《World Explorer: Chronicles of Oliver Law》 Chapter 1: The First Glimpse A handsome, 18-year-old man ran across the road as he checked the time on his wrist. His long, black hair fluttered in the air but it did not hinder his keen vision. Avoiding the signposts and blockades on the streets like an expert adventurer, he reached the entrance of the building made in architectural glass and exhaled deeply. "Finally, I am here." He took out his identification card from his wallet and swiped it over the scanner just right next to the electronic door. A series of whirring sound came next and a mechanical voice interrupted his ruminations. "Welcome to the Department of Field Exploration, Oliver Law." The door opened and he entered the establishment. "Hello, Mr. Law," A redhead lady in white lab gown greeted once she saw him rushing on the hallway. "Are you scheduled for today?" "Yes, Miss Rosalia," Oliver answered as he stopped running and bowed toward her. "I can''t wait to arrive in Glendale." "Oh, so you''re assigned in that world? I hope you can bring a lot of resources when you come back." Oliver smiled vibrantly. "That''s my intention. It''s the only reason why I became a world explorer - to help humanity from the brink of extinction. Since Mother Earth got almost destroyed by our carelessness, I think it''s time for everyone to help what we can do to preserve our world." Rosalia''s expression became gloomy. With a sad tone, she replied, "Indeed, Earth was a planet full of resources but we did not learn to take good care of it until it''s too late. The ozone layer was depleted, forests were burned, even the animals were not spared from our greediness. Catastrophes happened frequently and the human population was reduced to half. Luckily, Sir Christian Law invented the Portal machine and it became a big stepping stone for us to find new means to survive." Once Oliver heard her mentioning his stepdad''s name, he became exuberant and pumped up. "Heh! Dad has always been like that, his life was solely committed to his studies but I can''t blame him. After all, he saved a lot of people due to his work and his dedication paid off." "That he did." Rosalia gave him a concerned look and patted his shoulders. "Don''t worry. Your dad is still out there, alive and kicking. I don''t know what world he was transported into but he is a resourceful one. He will not kick the bucket easily." Oliver appreciated what she did and smiled. "I know. I hope everything will be cleared and the investigation will answer some of our questions. He should have gone to Glendale as well but our contacts in that world said that they never saw him arriving." "Well, it''s not the proper time to reminisce some sad memories. I am confident that you can apply everything you have learned from your 10-year-training under the Special Agents Department. I''ll be waiting for your good results." Rosalia kissed him on his right cheek and whispered, "Please be safe and return in one piece." Oliver smelled the rosy breath from her mouth and felt the blood rushed to his head. Even then, he acted like it was nothing and laughed it off. "I''ve got to go, Miss Rosalia. Good day." He quickened his pace and followed the directions until he reached the office at the end of the narrow hallway. He opened the door and peeked inside, only to find his colleagues already prepped up for the transfer. Glen Dickens, a 25-year-old stoic engineer who gave up his dreams to volunteer on world exploration. Even though his friends warned him about the dangers he could meet, his desire to join the team did not wane. Stella Louise, a long-time medic, just retired from the army and spent her time as Rosalia''s assistant. When she found out that the department was looking for volunteers, she resigned from her post and applied for the job. Together, they were part of Team 25 assigned to travel to Glendale. Glen was in-charge with the logistics while Stella''s job was to keep the volunteers healthy. Oliver, on the other hand, was the fighter of the group and was involved with security. Glen looked at the door and saw Oliver approaching them. Displeased, he shouted, "Hey! Why are you late? Stella''s been worried about you." Stella snortedas she prepared her medical kit. "You better get inside the capsule so we can arrive at Glendale early. Our contacts keep asking me and it''s getting annoying." "Sorry, guys. Since I don''t know when we can return to Earth, I visited my mom''s grave before I came here. I just ran from the cemetery to the lab." Oliver went to the locker and grabbed his bag, which he prepared beforehand. He then moved closer to the 3-meter capsule allotted to him, which was comparable to a phone booth, and swiped his identification card on the scanner. At once, the metallic panel opened and he entered the portal machine. He gave them a thumbs-up sign before closing the door. Even though the area inside was small, he felt fine because he was not claustrophobic. He remembered what his dad said and took out the small chest from his bag. He opened it and saw a sealed bottle. Slowly, he lifted the bottle, uncorked it and took a sniff. His face brightened when he noticed the fruity scent and chuckled. "Dad knows what flavor I want despite him being busy." He then drank the content in one go. When he realized that nothing was happening, he frowned and muttered, "I wonder what effect it did have on my body." He did not dwell on it much longer and secured the bag on his back, only to noticed that the booth was shaking. "An earthquake?!"You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The tremor started weakly but the intensity went stronger after a minute passed by. Oliver pressed his hands on both the opposite walls to avoid crashing. Even then, the shaking did not stop and he could hear the alarm ringing outside the portal machine. A static voice reverberated within the area. "Warning. Please follow the protocol and get to the safety chamber." Oliver was about to go outside when he felt his body tingling - like some ants were gnawing his insides - and his muscles cramped. Even though his pain tolerance was high, he could not move at all because his body was not listening to him. The last things he noticed before he became unconscious were the blinking lights and the mechanical voice, saying, "Error. Please disembark the Portal Machine."
Oliver slowly opened his eyes, his body sore all over. He slightly tilted his face sideways and saw the bloody corpses beside him. Some were mutilated and others were beheaded but the brutality of the scene indicated that a massacre had just happened within the area. He did not move right away, sharpening his ears to hear any sounds that might give him clues. At the right side, he heard several people cussing and shouting at each other, probably enemies who were about to battle to the death. All he did was lie on the ground until the pain subsided. He waited, the time felt an eternity as he lied on the ground, and stood up once the area was silent. Curious, he scanned the area and had a vague idea as to his current location. The thick trees reminded him of acacia and oak, which was depicted from the books. Small rodent-like animals were seen scurrying away as if they were afraid of something. The purple mushrooms were thriving on the ground, lighting up the dark corners of the forest. The only scene that marred the view were the piles of corpses littered on the forest floor. Even then, the strong stench of blood did not make him gag because he was used to such scenarios. He was a true warrior on the battlefield and this made him all the more relaxed. "So nostalgic." He glimpsed sideways and noticed his bag five meters away from him. At once, he picked it up and checked his belongings. "Inflatable beddings...food pills...phone...portable traps..." When he realized that everything was still intact, he exhaled in relief. After securing his things, he wore his knapsack and cautiously approached one of the dead bodies and stooped down. "This looks just like a human being. I wonder if they have the same body composition..." Oliver traced his fingers on the corpse''s skin and felt that the body was similar to that of a male human. Even the clothes they wore were practically the same, except for the strange wolf-like image that wasetched on his forehead. Oliver investigated the other corpses and found out that they all had animal-like markings on their bodies. Most of them had these images on their arms while a few others were engraved on their feet. Some of them had their markings on their chests as well. Hesuspected that it had a significant meaning but it was impossible to determine its importance just based on these findings. The situation was urgent and he had to find a safe place to spend the day and recover his strength. He wondered if his teammates were also transported to the same world. Luckily, he had the chip to help him analyze things. Unbeknownst to all, the chip implanted in his head was the reason for his high intelligence. As far as he could remember, the chip was already with him and he had no idea as to why he had this inside his brain. One time, he asked his stepdad about this but he just brushed him away, insisting that he was just making things up. He hid behind the trees and crouched before activating the chip. Several holographic texts appeared right before his retina.
Starting Analysis... Determining Location... Atmosphere Comparison to Glendale: 35% Atmosphere Comparison to Earth: 99%
Checking Status Condition... Health: 98% Latent Potential is being awakened because of Serum-X... Physical Stamina Regeneration is increased... Strength is increased... Agility is increased... Endurance is increased... Vitality is increased... Comparison to Human: 50% New Genes detected...these cells can devour any living being and rob them of their life essence...
Oliver frowned when he read the prompts. "So the liquid I drank earlier was called Serum-X. Is this the reason why my physical attributes increased?" With the chip''s help, he discovered a lot of things. First, the environment was too similar to that of Earth. Second, this was not Glendale.Third, his body was changed by Serum-X, altering his very core and awakening something within. "Fifty percent human..." The last message gave him an ominous feeling, and he was all the more curious about his identity. "Dang! I wish I could meet Dad again." Oliver heard several faint footsteps from the right clearing. In a flash, he jumped up and gripped the dangling branch before somersaulting toward the nearby tree. He stabilized his footing and crouched as his senses became sharper. Three people entered the forest clearing. All of them wore chainmail on their upper bodies partnered with metallic greaves, cuisse, and sabaton on their lower parts. The only part that was not covered was their head. As far as Oliver was concerned, they were comparable to the knights he read on books. "Og shalika hari kulaki." "Meru." "Meru." They scoured the piled bodies as if they were looking for something. After several minutes, they left the area. Oliver waited forseveral minutesbefore jumping down. "I wonder what they are searching for. I should let the chip analyze the language of this world so I can''t be hindered by communication barriers." He was about to leave when the chip suddenly showed several prompts.
Satiation Level: 0% Your body will begin the force-feeding procedure...
Oliver felt dizzy and toppled on the ground. When his hands touched the dead bodies, his whole arms transformed into a fanged eel-like creature and started biting the corpse. He saw many bizarre things in his life but this was the first one that frightened him. His arms kept on eating the chunks of meat no matter how many times he tried stopping. Soon, he witnessed the dead bodies being devoured without his consent. "Is this what the chip meant by force-feeding?" Even though it was disgusting, he could not help but moan in satisfaction every time his transformed hands swallowed some meat. It lasted for several minutes until the chip gave him another prompt.
Satiation Level: 100% Analyzing Life Essence Absorbed... Comparing Life Essence to Earth Counterparts... Wolf Essence: 100% Integrating Essence into your body... Operation successful...
Oliver did not know what to make of it because this was the first time this thing happened in his life. He was about to stand up when something was triggered in his mind. This time, he was seeing himself transforming his whole body into a wolf. Chapter 2: Wolf (1)
Wolf Essence Absorption: 100% New Abilities detected... Transformation: Wolf Agility is increased...
Analysing...The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. You may devour any bodies as long as your satiation level is not full... Transformation: Devouring Eel
Satiation Level: 75%
Analysing Status... Wolf Essence are enhanced... Possible mutation if wolf-related essences are continuously consumed... New essence is detected... Spider Essence: 10% Agility is increased...
Chapter 3: Wolf (2) Even though Oliver could not find his teammates, he opted to stay in the forest because it benefited him a lot. Many available corpses could fill his satiation level and even mutate his forms. If he was lucky, he could get new essences as well, thereby adding varieties to his fighting style aside from the things he learned in his training. He planned to consume as many corpses as he could while the war was on-going. He sneaked through the area and successfully evaded all the enemies'' attention. Every time he saw a battle, he carefully hid in a corner and observed how they fight. This was the first time he had seen full-blown magic attacks. Indeed, the markings on their bodies were used to transform themselves into animals. He realized that the most common form they morphed into was the wolf. This was the very reason why he easily completed the essence and successfully inherited the transformation skill. The second form he had witnessed was the spider. Luckily, he was not arachnophobic because the ones he saw were bigger than the wolves. Armed with poison, their spits were potent enough to melt trees. He even spotted armors sizzled when hit by the spider''s claws. But the warriors clad in knight armors were very unique in their rights. Each of them was good in weapons and they could use it as if they were their bodies'' extensions. Most of them were using swords of different sizes, which were enveloped by bright lights. He doubted if the light was a form of energy or simply magic cast by the weapon user. The chip recorded everything, including the words the aborigines had spoken, so that Oliver could use it for future reference. He attempted searching for a warrior''s corpse to eat but their allies always carried their dead friends back with them. For now, he could only settle for these dead people with etched images on their skin.
A week passed by. The battle between the knight-like warriors and the people with markings on their bodies intensified. The number of deaths was increasing as they continued their fights inside the forest. No matter who ended up winning, Oliver did not care at all. What he needed from them were their fatalities. Oliver could not count how many bodies he had devoured within the forest. His physical attributes grew slowly as he continued feasting the corpses like a hyena. Even then, he was dismayed because his wolf essence did not mutate. The only good thing that happened to him was the completion of the Spider Essence, adding new form in his arsenal.
Analyzing Status... Spider Essence: 100% Learned Skill: None Agility is increased...
Wolf Essence: 256% Learned Skill: Bloodlust, Energy Claw, Call for Help Agility is increased... Strength is increased...
Oliver studied what the chip recorded about the spider transformation. Once he was done, he tried activating his spider form using his tried-and-tested method. Soon, he felt the tingling sensation inside his body, indicating that the transformation was successful.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He had no idea what was actually happening within him but he knew that he was becoming a spider. When the process was completed, he saw a new world before him. This time, he had eight eyes on his head. He could detect the motion of the animals around him through his two pairs of ''side'' eyes. The two most central eyes were used to focus on the target so he could see the details, while the pair beside it helped him determine the relative distance in his visual field. What made him surprised washe could also perceive the surroundings through touch, vibration, and taste stimuli. He realized that the essence he absorbed this time had the capabilities of both hunting-type and web-building spiders. He experimented further and noted that he could spit acid from his mouth, although it was weaker when compared to what he had witnessed. Spouting webs also required some dexterity on his part because he needed to constantly move his legs to form it. When he was done, he deactivated his spider form and continued with his hunt.
Thirty days flashed by quickly. The war did not stop but they were unaware that someone was benefitting a lot from their casualties. Oliver hunted for life essences daily, being a wolf at night and a spider in daylight. He treated the forest as his home, to the extent that he would not be lost even if he closed his eyes. Slowly but surely, he became stronger with each passing day, fully embracing the powers he had received.The only thing that frustrated him was he did not know where his teammates were. With the help of the chip, he became familiar with the language of this world. Although he could not speak fluently, the chip helped him translate what the aborigines were saying. At last, he somehow had a general overview as to what was happening right now. Two groups were at war with each other. The shapeshifters were those who have animal markings carved on their skins. Based on what he had heard, they were called rebels by the Meru Kingdom, a country ruled by the knight-like warriors called weapon masters.There was some sort of a power struggle between them but that was the only information he had gathered from his spying. By default, the weapon masters would consider him as an enemy if they knew he could transform as well. But if the shapeshifters would detect that he had no markings on his body, he would be labeled as a spy from the other side. After a lot of deliberation inside his mind, he decided to stay away from the two sides and keep the status quo. But if he would encounter them and they deemed him as a threat, then he would retaliate without remorse. Oliver was just done training and went back to his cave. After making sure that the alarm systems were set properly, he took a rest on his bedding. "It''s been a month since I''ve arrived. One thing for sure, this is not Glendale but more of a world that was similar to that of the past Earth. No matter, I have to become stronger and take advantage of this war before I venture outside." He reviewed the gains he had in the past days through the chip''s help inside his mind. At once, several prompts appeared on his retina.
Analyzing Status... Spider Essence: 165% Learned Skill: Webs, Venom Spit, Poison Claw Agility is increased...
Wolf Essence: 499% Learned Skill: Bloodlust, Energy Claw, Call for Help Agility is increased... Strength is increased...
Oliver wondered if his wolf form would mutate when it became 500 percent."Better do it later at night. I hope it does because the body count this time is getting smaller." No matter what, he had to persevere. With no one to help him, he could only rely on himself to become stronger. After he mused over his current situation, he lied down and slept. He woke up late at night, transformed into his wolf form, and immediately went outside to look for corpses. After an hour of searching, he finally found several bodies piled at an inconspicuous area. He scanned his surroundings to make sure that there were no enemies nearby. When he was convinced that no one was present, he approached the bodies and started devouring the life essences. He enjoyed the invigorating sensation he felt every time he absorbed the essences. He was halfway in consuming the body parts when he sensed his body twitching. It started with a slight warmth feeling on his chest, which began to spread all over his body. Like experiencing a terrible fever, he could not think properly and his visions were blocked by dazzling lights. He could only rely on his other senses to detect the changes that were happening on his body. After seemed like an eternity to him, he found himself back into his human form. He was sweating a lot despite the coldness of the night. Curious, he instructed the chip to show him the changes that it could detect inside his body.
Analyzing Status... Mutation detected... Wolf Essence evolved into its higher form - Wolf King... Wolf King Essence: 1% Learned Skill: Webs, Venom Spit, Poison Claw Agility is increased... Strength is increased... Endurance is increased... Vitality is increased... Health and stamina regeneration is increased...
At once, Oliver activated the advance form and felt that his body length became longer. He executed his skills and studied the changes that go with the mutation. When he realized that his moves were more powerful than usual, he was elated because he needed all the strength he could get to power up. His senses becoming sharper were an added bonus. Oliver was about to hunt again while in this form when he detected a dangerous presence approaching his direction. He returned to his human form and hid in the darkness as he waited for this random visitor to arrive.