perhaps you need a bit more luck than that, don¡¯t you think?¡± she winked at him as John could feel his back ran cold.


    ¡®She knew,¡¯ the alraune lady had been listening to his phone call since the beginning. His chance of hiding his phone was getting slimmer.


    ¡°You know, straggler. The mind is a fickle thing, perhaps I might change my mind out of the whim,¡± said the alraune lady.


    The threat behind that voice was apparent as the sun in the sky. Death might not be the only outcome if John didn¡¯t pay heed to what she said. He swallowed a mouthful and turned his gaze at her. ¡°And what should I do to make it stay that way?¡± It was all or nothing for John. He was up against a tall and thick wall that the current him couldn¡¯t contend with pure will alone.


    She smiled. Her hands wrapped around John¡¯s neck from the front as John could felt her bosoms pressing against his chest. But this show of flirting was only a front to John. And humping it out was at the bottom of his to-do list.


    ¡°Show me that thing you¡¯re hiding from me,¡± she said.


    ¡°Your hands, ma¡¯am,¡± John replied.


    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t be so serious. Don¡¯t you men like these sensual touches?¡± she smiled as her hands left John¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Not all men are the same,¡± John turned his back and grabbed his phone hiding beneath a layer of blanket.


    ¡°Here,¡± John showed it to her on his palm, his Uphone Mini 12.


    Her lovely relaxed countenance fell. A frown that had never appeared, emerged on that beautiful face of hers. Her steps retreated a few with her hands up to her chest as if guarding her precious life.


    John didn¡¯t expect her reaction to being like this.


    ¡°What is that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a phone. It¡¯s something from my world where we can use it to talk to people over a long distance,¡± John explained.


    Yet the alraune lady¡¯s guard never went down. She stared at it for a long time as if trying to comprehend something that didn¡¯t make any sense to her.


    ¡°But why does it have a¨C¡± her words fell short, staring at John in a daze. Then her hands dropped down as if she just realized something. The frown faded away as her beautiful smile returned like the blooming flowers of spring. She had never smile this way before and it was as genuine as it could get.


    ¡°Make a pact with me or I¡¯ll kill you,¡± she said it straight like an arrow. There was no more hidden intention as she bared it open.


    ¡°Okay,¡± John immediately accepted. As long as he could keep on living was the biggest bargain he would ever get.


    She was surprised for a second there, but John decided it quickly made this pact of hers more exciting. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s begin,¡± she said.


    An unknown wind ruffled her hair as a glowing circle started to form on the floor. Her eyes closed while her lips were mumbling something.


    John stared in amazement. The magic he always saw in the silver screen was happening right in front of his very eyes. And compared it to his little Lantern¡¯s Light, it paled in comparison.


    Then her silver eyes opened. She handed her hand to him, a gesture of inviting him into the circle.


    His heart palpitated over the unknown. Yet the promise of not being kill still stood. Steeling his will, John stepped into the circle.


    ¡°Your hand,¡± said the alraune lady.


    John looked at his hand and then at hers. ¡°Oh,¡± he made haste and placed his hand over hers. The moment their skin touched, John felt the tingling electricity coursing into his body. It wasn¡¯t painful but it felt strange. Then her voice pulled him over.


    ¡°In the name of the angel that governs order and pledge, witness our pact between I, Fellelone and¡­¡± her gaze fell to John, hinting at him to continue.


    ¡°John Creed,¡± he said.


    ¡°¡­In this pact, he will bring me to the next realm, no matter the cost, and I, in turn, will never harm even a skin on his body¡­¡± the talk of the next realm left John befuddled. Yet what came next shook him to the core.


    ¡°¡­If any one of us dare break this pact. Let the Spear of Judgment fall upon us and burn our bodies and souls to cinders.¡± The spectacle was reaching its final point. The glowing circle converged in the air forming a ball of energy. It spun wildly with lights shimmering from the inside. Then it broke into half. Before John knew it, one of the halves flew right to his heart. It vanished in plain sight as the pact was finally done.


    John stood there in a daze. His eyes were staring far at the distance as his brain was rattled over the content of the pact. His hand grasped his left chest right at the spot where the energy vanished. ¡®It¡¯s do or die, huh?¡¯ it was the gist of the pact, and even if it sounded impossible he had to do it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    John looked up and stared at Fellelone¡¯s content expression. Whatever she meant by the next realm was definitely a big deal to her.


    ¡°From the way, I heard it¡­¡± John approached Fellelone. ¡°¡­it sounds like we¡¯re now husband and wife.¡±


    Fellelone gave a seductive smile. Moving closer to the man who had always halted her advance. ¡°Is that a yes I¡¯m hearing?¡± She whispered in his ears. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind having an early lunch.¡±


    It sounded erotic. But for once he questioned why the excessive use of different meal times. Why it just couldn¡¯t be as simple as saying sex.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what do you mean by lunch again?¡± he asked with curiosity this time.


    ¡°What else other than fulfilling my hunger,¡± Fellelone said. She said so naively that John had to take a double-take.


    ¡°You mean you literally going to eat me? And not having sex?¡± John had to ask further.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it both the same?¡± again that carefree tone of hers was quite at odds with what she said.


    John was left speechless. He almost stumbled on his feet but Fellelone grabbed him by the arm before he could fall. ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you just said that you¡¯re not going to hurt me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. Why would I do such a fooling thing?¡± she said.


    ¡°But you literally said you¡¯re going to eat me, isn¡¯t that just the same as killing me?¡± he was getting more confused with each question he threw.


    ¡°What a silly man. I thought you know what an alraune is?¡± she looked at him with keen interest.


    ¡®She¡¯s right. I don¡¯t really know anything about an alraune,¡¯ the woman on the phone only mentioned what Fellelone was and it didn¡¯t go further than that.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± John said. He stared into her silver eyes with conviction. ¡°Please tell me what an alraune is.¡±


    ¡°Come,¡± Fellelone brought him to the edge of her bed as she told him what she was.


    An alraune, a sub-species of treant with the closest resemblance to a human when compared to the other treant sub-species. They relied on their sweet scents to lure victims into their honey trap. They sucked the mana and life force of a person through the sheer method of sexual intercourse. Most victims would end up bedridden for a few months but for those powerful alraunes, a single act of intercourse was enough to lead a man to death.


    John listened through everything. For once he was glad he made the right choice last night. If he didn¡¯t he would have been a dead sex toy for a humanoid plant. Then the kiss of a woman broke him out of his stupor. He turned and saw Fellelone¡¯s face just an inch away from his. Those plump lips of her had never looked sweeter.


    ¡°Now what would it be? Care to give me a little treat?¡± she couldn¡¯t be more alluring in that tone of hers.


    ¡°I promise it won¡¯t hurt. It¡¯s just a little bit of mana drain and nothing else.¡± She smiled. Her eyes were glowing with anticipation.


    John had to admit, his heart was swaying like mad over her beauty. But for him, in life, there was more than just physical attraction. The past came back to him and his head went down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said.


    Again, it was another rejection and Fellelone couldn¡¯t hide her surprise.


    ¡°This time I really mean it. It¡¯s not you,¡± John said.


    ¡°Than what is it?¡± rather than mad, Fellelone was curious.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to sound a bit cliche, but I can only do it with someone I love,¡± John said with a melancholic smile. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have any of those berries from last night, would you? I¡¯m kinda starving.¡± John got up and left the bedroom to look for food.


    Fellelone sat there, staring at John¡¯s back. Intriguing as love may be, she never knew what it really meant. ¡°Interesting,¡± she said.


    ***


    At the dining table, John helped himself with a plate of yodel berries. The berries that didn¡¯t let him down. And this wasn¡¯t his first plate.


    Fellelone came and placed another wooden plate full of yodel berries in front of John. She sat at the side and watched John enjoyed his meal. It wasn¡¯t fulfilling for John but it was better than nothing.


    ¡®I almost forgot, didn¡¯t I just earned the warlock class?¡¯ The knowledge transfer was still fresh in his mind. It pertained to the most basic aspect of a warlock. ¡°Menu. Arcane.¡±


    His shoulders drooped. Seeing those precious spells being incomplete was quite disappointing. Yet the thought of warlock and Alden made him remembered something crucial.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot,¡± he glanced at Fellelone. She sat on her seat, prim and proper, like a lady of a noble house.


    ¡°Is there something?¡± Fellelone asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thanked you yet for saving my life,¡± John said with smears of pink juice all around his lips.


    ¡°Thanking me for not killing you? For a human, you¡¯re pretty weird, John Creed,¡± Fellelone chuckled.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. What I meant was, thank you for saving me from slavery. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I might have become some man-child¡¯s guinea pig,¡± John said. True to his words, he was utterly grateful. He couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen if he became a slave. Just the thought of it was making him lost a bit of his appetite.


    ¡°And why a guinea pig? Are these animals slave to humans over there?¡± Fellelone asked. She had never been interested in the matter of man before, not until she met John Creed.


    ¡°I¡­um¡­¡± John was lost for words. What she said wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, perhaps the pet system on earth was more or less slavery from their point of view.


    ¡®That¡¯s just fuck up. I never should have thought of that,¡¯ regret was a bit too late. Sometimes, enlightenment couldn¡¯t be any harsher. He tried to distract his mind from such a thing and looked back to his arcane menu. Remembering his acquaintance on the phone, he wondered whether he should pursue this job or not.


    ¡°Fellelone, what do you think about warlock?¡± he asked the only person he could.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking the wrong person,¡± Fellelone said.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not actually human you know,¡± she said.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, I just need to hear your honest opinion about them,¡± he popped another berry in his mouth. Waiting for her answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about warlock but I can tell you this, that old human you spoke off, wielded tainted dirty mana. It¡¯s so vile to the point of disgusting,¡± her eyes appeared cold and dead.


    John lowered his head. That remark of Fellelone really put the nail in the coffin. It seemed the warlock job was indeed sided with the dark side. Yet he questioned whether it was logical for him to abandon such an opportunity. ¡®John, it¡¯s a dog eat dog world out there. Can you really survive here without any power?¡¯


    This new world was the survival of the fittest. And he knew that firsthand. ¡®Should I do it?¡¯ he wondered.


    ¡°Ah, yes. I remember something. No wonder I felt the dirty mana so familiar,¡± Fellelone¡¯s words perked John¡¯s ears.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not entirely wrong, I think I once killed a big serpent with that kind of vile mana,¡± Fellelone said.


    The mention of a serpent rang a bell. The thing she spoke of might be the serpent that belonged to Alden. John jumped on his seat and gaze fervently at Fellelone. ¡°Please take me there.¡±


    ***


    Fellelone brought him far away from her garden grotto. They trod through a different path until the trees that always surrounded them were thinning down. Soon, there were no more trees. It was a patch of barren wasteland with the sea of trees at the far end of the horizon.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± John asked. His eyes scattered around, looking for any sort of animal remains.


    ¡°You¡¯re standing on it,¡± Fellelone said in her nonchalant tone.


    John looked down and there was nothing but the dry dirt ground. It got him thinking. He did a quick scan around him and for a place so verdant with greenery only this patch of land was barren. ¡°You buried it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not exactly. The bones of that strange-looking serpent dissolved itself after a week or so and the disgusting mana from those bones caused all of this,¡± Fellelone hid a tint of regret behind those silver eyes. She could have done better for the forest if she knew what would happen.


    ¡°You mean due to the influence of the warlock turned his serpent into something demonic?¡± John couldn¡¯t find the right word. Demonic was all he could think about when relating to the dark side.


    ¡°Not quite. When I fought it, the serpent was unlike any other beast I¡¯ve encountered. It kept mentioning about culling the humans for the sake of some war or something,¡± Fellelone said.


    ¡°What do you mean? Is there a war right now in this world?¡± the notion of war had never crossed his mind.


    ¡°War is everywhere, my little silly man,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Yet I doubt the war it spoke of is related to this realm.¡±


    The word ¡®realm¡¯ surfaced once more. Fellelone never told him about what she meant by bringing her to the next realm, and it made him curious.


    ¡°Fellelone,¡± he called her.


    She turned and gazed into John¡¯s eyes. ¡°If you have the intention of asking what is the next realm, then I¡¯ll have to decline.¡± She shot him down before he could even ask.


    ¡°Baby steps, straggler,¡± Fellelone¡¯s two words struck him right at the core as she returned back first. Leaving John to his own.


    He knew what she meant. There was no point brooding about something far away. It was better for him to focus on what he could do at the moment and not in the far future.


    Deep in thought, John was onto something.


    ¡®She did say the serpent is unlike the beast in this realm. Then could it be that it wasn¡¯t even from here?¡¯ his eyes opened wide. An epiphany dawned on him. He couldn¡¯t contain a smile and John rushed on his feet, chasing over Fellelone¡¯s fine ass.


    Soon, he found her and grabbed her by the arm. With a little pull, she turned to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± he said with a jubilant tone.


    ¡°What¡¯s possible?¡± Fellelone was confused.


    ¡°There¡¯s a chance of me using the warlock¡¯s knowledge without getting to the dark side,¡± he announced.


    ¡°And how exactly?¡± she asked. John¡¯s enthusiasm was tugging her string of curiosity.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± he grinned. ¡°I just need to find a heart core of a beast in this realm.¡±

 8 - You Win & You Lose

    ¡°Is that so?¡± her tone was a bit condescending as she gave him a slight nod.


    John could see the faint glimmer of mocking in Fellelone¡¯s eyes. The way she raised one eyebrow in response only made John feel more annoyed. From the way he saw it, the alraune was hiding something from him. He continued to stare at her with his scrutinizing gaze. Trying to figure out what she knew.


    The silence between them continued as they stood there among the trees.


    ¡°Well¡­do you have something to say?¡± Fellelone asked, breaking the silence between them.


    ¡°For someone who¡¯s bonded with me in a life and death pact, shouldn¡¯t you at least be helping me?¡± John said the obvious.


    ¡°I can help you, but if I did, wouldn¡¯t it be counterproductive for someone like you? A straggler should know how to survive on their own, don¡¯t you think?¡± she flashed a smile.


    John was expressionless. His future was in the balance here and Fellelone was teaching him how to be independent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase, Fellelone, what is it? Is there something wrong with my idea?¡± he asked.


    She stayed silent for a while but then she gave in. Shrugging her shoulders, she said what she kept to herself. ¡°It¡¯s the heart core.¡±


    ¡°And what about it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely you¡¯ll find something so precious in your current state,¡± Fellelone said. ¡°The heart core can¡¯t be found in these beasts that roam these lands. It takes a special one to have one, and even that isn¡¯t a guarantee.¡±


    John furrowed his brow. That message from her was plain as day. ¡®This going to be difficult. In my current state, defeating a boss-type monster would be too much. Hell, even a mini-boss would be a pipedream.¡¯


    ¡°Are you certain of walking the path of a warlock?¡± Fellelone asked. ¡°Even this crude method of yours hasn¡¯t been proven to work.¡±


    John loosened his shoulders, shifting his weight to his right foot. ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances. Like they always said, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Why not I just roll the dice then?¡± he grinned.


    ¡°At first I thought you¡¯re the type of man who fears death,¡± Fellelone said. ¡°But it seems something had changed.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong. I still don¡¯t want to die, and I¡¯m doing it because I know it will work,¡± John said. ¡°So, spit it out. I know you know something about what I want.¡±


    It had not been long since John got to know her. But guessing from how she said, John had to take a shot at it.


    ¡°I know where you can find a heart core,¡± her words took John by surprise.


    He grabbed Fellelone by the arms and closed the distance between them. ¡°Where?¡±


    Fellelone smiled with a hidden motive glimmering behind those eyes of her.


    ***


    The two of them returned back to Fellelone¡¯s grotto. John followed behind her like a dog waiting for his treat. He couldn¡¯t be any more excited knowing his chance of survival was going to get up.


    Soon, they reached Fellelone¡¯s bedroom.


    John¡¯s eyes scrambled over every inch of this room, searching for any sign of a heart core. It didn¡¯t like he knew what it was as he just assumed it to be a unique-looking item.


    Yet his gaze was suddenly lured by Fellelone¡¯s action. She stood in front of her bed as her hand slipped her chiton dress off from her shoulders. In a blink of an eye, a gorgeous figure fell upon John¡¯s sight. He stared for a few seconds before he realized what he was doing. John looked away, and asked, ¡°this isn¡¯t the time to play games Fellelone.¡±


    ¡°And I am not,¡± she drew closer to John. With each step she took, John could feel his heart beating against his ribs. Then the touch of her skin reached John.


    Her hands crept over John¡¯s neck, rising up until she held John¡¯s face in her hand. She turned him towards her as their eyes found each other.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not do this, Fellelone, this isn¡¯t right,¡± John said.


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you said you would take the risk? What was it again, the greater the risk, the greater the reward?¡± her dulcet voice never ceased to be pleasant to the ears.


    ¡°I am a monster, John, and what you seek is in me.¡± She grabbed his hand and placed it right in between her cleavage. ¡°Now what would it be? Do you dare take the risk, straggler?¡±


    She let a smile that could topple empires. Even Helen of Troy wouldn¡¯t be her match.


    But John wasn¡¯t sure. ¡®It¡¯s either my principal or for my survival.¡¯ His principle of only having sex with the person he loved might sound outdated, but John had his reasons. You could call him weak, and he wouldn¡¯t care. The past had thought him a lesson, and he would be a fool if he abandoned it.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t¡­¡± he said, shaking his head.


    Yet something broke into his heart.


    ¡°Then love me,¡± Fellelone voice echoed in his ears.


    He gazed into her silver eyes as something tugged the string of his heart. John wanted to deny it. But that exact tone of hers was different from how she always spoke. For some reason, he could feel the yearning and sincerity from Fellelone.


    She wrapped her arms around John¡¯s neck as she whispered into his ears. ¡°Love me like you would love a human woman.¡±


    Then it was done.


    John grabbed her and tried to lift her off her feet. At first, it was difficult but not a second too late, her weight felt like a feather. He threw himself and Fellelone on the bed and their moans echoed through the whole grotto.


    Pleasures were exchanged as their bodies caressed against each other.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    But then, something happened.


    As John rammed against Fellelone, the supple skin he felt was turning into hardened wood. Then his eyes bulged open, with his pelvic stopped moving.


    ¡°John?¡± Fellelone was confused over the sudden stop of pleasure.


    ¡°Fellelone, you¡­¡± John was lost for words. In front of him was no longer an appearance of a normal human.


    Fellelone looked down and realized what had happened. For the first time, she was shocked. She got up and left the bed in a rush.


    But a hand grabbed her by the arm.


    ¡°Stop,¡± John said.


    ¡°Forgive me, John,¡± Fellelone couldn¡¯t look at John, not with her current appearance. ¡°I should have told you about my illusions¡­But for some odd reason, I can¡¯t. For you take a part of my heart core, my powers would undoubtedly be unstable, and I can¡¯t maintain my illusion while doing so, ¡± Her voice was trembling. Something inside of her felt different. Throughout her whole life, she had never experienced a jumble of emotions in her heart core.


    John tried to turn her to him. But this time, she wouldn¡¯t budge. She was heavy like the statue of Venus de Milo. He took a quick turn and faced himself at the alraune known as Fellelone. His eyes gazed at her from top to bottom.


    Her whole body was similar to a mannequin in a clothing store. What seemed like softwood of pine made up most of her body, encasing her like at the exterior. They were hard and smooth like they had been sanded down. Underneath that wooden plate-like skin was entwined vines similar in their structure to a human muscle. In her joints were bushes of small flowers with a variety of colors. While her breasts were the oddest thing. It was the same size except they were translucent and inside it was filled with viscous fluid like they were golden nectar. The flower on top of her head stayed the same except they were fine dark green vines with soft thorns, replacing her hair.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t look at me,¡± Fellelone said, turning her head away.


    Yet John gently placed his hand over her stem-like face. He turned her over and gazed at her visage. A strong softwood lined her jaws while lime green colored most of her face like they were the stem of a plant. Yet her eyes remained the same. Silver that shone brighter than the sun.


    John went for her lips that tasted exactly like riped peaches and then he parted. He saw the stunned look on her face, and it couldn¡¯t be more refreshing to John.


    ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous,¡± John said the word and Fellelone unconsciously smiled. They both lay on the bed and time went on.


    After it was all over. The long-forgotten blue window made an appearance.


    It was a massive reward, yet the best had not yet come. Another window emerged and the thing he had been waiting for had come.


    ¡®Good, at least I won¡¯t die that easily,¡¯ he turned to his side and saw the sleeping face of Fellelone. He smiled and with his eyelids grew heavy, John finally fell to sleep.


    ***


    By dusk, John was already up awake. His clothes were no longer the same back when he came here. He had a hooded sweatshirt, a t-shirt on the inside, and a pair of sweatpants, courtesy of Fellelone¡¯s craftsmanship. With John¡¯s idea, Fellelone made the best set of cotton clothes with just a whiff of her hand. But for shoes, that was a bit complicated. In the end, Fellelone made a pair of ankle strap sandals out of vines. It was a bit chilly for his toes but better than running in dress shoes.


    John stood in front of Fellelone with a sack bag turned into a bag pack strapped over his shoulders. In his hand was the Soul Leo sword sheathed in its scabbard. He found it while rummaging through the vault room. With him dubbed as the lover of the Forbidden Lilium, the treasure vault was more or less his. But it was a pity he couldn¡¯t bring it all along. The only thing he had was a pouch of gold coins stashed in his hoodie pocket.


    ¡°How do I look?¡± John asked, hoping it was something close to being looking good or worldwide handsome.


    ¡°Fine, I guess?¡± Fellelone tarnished those hope of John¡¯s and she chuckled seeing John¡¯s annoyed look.


    ¡°What? You should know that we alraune never consider the appearance of a man as a gauge of attraction,¡± she said with a straight face.


    ¡°Fine. But shouldn¡¯t you at least give some effects on these clothes of mine? Their defense isn¡¯t that much different from the clothes I wore,¡± he said.


    ¡°Now, now, John Creed. Are you lashing out because I didn¡¯t call you handsome, is that it?¡± she had a snickering smile as if taking pleasure in teasing this newfound lover of hers.


    He wanted to say something, but he stopped short of saying anything. He sighed heavily and looked at her with calm eyes. ¡°Forget about the effects. As long as I¡¯m with you, I can take on the whole world.¡± It was cheesy but he had to say it.


    He turned his back to her and raised his fist in the air. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go for an adventure.¡±


    The moment he said so, his feet were off the ground and the scenes around him were turning into a blur. John was being carried by Fellelone by the waist and the unexpected motion was making his stomach felt sick. ¡®Shit, I¡¯m gonna puke.¡¯ He restrained his throat and protected his dignity before it collapsed. John fought against himself not to puke in front of his lover.


    Then, his feet found the ground. They were at the edge of Crown Deer Forest, with the vast plain right in front of them. John knelt immediately as his head was spinning around like a top. He shook it off and stood back up. ¡°Geez, babe, you could at least give me a warning or something.¡± He dusted off his new pants. As it would be a shame if he let it dirtied like that.


    ¡°Babe?¡± Fellelone asked, wondering what it meant.


    John found her eyes, and it felt different. For some reason, there was a tint of longing in her gaze. ¡®Nah, I must be imagining things.¡¯


    ¡°Yea, babe is how us humans called our significant others affectionately,¡± John explained.


    Fellelone nodded, and said, ¡°I love that.¡± She walked towards him and wrapped herself around John. Fellelone kissed him by the lips and parted away.


    The look on her face and her action made John feel something was wrong. ¡°Babe, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t look him in the eye. ¡°I can¡¯t go with you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean? What¡¯s all of this?¡± frown started to form on John. He was not liking this, not at all.


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave Crown Deer Forest, John,¡± she said, shaking her head.


    ¡°But why?¡± John shouted. The sudden anger came out of nowhere. He just met someone that might cure his heart and now he had to face this.


    ¡°Become stronger, John. Stronger than me, and once you do, you¡¯ll know,¡± she said as her lower lip began to tremble. Something she never felt was surfacing.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t leave you!¡± John said. ¡°I can just stay here with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh my foolish man, didn¡¯t you desire to be the strongest swordsman?¡± she caressed his face, with the longing becoming deeper in her half-cut heart core.


    ¡°Fuck that, I¡¯m just fine being with you,¡± John was resolute. Then his jaw dropped as a sudden force pushed him off the ground. He was sent flying in the air before falling into the plains.


    ¡°Fellelone!¡± he got up and rushed towards the forest. But as he inched closer to the tree line, he saw Fellelone¡¯s tears falling over her cheeks. And it was the last time he could see her. A wall of vines erupted off the ground. It rose over seven meters in height and its width stretched over the edges of the forest. John was barred from seeing her.


    ¡°Fellelone!¡± he shouted her name and punched down the wall of vines.


    ¡°Come back when you¡¯re stronger, John,¡± her voice trembling hard like she was crying over at the other side.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± he unsheathed his Soul Leo sword and hacked right at the wall of vines. Sparks flew, the vines were as strong as steel itself. No matter how many times he swung that sword of his, John couldn¡¯t do a thing.


    He huffed for his breath as his back drenched with his sweat. John¡¯s fiery eyes wouldn¡¯t back down not until he saw Fellelone again. He raised his sword as the durability was reaching its limit. Then he heard her voice.


    ¡°Remember our pact, John. Unless you bring me to the next realm, both of us will meet our demise,¡± Fellelone¡¯s voice faded into the distance. Before her voice gone completely, John heard it like a whisper to his ears. ¡°I love you, babe.¡±


    John fell to his knees and stared listlessly at the wall of vines. He yelled out of frustration and pounded the ground with his fist like a madman. Yet it didn¡¯t last long. His face was close to the ground as he sobbed silently with tears falling on the dirt.


    Drowning in his sadness, John didn¡¯t hear the blue emergence of the blue windows.

 9 - Moving Forward

    Under the full moon, John trod through the grassy plains. He left the edge of the forest as the vine walls were impenetrable. His eyes were set at the trace of lights, a sign of human settlement. But his pace was too slow. If there was a turtle by his side, it would have won by a mile.


    Rather than making haste, his eyes were at a ring as his fingers fiddled around it. It was the Ring of Queen Lilium, a glossy oaken ring with veins of sparkling silver. Looking at it, reminded him of Fellelone.


    ¡®Man, I¡¯m hopeless. Why the hell do I always fall for someone this easily?¡¯


    He had to admit, at first he was surprised by her unique appearance. But he grew to love her. The sincerity she shown in her eyes, her words, and her body was enough for John. To him, she was still beautiful like that lady he met at the pond.


    ¡®Wake up, John,¡¯ a resounding slap echoed in the silent night of the plains. His glazed eyes vanished as he knew what he needed to do. ¡®Everything has a reason, John. If Fellelone can¡¯t get out of that forest, then I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to break her out of there.¡¯ John was resolute, firming his will once again. There was no good in lamenting what had happened and the best course of action was to rise up and exceeded her expectation. With his mindset changing, his pace started to pick up.


    ¡®I promise you, Fellelone, I will get you back. No matter the cost.¡¯


    By the time he picked himself up, John had reached the gate of the settlement. The wooden walls guarded the settlement at eighteen feet in height. Torches burned on top of the wall as guardsmen patrolled around the perimeter.


    ¡°Who goes there?¡± a voice came above.


    John craned his neck up and found a guardsman aiming an arrow at him. He put up his hands in the air and retreated a few steps for the guardsman to see. ¡°I¡¯m friendly,¡± John shouted to the top of his lung, hoping the guardsman could hear him.


    ¡°Your hood, take it off,¡± the guardsman said.


    John complied without question. He pulled back his hood and revealed himself at the man doing his duty.


    ¡°Clear!¡± the guardsman shouted and retracted his arrow from the bow.


    A few seconds later, he heard the creaking sound of the door being opened. From afar, he could see the silhouette of a person with a spear in his hand.


    ¡°Make haste, lad!¡± shouted the man covered by the shadow.


    John picked up his sword on the ground and jogged right at the gate. He slowed down his pace as he reached the gate but a hand grabbed him strong by the shoulder. A sudden force pulled him inside and he almost stumbled on his feet. The cranking of metal and wood rang behind him. Whoever it was that pulled him was probably locking up the gate again.


    He turned and a man roughly his height stood before him. A shaggy beard decorated the face of a man with heavy dark circles. The stern frown over his face grew deeper. His eyes scrutinized John from top to bottom as if he was seeing an alien in disguise.


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± he asked in a gruff tone.


    John shook his head. Again, the man with the commanding tone looked him up and down.


    ¡°How about yer head?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± John didn¡¯t know what he meant by his head. But then came a surprise slap right at the side of his head.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± John groaned and jumped back. He rubbed the spot that he got hit as his eyes demanded an explanation over this unnecessary violence.


    ¡°That¡¯s for being a fool,¡± the bearded man exclaimed, pointing his finger at John. ¡°If your head is fine, you shouldn¡¯t be out there wandering in the night. You could have got yourself kill¡­do you want your parents to drown in their sorrows for a foolish act done by a foolish son?¡±


    John was outright being scolded by a stranger. Unknowingly, he stood like back when he was being punished by his teacher in elementary school. Hands to the front and feet width apart. ¡®Shit, the heck am I getting scolded for?¡¯


    While he lamented his fate, a man came swooping to save his day.


    ¡°Cut the boy some slack, Gunther,¡± said a man with a clear resonating voice. The newcomer descended the stairs as his metal grieves clanged with every step he took.


    ¡®Boy?¡¯ John questioned the reason for being called as such.


    ¡°Why would I? An idiot like this needs a good scolding, he¡¯s lucky I¡¯m not hitting him,¡± said Gunther.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± John squinted his eyes. He couldn¡¯t believe what this oaf just said. ¡°Hey, you literally just hit me.¡± John wanted his justice.


    ¡°Bah, that¡¯s just a little nudge¡± Gunther scoffed. ¡°What are ya? Some kind of wuss? Even a child wouldn¡¯t complain over that.¡± Gunther crossed his arms and looked away.


    John was fuming. He was a rational man at heart. If possible, he would avoid unnecessary confrontation. To him, dealing with something like this back on earth would only be exhausting and nothing else. But tonight was different. Being separated from Fellelone was still affecting him. It would be a lie if he got over it that quickly. With his eyes turning cold, the man who fell in love too easily clenched his fist as tight as the Gordian Knot.


    ¡®Fuck it,¡¯ he threw his rationale out of the window for tonight and he advanced.


    ¡°Now, now, now. Let¡¯s not get things heated up, shall we?¡± the man who called John a boy came right in between the two men. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful and calm night, and let¡¯s make it stay that way, won¡¯t you agree?¡± He looked at John and his gaze carried a warning.


    ¡°Gunther, apologize to the man,¡± said the man with a sharp gaze.


    ¡°What? Why would I? An unruly kid like this needs¨C¡±


    ¡°Gunther!¡± the man with metal grieve raised his voice, shutting Gunther down. ¡°He¡¯s a Nomad. Apologize to him right now.¡±


    Gunther stared at John with questioning eyes. Realizing what kind of clothes John was wearing and how different it was to theirs, snapped Gunther¡¯s mind in the right direction.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Forgive me, it¡¯s my mistake,¡± Gunther nodded curtly.


    The man who seemed to be the leader of the guardsmen gave John the look as if saying, ¡®are you satisfied?¡¯


    John exhaled slowly. With how things went, it seemed there was no chance of berserking for the night. ¡°Fine, I accept,¡± John said.


    ¡°Good,¡± the man said. ¡°Gunther, I think your shift isn¡¯t over yet. Go back on the wall, and while you¡¯re at it, wake Jose up. I think he¡¯s sleeping again.¡±


    Gunther left without looking back. Now there were two.


    ¡°So what¡¯s a Nomad doing here? I thought your kind would never step in this backwater town of ours,¡± said the man.


    Judging from how he called him a Nomad, John got the gist of who he was in this strange new world. But without any knowledge about this world, playing dumb might play to his advantage. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what¡¯s a Nomad?¡±


    The man widened his eyes for a second there. ¡°Oh, is it that time of the year again?¡± he pondered for a while then looked at John. ¡°You¡¯re a greenhorn, aren¡¯t ya. But how¨C¡± he cut himself off as the clueless look on John was enough to tell him.


    The man sighed. ¡°Come on, bud. I¡¯ve got a lot of explaining to do, and it wouldn¡¯t do standing out here in the cold.¡± He tapped John¡¯s shoulder and led the way.


    ¡®About time,¡¯ John hid a smile and followed the guardsman. He had been waiting for an explanation since that big cat¡¯s killing spree and tonight he would have his answer.


    The road was dark and empty. Torches by the side of the road barely shone the dirt path. Looking around, the buildings were at best two-story high. ¡®Is it me or are this whole road and the buildings around it feel so similar to that old cowboy movie that my dad always watched.¡¯


    John wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. If it wasn¡¯t for the shade of the night, he would have seen the aesthetic of the whole town, mimicking the wild wild west setting.


    ¡°Mind the door, the Master doesn¡¯t like it when people slam his precious mahogan door,¡± the man pushed the door and the light fell on John¡¯s eyes. He squinted as it had been a while since he saw this much light during the night.


    His vision adjusted to the brightness, and there he saw where he was. ¡°Woah,¡± his eyes scattered around, taking in this rustic view that he had always seen on the television screen.


    The wooden bar counter was long and dark. Wooden seats lined in front of the counter and the rest of the floor was filled with tables and chairs. They looked like old antiques as if everything was carved from the same block of wood. Yet the thing on the ceiling drew his attention the most. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the wooden ceiling, its warm yellow light fell upon everything beneath it. It made John thought, ¡®is that electric?¡¯


    ¡°Nomad, the door!¡± the man¡¯s shout snapped John from his trance.


    John turned and grabbed it by the handle. His fingers almost slipped from the weight, but he did it. The door was inches away from slamming its entire weight at the door frame, and John just saved his own ass.


    ¡°The lad did it!¡± a rough-looking man yelled as he stood in his chair. He rose the mug in his hand in the air, and shouted, ¡°huzzah!¡±


    The whole saloon followed his lead and shouted in unison. Their ear-splitting merry cry rumbled John¡¯s eardrums. He didn¡¯t know stopping a door would lead to this and it didn¡¯t stop there. The patrons then clinked their mugs with each other and chugged it all down like a festival. Some of them dropped on the floor while some staggered on their feet. This wasn¡¯t just a saloon as nothing fit this whole scene better than a blend between a medieval tavern and a western saloon.


    ¡°Nomad!¡± the guardsman who brought him here beckoned to come over at the counter.


    John weaved through these merry people as the smell of pipeweed, heavy drinks and a hint of something sweet wafted in the air. He found a seat beside the guardsman and by chance met eyes with the person behind the counter.


    Hair combed to the back with a handlebar mustache that defined his overall dapper look. Even with a classy-looking tunic, the man exuded an aura of a debonair man.


    ¡°Thank you for not slamming the door like these miscreants. I paid a fortune for that door and the door frame,¡± said the debonair man as his hands were wiping a mug clean. ¡°And for that, anything you want for tonight is on the house.¡±


    ¡°Generous like a saint, you¡¯re the light of this town, Master, and for that offer, I would like a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bugger off, Randal. The offer is for the Nomad, and not you,¡± said the Master. His eyes were cold like ice stones. Pointless freebies weren¡¯t his kind of thing.


    ¡°So what would you like?¡± the Master asked.


    ¡°Do you cook here?¡±


    ***


    The Master and Randal stared in shock. John was gorging himself plates after plates of hot piping cooked food. He ate like he had starved for a whole month. Meat and more meat went down his throat like it was spaghetti. He barely even chewed them as they slipped like they were butter.


    After the eight plates of steak, John finally had his fill. He leaned on his chair with the apparent bulge at his belly. ¡®Man, that was good. I hate to say it but yodel berries got nothing on these steaks.¡¯


    ¡°Where do you find this Nomad, Randal?¡± Master whispered. ¡°I thought he was about to empty all of my pantries. Do you know how scared to death I am?¡±


    ¡°How the hell would I know, he just popped out of nowhere,¡± Randal replied.


    Suddenly, the saloon¡¯s door was slammed wide open, crashing against the side of the wall. The Master sighed in defeat. ¡°Great, another bloke who doesn¡¯t know how to follow simple instructions.¡±


    ¡°Captain!¡± from the leather armor, and the spear in his hand, it was a guardsman. His frantic eyes found Randal by the counter. ¡°There are beasts at the walls.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Randal jumped on his seat and gave a slight glance at John. ¡°Let¡¯s continue this tomorrow. You can find me at the guardsman station at noon. And Master, give the nomad a room, he needs it.¡±


    The Master nodded and Randal went off with his clanking metal grieves.


    With Randal gone, John didn¡¯t know what to do. His eyes found the Master.


    ¡°Would you like me to show me your room?¡± the Master asked.


    John nodded.


    The Master brought him to the second floor and gave John the room with the front window. He was about to leave but John stopped him.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± the Master asked.


    John rummaged through his hoodie pocket and managed to grab something in his pouch. He took it out and handed it over to the Master. ¡°I felt bad for dinner just now, so I hope this might cover the cost at least.¡±


    A gold coin dropped on the Master¡¯s palm and his calm demeanor broke into a thousand pieces. His eyes bulged open as he brought the gold coin closer for inspection. ¡°It¡¯s real,¡± the Master said in his low voice. His eyes shifted to John as if he saw a real saint in the flesh. The Master was almost to tears just from staring at him.


    But alas, the gold coin in his hand wasn¡¯t fated to be his.


    ¡°I know this is rude of me for not asking first, but may I be blessed with knowing your name, sir?¡± the Master turned a bit more polite than usual. He even angled himself to a small bow, showing his respect to the nomad in front of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s John, John Creed,¡± he said. ¡°Is there a problem with my coin?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all, Sir Creed. It''s just that my poor establishment doesn¡¯t have the required wealth to pay back your change,¡± the Master said.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. You can just take it,¡± John nonchalantly replied. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else than I¡¯d like to¡ª¡± as John tried to close his door, the Master held him off.


    The Master¡¯s head jutted in between the door as his eyes gave a fervent look at John. ¡°Are you sure, Sir Creed?¡±


    John began to frown. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. So can you leave me now, please?¡±


    The Master realized his graceless action. He pulled himself back together and apologized. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need, I will be at the beckon of your call, Sir Creed.¡± Finally, he left.


    John closed the door and locked it from the inside. He lay on the bed yet it hardly could be compared to the one in Fellelone¡¯s bedroom. He fell in a daze as his mind was straying to those short memories he had with her. Yet before he could delve deeper, the blue window interfered.


    At least a shine of light amid his darkness came for him. Yet things took a quick turn.

 10 - The Abridged version

    John had a dazed look. The sudden change took him by surprise, and true to what Fellelone said, his method might not work at all. He swallowed excessively, waiting patiently for the verdict to come. Deep down, he prayed it was something good.


    John sighed in relief. Despite the massive cut down, he still earned his keep. It would be a pity if he didn¡¯t get anything after all Fellelone gave to him. ¡®That almost gave me a heart attack.¡¯


    Calming down, John opened his arcane menu.


    John widened his eyes. Three innate spells in one go was a big surprise. This reward was more than just bountiful. He checked them further one by one, and as his Sensei always said, ¡®never forget to revise what you learn before a fight.¡¯


    His mouth fell upon. John couldn¡¯t believe what he was reading. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a bit too overpowered?¡¯ He questioned whether this was real or not. But as his eyes landed on his bloodline spell, he could feel his heart ached. ¡®King Lilium¡­¡¯ he shook his head. ¡®¡­no, it¡¯s Queen Lilium, she¡¯s the one who gave me all of this.¡¯


    John was grateful but at the same time, he longed for this person who gave half of her heart to him. It was no wonder why Fellelone was powerful, she was at the peak of the hierarchy, the Queen of the Lilium alraune. And now he had a part of her in him.


    ¡®I won¡¯t let you down, babe,¡¯ he promised himself and to her. His gaze was strong as he declared. ¡®I will be stronger than you and everyone else.¡¯


    He removed his clothes and dried them near the window. With only his brief, he slept through the night, alone in that queen-sized bed.


    ***


    The sound of a ringing phone echoed. John scowled as his eyes were barely open. His hand scrambled, searching for that noisy piece of¡­


    He found it.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he sounded groggy followed by a wide yawn.


    ¡°John, is that you?¡± it was the familiar voice on the phone since who else would call him in this world.


    ¡°Who else,¡± he answered.


    ¡°What do you see? Are the mountains behind you?¡± she asked a strange question.


    ¡°What the heck are you talking about? I¡¯m on a bed, in some saloon slash inn, I guess,¡± he said.


    ¡°Wait, you mean you survived the Forbidden Lilium, that Lilium?¡± there was a hint of shock in her voice as what John did was not possible.


    Hearing someone mentioned her name soured his morning mood. The scowl just got even worse. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here, ain¡¯t I?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°But how?!¡± her iconic high-pitch shout rang in his ear. While John was getting more irritated.


    ¡°Does it even matter? Isn¡¯t it enough that I survived,¡± he tried to let the topic died.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. You don¡¯t know what kind of monster she is,¡± her choice of words was getting more unpleasant in his ears. And the reason for his scowl changed to a different matter.


    ¡°What you did is fucking incredible. You successfully escaped from the hidden boss of Crown Deer Forest, the Queen of Lilium, the Forbidden Flower, you¨C¡± her voice was gone.


    John hung up as he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He couldn¡¯t listen to someone referring to Fellelone like she was some kind of mindless beast. John felt her in mind and body, and nothing would change the fact that he loved her. For someone who fell too easy, his devotion knew no bound.


    The devoted man got off the bed. He went straight to the door and came out with only his brief. The morning sun shone the saloon in a different light. It was calmer and the ambiance felt like he was in a well-preserved old house.


    ¡°Sir Creed, it¡¯s good to¡­see you?¡± the Master was already up, standing behind the counter. But John¡¯s appearance left him confused.


    John found himself in front of the Master as his arching gaze landed upon the man with the handlebar mustache.


    ¡°I need to know where the weapon shop is, and I also need to know where I can find monsters,¡± John said.


    ¡°There¡¯s one a few blocks down the road, but I don¡¯t think Hakeem would open this early,¡± the Master said.


    Yet John¡¯s unrelenting gaze sent a different message to him. As if he wouldn¡¯t take no as an answer.


    ¡°But I do have a spare sword and a set of leather armor that I once used. Despite my appearance, I was once an aspiring¨C¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± John cut the little small talk. He didn¡¯t have the time for that.


    ¡°Follow me then,¡± the Master took John to his personal storage room. He fitted John in the leather armor that covered the torso and his legs. The leather arm guards wrapped nicely around his forearm. Then it was the sword, a standard steel broadsword. The edge was still sharp like it was brand new.


    ¡°You took good care of it,¡± said John. He could see the effort in the blade.


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment, Sir Creed. Wouldn¡¯t want to let fond memories to rust like that,¡± the Master said. They returned back to the counter as the Master briefed John on the direction of where monsters were usually seen.


    ¡°A drink before you go?¡± the Master asked.


    John nodded.


    ¡°What would you have, sir? I do have a new barrel at the back. Would you¨C¡±


    ¡°Plain water,¡± John replied.


    ¡°Eh? I mean excuse me? You mean water, water?¡± the Master never heard of someone asking for that.


    ¡°Of course, who would drink this early in the morning?¡± John got his water and swigged it down in an instant. He left the saloon while still half-naked under his leather armor. But why would he care? Right now all he wanted was to shed some blood.


    He exited the town through the north gate and sprinted towards the forest northwest of town. John ran to his fullest ability as his speed was unlike before. If he got chase again by that four-horned goat, he had confidence that he would outrun it. Hell, was there even a need for him to run? He might as well killed it with his sword and blasted it with every spell he had at his disposal.


    The wind blew against him, ruffling his dark brown hair. He felt his leg muscles being strained to the limit as he pushed himself to cleave against the wind. Yet his breath was still stable and he hardly broke a sweat. At the corner of his eyes, a window displayed his SP bar, declining at a slow rate, one by one. Despite the frustration he was feeling, this little sprint made him feel great.


    He only gave a brief glance and continued his run. In time, he reached the woods where the Master spoke. It was different from Crown Deer Forest. It was undoubtedly brighter, the trees were sparse with a considerable distance from each other. Their light brown trunk and thin branches were a stark difference from the one he was used to. Nonetheless, he trod further.


    Dry leaves and twigs snapped under the sole of his vine sandals. He had no intention of masking his presence as it was better for them to find him. For once during his time here in this world, John was fearless.


    Despite that, he wasn¡¯t a fool. He didn¡¯t shout and scream like an attention-seeking whore. Even with the new skills and heightened status, John was still gauging his ability in a fight. It wouldn¡¯t do if he was swarmed by beasts at every angle.


    ¡®For a brightly lit forest, it¡¯s pretty quiet,¡¯ John noticed the lack of noises in the background. The only thing he heard was the rustling leaves on the treetop. He didn¡¯t even see any critters running around on the forest floor.


    ¡®Wait, what¡¯s that?¡¯ he narrowed his eyes, trying to get a good look at the thing in the distance. It was walking on two feet, and to John, it looked like a person. It seemed he wasn¡¯t the only one going out for an early hunt.


    By chance, their eyes met.


    ¡®Is he running towards me?¡¯ the figure at the distance was getting closer and closer. ¡®Wait, is that kid? And is he sick? Why is his skin look so green? Another alraune perhaps or it might be¡­¡¯ then it dawned on him, ¡®¡­shit, it¡¯s a monster.¡¯


    John readied himself in a stance. His fingers loosely grasped the hilt of his sword, hanging by the sword belt. While his stance was becoming lower, stabilizing his center of gravity. And his eyes never left the sight of the rushing enemy.


    John let out a long breath, calming down his nerve. The words of his Sensei rang in his mind. ¡®Focus and strike them down!¡¯


    The humanoid creature was clear in John¡¯s eyes. It was bald, green, and had a crooked nose. Those defining features pointed to only one thing that John knew. ¡®It¡¯s a goblin.¡¯


    Knowing what it was made it easier for John. Their ill reputation was known back on earth even though they didn¡¯t even exist there. They were a species known for pillaging innocent villagers and raping their unfortunate victims. For something like it, there was no need for John to show mercy.


    The distance became closer as the goblin cackled over its newfound prey. Drooling over him as if John was a piece of meat. Its claws were readied to shed blood and so did John.


    Unknowingly, the goblin took its final step.


    It entered John¡¯s range and the quick draw flashed. The shimmering steel flew like lightning. Drawing an arc upwards, cutting flesh without any semblance of resistance.


    A whole arm was sent flying in the air and the goblin was too late to realize it. It dropped to its knees as the pain finally registered. It screamed, staring at its missing arm. Blood spilled like a dam flowing out with no sign of stopping.


    But John¡¯s motion had not finished yet. His blade was up high in the air and his free hand grasped the hilt. With two hands joined together, John sent down the final strike.


    ¡®Hikimi.¡¯


    From the shoulder down to the flank, the steel blade cut the goblin in two. John flicked his sword and sheathed it back in his scabbard. The clink of the crossguard against the scabbard marked the end of his technique. He exhaled slowly, easing his beating heart. As he had thought, if he had this range, he wouldn¡¯t have been stabbed in the heart on that night by that psychotic woman.


    John looked at what he had done. Guts were spilling between the two halves and blood pooling underneath them. It was a messy sight, and the stench penetrated through his nostrils.


    ¡®Fuck,¡¯ his body folded as retching noises filled the silent woods. He got back up and wiped off the gastric juice on his mouth. Again, he watched the thing he just killed. It was his second kill, but it felt like it was his first. The humanoid appearance wasn¡¯t making it any easier for him even though he knew it was a goblin.


    ¡°Fuh, I need to get used to this,¡± he sighed, and then came the blue windows.


    The sign of him getting stronger was right in front of his eyes. People called it instant gratification, but to him, it motivated him to do better.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nodded. ¡°I really need to get used to this fast.¡±

 11 - Nomads

    John wiped off the blood from the steel sword.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s enough for today,¡± he stood and turned to his back. The forest floor was littered with dead corpses of goblins. After his first kill, the stench of blood lured these one-minded creatures, baiting them into John¡¯s range as they met their doom. The numbers piled up to twenty or so. He got lucky to be fair, dealing one at a time wasn¡¯t much of a big deal for him. Yet there were a couple of times when two of them came at the same time, but with his agility, he made quick work of it.


    By the end of the day, John wasn¡¯t squeamish anymore over dead goblin corpses.


    The light was getting dimmer in the forest and the sky was showing the sign of approaching dusk. ¡°Time to go back.¡±


    He left the woods, sprinting at full force. Running in the plains as the night was catching up to him, another announcement emerged.


    Narrowing his eyes, he wondered. ¡®The running skill rose up two times in a single day. While my iaido doesn¡¯t even register as a skill even after killing twenty goblins. I wonder how it works? Should I practice my kata this evening?¡¯


    Getting a sword skill especially in regards to his iaido was his main priority. He had been curious about how to do it but never had the chance. Now, he had all the time he needed.


    As soon as night took over the sky, John reached the northern gate of the town. This time, he went through without any hassle. It seemed his appearance didn¡¯t warrant a suspicion. ¡®I guess the hoodie really looks weird compared to half-naked under a leather armor,¡¯ tilting his head, he trod through the dusty road as shops on the main street were closing.


    ¡°Hey, nomad!¡± a familiar voice rang from the distance, a man was waving his hand from afar.


    ¡®Damn, those metal grieves of his are really shining,¡¯ just from the metal grieve, John knew who it was. He headed towards Randal as the guardsman was right in front of the saloon.


    ¡°The Master told me you went hunting,¡± Randal scanned him top to bottom. ¡°But judging from how clean you look and no loot..." Randal shook his head, "tough luck, my friend.¡± Randal squeezed John by the shoulder and took the lead to the saloon.


    ¡°Should I tell him?¡± he pondered. ¡°Nah, probably not.¡±


    John went inside and the Master greeted him with a nonchalant wave.


    ¡°Give me the usual, Master,¡± Randal said.


    ¡°Again with the tab?¡± the Master barely glanced at Randal, his hands and eyes were busy cleaning the tankards.


    ¡°You know how it is, I¡¯ll pay you back by the end of the month,¡± Randal said.


    But the impassive Master changed as soon as John took a seat at the counter. ¡°What would you like for the evening, Sir Creed? A few plates of steaks? Or you want a refreshing drink first?¡±


    Randal¡¯s mouth fell. His eyes kept glancing between John and the Master. ¡°And what the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°Bugger off, Randal. Sir Creed deserved a peaceful dinner,¡± said the Master.


    ¡°Hey, Nomad,¡± Randal turned to John. ¡°What kind of arcane spell did you cast on the old Master? I know you¡¯re new and all, but using spells to your advantage is¨C¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut it, Randal,¡± the Master gave a nice slap at the back of Randal¡¯s head. Enough to silence the Captain of the guardsmen for a while. ¡°Sir Creed here is a fine man, he wouldn¡¯t do such thing as you said.¡±


    ¡°Is this how it is, Master? We¡¯ve known each other for so long, and you¡¯re siding with a nomad than your best friend,¡± Randal sounded in pain, or he might be feigning it. ¡°I¡¯m hurt, you know. Deeply hurt, like multiple knives right in my heart.¡±


    The Master grabbed a fruit knife under the counter and Randal bolted a few steps away. ¡°Where''re you going? I thought you said you felt multiple knives in your heart?¡±


    ¡°Jest has its limit, Master, and this¡­is crossing the line,¡± Randal pointed at the imaginary line he made on the floor.


    ¡°Mr.Randal,¡± John chimed in.


    ¡°Not now, Nomad. I have a feud that needs to be settle,¡± Randal glared at Master with fists in the air.


    ¡°Tell me what you wanted to say last night and I¡¯ll treat you for the night,¡± John said.


    Randal looked at John, sizing him up. For someone who was half-naked under the leather armor, he was proposing quite an offer. But he doubted whether the nomad could pay even a tankard of the mildest drink in this saloon.


    ¡°If I were you, Randal, I¡¯ll take up the offer,¡± the Master gave his thought. And for someone like Master who loved money to say it like that, John must have something special.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Very well then,¡± Randal inched slowly to the counter and took his seat. ¡°Serve me the finest, Master, and triple the number.¡±


    ¡°And you Sir Creed?¡± the Master turned to John.


    ¡°A plate of steak, and plain water, please,¡± John said.


    ¡°Plain water? Are you mad, nomad?¡± Randal didn¡¯t understand John¡¯s taste.


    ¡°Master,¡± John ignored Randal. ¡°Would you please cancel Randal¡¯s order.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± the Master smirked.


    ¡°Wait, I take that back,¡± Randal said. ¡°I¡¯m just joking, Sir Greed, it¡¯s just to lighten up the mood.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Creed, not Greed,¡± John said.


    ¡°Apologies, apologies,¡± Randal raised his palms. ¡°You¡¯ve to understand we people here are not used to those kinds of names.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. So what is it you want to tell me last night?¡± John went straight to the point.


    ¡°Ah, before that, what do you know about yourself? Haven¡¯t you been wondering why you¡¯re called a nomad?¡± Randal asked.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not from around here?¡± John guessed.


    ¡°Not quite. Unlike us people in this saloon and in this town, you, my friend, are different. You¡¯re here to save the world,¡± Randal said.


    John questioned saving the world part since that kind of magnitude was way above him. But he had to ask. ¡°What do you mean save the world? You mean this world?¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s something I¡¯m not sure of. It could be this world, your world, and any other kind of world out there¡­¡±


    John felt pretty disappointed there.


    ¡°¡­the point is you¡¯re different. Along with the rest of you nomads who kept popping each year in random intervals,¡± but that last bit of Randal¡¯s world tugged him.


    ¡°Wait, you mean people like me are common?¡± this new revelation was shocking. Although he assumed he wasn¡¯t the first yet he never thought it would be this frequent.


    ¡°Yea, I know right. It¡¯s pretty weird when you think about it, people coming out of nowhere and it had been going on for¡­I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t remember that part. You remember that part, Master?¡± Randal turned to the listening Master.


    ¡°Give or take, a thousand years or so,¡± the Master calmly said.


    John couldn¡¯t believe his ears. If this whole thing had been ongoing for the last a thousand years then the missing case person would be astronomical. It seemed whatever that was going on here, John was thrust into the middle of it.


    ¡°Does saving the world means going to the next realm?¡± John asked what he had been dying to know.


    ¡°About that, I¡¯ve only heard rumors,¡± Randal wasn¡¯t sure whether it was appropriate to divulge such untrusted information.


    ¡°At this point, even a rumor would be helpful,¡± John urged the Guardsmen¡¯s Captain.


    ¡°Hmm, if you say so¡­so, this rumor I heard is when I paid a visit to a pub in Luton City, they¡¯ve got these amazing kebabs and you have to try one¨C¡±


    ¡°The story Randal,¡± The Master steered Randal back.


    ¡°Sorry bout that, and the rumors go like this, once a nomad reached their pinnacle state, they would climb Mount Avilogne and face the final trial. If they pass, they will ascend to the next realm,¡± Randal said. ¡°It sounds simple and all, but I¡¯ve heard many died in the process. In my opinion, you nomads got it pretty rough.¡±


    John delved into the matter spoken by Randal. ¡®If I¡¯m not wrong, ascension is just another term to go to the next level. But why does Fellelone want to go to the next realm? Why can¡¯t she just go on her own?¡¯


    ¡°Randal,¡± John called. ¡°Is there anyone else besides the nomads that managed to ascend?¡±


    To his question, both Randal and the Master stared at him in surprise. Their heads turned down as their eyes wandered across the floor. The mood went down instantly as if John had touched a nerve.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± he asked, glancing between these two.


    ¡°Pardon our behavior, Sir Creed, it just that reality never been fond of us,¡± said the Master. He stopped cleaning his tankards and mug, throwing the wiping cloth below the counter. ¡°Excuse me, but there¡¯s work need to be done at the back.¡±


    The Master left, leaving behind the counter unattended. The forlorn look he had worried John.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the Master,¡± Randal nudged John by the shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s always like that when being reminded of our limits.¡±


    ¡°Limits?¡± more untold things kept popping. It seemed this evening was going to be a lot of info-dumping.


    ¡°Remember when I said that we¡¯re different?¡±


    John nodded.


    ¡°Well, unlike you nomads, we people of this world have a threshold that we cannot overcome. A restriction on our levels, like a dog being tied on a pole,¡± Randal stared at his tankard, lost in his own thought.


    John pitied the man, but his mind was thinking about only one person. ¡®Is this how I get Felllelone to the next realm?¡¯ it was a hard question to answer and not a lot of info he could rely on. But for now, he at least had a goal in sight. ¡®It might not be it, but at least I need to try to figure out how to break out these limits.¡¯


    As John pondered, he heard Randal¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Hey, Creed. It¡¯s been in my mind for a while now, but you being here is a rather strange sight if you ask me,¡± Randal opened up about the thing that bothered him.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, Satbury town isn¡¯t the most desirable place for nomads. Usually, you people would pass through Tidig village and then to Borjak town as someone told me that your kind always appeared near those places. But never Satbury. This town of ours is too far from Tidig, and the beasts around here were more or less the same similar to Borjak town,¡± Randal took a sip of his drink. ¡°And most of those nomads who came here had already known who they are. But not like you.¡±


    John felt the scrutinizing gaze of Randal as if he was trying to figure out John¡¯s deepest secret.


    ¡°You¡¯re a new one, fresh off the boat,¡± Randal said, chuckling over his boat remark. ¡°But a beginner shouldn¡¯t be around here unless you survived through that cursed forest.¡±


    Randal waited for an answer but John maintained his silence.


    ¡°You know just this morning, a report said that some vine walls had been erected across the whole tree line. Do you know anything about it?¡± Randal pried.


    There was silence for a while. And John broke it.


    ¡°What if I said I came from there? Would you believe me?¡± John looked Randal straight in the eye.


    ¡°Bah, nonsense,¡± Randal scoffed, chugging down the last bit of his drink. ¡°No one could escape that part of Crown Deer Forest, not even you nomads. Even those nomads who paid a visit to this town never came back from those dark woods. I reckoned you probably came from the west and got lost in the plains before seeing the fire on the walls. ¡±


    Randal got up from his seat and walked past John. ¡°But if you¡¯re telling me the truth¡­I envy you. To have that much luck, an angel is probably looking after you.¡±


    Randal tapped John¡¯s shoulder as a sign of goodbye, heading towards the door.


    ¡°Just one drink?¡± John asked.


    ¡°Save the rest for me tomorrow,¡± Randal walked away and left the premise with his shoulders slouched.


    John sat there alone as more people were coming in. They enjoyed their time with their own company as John sat there fiddling with his precious ring.


    ¡°Here you go,¡± a waitress served his dinner and John ate until he was full. He retreated to his room as the leather armors fell off from his body, leaving him bare in his brief.


    Smelling his armpit out of curiosity, John grimaced. ¡®I really need a shower.¡¯


    Yet before he could leave, his phone caught his eye. He stared at it for a while, and it got him thinking.


    ¡®Wait a second, didn¡¯t Fellelone run away from that phone?¡¯


    In that single instance, John grasped the missing piece. His eyes bulged open and he snatched his phone from the bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s the phone, the key to saving her is this phone!¡±

 12 - Bathhouse

    Staring at the phone, he wondered what made Fellelone ticked. ¡®It can¡¯t be because of technology can it?¡¯ Yet he remembered those dewy eyes before they turned into an alert predator. ¡®I don¡¯t think so, it must be something else.¡¯ And that something else flashed in his mind for a second, remembering what was so special about his phone.


    ¡®The caller, she¡¯s the one,¡¯ from the first time he landed in this world, this unknown caller had been with him the whole time, giving advice and directions. Even with all those screams and complaints, she was there to guide him.


    ¡®Who is she really?¡¯ he unlocked his phone and the countless missed calls cluttered over his screen. ¡®One thousand one hundred and thirteen missed calls¡­that¡¯s a lot,¡¯ John felt bad hanging up on her like that and seeing these missed calls made him feel like a jackass.


    ¡®Better say I¡¯m sorry before asking the more sensitive things,¡¯ it was fortunate how he couldn¡¯t call her back. But seeing there was nothing he could do, John left for the public bathhouse.


    He had asked the waitress where he could clean himself up and the jarring answer was quite interesting. John would never have thought that a western frontier type of town had a public bathhouse. Well, to be fair even the names of the locals had a flair of diversity unlike in the usual fantasy setting. There was Jose in the Guardsman, and the smith of the town was Hakeem. Perhaps there were more unique things in little Satbury Town.


    ¡°Woah,¡± his eyes marveled at the structure before him. The building looked no different than a small-scaled pantheon. ¡®Whoever that built this really love their ancient roman studies, or he might be a local.¡¯


    John went inside. To his surprise it was free, and no one was manning the counter. His eyes gazed at everything around him. Stone pillars rose tall supporting the high ceilings above John¡¯s head. On the stone wall, the familiar little gems were oddly similar to the one in the chandelier. Giving off dimmer lights, but enough to give a suitable ambiance of a bathhouse. But John was sure it was definitely not electricity.


    There were not many people around or perhaps it was too late in the evening. John took the path for the men¡¯s side and the calming sound of water pouring down into a larger body of water grew nearer. He approached the body of water with subtle steams rising. ¡®Warm bath? This is even better than I thought.¡¯


    The sky was open as this part was the opened bathhouse. Looking around, there were one or two people, in the bath, splashing water against their bodies, minding their own business. John took the long path and reached the far end where no one was there. He wasn¡¯t going to jump in and soaked his brief, and so John went full commando. His butt bare and his thing dangling. John went in with a splash and emerged his head with a satisfied smile.


    ¡®If these people can make a decent bathhouse, I think I can put my hope on their toilets,¡¯ even if it was for two days, the dread of relieving himself out in the outdoor was too much for the picky John.


    Lying his head on the edge of the pool, John closed his eyes and felt his tense muscles relaxing. It had been a long day for him, and after those twenty kills he made, John had reached level five.


    ¡°Menu. Status,¡± he uttered.


    He watched his own status that was inflated by the blessing of his titles, quest completions, and the ring he wore on his left ring finger. Like Randal said before, from looking at his status alone, John was like being guarded by an angel.


    ¡®I¡¯ve got to admit, I¡¯m pretty lucky getting out from those situations.¡¯


    The naked man stared at his numbers for a while and made his decision. ¡°All points to agility.¡± It went down to zero as he invested it all into a single attribute. He knew what he needed the most and that was speed. The quicker he drew his blade, the more effective his slash would be.


    His eyes landed on his level five. ¡®There¡¯s a long way to go, John¡­a very long way to go,¡¯ he rested his head over at the edge, relaxing his mind and body. Since tomorrow wouldn¡¯t be any different than today. He needed to level up and become stronger. The thought of Fellelone came and his eyes open.


    Water splashed as John¡¯s hand emerged out from the water. He raised it above his head with the moon as the backdrop. The ring on his finger shined in silver as if the veins on it were glowing.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Menu. Equipment,¡± he said.


    ¡®Without you Fellelone, I wouldn¡¯t have all of this,¡¯ she was in his heart figuratively and literally. With these numbers and the ring on his finger, it was as if Fellelone was right beside him. He remembered her touch and how she¡­


    ¡°Ahh!¡± A deafening scream broke the silence of the night. John jumped on his ass and faced the direction of the scream. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    The helpless cry of a woman asking for help was loud and close. Knowing who he was, John couldn¡¯t sit still. He jumped out of the bath and raced towards the entrance. But no matter where he looked, there was no one in the lobby. Yet his head glanced to the side as those screams were coming from the woman¡¯s side.


    John bolted without care, entering the woman¡¯s section. The moment he reached the open-air bath, John¡¯s eyes widened. A woman was struggling on the floor as someone was trying to mount her. She retaliated with her best, thwarting the attempt of this despicable assailant, with her flimsy attempt of punches.


    ¡°Let her go!¡± John rushed in and tackled the evil-doer. Both went down as they plunged into the bath. John emerged out of the water taking in the pleasure of a breath. Not a moment too soon, the assailant too raised to the surface. At that moment, the moon shone over this would-be rapist.


    ¡°Goblin?¡± something that shouldn¡¯t be here was right inside the bathhouse. Then the scream from behind made him turned. The woman he saved was being dragged by another goblin. ¡°Shit,¡± he cursed.


    John got out and chased her down. His blinding speed caught up but he almost slipped from his slippery drenched feet. Yet his reflex saved the day. His hand found the ground from falling as his eyes were fixed at the goblin. In that brief second, he kicked off the ground and tackled the goblin by the waist. Both went down, and a loud thud hit the ground.


    The goblin hit its head hard and the dazed look it had was the opportunity John wouldn¡¯t miss.


    John was on the goblin in a heartbeat and his knees tied the goblin¡¯s thin arms to the floor. With no mercy in his eyes, John punched it right at the center of its throat.


    The goblin squealed for a second there before losing its breath. It squirmed around trying to free itself. But with John¡¯s weight on top of it, it couldn¡¯t even budge an inch. The reflection in the goblin¡¯s eyes showed the rising fists of John into the air. For a creature drove by lust, the sense of fear finally caught up.


    John laid waste to the goblin. Hurling rain of fists at that ugly motherfucker¡¯s face. Bones cracked and dark crimson blood soaked his two fists. The squirms died down and John finally stopped. He stared at the dead goblin underneath him as he never thought he would be this violent. His quickened breath slowly calmed down, but the shriek from the same woman came from behind.


    John turned and at the end of the hall was the goblin who he left at the bath. He got up and walked towards it at a steady pace. But for once, the goblin ran. It went back into the bathhouse.


    The restrained sound of sobs pulled his attention to the woman on the ground. She was hugging her knees with tears trailing down her cheeks.


    ¡°You okay?¡± John knelt down to her with his dick still dangling in the air. It seemed he still didn¡¯t realize he was naked.


    The naked woman couldn¡¯t say a word. Her body was trembling yet her eyes looked at John, pleading for him to help.


    ¡°Everything is going to be fine,¡± John flashed a smile while hiding his bloody hand.


    ¡°What in the world is going on here?¡± yet a voice came near the entrance. A man dressed in a simple tunic, staring down at the corpse of a dead goblin, he was the caretaker of the bathhouse.


    ¡°Hey,¡± John called.


    The man came over and glanced between these two. He noticed John¡¯s bloody hands behind his back. ¡°You did that?¡± he pointed at the goblin.


    ¡°There¡¯s one more inside,¡± John got up. ¡°Can you look after her?¡±


    ¡°I can, but you sure about fighting with your dick out?¡± the caretaker pointed out downstairs. ¡°I¡¯ve to say, you packed quite big down there.¡± The caretaker gave a big thumbs up.


    John¡¯s agility proved its worth, quickly covering his crotch with those bloody hands of his. ¡®Shit, I got stinking goblin blood on my dick.¡¯ Just the thought of it made him nauseated.


    ¡°Watch her, and call for the guardsmen,¡± John reminded the caretaker as he rushed back into the bathhouse.


    ¡°Lucerna. Est. Lux,¡± he cast Lantern¡¯s Light and his vision improved better. He went around the open bath first, searching through every possible hiding spot. With nothing to be seen, he moved on to the closed bath. The lights were dim from afar, it would have been better if John could fly it around like a flying light bulb.


    ¡°Wait, can I do that?¡± John had never tried it before, but it would never hurt to try. He flung it forward and the little harmless ball of flames hovered in the direction he threw. It fell slowly towards the ground like a balloon losing its helium. John tried to retrieve it with the motion of his hand as he felt some tension in his fingers. He bent his index finger and the Lantern¡¯s Light came back flying towards his palm.


    ¡®I did it,¡¯ what came after was a notification.


    The little satisfaction he had was disturbed by the sound of splashing water. He rushed over and saw a goblin in the middle of the bath, struggling to keep itself afloat.


    ¡®The heck is going on?¡¯ it made John wondered. ¡®Oh, it can¡¯t reach the floor.¡¯


    The inner bathhouse had a different depth from the one outside and sadly for the goblin, its child-like height turned out to be its death. In the end, it stopped flapping, and its body sunk down to the bottom of the five feet depth of the bath.


    John felt it was a bit anti-climatic after all those urgencies he showed at the caretaker and the girl. But at least he didn¡¯t need to tussle with that smelly goblin again. The stench almost knocked him out, it was scary how dangerous the smell could be more so for someone like John.


    Yet the calm he expected was broken by another sound. The loud bell of the town chimed continuously, and even for a newcomer like him, John knew it wasn¡¯t a good sign.

 13 - They are Everywhere

    John came out at the lobby after finding his brief back on the men¡¯s side. The caretaker he saw before was standing near the entrance. ¡°Over here,¡± the caretaker waved his hands at John.


    ¡°You finally found some pants,¡± said the caretaker.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the girl?¡± there was no sign of anyone else besides the caretaker.


    ¡°She went back home, the chimes of the bell worried her, and it¡¯s not a good sign,¡± the caretaker sounded grave.


    ¡°Is it the goblins?¡± John asked.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± the caretaker curtly replied. His eyes were wandering as if fearing something would jump out of the shadows. ¡°You seem like a nice guy, want to bunker down with me in my cellar? We¡¯ll wait out until the guardsmen clear this mess.¡±


    John¡¯s eyes softened at this man. To think the caretaker waited here for him, a stranger, and it was enough to carve a smile on John¡¯s face.


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, sir. But I¡¯m not backing down without a fight and perhaps there are more people out there waiting for help,¡± John said.


    The caretaker squeezed John¡¯s shoulder, and said, ¡°don¡¯t die on me. It would be a waste to lose a good man.¡±


    John witnessed the back of the caretaker, leaving to find safety. It warmed his heart knowing there was always good, no matter whatever world he was in.


    The bell continued to chime, and John raced back to his room. With his current agility, breaking the hundred-meter record was not going to be a big deal. At times he wondered, what if Usain Bolt was here? Would the greatest sprinter of all-time max out his agility? It was one of those random things John kept thinking while being amazed by his current capabilities.


    He reached the saloon and the windows broke. He ducked and covered as someone was thrown out like a rag doll. His eyes followed and witnessed the person fell and rolled. Yet the familiar cackling sound was all too common to John¡¯s ears.


    ¡®It¡¯s a goblin,¡¯ he was about to end that thing¡¯s life before it could stand. But something ripped through the air and before he knew it, an arrow lodged right on that goblin. Then came the second, then the third. A bit overkill but nothing better than letting the enemy having the chance to survive.


    ¡°You!¡± a voice came from the saloon. A head peeked out from the window as the person¡¯s eyes darted around, left and right. ¡°Get your ass inside here.¡±


    John lightened his steps and made it in the saloon. Yet the inside that he was used to had changed to something entirely else. Blood spilled over the walls and the floor, with the stinking smell of goblins wafting in the air. Chairs and tables broke into pieces, and while some of it stabbed right through the goblin¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Sir Creed,¡± the man with the handled mustache came over with his fruit knife dripping with blood.


    ¡°You know this man, Master?¡± asked the one who carried a bow. Her dirty blonde hair was neatly tied in a ponytail as her blue eyes gazed at John as if she was a detective at Brooklyn nine-nine. To her, a half-naked man would always be suspicious.


    ¡°Sir Creed here is a good patron of mine. So, whatever you do¡­don¡¯t be reckless, Alexa,¡± said the Master, wiping off the nasty blood on his fruit knife.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t weigh us down. We¡¯ve got enough burden to take care over here,¡± Alexa eyed something outside, and then an arrow flew.


    ¡®That¡¯s pretty cool,¡¯ John saw firsthand how her motion transferred from one action to another. From grabbing the arrow in her quiver belt to her releasing the string that launched her deadly arrow. Everything was fluid as if it was second nature to her.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Stop staring or I¡¯ll put an arrow in your eye,¡± Alexa said with her back towards John. It was a brief glance yet she noticed it. Well with John gawking like that so obviously, who wouldn¡¯t?


    Her attitude reminded John of someone. He paid heed to the warning and retreated to the back.


    ¡°Forgive her Sir Creed,¡± the Master came beside John, ¡°Alexa is a bit rough in her words, but her heart meant well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mind,¡± John waved it off as it was nothing. He had other important matters to deal with.


    ¡°You¡¯re not staying with us?¡± The Master saw John heading up to the stairs.


    John glanced briefly at the huddle of people near the podium where the bard used to sing and play. From one glance alone, he saw they were scared out of their wits. The look on their faces reminded him of when he was running for his dear life in Crown Deer Forest.


    ¡®I¡¯m not weak anymore,¡¯ he said to himself.


    ¡°I just need to get a few things of mine,¡± John said. He left and got to the second floor. Reaching his room, the first thing he saw was not what expected. A lone goblin held a pouch in its hand and with the shimmering light of the gold coming from the little opening, he knew it was his.


    John frowned and immediately his feet shot off the wooden floor. The unimaginable speed caught the goblin off guard, yet before it could jump down through the open window, John released a burst of pinkish cloud.


    ¡®Scent of Bewitching,¡¯ just from a mere thought, his spell activated in an instant. The blend of musky and jasmine drifted in the air, paralyzing the goblin in place.


    He had two seconds, and it was enough for the man with crazy speed. His hand grabbed the steel sword he left on the floor and within that split second, John drew his blade.


    It was a beautiful arc rising upwards as the blade cut through flesh like it was butter. Even the bone turned brittle against the haste of John¡¯s blade. A hand holding a pouch dropped on the floor as gold coins spilled all over. Then came the shrieking of a goblin in pain. Yet the agonizing cry faded away as John kicked the goblin right at the solar plexus, sending it off the floor and flew right through the open window where it came from. The goblin fell on the old-school awning and kept rolling down until it smashed its own head to the ground.


    ¡°Fuck, the floor just got bloody,¡± the severed hand of the goblin was spurting what was left of its blood in its vein. John picked it up with his two fingers in a scowl and threw it out from the window.


    ¡°These goblins are everywhere,¡± John picked up his gold coins and stashed them back in his pouch. Tightening the knot on it, John kept it where it was the safest place.


    ¡°There,¡± he patted his worn-out blazer as the pouch was safe and sound in the inside pocket. He always complained of how big it was and now it finally had a use.


    ¡®Let¡¯s fight with clothes for a change,¡¯ rather than using the one made by Fellelone, he used his old clothes. While in the midst of putting his pants on, the door to his room was kicked wide open.


    ¡°Sir Creed is everything¡­¡± the commotion from John¡¯s fight made the Master rushed upstairs. The Master barged in but fell silent in his words. Meanwhile, something flew through the door.


    An arrow hit right at the wall behind John, and it was close, too close from hitting his pretty face.


    ¡°Alexa!¡± the Master shouted to the person who almost killed his great benefactor.


    ¡°What? I thought he was stripping down,¡± said Alexa.


    In John¡¯s defense, that was the most bullshit excuse she could come up with. And John wasn¡¯t going to take it lightly. He was kind but he wasn¡¯t a pushover. When someone crossed the limit, he would pay it back with no question. In just a few strides, John was right in front of Alexa. Her eyes widened but it was too late. A resounding slap echoed crisply.


    Alexa felt the sharp sting on her cheek while the Master looked in a daze. Everything happened too fast that he couldn¡¯t even intervene.


    John pointed at Alexa in the face as his glare was as sharp as a sword. ¡°I don¡¯t mind words but you almost hurt me, and if you do that again¡­¡± John ended it with silence. It was up to her to think what would be the consequences.


    He turned back to the window and zipped up his pants. Picking up the sword and the blazer in his hand, he gave a side glance to the Master. ¡°I trust you won¡¯t let anyone in my room, Master?¡±


    After seeing the nod, John jumped out through the window.


    Back in his room, Alexa was still in a daze.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, lass, the man told us not to be here,¡± the Master attempted to grab her by the arm but she slapped him away.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that prick?¡± Her cold, hard eyes hid a flame of vengeance behind them. ¡°Once I see him again, I¡¯m gonna¨C¡±


    ¡°Enough, Alexa!¡± the Master raised his voice. ¡°You¡¯re in the wrong. So let it go.¡±


    ¡°But he¨C¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a nomad, Alexa. So for once, just listen to me,¡± the Master pushed her away and locked the door of John¡¯s room.


    ¡°Come, we need to secure the front entrance. There are still people that need us,¡± the Master left first.


    While Alexa stood there with her fists clenched and her whole body twitching. Then she mumbled, ¡°I won¡¯t forget this.¡±

 14 - Northern Gate

    Roaming down the main street, the night just got brighter. Flames that came out of nowhere rose high and fast as if they had a mind of their own. Cries for help echoed loudly through the night as more and more people came running down the main street.


    ¡°Help!¡± the cry of a woman, carrying her child in her arms. She ran for her dear life as goblins gave chase from behind.


    John bolted as if sliding on thin ice. Passing right beside the woman with her child, the gleam of John¡¯s sword flashed. A goblin¡¯s head dropped, and not a single drop of blood stained his steel sword. It was a clean-cut, a perfect slash.


    Yet John wasn¡¯t satisfied. The sword just didn¡¯t feel right in his hand. ¡®I really need a katana, the motion just isn¡¯t as smooth when compared to a katana.¡¯


    The shriek of the goblins pulled his eyes as they were coming. John slowly sheathed back his blade. His eyes carefully watched over the incoming enemies, waiting without blinking even once.


    All of them came from the front, baring their yellow teeth and claws. No sooner they came, a burst of pink mist erupted with John at the epicenter. The battle-driven rage of the goblins died immediately as they smelled the sweet scent, and John made his move. He strode forward and the moment the sole of his right foot planted on the ground, John let his blade roared. The roar was subtle but it was deadly. A horizontal slash from left to right and heads dropped in the same direction.


    He flicked the sword, getting rid of the blood from the blade, and in a single motion, he sheathed the steel back in its scabbard. A tug came from behind and John turned, seeing a teary-eye woman. Her lips were trembling and a voice could barely come out. Yet her eyes conveyed her plea.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine,¡± John flashed a warm smile. Hiding his cold-blooded face in just mere seconds. It was the least he could do for the fear-stricken woman. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to a safer place.¡±


    John accompanied her towards a safe distance to the saloon. After they parted, John made his way to the northern gate. He slew every goblin that came in his path. One was easy, and two needed a bit of effort but when they were more, his Scent of Bewitching made the job easier.


    By the time he reached the gate, John raised his level to level six. Once again, he dumped everything to agility.


    From afar, he heard the many groans of adult men down at the gate. ¡°Hold the gate!¡± a familiar voice and seeing up close it was Randal. ¡°I see you, Jose, stop fucking slacking off and help!¡±


    Moving closer to the gate, dead goblins littered all over the road. These numbers paled over what he killed along the way. It was either blood or some goblin mush he stepped on, and even with sandals, the feeling wasn¡¯t pleasant. He thought he got over the squeamish part but it seemed heavy numbers did the trick. There were a few times he retched and barely held it in. In the end, he had to pinch his nose, their stenches were too strong and John couldn¡¯t help but scowl throughout the whole way.


    ¡°Start fucking hammering, Hakeem!¡± Randal shouted to the top of his lungs, ¡°or else all of us going to get butt raped by fucking goblins!¡± Veins were popping on each side of Randal¡¯s neck as his skin flushed, withstanding against the powerful ram on the other side of the door.


    ¡°But these were supposed to be Mr. Raj¡¯s new gardening forks,¡± Hakeem said. Hesitating whether he should break the oath between a smith and a customer.


    ¡°You think he would fucking care about some fucking garden hoes right now!¡± Randal was getting mad. Their lives were on the line here and Hakeem got the gal to worry about that eccentric garden lover. ¡°Just fucking do it already!¡± Randal shouted for the last time.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to do this, you¡¯re going to foot the bill, Randal,¡± Hakeem took the last word, and his hammer rang against the loud ramming.


    ¡°Why does it always have to be about money,¡± Randal grumbled under his breath. His whole body was doing its best pushing against the gate.


    ¡°Need a hand?¡± John jumped into the fray and slammed his shoulder against the gate.


    ¡°Creed?¡± a look of surprise plastered across Randal¡¯s face, ¡°what the hell are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Lending a shoulder,¡± he grinned as his shoulder was pushing against the door. The glint in his eyes was like asking, ¡®see what I did there?¡¯


    Randal fell silent, staring at John with his jaw gaping. Then he snapped himself out from the daze. ¡°Creed, this isn¡¯t the place for a greenhorn. Go back to the saloon and let us Guardsmen handle it.¡±


    ¡°But from the look it, I think you need all the help you can get,¡± John hinted at Hakeem and a few others who didn¡¯t wear anything that resembled a guardsman.


    ¡°I appreciate the¡­¡± Randal braced the impact against the gate. ¡°¡­help, I do. But I¡¯m saying this for your own good, Creed. A level zero won¡¯t be much help against¨C¡±


    ¡°Who said I¡¯m level zero?¡± John smiled, bearing the brunt against the never-ending force of the gate. ¡°I¡¯m level six,¡± he said it like it was his biggest achievement.


    While Randal couldn¡¯t be more disappointed. There was a tint of hope after hearing the first half, but John got him good. His face fell, not knowing what to say to this nomad who just came here a few days ago.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the situation?¡± John asked before Randal could even put out a word.


    The Captain of the Guardsman sighed. It seemed whatever he was going to say was not going to get through that thick skull of John. ¡°A horde came attacking from the north¡­before we knew it, those stinking bastard broke through the gates.¡± Randal eyed Hakeem who was still reinforcing the gates. ¡°We managed to take the battle close to the gate but most of them managed to slip out.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± John said.


    ¡°And it gets worse, out there¡­there¡¯s a fucking gobtroll,¡± Randal said.


    ¡°The what now?¡± If John could scratch his head he would do so right now. And the name gobtroll didn¡¯t really give off a sense of fear like Randal thought it would.


    ¡°A gobtroll¡­you don¡¯t know what a gobtroll is?¡± Randal shook his head, knowing how stupid his question was.


    ¡°Newsflash my man, we had no monsters back in my world,¡± John said, ¡°so whatever this gobtroll is, you better explain how scary it is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a crossbreed between a goblin and a troll, it¡¯s when a goblin¨C¡± Randal wanted to explain, but John cut him off.


    ¡°That part you don¡¯t need to explain to me. I know what a goblin would do,¡± he had to thank a few mangakas for enlightening him on how lustful these goblins creatures were. They would put their dicks on almost anything, not caring whether they would come out alive over their deviant advance.


    ¡°But what about the fire? It¡¯s gonna be a lot worse if it spread,¡± John said, knowing the danger of a fire going wild.


    ¡°I dispatched Gunther and a few that I can spare, but unless we deal with those things outside, we can¡¯t do a thing about the fire,¡± Randal knew his priority. If the gate fell then everything would fall.


    ¡°Randal, it¡¯s done!¡± Hakeem''s voice rang through the heavy thumping.


    ¡°Will it hold?¡± Randal still kept his body pushing the gate not until he knew that it was safe.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking to the best smith in Satbury, of course it will hold,¡± Hakeem took pride in his skill and it showed.


    The men eased up and retreated a few steps from the gate. Their eyes were kept at the gate, fearing it would fall for another time. But even with the loud thumping from the other side, the gate stood still.


    ¡°How long we got, Hakeem?¡± Randal asked.


    ¡°Not long if we don¡¯t deal with the gobtroll outside,¡± Hakeem replied, gazing sternly at the gate. He had his pride but everything had a limit.


    Randal gave out the order as he sent a few more men to settle what number of goblins left within their walls. It would be detrimental to their fight here but he wouldn¡¯t be doing his job if he didn¡¯t save the townspeople.


    ¡°On the walls!¡± Randal¡¯s shout reached the sky and men armed with bows climbed over the stairs.


    John followed suit and by the time he stood on the edge, only darkness could be seen, stretching over the horizon. The moon was being shy tonight, and without her, it would be difficult contending against the threat.


    ¡°Shoot them down!¡± Randal gave the order. The guardsmen and everyone on the wall burned the tip of their arrows.


    Soon, the rain of flames came down. Goblins shrieked from down below yet there was nothing of the sound of the gobtroll.


    ¡°Shoot at the middle! Shoot your arrows at the middle!¡± Randal gave the order and let loose of his arrow. Yet the dark shadows made them feared over what they couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°Lucerna. Est. Lux,¡± John¡¯s voice drowned in the commotion around him, yet his arcane came to life. A ball of light emerged in the darkness, brighter than the flames torches that lined the walls.


    Every eye stared at the sudden light as their motions halted in place. John threw Lantern¡¯s Light over the wall and as it descended slowly, all eyes saw the horde.


    ¡°Nomad?¡± Randal couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Not once it crossed his mind that the nomad he met would be a mage.


    John¡¯s eyes widened as his mind started to falter. Their numbers were staggering as if the whole ground were covered by goblins. The Lantern¡¯s light flickered a bit and John focused back to control the spell. Yet as he thought it would help, no arrows were flying in the air.


    ¡°Guys?¡± John looked around him, and the people were standing in a daze. No sooner than that, more kept falling to their knees as these numbers were impossible.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to die,¡± said one of them, clutching his hair as he realized that death was right at the front doorstep.


    Then people started to flee.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Randal shouted. But no one gave a damn. They ran down the stairs and fled where ever they could flee. For their survival, anything was fair game.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Randal cursed his luck. His rage broke an arrow in half as he had never felt so disappointed in himself. Then his eyes found John who was still manning the orb of light. He came over to the nomad, who was still fighting by his side, and Randal had to admit it, nomads were really a different being than them. His hand squeezed John¡¯s shoulder as the man turned to Randal.


    John didn¡¯t say a word and kept looking at Randal¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Go,¡± said Randal, ¡°if you go now, you would have a chance of outrunning them.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys going to fight?¡± John asked. He was confused over these people''s unwillingness to fight.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one else to fight,¡± Randal shook his head. Looking around, there were only a few people left. Hakeem with his hammer in his hand, and Jose with his bow along with his tired face. And counting them both, they were only four of them on the walls.


    ¡°Why did they run?¡± John asked, ¡°don¡¯t you guys love your own home?¡± his hand was still maintaining the light to float a few feet above the heads of these goblins.


    ¡°You can¡¯t really blame them,¡± Randal let a helpless chuckle. His eyes staring at the wooden floor as it quaked in an interval. ¡°We¡¯re the lowest of the low in this world, most of us here ran from our home or were exiled by our families, all because of our limits hit early...In this life of ours¡­the only thing we could do is run.¡± Randal smiled yet it wasn¡¯t a smile.


    John didn¡¯t know why, but Randal¡¯s voice reached him. He looked away as his eyes were getting teary. The man from earth never knew that there were such struggles in this world. He wiped it off and gazed back to Randal.


    ¡°What¡¯s the usual level of a gobtroll?¡± John asked out of the blues.


    It wasn¡¯t a question that Randal had anticipated. Nonetheless, he answered. ¡°Level eighteen or twenty or so¡­why did you ask?¡±


    ¡°Can you keep a secret?¡± John flashed a smile.


    ***


    Randal gathered the other two and John told them of what he was about to do. Their eyes widened in surprise and Randal lashed out.


    ¡°Are you mad? You will send yourself to your own death!¡± Randal grabbed John by the shoulders. Gripping tight with no hint of letting go.


    ¡°Trust me,¡± John said.


    Randal¡¯s grips turned loose as those eyes of John¡¯s made him believe.


    John jumped to the edge of the wall and stood there with his back against the other three.


    ¡°Hey, Randal,¡± John called, ¡°I still owed you a treat, right?¡±


    Randal remembered he left the saloon early just now. ¡°Hey¨C¡± but before he could say something.


    John jumped.

 15 - Against the Horde

    The Lantern¡¯s light guided his fall. His feet stomped against the head of a goblin, cushioning his descend. No sooner had he fell, a dense pink cloud burst in a five meters range. The Scent of Bewitching sent these goblins in a mindless trance, and John unleashed his blade. A swift sound pierced through the cackling noises of the goblins as a single slash cut every goblin at his front in half.


    Rather than rejoice, John knew it was going to be difficult. His blade and his strength weren¡¯t equipped for a solo madness like this. ¡®I can¡¯t do this for too long.¡¯


    Two seconds were up, and the goblins came alive. Their murderous claws came swinging, while some threw themselves right at him, caring less about their own lives.


    Once more, the pink mist made its reappearance. John hacked and slashed on whatever goblins that were close to him. There was no time to sheath his blade as he made use of those two seconds to his utmost.


    ¡®Shit,¡¯ he cursed. In a battle, it was easy to lose the track of time, and a goblin found that chance. It bit John right at the thigh, expecting blood to gush in its mouth. Yet there was none. A gel-like substance formed around John¡¯s thigh, protecting John¡¯s flesh from the likes of foes and goblins. At the same time, a window emerged.


    Over that slight second of his waning attention, another goblin jumped on his back. Its teeth found their way right at John¡¯s nape, yet the same thing happened. Numbers kept decreasing as their assaults continued.


    ¡°Scent of Bewitching!¡± for the first time he shouted his spell out loud, engulfing everything around him in a pink haze. Panic started to kick in as he grabbed the goblin on his back and threw it right at the ground, and it wasn¡¯t over, the edge of his blade sunk right in the middle of its throat. It gurgled for its breath as blood clogged its airway.


    John pulled back his sword, and blood spurted in the air. He aimed his sword at the goblin that still had its jaw around his thigh. The cold steel pierced right through its ear to the other end. He kicked it away and dislodged his bloody sword. Two seconds were up, and the goblins advanced like madmen.


    ¡®Shit, this is crazy¡­why the fuck did I try to be a hero again?¡¯ a bit too late to realize the magnitude of going up against a horde. John kept unleashing his pink mist as he paved a path with his steel sword. His speed sent numerous cuts over the goblins around him, and all of them were random swings. Yet everything hit. It was too jam-packed, not leaving even an open space to dodge or to run. For both John and the goblins.


    Right, left, upswing, downswing, and even a blind backslash, John swung so fast that goblins were falling like flies. They were no retaliation as his pink mist was his biggest arsenal in this crazy battle.


    Good news came, but it wasn¡¯t the time for a smile. He quickly reviewed it and found the duration had been extended to three seconds, but no improvement on the distance.


    Beyond those five meters, goblins kept rushing in at him. They rushed and plunged into the mist falling into a trance the same as their kins. But with numbers growing, the goblins piled up against each other, clueless about their actions. Each time the three seconds were up, they sprang for the attack, but John countered with the same tactic. It was like an endless loop. John lost count of how many goblins he killed but kept swinging his blade while the whole horde kept converging at him, step by step, second by second.


    ¡®Shit, this is bad,¡¯ John realized the danger of his situation. He could feel his breath turning heavier and at the corner of his eyes, his SP was dwindling.


    The numbers were dropping at a frightening rate as John had never stopped moving. He continuously swung his blade, abandoning every lesson his Sensei taught him. Deep down, he asked for forgiveness as the techniques he learned were not meant for an all-out battle like this.


    By the stroke of luck, he received a blessing over his effort.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Immediately, he made his decision. ¡®Three points to vitality and three points to strength,¡¯ a newfound strength welled within John. His heavy breath abated for the moment and a slight increase in strength in his arms plowed through those goblins like cutting down tall reeds. It was like a light that pushed him forward to the other end.


    However, a big shadow loomed over him. His hunch made him turned, and his eyes widened. John leaped to the side and something crashed against the ground where he once was. John got up, unleashing another burst of mist, trancing these goblins around him. Yet his sword didn¡¯t go for the kill. His line of sight fell upon the creature that almost smashed him into a pulp.


    ¡®Damn, it¡¯s big,¡¯ he cast another Lantern¡¯s Light and threw it over to the hulking mass of shadow. There he saw it in a different light. Its height exceeded even John¡¯s five feet nine, and from where John stood, the gobtroll¡¯s height was more or less similar to Shaq O''Neal. And how did he know it? Well, let¡¯s just said that John accidentally met him in some Texas ribs restaurant.


    Yet its height wasn¡¯t the only thing that amazed John. Its width was broad and its limbs thick and plump. Whoever goblin that fathered this gobtroll, John had to pay his respect, his determination brought forth a monstrosity, and now it was up to John to take it down.


    The gobtroll growled, scaring the goblins around its feet. It paved a path towards John, crushing and kicking any goblins that were too slow on their feet. The gobtroll was one of them yet at the same time, it wasn¡¯t. It flung away the goblins that hindered its path as John was a slippery prey that it couldn¡¯t let him be.


    ¡®It¡¯s coming,¡¯ John thought. The three seconds were about to end and just as he was about to unleash another, a window opened.


    His jaw dropped. John was so focused on the enemies he forgot about the heavy strain it put on his mana pool, and without it, he was wide open.


    The goblins jumped on him from all sides even before the gobtroll could reach him. Bites and claws went for his flesh. He tried to retaliate, swinging his sword. But he barely cut the flesh of a goblin. Right at that moment, a blue window appeared.


    ¡®Seriously?¡¯ His facial muscles twitched, out of all the time he had, the system just had to grant it to him while he was being gang-banged from all sides. Then the sound of shattering mirror echoed through the cackling festival.


    No sooner had John¡¯s last line of defense shattered, he finally felt the pain of being swarmed by tiny disgusting men.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± he screamed as those rotten teeth sunk through his flesh, cutting over his beige skin. In an instant, he uttered those words in his thought, ¡®King Lilium Metamorphosis!¡¯


    The heart core embedded in his heart glowed in verdant light. Veins of green spread through his heart and his blood vessels, reaching every corner of his body. While outside, his body started to change.


    His brown eyes shifted into a different shade, a glowing golden that was as bright as the sun. The hair on his head turned to vine with prickly thorns while wooden plates of armor emerged from under his skin, ripping his blazer and his pants into shreds as his body grew taller reaching up to two feet in height. Then a crown formed on his head, made of bocote-like wood, completing his overall look.


    John swatted away the goblins that still clung to his body. They flew, helpless against the might of an Alraune King. His feet stood on the ground and John felt amazing.


    ¡®I can see,¡¯ within his view, every goblin was visible as under daylight. It wasn¡¯t thermal vision or night vision, the pulsating lights within these goblins showed that he was looking at their very vitality, and the brightest was none other than the gobtroll.


    It growled at the appearance of a threatening enemy. Its stubby feet rushed over, coming at John with a battle cry.


    Yet John was still in a state of being amazed. His feet were like roots on the ground as he sensed every blade of grass within a hundred feet of his vicinity. ¡®This is amazing,¡¯ he thought, grinning like an idiot. But at the corner of his eyes, he saw the countdown that just reached fourteen seconds.


    ¡®Shit, I don¡¯t have time for this,¡¯ he snapped out of it and noticed the incoming gobtroll. ¡®Hmm? What are these goblins doing?¡¯ John noticed the goblins around his feet, trying their best clawing and biting against his wooden exterior.


    ¡®One thing good about them is their guts,¡¯ John remembered the effect of his bloodline spell and he had an idea in mind.


    ¡®Plant manipulation,¡¯ he thrusted his hands on the ground, and immediately, the grasses within five meters grew and spiked the goblins around him like skewers. He transformed the grass into the shape of a cactus needle. But the range was too short even after being amplified.


    ¡®Note to self, I need to grind my skills after this,¡¯ John didn¡¯t linger and moved on with his enhanced Scent of Bewitching. It was like a pink typhoon engulfing everything around him in a twenty-five meters range. Every goblin fell into a trance including the gobtroll.


    Yet time was ticking. John snapped the spear-like needle grass and lunged at the gobtroll. The distance was close and his enhanced speed made it closer. In a blink of an eye, John pierced the gobtroll right through its chest. The momentum of his attack brought the gobtroll fell on its back. It struggled on its last breath, but in the end, its lumbering hands fell lifeless. He pulled out the huge needle, and blood started to pool underneath the corpse of a rare gobtroll. Blood dripped at the end of his needle as he stared at the gobtroll that finally fell.


    ¡®Five seconds left!¡¯ yet it wasn¡¯t the end. There was still a horde that needed to be finished. John stomped his foot like root against the ground and spikes of grass needle emerged, impaling every goblin in the vicinity. He continued to unleash his wrath, killing every goblin near him until the time was up.


    What left of the goblins fled to where they came from as John receded in size, slowly turning back to his human state, naked without a thread of clothes. His brown eyes gazed at the many small figures, running away from the town. Smiling, he said, ¡°I did it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± His eyelids grew heavy, and his body slowly turning limp. Yet seconds before falling unconscious John saw a glimpse of another blue window.

 16 - Gratitude

    John opened his eyes to the wooden ceiling of an unknown room. The dragon-like head trophy mounted on the wall across him was hard not to notice. He propped himself up and looked around this strange room. Different memorabilia were neatly placed on the wall shelves, while weapons of different types lined up neatly on one side of the room. ¡®Is this a bedroom or an armory?¡¯ John wondered.


    He got down from the bed, and the blanket slid off his body. The sense of freedom he felt down below made him looked down. ¡®I¡¯m naked?¡¯ he remembered what happened last night, ¡®shit, I¡¯m naked.¡¯


    His hands grabbed the blanket on the bed, tying it around his waist. For now, it was sufficient. John had enough of people looking at his member down there, he didn¡¯t want to repeat the same incident back in the bathhouse.


    John came out from the room. The long hallway was decorated to the brim, beast head trophies scatted all over the walls as a long red carpet spread down the whole hallway. ¡®Is the owner a collector or something? Or he might be a hunter, judging from all of these head trophies.¡¯ He walked down the rough carpet on bare feet and reached the part where the first floor was visible from above.


    Downstairs, sitting around on the sofas, a group of people was chattering about. One of them noticed the prying eyes from above.


    ¡°He¡¯s up,¡± the Master rose from his feet and the rest followed where he was looking. The looks on their faces were beaming with a smile as if they had been sitting there, waiting for John¡¯s arrival.


    John reached the first floor. ¡°Guys, what¡¯s going on¡ª¡± before he could finish his word, the whole lot of them knelt on one knee and bowed their heads at John.


    ¡°On behalf of the whole town, we thank you from the bottom of our heart for saving us all, Sir John Creed,¡± the clear voice of a man in his mid-fifties rang through the whole house. Even after thanking John, they still wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± John was clueless. He didn¡¯t know what to do as he could only scratch his head. ¡°I think you guys can stand now¡­you don¡¯t have to go that far for someone like me,¡± He wasn¡¯t sure whether this was the proper response.


    ¡°No,¡± the Master said, ¡°you deserve more than this.¡± His eyes were looking at John with admiration. It was different from when John gave him a gold coin.


    ¡°The Master is right,¡± Randal was the next one to speak. ¡°For someone who would risk his life for ours, nothing would be enough to show our gratitude.¡±


    John didn¡¯t think Randal would behave like this. Shaking his head, things were getting a bit too burdensome for him.


    John sighed. Then he thought of something. ¡°And to show your gratitude, shouldn¡¯t you at least prepare some clothes knowing that I would wake up? You guys know, I¡¯m still naked right?¡±


    His demand was met, and John was fully clothed in a tunic that look nothing less than in those fantasy stories. The fabric was a bit itchy, but it would do for now. Taking a seat within this group of people, John was finally informed of what had transpired after he fell unconscious.


    Most of the surviving goblins fled to the woods and those stragglers who were still roaming in the town had been taken care of by the guardsmen. At the moment, the town was goblin-free.


    But the flames from last night decimated almost one-eighth of the whole town. The news left John shocked but hearing the casualties only made it even worse for him. ¡®Shit,¡¯ he cursed as his fist clenched hard in silence. If he had ended it quicker, then things wouldn¡¯t have gone this way.


    The Master noticed the pained expression on John¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself, Sir Creed,¡± the Master said. ¡°You did what you could, and the responsibility for all of this lies upon us, the townspeople of Satbury. So, please, don¡¯t take it out on yourself.¡±


    ¡°Usually I don¡¯t agree with Hanz¡¯s words, but the man is right. The fault lay on us and not to you¡­we¡¯re already fortunate to have this town still standing,¡± the Mayor said his piece, agreeing with his long-time rival.


    He got up off his seat and walked towards John. The man who had troubled to adjust his pants knelt in front of John and grasped his hands tightly. ¡°Thank you, Sir Creed, thank¡­¡± tears started to trail down his chubby cheeks. The man who had the highest standing in this town was choked by emotion that he cried like a child in front of a stranger. ¡°¡­Thank you for saving my beloved town.¡±


    John didn¡¯t know what to say. His hand floated in the air not sure of how to console the crying fifty-five-year-old man. Yet deep down, John was glad. The corners of his mouth raised a bit as at least he could be of help to someone.


    ¡°Now, now, Smith, you¡¯re putting our savior in a tight spot here,¡± the Master came in between them and helped Mayor Smith on his feet.


    ¡°Hanz!¡± the Mayor who was still overwhelmed by emotion went for a surprise hug to Master. He cried on Hanz¡¯s shoulder and the man with mustache let it be.


    ¡°Are they always like that?¡± John whispered at Randal who was sitting beside him.


    ¡°Putting aside their constant bickering, both of them are the pioneers of Satbury, and I even heard rumors that both of them in their younger days were in the same crew,¡± Randal said with a smile.


    ¡°I see,¡± John nodded. The thought of having his own crew had never crossed his mind. But having comrades covering each other backs was something comforting when he thought about it. ¡®A crew, huh¡­doesn¡¯t seem like a bad idea.¡¯Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    After the tear-jerking moment passed. The Mayor of Satbury reclaimed his dignity and sat before John with a face befitting of a Mayor. ¡°Sir John Creed, to you who had thrown yourself for the sake of my beloved town, what reward do you seek?¡± the Mayor offered with his heart full of giving. If John had asked for all of his wealth, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to give it all.


    It didn¡¯t take long for John to answer. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have a katana laying around would you?¡±


    ¡°A katana?¡± everyone in the room was surprised by his choice of reward.


    ¡°A bold choice for a weapon,¡± the Mayor said, ¡°but unfortunately, such a weapon is not within my armory.¡±


    The Mayor turned to Hakeem. ¡°But a certain person can make you one.¡±


    Hakeem got up on his feet and fisted his left chest like a salute. ¡°It would be my honor to craft a weapon for our savior,¡± said the smiling man with dark brown skin with a cool jewel undertone.


    ¡°You know how to make one?¡± John asked as the making of a katana was not that simple.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the shape of one before, and I¡¯ll be damn if I can¡¯t make one,¡± Hakeem proclaimed, having confidence with his own skill.


    John was disappointed. Yet he hid it behind the smile on his face. The matter of a katana wasn¡¯t simply because of its shape as the method of making it was different than other swords especially the material being used. Nonetheless, he was happy of having one. At least he would be able to draw his sword much more smoothly compared to a broadsword.


    ¡°Good, Hakeem, and to support Sir John Creed I¡¯ll cover the cost for everything in making that katana,¡± the Mayor chimed in. ¡°And while I¡¯m at it, use this for the blade,¡± the Mayor took off a ring on his ring finger and threw it to Hakeem.


    The smith of Satbury snatched in the air and observed it carefully. Then his eyes bulged with his jaw dropped. Hakeem¡¯s eyes stared at the Mayor in disbelief.


    ¡°Are you sure about that, Smith?¡± Hanz asked, knowing what it was.


    ¡°A thing like that is useless on my finger, might as well give it to someone who deserves it,¡± Mayor Smith said.


    ¡°But it¡¯s¡ª¡± Hanz tried to reason but Mayor Smith put a stop to it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision, Hanz,¡± the Mayor sat with a strong posture and showed a dignified appearance, unlike when he cried like a baby.


    Yet it broke a second later, ¡°in your face, Hanz. You think you can give something better to Sir Creed?¡± Mayor Smith chuckled with a snickering smile. ¡°Well, whatever in that hidden cache of yours, nothing could beat this ring of mine.¡± He crossed his arms and gazed at Hanz with a triumphed pose as if saying to Hanz, ¡®suck that, you piece of shit.¡¯


    Hanz who had been sitting there quietly was trembling from top to bottom. He was doing his best not to stoop so low like this former comrade of his. But that arrogant gaze from Smith was the last straw. He jumped on his feet and pounced at Mayor Smith. ¡°Fuck you, Smith!¡± he punched the Mayor right in the face.


    But the Mayor was no slouch. ¡°Well, fuck you too,¡± with a bleeding nose, Mayor Smith sent a liver blow right at the flank. The fight escalated further on the floor, as they kept grappling with each other with continuous curses coming out from their mouths.


    John leaned to Randal, and whispered, ¡°shouldn¡¯t we stop them?¡±


    Randal sighed. ¡°Just enjoy the show,¡± he shrugged his shoulders, ¡°they always do this when they meet.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± to that realization, John just sat there and watched old men having a brawl.


    ***


    After the little show ended, John was given a feast by the bruised face Smith. It was a meal that satisfied his empty stomach, since last night''s battle really took a lot in him, to the point of even falling unconscious. John left after the feast, heading back to the saloon where his room was. The others also followed him as Master Hanz offered a second feast with his drinks. But as always, Mayor Smith wouldn¡¯t take a step inside Hanz¡¯s saloon.


    ¡°Humph, that idiot oaf,¡± Hanz walked to his counter while John headed to the stairs.


    ¡°Sir Creed,¡± but a voice stopped him. It was Randal, ¡°would you mind sparing some time for us?¡± to his sides were Hakeem and Jose.


    ¡°Yea¡­sure,¡± John said. They found themselves sitting at the edge of the saloon, away from prying ears.


    ¡°So what¡¯s to be the¨C¡± before John could finish his word, a bag of leather pouch dropped on the table. The chinking noises from inside were something familiar to his ears.


    ¡°It¡¯s your coins, Sir Creed,¡± Randal said.


    The mention of his coins made him remembered that he stashed his pouch of wealth inside his blazer. His hand grabbed the leather pouch and he looked inside. The shimmering gold reflected in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t the type that loved money that much, but he wouldn¡¯t want to lose it.


    ¡°While we¡¯re searching for you, we find these gold coins scattered on the dead goblins and on the ground¡­Something this valuable couldn¡¯t be from this town unless it¡¯s from you,¡± Randal said. ¡°So we picked up everything we can find and here¡¯s all sixty-nine gold coins.¡±


    John¡¯s eyes softened. Looking at these good-natured men in front of him swelled his heart with gratitude. If he was back on Earth, there was no way he would find these gold coins ever again. He was almost to the point of tearing up as who would have thought he would find good people in an estranged and dangerous world.


    Randal noticed John''s scrunching face and misunderstood. ¡°Believe me, Sir Creed, all three of us would never take even a single coin. And if you¡¯re missing some of them, we¡¯ll go back and search through those goblin corpses. Perhaps some of it slipped inside the corpse of hiding beneath a pool of blood,¡± Randal tried his best to mend the nonexistent anger of John.


    Yet rather than saying a word, John took out something from the leather pouch. He distributed them evenly in front of these three men, three gold coins laid right in front of them.


    Their eyes kept glancing between John and the coins as if asking him what did these gestures mean.


    ¡°Sir Creed, this?¡± Randal couldn¡¯t find the right word.


    ¡°It¡¯s yours, three for each,¡± John flashed a smile.


    Rather than Randal, Jose who was the most silent between the three came over to John¡¯s side and knelt in front of him like a knight before a king. ¡°Rather than these gold, please accept my loyalty, sir,¡± Jose¡¯s voice was earnest, unlike his usual tired demeanor.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± John couldn¡¯t get any more confused. He was giving them a gift and not buying their loyalties.


    ¡°Same as I,¡± Hakeem did the same. ¡°What you did for us all had been more than enough, but your graciousness won me over. I¡¯ll vow to you, sir, that I will make the greatest katana you will ever wield.¡±


    ¡°Ah, guys,¡± Randal bent a knee, and despite the sound of unwillingness in him, his eyes showed the opposite. ¡°I don¡¯t know what a lowly guardsman like me can do, but whatever you ask of me, I would do it in a heartbeat.¡±


    Out of nowhere, a blue window popped up.

 17 - A little Hint

    ¡®A quest from another quest?¡¯ It was a first for John. A chain quest was the bread and butter of a role-playing game. Comparing it to a stand-alone quest, a chain quest had the potential to gift the person with a higher tier reward.


    ¡®Yes, I accept,¡¯ John took the challenge head-on.


    He turned to the people who were kneeling to him. No matter how he looked at them, the thing of the heart was a difficult problem to solve.


    ¡°Over here, boys!¡± Hanz called, slamming the surface of his precious counter. ¡°Let¡¯s show that fatty Mayor how a feast should really be.¡±


    John retreated to his room while the guys were having a blast downstairs. They insisted he joined, but John had other matters to attend to. Unlocking his door, John entered his room. The room was the same like he left it before, bed messy as hell and a patch of dark stain close to the window. It irked him how he couldn¡¯t salvage the wooden floor and with that bloodstain, it was going to take a hell of an effort to clean it up.


    ¡®I should probably ask Hanz to change my room after this,¡¯ he took off the tunic and the pants as the fabric would never be to his liking. It was way too itchy for him. ¡®Now this is high-quality stuff,¡¯ his hands felt the soft cotton made by Fellelone. The difference was like heaven and earth. Yet he didn''t wear it immediately last night blood, sweat, and tears were still sticking on his skin. ¡°Yup, I better hit the¡ª¡±


    The phone rang and his eyes scattered over the bed. He scrambled, turning over the blanket searching for his phone. ¡°Found it,¡± John snatched it from the comfort of the pillow as if it had been in sleep mode all this time.


    ¡°Hello?¡± John answered. A sigh tickled his ear. Whoever this woman was, she was genuinely worried about him. But it was a pity. John¡¯s heart had been stolen in mere two days and it was even by a tree no less.


    ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re still alive, I thought I lost you there,¡± she said with the gentlest tone. ¡°But why the fuck did you hung up on me!¡± and then came the scream John hated.


    ¡°You know how¡ª¡± she wanted to rant for all those numerous missed calls she made but John had a big concern.


    ¡°Do you know why you can call me through this phone?¡± John popped the question. ¡°Because if you ask me, it doesn¡¯t make sense for a phone to work here. No cell towers, no satellites orbiting the earth, and not a single damn bar. Care for an explanation, Miss whose-name-I-don¡¯t-know-yet?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to say it¡¯s just simply magic, I¡¯m calling it bullshit. Even if it¡¯s the truth, you need to explain to me how it works to the smallest detail¡­Because I¡¯m telling you this, I need to know all of this, no matter what, you get me?¡± John gave a subtle warning.


    He waited for a reply. Taking his time not wanting to rush the only person who could give him an answer. The silence went on and on as if it would continue for an eternity. John didn¡¯t know waiting would be this painful. He was a man of patience, but when it involved something related to Fellelone, his patience was quick to run thin.


    ¡°Hey, you¨C¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you,¡± she said.


    It was the worst thing he could hear. His cheek muscles twitched as he couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard. A frown carved on his beige forehead as he could feel his rage rising from the depth of his stomach. He restrained himself, clenching tight over the blanket underneath him. ¡®Calm down, John. Don¡¯t let your anger consume you.¡¯ John breathed in and breathed out, calming down his excited pulse.


    ¡°Please tell me, miss,¡± John pleaded, ¡°I need to know why¡­I need to know why the Forbidden Lilium ran away after seeing my phone.¡±


    He concealed the reason why he needed to know. Who knew what would happen if someone knew that he had an intimate relationship with a hidden boss.


    ¡°If it¡¯s only about that, I wouldn¡¯t mind answering it,¡± she said. Her voice was like the glimmer of hope.


    The frown on John turned upside down as he smiled. This was good news. ¡°Thank you!¡± he shouted much to his surprise. ¡°I mean¡­I¡¯m really grateful for this, I really am,¡± John said.


    ¡°Just take this as a present for still being alive for me,¡± she said. ¡°So, what do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Why does someone powerful like her would fear something as small as this phone of mine?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the energy,¡± she said.


    It took John some time to process it. Yet it was too short. The answer he sought couldn¡¯t be just that. ¡°Is that it?¡± he asked.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing I could tell,¡± she replied curtly.


    His hand ruffled his dark brown hair as his hibernating anger was starting to wake up again. One word wasn¡¯t enough to solve a problem as big as bringing Fellelone to another realm.


    ¡®No, John¡­Let¡¯s see this from a different perspective¡­It might be only one word but think of it as the first step. The first step to the next one and another. At least now I have a lead,¡¯ John thought.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. John didn¡¯t know what kind of circumstances this woman was in since it could be bad considering she couldn¡¯t divulge everything. Nonetheless, that little aid she gave was a sign she was his ally.


    ¡°Since I answered to your needs, now it¡¯s my turn,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°Before that, can you at least tell me a name that I can call you with?¡± John said. ¡°It just feels awkward not knowing who am I talking to¡­I mean, I know you can¡¯t tell me your real name but at least give me something to work here. Like a nickname or even a fake name seems fine with me.¡±


    John thought he would wait through another period of silence, or he might get an earful of ear-shattering screams. But much to his surprise, she did the unexpected.


    ¡°Liv. You can call me Liv,¡± she said.


    ¡°Liv,¡± John nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my real name, okay?¡± Liv clarified.


    ¡°Whatever you say, Liv,¡± John smirked.


    ¡°Why do I feel that tone of yours is insulting me?¡± if John could see her, she was probably crossing her arms over her chest and frowning.


    ¡°Did I?¡± he smirked.


    ¡°See! You¡¯re using that tone again,¡± Liv said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Liv, but my eyes can¡¯t see the tone of a voice unlike yours,¡± John said as he didn¡¯t think he would have fun teasing her.


    ¡°Wait¡­you¡¯re making fun of me!¡± Liv finally noticed. By then her scream kept blaring through the phone as John had anticipated her action.


    He put the phone at a safe distance until the screams finally died down.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± John said in a cheeky tone.


    ¡°Humph. Just to let you know, this isn¡¯t over,¡± said Liv. ¡°Now pay attention, what¡¯s the date for today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the eleventh of June,¡± John took a brief glance at the clock on his phone.


    ¡°Not that date, I want to know the date of where you are right now,¡± Liv said.


    ¡°Where I am? You mean Satbury has a different date from other places? I guess that makes sense since some part of the world is a bit earlier than the rest. But does that kind of thing the same in here? What if this world wasn¡¯t a sphere like earth? Perhaps this world had a flat surface?¡± John strayed off from the main point, while Liv heard something peculiar.


    ¡°Wait! You¡¯re in Satbury?¡± Liv said.


    ¡°Yea, why? I think I¡¯ve told you before,¡± John tilted his head, not sure of his vague memories from yesterday.


    ¡°No, you did not. In the first place, why are you in Satbury?¡± she genuinely curious how he got there.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s a long story but the short story is, I ran out of the forest and the first thing I saw was Satbury, that¡¯s it,¡± John simply said.


    ¡°Then you need to get out of there, now!¡± Liv sounded urgent.


    ¡°And why would I do that?¡± John still had matters that needed to be settled here. He couldn¡¯t just leave the town without finishing them all, especially the part where he needed to complete the three musketeers'' quest.


    ¡°This going to sound crazy, but I need you to listen to me,¡± Liv articulated her words well. ¡°I don¡¯t know when precisely, but a goblin horde is coming over to that town. So, find the best horse in town, steal it, and ride away as fast as you can. You got that?¡±


    ¡°Liv, I can¡¯t believe you,¡± John shook his head. ¡°I never thought you would ask me to steal. It¡¯s outright wrong, Liv, and you do know that stealing is a crime, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about your life here, John! You don¡¯t know how terrible a horde is¡­they will kill you the moment they see you,¡± Liv said.


    ¡°Yea, I know¡­it¡¯s pretty damn scary, and it was even more scarier if you face it alone,¡± John replied.


    ¡°What?¡± Liv confused.


    ¡°What what?¡± even John was confused.


    ¡°Why did you talk like you¡¯ve seen it?¡± Liv had a hunch.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you about that part¡­actually the horde had already come. So¡­the whole town kinda survived the whole ordeal, and right now I don¡¯t think it would be an issue anymore,¡± John explained.


    ¡°Wait, but how?¡± judging from that tone of hers, Liv was shocked. ¡°There¡¯s no one there that could possibly defend the whole town against a horde of goblins, not to mention there¡¯s even a gobtroll among them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how did you know that? Is a gobtroll that common in a goblin horde? Or at your place, the goblins there are more adventurous in their sexcapade?¡± it made John wondered how Liv knew the detail of a horde.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the point here, John,¡± Liv said. ¡°I just need you to tell me, who was the one who defeated the horde?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not the type to show off, but since you¡¯re asking, I might as well said it¡­¡± John paused for dramatic effect. ¡°Cue the drum roll¨C¡±


    ¡°Just tell me!¡± Liv couldn¡¯t take it anymore as she screamed.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, okay, it¡¯s me¡­I¡¯m the one who defeated the whole horde,¡± John said. For some reason, his chest puffed up a bit more than usual.


    Silence reigned for a while, but then he heard her again.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Liv was skeptical.


    ¡°Up to you, Liv, I just spoke the truth¡­and nothing but the truth,¡± John said.


    ¡°But how? That isn¡¯t possible, not with your current state,¡± then a gasp could be heard from Liv. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­did you become a warlock, John?¡±


    ¡°Well, technically speaking¡­I am, but at the same time, I¡¯m not. You see, the job I got isn¡¯t the actual warlock job since you might as well call it the watered-down version of it,¡± John explained.


    ¡°Oh my God, you really did go to the dark side,¡± Liv sounded helpless.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, Liv,¡± John tried to console her. In a way, she was just looking for his best interest. ¡°Unlike normal warlocks, I didn¡¯t take the thing that cause them to turn into total nutcases.¡±


    ¡°Explain,¡± Liv simply said.


    John told her about the normal heart cores and how different it was to the one used by the warlocks.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling fine?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m totally fine,¡± John said. ¡°Healthy like a horse beside the¡­I mean, nothing, I guess.¡± He almost said something he shouldn¡¯t say. But he clutched himself.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s put yourself under observation first. If there¡¯s the slightest change in your behavior and your thought process, please report it to me as quickly as possible,¡± her words comforted him. Thinking back, she was the only one who supported him from the ground up. Unlike a certain somebody who had the idea of killing him through sex.


    ¡®No, John. Stay your head in the game, and don¡¯t get any funny feeling about someone else,¡¯ John reminded himself of who he loved.


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± John said.


    ¡°Even though that¡¯s over, I still need to know the current date,¡± Liv was adamant in wanting to know today¡¯s date.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll ask Hanz. But can you at least tell me why you need to know?¡± the curiosity in John was growing.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, then you need to pay a visit to Luton City,¡± Liv said.


    ¡°Why?¡± he had to ask.


    Then Liv answered his curiosity.


    ¡°A dungeon will appear near there and I need you to go conquer it.¡±

 18 - Satbury Town

    John sat in the warm bath, gazing at the cloudy blue sky. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon, and John wondered. ¡®Can I do it?¡¯ he thought. His last phone call with Liv might be his last one if he didn¡¯t complete the dungeon conquering thing. Her words still rang clear in his head.


    ¡°No matter what, you need to be the one who takes the last hit on the dungeon boss,¡± Liv said.


    She spoke as if John had someone to tag along with. And defying his expectation, Liv did have a plan for him.


    ¡°The Marvel squad,¡± John chuckled. ¡°With that kind of naming sense, I¡¯m worried what I¡¯m getting myself into here.¡±


    Yet that matter was still far in the future. After asking Hanz about the date, John found out he had five days before the new dungeon opened up. So at least for now, he still got some leeway to settle things here in Satbury town.


    After finishing his bath at the bathhouse, John took a stroll down the main road. He wore the clothes made by his beloved and usually it would draw a few eyes. But after last night, the town folks were grieving their lost ones. A long line of wagons was departing from town, heading to the gravesite near the western plains from town. It was enough for John to know what was hidden beneath those white sheets on those wagons.


    Despite not being responsible for it, John still felt that little guilt in him. With his head down, he walked away. Thinking of where to go, the little sightseeing of the town was turning to be a horrible experience. Most of the stores were still closed, while some open ones weren¡¯t intended to be open. Yet one store was different.


    From the outside, there was no customer around. John took a step inside, and the smell of books and old papers tickled his nose. The man looked around over the books that decorated the shelves that spanned from the front to the back of the store. He thought books would be a rare commodity here in this new world, but it seemed he was wrong.


    ¡°How may I help you, nomad?¡± a voice rang near the back of the store.


    John narrowed his eyes at the appearance of a man with a full gray beard. The bearded man was tall, easily reaching the full height of the shelves to his sides. Unknowingly, John took a few steps back. That lesson he learned back then was still fresh in his mind, never trust a bearded man that easily. It was biased of him to think as such, but what could he do? He almost got turn into a slave and it was better to be wary rather than letting his guard down.


    ¡°You know who I am?¡± John asked, sliding his feet closer and closer to the entrance.


    ¡°I would be a fool not to notice the obvious,¡± said the bookseller. ¡°The clothes were a big giveaway.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± the bookseller continued, ¡°what brings you here, warlock? Do you fancy a book or two?¡±


    John turned alert. The thing about him being a warlock was only known to him, Fellelone, Liv, and perhaps Alden. And the bookkeeper knowing about it proved to be something of concern. ¡®Can he read my mind?¡¯ that was the first thing he thought of.


    ¡°Curb you hostility down, warlock, it''s not that weird for me to know who you are,¡± the bookseller turned to the shelves and neatly rearranged his precious books.


    ¡°Care to tell me?¡± John wasn¡¯t going to let his guard down. A bad experience was meant not to repeat itself.


    ¡°I¡¯m an appraiser, I can see things that others can¡¯t,¡± said the bookkeeper. ¡°Now, are you here for a tome, or are you here for simple spellbooks?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by tome?¡± John¡¯s inexperience showed. A budding warlock that didn¡¯t know a thing about his own job.


    ¡°Simple,¡± the bookseller flicked his finger and a book came out from the shelf behind him. It floated towards the bearded man and he gently held it by the hardcover.


    ¡°You¡¯re a mage?¡± John asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately not. The arcane spell I showed you is just a simple telekinesis spell,¡± said the bookseller as he handed the thick book to John. ¡°And anyone who has a decent amount of mana could learn it.¡±


    John only stared and didn¡¯t even touch the scary-looking book. Why he said so was because of the hardcover that looked like thorns jutting out from an urchin. Even the color black didn¡¯t make it approachable.


    Noticing John¡¯s reaction, the bookseller retracted the book. ¡°What you see here is a tome, and what is different about them from other books is what they are made of and the concentration of mana embedded inside of it,¡± the bookseller flipped the book open in front of John and showed the inside filled with strange-looking letters. ¡°The main idea behind it was to boost the spell capabilities of mages, acting as a catalyst. So in other words, this tome here is a weapon for mages.¡±


    A weaponized book, that was a first for John. His eyes couldn¡¯t stray away from the odd-looking tome which was now getting more valuable in his eyes.


    ¡°How do you use it?¡± John got curious.


    ¡°Simple really,¡± he flipped to a random page, and as he uttered a few words, the runes on the tome started to glow in a bright purplish hue. Three bright orbs floated around the bookseller. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    They looked similar to John¡¯s Lantern¡¯s Light, yet the light they emitted was a tad stronger than his. And the orb even appeared the same as a light bulb back on earth.


    ¡°Usually I could only do two, but with the tome, now you see three,¡± the bookseller flashed a smile underneath that thick beard of his. ¡°It¡¯s a simple case of flipping to a random page and cast your arcane spell, easy isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Do every tome have the same effect?¡± John asked.


    ¡°It varies largely, and it depends on who made it,¡± the bookseller replied. ¡°Unlike swords and axes, making a tome is a tad more difficult. The precision and focus it needs might as well be comparable to a famous sculptor with their statues.¡±


    ¡°Then what about this tome,¡± John eyed at the tome in the book seller¡¯s hand.


    ¡°The Tome of Oscura heightened a person spell up to ten percent, and further mastery over the book might give you the possibility of enhancing the spells you¡¯re using to the next level,¡± the bookseller weaved his words as despite how lax he looked, the bearded man indeed was trying to sell it.


    ¡°And if you¡¯re stuck in a situation where close combat is inevitable, the tome functioned pretty well as a shield, or you can opt for bashing your enemy with the tome itself,¡± the bookseller was now giving the most outrageous pitch. ¡°I guarantee you this, the tome cover is even harder than a troll¡¯s skin.¡±


    It was hard not to be tempted with a tome like this. But the method of John¡¯s fighting clashed with how to use the tome. He couldn¡¯t really draw his blade while one hand held an open book. It just didn¡¯t seem practical to him in the long run.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think I can buy one. You see, the way I fight is pretty different from a usual warlock,¡± John felt bad declining but he had to say it.


    ¡°No worries, warlock, but I do think you would fancy this,¡± the bookseller cast his arcane spell and books came floating around him as he presented it to his customer. ¡°Take a look, you might find something you like.¡±


    Slowly, John was getting sucked in, and being the type of guy that couldn¡¯t decline a polite offer, John took his time looking through those books. In the end, he came out of the store with a paper bag filled with books. ¡®He got me, didn¡¯t he,¡¯ John realized a bit too late. Nonetheless, the books he bought were pretty useful.


    ¡°A pleasure doing business, warlock,¡± the bookseller thanked John at the entrance, bowing lightly over his patronage.


    ¡°It¡¯s John, John Creed,¡± John said. ¡°And what of yours?¡±


    ¡°The name Izor, Izor the Appraiser.¡±


    ***


    After buying his books, John found a small restaurant hidden away from the main road. All those walking and talking really did a number on his stomach. A few quick bites would be delightful for him.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he greeted politely, taking a step inside the small restaurant. It was big enough for only ten people at most. Yet some of the chairs and tables were broken, with a few stains on the floor that didn¡¯t look like blood. In the middle was a woman cleaning it down with a rug in her hand. John¡¯s voice made her turn.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re closed,¡± she said. Her hands didn¡¯t stop rubbing away the stains. Yet as her eyes found John, the man looked familiar.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± she stood up and walked over to him with a bright smile hanging on her face.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± John was confused. From the way she looked at him, it seemed she recognized him from somewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who you saved last night, remember?¡± she said with an apron tied around her waist.


    Frankly speaking, John did save a lot of people last night. But thinking about a woman only came out two things. It was either the woman with her kid or the woman at the bathhouse. Deep down, he didn¡¯t want her to be the latter since he didn¡¯t want to be remembered being naked. Yet he took a shot at it. ¡°At the bathhouse?¡± John asked.


    The ebony hair woman nodded, and John could feel the embarrassment creeping up on him.


    ¡°Ah¡­it¡¯s good that you are okay,¡± John said with the most robotic voice. He just hoped she didn¡¯t remember anything about his dick dangling around.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, the goblin might have vile me, thank you kind sir for saving me,¡± she bowed politely like she was in a ballroom attending a classy event.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I just did what I could, and to be fair, people should help people, right? That¡¯s why we live in a community, don¡¯t we?¡± John said while giving the warmest smile.


    The woman turned her head away after seeing that smile, if John wasn¡¯t being so oblivious he would have noticed the blushing face of the woman. ¡°By chance, are you hungry?¡± the woman said, her voice getting a bit shyer.


    ¡°I do, but you said¨C¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± she said with her tone raised by a notch. ¡°I mean¡­I¡¯ll cook for you. It¡¯s the least I could do for someone who saved me.¡±


    John saw the willingness behind her eyes, and glancing outside, he saw a few trees right across the street. Then he had an idea. ¡°How about this, since you¡¯ll cook for me, I¡¯ll help you with repairing your chairs and tables.¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do that to my savior,¡± she said.


    ¡°How about friends? Friends do help each other, you know?¡± with John¡¯s urging, she gave in. While she was at the back cooking, John went up to the tree across the secret and worked his magic.


    John used plant manipulation and through his efforts, a small mallet was made along with a few sturdy wooden nails. With the right tools, John came back and started hammering.


    By the time, she finished cooking, John had set up all the tables and chairs in perfect condition. With a little bit of help from plant manipulation, it made his work a lot easier.


    ¡°So how is it? Cool, huh?¡± John smiled as he was kinda proud knowing he could do this using his arcane spells.


    The cook¡¯s mouth fell as she could only witness the miracle before her. ¡°How did you¡­¡± she even lost her words, not knowing how to react to this. Tears streamed down her warm pink cheeks as she placed down the hot piping foods she made.


    ¡°Th-th-thank you, sir,¡± she stuttered a bit since she was sobbing. Wiping her tears, she looked at John with reddish eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to pay you for this,¡± her trembling voice was like on the verge of crying again.


    ¡°Well, you did,¡± John pointed at the thick orange creamy soup paired with a toasted crunchy bread. He took a piece of the bread and scooped up the soup into his mouth. John took a chunk out of it, and his eyes went wide.


    ¡°This is seriously good,¡± he said with his mouth filled with food.


    The woman chuckled seeing his antic. John devoured his food and after filling his fill, he said goodbye to the innocent young maiden. ¡°Thanks for the soup, I¡¯ll try visiting if I have the chance.¡±


    As he was about to leave, he could feel a tug on his clothes. He turned and saw her desperate eyes.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know your name, sir,¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you drop the sir, didn¡¯t I tell you we¡¯re friends?¡± John said.


    ¡°Yes, you did but¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts, and it¡¯s John, by the way,¡± he said.


    ¡°Si¡­I mean John, that¡¯s a heroic name,¡± she said. ¡°And I¡¯m Catelyn, a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± John said it and took his leave. But as he walked down the road, the blue window appeared.


    He stopped and stared at it for a while. Then he nodded, ¡°God, there¡¯s a lot of things I don¡¯t know about this system. I better find out if I can increase my other stats.¡±


    With a new goal in mind, John headed back to the saloon.

 19 - Finally

    Sitting in his room, John was diving through the works of literature he newly bought. He was currently reading about the literature pertaining to the effects of stats on a person''s ability to wield the arcane forces.


    ¡®The Mana stat is basically like intelligence in a game. It¡¯s just pure raw power¡­¡¯ he found the part where it detailed the Control stat. ¡®Influence a person''s ability to wield their mana freely. The higher it is, the more precise the person could exert the arcane spell to its utmost potential¡­¡¯ his line of sight brought down to the next passage. ¡®Perfectly fit for jobs which heavily rely on defensive type of spells and mental based spells.¡¯


    Thinking things through, John wondered whether he should pay attention to those two stats. Yet gazing at the stack of books he bought, he opted to finish them first. For the next half an hour, John finished a book, and the result made him smile.


    Turning his palm upwards, he uttered those special words, ¡°Facere.Aqua.¡± Mana converged above his palm, and the unseen slowly turned into a palm-sized water ball.


    ¡°Can I drink this?¡± he asked himself. Taking on the challenge head-on, John took a slurp at it.


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s just plain water,¡± he threw it out of the open window and continued reading the next book. By midnight, John learned three more simple spells, fire, wind, and earth. He had a thought that it might come in handy if he was out there back in the woods. For an outdoor noob like him making a fire with a flint was definitely going to be a big challenge.


    John rested for the night in a new room with no more goblin¡¯s bloodstain. After everything he did today, his sleep had never been sweeter.


    Dawn came, and John was up early. With his Soul Leo sword in his hand, John took a quick jog and came out to a clearing outside the western gate.


    John sat on the ground in a combat stance with his eyes closed. He remembered the teaching that his Sensei taught him, revising them in his mind before he reenacted them in real life. The moment he opened his eyes, John drew his blade and kept the motion going, stepping forward, and dealing a lethal blow to the unseen enemy, a figment of his imagination.


    He let out a long breath as John sheathed back his sword in the scabbard. Against the chilly dawn, John continued practicing his form with his upper body bare for the first light of the sun. Near a bed of grass, his neatly folded hoodie and his tee waited for the owner to finish his training.


    An hour passed, and John was riddled with sweats. Pouring down his back and at the front, yet his breathing was stable, calm, and collected.


    Another raised in his stats which further brought a smile on his face. After discovering the possibility of raising stats, it really let John looked things from a different perspective. It wasn¡¯t all about battling as the world was fair to those who worked their hardest. And for John, that was great news.


    ¡®Is the system never going to approve my iaido techniques?¡¯ he had been waiting for the teaching of his Sensei to come up, but it still hadn¡¯t come yet. Nonetheless, John continued his training for another hour.


    The result was little, but he was happier than before. It had been a long time since he practiced his iaido, and being here made him remember why he fell in love with it in the first place. ¡®Just like Kenshin,¡¯ John thought. There was a time he was amazed by a certain anime. That told a story of a man who fought using techniques that resembled iaido. He decimated his opponents, yet he never killed them, not after repenting over his dark past.


    ¡®If I keep this up, perhaps I can become stronger like Kenshin,¡¯ back in the days, most kids wanted to be Batman or Superman. But John, he was a whole different breed. He wanted to be like the manslayer, Himura Kenshin, the petite swordsman. Yet unknown to him, his speed had already surpassed the like of Himura Kenshin in the anime.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    With morning practice finished, John paid a visit to the only smithy in town. The door was closed, yet the chimney kept blowing the black smoke. John gave a few knocks and announced himself. ¡°Hakeem, it¡¯s me. It¡¯s John,¡± he said.


    Metals clanked against the floor, and rushing footsteps came closer to the door. John then heard the continuous sound of someone unlocking the door. Judging from what he heard, the locks must be numerous.


    The door opened and revealed a man covered in soot and sweat. Hakeem flashed his white smile and invited John to come in.


    ¡°Woah,¡± he exclaimed. The heat hit him hard against his skin as being in this smithy was like in the Sahara. It was too hot compared to the cool morning outside.


    ¡°Sorry for the mess, sir,¡± Hakeem was frantic. He was moving around near John and crudely tried to tidy up the whole smithy.


    Yet John could see the aimlessness in Hakeem¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you okay, Hakeem?¡± he asked, wondering.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, sir,¡± Hakeem stood there with his hands on his hip. However, the smith didn¡¯t dare look John in the eye. Whatever he was hiding, Hakeem had no intention of telling him.


    John briefly looked around and noticed a pile of katana close to the forge. They looked good in terms of appearance, but there must be a reason why it was on the ground and not on the table.


    ¡°Is my katana ready?¡± John asked.


    ¡°Over here, sir,¡± Hakeem went to the back, fetching something. He came out from the doorway and handed to John the curved blade hidden inside its sheath.


    ¡°Give me some space, will you?¡± to John¡¯s words, Hakeem kept himself at a safe distance from John.


    Ignoring the heat and the dryness in this confined smithy, John was smiling. His hand was itching in drawing this blade. Slowly his hand reached for the hilt. Then it flashed. The instant glimmering of the blade was hard to notice as John was too fast. Yet the man cared nothing about his speed as to him what was important was the feel of the blade itself. And just now, John felt his blade right down to his nerves. The execution was smooth when the katana left the scabbard. It was like a graceful ballerina, dancing on the dance floor with no hitch in her steps.


    His smile went from one ear to another. It was the biggest smile he had after that sex he had with Fellelone. His twinkling eyes found the one who created this for him. John rushed and over and tightly grasped his hand. ¡°Thank you. You did a great job with the katana.¡±


    But rather than being proud, Hakeem couldn¡¯t stop looking at the floor. He wore a pained expression as if it didn¡¯t feel right to him.


    ¡°I know you have a problem, Hakeem, and you might as well tell me since I¡¯m here already,¡± John said.


    ¡°It¡¯s the katana, sir,¡± Hakeem timidly replied.


    ¡°You mean this?¡± John showed the katana in his hand, and Hakeem nodded. ¡°Is there something wrong with it?¡±


    Hakeem hesitated but in the end, he gave in. ¡°I managed to replicate the shape but for some reason, I felt like it was missing something¡­like the essence of the katana isn¡¯t there,¡± Hakeem said.


    ¡°I see¡­it¡¯s probably because of the material and the technique,¡± John blurted.


    ¡°Wait, you know how to make it?¡± out of excitement, Hakeem grabbed John by the shoulders, staining the hoodie with the black soot on his hand. John saw it, but he kept himself calm. It was meaningless to retaliate since it already had been done.


    ¡°Not exactly¡­but I did hear a thing or two from my Sensei on how they made these katanas,¡± John said.


    Out of the blue, Hakeem knelt in front of John. ¡°I beg of you, sir, please bestow me with your sacred knowledge. I¡¯ve been making katana after katana and all of it doesn¡¯t feel right¡­And forgive me for saying this but I¡¯m not satisfied with the katana I gave you. The little mithril given by the Mayor was wasted in the hands of my incompetent skill.¡±


    Hakeem really hit the wall here. He tasted of how it felt being lacking in skills. And knowing there was a chance to improve, he did not hesitate to beg for it.


    ¡°You¡¯re overestimating me too much here¡­I only know just the trivial things, not the details that you wanted,¡± John said.


    ¡°Please, sir,¡± Hakeem wouldn¡¯t back down. He hugged John by the leg, and John could feel his heart broke. ¡®I should have just told him,¡¯ it was a bit too late for regret as the other half of his pants was stained with another round of black soot. Washing that off was going to be a hassle and John was not liking it.


    Hiding that little scowl he had, John aided Hakeem to stand back up again. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this will help, but the main thing here is you need to have the tamahagane steel, the main material of the katana,¡± John started to explain.


    A fervent look was on Hakeem¡¯s face as he scrambled on the floor searching for something to write on. ¡°Continue please,¡± said Hakeem with a quill pen in his hand dabbed with a touch of ink.


    ¡°All I know is you need two types of iron sand, one is the lower quality, and the other is the higher quality. I don¡¯t know the exact ratio but you mix it up while heating it, and for the finishing touch, you add the charcoal,¡± John said.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Hakeem leaped at John and gave him a tight hug. It was like a bear giving a hug to an average size human.


    The smell of burning charcoal, metal, and sweat drilled into John¡¯s nose as he forced himself not to frown. After a few more squeezes from the burly smith, they then parted. Hakeem was beaming like the sun as if the light had finally shone on him.


    ¡°Just you wait, Master. With this newfound knowledge bestowed upon me, I¡¯ll make you the most perfect katana you will ever wield,¡± a bold declaration for a smith from a small town.


    ¡°Um¡­don¡¯t you think calling me Master is a bit too much? I only said a few words, and I¡¯m not even a blacksmith,¡± John said.


    ¡°Nonsense, Master. When someone taught me their knowledge they will always be my Master in my eyes, no matter who they are, and no matter what status they hold,¡± Hakeem said.


    John¡¯s eyes blinked rapidly. He unintentionally solved one-third of the quest. ¡®I guess that kinda work?¡¯ shrugging his shoulders, he accepted it and bid farewell to Hakeem the Smith.


    ¡®Since I¡¯m done with Hakeem, should I pay a visit to Jose and Randal? For all I know, perhaps I might finish this quest a bit earlier than I expected.¡¯ With a goal in mind, John headed to the Guardsman¡¯s Station.

 20 - Jose

    His visit to the Guardsman¡¯s Station turned out to be a dud. Randal was out from town, patrolling the grounds near the town while Jose had a day off. And with a few instructions from a friend of Jose at the station, John stood in front of a door of a nice little cottage. He knocked a few times, calling out to Jose but there was no reply. ¡®He must be dead tired,¡¯ John thought. Guarding the walls during the night wasn¡¯t an easy job much so after the terrible event two nights ago.


    As John was about to leave, his eyes found the man he was looking for. Jose stood before him with a bow slung over his shoulders and a few horned hares clutched in his grip.


    ¡°Sir Creed?¡± there was a look of disbelief on Jose. The dark circle man never thought he would see John in front of his house. Immediately, he knelt on the ground but two hands grabbed him before his knees could touch the ground.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not do that, okay?¡± John helped him up with a smile.


    Jose invited John in and compared to the smithy, the little cottage was very different. It had a calm ambiance with a rustic feel to it. John found himself a seat near the window at the table for two. From the look of it, Jose was a single man.


    Sitting there alone, John watched Jose cook the horned hare he just hunted in the pot hanging above the hearth. Seeing it in real life reminded John of a scene in a tavern in Skyrim. NPC talking gibberish around the fire, repeating the same thing with a stew being made in the middle of a fireplace.


    After a while, a bowl of hot-piping stew lay in front of John. He could see a few hare meat floating on the surface of the murky soup.


    ¡°Sorry, Sir Creed, my cooking might not be the same as the steaks that you like, but I hope you like it,¡± Jose said, flashing a sincere smile. He waited in front of John without touching his spoon, yet his lower lip was already trembling.


    ¡°Oh, yea,¡± John realized and took the first bite. He forgot to blow it first and it came with a cost. The steaming hot punched him right at the mouth as his mouth danced, juggling the soup and meat trying not to let them burn his inside.


    ¡®Ah, no wonder I didn¡¯t feel anything,¡¯ John stopped struggling and chewed his food like a normal person would. Who would have thought his innate spell would come in this handy?


    Jose¡¯s expectant eyes couldn¡¯t stray away from John. While his spoon kept going for the soup, his eyes stared fervently at John, hoping his soup wasn¡¯t bad.


    John saw those eyes and paused for a brief second. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good,¡± John nodded in relish. Finishing his bowl, his eyes wandered the little cottage of Jose. It was a one-room house with a bed at one of the corners, a heath at the middle, and a variety of bows hanging near a designated wall.


    ¡°May I know why you are here, sir?¡± Jose asked the thing that had been bothering him all this time. He never had someone come here before, not even Randal, but here he had John who just finished a bowl of his amateurish cooking.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, just checking up on you,¡± John said. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have a problem do you?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± the question caught Jose off guard. ¡°A problem? I don¡¯t think so, sir.¡±


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s going to be my problem,¡¯ as John thought, to know a person¡¯s mind was reserved only for those mind-readers.


    ¡°I see you like bows, you have an archer job or something?¡± John asked. His eyes were drawn again to the many bows hanging on the wall.


    ¡°No, sir,¡± the answer wasn¡¯t what John expected. ¡°My job is a warrior and always had been.¡± For some reason, there was something in Jose¡¯s eyes when he spoke those words.


    ¡°Then why the bow? A hobby?¡± he asked, leaning closer to Jose with his arms on the table.


    ¡°Um¡­yea, I think,¡± Jose cast his eyes away, staring at his bows on the wall. Yet the slight sigh escaping his mouth couldn¡¯t escape John¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Hey, you think I can learn to bow?¡± John asked, and to his question the duo left the security of the town walls, heading to the western woods where Jose usually hunted his games.


    ¡°Ah, shit. I missed again,¡± John grumbled. He had been shooting his arrows at the tree that was fifteen meters away from him. And out of all ten arrows, none of them hit.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing fine, sir, after a few more arrows you¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Jose chuckled in silence as it was rather amusing whenever John missed his shot. The exaggerated sigh and the constant flipping of the middle finger to the tree always tickled his funny bone.


    ¡°Keep on laughing, man. Wait till you see me hit that tree right in the¡­¡± the arrow went loose, bouncing against the snapping string. It made a straight course right at the¡­If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± John missed again. ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck¡­fuck, fuck, fuck¡­¡± the cursed word kept on coming like a machine gun going for a rampage. He got this mad not without reason. He thought with his high dexterity, he would never miss a shot this close. But seeing how he missed every time, it seemed dexterity wasn¡¯t the cure for bad accuracy.


    Meanwhile, Jose was on his knees, clutching his stomach. He didn¡¯t get punched or kicked at the gut. The man was just defeated by the constant laughing that started to ache his flank. Even his brown skin started to flush in red, with veins popping at the temple. Jose was really having a good time there.


    ¡°Having fun down there?¡± John asked with his arms crossing over his chest. He never knew he would be this bad at archery. Thankfully his hero when he was a child was Kenshin and not Ishida of Bleach.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir,¡± Jose wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. He got up from his knees and put on back that serious expression of his.


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯m just messing with you,¡± John slapped him by the side of the shoulder. ¡°And can you please drop the sir, we¡¯re friend rights? Friends don¡¯t actually call their friends sir if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°But the others¨C¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about them. Hakeem had already dropped the sir with me this morning, so you might as well do the same,¡± John said. Indeed it was the truth regarding Hakeem. But John wasn¡¯t going to tell Jose that Hakeem decided to call him Master instead of sir.


    ¡°But what should I call you?¡± Jose asked as his voice got a little brighter compared to those heavy dark circles of his.


    ¡°Just call me John, it¡¯s what my friends always called me,¡± John replied.


    For the next half an hour, Jose coached him in using the bow. Detailing to him of how posture mattered the most when drawing the arrow.


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me Dexterity influences the damage but it doesn¡¯t help with the aiming at all?¡± John learned something new.


    Jose nodded. ¡°The aiming could only be affected by the archery skill itself or other spells that boosted a person''s accuracy,¡± Jose said.


    ¡°So it all boils down to putting out the hard work,¡± John grinned, ¡°and I like the sound of that.¡± John valued hard work more than anything. Well, since his dad always drilled it to his skull, he came to love it eventually.


    John and Jose took a break under the shade of a tree. Each in their hands was meat jerky. John didn¡¯t know what kind of meat it was but it was better it stayed that way. As they enjoyed their little break, John popped the question. ¡°Dude, I got this thing that bothers my mind¡­but why didn¡¯t you choose archer as your job?¡±


    Jose stopped chewing. Once again his head tilted down as if a dark cloud hanging above his head.


    ¡°Hey, if you don¡¯t want to talk about it, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m just¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my family,¡± Jose said. He finally opened up. ¡°Our family had always been warriors, from man to woman, even a newborn.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re telling me someone can force you to get a job even when you¡¯re still a baby?¡± John was shocked by this.


    ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± Jose kept his silence for a while. ¡°Since I kept your secret about that night would you do the honor of keeping mine as well?¡±


    From what John was hearing here, the problem with Jose was bigger than he thought. ¡°Sure, you keep mine and I keep yours, a fair deal,¡± John said.


    ¡°So unlike everyone else, my family is a bit special¡­¡± Jose narrated the full story of how his great-great-grandfather received a blessing from an undocumented dungeon and received an exclusive job known as Sun Warrior. Before he left to the next realm, Jose¡¯s ancestor bestowed upon his family the heritage of how to become a Sun Warrior themselves. It was a closely guarded secret only known to the De La Sol family.


    ¡°Stop,¡± John halted the story-telling. There was a fact he was trying to interpret here and it got him confused. ¡°You¡¯re telling me your ancestor is a Nomad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why?¡± It didn¡¯t seem to bother Jose.


    ¡°Then what about Randal, Hanz, and the Mayor?¡± John had a hunch about this, and he had to dive further.


    ¡°The same¡­¡± Jose said and John¡¯s mouth dropped. ¡°¡­I thought you nomads know? All of the first ancestors of the people that lived in this world are all nomads.¡±


    ¡°You sure? But why does Randal and Master didn¡¯t seem like they know anything about this?¡± John asked.


    ¡°It depends on their family. Some lasted through the years, keeping in check their tradition and heritage to live on while some died down, lost over time,¡± Jose said. His words were unlike his usual self. It was full of wisdom taught by the strong family he was born from.


    ¡°Sorry, Jose. I just got overwhelmed from all of these new things,¡± John said, massaging his temples. ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside first and continue your story¡­¡±


    Jose narrated how he was different than the rest of his kin. Those of his age were proud of their heritage as a Sun Warrior since it was no normal job. They prided themselves in their heavy offensive and the big boost when under the light of the sun. But Jose had a different inclination. From a young age, he liked the bow more than anything in this world. To see something flying across the air as if unbounded by the shackles on earth made him feel liberated. He had been practicing the bow in secret and by accident someone in the family discovered it.


    He was brought to the family council and all of the elders, and the leaders forced him to forsake the bow. But Jose couldn¡¯t. As a punishment, he was exiled from his house, his land, and his family. He wandered through the world and then he found Satbury, the place where people find themselves.


    ¡®Wow, that¡¯s just fuck up,¡¯ John kept those words to himself. Saying it out loud meant that Jose¡¯s family got a few screws loose.


    ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t have a choice in taking archer as a job? And why can¡¯t you just take a second job? Isn¡¯t kind of possible?¡± John asked.


    ¡°Unlike you, for us, we can¡¯t have more than one job¡­but in my case, if I do that then¡­¡± Jose looked at John in the eye. ¡°¡­I would lose my family for good. I would lose the only thing that bonded us together. If I do it, I won¡¯t be a Sun Warrior anymore.¡±


    ¡®Okay¡­this is pretty deep, and I don¡¯t think I should part him away from his family,¡¯ John thought. ¡®But man his family is pretty messed up, forcing a newborn to choose a job before he could even think was not the way to go.¡¯


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not my place to say anything about your family, but I can tell you this, follow what your heart tells you, and from that, you can find your own happiness,¡± John gave the vaguest answer he could pull out from his ass. It was the definition of general advice to lost souls.


    ¡°But what about my family?¡± Jose leaned closer, desperate for an answer.


    ¡°They will always be your family. Even without the same job, you and them share the same blood, and I bet you this, your parents will welcome you back no matter if you turned your back on them,¡± to John¡¯s words, tears trailed down from Jose¡¯s eyes.


    Jose abruptly got up with a pair of strong eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve decided,¡± he glanced at John.


    ¡°I will become an archer!¡±


    Commemorating Jose¡¯s new determination, a blue window appeared.