《Tales of Calamity (LitRPG)》
Chapter 0: Crying Under the Mountain Tops
In this dimly lit room a single candle rested between two figures. Their shadows danced along with the flame and the smoldering crackles it released overpowered the howls of the wind.
They were at the very top of a mountain glazed with ice. At this snowcapped peak, the wind''s howls had a certain spite to them. Its cold tongues felt as if it could lick off chunks from your skin.
However, unperturbed by this disturbance were the two beings who sat within the hollowed out mountain.
"I believe you know why I summoned you over here, no?"
A woman''s voice asked. It was frail, yet wise. Familiar with the marks of old age.
"No, not at all actually, Madame Rhys." He joked. "I can''t imagine you''d call me all the way out to the peak of this mountain just to exchange old pleasantries."
"You know I''m not one for jokes." The lady retorted.
Before the conversation could get any further diluted, she spoke. "The coin has flipped."
The man froze. He wasn''t moving initially, but even more so one could tell he froze.
The chills of the wind suddenly grew colder. How powerful must this woman be? With just one sentence, she had changed the temperature of the room.
If she were to say she was joking, it would immediately drop back down by a good 50 degrees.
The man eagerly awaited such a response. To no avail.
"Among you adventurers, are there still those who are able to perform the summoning ritual?"
"The quality of adventurers have dropped the last century. Now adays there''s only 12 platinum rank adventurers."
"I see...I trust they hold enough capability?"
"I don''t suppose you are still able to perform the technique yourself, are you?"
The old lady sighed. "Unfortunately, with these seal placed over me, I''m no longer able to perform like how I used to. I fear trying it may ultimately weaken me."
His breath was still rigid, but he stood up. "I will..- I will start the necessary steps. Please do not over-exert yourself. Humanity will surely be victorious this time."
He began to chant some words, and from the top of the mountain, a giant blinding flash of light towered to the heavens.
So bright was such a light, that for a couple seconds, it seemed as if the entire world was illuminated.
With that one single flare, it signified the beginning of a new age. The era of calamity was once again upon them.
Many looked on at the light in confusion, others looked in amazement. However, there were a select few adventurers that saw the light and their face visibly grew stern.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
These were adventurers nearing the levels of 90 and above. They had seen many battles and even slain dragons. However, that one light invoked a sense of terror and uncertainty in them that only manifested in their early days.
"Lord Nazazi... what is that light?!"
A child clung onto her staff curiously. The other four in her group also stared at the light wondering what it was.
Nazazi inspected the skies through his metal visor. His rusted knight''s helm clanked with every slight motion he made. Aside from just a helm, he wore no other article of armor. In fact, the rest of his apparel were just simple garments.
His long sword rested on his back as he turned towards the light. "I see..."
He stood up and put out the camp-fire that they had all been resting at. They had only just had a chance to rest before traveling to their next mission. "It seems this is urgent. We shall be heading back to the capital at once."
"Huh?? But,Naz, we just finally rested. Can''t we take a break for a little bit?!" Horen protested. The other 3 seemed to share the same sentiment.
Nazazi continued walking for a couple seconds, and upon realizing his team was not following him, he stopped.
"Keep in mind, we are still in the Forest of Tears. Your levels are all too weak to survive on your own should an attack manifest itself."
With that statement, he picked up his pace. This was enough to frighten the rest of his group and they very hurriedly matched his speed.
A man a woman sat by the campfire. They both dawned hooded robes and dressed entirely alike. The fire sat ablaze between the two of them as they ate the venison they had just cought.
Mid swallowing, the light illuminated both of them and the man almost choked on his food. "Shish, that brighght lighgdst."
"Oi, finish your food before you talk. Its disgusting."
He foricibly swallowed the rest of his food. "That light.. it couldn''t be-"
His sister nodded. "Mhm. Emergency Summon."
"But they''ve never once performed an emergency summon before. It could only mean-"
"Mhm. An Era of Calamity is coming." She threw the rest of her venison in the fire. She had lost her appetite.
"Let''s get some rest. We''ll head back to the capital in the morning."
He nodded, finished his food, reached into the flame to grab hers and devour it as well. Truly ravenous.
"Hoi, Illim. You can''t tell me you don''t know about the Legends?"
"I haven''t bothered looking into them. They are after-all, just legends."
Sero sighed and facepalmed. "I get that you are from the southern continent and all that, but you''re a level 98 adventurer. There''s no way you can''t know of the story. I learned it at level 80!"
Illim''s robe fluttered behind her as the light illuminated them both. "I have no interest in tales."
"Heh. You''ve heard of the 13 heroes right?"
Illim shook her head.
"NO WAY IN HELL!"
"THE 13 HEROES! THE ONES THAT DEFEATED THE DEMON KING 500 YEARS AGO!?"
"Ah wait..." she suddenly exlaimed, putting a hand to her chin.
"Oh..no, actually nevermind. Never heard of them."
Sero practically fell over upon hearing that. "Well, it seems that another calamity is about to happen. It would have to be on us platinum rank adventurers to stop it."
"By Calamity, do you mean to say something as powerful as the demon king?"
"Maybe even more powerful. Either way, its going to have massive effects on the world."
Illim sighed. "How troublesome. I want no part of it."
"Hey now, you can''t just decide that. You''ll be dragged in either way. Besides, you''re the second strongest adventurer."
"I''m the highest level adventurer yes. But There''s many different factors that play into winning a battle. My defense and vitality are severely lacking."
"It''s like what Zexel said. I''m... s- squishy.." she instantly got gloomy upon remembering those harsh words. Sero suddenly perked up and tried his best to lighten up her mood with jokes. But to no avail.
The duo headed towards their destination, the capital city slowly, enshrouded by a tenebrific cloud hanging over Illim.
((I am aware, the bottom tab is tales of misfortune. These two words are meant to both be used for the title.))
Chapter 1: A Voice So Distant
Rhys! Wake up, you''re late for work ---again!" Piercing his tranquil slumber, a voice that could only be described as harassment screeched out to him. Zuli, her smug grin just at the sight of his annoyance was enough to sum up her character.
Though they started off friends, after moving in together, they were more bitter enemies. In fact, she often looked for any chance to slight him. Unfortunately, she never did have to look that hard.
Rhys got up from bed and stretched. His long black dreads stretched down over his glasses. Normally in this city such an appearance would have him look intimidating, but even then, he failed to do even that. in contrast, his eyes were much too soft.
His eyebrows naturally arched upwards as if he was always sad. The absurdly thick glasses he had on were much too big for his head and covered a good portion of his face. Behind them, the soft dark brown gaze could not be mistaken for anger, even if he was.
He lacked any muscle or athletic capability. If he were to fit into any category, it would simply be summed up by the word "geek". However, that would surmise intelligence. In Rhys'' case, his IQ was nowhere near remarkable.
So what does someone without any resolve for sports or academics do? The one thing he has talent in, is doing nothing at all.
He''s had plenty of time to try and attain new hobbies or skills, but over the ages, he quietly resigned to a stagnant lifestyle.
Behind these walls of his room, everyone could forget his failures. Behind these walls, the expectations of others could not reach him. Behind these walls, he was fortified. This was his absolute domain.
That is until the loud mouthed demon breaks through those doors. He groaned and got up, shooting Zuli a glare that was very much reciprocated.
"Jesus, you could at least try to be a bit more ambitious. Our final tests just finished. We''re pretty much done with school. You''re legally an adult now. You should be thinking more about your future."
''Nag Nag Nag...fucken hell, that''s all you do. Hop off my dick.''
Rhys yawned and stretched. "I know I know, my alarm should have woken me up."
"You can''t keep making excuses for yourself, Rhys. Sooner or later your job will fire you as well. Then what? You''re gonna leave all this burden on me?"
In this day and age with the cost of living as high as it is, it would mean be fairly impossible for them to live on their own. "Well..I gotta dash to work then. hm?" He got up and threw on some clothes very sloppily, before putting on his glasses. He didn''t actually need them at all to see...
It was actually quite a long story of how he came to wear these. It was now a force of habit that he could not avoid regardless of it all.
Placing it on reminded him very much of the old days, when him and Zuli were close friends. It was just the three of them. Zuli, Rhys....- and...Kels.
It was odd. He sometimes felt it was his fault that tore them all apart. Though both Kels and Zuli would often tell him it was the wears of time. Their relationships had long dwindled to the point where they were only reminescing of the old days without any regard for the current them.
He dawned his uniform on. Black slacks, navy blue polo and got promptly left the house to work. Zuli never actually had to work oddly enough. For someone who constantly nags him, she was supported entirely by her parents. They payed for everything.
They pay her rent, her school supplies, tuition, and they even bought her a car outright. For someone that was so easily handed everything, he couldn''t stand the amount of complaining she does about everyone elses lives.
Rhys on the other hand saved up for everything he had ever needed. It took him several years to save up for a car. Though the very next week after he got it, it was destroyed in an accident.
His tuition still had much left to pay off. For someone who literally does nothing, it was a wonder where all this money was going to.
He hurriedly ran along, narrowly dodging traffic through sheer luck. The city could only be described as cold. Skyscrapers covered the heavens. Lights illuminated every sector at all hours of the day. Everyone always seemed like they had somewhere to go and could not wait for others.
In this city, everyone was always rushing. There was always some place to be. Its frusterating, but it garnered it the name "City of Lonesome." With everyone always having some place to be, there was never time for interaction. Work, work, work, work.
For the outside world it seemed like the city was simply ravenous for work. However, Rhys always grew saddened by the streets he walked through. To him, he could see the loneliness behind their eyes. They couldn''t really focus on interaction no matter how much they wanted.
It was because they desperately needed to survive. This city, truly, it was a jungle.
As he was running he saw something up ahead that made him slow down immediately. An old lady carrying her groceries.
She had a small cart she was using to both hold herself up and push her food. One of the spokes on the weels had apparently loosened and fell off, tilted everything over. No matter how much strength she tried to muster, she could not really move the entire load.
Like always, the traffic did not stop for her either.
"Oi. Gramma, do you need some help?" He raised his hands over to her so she could see.
"O-oh.. you would help an old hag like me?" She lightly bowed as far as her hunchback could allow her. "You really are an honorable man. You remind me of my grands-on." She let her purse drop from her shoulders. "You see, there''s a socket wrench somewhere in my purse there."
The purse dropped with a thud that almost made him jump! what the hell kind of super granny was this!? The noise was much too loud for just 5 pounds. It sounded most definitely like 40lbs.
He nodded and crouched down to look through her purse. Sure enough, he found himself pulling out rocks of various sizes. You can''t be serious. How much rocks does a lady like this need?
"O-h those are just my rocks for safety. It is a dangerous city out here~" she said sheepishly.
''no lady...you''re the dangerous one here...'' he picked out a knife from the pile of rocks as well.
Finally, he managed to get deep enough to pick out the small pocket wrench that she hid in her purse. Though once he got to the wheel he couldn''t help but look lost. He took off his glasses to better clear his vision. Yet, he definitely couldn''t spot anything there.
"umu...excuse me miss, but isn''t there supposed to be a screw here?" she looked down and gasped... "oh no....I must have lost it earlier on in my walk. This happens all the time you see." She sighed. "Ahh, if only I was much younger. I could have taken care of this myself."
Rhys sighed and got up. "Wait here, lady. I''ll be back." He quickly ran off. If he remembers correctly, there should be a hardware store just 2 blocks back.
Gen''s Hardware and Rocks.... "eh...odd coincidence, but okay.." He reluctantly stepped foot in the shop.
"Hello~~~ Welcome to Gen''s Hardware and Rock Shop, how can I help you?"
He quickly explained the situation and asked for where the bolts and screws were. "Aisle 13"
He politely bowed and ran off to the aisle. Let''s see... they were 10mm...
"ah here... but 25 bucks?!" he shuddered to think he''d have to spend 20 on such an item. They only came in a bulk pack of 30 bolts. Who in their right minds would need 30 10mm bolts?
Regardless, he brought the bolts to the front register and hashed out the last of his money for the week to pay for it. He sprinted back to the block and helped the lady repair her fallen wheel and even secured the other one to make sure it wouldn''t fall.
"Oh- its refreshing to see that there are still fine young men like yourself around. Especially in this city... it gives me hope for our future." She planted a kiss on his cheek. Could you get more grandmotherish?
After helping her cross the street, she waved him off and he ran off to the his job. In truth, he had woken up late because it was a 30 walk there. If he had run, he probably could have made it in time.
After this instance though, he was most certainly late.
He burst through the doors of his work place and immediately ran to clock in. Unfortunately, right at the time clock, waiting for him, was his boss.
The middle aged man Hores was in his late 40''s, balding on the side, and always seemed like a laid back kinda guy, but this time the look on his face was one that held a lot of sternness to it.
For sure he was going to get scolded again.
"Anything to say for yourself?"
"I had to help an old lady cross the street...?"
"Tch." He sighed. "Listen, Rhys. You can''t keep coming up with these excuses."
He motioned him into the office.
"Look. I had wanted to keep you on at least until classes were over. That way you''d have a steady means of surviving your school year, but look at this."
Sat before him was a calander. A plethora of X''s filled the page. "Do you care to elaborate on what you think these are?"
"...lates or absenses."
He nodded. "Mhm. And of course with all of these X''s, I actually wrote down a list of excuses. On the 1st, it was to help a child crying. On the 4th, it was an accident that you were helped out."
He went down the list. "The 19th, you got mugged."
"21st, sick"
"22nd, Sick."
"24th, Old Lady."
"25th, Sick."
"26th, A fight brokedown in Central."
"27th...School Exam"
"28th...29th..."
"31st, Old Lady...again."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Look, I get it. School is hard on young impressionable teens such as yourself. However, I had thought this behaviour would stop once you had finally completed your courses."
"It was my mistake for letting it go on this long. So in Conclusion Rhys, you''re terminated."
Terminated. He knew such a word was inevitable. Some day it would come to this.
Silently, he exited the room. "Ah..I wonder what Zuli''s gonna say about this. I can just imagine her nagging now."
''You''re practically useless''
''why do you still keep on trying?''
''Is there anything you''re good at?''
''You know, if you actually tried to do things, it may work out differently. You gotta stop worrying about others.''
''Y''know, I actually haven''t ever met someone as untalented as you. It''s remarkable really.''
These were words he''s heard all too much. Not just from Zuli, but the words manage to follow him everywhere. Subtle inputs from acquaintances, friends, bullies, etc.
As he walked a stern voice disrupted his train of thought. "Out of the way, Nerd." Kels, the once long ago friend of his. His varsity coat rested over his shoulder. The progress of time was one that was impossible to stop.
What was then a small tiny kid, fearful of every agressive encounter was now a tall 6''5ft mountain of muscle. He seemed easily agitatable at all times. Those eyes of his could only look towards the future and pierce whatever is in his way.
Everything about him seemed immovable. Even his short spikes of hair refused to relent under the wind. He casually brushed Rhys aside with his shoulder and kept walking. Not even sparing a glance back.
He was clearly upset about something. "It''s understandable. The school life is over now. There''s no more reason to play anymore."
Kels stopped. "That''s what I should be saying to you, Rhys."
This was the first time they had spoken in years. It had cought him completely off gaurd. Kels sighed. "Why do you still wear those glasses?"
"huh...what are you going on about? My vision is horrid."
He clenched his teeth and grimaced. "Do you even know why I''m coming from this direction? I live on the opposite side of town."
Rhys had a confused look on his face. The conversation was not making sense at all. "I just talked with Zuli.... Hey... is it true? Those glasses.. you''ve been pretending to be blind all along?"
"It wasn''t until that day that you began wearing them."
"Huh.." Rhys sighed. It was a day so long ago. It almost seemed as if they weren''t the same people....
"....RHYS! I NEED YOUR HELP!" Zuli ran frantically calling for him as he was playing with several of his friends.
"Ehhh? Whats''up Zuli cooley?"
She panted heavily. She clearly had run all the way here. "Kels!...They''re picking on him!"
Rhys stopped his swing and hopped off running to the soccer fields frantically. Kels was not strong at all. He had a health problem that heavily stunted his growth due to his malnutrition. He was much smaller than all the other kids.
When he got there, it was much too late. Kels had lay there bleeding from his lip and covered in dirt and tears. He was too late. He couldn''t always be where Kels was. There was no way he could keep saving him.
But that was the same with the bullies... they couldn''t always be where Kels was. Besides, it wasn''t like he could fight against them anyways. He was unremarkable as well.
That day his vision began to worsen and with the new overnight concerns his parents bought him glasses. They were the most obtrusive pair of bifocals one could possibly pick out. He chose it and insisted it be the ones he wanted.
The thick glasses looked like giant panels that could even deflect bullets. His eyes were magnified exponentially. Since that day, he''d always wear it to school and the bullies would instead pick on him. How could they not? He was rediculous to look at.
That, coupled with the fact that he slowly became less and less skilled in almost everything, there was no way he wouldn''t be picked on.
His school days since then on had been nothing but being targeted. It wasn''t anything he couldn''t handle though.
"Say...Rhys. You can actually see can''t you?"
"Kels...I honestly don''t know what you''re getting on ab-"
With swiftness that he couldn''t even follow, Rhys found himself lying on the ground facing up to the sky.
His glasses had been knocked over and this sharp burning pain manifested in his left cheek. He got up hazily, spitting out the little amount of blood that had drawn.
Only seeing Kels pose did he realize he must''ve been punched. "Wow.. you''re as strong as ever, Kels." He got up and grabbed his glasses.
"STOP MESSING AROUND!" He stomped on the glasses before Rhys could reach them.
"You can see even better without those can''t you."
"Say Rhys... why did you let those years of torment go on? Constantly trying to help others at the expense of yourself?"
"...."
"All of this time...do you think you''re being a hero or something?"
"What the hell do you get from this?!"
He sighed. It''s not possible to lie in this instance.
"I just didn''t want to see you or Zuli suffering... you guys are my friends."
Kels leg rose up from the ground, kicking Rhys back along with his glasses. "You''re always going around, shouldering everything on yourself. Every. Single. Time."
Blank. Sheer cold darkness. He was utterly unconcious.
"If you had just been truthful, went through everything with us, perhaps we would have still been..."
"I call upon you... you who holds no bearings. You who knows no future. I call upon you."
"..huh, who''s there?"
"From this world to the next, the grasps of Shiredin shall not falter. The souls of the unworthy shan''t hear. The souls of the unfamiliar shan''t recognize. In this mortal realm of ours, only sins determine -"
"What are you taling about...?"
"By the divine power invested within us beings. There lies no authority greater than the seal. No God or Diety can interfere, for here now lies your enlistment. You need only accept."
"What is this voice.... its so...odd."
In this void, of black, he felt only warmth. The voice continued to talk, not to him, but at him. It''s words seemed to borrow their way into his mind so even if he wanted to not pay attention, he could not.
He found his consciousness being drawn forward towards this voice. But behind him, a different voice rung out. This one much more tearful and saddened. It was the voice of a woman, far too familiar with the sands of time.
"Come... Hero. Time is slowly running out. Come.... save me."
"ah...why do you sound so sad...? Where are you?"
The rain started to pick up.
The coldness interrupted the warmth he had just felt within himself and he slowly drifted back into consciousness. He found himself laying against the sidewalk with his glasses clutched tightly in his hand.
"I see...it started to rain."
"Heh...I''ve seen these things in novels and movies all the time. Why does such a cliche weather have to hit now..."
He got up. Judging by how wet he was, he must have been out for at least 20 minutes. His clothes were soaked. His body ached in several places as he got up and placed his glasses on.
The rain covered the lenses to the point where they seemed like foggy windows, embraced by showers of rain. He walked slowly back home and took off his shoes. He silently went to head to bed, but instead, Zuli was sitting up watching the TV in the living room.
She turned around the moment the door unlocked. "Oh... you''re home early?"
She then cought sight of him and her voice slowly trailed off... "What happened?"
He looked tattered. Clothes entirely soaked, Blood still trailed from his chin.
"I-..."
Rhys ignored everything and walked to his room, tuning out her words entirely. He was focused on something else entirely.
He changed his clothes and hopped into bed. For whatever reason a voice still lingered in his head. He couldn''t quite figure out what it was, but the voice sounded so sad...so so sad... who was it?
Zuli knocked on his door shortly after.
"Oi. Rhys. You talked to Kels didn''t you?"
"Truth is,Rhys...your attitude pisses me off."
"We were supposed to help each other."
"I couldn''t believe how blind I was to everything, but once I started living with you I realized it. You try to shoulder everything on yourself."
"No matter what it costs you."
"I tried to keep silent...but seeing you destroy yourself...seeing you destroy your future wasn''t getting any easier."
"Zuli..-"
"I was hoping it would be over once school stopped. But... you never change huh."
"If you think you''re helping any of us by suffering you''re wrong. In much the same way- It hurts each and every one of us to see you like this."
"You haven''t helped anything at all!"
Her words sounded faint from outside his door. For whatever reason, he couldn''t focus on anything she was saying. The world around him seemed lucid. The four walls that were his sanctuary seemed as if they were fluctuating.
I haven''t helped anything at all, huh...
I guess even now, I''m still really useless..
"You were supposed to help us because we were your friends right? How could we as your friends sit and watch you deteriorate like that.."
No...- you''re wrong...
She was sobbing outside of his door. Huh...its odd. She was starting to sound more and more like her old self.
"Tell me."
I didn''t do this just because we were friends..
"All of this time acting like you were inneficient at everything. What was all of that for?"
Truth is, I never pretended about all of that. I have no talents... no skills.
He could hear her words but for whatever reason, his couldn''t leave his own mind. The walls around him now shined immensley. Engulfing his entire presence in a warm light. So bright was such a light, that he couldn''t see anything. He couldn''t even feel his own limbs.
"Selection complete... Verifying agreement?"
If there was only one thing I''m good at... its shouldering everyone elses'' pain. That''s why I try so hard to help others. That''s why I take away from everyone elses misfortunes. I can at least do that much...
Verifying Agreement
This voice was overpowering. So powerful yet melancholy.
"Do you accept?"
Yes...of course...
There were clearly 2 conversations now going on within him. The answer for both could only be concluded with that statement, yes...of course.
If he didn''t think it the best choice, he would have never done it.
Yes... of course. If there is ever someone that saddened needing his help, he cannot help but aid them.
Configuration. Agreement is set in place. Welcome to the New World. Hero.
His room began to glow unbearably hot. The white light began to pulse and the walls breathed louder and louder. Pulsing inwards and outwards...in and out...in and out. and out. and out. and out. His eyes were now captivated by the sight before him. He couldn''t blink. His breath cought in his throat.
The walls around him shifted like a living organism. The light was so powerful it pierced through his body and reflected on the other side. His entire room was a hot glowing white caucophany. The sound of blades and wind, chirping, screaming, howls and various indescernible noises filled his head.
Two of them in particular stood out among them all.
"WHATS GOING ON?! RHYS ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" It was Zuli. Pounding on the door as hard as she could. The white light could be clearly seen from under the door.
For her however, it felt so cold. As if his room was a freezer.
Then he heard the other voice. So silently yet so clearly, sobbing. It was the pain of hundreds of years. There''s no way a human could reach this level of sadness over night... Between the both of those, he could tune out everything else.
Drifting in and out of consciousness at the same rate as the pulsing walls, he finally fell into pure warmth, black, and silence..
"Welcome, Hero. You''ve crossed plains intact."
"You may now open your eyes."
Little by little everything came into view. There he was, staring at skies so blue that they seemed almost dreamlike. The sounds of the wind caressing the trees comforted him. Grass swept from underneath his skin.
Huh....It''s...beautiful.
I could''ve sworn I was just in my room earlier. Where am I now.
He got up and looked around. That''s when he realized. It wasn''t just him there. There were dozens of others. Many of them looking equally confused.
Some have already awoken and been standing for several minutes, others were still asleep not breathing. As he observed the bodies, as if life was suddenly given to them, their chests began to rise up and down. Some bodies however, didn''t move one bit.
All in all...there were so many of them. How many...60..80..no there was well over 100 if you include the ones who had not yet awakened.
"What is this place?" He asked.
Some of the others asked questions out of confusion as well, but it was clear noone knew what was going on or where they were.
Chapter 2: World of Violence
Rhys looked around. So far a total of 100 people had woken up. They were people of various sizes, appearances, age, and demeanor. Not a single one seemed to have a clue what was going on. Their chattering filled the skies.
Then a kid laughed loudly. Everyone unanimously stopped to see who it was that spoke. The kid was probably 3 years younger than Rhys, still in his school days, but the laugh he had was clearly one of delight.
"Ah---aH-aAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN''T BELIEVE IT. THIS IS IT HUH?!"
"THIS IS..."
"Isekai."
"Huh?" Several of the others looked even more confused than ever. Rhys wasn''t big into manga or comics. But he could tell it was some nerdy speak the kid was talking about. After-all... he still held a copy of Re:Zero in his hand.
The only character he could remember from a tv series was when he was younger, a yugioh character called weavil. That''s exactly who the kid reminded him of.
"You guys don''t get it! We''re in another world!"
He inhaled the fresh air of oak trees and chrysanthemum. "judging by the scenery....this is a medival setting!"
"What the hell are you talking about?! Other worlds? Medival Setting?!"
He grinned at the questions he recieved. "I guess that means I''ll have to enlighten you all."
"We were all called here for a purpose. Be it as heroes or servants."
One of the others raised their hands as if they were in class.
"But... some of the bodies still haven''t moved yet-"
"That''s because they were to weak to handle transmigration."
Transmigration....
Rhys tried to remember what occured before he woke up like this, but he had no recollection. All he remembers was the warm embrace of light and the sudden darkness he was engulfed in.
There was a voice... but he couldn''t remember anything about it. Though, he must''ve been home at some point. He was still dressed in his signature pajamas. A loosely knit blue onesie with cat ears on the top of his hoodie. This was embarassing. But so far it seemed everyone was too distressed to notice.
"Transmigration?! THATS BULLSHIT! COME ON KID, GET SERIOUS HERE."
"This clearly ain''t no time to joke. There''s dead bodies everywhere." The man who spoke was of large stature. He still wore a school uniform, but he looked very much like a delinquant. His clothes were various sizes too large and drooped down. His haircut spiked back.
The scars above his eye and running down his neck clearly highlighted the amount of times he brushed with death.
"I ain''t got time to hear this stupidity. I need to get back now." He cracked his neck. "So tell me. What''s the way back."
So fast.. In mere seconds, he was able to close the gap between them and grab the kid''s collar. - they were both the same age, but the difference in appearance was astounding..
"Tch. You have an annoyingly smug look you know that?"
"Enough."
So much authority were held in those words, that everyone could only help but turn and see.
Standing at the edge of the clearing were 18 men dressed in knights armor. Cloaks of red and gold, cloaks of blue and gold, cloaks of purple and gold, and various other colors decorated their gear.
The man who spoke stood out in the middle of them all. His hair was very carefully grooomed so that they framed both sides of his face with perfect symetry. His eyes were stern and full of coldness. It was clear, even as undamaged as he was, that he had seen many battles.
In fact, one could surmise, that if he were to take on this entire group, he could massacre everyone in less than 6 seconds. That was the kind of authority that stood before them.
"Welcome heroes. To the no Man''s Land. I ask that you do not quarrel within our presence. Violence within these lands are only punishable by death. Regardless of who acts upon it. "
The delinquant let the child go. "Who the hell are you? Some sort of cosplayer?"
"My name is Segel Di Estrati"
"The leader of the 13 Nations adventurers guild. From now on, you have all been welcomed to the world of Esmyrr. I''m afraid after this point, there is no return to your previous worlds. If you wish to live, come with us and learn how to survive."
A bit of uncomfortable murmers filled the crowds. They couldn''t return? What kind of joke is that. Many were still skeptical about the entire situation, believing it to be a dream rather than a reality.
"This world is one full of violence and misfortune. If you do not wish to engage in violence in order to defend, you will not be penalized. A small fortune and an estate will be given to you to live out the remainder of your days comfortably."
A bit of uncomfortable murmers filled the crowd.
"However...if you feel the true heroic drive to not be fodder. If you feel the need to defend both yourself and others, then you shall become a warrior stronger than you''d ever known."
The unusual 18 lead the group through a long winding forest. The lush greenery and foliage gave the forest such a vibrant feel. Nonetheless, it wasn''t in the least bit lively. There were no birds, no rabbits, not even insects dared stumble into this forest.
Rhys wondered why that was. This would have been the quietest forest he had ever stumbled upon. At times, when the wind died down, it seemed even more silent than his own room.
After 30 minutes of this eerily silent walk, they finally reached it. A cityscape. The city was huge. It seemed bustling with markets, traders, businessmen and several upper classmen. It reminded him of his own city. A city that constantly strives for success.
"Huh..so even during these times, one can''t escape that."
Various people eyed them on the way to their destination, but hurriedly averted their eyes the moment they were seen.
They were speaking about how odd the group was. It was clear they had never seen clothes like this before. They stood out way too much. Then again, it could be due to the group of elites at their forefront.
They were finally halted and ushered into this giant cathedral like building. The center of it had a long, slanting, pointed structure. It seemed at the very top of this equilateral prism, was another room. One could see light signaling from within it.
Inside the building, an instruction hall as well as a group of 40 adventurers awaited them.
"This area in which the adventurer''s guild resides in is known as No Man''s Land -An area unclaimed by any of the 18 great nations. As such, you are all free from any King''s control to reside here for as long as you want." One of the Regals said.
"By the contributions of each king, you all should live peacefully if necessary. However, the riches you will be awarded as adventurers may very well outweigh the riches of that of even kings."
The other Regal also spoke.
"If it does not seem to your liking, then I''d usher you into the other room."
He pointed in the direction to his left. The darkened room remained entirely a mystery and seemed ominous.
Everything about the situation was entirely off. It appeared as if this was a sales pitch. "However- before you all make your decisions, I believe it would benefit you all to wait until tomorow before reaching your conclusions."
"This world is vastly different than your own, and I believe it may influence your decisions quite substantially after tommorow.
They promptly left the area afterwards. This hall was huge. Enough to fit in 5 times the amount of people in it at the moment.
With the regals all having left, people began to converse amongst themselves. Though they were all confused and worried, it helped ease their minds. Through their shared fate, they were able to find comeraderie.
Ugh... this is bad. They''re all beginning to bunch up.
Yet another thing Rhys was terrible at. Making friends.
While everyone began to clump into groups of similar status and similar appearances/interests, Rhys stood in the very corner, alone.
Several hours passed by and the only ones who seemed to stick to themselves were Rhys, the Delinquant, and one woman who just couldn''t wait to go to sleep. She was also dressed in sleepwear, so at the very least, Rhys wasn''t left out in that aspect.
By nightfall 2 robed women entered the hall and bowed, asking the group to follow.
They were all lead down a long corridor leading down a winding staircase. It seemed there were dormitories underneath the building, comprised of about 300 rooms.
They were all assigned a room, given provisions, and ultimately left in the dark about what to do next. Uncertain, everyone stayed within their rooms.
Everyone around him felt entirely drained. Whatever the case was, this felt like a hostage situation more than anything. This was not what to be expected of a new world.
I guess that''s the only thing I can call this huh... He traced motions with the his fingers into the cieling. These four walls felt nothing like how his old room did.
I wonder what Zuli''s thinking right now... He drifted off to sleep with those last thoughts in mind. Getting reincarnated was entirely...draining.
In the morning, he was awoken by the sound of a roar so fierce, he could not help but jump out of bed and cling to the floor. The sound was very much so the sound of terror.
He dared not even move. Never once in his life had he been as afraid as he was now.
A deep feral voice bolted from the blue, engulfing the entire floor and everyone within it under its vile embrace.
"AHAHAHAHAHA WHERE ARE THESE NEW ADVENTURERS YOU SPEAK OF!? YOU CAN''T TELL ME THEY''RE STILL ASLEEP!"
The entire floor shook just from the sound alone. Or maybe it was all the transmigrants collectively shivering.
"Ashkan, lower your damn voice! you''re scaring everyone in the room!"
"BAHAHAHAHA! YOU I FORGET HOW PUNY YOU HUMANS ARE. THIS CAN''T EVEN SCARE BEASTCHILDREN!"
One of the robed ladies that was cowering behind the door finally spoke up. "Oi. P-p-please keep it down... u-um...I''ll have to remove you from the buil-building-" She grew ghostly pale as she said those words.
The perpetrator simply cleaned out his ears and licked his paws. "Fine fine. I suppose I''ll keep it down a little. Though you outta speak up louder. If it weren''t for my well-tuned ears, I wouldn''t have heard a word you said."
"Prayers of the divine, Slenir. I shower my children under the aura of embrace." The robed woman knelt and clasped her hands together. Suddenly, as if being hugged by a calm and kind entity, everyone on the bottom floor calmed down.
For whatever reason, they felt like they could do anything. In contrast to the paralyzing fear they felt earlier, this was like inert bravery. No. It was as if they were assured by some higher being their safety.
So great was this assurance, that it felt as if they could do anything. Rhys released a sigh of relief.
What in the world was that?
"You all can come out now, I''ll try and limit myself."
Even when he was calm, this Ashkan... his voice commanded authority. Everyone immediately complied, not wanting him to shout again. One by one the doors to each corridor opened up and the transmigrants poured out.
"Ohoh! So they are alive after all."
To their shock, the man standing before them was over 10 feet tall. Or rather, the beast. It was a tiger. Though it stood upright like a human being, it was very clearly a tiger.
Long orange hairs stretched from his face, tinted blue at the very tips. If any of them had doubts they were in another world... all of that was now erased.
Right before there eyes, was a tiger, walking and talking like a human being.
Rhys almost fell over. "So It wasn''t a dream after-all."
A man stepped in front of the tiger. He was almost 6''4, but when standing next to a beast of his stature, it almost seemed as if you he was the smallest person in the room.
The man coughed into his palms and proceeded to make his announcement. "I''ll have to apologize about such a rude awakening... You see, Ashkan cannot quite control his skills."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story."CAN''T CONTROL?! ITS A PASSIVE ABILITY!!"
Yet again, that overwhelming fear griped everyone. The embrace of the god still allowed them to stand up, but they couldn''t move. If Ashkar was to make one sudden motion, a good portion of them would pass out from the fear.
Fear to the point of madness... what an insane ability.
The only person unwavering was the man standing next to Ashkar. "Tch. If it''s only active when you yell, and you can''t control your shouting, then for sure you can''t control your abilities!"
"YOU''RE A SLICK TONGUED MAN YOU KNOW THAT THIST?"
Mustering up all her energy, one of the robed ladies threw a shoe at the beast, causing him to instantly apologize and de-escalate his voice.
It was an odd sight to see such a giant beast of a man apologize like he did. His ears folded behind his head. Clearly he was truly sorry. In such an appearance it almost seemed as if he was a tamed housecat.
"If I may have you all accompany me to the top floors. There are various adventurers awaiting you. They''ll be introducing you to the world, as well as how to at least keep yourself safe."
The words he said fell on deaf ears, because before he had even realized, over half of the group had fainted. The other half, were scared shitless.
The very first to pass out, was Rhys.
A couple hours passed there-after before all of them had efficiently woke up. They all found themselves in different companies outside of the guild halls.
Rhys'' eyes shot open as he let out the last of his shivers. "Ohhh, so you''re finally awake~~"
It was a woman''s voice. He looked around frantically. There were several transmigrants with him that he recognized and one strange woman.
Furthermore, he was swinging back and fourth.
It only took a couple more seconds before he realized he was slung over her back and being carried over her shoulder.
"Oi oi oi! I''m fine I''m fine. I can walk on my own." This was much too embarassing.
The other 4 looked down in shame. They were also carried in a similar manner all by the same girl.
She stopped briefly to let the flailing Rhys down.
"Ah, I''m glad you are awake though. This part of the forest, while not particularly dangerous, I don''t usually like doing too much work. Can you walk?"
Rhys got up and dusted himself off and gave an affirmative nod. "Good!"
"So I''ll fill you in on what you missed. So far, these are your friends here, Gilbert, Roho, Frees, and Irei."
Rhys took a second to observe each of them. Their names were of various locations across the world. It was clear that the transmigration didn''t target just one single area.
Gilbert gave a kind smile and nodded to him as he cought his eyes scanning over them. Roho also seemed to acknowledge him. Frees on the other hand simply glared at the boy and cracked his knuckles. He clearly was not someone to befriend.
Irei on the couldn''t pay attention to anything going on....like, at all.
The kid was an air-head. He was maybe 2 years older than Rhys, but his eyes didn''t follow anyone, nor did it really look to pick up on conversation. The entire time, his eyes trailed off chasing imaginary butterflies.
"I see... It''s nice meeting you all. My name''s Rhys." He nodded politely.
The Lady yawned. "And I''m Mae! Mae Flanks! Nice to meet you, Rhys!"
She aggressively shook his hand. "Since you were so curtiously sleeping, Rhys, allow me to fill you in on everything."
"Right now, we are in the Forest of Truths. Don''t worry, the weakest levels you''ll encounter out here will probably be around level 5. I can kill such things with simply one hit, so you are all safe."
"However... I have to get one thing cleared up with you all."
She anxiously grabbed Rhys'' hand and clutched it tightly to her neck. "Are you all really from another world!? Ooooh please please please tell me about it!"
"It''s a concept I truly can''t understand. So there are other worlds out there far from us... different life laws, different histories, different customs! Oh how wonderous!"
That look in her eyes... I don''t know whats more frightening.. this lady or the tiger.
"Hey, now. That tiger is much more frightening than I am."
"What The-" Rhys instantly jumped. "Did you just re-"
He cought the glimpses of all the other squad mates. They all seemed to say "YUP!"
She laughed heartily. "Did I just read your mind?"
"Its a passive ability of mine actually." She patted Rhys'' head. "Anyways, that was much too rude of you. Between me and the tiger, I''m much much more powerful.... but not nearly as frightning."
It was weird. Her smiles seemed genuine, but her words carried just a little bit of saltyness in them.
"Erm... Ms.-"
"Just Mae"
"Ah..miss Mae. If you could read our minds, then can''t you just gain all the information you want from the other worlds by reading them?"
"Ahhhhhh. You drive a fine point. But you see..- I can only really read the surface. I can''t peer deeeeeep into your brains or anything like that."
"Like what Frees thought earlier about television. Unfortunately, I have no idea what such a device is."
"By the way... you should abstain from rude thoughts around me. I''m not that scary." She patted Rhys'' head.
"Now lets see.... any information you might have missed. --ermm, I refrained from telling you all due to the fact that a majority of you were asleep until just an hour ago. Rhys, you''re the last to wake up."
Rhys'' eye twitched. Sure rub it in why don''t you?
"Oh, I''m not rubbing it in at all. I simply hate repeating myself."
Having someone who could read your mind could be tiring very quickly. Her presence was more unpleasant than anything.
"Hmmm...I suppose I should start with... Oh! God Aura!"
"I don''t know how your world works, but this is something even babies pick up on in their early days. I don''t sense it coming from any of you, so I do believe none of you are aware of it."
God Aura? What in the wor-
"Mhm! So it seems I was right. You all questioned the word in your heads right now."
"Hmm... God Aura... God Aura.... how should I explain this. It''s an algorithm that flows within all factors of the world. Every component from the speed, to the power of things is visible through god Aura."
"Oh so like, physics?" Frees asked.
"Mm..I think? I don''t actually know this physics you talk about. But every animal and being on this world knows how to manipulate God Aura."
"So what exactly is it?"
"Hmmm... you guys are all in this world so I suppose you should be able to do it as well."
"Do you know the feeling when you flex your temples and the sound of thunderstorms fill your head?"
(I honestly don''t know are familiar with this, but Its hard to describe....you just flex somewhere in your ear and it sounds like thunderstorms or rushing water...idk!---- after searching it up, I found it its the tensor tympani muscles.)
"Yeah that''s it." Reading collectively off of people''s thoughts, she deducted they were all thinking the same thing.
"Do that, but focus all your attention to your eyes."
As they all followed instruction, they were shocked. There was blight blue energy emitting from everything they stared at, including each other.
Rhys almost choked on his own spit. Above all of their heads were health bars, and numbers. Though he didn''t know what each of these things signified.
Mae Flanks: Lvl 78
"What are those numbers..." They were everywhere around him. From the birds landing on trees, to the speed of the grass blowing in the wind.
When a simple leaf blew in front of his path he could see the numbers before him 5/mps.... it totally was like physics.
"They show how much vitality one has, as well as Mana."
"See?"
She hit herself as hard as she could. The noise resounded across the entire forest, but the only number that popped up, decreased her health by an infinitismal amount and replenished befoe they could even notice a change.
The number hovered for a couple seconds before disappearing. Impossible. As he looked around, he was flooded with numbers.
How fast everything around him was moving, how fast he was moving, how fast his breathing was, how fast he was capable of moving. Much more, the number he held was overbearing.
Above his head was the big letter 1. It towered over him, declaring its independence. Above the rest of his comrades heads were the similar single digit letters.
Roho: 8
HP: 22/22
MP: 6/6
Frees: 5
HP: 12/12
MP: 5/5
Irei: 2
HP: 3/3
MP: 16/16
Gilbert: 3
HP: 4/4
MP: 4/4
"Mhm. The numbers above your head signify your level, or combat power. As you can see, not everyone starts off at the same level or combat ability. That''s because this world is truly unfair."
"Amongst this world there will be those born with powers of advantage like myself. There will be those born stronger than you."
"However, regardless of ability, one can change their own fate through training."
"You lot especially, you...transmigrants. You have ability far beyond what many of us have or may be capable of reaching."
Frees scanned everyone in this room, then breathed a sigh of relief. "So I''m not the weakest in the room."
"No, that honor belongs to Rhys- was it?" Gilbert spoke.
Pretty bold, coming from a level 3.
At that thought, Mae laughed. She struggled to hold her breath in, but something one of the group had thought made her laugh.
"Alright. Now that I see you all you''re all able to visualize the god aura, next I''ll begin to teach you how to manipulate it."
"It''ll take a while to control what you want to see and what you don''t want to see, but you can all practice that on your own."
"And uh... please refrain from looking at people through those lenses, its considered disrespectful."
It was obvious to tell who still maintained the sight and who didn''t. Their eyes glowed a radiant blue, or white, or red hue.
She let out a cough. "Without further ado, I''ll explain to you one of the most well-known abilities. -Sacred Box-"
She held her hands into the sky and reached out into some unseen bag, pulling straight out of thin air, several swords, daggers, bows, and shields.
"See? Every one of you should be able to utilize sacred box. Though this one may take some time before you get used to it. But so far, I''d like you all to pick up your weapons. We''re now deep enough in the Forest of Truths that there should be hostiles"
"You might want to equip yourselves. They are already upon us."
Before Rhys could react, everyone rushed passed him and picked up various weaponry and tools.
Frees picked a bow, Gilbert picked a set of daggers, Roho equipped himself with some gauntlets, and Irei picked up a random curly stick that was amongst the group of weaponry.
All that lay before him was a pair of discs. Chakrams. He hesitantly picked up the two weapons and could clearly see a -.012 damage float above his hand when it lightly cut him.
Just as he finally picked up the chakrams, rustling began to appear in the leaves.
"Keep in mind, young transmigrators, while I am hired to teach you about this world- I am NOT required to protect you. Besides, that would be too bothersome on my end. I''ve left you all with your weapons. Face off against them on your own."
Suddenly, piercing through the foliage, were 8 goblins. The short green apparitions were half the height of Rhys... He was the shortest one in the group.
However, they each had muscle definition beyond what they''d see on any human. 3 of the 8 held long spears. They were poorly made, composed of sticks and sharpened stone.
"Tch." Roho made his first move rushing the entire group of goblins. Several of them lept out of the way, but one of them were cought with the fist. Sending them skidding back several feet.
The goblins instantly regained their composure and rushed him. At this same time, the 3 with spears regrouped and attacked him from the sides- a pincer maneuver.
It seemed the game was over. Roho would certianly get impaled and die.
Until an arrow shot from Freese''s bow and stuck into the shoulders of two of the goblins. This discombobulated the group enough for Roho to jump back with the rest.
Gilbert was the first to speak. "As you can see, rushing in mindlessly will do you no good. These things are smarter than they look."
The next couple of minutes went by in a flurry. They all attacked at once, and while everyone held their own, Rhys was incapable of keeping up with his own opponents.
Just a couple flashes of green here, and there and he was getting flustered. He quickly found himself separated from the rest of the group who was fighting off the goblins evenly.
His random attempts to slice his enemies with his sharpened discs failed over and over. He chucked one forward, but the goblin simply dodged it, before the other one jumped up behind him. One single hit.
Then, nothing.
His world went black. He could only slowly hear the sounds of metal grinding with stone, and clashing noises of combat.
Then his world drowned out and everything fell into silent tranquility.
It feels warm...
It reminds me of when I first transmigrated...
Am I dead?
Already...?
Chapter 3: Burning Resolve Awakens!
Huh... who''s there?
Don''t be afraid.
It was the same voice. The sadness filled within it was enough to make him sad as well. He had always been one to shoulder the burdens of others, but for once, he wasn''t sure he could take on this sadness.
Am I dead...?
"It''s okay. Don''t be afraid."
Who are you?
"Elira."
Just as she said those words, he woke up. An all to familiar voice exclaimed "Ohhh!! You''re awake."
Mae.
She had been sitting besides him with a book in her hands. Her armor and gear were all taken off and she was wearing a simple light blue dress with frills at the skirt and cuffs.
A single red gem rested right on her bosom. "I was beginning to worry you might not wake up at all."
"What happened... how long was I out?"
She closed the book promptly. "Well, to answer your question, you got knocked out by a level 2 lesser goblin. I was prepared to help you out, but it looks like the rest of your team took care of them beforehand."
"As of how long you''ve been gone..."
She tapped the bottom of her chin. "mmm...I''d say its probably been a week since then."
"I see..."
He tried to sit up-right in bed. But a shot of pain spread throughout his entire body.
"Try not to move. While it was an inferior goblin, it did hold a blessing."
He grimaced. "A blessing? The hell is that."
She laughed. "I guess I didn''t quite express that before. blessings are skills innate skills that sometimes cannot be learned by others no matter how proficient they are. That goblin seemed to have been deemed worthy by one god or another. "
"It was... unusually competent for a goblin. Every hit it did emitted lightning damage from its tips and it so happened to hit you precisely at the C-1 Cervical vertebrae. Just as your brain connects to your spine."
She yawned. "Luckily, it was only level 2, so there shouldn''t have been much strength behind it. The reason why you got knocked out for so long I suppose is... well, because you''re weak, Rhys."
"All of my years, I haven''t yet heard of an adventurer knocked out by goblins. So you must begin to train yourself."
"Hey, to be fair, there were 2 of them."
She laughed. "I suppose you got lucky you didn''t face the one with the spear. However... you most of your comerades are already levels ahead of you. In the week that you''ve been gone, they''ve all leveled significantly."
She got up to go. "I''m simply doing my part in watching over you for failing to save you from such a strike. But now that you''re awake, I''m sure you should be able to manage just fine. If you wish to quit being an adventurer, your money shall be awarded to you as well."
The two robed ladies came in just as she had opened her door. Her shift appeared to be over. She turned around and playfully stuck a tongue out at him before waving him off.
"How long until I''m able to move?"
"It should only be a day or two. We''ve been gradually repairing your system throughout. The most you should experience is casual soreness. We''d recommend you take it easy after that."
"I see..."
so everyone else is already leagues ahead of me.. That won''t be an issue. I can catch up. I definitely... won''t be useless. Not in this world too.
One of the ladies dropped a heavy bag on the table next to his bed. The clinking of metal rang for several seconds on after.
"Huh..what''s this for?"
"Well, are you not resigning?"
"Resigning? Where''d you get that idea? I was summoned to this world because she needed help, wasn''t I?"
"Who needed help?" The two looked concerned.
"Elira."
They heard the name, but seemed completely unfamiliar with it. They shared a nervous glance at each other before finally nodding.
"There''s no one by that name among the 12 adventurers who summoned you."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Oh and by the way-" The other one butt in. "The only adventurers that are aware of your transmigration are diamond rank and above. Please refrain from casually speaking of it."
"Anyways, if you still wish to train to become an adventurer, we cannot stop you against it. However..."
She stood up. "I''d highly advise against it. How many adventurers have we seen come and go? You are astoundingly weak. Not everyone of your ability is cut out for adventurer''s work. We''ve seen many die in the process... I''d rather not watch yet another one."
"Among the group...are there others who have also quit?"
"Well of course. Naturally, not everyone is willing to do what may be necessary."
"Then, I have one more question for the both of you."
The duo looked at each other before sychroniously nodding.
"What exactly is it that you need help with? Why did you call us all over here?"
They now stood and turned to leave. "Unfortunately, they do not tell us much. Only that a horrifying evil is headed for this world. One so powerful, they require the help of summoned heroes."
"Any more information will actually have to be taken from the guild head." They promptly closed the door and left."
He ate the rest of his food before slowly drifting back to sleep. In that tranquil slumber, was when his dreams began to visit him again.
"Please....reach me."
"Who are you? Where are you?"
The calamity is coming. Faster than ever. You must help me before it can progress.
"You who I called here. You are the only one. Reach me...and once you do, reverse all of this."
"Where are you?"
"...."
"..............."
"...Hurry."
"You may find all your answers in the Valley of Red Grass."
"The valley... of red grass."
He woke up instantly after that. He was panting heavily. The toll of these odd dreams were beginning to toil with his mind.
He got up. It appeared it was still the middle of the night. Laying in bed wouldn''t do too much. He needed the breath of fresh air and to at least move his body.
He got up, surprisingly the pain he was feeling wasn''t too bad. He cracked his neck. As he stretched the rest of his body started creeking. "..Hm?"
Something shiny caught his eye at the foot of his bed. A suit of armor all comprised of leather, a small dagger, and a small leather buckler.
"...who?" He instantly activated his Mana to visualize the God Aura."
Round Buckler Shield: Lvl 1 Dagger: Lvl 1, *+2 puncture
Sawtooth Blade: Lvl 1, *+4 Severance
Leather Greaves: Lvl 1 Leather Gauntlets: Lvl 1
Upon closer inspection it gave him details of their max damage properties, as well as class requirements.
He picked up the gear only to find a notebook underneath the gear. "Huh...this was-"
It was the same book Mae was reading earlier. He quickly peered through each of the list on the book. It seemed, it was an istruction book she was writing.
The first line read as follows.
"Do not get all sentimental. I simply do not wish to see you die so pitifully. This book will not ensure your safety should you choose the life of an adventurer, but it should very well ensure your confusion is deterred."
"I see...heh....thankyou, Mae." Unlike the two sisters, Mae was clearly confiding in him. The only reason she would take the week to write this book would be because she was certain he would choose the life of an adventurer.
Does that mean she bought me these as well?He eyed the gear that was left to him.
That''s right. Even if I''m weak... even if I''m far behind the rest of the others. I was brought into this world to be a hero too.
Even with his soreness, he geared up with all of his necessary tools. He felt much stronger in them. The dagger rested in his greaves comfortably.
The first step wrote.
1. First and Foremost, Familiarize Yourself With Weaponry.
-Swinging around weapons you are unfamiliar with will result in just embarassment.
There was a poorly drawn picture accompanying this of Rhys getting hit in the back of the neck after missing his first strike with the chakrams.
Alright. I guess I can''t delay.
He breathed in, and working through the soreness in his body, swung the sword down as fast as he could.
He could feel his body ache and tingle with pain.
That''s right. If I want to catch up... I can do this. I''d have to train 10 times harder than everyone. I can handle at least this.
He repositioned himself. Swinging again and again. There was no coordination in his wielding efficiency. But, he was certainly learning how to move his sword better.
Again, and again. And Again. With each swing, his arms got heavier, but he continued.
335....600....781...928... Sweat was dripping down his entire body, and obscuring his vision. No matter how tired he was, he kept going.
Swing. Swing. Swing.. 1800..
.....3286
...................3287
..........................3288
.................................3289
Until suddenly, he was awoken by the sound of birds chirping. Before he had even realized it, the sun was out.
Chapter 4: Fear and Understanding
He finally stopped swinging the blade. It was very hard for him to move his hands at all at this point. He was only further weakening his recovery rate.
He just fell back and laid on the ground, panting heavily. It felt so peaceful with the sun all in his face. The clouds shifted around slowly. People were just beginning to move be active again and moving out and about.
Something''s wrong...
His breathing was way too hard. His vision began to darken around the edges.
I can''t move... did I overwork myself?
His breathing was starting to stop altogether. He had to squeeze out each breath. He closed his eyes and tried to focus his breathing.
I must calm myself down
"HOI! ARE YOU ALRIGHT THERE LITTLE CHAP!? YOU LOOK LIKE YOU LOOK LIKE YOU''RE PRACTICING FOR YOUR FUNERAL."
Fear. Instant Fear filled through him, and his breathing became ragged again. This voice was dangerous. Whoever it was, was an enemy. A predator much stronger than he was. The innate sense of terror spread through him like a storm.
He still remembered the name of such a ferocious creature. Ashkan.
Seeing the man shiver, the tiger finally realized it was being too loud. And prompty apologized. "Oh my my my my...at this rate you may actually die."
He crouched down before him and placed his paw under Rhys'' head. "You''re still so afraid huh...jeez, I can''t take frailty of humans."
He stroked his chin. I do suppose I can at least heal your wounds. He reached upwards into the sky and a fabric tore within the space around his hands. -Sacred Box-
He pulled out a shimering red potion from his inventory. "Here you are...I mustn''t give you too much though. For someone of your level it may be catastrophic."
He dropped just a tiny milliliter of the potion into his mouth. The speed at which it worked as almost instantaneously. He felt so much better all over.
However, he still could not move. It was due to the fear so strong it could paralyse its victims. "Oi oi, don''t strain yourself too much. The fear effect won''t last for eternity. I don''t have a calming spell, so even after I am gone, you will tremble for 30 more minutes."
Insane!
"For someone of your level, it can only be expected. Everyone below my level would feel this fear to an extent. That is the beastial trait ''Predator'' So please, do not hate me for it."
"I''m not sure what you were doing out here, but it doesn''t seem to be a danger. Once I leave your presence, you may begin to move again." He got up, and left the area, heading towards the Guild Main entrance.
How long... How long... Until he''s gone.
Every thought he could muster was all about the beast before him. So long as he was in sight, his fear was tremendous. As he watched the monster turn his back to him and slowly drift out of sight, he activated his mana to see what kind of menacing energy the man had.
Ashkan: Lvl 68
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Even though he was only level 68, he had over 10x the health that of Mae, and his mana was fairly close as well. And Mae claimed she could beat him. Bullshit.
Finally, he left. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.
Even then, the paralyzing fear wouldn''t leave him. Irrational thoughts filled his mind impulsively.
Will he be back?
When will he be back?
Is he gonna finish me? I can''t possibly escape from something like that.
First, his senses came back. He was no longer panicking in his mind. Then his paralysis lifted after a couple minutes. He could finally move again.
The fear still lingered very heavily and every second he felt paranoid that the beast might appear from any direction. He picked up his sword through his shivering hands and rested his book back in his pocket.
Even if he wanted to train, he felt too exhausted just from the fear alone. He need to rest.
I suppose I can check around the city and see what is over here
He walked through the now busy town with markets and stores opening up. There were still plenty of people out and about and the fruit vendors already had the energy to keep shouting their products, hoping to catch the ears of interested buyers.
This city was entirely different. Men, women and children of entirely different backgrounds all melted within the scenery. There were people who were covered in scales, some with beastial traits like that of Ashkan.
Wolf ears, cat tails, dogs, foxes, and even fishlike people with gills all along their necks. It prompted him to wonder how they were breathing on land, but he thought it rude to ask.
At one point he even thought he saw Ashkan and his heart almost stopped. But luckily, it was just another tiger beastman. The fear effect was still on him for the time being. At least, until a couple more minutes.
Some of them were clearly guards and even some mercenaries groups. As he walked through the streets, they all glared at him. Everyone who''s eyes met, gave him a look as if he had just threatened their lives.
It was odd. He wasn''t sure why it was. But perhaps its better to leave. The mercenaries looked as if they were itching for a fight.
But...isn''t fighting illegal within No Man''s Land?
Nevermind. I think I''ll just stay out of the streets for now.
Conveniently, he could see the a coffee shop nearby and slipped into it instead.
"Welcome! How is the morning going on for-"
He stopped upon taking a look at him and immediately donned a look of caution on his face.
"-W...what do you think you''re doing?"
"Huh? what is it with you people. I''ve been getting disgusting looks the entire morning."
"Tch. You should leave my shop. I don''t want trouble."
"Trouble? What are you talking about old man!? I''m just trying to relax and read my book."
"Eh??? Are you not aware you''re using Insight?"
"Insight..?"
The stumped manager pointed to his eyes. "Your...eye."
He gasped upon realizing, he had not yet turned off the sight. In fact, he had completely ignored all the numbers he saw.
"It is conidered an act of agression to utilize Insight, towards another. You should not be gathering information like that unless you plan on fighting."
He quickly deactivated it. "O-oh...sorry. I''m not from this-.. from around here." He bowed deeply in apology. The clerk simply waved his hand and dismissed it. "You''re fine, you''re fine. Just don''t go causin any trouble."
He nodded and sat down at a table facing the window. He flipped open the book and began to read through the pages.
They were full of plenty of information and details about how the world worked. For instance:
1. God aura, the stuff that make up Mana and Health Points- One misconception I pried from your minds is the understanding of Health and Mana. These two key components of God Aura are not the same as your life force.
If one were to get stabbed in the neck, logically, they will die. If one were to get their arm sliced off by a sword, logically, their arm will fall off.
However, those with Health still in reserve simply get the damage taken off their reservoir. It isn''t until they reach zero do they start taking damage to their beings.
If one is to reach zero health, they may still be very well alive and unharmed. however, let''s say a scenario occurs in which they have 5 mana left and get hit by something on the scale of 10.
Their health would deplete, and the remainder of the damage would effect their unguarded body.
Mana is similar in a sense. While Losing Health will make you physically exhausted, losing mana...will make you mentally exhausted. Your body will shut down and you will pass out should you reach zero mana.
Be careful not to lose track of those two factors. In real world battles, they mean everything.
There was also one more note written terribly in the bottom.
"Also, do not forget to activate your aura or Insight before a battle. Getting hit prior to activation of Insight may very well be fatal."
Rhys continued reading the book ravenously. He wanted to understand everything there is to understand about this world. Information after information crammed his mind until one by one they began to piece together the whole picture in his head.
He was beginning to guess certain factors about the world only to find them verified in the book later on.
If I ever see Mae...I swear, I''ll have to give her a hug.
Consumed in the world of books, he completely forgot about his fatigue, or his fear. Instead, the engines of resolve burned vigorously within him.
He continued practicing that very night, swinging and swinging his sword over and over again.
Chapter 5: This Maddening Cruel World
Yet again, he had managed to exhaust his muscles until the morning. This would be his second day of training. This maddening desire to grow stronger kept him going. Without the limitations of the previous day, he was able to continue his training.
By morning fall, he had already done 2000 more than the previous day. He sat down, focusing on controlling his breathing.
Yet again, as the morning fell, Ashkan, sure enough, stumbled through. It was still very early and he was yet again the first person here.
As his eyes met with Rhys he stopped. "Ahh, don''t worry. I''ll be careful around you, scared one." He kept his voice to a hush.
"What might you be doing here again...." He observed the lad with his sword resting right beside him and his leather armor wreaking of sweat.
"I''m training." He wasn''t afraid of Ashkan anymore. Though the man did look intimidating, the fear- real fear, only takes over when he shouts. It is a disgustingly broken racial trait.
The tiger confusedly scratched the back of his head and glanced around everywhere. "Eh...I- don''t see any training materials?"
"I''m not training on a dummy or anything like that, I''m just practicing swinging my sword."
.....
"BAHAHAHAHA-" He covered his mouth with his paws to prevent him from laughing too loud. For whatever it was worth, his laughter didn''t invoke a feeling of fear, rather just the feeling of being looked down upon.
"You can''t possibly hope to gain anything by just swinging your sword. You may very well get more efficient with it, but that will take years. The best way would be to actually experience combat."
"experience combat... I see. I can''t. I tried to fight a pair of goblins and got knocked out by them. I''m not quite ready yet."
"Ehh? What did you say?"
"I got defeated by a go-"
He yawned exaggeratedly. Licking his paws. "I''m sorry, I couldn''t quite hear you."
This was a perplexing statement. Literally, the beast with top-grade ears couldn''t hear someone right in front of him.
"Oi. Are you trying to joke with me?"
"I''m sorry, you see my hearing dwindles when people are being cowardly. If you truly fear goblins, then it is a wonder why you were the first to faint from the Predator skill."
"I heard about you prior. You fainted in combat during the tutorial. If you want to grow stronger, instead of fighting with allies, corner yourself. Force yourself to choose life. Knowing you have a safety net allows you to be careless."
He scratched his chin then growled lightly. "Anyways, I''ve had enough of talking to cowards. They soil your prowess."
The tiger promptly left, entering the guildhall.
The sound of a loud growl filled his ears and for a second he was prepared for the tiger to have returned. It was only to realize, however, that he hadn''t eaten at all since he had woken up.
The potion he drank earlier was a good substitute as it did reinvigorate him, but his stomach still yearned for food.
He walked into the guildhall. For the first time since visiting this world, he was now within the main hall. It was a lot different than the hall they were ushered into the very first day.
There were 6 huge stands as well as various bulletin boards all throughout the hall. It could fit probably around 600 people within it.
Within the halls, there was no one there except Ashkan and several of the crew and attendants. Ashkan''s ears twitched when he heard him come in, but aside from that, he didn''t react much.
In his hands were stacks of papers each from the bulletin boards. "This should conclude them all."
23 sheets total. Each of them were Diamond rank advised.
So that''s why he''s always so early.. to secure the most challenging.
I suppose I can begin by looking for adventurers work. There must be a mission out there to exterminate goblins or anything like that.
He walked up to one of the counters and politely asked the lady behind it. "um..excuse me, but would you happen to know any Goblin slaying jobs posted or anything else of that level?"
The lady stroked her chin "Hm...Goblin slaying jobs huh... you must be one of the new adventurers.
There are a couple of quests in the bulletin boards there. He pointed to the one closest to the entrance.
It was a giant board about 16x16 ft, fully plated in porcelain. "Ahh...the ranks." He had read about it in the book.
The Adventurers are divided between different rankings. Ranking from lowest to highest are Porcelain, Iron, Steel, Gold, Diamond, and Platinum.
Diamond and Platinum would have to be the highest-ranking adventurers, you can tell their ranks based off of their pendants.
Though most adventurers keep it tucked away when not on a mission. It is a sign of humbleness.
Hmm...That tiger must be a diamond rank adventurer. At the very least he is gold. So, let''s see what kind of mission I have available.
He looked through the list of quests, but there were none for goblin exterminations. The list went from bandit exterminations to escorting and finding missing persons. However, not one was for goblins.
He walked back to the girl and placed one on the counter. It was for the extermination of a bandit group known as the 8 Realms. Apparently, the job posting had been there for a good several months.
The reward was merely 5 silver coins, so most people ignored it entirely. It''s been steadily rising up in price every month.
In this world, the adventurers guild does not automatically solve everything. Nor do adventurers work for free. In order to deal with problems plaguing an entire village, they''d all pool in necessary resources in order to hire an adventurer.
Rhys however, didn''t seem to care much about the reward, rather, that he gains experience into the fight and catches up to his comrades.
The attendant looked over the quest cautiously then activated Insight. Her eyes shone light purple. It was only an instant, but she quickly deactivated.
She promptly bowed. "I''m sorry for checking your stats without asking, however, I''d heavily advise against such a mission."
"Hm? Are they that much of a threat?"
She neatly took the ad and placed it behind the counter. "No, I did find it strange that goblins were your frame of reference when searching for quests earlier, but as it lies now, you are much too weak."
"I''d recommend you reach at least level 10 before attempting any of the quests here. There aren''t any goblin slaying quests, but the guild does pay you for each goblin corpse you turn in."
Oh, that''s right... It''s like hunting.
Goblins are an invasive species that populate extremely rapid, if left unchecked, they could amass great power and decimate entire eco-systems. Thus, they are routinely encouraged for training, practicing moves, and regular extermination.
"How do you turn in the number of goblins you kill?"
"You''d leave a marking on them. Your insignia per se. Every week or so we have a cleanup crew round up most of the corpses. They''ll handle the rest from there and make sure you''re paid adequately."
"I see. Thank you, lady."
She smiled and waved him off.
Rhys walked past the tiger on his way there. The man ignored him entirely and continued to pack his belongings. It seemed the mission he was to start with was the furthest away from the headquarters.
Rhys looked away and left the building promptly. "Alright... the first step, level up."
The Forest of Truths was much more silent than before.-And that''s kind of a harsh feat to beat, given that it was dead silent before. Perhaps its the lack of people.
The area was entirely vacant. He activated Insight, allowing his eyes to peer into every aspect of his surroundings.
His eyes radiated a warm yellow light from them as he scanned the area.
The numbers were almost overwhelming. The size of the blades of grass, their durability in the decimals, the speed at which the wind traveled and pushed them.
The numbers could very well be overwhelming if one does not know how to regulate Insight and control it to see only what is necessary.
He closed his eyes and focused his breathing. Focus on only 2 things, the direction in which the wind is blowing, the speed it''s blowing at, and the direction everything around him is moving.
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As he walked deeper and deeper into the forest, he began to notice exactly what he was looking for.
The speeds dwindled from certain directions. And there was an unusual increase in speed heading towards his direction.
BOOM! Flying through the foliage was a single goblin armed with a wooden spear. He hopped back several feet to create distance between them.
His breathing became heavy and his anxiety was increasing steadily.
Focus....breathe...breathe.. remember the first part of the lesson.
10. When in Combat, Avoid Losing Focus. If You Can Maintain Focus, You Can Make Clear and Concise Decisions. -It''s always important as a warrior to maintain your focus and do not lose your nerve. Your opponent does not believe he will lose, you shouldn''t either.
Particularly regarding Goblins, they dash in headfirst. They are usually mindless in their offense and much more instinctual. Watch them closely, and you may begin to understand their predictability.
However, even amongst goblins, be wary of the gifted.
His eyes observed the goblin blaring out with its sharp teeth gnashing. Drool came down from its mouth and the eyes only focused on one thing. Their prey. He could see his reflection from the glowing green pupils.
No... I must focus on what''s important. The numbers.
He stopped himself before he got too drawn into the ferocity of the creature. His eyes tried to follow the speed at which it moved.
The weapon he''s using... a spear. I must watch out for its most effective usage, piercing.
As he backed up the goblin advanced, jumping to the left and immediately changed its course moving in a zigzag pattern to his right.
Goblin: LVL 3
Health: 4/5
Mana: 2/2
His heart rate picked up for a second, but he had to remind himself.
Calm down...only keep watch of his spear. No matter how his body moves, he will still attack in the same fashion.
In just one instant before it changed course again, it thrust the spear forward.
Perfect, very linear. He put up his shield at that moment and the spear collided against it. It was enough strength to vibrate his entire shield.
The goblin was definitely much faster than him, moving at 30mps. He could only follow the blur of movements with his eyes.
When he put the shield up to block, the goblin had already regained composure and changed locations. By the time he put it down, it was already out of sight.
He quickly scanned the surrounding, only to feel a sharp pain collide against his calf. He turned around instantly, swinging the sword overhead only to be met with the goblin''s foot burrowing into his belly.
With that, he had lost all balance and stumbled across the ground frantically. This goblin was way more advanced than he was. He could do nothing but lose to it.
With one push, it jumped into the sky and brought the spear down upon him. His health was already at 0. Death ominously awaited him. The difference in skill between the two was just much too vast.
No... Like I would give up that easily.
He placed his shield up just as the spear was to collide with him. The pressure the goblin had placed on it allowed the spear to go right through the shield. It got caught right within the leather and refused to dislodge.
This was his chance. He immediately got up and slashed at the goblin right through its chest while it was trying to pick up the spear. It didn''t die, but rather its health decreased from 4 to 2.
Feeling the further rush of adrenaline he stomped on the spear, breaking the sharp point into the shield.
It''s now or never.
He lurched forward and slashed again at the goblin only for it to dodge by a simple jump back. Another strike. Dodged. Another. Evaded. Another. Avoided.
Each one of those 2000 sword swings he did proved to be for naught. In real combat, all it did was make him have the ability to slash regularly.
After dodging a horizontal swipe by crouching, the goblin lept upwards straight at him. A complete change from its previous retreat.
Both hands hugged his hips and sent him flying back into the ground. The duo rolled viciously before it finally subdued him and rested over him, choking the life out of his lungs.
Fuck... I''m going to die...
He clawed at the Goblins arms, trying to pry its hands free of his neck. To no avail.
I''m going to die...
Thrashing and scratching wildly at the green arms leading him to death''s gate.
I''m going to die... I am really...
His vision began darkening around the edges. His eyes could only peer into those of the goblin''s who''s green radiance reminded him of the toxic symbol in his homeworld.
why am I thinking of something like that?
Out of desperation, he began clawing at the goblin''s face before his hands fell flat down. He was just on the brink of losing consciousness until he touched something. His hand had fallen right beside his shield.
So quick did the surge of hope overtake him, that he picked up the shield with one of his hands and bashed the metal frame against the side of the goblin''s head.
This clearly took a toll on the goblin and it was dazed for a second, by the second bash, it had thrown it off entirely and he got up gasping for breath.
Before he could even regain composure he hopped on top of the goblin and began bringing the shield down on it.
It howled out and tried to fight back but failed and got bashed several more times over the head. Its health was down to 0 as well now.
The goblin roared in defiance, realizing how close it was to dying and opened its mouth to bite down on the shield and hold onto it when it came down once more.
This was the deciding moment of battle. He must end it here, or else he will face his end.
He let go of the shield instinctively and began pummeling his fists against the goblin''s head. Again, again, and again, and again
and again...
*Huff*....again...*huh.* ...*huh*...again.
Each punch was met with less and less resistance. There was a moment in this calm that they both made eye contact. It was no longer staring at him through insight. It''s clear who would win this fight.
However, there was something he couldn''t help but notice. Within the eyes of this beast, was sadness. It wasn''t just pure sadness at the realization of loss. But something much deeper. Tears streamed from its eyes as if it was pleading with him.
He looked down at its bloated belly, only to see the numbers emanating from it. Just barely in view, he could see the health bar of a child within her. level 1, health 0/0, mana 0/0...
It was pregnant and just due for its birth any hour now.
He couldn''t go through with this after all. He dropped his hands down and decided against killing the goblin. He was the one that walked into their territory. He was the one that sought to kill them.
Any more and he would truly be a monster amongst monsters.
But...
It truly was a cruel world.
The moment he lowered down his guard the goblin lurched upwards, baring her sharp set of teeth. her aim was right for Rhys'' neck, but Rhys was much faster.
Before he the goblin could even bite down, Rhys'' dagger penetrated under her jaw and nestled comfortably into her head.
19. Never Show Mercy- Goblins and many other beasts will play on your weakness. Goblins, in particular, are merciless and will use any means to defeat their opponent. Do not fall victim to mere tricks.
The Goblin''s eyes twitched and it convulsed rapidly. The noise it made was that of one choking on an endless supply of water. No matter how much it swallowed, there was always more just filling its throat. It could only lay there on his arms, twitching, and heaving.
Yet again, he could only thank Mae. Even through his tears, he was happy that he had listened to the advice she had written to him.
"I"m sorry....I''m sorry..."
The Goblin continued to gurgle silently before dying. Through his teary eyes, he could see the health of the child within dwindle as well. Without oxygen, it was also due to die.
The only thing he could do was lay there sobbing. This world....was cruel.
Much too cruel.