《Not the "Support" you were expecting》 Prologue: Were summoned to another world *Ka-click* A camera sound was heard "Iso! You gave us a heart attack" (Random classmate 1) "At least notice us beforehand if you''re going to take a picture of us." (Another random classmate 2) Currently, it was there last day of school. He was taking a picture of his two classmates, trying to kill some time. "Sorry, sorry. I can''t help myself. I got bored" (Iso) Iso was bowing his head as if to say he was really sorry. "In the first place, you should do something about your hard-to-grasp presence" (random classmate 2) "Sorry. I can''t do anything about it. Hehehe" (Iso) His full name was Shinu Isoide. Iso is a grade 11 student of this particular school. He is 17 years old and his birthday was February 29. He has red hair and blue eyes, which is rare genetic trait. He was excelling in his academic grades and extracurricular activities. Those skills wasn''t inborn but was acquired through hard work. The fruit of his labor was that he became the second ranking student in the school. You might think that he was doing studying also but this guy actually play video games and watch animes. What made him have time to do all this is that he put priority to his education. Another factor might be is because he is also a bookworm. He has a hobby of being a cameraman. He was the first choice of every class he was in every time they need a videographer. That was why he was taking picturesYou might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The door opened and a girl entered the room. Many students, especially the boys, turned to look. That was because she was Aimi Fumiko, the most beautiful girl in the class. She was First rank in the school and that contributed to her popularity. The other girls just glares at the boys. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied back. She looked at the class with her emerald green eyes. "Ah Iso, you''re good at taking pictures right? Mind if you take a picture of our class? " (Aimi) "Eh? Why?."(Iso) "Well, you''re unofficially the class''s cameraman and your skill is quite good." (Aimi) "What for?" (Iso) "It is our last day in school so as the president of the class, I thought that maybe the class should take one last picture or something" (Aimi) He was about to agree to it but something weird happened The room was filled with a reddish light. Black red lines suddenly appeared on the floor snaking it''s way around lightning fast. It was making some kind of shape. The outer part was circular while inside where triangle like shapes. He had to drop his camera cause it was becoming very hot. The camera hit the floor and got broken. Electricity came out of it and joined the weird lines. Iso saw that ,not only his camera, but other electronic devices as well are heating up and getting broken. It is ,as if, the electricity or the energy inside them are reacting to this. As it was about to be completed, Iso recognize what might it be. He sometimes see this in an anime or a video game. It was a magic circle. He didn''t know what it does but the next thing he knew he was not in his classroom anymore. It''s too late to run now. By the time the other school authorities arrived at the scene, the magic circle was gone, and so are the students. *** News reporter: "We''re here to report about the mysterious disappearance of a whole class of students in this school. The weird phenomenon started when the people at the school notice a red glow from one of their class. They have thought it was just some kind of party trick that the student use for their last day of school. But just to be sure, the school authorities check their classroom. That''s when they found out that the students in that class are missing. They''ve quickly reported it to the higher authorities. It was really baffling that a group of students would suddenly disappear. The only trace left were broken pieces of electronic devices that is thought to be owned by the students. I hope their investigation will be successful and the students returned back safely. Back to you, Mike" Chapter 1: Hey, explain to us what happened Iso felt his body floating. He felt a hovering feeling next after that. He doesn''t know where, he doesn''t know how. Slowly, his feet touch something that he thinks is the ground. Through it all, he kept his eyes close. The light that shone at their class was too bright. After some time, he hear some murmuring voices around him. He felt the body of his classmates around him. He stood there for awhile before he finally opened his eyes. He saw that they were standing in a mysterious space which is definitely not their classroom. He saw that they were surrounded by white walls which displays some weird pattern. He also saw it on the floor where they were standing. Iso realized that those were the same patterns that appeared in their classroom. The only difference was the color. Where in their classroom it was glowing dark red, in here it was glowing light blue. Iso wondered the reason or reasons for this but that was not his concern right now. His first question he wants to be answered is that where are they. The atmosphere in this place feels different. There were no windows in this room so he can''t see what''s outside. That is vital to know where they are. If what he think is right, they are in another world right now. But he wants to make sure. Now he look at his classmate to see how are they. He saw that everyone in the classroom was also in here. Surprise or astonishment was shown in their faces. It looks like they were still at shock and is still not questioning the situation. Surrounding them were robed men who were the ones murmuring. They look like they were priests in this place. He could probably ask one of them to answer his questions. One of them, who looks really young to be a priest , steps forward. "Oh, heroes from another world, please save us from the demon king!" (Young priest) Then another one, who looks like their leader, hit the forehead of the young priest. "Quite, you''re not allowed to talk to the heroes like that!" (Priest Leader) Iso instantly didn''t like this guy already. His attitude is disgusting to Iso. The young priest step back while holding his forehead with his hands. His face was like a tomato. He sulk at one of the corners of the room. While the Priest Leader mustered up a smile. Iso thought it was fake. Those are the smiles that you use in a business or something just to give courtesy. It was definitely like that. "Sorry for our apprentice''s...misbehaviour. Come, this room is not proper for the heroes to stay" (Priest Leader) They were lead outside the room and into a great hallway or something. They were following the Priest Leader while the other priest are behind them. The young priest or the apprentice is slowly following them at the very far back. At the great hall, there was a carpet on the floor that illuminate the way. On the walls on either side, were images and a texts in a language they couldn''t read.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. It looks like the history of this world. Many of the students gaze at it and was awed. This just further confirms that they were indeed in another world. The beginning was blurry and they cannot make any sense of it. But what he was sure of is that at the very start, this world was very dangerous. Only darkness appears on it. After that it was blurry. It took some time before the blurred part stop and they could finally see the continuation. The Priest Leader saw that the students were gazing at the images so he ordered one of the priests to explain what it was. "As you might have guess, this hall houses the images that is our history. Before. This world was very dangerous. But the gods have mercy on us and separated us from the darkness. We were in peace and the gods taught us magic. It was the Age of gods that time and we have our hands on some very powerful magic. But alas our knowledge on it were lost. Though we still have magic running in our veins but the Age of gods were gone." (Random Priest) The scene continued and just as the priest said, eventually the magic and might that was showing were getting less and less. The students doesn''t know how t react to this. This all seems like a dream for them. "I think that is enough for now. We will explain further in the dining hall. I''m sure all of you are hungry" (Priest Leader) They exited the great hall and entered a new room which might be the dining area. Circular tables were arranged systematically. There were five chairs per table. The room was spacious enough for all of them to fit in. Pictures of people and places were displayed on the white walls around the room. The smell of delicious food entered their noses and they realized that they are indeed hungry. The sound of chairs moving were created as each students made themselves comfortable. Their astonishment long forgotten. Iso isn''t someone who could forget that easily. He was still unease by all of this. He made his way in one of the table and sat down. He was joined by Aimi and other classroom officers. "Aimi, this is all too weird." (Iso) "Yes, I''ll have to agree. But we still don''t know what''s happening. We should wait and gather information for now" (Aimi) Iso followed Aimi''s instruction. He stayed silent for now and waited for those priests to explain what''s happening. When the Priest Leader saw that everyone is comfortably sitting, he started his explanation. "Please before you ask your questions. Allow us to explain to you the situation" He explained to the students the basic knowledge about this world. In summary. They were summoned by the priest with the help of the gods. Normally, it was impossible to summon others from another world to this world. This world was called Aachon. They are many different races is this world. They explained that all races were at peace but that soon broke as the demon king went on a rampage. The demon king obtained what was called an Age of god magic which was equivalent to a weapon of mass destruction. War soon broke out but the demon king was too strong. The other races decided that it was better to be independent to have more chances of survival. One by one, the united races falls apart. The human race was the only one left who are willing to fight the demon king. But they were powerless. That was why they asked the gods for help and in revelation the gods gave to them the knowledge how to fight the demon king. They said that they must summon heroes from another world. With the help of the gods, they were able to summon the students to this world. "We are humbly requesting for your help to fight against demon king. Please help us with your power" (Priest Leader) The Priest Leader bowed his head and the other priests copied what he did. Iso would have easily agree to him if he did not see his true nature earlier. This is surely just a show or it was scripted for them to help them. He was sure that the others wouldn''t agree also But unexpectedly, the president of the class, Aimi said something surprising "We have heard your plea. I would do my best to help you and save this world. Surely the others would agree with me. Isn''t that right?" (Aimi) Aimi look around the students face expecting them to agree with her. "Eh?" (Iso) Iso let out a surprise voice. This just gets weirder and weirder. Chapter 2: Looks like were helping them The students shift their gazes, unsure on how to react, whether they would agree or not, whether they would answer at all. But one of the students, a boy, got up from his table. In his eyes were conviction. "I agree. I don''t want Aimi to go alone" (Random student), the boy who stand up said. This cause some kind of chain reaction and others soon followed him. "I also want to help. I want to lend whatever I have to save this world." (Random student) "If Aimi will go, I would too. Sign me up please." (Random student) "Going to war without thinking ones safety, you''re so cool Aimi. I also want to join you guys" (Random student) "I would try my best to help also." (Random student) "Ah wait, you guys are going? Don''t leave me, I''ll also join you guys" (Random student) "It''s not like I hate it, I''ll join too" (Random student) And something along those lines were said with each of the students. Even Iso eventually agreed and joined them to help the humans of this world. When it was settled, the Priest Leader has a smile on his face. The Priest leader seems satisfied with the results Whatever is left of the students appear to endorse and accept the way things are. All things considered, it appeared that everybody would take an interest in the war. Probably the schoolmates did not really comprehend what it was intended to go to war. Now that they all agreed to fight the demon king, they would need to be trained. After all, they were all just regular students that were not use to war. Suddenly fighting and going to war will not be a good idea. However, the priest and others involved in the summoning had already predicted this might happen. The realm had a incredibly close association with the Church. The relationship was well-built because the church help sustain this realm. The kingdom gladly lent their help. They would assist in training the summoned heroes. That would facilitate the training ground and provide the mentors that would teach the heroes in both combat and magic. Those things were explained by the Priest Leader while the students were eating. Iso wonder who has more influence from the two faction, the church or the monarchy? In earth''s past, the roman catholic church has more power than the king, would it be the same in this world? "Today also, the king and his family will grace you with their presence. They want to personally meet the heroes that will save the world." (Priest Leader) As if on cue, the door opened to reveal four well-dressed people. They entered graciously and with authority. Just by seeing the crown on his head, you could guess that the one leading them is the king. Beside him was the queen, wearing a matching crown. Following from behind were two boys. One seems to be the older of the two. They wore similar navy blue clothes that seems to be high-class. The two also have swords on their waist. But it looks like it was more for display than for battle. They might be as well twins The king approached the priest leader and held his hand. The king kiss the ring on it to show respect. The Priest leader also seem to give him a blessing. Iso saw that the priest leader is also showing his respect to the king. It might be that the church and the monarchy are on equal ground. But what to say that they didn''t have a history of a struggle for power?If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The queen and the two prince also followed the king example. After that, the king and the rest of the royal family face the students. "Heroes, I am Lus K. Levine. This is my wife and my queen, Fey Dia K. Levine. These are my two sons, Blair and Kip Levine. We greatly welcome you in our world and hope to work well with you all. We thank you for deciding to help us in our darkest hours. We appreciate it and may the gods be on our side" Claps resounded in the room after the king talk. They quickly left because they have somewhere else to go. They have a strictly tight schedule so the students won''t be encountering them at times. Especially now that war was imminent with the kingdom and the world in danger. After them, the lords and ladies, the knight commander, the general, barons and baroness, and other high status people introduce themselves, welcomed, and thanked the students. Though it should be noted that not all officials were presence, as said by the Priest Leader. The students all listened to this while eating the food they were given. It was similar to the foods that were serve in medieval times. But there were also food that was entirely different and new to the students. This must be a unique animal or something of this world They were further introduced to the trainers that would teach them. The mentors were handpicked from the first class Knights, high rank Mages, experienced Warriors, and much more. This would consent to them to build up friendships for the imminent war. There were so many that were introduced that the sun was already setting. Some students already look tired. So much has happen to them. They seem already exhausted. Iso wasn''t exempted. He was dozing off as the last ones finally finish introducing themselves. He jolt awake as he subconsciously know that it was done. At first though, he was attentive and tried to memorize all the names and rank of the people here. It might come handy in the future, he reasoned to himself. But eventually there was too much that he gave up. The ones introduced wasn''t even the whole membership of the higher authorities. And it was only this country''s nobles. They are probably several, no hundreds of countries in this world. "Well, that is all for today. You will meet the other nobles in the near future. Now, I''m sure you''re all tired, that is why we''re now going to lead you to your quarters. Your rooms were made especially for you heroes. We made sure it will be comfortable and give you well rest sleep." (Priest Leader) They all stand up and were lead outside the room. The plates and tables they left were quickly attended to and cleaned. And the doors were closed behind them. Iso followed them and he was somewhere in front of the group. He wanted to be there so that he could hear what the Priest leader might say. He tried to stay attentive but he was exhausted even though he just sat and listened the whole time. So much has happened. "Tomorrow, you will be quickly guided for your training after you eat breakfast. So please get a good night sleep and don''t stay awake all night. Breakfast will be serve at seven in the morning. We have also prepared several clothes for you all at your rooms." Each student were assigned individual rooms. As each students were lead to their own room, Iso notice something. Each time his classmates entered their room, the priest leader secretly chanted something and something clicked at the door. Iso initiative told him that the priest leader was locking the door by magic. It was suspicious and he was scared being lock on his own room. What if they were lock forever? Iso tried to reassure himself that the priest leader was only doing that so the students won''t just come out the room to cause chaos. Wait, what was this priest name again? He tried to remember if ever the priest leader said his name to them. All this time, he was calling him ''priest leader'' and doesn''t really know his name. Maybe he just missed it or never heard it. It''s not yet important for him to know. His thoughts were cut off when the priest leader signalled for him to enter the room in front of them. It was probably the room assigned for him. "Make yourself at home" (Priest leader) He entered reluctantly into the room. The door quickly closed behind him. He heard the chant of the priest leader and the clicking sound afterwards. He tried to open the door and his guess was right, the door was bolt shut. Nothing to do but to stay in this room and wait for tomorrow. He would be sure to ask the priest leader his name. It might be a vital information later on. The room was luxurious, something like those you see in a five star hotel but without the modern items. Still the room allowed for all the stress and problems he got today to be forgotten temporarily, at least for the night. Iso rest on the bed and he gradually drifted off to sleep. Chapter 3: I got a jobless class Iso opened his eyes and light entered in his vision. Sunlight was entering the room through an open window that was supposed to be close the previous night. Iso was dumbfounded. Someone must have entered the room when he was sleeping. Then he noticed, the door was open already. His fear yesterday was wrong or at least it didn''t happened. Some maid or servant or something must have unlocked the door and opened the window. There was a note on the table near the door. Iso saw it before he left the room. Written on the note: "Breakfast will be held at the same hall last night." It wasn''t really important but Iso guess they like notifying people. He remembered yesterday that he wants to know what the Priest Leader''s name is. So he tried to find him as he goes to the supper hall for breakfast. He made sure to memorize the way from his room to the supper hall last night. It will be problematic if he doesn''t know where to go. He tried asking the people that he encountered where is the ''Priest Leader'' but they didn''t know also. So he asked them what is his name instead. His name was Aulus Nizzola, the head priest of the church branch in this city. Being a head priest grant him some powerful influence. That is when Iso heard what is the significance of a head priest. And someone has more authority than him. It was the Pope of this country. Many country has its own Pope, so there are multiple Popes in this world. But there are also many religions in this world. The religion of the Aulus, previously called Priest Leader, is just one of the major religions of this world Well that is one question off Iso''s head. He entered the supper hall and saw many of his classmates already eating breakfast. He got his food which composed of egg, bacon, and some rice. The egg particularly doesn''t look like it was from a chicken. It has a different quality, a different look. But he can''t be really sure. He found Aimi sitting with other students with one room for more. Since Aimi is or was the president of their class, she holds some influence. He had something important to tell her. He sat down near her and started eating. "Hey Aimi. I found out the name of the priest le-, I mean the name of the priest that summoned us is Aulus. But that is not what I really need to tell you. What I want to tell you is that: We forgot to ask if we can return back home to our world" (Iso) Aimi''s eyes widen when Iso mentioned that. "You''re right. We should have asked when we had the chance. But we already decided on fighting in the war..." (Aimi) "Well we could still ask if we find him. If ever you encounter him, please ask it''s possible we can go home. I think he''ll listen to you more." (Iso) After that, breakfast continued. *** The students were lead out of the supper hall and into a new place. They were taken outside for the first time. They were atop a small mountain overlooking the city below. A wall was surrounding the castle and the nearby city. Far away, two more walls can be seen for the protection of the city. They were lead to what is supposedly the training grounds. A person whom they were introduced yesterday was standing there waiting for them. He was one of the mentors that will teach them how to fight. His name was Eadwulf Widukind. The students were given a thin rectangular-shaped metal. A little bigger than a passport. It was light yet it felt like it was indestructible which probably it is. Warrior General Eadwulf started to explain what it was for. "The thing that you all are holding will show your identification. It will also show your stats, status, skills, and other things about yourself. This will be use for various things throughout your lifetime. You could use this to enter another city or country. Please don''t lose it cause it will be hard to get another one." (Eadwulf) His voice made him some like a kind person yet it somehow carries authority in it. "That is called a Status Card. It is an artefact given in ancient times so it is really unlikely to be destroyed. There is a magic circle in that card. Please put your thumb in it. It will ''see'' into your very soul to identify you" When the students did that, the cards they were holding shined for a moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Isoide Shinu Age: 17 years old Gender: Male Level: 1 Job/Class/Vocation: None HP: 50 MP: 25 Attack Power: 20 Strength: 10 Defense Power: 30 Vitality: 42 Resistance: 42The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Evasion Efficiency:20 Agility: 10 Magic: 30 Magic Resistance: 35 Intelligence: 18 Luck: 21 Skills: All Common Language Comprehension ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For Iso, it felt like this is something from a lightnovel or a game. Many games have stats but only the players sees it. Well this status card is the physical construct of what define Iso. If this was just like the lightnovels, he might have overpowered stats. He can''t wait to compare it. But there was one problem though. He has no job class. What does that mean? Eadwulf continued his explanation about the status card "The level that shows there is your current experience. All of you are level one cause it is your first time being ''see'' by the status card. The maximum level for humans is level 100. But there are rare instances where some people reach level 120. As to date, only the Knights'' Order have people having levels more than 100. The level shows how much more potential and growth you can achieve. Average human only reach level 40, after that it gets hard for them to level up. When you reach level 100, you reach the full potential of humans. Those of the Knights'' Order broke the limits because their levels are more than 100." (Eadwulf) Eadwulf stop to catch his breath and to check if the students/heroes are still listening to him. With his voice that carries authority though, it wasn''t a problem. "Your level and stats can be increase through training, fighting, gaining experience, magic, magical tools, killing monsters and others. We will supply you with weapons that will suit you for battle and for the war. We will provide the highest grade we can get for you all. After all, you will save us all from the demon king." With what Eadwulf said, your level and stats will increase and experience growth through practice, experience, learning, fighting and others. "The job or class or vocation that is written there is your specialty. It is where you have the most aptitude for. It is your talent, what your body was made for. The skills you have are related to what your class is. Common people doesn''t really have classes. For you to have a class is already rare. Having a combat class is even rarer." (Eadwulf) Iso look again at his job/class/vocation. It clearly states that he has no aptitude. That means he is just like the normal people in this world. Really, this sounds like a joke already. Maybe his stats will be extraordinary? "Having no class means you have no color, you are ''free'' as they say. A jack of all trades but master of none. It doesn''t mean that if you have no class, it will stay like that forever. There is something called ''class change'' that would give you a chance to get a vocation. You only have two tries though and after that you get stuck on whatever you have." (Eadwulf) When Iso heard that, he was relief that he can change his class. It wasn''t that bad. "So well now, I want to see all of your stats. The average human have a stats about 50 for hp, around 20 for MP, Attack Power, Defense Power, & Evasion Efficiency. 10, more or less, for Strength, Vitality, Resistance, Agility, Magic, & Magic Resistance. 15 to 16 for intelligence and luck. We don''t really know why luck is there or how it works. Or rather if it even work at all." (Eadwulf) Hearing the average of the stats, Iso abandon the fantasy of him having extraordinary stats. He was clearly just an above-average person with no job class whatsoever. "Because you are the heroes, you should have stats several times higher than that. Please report what your status card say." Every student has a bright face. It is as if they have stats higher than average. Aimi was the first one who reported her status card. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Aimi Fumiko Age: 17 years old Gender: Female Level: 1 Job/Class/Vocation: Page HP: 300 MP: 30 Attack Power: 30 Strength: 100 Defense Power: 50 Vitality: 100 Resistance: 100 Evasion Efficiency:35 Agility: 100 Magic: 100 Magic Resistance: 100 Intelligence: 20 Luck: 17 Skills: All element aptitude, Holy Magic Special Aptitude, Light Magic Special Aptitude, All element resistance, Physical Attack Resistance, Magic Aptitude, Sword Art, Strength Boost, Speed Boost, Eagle Eyes, Mana Recovery, Movement perception, Magic sight, All status boost All Common Language Comprehension ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That is not really suppose to happen. Looks like Iso wasn''t the one with the extraordinary stats, Aimi was. She always seem to beat him in every aspect, even at school in earth. At least his luck is higher than hers. But as Eadwulf said, it doesn''t really mean something. "Your class is a Page? If you level up and class up enough, you could be a Knight. That is rare, even among the rare combat classes. You might even become a member of the Knights'' Order. And with stats that are like 10 times than an average person''s stat, you might even overpass them in the long run. And your skills are several. People usually get around 2 or 3 skills. You have so much potential." Aimi laugh lightly at what Eadwulf is saying. She didn''t expect the class to be that rare. In history, a page is like lowest apprentice to a knight. It will then be a squire then after some years a knight. Skill are like your talents and it is something you are born with. This talent could be improve over the years. Sometimes, your efforts will make fruit and the skill you have will be much more stronger. But it is very hard to do and the many people that attempted it usually fails and never get results. The students after Aimi also have superior stats. Though it was not as good as hers. The lowest one have an average of 100 HP; 50 for MP, Attack Power, Defense Power, & Evasion Efficiency; 70 for Strength, Vitality, Resistance, Agility, Magic, & Magic Resistance. But for Intelligence and Luck, Iso was mostly superior. Look at that, it seems he is the last one who will show his stats. What will be their reaction/s? Iso wish that they will not be that disappointed. After all, he still have some stats that are above-average. Chapter 4: At least Im above-average Eadwulf was really satisfied with all the status cards the students were showing him. It was a joy for him to train this heroes-to-be to their utmost potential. He called on the last student, Iso, to show him his status card. He has an expectation that he will have impressive stats. Iso relucantly step forward and gave his status card. Eadwulf smile was replaced by a frown and a confuse look. "What''s this?" He tried to see if what the plate is showing him is fake but it seems it was the real deal. It wasn''t because Iso''s stats were high, it was because Iso stats were just slightly above-average. Iso was feeling embarrass about this. In their world, he was one of the smartest students in their school, just second place before Aimi. But looks like in this world, that title is nonexistent. After checking it for a while, Eadwulf returned the card to Iso. "It looks like many of your stats is above-average. That still something." (Eadwulf) Fortunately for Iso, the reactions of his classmates were just expressions of pity. Unfortunately for him, their evaluation of him...rocketed down. The respect that they give him previously in their world was now gone. "But it seems that you have a jobless class. That means you have no aptitude, you have no skills. Uhm wait don''t worry about it. You can still change your class right? Just level up a bit until you''re level 40. Then you can class change." (Eadwulf) Iso just nodded at what Eadwulf was saying. It was too late now. He was lucky he was well-respected in their previous world, otherwise his classmate would have made him a laughing stock already. "It''s not that bad. There''s an advantage with having no class. For instance, you level up faster and your stats growth is much faster. So while leveling up until you can class change, you''ll have superior stats. Your next class will be much more powerful." (Eadwulf) He was half-lying. You won''t actually have ''superior'' stats but you do level up faster than the average person. It is not really a good advantage. But Iso doesn''t know this so he just nods and believes the words of Eadwulf. "Well, with me and the others training you all there won''t be a problem. We will be sure to teach you everything you need to know." (Eadwulf) Iso returned back to his original place feeling okay for now. He still have a slight hope that this will be better someday. He decided that if he wants to become better he had to train hard. He is looking forward to the day he would change his class. "Well now I have to explain what does your stats really mean. I''m sure you have some vague idea how it works but it is better to explain it to clear it up. First is the HP. This is your Health Points. Literally how much life you have left. Be careful not to make it zero because of obvious reasons. The higher your health, the more you can survive from attacks. This stat is not related to age, sickness, & diseases. Next will be your MP. This are your Mana Point. This indicate how much mana you have left. Mana is use to cast magic in this world. The stronger the magic, the more mana it consumes. Mana is magical energy inside of you. You can be capable to tap this source of energy and use it to cast magic spells. Of course, you have a limited amount of mana at your disposal, which may be replenished with mana potions, resting, or simply waiting for a period of time.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Be sure not to use up mana more than you are capable of. Because if you do, the magic will use your life force instead. It is very dangerous to attempt this. Third would be the Attack Power. True to its name, this show how much power your physical attack does. Attack Power is related to your Strength and vice versa. Usually, both of this stats are the same. The more Strength you have, the better your Attack Power can be. With enough training, you can improve your Strength without the need to level up. This could include exercise, weight lifting, sparring, and others. Defense Power is like your natural armor. Your defence power could reduce the damage you take in your body. This could be improve by magic or wearing armor. The next one would be Vitality. It is the power giving continuance of life, present in all living things. It is interrelated to your HP. Resistance is the ability not to be affected by something or at least o resist it. This is just a general resistance. This includes your resistance to cold or hot places, and physical resistance. Someday, some of you might acquire a skill related to resistance. This are resistance to a specific element. Evasion Efficiency, as the name implies, is how well you can dodge an attack. This is related to the stat of Agility. Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily. Because it is related to Evasion Efficiency, both of them could affect the growth of each other. The Magic is stats indicates your aptitude to magic. The higher this stat is, the easier it is to use magic. Class that are related to magic usually have higher Magic stats than others. Also, there seems to be a relation between Magic and the rest of the stats. It seem that the growth of the your stats are affected by how high is your Magic Stat. But we''re not sure about it. Magic Resistance is how well you can resist magic base attacks. Also, using Anti-Magic abilities requires you to have a high Magic Resistance. Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. It is related to MP and Magic stat. The class "Wizard" and other related class to it have high Intelligence stat. The last one is Luck. As we said, we don''t know fully what this is for. We just know luck is chance considered as a force that causes good or bad things to happen. It is something regarded as bringing about or portending good or bad things. But this is just a theory about it. We don''t have any proof or witnesses to know more about it. We usually just ignore this stats because it doesn''t seem to affect anything. It does not matter if one person have high luck or low luck. In the end, it all depends on the person''s actions and choices. Well, that concludes the explanation. Any questions?" (Eadwulf) Eadwulf look over to the students expecting them to raise their hands. But the students seems to know all about this already. Even Iso quickly understand what are the stats for when he first saw them. Because nobody raise a question, they proceeded to their training. The first thing they did were warm ups. It looks like Eadwulf is ating like a hardcore PE teacher in their world. Lines like "Is that what you call running?!" or "I could finish that obstacle course with my eyes close!!" came out from his mouth. It was really tiring for the students and they are already at their limits. Someone tried to ask if they could have a rest but he was beautifully denied. "Push yourself to the limits! Is that how you will defeat the demon king?!" (Eadwulf) The kind and understanding atmosphere of Eadwulf was replace by a hellish trainer. It looks like he was really passionate with his teachings. The soldier gave the students a pitied look. The students were not the only ones who was given this kind of training. Encouraging remarks like "You can do it" or "We believe in you" or "Don''t worry it will be over soon" came from the soldiers. Really, Eadwulf is just like the ''passionate'' PE teachers in their previous world. After a few hours, it was already lunch. The students were relieved that it was over. They could finally rest. But it was short live "That''s all for now. Take your lunch. After you ate, quickly get back here and we''ll start training" (Eadwulf) "Eeeehhhh??!!" (Students) "What? What you did back there was just the warm up. You all are still half-bake heroes-in-training. Don''t slack off. The demon king have an Age of God magic, how else can you defeat him" And true hell started for all of them. The other mentors are the same but not as ''passionate'' as Eadwulf. Chapter 5: Im tired.. It hurts... But I have to keep going... "It has been two weeks since they have arrive" I heard someone talking while I was cleaning the hallway. I feel the presence of several people in the area on my right. "Yes, I know. What are their progress already?" The second voice I heard was my mother''s master. He must be talking about the newly summoned heroes. They have recently arrive at the city far away from here. Eh? I can''t seem to hear them anymore. I heard the sound of a door closing. Maybe they have saw me listening to them. ''I wanted to know more about them'' I said to myself as I felt my way in the hallway. I was using the mop as to know if there''s a wall or something is in front of me. *tap swish tap tap swish* Those sounds were made as I both use the mop to tap and clean. Several times I hit the walls with the mop. Wait was it a wall? I might get in trouble if I break something. "Yri" I felt a familiar presence going near me. It was warm and I feel like I would fly cause of happiness. There''s only one person who has that feeling. "Mother" I said as I left the mop on the floor and went near her. I tackled her into a hug. She return the hug back to me also. But I felt something else, something I don''t like. Oh no. Did I make her angry? "Yri, what are you doing using the mop like that? What did I told you?" Her voice is stern "I wanted to help you with your work" I said back to her. "I told you not to right? You''re still young to do house work. You might break something. Our master is already kind giving us a place to stay and something to eat." "But..but" "I know you just want to help..it just that I don''t want you to get hurt." Her voice now is warm again "Come on. I''ll give you a treat. Don''t be sad now. Let''s pick this mop up and return it also"Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I felt her hand touch mine. I hold on to it as she guides me towards somewhere. But then I stop. I feel suddenly cold. My mother must have felt it also cause she also stop. Screams and shouts were resounding outside. "Mother, what''s happening?" There was a pause of silence before my mother replied. "It''s...nothing dear. Do you want to be carried by mommy?" Her voice was different than usual. "Yes please" I said as she carried me. I felt her walk really fast as if she was...running. The sound of screaming and shouts were getting fainter then getting louder again. Soon I felt that we were outside cause of the winds. But the smell of the air was different. The smell was like wood burning and there was something else that I can''t identify. *cough cough* I don''t like the smell. My mother buried my face into her chest. I don''t know why but the smell became fainter. Though I can hear my mother coughing. But I don''t like this feeling. All around me, I can feel the people. Their hearts were not at ease. Some of them have no warmth. More and more I can feel their bodies becoming cold. All of a sudden, I was in the air. I fall down to the ground. I quickly tried to find the warmth of my mother. "Run!" I heard her shout before I felt her warmth leave her. I followed my mother''s orders and run. I feel in my eyes something watery. This feeling I can''t explained. Such coldness. I kept running and running not knowing where I was going. Then I was suddenly falling. *** It has been long since I fall down. The place I was now in was full of monsters. I can''t see them but I can feel them. They all have coldness surrounding them and every time I am near one of them they try to take my warmth. How am I surviving? Why do I keep walking? why do I keep continuing? Why am I running? I can''t do this anymore. My body is cold. My warmth is little already. Maybe I should just rest. I slump to the ground. I cuddle myself as my consciousness is fading away. I felt something going near me. It''s one of those cold monster. It seems fairly humanoid. Is it gonna take my warmth? Huh? It''s ignoring me, it''s walking away. Wait it''s getting near me again. I felt something being wrap to me. It suddenly felt warm again...just like my mother''s warmth. I realize it was some kind of cloak. I further wrap it around my body, feeling the warmth I felt strong magic gathering and entering my body. It''s both cold and warm. It looks like he monster is surprise of that magic too. And then I could see the face of the one who gave me warmth. It was a face of a boy. His eyes were cold. Why did he gave me a cloak? Why did he gave me warmth? Aren''t you a monster? Chapter 6: Eadwulf decided for us to take our first quest (Isos POV) Three weeks have passed since the day we were summoned. There was some news that I heard about a city, which humans and demi-humans live together, that was attacked by the demon race. The purpose was still unknown but there was no survivors found. This put a lot of tension within the kingdom and the church. We also became hectic with our training because of this. We weren''t ready yet. We were supposed to be the heroes that would save humanity from the demon king but we weren''t even able to save that city. Right now, we were on our break after a training session. I was resting near the training ground so that I wouldn''t have a hard time going back again when we are called. I took out my Status Card and to see my progress. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Isoide Shinu Age: 17 years old Gender: Male Level: 10 Job/Class/Vocation: None HP: 140 MP: 70 Attack Power: 56 Strength: 28 Defense Power: 84 Vitality: 118 Resistance: 118 Evasion Efficiency:56 Agility: 28 Magic: 84 Magic Resistance: 98 Intelligence: 50 Luck: 59 Skills: All Common Language Comprehension ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eadwulf was right. My stats'' growth was faster than normal. But I still didn''t got a new skill or anything at all. This was the result of the hard training they gave us for three weeks. But my stats'' growth didn''t put an edge compared to my other classmates. Their stats are still higher than me. Aimi''s status card shows: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Aimi Fumiko Age: 17 years old Gender: Female Level: 10 Job/Class/Vocation: Squire HP: 600 MP: 60 Attack Power: 60 Strength: 200 Defense Power: 100 Vitality: 200 Resistance: 200 Evasion Efficiency:70 Agility: 200 Magic: 200 Magic Resistance: 200 Intelligence: 40 Luck: 34 Skills: All element aptitude, Holy Magic Special Aptitude, Light Magic Special Aptitude, All element resistance, Physical Attack Resistance, Magic Aptitude, Sword Art, Strength Boost, Speed Boost, Eagle Eyes, Mana Recovery, Movement perception, Magic sight, All status boost All Common Language Comprehension ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Even though my stats'' growth was superior, Aimi''s stats are still higher than mine. Plus she has this whole bunch of cheat skills in her sleeve. Also, she had a class rank up when she became level 10. Her class is now a ''Squire''.I don''t know what''s the perk but it''s suppose to give her a boost or something. My classmates started gathering already to the training ground where Eadwulf was. It looks like our break time was up. Because our watches and technology were destroyed when the summoning happened, we have a hard time trying to grasp what time it is. I stand up also following my classmates, ready for another session of training. But when I saw Eadwulf face, I knew there will be no training. "Heroes, I know that you''ve heard about the attack last week and I know you''re feeling down becaue you weren''t able to do something about it. Well, we decided that, as part of your training, we''re going to a nearby town outside the city. There was a quest concerning a new dungeon showing up there. It is causing weird sickness to the town''s people. Normally, this would be assigned to adventurers but with the recent war going on, they are busy. So we thought that it was a good idea for the heroes to do it. Not only will you be able to help but it will serve as your training. This will let you experience real battle and strategy thinking. Everyone agrees?" (Eadwulf) "Yes, sir" (The students) After that various things were discuss concerning the quest. We were to leave tomorrow so we have to prepare our weapons and things. The town will be responsible for where we''ll stay. After all, they were the ones who sent the quest. Plus we were the heroes so they want to welcome us warmly. A letter was sent, concerning our arrival to the town tomorrow, to the town. The several priests also gave their blessings to us. It was both magi and, as they are said, came from the gods. We had free time after that. Seeing that there was still some time left (The sun wasn''t setting yet), I decided to train on my own. I readied a mannequin with bull''s eye drawn in the head and the chest. I got a bow and a bunch of arrows from the weaponry. This pass few weeks, I''ve been trying to find out what I''m good at. I was trying to know what is my aptitude. Cause that will determined my role in this place. I am still not satisfied cause I got a jobless class. I tried sword fighting (they were too fast), axe wielding (too heavy), Spears (My accuracy sucks), and various others. I even tried my hands on magic. Because I have no aptitude in it, magic is harder to perform for me. The results were mostly less than average. Though when I tried healing magic, it was average. They said that if I got a class with magical attribute, I might end up a healer. Well, I might be satisfied with that. At least I can do some kind of magic. One of the reasons why I like playing fantasy games is because it let me feel as if I have magic. Doing a simple fireball or something already satisfies me. But when I got here, I had no magical aptitude whatsoever. I let out my anger with a shot of an arrow to thee mannequin. The arrow was shot at the outer ring in the chest. It looks like I''m also not good at archery. I continued shooting arrows for awhile. After some time, one of my classmates joined me and practice shooting also. Out of 20 arrows, I shot about 2 near the bull''s eye. One was probably because of luck and the other one was an accident. While my classmate shot all his arrows in the bull''s eye. 20 on the head and 20 on the chest. I remembered that he had a class called ''Archer'' or something. Might be, he had already class-up to a Sniper or whatever it will be. I saw the sun was already setting. The sky was becoming more reddish cause of the dusk. I started returning the mannequin, bow, and the arrows to the weaponry. Likewise, my classmate did the same. I headed to my room feeling tired already. I would have gone to sleep if I haven''t remembered to pack my things for tomorrow. I hurriedly pack a bunch of clothes and other things for tomorrow. I didn''t bother folding them or organizing them. I decided to bring a small knife just in case. I forgot to tell. Most of my classmates received personal weapons from the kingdom and/or the church. Aimi received something from them. She got a ancient sword meant for heroes. She also receive top class armor and items that she could handle. What I receive was the small knife. Even though I think it''s lower leveled compared to my classmates, it was still some top-class weapon. I think it has magic in it but I''m not so sure. Maybe I''ll try it tomorrow when we get to the dungeon. I went to sleep feeling neither satisfied nor unsatisfied for the day. Chapter 7: Welcome to...wait, what was it called again? (Isos POV) South of the Wohsh River, West of Findochty , and Northeast of Alnwick, is where you''ll find the village of Eldham. We have left early in the morning when the sun was still rising and arrived at the village, like, before lunch or something. "Welcome to Eldham, heroes! I can see ye are well equipped. May we lead you our fine inn, Oriental Lily, I''m sure you''re all tired after that long travel. Let''s discuss about the dungeon that appeared inside as we eat lunch" The village chief greeted us as we unload our things from the carriages. The village chief turned his back around and indicates to follow him. The dust, rutted road is line with closely-grown hedges of brambles and shrubs. Here and there it cuts through a copse or crosses a rivulet. To either hand forest and meadow have given way to field and orchard. A small herd of kine graze nearby, and a distant hill is dot with the white of a flock of sheep. Ahead are thatch roofs and stone chimneys with thin plumes of blue smoke rising from them. A road angles west into the hill country there, and to either side of the ahead are barns and buildings. We were lead to a large walled building with a square wooden sign showing a buxom and a smiling girl holding a flagon of beer. I''m guessing this is the inn we''ll be staying. The innkeeper greeted us and the chief, happy to serve the heroes that were summon recently. Inside, there were no customers in the main room. I realize that it might because we rented the whole place. We went to the upper rooms to check where will be staying. Because the inn can''t accommodate a one student per room, we were divided into a group of 4 or more depending on the size of the room. The upper rooms are very clean, and all except the common dormitory are heated. Each has a fine bed, many covers, washstand, chamber pot, towel, pegs for garments, and several chairs and stools. The larger rooms have arm chairs, tables, footstools, bed warmers, curtained beds, and good rugs on the floor and wall hangings as well. We rested for a bit after the long travel. Then we went to common room at the first floor to eat lunch and to get down to business. The room contains many rough-hewn tables and chairs, boards and benches. A natural tree trunk pillars support the ceiling overhead, all dark with smoke and age. We ate a hearty meal while Eadwulf and the village chief talk about the new dungeon and it''s problem. The others just ate lunch or listened to the conversation. We didn''t directly participate or talk except Aimi, who wanted to be as ready as possible about it. What I heard is that the new dungeon is an Old Moat House. It was use in the wars before and it was owned by an evil ruler. It was buried under the ground after many years but due to the influence of the demon king today, it reacted and appeared once more. The moat house spread an evil aura around the area which includes the village. People started getting sick of some weird disease. The village quickly send letters asking for help. It was convenient for them to know that the heroes will be the ones who''s gonna handle it. "We should decide when will we go to the moat house" (Iso) "Yes, I agree. I think we should quickly subjugate it so that there will no more casualties for the village. What do you guys think?" (Aimi) The students just nods and agreed with Aimi. Well, many of them were bored cause of the meeting. I think they want to test their abilities in real battle already.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "It is decided then. We shall go and hit the road now. The Moat House is far from here." (Eadwulf) Eadwulf then went to the village chief and thanked him for accommodating us. After that we readied our equipment for battle and carry necessary things. The other materials we brought was left at the inn. We used the carriages and horses and left the village. After some time, the surrounding slowly changes. Scrubs of thorns, thistles, weeds, and shrubs grows thickly along the edge of the track to the ruins, and even the track is mostly overgrown and cluttered with fallen branches and trees. We followed the pathway, however, after a mile or so faith pathways can be seen. The going was slow and many of us were slumped inside the carriages. After two miles of distance, the land begins to sink and become boggy. Tall marsh plants grow thickly where cattails and tamaracks do not. Off to the left, I can see the jagged silhouette of the moat house. Seeing the moat house temporarily ''awaken'' the other students. Seeing it now, I became a little bit nervous of what might happen there. I reminded myself that this is real life and we could die. We would experience fighting real monsters. I can see the others are nervous too but there is also some kind of excitement in their eyes. Maybe they think of this as a game? The track continues past the ruins for many miles. I think it was seven leagues or something. At last though, we have reached the temple area. I saw a side path, banked high to cross over the wet land on either side, just north to the entrance of the ruined place. The track here is only 15'' or so wide, with crumbling embankments making travel near the edge dangerous. The bogs here stink, and the vegetation appears dense and prolific, but somehow sickly and unhealthy, creepers and vines throwing their strangling loops over skeletons of dead saplings and living bushes alike. The rushes and cattails rustle and bend even when only a slight zephyr blows over the marsh, and weird bird calls, croaking, and other unwholesome sounds come faintly across the fen. We proceeded cautiously towards the drawbridge of the ruins. Then some of us stop, including Eadwulf, Aimi, our Archer, and others. "Wait, I sense something over there" (Eadwulf) Eadwulf pointed somewhere near us. This must be an experience fighter institution. Our Archer nocks an arrow and shoot at the direction where Eadwulf pointed at. It sure did disturbed something. Our horses panic and flee away from the frogs. Looks like we have to walk back after this. Six shadows leaps out from their lurking places. It appeared to be giant frogs. This is our first encounter of fighting a monster. Wait, are giant frogs monsters? Well, it does not matter cause they started attacking madly at us. Definitely enemies. The largest of them seems to be the leader. The giant frogs started to use their tongues to grapple the students. I was no exception. I barely dodge one before Aimi cut the tongue off. The frog that attacked me falls back, his mouth full of blood. Eadwulf and a number of students dealt with the biggest frog. "The winds shall sway and release pressure, feel the air gladly, the gods of the wind shall take you in their care. ''Wind Burst''" (random student) "I ask the spirits of the ashes, return to your former selves, lend me thy power of fire, burn away the enemies in front of me and add them to your collection of ashes, ''Flame seal: Burning ash''" (random students) "The sword of light shall guide us in the darkness, it will surround us granting us strength, it will peirce through the night of horrors, Eradicate those who stands in our way, ''Divine art: Holy Slash''"(Aimi) A number of chants were activated to use their magic. A bunch of elemental attacks appeared and attacked the frogs. I envy them. Because I have no job class, I have no talent to use magic chants. Well, maybe after I class-change, I can use magic. I tried my best to help them. I followed their orders so I won''t drag them down. I tried using the magic knife I have but it seems it didn''t activate it''s magic. How disappointing. It just bounce off from the skin of the giant frogs. I changed my position to that of a support. Helping protect the magic casters and giving out healing potions and mana potions. I eventually became an all-rounder. Attacking here, defending there, and healing in between. The giant frogs took considerable damage from our magic attacks and eventually we defeated them. It only took about 15 minutes but it felt like it lasted for a long time. We examined the bodies of the frogs and found a gem inside the largest one. It was kept by Eadwulf temporarily and we plan to talk on what to do with it later. We finally went to cross the drawbridge. Chapter 8: Poison, giant animals,...dont tell me theres a dwarf giant too. (Isos POV) We have crossed the drawbridge in a single file. It creaks every time I step forward. Fortunately, it as only a short distance near the entrance. The door was crack opened when we got there. We then light the torches we have brought. Inside, the ground was more like soil than cemented floor. There were rocks and debris here and there. On the right were stairs towards somewhere. It''s not really a stair to go upstairs but into a new room that has a higher ground. On our left side is a door probably leading to the watch tower of this ruin. "We should go check that out" One of my classmates said, pointing at the door. Eadwulf nods at this but still hesitates. "I think we should send only some to check what''s behind those doors. I, of course, will be there if something happens. The rest will stay here and guard our backs" Eadwulf finally says. I was one of the picked student to check what''s behind the door. We were a total of 7 people, including Eadwulf. We entered the room and the first thing we saw were webs. Lots and lots of webs. My instincts is telling me that something dangerous is behind me. "Look out!!" (Random students) Well, guess I was right. I did not like the pain I felt after I received that warning. Imagine the bite of ant. Now imagine ants around your body biting you nonstop. Now imagine that a lot stronger in a concentrated part of your body. That''s how much pain you experience with the bite of a giant spider. Eadwulf quickly rushes over and slashes the giant spider with his sword. Cause of that, I was separated from the spider. My mind was hazy. I found that I was already collapsed on the floor and can''t seem to move my body or even feel it. I got the feeling that they are quickly subjugating the giant spider. It feels hot in the room and I barely see the giant spider burning. Our magic caster must have used a fire spell or something I feel them cleaning the bite at my back, pouring a liquid over it. They also made me drank something that is probably a healing potion or an antidote for the poison. But I feel much better. The bite still hurt but I am regaining my senses now slowly. My mind is clear and I can think normally. It took me a while before I realize that they are talking to me. "Are you alright? Can you hear me?" (Eadwulf) "Yes, yes. I think I''m fine now" I replied back. "That was a nasty bite. Do you think you can stand up?" (Eadwulf)This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. To see if I can, I tried to. Immediately, I felt nauseous and almost stumble over. But I manage to regain my balance and stand up. "You should stay at the rear guard for a bit and let yourself rest" (Eadwulf) "Okay" (Iso) And we left the room and joined the others outside. Eadwulf explained what happened and looks of concern were given to me. I followed Eadwulf''s order and stayed at the back where our magicians & long-range attacker are assigned. We went up the stairs and into a new room or hallway cause I have no idea which. We have three choices. One is to go inside the door that was in front of us. Two is to go left path. And lastly is to go to the right. Eadwulf decided that the class should split up in three. That way, we''ll find the way much faster. Aimi''s group went towards the door. We went towards the right. While the others went to the left. We encountered three rooms as we move forward. All of them were empty, with only destroyed furniture inside. We reach what must be the corner of the moat house. And what lay there was a giant snake. Great, another monster we have to fight. ''Time to roll initiative'' I thought sarcastically This time, I readied myself as much as possible. I hold my knife just like how I practice. Our vanguards charged forward and attacked the snake. They know that our magic casters are the ones who deals heavy damages. The vanguards are the ones who will keep the enemy busy. Because I can''t cast a spell, I charge in with them. The snake released killing intent and lung at the guy in front of me. He blocked it with his shield and then grapples the snake. We were given an opportunity to attack. I went near and stab one of its eyes. Blood spurted out and the snake thrashed around. I didn''t manage to get my knife back. The snake spits out poison at the guy who was grappling him. It hit him in point blank range and he released the snake. He falls back away from it. I saw that his armor reduced the damage but it did cost him pain. I quickly went towards him and pulled him back. Our casters just finishes their preparations now and activated their spell. "We ask the sky to grant us power., hear our plea to eliminate our enemies, show them the crack of the clouds, the howling of the your power, release it and crush our foes, ''Lightning Aura: Thunder Hammer''" Several magic array appeared above the snake. The whole room became bright when lighting came out of those and hit the snake. I think it was overkill to use such a powerful spell against one enemy. What remained of the snake was nothing, not even ash. Well I can''t complained about it cause they are the ones doing the magic. We also attended the wounds of the one who got splashed with poison. His body is now stable. Because it was already a dead end, we went back near the stairs. We found Aimi''s group already wating there. We exchange information and explained our situations. What they found inside the door were stairs leading up to an empty room. They found nothing but a broken chimney and some empty chests. That was why they came back early. After a while, the others came back with Eadwulf. It looks like they were forced into more battles than we have. Some of them were injured but not fatal. They told us that they found a staircase leading down and they think it is entrance to the real dungeon. They said that they had to fight giant rats, a giant tick, and a giant lizard. Why are there so many giant animals here? We also told what we found in our explorations. We rested for a bit to heal our wound after that. We ate some of our foods to recover our stamina. We then left off towards the staircase down. As we go, I saw the dead bodies of rats lying around. The smell sucks and I was disgusted. I already cleaned my shirt and armor of the blood that was splashed t it from the snake. But I can''t seem to take away the smell. It was good that we use magic spells to kill them, cause I don''t want to see dead bodies again and again Finally we reached the stairs down. Darkness greets us when we looked. I wonder how deep this dungeon will go? Chapter 9: Ah fudge, look at that... (Isos POV) We all went down the stairs, using our torches to light the way. When we reached the even floor, I saw on the right a wall surrounded by boxes, broken furnitures, and other old items. On our left is another path and a door. Before we could make any further move, green slime blob falls from the cellar ceiling. It was a surprise attack but we quickly regain ourselves. We went to our battle formation and the others attacked the slime. But I saw the swords and arrows weren''t working on the slime and they notice it too. Their swords were slowly melting every time they slash the slime. The arrows were just ''absorb'' and got stuck inside the slime. Our vanguard quickly retreated and entered defense mode. Our magic-users started chanting fire based magic attacks. I sure hope that when the slime burns, it won''t release toxic or poisoned gas. "Fire spirits, bring again the warmness of the sun, return again the fire in our will, may the sun rays pass through the clouds the blocks it, now shine to your brightest, Sun Spears!" Multiple spears made out of fire appeared around us. The spears looks like the rays of the suns when it is rising. The spears magically moved towards the slime and set it on fire. A second slime falls from the ceiling again only to be caught on fire also. After we killed the slimes, we quickly put out the fire before it can spread. We then made our next move. We first explored the wall on our right. We soon discovered a hidden door behind all those old items. What was inside were spears, tons of swords, several shields, two barrels containing an unknown liquid, two chainmail, and three cultist cloaks. The cloaks were purple and have a big eye on the back with a yellow iris and an orange crown on top. The rest of us put on our guard by the discovery of this cloaks. We made our way to the left path. We saw skeletons along the way. We opened the door we saw earlier and entered the room, only to be greeted by an ogre. At least that was what I think it is. This hulking giant, standing approximately ten feet tall but hunched by arms as thick as logs, was ready to swing his massive club at us. His bloodshot eyes fixed upon us. The ugly, warty creature has the turning radius of a battering ram. The mottled yellow complexion were clearly seen in his skin. "I am Dogrut, The Ogre, The Strongest, Protector of little pink-skinned cultist." His booming voice sound. He look at us seriously and continued. "What is Cultist password? Say or destroyed." We were silent for a whole minute, only staring at this giant creature. This guy is definitely stronger than the ones we fought. We seem to need all our prowess if ever we''re gonna fight him. If only we know the password. He seems to be happy that we were silent and can''t give an answer. "Destroy it is. Destroy is good. Destroy give dead body. Body eats. And Dogrut hungry. Me want to eat." And he smiles after that. He swings his massive club at us. The ones in front quickly duck underneath the thing''s leg. They quickly slash his legs with their swords. Our magic caster begins to chant their own spells. While the others joined in attacking the ogre from afar with bows and arrows. I was left with nothing to help, or so I think. But I want to help, I want to be useful. I don''t want to be a burden. So I got my magic knife and joined the battle.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The Ogre, seeing our magic-casters chanting magic, grabs a big rock and threw it at them. He must have experience on fighting mages or something. But definitely, this ogre is a little smarter than the typical ogre. Fortunately, our mages casted a magical barrier just in time before the rock hit. Aimi was leading the attacks of the vanguard. She was using light and holy enhanced sword. She seems to be the one dealing the most the damage. Several magic attacks were deployed from our rear. It seems that our mages'' chant were finish and were now bombarding the ogre with magical attacks. The ogre block most of the attacks with his massive club. That club is harder than I thought. His body was already bleeding from several slashes but he seems to have a lot of vitality. I went behind and climb up a broken stairway. I readied the knife I have and I jump towards the back of the ogre. I buried the knife in his neck hoping it''ll be shard enough. The Ogre felt that and begun to shake his body to let go of me. I held on the knife and pulled it down on his back bone. Blood came out and blinded me, maing me lose my hold. I was thrown away from the ogre. I think I only made it angrier. It went to a rampage, knocking many of the students in front of the ogre. My body felt pain from the throw but it doesn''t seem that I broken some bones. I went behind the rear to have some rest. Our healers attended me and healed some of my wounds. There were also others around me that got damage by the ogre. I watch as Aimi, Eadwulf, and several of our strong fighters facing the rampaging Ogre. Eadwulf went in and parried an incoming swing of the club. Aimi saw the chance and attacked the ogre. From my point of view, she looks like she is dancing with a blade in her hand. I sure wish that I could something like that. The battle seems to be nearing an end. The Ogre was probably weakened by my attack in his back or so I hope. The ogre skin displayed slashes, burns, wounds, and other gruesome things cause of our attacks. Looks like Aimi is chanting a finishing move. Eadwulf and the others notice this and went to distract the Ogre. But it seems that the Ogre notices it too. The Ogre went on and charged towards Aimi. The others tried to stop it but they were just thrown away by the momentum. "I ask for the power of light, I command the spirits to help me create the way, I have known and understand the origin of your might, severe my ties from darkness and light the way towards the future, forgive the souls of my enemy when they die, Severing Heaven Slash!" Aimi''s swords begins to emit white light. She then went head on towards the Ogre and swings her sword. She passed through the Ogre as if it wasn''t there. The scene looks like the things in anime where two samurais went towards each other and slash their katanas. The Ogre''s neck...started to spurt blood. The head separated from the body and falls down to the floor with a thud. The body was next that falls down to the floor. And just like in animes, Aimi sheaths her sword to its scabbard. *** We were hectic after that fight with the ogre. Many were wounded and have severe broken bones because of the fight. Our healers were trying their best to chant magic to heal them. We were running low on healing potion and mana potions. It seems this dungeon is harder than we thought it was. We also discovered that Dogrut have some prisoners he was keeping. The reason he didn''t ate them, we didn''t know. The prisoners already lost their will to live and refuse to talk to us about what''s going on. Eadwulf commanded the other adult knights to get them up to the surface. I sat there watching all this happen. I was resting after the battle with the ogre. My body sends jolt of pain every time I tried to move. I drank another pain reliever to ease...well, the pain. Just after the battle, I saw the others praising Aimi about the finishing move. I also received some praise from others with the attack from his back. They said if I hadn''t done that, we might be still fighting the Ogre. I silently thanked them though. Also, at first I tried to help with the healing but they said that I should go on and rest. They said that I shouldn''t push my body to the limit, especially because I just got cured from the poison earlier. Well, of course I followed their order. My head started feeling light and my eyelids seems to be getting heavier. Looks like my body wants to sleep. I tried to stay up but I eventually lost consciousness. That was some battle. Chapter 10: Ah shayt, really?! I silently follow the others down the flight of stairs. Half of my classmates were sent back up to the village cause of their injuries. We were only about 30 people left including Eadwulf and his knights. Ahead of us were two ways again. One forward and the other to the right. Aimi looked back at Eadwulf. "I think we should take the one forward" "Why do you think so?" I heard myself spoke before I can think about it. Well it''s there so I should at least listen to her answer. Instead, Eadwulf''s voice resounded. "I don''t think so. My ''Monster Recognition'' skills is tingling in that direction. I say we take the path on the right" We made our way to right as I saw Aimi follow us from behind with her head down. I kept myself busy by being alert looking for any signs of enemies. I stagger walking forward trying to keep up with the others. My legs limp as they still hurt from the previous fight. Aimi soon caught up to me. She looks at me with concerned eyes. "You know, if you can''t continue, you could have returned with the others" She crossed her arms as she slows down to keep pace with me. I forced out a small laugh. "I think I already said that I''m fine though." "With your hobbling legs and pained face, you sure look fine." "Don''t worry. My legs said that it will be kicking the butt of our next enemy." "I think your legs would be disappointed if the enemy is killed by my arrow." Looking back at us, Jason joined our conversation. Slung in his back was a quiver of arrows. In his hand was a finely carved bow with magical arrays inscribed. He raised his bow and pulled the drawstring, shooting an imaginary arrow. "Why''d you choose to stay anyways, Iso?" The question caught me off guard. I haven''t really thought about that. "Don''t you like my company?" and we shared a laugh. I closed my mouth after that. We continued walking down as I dive into my own thoughts. Why did I want to stay? I didn''t really want to help the village. I certainly don''t want to face more monsters. So why did I stay behind? A movement stopped my train of thoughts. Eadwulf was gesturing for us to see what was in front. There were three doors, each one made with something metal. Something draw me to the middle one. I feel that I should open it. I feel it is the right path. I slowly made our way to the middle one while Eadwulf grumbles to himself. I was fascinated by the design of the door. I don''t why I haven''t notice it before but drawn symbols are now there. Must be the trick of the light when I haven''t noticed it.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I raised my hand towards it, eager to touch it, to open it. I feel something''s nagging at me, a sound maybe, but I ignore it. I continued walking forward the door. I feel something touching me, stopping me, holding me down, but I shake it off, fighting to go towards that door. The moment I touch the door did I realize that Eadwulf and the others were calling my name. That was when I realize they were stopping me from whatever I was doing. That''s when I realize the symbols rapidly turning to dark red magic arrays. I comprehend that there was no middle door. It was when I realize it was a trap and I triggered it. The false door trap sets off an alarm, alerting who knows what. Eadwulf''s face pale, his eyes wide open. He quickly barks orders to the others. "Hurry, go back to the surface. Those magic circles are not just normal traps, those things signals one of the-" He was cut off short with the sudden pressure of the room. I felt a chill at that moment and there was a tingling sensation in my back. I saw the my body is shaking. From what I don''t know. The others also seems to experience the same thing. A silhouette appeared out from the magic arrays in front of me. My instinct are screaming at me...''Get away from him! He is dangerous!'' "-...Demon Lord" Eadwulf finishes his sentence, and the silhouette revealed a faint, cold smile The tattooed man looked at me and then the party behind me who had widened eyes with surprise. The color of his eyes were blood-red, and he wore a pristine military-like clothes. It has several magical arrays inscribed in it, radiating power. My pants seems to be wet with something but I didn''t have time to think about that. I stand paralyze there in fear. It took all my will power just to turn around and run towards my allies, like any sane person would do. Eadwulf got out of his own trance and stepped forward to protect us. His soon followed. "Stand back." Eadwulf raised his sword in ready. He gave off his own unique pressure "Eadwulf, House of Redsteel, it is a pleasure to meet a legend, even among the demon race." The Demon Lord was clearly unfazed by the pressure and only made his own stronger. "Kur''an, The Lord of the West, Shadow Demon of Death, Marshal of the Demon King, it is definitely not a pleasure to meet you." Even though the enemy is clearly a lot stronger, Eadwulf manage to joke around. I salute in respect of this man. He has more courage than I do. The Demon Lord, Kur''an, let out an amused smile. He is enjoying this. He knows he has the upper hand. "I''m surprise that my name''s spread wide to be known by you." Kur''an said in mock respect. "How could I not when you killed thousands of innocent lives" I see no point in having this conversation. I look at the others and it dawn on me. Eadwulf is trying to buy us some time. He is trying to distract the demon for us to escape. My remaining classmates already realized this before I do and they were in a middle of a chant. It was in a hushed whisper and the magical output was low. I could only wish that the demon lord doesn''t have superior magical senses. Kur''an look passed Eadwulf and on to us. "I see that there are newly summoned heroes in tow. I can feel their powerful magical abilities just from their presence. They have such a potential. They will be a nice addition to my collection. Your head too." Eadwulf didn''t say a reply in return but instead charged forward to attack. His sword ready to slash into demon flesh. And to my horror, his head was separated from his body. Blood flashed towards the demon''s face. Screams resonated in the room. It came from the girls with us. "Tsk tsk tsk. What a shame, what a shame" The demon slowly took steps towards us. The knights with Eadwulf tried to slow him down but all of them just got their heads severe. I stand there, stunned again. I can feel the pressure building up again. My fear returning back. The chant was stopped midway when Eadwulf died. We no longer have anyone to guide us. Jason dropped to his knees beside me, his will was clearly gone. So this is how I die. I thought being summoned to another world will be fun and full of fantasies but I was clearly wrong. It can also contain darker worlds. It''s my fault. I should have known that the door was a trap. I wished that I could go back in time and fix my mistake. Chapter 11: I must defeat this demon (Aimis POV) Why? Why did Eadwulf have to die? Why does this need to happen? Those questions bounce inside my head as I stand there in front of the dead bodies. I regret that I wasn''t able to do anything about the situation. Only did I notice that my eyes were wet with tears. "Aimi, what should we do?" Jason nock an arrow to his bow, aiming at the demon. "Should we attack?" I look over the demon lord. He seems amused by our shock and fear. "No, at least not yet. It''ll provoke him" I said in a very low voice so only my classmates could hear. I was glad that my judgement is not clouded. "We should delay him, distract him. Someone should go back to the surface unnoticed to get some help. Then we-" "I don''t think that plan will work." All of us jump back away from the voice, our instinct ringing with danger. Our eyes were wide in shock. How did he get there without getting notice?! I quickly draw my sword and lunge towards the demon. "Light, grant me the power to cut through my enemies, Celestial Pierce!" I used a shortened chant to quickly attack but that made the strength weaker. Kur''an parried my attack with a hidden blade from his risk. I did a remise by immediately executing another attack in the same line. He parried again and countered with a riposte. I barely dodged when an arrow nearly grazed my upper arm and went straight to the demon. He blocked it with a flick of his blade. "You could have hit me!" I look back over at Jason who shot the arrow. I was relieved though because I was assured I wasn''t alone in this fight. I felt something was off though. I was expecting to die instantly after I made that first attack. Eadwulf and the other knights were killed off easily by him. How am I still alive? Maybe because he wants us alive? I am pretty sure he said something about adding us to his collection. I shrugged off these thoughts as my consciousness went back to the battle. I engage with care with a foreswing which was unfortunately dodged. I stepped back and a lightning strike followed the attack. I am coordinating my attacks and my classmates'' spells. A magic barrier blocked the lightning and reflected it back to us. "Protect us with your radiance, deliver us from darkness, Sacred Shield!" Another short chant to barely obstruct the lightning. Four people joined me in the front to fight Kur''an in melee battle. I only had a second to glance at their faces to see who they are. Rene, Sakai, Iso, and Kian prepared their weapons. I kept my elbows bent, and close to my body. "I obey the source of magic, I have deciphered and understand the way of the bow, combined by the heat of a star, be gone by the eternal fire, Phoenix Pulse!" (Jason) It was a compound magic using an enchanted magic arrow and the heat of "Flower Blaze", a magic that envelops an object or being with flames. By freely manipulating several flames of this magic, the fire would always surround the arrow it is ordered to. It was one of the strongest attacks of Jason. The flames surrounding the arrow turned to a shape of a phoenix. It burnt bright as it sailed towards the demon lord. Kur''an then drop his blade and chanted. "Approach, Blade of evil spirits from the pits of the Underworld. Wake, from a time long precedent from the Infernal Waters. To me, -Grand Scythe of the Shadow Realms-¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. A complicated three-dimensional magic array formed to his right and he grabbed a dark scythe that formed inside it. He swung it and cut the arrow and flames in half with precision. The scythe consists of a shaft made of some kind of metal. A curved, steel blade is mounted to the shaft. It looks like the traditional scythe that the grim reaper is usually depicted with. Kur''an looked at me and he instantly removed the distance between us. He swung his sharp scythe towards me. The arcing shot sliced the metal of my armor at the midsection. Sweats run down my face as I comprehend the fact that my body almost got cut in half. I countered with a backswing but my blade only found metal. Clang! The clash of blades ringed in my ears. Kian attacked with a chakram while the demon was preoccupied by me. Kur''an pushed me with his scythe then rotates it to block the attack of Kian. Iso made a move to stab him with his dagger only to get blown away by the demon''s magic. Sakai and Rene coordinated their attacks. I only heard the crack of the whip of Rene as he entangled it to Kur''an left arm. Sakai made a savage swing with his axe angled to cut the demon''s head. Kur''an pulled Rene through his whip and made him somersault to Rene, making him swing his axe in the wrong direction. He followed that with a punch towards Kian that propels him near Iso. I advance towards him and strike with my sword. He changed the directory of my swing with his scythe and hit me with the butt of the pole. I wince as the pain ripples across my chest. The weight of it sends me backwards. Kur''an followed with a swing and it grazed my skin as I sidestep to dodge it. He hits me again and I taste blood. He slammed his hand into my ribs and I fell down flat on my back. A ball of ice hits him before he made the final cut. I stand back up to my feet while that was happening. I look back to see Aiden holding a staff. I withdrew back and Ellis went near me. "Take away the pain, give back their relief, return back what was, Gift of Healing" Ellis chanted a basic healing spell to ease my wounds. I mumbled a thanks before I went back again to battle. The demon was preoccupied battling the duo of Rene and Sakai. Aiden was providing support from the back with his ice magic. I saw Iso and Kian getting back into the fight, their wounds also healed. "Crave, Coldness of the mountain, Howl, the chilling winds of winter, Bringer of the blizzards, crusher of the flames, display the frost of the North, By the heart of Anemoi, I call upon the powers of the frozen lands, Frost Rocket!" (Aiden) A blue magic circle appeared in front of Aiden and a concentrated mass of ice shot out from it. Rene and Sakai got out of the way for the spell to hit. The Frost Rocket smacked the head of Kur''an and exploded. The temperature dropped significantly around the area. The demon was frozen in place but I can already see cracks in the ice. The spell wouldn''t last long. "I guess you can say he got a brain freeze." All of us look at Aiden with irritation. "Now is not the time for jokes. Let''s quickly finish him" Jason shot several arrows to the frozen demon. But the wounds inflicted quickly regenerated. My classmates barrage him with attacks only to find it doesn''t work or the wounds are rapidly healing. "Wait, stop-" (Aimi) Iso was the last one who tried to attack Kur''an while he was frozen. He stab it at his head the moment the spell was broken. Kur''an looked at him with disdain and kicked him out of the way. He pulled out the knife and destroyed it. The wound on his head now healed. I remember now on one of our trainings that some demons only get damaged by certain magical weapons. And I hold one of those weapons. "Listen up. Only my sword could damage him. Distract him while I prepare my strongest attack. It''ll be a long chant." (Aimi) They nodded in acknowledgement and reengage the demon into battle. They exchange blows and slashes as I concentrate. White aura surrounded me as I release my magic. "I request the authority of the heavens. Sever off the law, mend it again, and liberate it. The might of the Heavenly Light, with my Holy Magic and my power as a Vessel, I who decode and recognize the foundation of the celestial bodies command. Allow the Light of the World once more be interpret and materialize, let my sword pierce with illumination, Laniakea!" I stepped calmly forward and stabbed him in the chest. Chapter 12: What happened? Oh, I鈥檓 a villager now (Iso鈥檚 POV) The sun was up and shining its hot rays at the fields below. Sweats trickled my face as I endure the high temperature. I am currently getting water from the well in the middle of the village. The faint splash of water was made when the bucket hit the bottom. I pulled the rope to get the bucket back, hopefully with some water. I fished the bucket out, half full of water. ¡®Better than nothing¡¯ I thought as I carried the bucket back to my new home. This is my life as a villager. My mind wandered back when Aimi defeated the demon and when I was still part of the team. After Aimi stabbed Kur¡¯an at his heart, the demon writhe in agony as he slowly turned to ash. Many of us leveled up significantly after that battle, especially myself, considering that jobless class level up more. We quickly made our escape out of the dungeon not wanting to encounter more enemies. Carrying the dead bodies of the knights and Eadwulf made their toll but we didn¡¯t want their bodies to rot there. We meet up with our fellow classmates at Eldham. Despair dawn on the faces of our classmates as they saw the dead bodies that we were carrying. It only got worse when Aimi soon told them about our encounter with the demon lord. The knights that stayed in the village didn¡¯t took this news too well. With this dark news, we returned back to the city we were summoned. When the church and the leaders of the kingdom heard about it, they made a decision to separate us to factions that aligned us to our jobs. They separated us so that if one hero dies, the other heroes are still alive. It is dangerous to keep us together, they reasoned. It also compliments the growing jobs of others because of the significant level ups we got from the demon lord. Aimi is now a Knight at the level of 25. Being the lowest level person to be a knight. Usually, you must be level 60 or higher to be a fully-pledge knight but Aimi became one at level 25. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Aimi Fumiko Age: 17 years old Gender: Female Level: 25 Job/Class/Vocation: Knight HP: 1251 MP: 185 Attack Power: 185 Strength: 417 Defense Power: 309 Vitality: 417Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Resistance: 417 Evasion Efficiency:216 Agility: 417 Magic: 417 Magic Resistance: 417 Intelligence: 83 Luck: 71 Skills: All element aptitude, Holy Magic Special Aptitude, Light Magic Special Aptitude, All element resistance, Physical Attack Resistance, Magic Aptitude, Sword Art, Strength Boost, Speed Boost, Eagle Eyes, Mana Recovery, Movement perception, Magic sight, All status boost All Common Language Comprehension ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With her stats that could par with a demon lord (if she uses All Status Boost), she was assigned to the legendary Knights¡¯ Order. She became the youngest one to join the Order. Others were assigned to Magic Colleges if the kingdom for their aptitude in magic. While some quickly became adventurers themselves. They are separated but they have one goal in common, defeat the demon king. That leaves me with the jobless class. Where would they assign me? But then I remembered that my level was well passed 40 already. That means I could now class change to a more suitable one. And as promised, I was guided to one of the Divine Stones that could make a person class change. Due to the recent deaths and dangers, they have warned me that if I got a common job, a class that isn¡¯t suitable for fighting, they would strip me off my privilege as a hero. They already got enough casualties, they don¡¯t want a useless hero dragging them down. They won¡¯t give me another chance at level 60., I¡¯ll be on my own. My hopes were high though so I agreed to it. I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll get a cool combat class. The class change work, as the explained, when you touch the Divine Stone. It¡¯ll ask the person what he wants but he has to describe it, to explain the concept. Well, I did this and touch the stone. It asked: What do you want And I answered: ¡°To have many potentials¡± It is granted My status card shined and what was written now on my class is: Villager. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Isoide Shinu Age: 17 years old Gender: Male Level: 47 Job/Class/Vocation: Villager HP: 185 MP: 93 Attack Power: 74 Strength: 65 Defense Power: 111 Vitality: 125 Resistance: 125 Evasion Efficiency: 74 Agility: 65 Magic: 111 Magic Resistance: 130 Intelligence: 66 Luck: 78 Skills: All Common Language Comprehension ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡®Such useful luck I got here¡¯ I thought sarcastically at that time ¡®even though my Luck stat is higher than Aimi, I still didn¡¯t get what I want¡¯ As they have warned, they quickly disposed of me. They sent me to one of the small villages at the edge of the city of Skydusk. I went back to reality as I went back to the small Inn where I was staying. I do small jobs for them so that I could continue staying in the village. I wonder what will happen next? I thought I was a hero¡­ Chapter 13: Initiation (Aimi鈥檚 POV) The city of Isturmkam is where the Knights¡¯ Order is located. It is essentially where one of their main bases is located. Rocks and grime chunks bump against the carriage that I am riding as it drove on the rough road that led to the Knights¡¯ Order¡¯s Home. The sun was covered by the cloud-filled sky, giving a small relief to the city workers. I couldn¡¯t blame them. It was already past noon, having this minor respite could be considered a blessing already. The presence of other horse carriages combined with the densely packed stalls, slowed us from moving forward. Though this gave me time to enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread. I catch the distant sound of pots rattling in a kitchen as someone fixed up a home-cooked meal. My mouth waters as I crave for food to eat. I haven¡¯t eaten since the start of our journey. I sure wish that I packed some lunch before we went on our way. Everyone had a chimney on the block, pumping away smoke. We rounded the corner to the city¡¯s center. As the stalls grows bigger, I am starting to think we entered the commercial part of the city. The clanking of coins suggest that business is striving. Due to the jammed pack stores and thin road, I decided to get out of the carriage and just walk my way there. This is also for the reason that I want to buy myself some lunch cause my stomach is seriously rumbling. I bought some piece of good smelling pie in some random stall and paid 3 copper coins the Kingdom gave me as ¡°funds¡±. I was given sixty-six (66) silver coins, twenty-four (24) bronze coins, and four (4) copper coins. Though now, I only have 1 copper coin left because I bought a piece of pie. It was worth it though. I roughly understand how the monetary system works here. One (1) gold coin is equivalent to one-hundred-thirteen (113) silver coins, eight (8) bronze coins, and eight (8) copper coins. One (1) silver coin is equivalent to twenty-four (24) bronze coins and eight (8) copper coins. One (1) bronze coin is equivalent to eleven (11) copper coins. One (1) copper coin could buy a loaf of bread. As I made my way towards the Knights¡¯ Order, I can now see their building in the distance. I made my way past the stalls and through the thick wave of people. Some of them thought I¡¯m a member of the Order due to my appearance. Well my armor and weapons were given by the church and have a similar design with the armors of the Order. Though it did help me get through cause the people cleared the path for me. I finally neared the Order¡¯s vast doors. In either side, there was a knight stationed, guarding the building. The Church said to approach one of them and show them my Status Card. They¡¯ll know how to accommodate me afterwards. I should listen and do what they say. Following the instructions, I introduced myself to one of them and showed the knight my status card. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Aimi Fumiko, one of the summoned heroes, and having the Knight class. I am here to join your Order as the Church requested. Please take good care of me¡± Silence filled afterwards. Did I say something wrong? [She didn¡¯t say something wrong. The Knight was just mesmerized by her due to her beauty] ¡°Ah¡­yes, yes. Aimi Fumiko. We¡­ were notified beforehand about your arrival and your¡­ initiation. Please come inside. Ser Reginald would like to meet you. Follow me.¡± The huge door opened revealing white marbled floor and beautifully designed statues inside. They were in a vast hall. The entire structure was completed with an even snowy gleam, and it had massive columns that was engraved stunningly holding it up. The room had a very firm atmosphere.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. A woman of young appearance looked at me and smiled. She has a lovely lime colored hair and lilac shaded eyes. She is wearing light armor that remarkably compliments the dress she is wearing. She approaches me with confidence as if we are old friends. ¡°You must be that girl who was recommend by the Church to join our Order. I was so excited to meet you. You see, very few girls joined in the history of the Order. Oh, where are my manners. I¡¯m Linet the Flower Knight. Nice to meet you, Aimi Fumiko.¡± She held out her rose white hands, intending for a hand-shake. I didn¡¯t notice that my mouth was agape. I quickly closed it and held her hand in a shake. ¡°Aimi Fumiko at your service. Wait, how did you know it was me?¡± ¡°Oh, silly. I could sense your presence since you got here. Your presence is very strong and stands out in the crowd. You should learn how to control it. Your aura is basically shouting: ¡®Hey, I¡¯m a summoned hero! I¡¯m a knight¡¯. It¡¯s not a bad thing but your enemies could definitely sense you very easy.¡± Our conversation was cut due to a man approaching us. He had an oblong-shaped face with a distinct, somewhat jagged chin and a tough jaw line. His dark eyes were small and spread out consistently apart, sitting under sleek eyebrows that appeared to bend as a natural extension of his broad, rounded nose. His hair was disordered mess and had a color of smoke black. The heavy armor he wore over his chainmail had neatly engraved magic arrays, and the dark cloak around his body was worn so that it covers the space left exposed by his armor. He marched straight, his expression held front in a solid look, and had an atmosphere of authority that was tangible. ¡°Welcome to the Knights¡¯ Order Aimi Fumiko. I see that you got to know one of our esteemed Knights, Linet. I am Ser Reginald the Dark Storm(y) Knight. Are you ready for your initiation?¡± ¡°Initiation?¡± (Aimi) ¡°Surely, you don¡¯t think we¡¯ll accept you into our Order jut because you have a class of Knight and the Church orders it. No, in here we have rules. And our rules states that all joining individuals will have to take the initiation test in order to be accepted.¡± (Reginald) ¡°Then what should I do?¡± (Aimi) ¡°There is currently a small village being ransacked by several bandits. They lack protection but we are sending a significant number of soldiers now. Unfortunately, those soldiers are not trained to eliminate the bandits. They were trained to protect. I want you to drive those bandits out¡­permanently. With your stats, you could do it alone. But Linet here will supervise you and help in case of emergency. I was told you were¡­ a valuable asset of the Church.¡± (Reginald) ¡°I will? I wasn¡¯t informed about this.¡± (Linet) ¡°You are now. You have a week to do this Aimi and if you pass, you will officially be part of the Order. I wish you success.¡± *************************************** [AN: The next part is an experimental one. It could be remove if wanted and/or needed to advance the story] Shouts and screams filled the area as the smell of blood carried through the air. In front of me, a bandit was holding his dagger unsteadily. His eyes were filled with fear. I smiled, rush of happiness burst in my body seeing him like that. Around him were the bodies of his fallen comrades. ¡°Why¡­ why are you doing this?¡± (Bandit) ¡°You weren¡¯t paying attention, were you?¡± I stabbed my sword through his shoulder, bypassing the light armor he is wearing. More screams. He dropped his dagger due to the pain. I held his face with my free hand, forcing him to look at me. ¡°You are evil. You lot stole from those poor little villagers. Threatening to kill their family if they don¡¯t give you want you want. And me? I am good. Pure good. The good protect those who are weak and kill those who are evil.¡± ¡°Please no more, no more pain. I swear I won¡¯t do it again. I¡¯ll be good. Please, just spare my life. I have a family to feed. Please, I still want to meet them¡± (Bandit) ¡°Evil can never be good. All lies, what you said. The existence of evil must not be tolerated in this world.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane! You¡¯re the evil one! Ahhh! Stop, please, stop¡± (Bandit) I twisted my sword in his shoulders, spilling more blood. ¡°What did you say?! I¡¯m evil?! Absurd! Blasphemy! Don¡¯t you know your fairy tales?! Good always wins. Good always defeat evil. I¡¯m winning, that means I¡¯m good you useless ****.¡± In a fit of rage, I ended his life, slitting his throat before he can answer. I turned my back from the burning camp. ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good. What he said was a lie. I¡¯m always good. Don¡¯t let his words fool you. You did the right thing. You killed evil¡­ *continued mutter*¡± Chapter 14: Help the village, checked. Next up is die, yay (Iso鈥檚 POV) I am staying at the village¡¯s small tavern to have my lunch and get some rest before I continue my work. I finish my workload this morning. This include getting water from the well and feeding the farm animals. In the few days I stayed here, I got to know some of the village people, at least the important ones. The village chief is the middle-aged man, Jushar Winfrey. This tan skinned man has a powerful feel about him. He handles various accommodations on the village. Like the village¡¯s food supply and safety. He is the one who talks to merchants and manages the business in the village. The owners of the tavern are the old couple, Ehrhard and Nara. Ehrhard Hillshadow handles the eatery business of the tavern. A kind man with an optimistic outlook on life. He is of average height, has a solid build, and has tanned medium-ruddy skin. He has straight silver hair that barely reaches his shoulders. Nara (Warwater) Hillshadow is the one who manages the inn side of the tavern. In fact, she is the one accommodating where I stay (I should pay my rent now that I remembered). She is 5'' 7" tall, and of average build with fair skin. She has alert, wide brown eyes, a well-formed nose, and a softly shaped jaw. She has long, straight, gray hair that is thinning. Her clothing is simple and plain. My food was served by Ehrhard. With my current payment and money, I could only buy pottage. ¡°Eat it while it¡¯s hot. Don¡¯t leave any left overs¡±. I paid 1 small copper coins to him and said thanks. He took the coins and went back to his counter. I started eating the thick stew boiled from vegetables. It lacks the flavor of modern soups but it will do to please my hunger. Ehrhard cooking is probably the best in this village. The tavern customers mostly consisted of the people of the village. Though I see some few merchants having their fills. I saw Nara and Ehrhard talking to the Jushar. Standing 5'' 11" tall, he has wide shoulders and long arms, a slender torso with defined muscles, angular hips, and toned legs. He has hip length, straight, black hair and a receding hairline. He has an angular face with a round chin, and his sunken, deep eyes are dark brown. His nose is pointed and he has angled lips. I know the eavesdropping is bad but the conversation might be interesting. They are talking about¡­the village problems? ¡°Recently, the numbers of the undead rising from the burial grounds have increased.¡± (Jushar) ¡°Can¡¯t the guards handle them? That is one of their jobs, right?¡± (Ehrhard) ¡°Our local guards lack manpower. And many of them are still half-baked trainees. Ruke is trying his best to handle the situation.¡± (Jushar) ¡°Tch. His best is not enough. This¡­undead problem is bad for business. If only adventurers visit more often.¡± (Nara) ¡°There is nothing much in our village that could attract adventurers, sadly. I could ask help from the city of Skydusk but they¡¯ll just see our problems as trivial.¡± (Jushar) ¡°It is better to try, right? Otherwise, those undead will be banging on our door in the next nights. Could Ruke manage to destroy the mana distortion?¡± (Ehrhard) ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He¡¯s past his prime and his trainees are not enough to spearhead to the center.¡± (Jushar) ¡°Let the undead come. It will lower the amount of mouths to feed. Our village still suffers from famine.¡± (Nara)Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°If we don¡¯t handle the mana distortion, it will affect our fields and worsen the famine¡± (Jushar) ¡°Bah. Screw you and your mana distortion. Magic only exist to make our lives harder.¡± (Nara) With what I heard, I feel bad by being in here. I should be able to help them but I still drag them down with me. It¡¯s still the same when I stayed with my classmates. It is what Nara said, I¡¯m just another mouth to feed. Even with the amount of work I do for the village, it is still not enough. The village itself is slowly dying. The field was not suited to bear crops. Bandit raids weaken the village¡¯s defenses. Monsters from the forest attack the village randomly. And the problem of the increasing undead rising from their graves. I don¡¯t know the full explanation about it but I understand a little of it. When the body dies, there are remnants of mana left in the body. When these dead bodies are buried near each other, like in a graveyard, the mana will gather. Due to it not having anyone to control it, it usually becomes unstable. That is a mana distortion. If the mana distortion is strong enough, it could reanimate a dead body back to life, creating the undead. Due to this problem, most of the graveyards are surrounded by walls and guarded by people. Or they are built underground which have a chance to become a dungeon. This world definitely has a different common sense. Finishing my pottage, I stand up and walk towards them. ¡°Sorry to disturb your talk, but I can¡¯t seem to ignore the problems of the village. I want to help in destroying the mana distortion. I¡­ don¡¯t want stand idle in here while the guards risk their lives.¡± They look at me with wide eyes with their mouths agape. The village chief is the first to regain his composure. ¡°Are you sure about this? I know that you were once trained with the heroes but you are a villager. I heard that you can¡¯t even properly use a sword, much less to cast magic.¡± (Jushar) ¡°With all due respect, you are lacking manpower as you said yourself. Skydusk or any neighboring cities won¡¯t help you. Your guards are lacking experience. Plus, I have the highest stats in the village.¡± (Iso) ¡°You might have good stats but do you know how to use them? Your stats are just numbers if you lack control.¡± (Ehrhard) ¡°Oh, let the kid have what he wants. Here we are wanting to have some help and this kid serves it on a silver platter, and you two are refusing it?!¡± (Nara) ¡°He¡¯s a kid, Nara! I don¡¯t want to be responsible if this kid dies in our land!¡± (Jushar) ¡°He¡¯s the only help we got! If he succeeds, then one problem solved, if he dies, less mouths to feed.¡± (Nara) Ehrhard looks at me with concerned eyes. He held my shoulders and made me look at him face-to-face. ¡°What you are saying is serious, are you sure you want to do this?¡± He asks. I nod my head a little to say yes. ¡°If you die, it would be your own fault and you are the one responsible for your own safety, do you agree to that?¡± (Ehrhard) ¡°I agree¡± (Iso) ¡°You heard that Jushar? The blood that might spill will not concern you.¡± (Ehrhard) Jushar was deep in thought. The conflict can be seen in his eyes. Finally, he seems to have agreed. ¡°Fine. You want this kid. Let¡¯s go and meet up with Ruke. He would provide you with spare weapons and armor. Listen to what he says. And kid¡­. I would prefer if you come back alive.¡± I agreed and followed him to the walled edge of the village. We went to one of the few standing turrets near the gate. What I know is that the guards made this turret their makeshift base due to lack of buildings. We entered only to be greeted by a very well-built man. He is probably in his early 50s with the way his hair has some white strands in it. He wears armor that is a mix of iron and leather and he has a sword strapped at his back. Behind him are two other people. They are definitely younger than him. One is tall and has slender arms, he is holding a spear in his left hand. The other one is slightly overweight and his armor doesn¡¯t fit him right. ¡°Iso, what are you doing here so early? It is not your shift yet. Oh, and Village Chief, it is good to see you.¡± The one who spoke was the first person. Of course, I know him to be Ruke. ¡°Yeah, about that, I- we have something to talk about. It¡¯s about the undead business.¡± I replied with a smile. The ones at the back turned with an interested look in their eyes. The thin one is Karl and the fat one is Leo. I know them because I went on a shift with them the last few days. The shift I¡¯m talking about is guarding and patrolling the village from monsters and bandits. I mostly help subjugate some goblin tribes and kill small monsters. The bandit raids are rare and I haven¡¯t experienced those yet. Due to defending the village, I leveled up a little. But the growth I have back then was already gone. The stats I gained were insignificant. ¡°Nasty business, those undead are. Come inside, we¡¯ll talk there.¡± (Ruke) Chapter 15: Talk like this, I will (Iso鈥檚 POV) When I entered inside, I am reminded how old and unkept this tower has been. Spider webs at the to corner of the room, dust bunnies under the table, broken weapons just lying here and there, shows how underfunded the guards are. The weapons that are still working have their blades almost blunt because of too much use. ¡°I was just planning to raid-, no¡­subjugate? Doesn¡¯t matter. About the mana distortion, I¡¯ll try to see what I can do.¡± (Ruke) My attention went back to Ruke, who is now sitting comfortably at one of the chairs. He gestures for us to do the same. Jushar made himself at home and sat infront of Ruke. I grab the nearest chair and sat beside Jushar. ¡°You want to talk about, what is it?¡± Ruke talks in a very familiar manner. ¡°You met Iso already, right?¡± (Jushar) ¡°Yes¡­ yes. This boy, I am acquainted with. Good lad, he is¡± Ruke look at me carefully. Karl and Leo listened intently at the background. ¡°He wants to help solve the village¡¯s problem about the mana distortion.¡± (Jushar) Ruke closed his eyes while his hand traces his chin. He wears a serious face for about a few seconds before he opens his eyes again. He looks at me again and I feel like my very soul is being scanned. It was uncomfortable. ¡°Your status card, may I see please?¡± Ruke held out his hand to me. I hesitantly gave him my status card, not wanting anyone to see it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Isoide Shinu Age: 17 years old Gender: Male Level: 54 Job/Class/Vocation: Villager HP: 185 MP: 96 Attack Power: 74 Strength: 65 Defense Power: 114 Vitality: 128 Resistance: 128 Evasion Efficiency: 77 Agility: 68 Magic: 114 Magic Resistance: 133 Intelligence: 66 Luck: 78 Skills: All Common Language Comprehension Minor Soil Control, Minor Soil Renewal, Farming Array, Novice Breed Assessment, Vegetable Valuation (Beginner), Compost Fabrication (Beginner), Small Yield Adder, Rain Attraction. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There was little change on the growth of my stats even though I leveled up seven (7) times from protecting the village. I am slightly happy with the variety of skills I got but almost all of them are related to my work as a Villager. I got them by continuously working in the village. Ruke studied it like it was the only thing there is in the world. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he returned it back to me. ¡°Please, here, you all stay. For a minute, just wait. Upstairs in the tower, I¡¯ll get something.¡± (Ruke)This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He stands up and use the stairs to go up the tower. Jushar kept quiet, letting the man do what he does. Even the other at the background wait patiently. After a while, Ruke finally went down with a bunch of scrolls in his hand. ¡°Here, take these.¡± He handed me the scrolls. It was Karl and Leo turns to stand up, complete astonish by what is happening. ¡°You¡¯re giving him those?!¡± The two said at the same time. ¡°Quiet, you two. More useful for him, the scrolls will.¡± Ruke gave them a stern look. ¡°What are these anyways?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. The scrolls are old, the parchment close to crumbling. This time, it was Jushar who explained things. ¡°Those are magic scrolls. They contain one spell for magic casters to use, though only for one time. Their advantage is that you don¡¯t have to study the actual spell itself to cast it. Very useful if you don¡¯t like studying.¡± (Jushar) ¡°Why are you giving it to me? I have no magical aptitude. Heck, I have no aptitudes at all.¡± I look t Ruke with a questioning gaze. Karl and Leo were quiet, also wanting to hear the reason. ¡°It has no use for me. My magic stat is low compared to yours. The strength of the spell depends on your Magic stats and anything related to it. Aptitude just boost that strength for specific types. Even if you have no aptitude, you can still use magic spells. As long as you have a Job Class Vocation, you have access to these magic spells and skills.¡± (Ruke) ¡®He finally talked like a normal person¡¯ I thought in my mind. ¡°Even if I have a class of a villager?¡± (Iso) ¡°Yes, even if you have a class of a villager. When I observe you protecting the village from goblins and monster, you have no talent using any weapons. But I haven¡¯t seen you use magic to fight. You might be good at it.¡± I nodded. He¡¯s right about saying that I haven¡¯t use magic yet. I am also curious if I¡¯ll be able to use it properly. I haven¡¯t got the chance to try when I was with my classmates because I have no class at that time. Now I can try it out. Ruke furthered explained what magic scrolls he gave me and how he got it. Turns out, he used to be an adventurer himself but retired when their group disbanded. He happened to have looted these scrolls somewhere but saw no use in it due to low magic. He can use it but it¡¯ll be a waste because most of the potential of the spell will be gone. That was why when he saw my magical stats, he quickly thought of giving me these scrolls. The spells in the magic scrolls are the following: Fireball - One of the most basic type of attack spell in the fire element. (Uses 3 MP) Wind Slash ¨C Compressed air that is sharp enough to cut through wood. (Uses 7 MP) Water bullet ¨C Like Fireball, only it is water. Also, one of the basic ones. (Uses 3 MP) Earth Immobilization ¨C Traps the feet and hands of the target with hardened rocks. (Uses 10 MP) Root Entanglement ¨C Tentacle like plants will wrap around the target, making the target unable to move. (Uses 13 MP) Ice Prison ¨C Freeze the target with frozen water. (Uses 15 MP) Small Barrier ¨C Creates a one-sided barrier. Could withstand several small-scale attacks. (Uses 10 MP) Broken Pillar ¨C Weakens the target by about 10% of their full power. (Uses 8 MP) Strengthening Aura ¨C Strengthens all of the people the user thinks as his/her allies by 15%. (Uses 10 MP) Harden ¨C Strengthen the defense of 3 targeted people by 15%. (Uses 8 MP) Minor Healing ¨C Heals the target by about 30% (Uses 5 MP) Mana Renewal ¨C Restores 30% of the user¡¯s or target mana by 30% (Uses 2-4 MP) Most of them are the fundamental basics for each of their respective magic type. At least, that is what I remember when I eavesdrop from my classmates that are magic casters. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any questions anymore, let¡¯s continue with what we¡¯re talking about¡± (Ruke) ¡°Actually, I went here just to make Iso join you. Now that it is done, I¡¯ll have to take my leave.¡± (Jushar) ¡°Oh¡­ sure. I understand. You¡¯re a busy, Jushar. Good-bye now.¡± (Ruke) Jushar went outside the tower while waving good-bye. When he was now far away, Karl and Leo looked at Ruke. ¡°Sir Ruke, I also want to join you in stopping the mana distortion.¡± (Karl) ¡°Oh oh. Me too, me too!¡± (Leo) The two asked with shining eyes, wanting a sense of¡­ adventure? ¡°It will be dangerous and I won¡¯t guarantee you two¡¯s safety. Do you have the resolve to help me?¡± (Ruke) ¡°Yes¡± They said at the same time. Ruke claps his hand once while looking at us. ¡°Now that¡¯s done, we¡¯ll meet at the graveyard before sundown. Be sure you three will get some rest because we might spend the night there.¡± With that, we finish our conversation. I can¡¯t wait to use these scrolls. Chapter 16: The Dead doesn鈥檛 want to die (Iso鈥檚 POV) The graveyard, the cemetery. the burial grounds, whatever it is. I could feel the ominous aura coming out of it from far away. The sun had already set and the last light for the day vanished. My knees are shaking and I could imagine that my pants are already wet. I¡¯m having second thoughts about this. As we approach nearer to the graveyard, I saw two towers on each side of the gate. The graveyard was surrounded by big walls. Like all the other towers in the village, the two towers at the graveyard are old. Silhouettes roam the towers and look at us. Confirming that we are with Ruke, they gave the signal to open the gates. I breathe in deeply, trying to make my determination sturdier. Breathe out. The creaking of the gate broke the ghostly-silence. Fog escapes through the opening and I could see the shadows of gravestones. I use to watch zombie horror movies, finding relief that it is not real. But now that I¡¯m in a world where the dead rises are common, that relief was crashed. Entering ever so slowly, even Karl and Leo are scared. Only Ruke seems brave enough to face the dead or it might be he¡¯s skilled enough to hide his fear. The gate closes behind us and we are now trap here for the night. ¡°Keep your magic senses up. We could find the distortion by sensing the disturbance of mana in the area.¡± Ruke said as he lights up each of our torches. ¡°Huh? What? Magic senses? What are those?¡± I never heard anything related to that when I was with my classmates. Damn, maybe I missed it or something. Might be they were going to teach us about it after we finished our first quest. But due to the accident¡­ Well doesn¡¯t matter now. Ruke might explain it. ¡°Really? You don¡¯t know? What were you learning when you were with the churchmen then? How to dull your senses?¡± (Karl) Quick, I need to think of a comeback. ¡°What? Cat got your tongue?¡± (Leo) ¡°Hey! Shut up!¡± (Iso) Looks like that took care of it¡­I hope ¡°Yes, please do. We don¡¯t want to wake any of the dead, do we?¡± (Ruke) ¡°I think it might be too late for that warning. Duck!¡± (Karl) ¡°Duck?¡± (Iso) Karl pushed me down and thrust his spear behind me. I didn¡¯t got time to catch myself and I fell face first to the ground. When I look back, Karl was fighting to get back his spear from the chest of what looks like a corpse. It looks just the same in the movies. Decaying skin, fragile bones, tattered clothes, the generic zombie. Though it looks much real this closely. Its eyes shined a creepy shade of green. It might be the sign of the magic that puppets the corpse to move. Karl got his spear out only to lose his balance. The undead saw this chance and took it to attack. But his head was decapitated by Ruke at the last moment. The body falls to the ground, going back to its original form where it is lifeless. The faint scent of urine mixes with the unpleasant smell of decay. When I look, I saw that Leo couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. I ignored it because I¡¯m not much different. I am also scared but by no means did I also peed in my pants. ¡°We should advance carefully from now on.¡± The final reminder of Ruke finally made us aware of the danger. After a few walks, I estimated that the cemetery was about 5 mansions big but it was hard to see due to the darkness. The tombstones are mostly old already but I saw a few that are newly made. ¡°Hey Ruke, how many are buried here?¡± I asked trying to fill the silence ¡°Hmmm. The last count was about ninety-five (95) but it could be wrong.¡± (Ruke) ¡°How big is this graveyard anyways?¡± (Iso) ¡°Probably less than seven (7) hexes. Thirteen (13) to sixteen (16) buried per hex if I remember correctly.¡± (Ruke) ¡°Wait, what are hexes?¡± (Iso)Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ruke titled his head. ¡°You don¡¯t know? Maybe you use squares. The cemetery is more than seventenn (17) squares according to Jushar.¡± Squares? Hexes? What? I don¡¯t get it. Maybe it is there unit of measure. But I can¡¯t be sure. It looks like Ruke is already satisfied with his explanation. Even if I continue asking, I doubt I¡¯ll get much detail. They might not know my world¡¯s units of measure. There is still one more thing I want to ask. ¡°Ruke, what are magical senses again?¡± (Iso) ¡°You seriously don¡¯t know? Well, it can¡¯t be help. You¡¯re from another world after all. Magical sense is the sense that is responsible for us to recognize magic and mana. Did you sense something before we enter the graveyard?¡± (Ruke) ¡°Yeah. I felt an ominous aura coming out.¡± (Iso) ¡°That is the disturbed magic that gathered from the dead. If you focus your sense to find where it came from, we could find the mana distortion within this graveyard. That is what I¡¯m doing right now.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± I was now satisfied with the answer. We continued walking and along the way the dead keep rising. Because we were expecting them, we were not taken by surprise. It became a lot easier for us to return them back to being lifeless. I didn¡¯t use my scrolls because I don¡¯t want to waste it. Maybe I could keep it at the end after all this. ¡°We¡¯re close to the mana distortion.¡± Ruke said as he takes out his sword from a corpse. ¡°There is usually a stronger monster or being that guards it so we should be more careful.¡± Ruke was right. I could feel the dangerous aura much heavier here. Much denser. It sends signal to my body that I should run away, that I shouldn¡¯t be here at all. It concerns my survival and it made my fear rise up again. In one of the tombstones, a hand broke through the soil. A wave of magical pressure erupted and a body came out of the ground. With robes that is deeply purple, eyes that are red as blood, and in its chest a blue orb was shining. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. The mana distortion fused with the guardian.¡± Ruke face became pale. His eyes were wide open and his mouth was agape. He keeps staring at the scene before us that I have to break him out of it. ¡°Ruke!! Get a hold of yourself!¡± I shake his body violently. His eyes broke off and he then stared at me. ¡°It just that, the situation was much more hazardous than I expected.¡± (Ruke) The others were much like Ruke. Karl shaking making his hold of his spear unstable. Leo having peed a second time. Those suggest that the weren¡¯t expecting it to be this bad. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. We¡¯re here already. We still need to continue to fight. Otherwise, the village will be the one in danger.¡± (Iso) ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Ruke readied his sword. His will was back now. ¡°Then I¡¯ll use the scrolls this time. I¡¯ll cast spells from the distance.¡± (Iso) ¡°Karl! Leo! Stop staring at the goddamn half lich! Show me your resolve that you¡¯ve told me about!¡± Wait, half lich? Arg. No time to ask. The three of them moved forward to attack while I quickly scanned my magic scrolls, picking the one I think will be suitable. The half lich casts some lightning spell, that I don¡¯t know off, which was barely block by the shield of Leo. The scream of him didn¡¯t help my concentration. ¡°Burn my enemies to ash, shower fire to those who blocks my way, make them fear the flail of your wrath, Fireball!¡± The scroll shined when I was chanting the spell. It floated above my hand as I recite the lines. When I said the final words, the trigger, it was light by fire and burned. It turned into a ball and shot itself towards the half lich. Only to hit the gravestone behind. ¡°You fudging miss!! Next time fix your aim!!¡± Karl said in between attacks ¡°Sorry!!¡± I shouted back. Damn, I wasted one scroll It was my first-time casting a spell. It still felt good to be like in a RPG. I quickly tried to find a spell that could help them. Leo seems to be in charge of the defenses and distraction while Karl and Ruke attack it simultaneously. The half lich continues to shoot them with lightning and a variety of other spells. ¡°Lend your power to the weak, support them with your hands, help them keep standing up, guide their swords to victory, Strengthening Aura!¡± I casted a support magic that won¡¯t miss this time. The speed of the three significantly increased. They could now easily dodge the attacks of the half lich. The being still didn¡¯t register me as a threat to his existence. I used this opportunity to cast more spells. ¡°Shake their foundation, make the grounds unstable, brake their balance, their building shall fall and nothing should be left behind, Broken Pillar!!¡± As I used that spell, the half lich looks at me with eyes of fury. His attacks all became weaker and slower. Not much of a threat but could still be fatal. I grinned back at him. He screamed a deafening shout. I could sense it was pack with magic power. My hearing was dulled, my sight became blurry, my movement became sluggish. I only notice that I was in the grip of the half lich. I can¡¯t breathe. I struggle to get out of his hand. My sight slowly dimmed. Is this the end? With one final will, I strike the chest of half lich. He let go of me. I quickly tried to regain my breathing. The ringing in my ears vanishing. My sight slowly cleared only to see that half lich about to attack me. I covered myself with my arms, expecting a painful blow. But it didn¡¯t come. I saw that Ruke and the others got out of the stun. They are now dealing with the half lich. But their attacks seem to have no effect at all. I tried to think. What do undead usual weakness is? In Fantasy games where the hero has to deal with skeleton armies or something. What is the weakness? ¡°Heal yourself Iso!¡± Ruke shouted so he could be heard. Then it hit me. Let¡¯s see if it works.¡± ¡°Take away the pain, give back their relief, return back what was, Gift of Healing!¡± Yes, I casted a healing spell but not on me, not on Ruke, not on my allies. Instead, I casted it to the half lich. The agonized scream of the half lich filled me with satisfaction. The generic weakness of the undead. I didn¡¯t think it would work. Maybe I could use my gaming knowledge in this world. Those were my last words before I passed out. Chapter 17: Events Afterwards & Talks (Iso鈥檚 POV) It has been days since we defeated the half lich in the graveyards. Ruke was waiting for me when I woke up. He congratulated me from defeating the half lich and told me that the mana distortion was successfully fix. He told me he has something to tell me after I fully recover. Jushar visited me next and was grateful for the contributions I did. After the mana distortion was fixed, the corpses in the graveyard stopped turning into an undead. He said the village will be indebt to me. I told him that I volunteered for this so there wouldn¡¯t be any debt. After hearing that I¡¯m awake, Ehrhard and Nara were the next to drop by. They checked if I was okay and we talked about various things that happened in the village while I was unconscious. They told me it wasn¡¯t the same without me helping in the works in the village. Soon I was able to stand up again. The effects of the shout of the half lich to my body was severe. I was told I might have been dead if it weren¡¯t for my unusual stat in magic resistance. That reminds me, I leveled up to level 60 due giving the last ¡°hit¡± to the half lich. This is currently my stats ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Isoide Shinu Age: 17 years old Gender: Male Level: 60 Job/Class/Vocation: Villager HP: 185 MP: 99 Attack Power: 74 Strength: 65 Defense Power: 117 Vitality: 128 Resistance: 131 Evasion Efficiency: 80 Agility: 71 Magic: 117 Magic Resistance: 136 Intelligence: 66 Luck: 78 Skills: All Common Language Comprehension Minor Soil Control, Minor Soil Renewal, Farming Array, Novice Breed Assessment, Vegetable Valuation (Beginner), Compost Fabrication (Beginner), Small Yield Adder, Rain Attraction. Spells learned: Strengthening Aura Broken Pillar Minor HealingYou could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not much change though, except that I¡¯m finally level 60. I wonder if Jushar will allow me to leave the village and class change. Should I leave the village? Well it¡¯ll depend on the class I¡¯ll change to. I wish it¡¯ll be better than before. There is also another thing that is new. It looks like I learned how to cast spells without scrolls. Looking at it, these are some of the spells I used when I was in the graveyard. But why didn¡¯t I learn Fireball? There must be some kind of rule here. The dry sound of the door being knock broke my thoughts. ¡°Come in.¡± (Iso) Ruke opened the door and entered. Ah, now I remember him saying we¡¯ll talk again after I recovered. He grabs a chair near him and sits in front of me. It looks like he gained more white hair since the graveyard incident. He is still wearing his leather-iron armor along with his sword at his back. ¡°I forgot to thank you for lending me the scrolls.¡± I went first to start the conversation ¡°Keep it, you may. If I just keep it, it is useless. Better for you to keep it.¡± (Ruke) ¡°You have my thanks. So, what do you want to talk about?¡± (Iso) ¡°When we went to the graveyard, the guardian was a half lich. If we haven¡¯t subdued it, it¡¯ll most likely turn into a lich. That will cause a lot of problem.¡± (Ruke) ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of that.¡± (Iso) ¡°It is unusual for a half lich to be there. I¡¯ll be frank, someone set it up. It even managed to fuse with the mana distortion. This could have turned to a disaster.¡± (Ruke) ¡°You are telling me this, why?¡± (Iso) ¡°There are a lot of reasons. I have to report this to Skydusk, in order to get some help. You were one of the summoned heroes, bringing you there to report might help. And there is one more thing. The means that you used to defeat the half lich, that was¡­impressive. To use a healing spell against it¡­nobody has thought of that. And it was super effective.¡± (Ruke) ¡°I guess I was just lucky.¡± (Iso) ¡°That method might prove useful in future encounters. You have to report it because you are the most knowledgeable about it. Oh, also, here.¡± Ruke got something from his pocket and toss it to me. I caught it just in time. It was colored azure blue and has a balance scale for the design. I look at it with curiosity. It was made out of a material that I don¡¯t know of. I look at Ruke with a questioning gaze. ¡°What is this for?¡± (Iso) ¡°It is from Jushar. He said it is your reward and you¡¯re now free to leave the village. You can use that to class change at Skydusk. You¡¯ve become level 60 recently, right?¡± (Ruke) ¡°Yes¡­How¡¯d you know?¡± (Iso) ¡°I got some low-level appraisal eyes. How do you think I knew the guardian was a half lich?¡± (Ruke) ¡°Oh, I see. Thanks again.¡± (Iso) ¡°You got to be careful with that. That token is valuable. Usually, you have to pay 30 silvers to class change.¡± (Ruke) ¡°30 silvers?!¡± So even if I asked to leave the village and go class change, I won¡¯t be able to pay for it. ¡°Yeah, I know right? Well, you should rest. We still need to prepare for our departure.¡± (Ruke) ¡°When will we leave?¡± (Iso) ¡°Soon. There is a merchant that stayed in the village. He would soon depart to Skydusk. I asked if we could go along with them.¡± (Ruke) ¡°I see. Well, nice talking with you again. I look forward to our travels.¡± (Iso) And those were what happened before we left the village. A lot happened these passed few days. I¡¯m looking forward to the future. Chapter 18: A weird encounter (Yonshi鈥檚 POV) ¡°Rum ek dumb(i). Ek ma limak rum ek sefigy?¡± (Lor) ¡°Patience, my friend. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll come.¡± (Yonshi) My name is Yonshi Furan. Most people call me Yon. I have shown talent with a sword so I became a swordsman. I followed the path of the sword but my experience was still lacking. That was why I became an adventurer also. Experience gain from real battle gives more than just practice. My friend here is Lor, short for Lorlasar Taltel. He is a very special kind of a demi-human or beastman. Instead of the common animal ears and tails, he has that of a dragon. Dragons are legendary creature of this world, capable of a calamity. So Lor¡¯s race was feared. The three gods of light, order, and destiny cursed their race, fearing their power. Their race was curse to only speak one language, the Kiyuwer language. They can learn how to understand other languages but they can never speak with it. The three gods and the other races made moves to make their race extinct in ancient times. They were easy to find due to their curse. Very few survived, including Lor. Their race was so rare now that it could fetch a prize of more than 30 gold coins if they are sold in the black market. The Church discriminate their race due to the three gods¡¯ actions. So not many people helped their race. Plus, few really understand their language. I¡¯m one of those few people. We¡¯re called translators due to our ability. Just now, what he asks me was ¡°They are late. Are you sure they are coming?¡±. We are currently waiting for two people. We are in a small village escorting a merchant and those two wants to join us in our travels to Skydusk. From what I heard, one is a guard in the village and the other one is one of the rumored summoned heroes. If he¡¯s a hero, why is he in a place like this? Well, it¡¯s none of my business. ¡°They¡¯re here. Put up your hood and stay silent.¡± I reminded Lor. If they find out about his race, they might get hostile. I don¡¯t trust them, even if one of them is a summoned hero. Lor nodded to my words and put up his hood. A shadow quickly covered his prominent features in the face. His hood and his cloak are both magic items that hides the identity of the user. He uses it so that people won¡¯t know what race he is. But his language might give him away so he must stay silent.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Alert the merchant. We¡¯re about to leave.¡± (Yon) ¡°Mul.¡± (Lor) Even the merchant doesn¡¯t know Lor¡¯s race. He would quickly tell or hire some mercenary to get a share in the reward money. This days, we have to be really careful. Two silhouettes came near me. One was a well-built man in his 50s or something and the other is a young boy that has red hair and blue eyes. The young one is probably the summoned hero. ¡°Hullo!¡± The young boy is waving while he came near us. He stops when he was talking distance and waited for the other man. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m Yonshi Furan, you may call me Yon.¡± I said as I held out my hand for a handshake. ¡°I¡¯m Isoide Shinu. You may call me Iso.¡± Iso said as he shakes my hand. ¡°I¡¯m Ruke. I¡¯m the one who manages the guards of the village. They you for accepting our request.¡± Ruke in turn shake my hand. Then Lor along with the merchant came. The merchant name was Gihir Rilu. He¡¯s not one of the big shot merchants but he is well connected in the Kingdom and empire. ¡°This is Lor, my friend and my co-worker. We¡¯re both adventurers, hired by Gihir, the merchant. Lor doesn¡¯t talk much but he can be friendly.¡± I introduce them both, especially Lor, cause of his curse. ¡°We are in your care.¡± Both of them said. That is how we started our Journey. It was almost smooth going to Skydusk but there was one encounter that troubles me. Bandits attacked our party and the carriage of the merchant, seeing few guarding it. I could handle about 5 bandits and with the support of Iso (He got potential.), I could handle more. Same with Lor. Ruke could handle about 4. But the bandits greatly outnumbered us. ¡°Iso, use your scrolls!¡± (Ruke) ¡°Ah, yes. Wait.¡± Iso was fumbling his bag. And that is when a big shadow came out of the forest and attacked the bandits. Then I realize it was an Ogre holding a glowing sword meant for humans. I thought the situation just got worse but the ogre only attacked the bandits. The bandits quickly got killed or fled from the ogre. And when the danger was done, the ogre looks at us and I could see confusion in his eyes. Then he run away from us before we could do something to him. We were dumbfounded. Ogres doesn¡¯t usually do that kind of things. Lor looked and pointed at the running Ogre. ¡°Neb nul reb ewenb(i)?¡± Lor asked when we were out of hearing range. ¡°I don¡¯t know my friend. I¡¯m astonished as well.¡± I replied as I check the items of the bandits. Our travels to Skydusk was smooth again after that. We separated at Skydusk. Ruke went to the Nobles to report about something. Iso went to change his class from a villager. (I¡¯m surprise as well. Why is a hero a villager?). Gihir went to find new escorts to go with him to the Empire of Sound. Me and Lor went to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild to get our reward for the escort quest. We also sold the items of the bandits. We then explored the usual big city of Skydusk with members of the Eagle Corps flying around the tall buildings. Today sure is tiring. Chapter 19: Last Class Change (Iso鈥檚 POV) The city of Skydusk. It is where the tallest buildings in the continent are found. Humans flew overhead with artificial wings on their back. Those wings are ancient artifacts made at the time of the gods. They are made of a special metal that has an aptitude in wind and gravity (it is now extinct) magic. Very complicated magic arrays are permanently inscribed in the wings and the symbols are so small to read properly. The artifact is hard to master and those who does are almost always members of the Sky Corps. But for our little protagonist, Iso, he doesn¡¯t know about this so all he could say when he saw them flying overhead is: ¡°Woah¡± (Iso) Gust of winds assaulted me when one of those men with wings flew close above me. The man flew higher and landed on one of the platforms attached to a tall building. It must be one of the landing platforms of those guys who fly. Holding the map that I was given by Ruke, I followed his instruction towards one building. It is one of the branch building of the Adventurers¡¯ guild. When I entered, I saw the clich¨¦ joyful and carefree atmosphere that appears a lot in the Isekai novels I read. Though contrary to my expectation, no one bat an eye on me when I entered. I went towards the receptionist counter, half expecting to see a beautiful girl receptionist. But who I saw is a normal receptionist guy. ¡°Hello, what can I do for you?¡± The receptionist asked Being careful of my surroundings, I cautiously gave him the class change token. I was warned by Ruke not to casually show the token to other people except the receptionist/s. They might get the wrong idea that I am rich or something. Class change cost 30 silvers after all. ¡°This is-¡± The receptionist guy was flustered when he saw the token. I put my index finger to my lips to demand silence. The receptionist nods with understanding. ¡°This way please.¡± The receptionist gestured to follow another employee. I was lead to another room by the other guild employee. They don¡¯t question how you get the tokens. Those who have a token usually are people that earned the trust of a village or other community. The token won¡¯t work unless willingly given by the giver. Inside the private room, a Divine Stone stood at the center. It glows faintly, lighting up the room. The employee gestured for me to proceed. I went near the stone and touch it once again. This will be the last time I¡¯ll ever touch a Divine Stone. It asks me again, for a second time: What do you desire? Memories surge through my mind. From my childhood to my schooldays. Fast forwarding then slowing down. Going back, stopping, then moving forward again. I remembered when I was first summoned. The monsters we fought and defeated. The Stone is like searching for something and I¡¯m also searching with it.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I remember volunteering to fix the mana distortion in the village. I remember the feeling of wanting to help. I remember meeting up with Yon, Lors, and the merchant. The bandits suddenly appearing then started attacking us. Then the Ogre appeared and scared the bandits. I was confused. Why did it help us? Then the Stone/I found the answer: ¡°I want to help others.¡± (Iso) It is your will. It replied melancholy. The Divine stone shone brightly for a few seconds then went back to glowing faintly. The class change was finish. The employee then leads me out when he saw that I was done. I stayed at the Adventurers¡¯ guild for a while, sitting in one of the tables. I took out my status card to see what class I got. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Isoide Shinu Age: 17 years old Gender: Male Level: 60 Job/Class/Vocation: Support HP: 185 MP: 99 Attack Power: 74 Strength: 65 Defense Power: 117 Vitality: 128 Resistance: 131 Evasion Efficiency: 80 Agility: 71 Magic: 117 Magic Resistance: 136 Intelligence: 66 Luck: 78 Skills: All Common Language Comprehension Support Magic Aptitude, Healing Magic Aptitude, Light Magic Aptitude, Barrier Magic Aptitude, General Magic Aptitude, Allied Sustenance, Allied Strengthening. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was Support. The Villager Skills was removed and was replaced by my new Support Skills. Most of the skills are magical aptitudes related to being a Support. Wait, so when I answered, ¡®I want to help others¡¯, the Divine Stone thought I want to be a Support? What the fudge was it thinking? Now I can¡¯t change anymore. I was jobless at first. Then it gave me the Villager class. Now it was the Support class. Damn it Calm down. It¡¯s not that bad. At least I have magical aptitudes now. Complaining won¡¯t change it. All I can do now is level up and become stronger again. I should go and join a party to make my Support Skills useful. It¡¯ll be useless if I¡¯m alone. I checked my bag to see if my stuff is still there. Looks like the money is still there. The Village Chief gave me some provision so I could live by myself when I left the village. Along with those items are money. I should find some suitable jobs to get a stable income. The money I was given won¡¯t last long. I could become an adventurer now that I think about it. I should register. When I look outside, it was getting dark. I should find a suitable inn first before I register. Packing my bag, I went outside the guild. People still walk by in the streets. The atmosphere was lively and calm. I feel like I¡¯m in one of my Fantasy games back home. I started walking around to try to find an inn. ¡°Oi, Iso! Hey!¡± Hearing my name, I look back to see a young man, with black hair and purple eyes, waving at me. Beside him is a hooded figure, his face barely seen. I smiled, seeing the familiar face of the two who were with us escorting the merchant, Gihir. ¡°Hullo, Yon. Isn¡¯t too early for us to meet again?¡± (Iso) They were Yon and Lors. Yon said he was a swordsman when we talked in our travels. I don¡¯t know much about Lors because he doesn¡¯t talk much and I feel that he is keeping his distance. Both of them were adventurers. ¡°What are you doing here walking around?¡± (Yon) ¡°Trying to find an Inn to stay in.¡± (Iso) ¡°Tough luck, my friend. All the inns are full. Lucky for you, we know of an Inn with a bar outside the city. We¡¯re on our way to it just now. You wanna come?¡± (Yon) ¡°Oh, thanks. You saved me from some trouble.¡± (Iso) Quickly joining them, I followed them outside Skydusk. Just near, outside the city walls were small communities. Yon explained that many people stayed outside because Skydusk cannot accommodate all of the (visiting) people. Most of the community are not trustable and many are connected to the Black Market and Underworld. Though the community we are heading towards to could be trusted and is one of the ¡®safe¡¯ small communities. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Lors and I last stayed here. I hope we¡¯re still welcome here.¡± (Yon) I hope so too. Chapter 20: The Bloody Coins (Iso鈥檚 POV) The community is just like a small village. Except there is no farming field. And the houses are mostly for business selling items and food. It was cramp, very cramp that I almost became claustrophobic. People walk around and it was noisy even though it was dark already. We arrive in the inn we were looking for. It¡¯s a small inn in this small community. It¡¯s been a long day since we arrived at Skydusk. My stomach grumbles wanting food to be consume. My body feels the collected fatigue of our travels. Inside was the bar Yon was talking about that serves food for the people. The people took little notice of us when we entered. I got the feeling that they don¡¯t much like adventurers. Even though I¡¯m not yet one, but I was in the company of Yon and Lors who are adventurers. Probably they think adventurers bring trouble. I notice in the corner of the inn four unsavory gentlemen, obviously not part of the local folks. The were wearing leather armor and they have weapons. Are they bandits? Bounty hunters? We sat at one of the empty tables and Yon approaches the innkeeper standing behind the bar. He¡¯s the typical or generic barkeeper type of character. He¡¯s fat. He¡¯s bald on top. If things were different, he¡¯d probably be jolly. But he is not jolly. He¡¯s terrified. What is he afraid of? Perhaps the men in the corner? Yon asks how much for a room. The innkeeper said, without making eye contact. ¡°We have no rooms. N-no rooms. Yo-you can have fo- food. Jus- just please don¡¯t kill anyone.¡± This is a very strange thing for the innkeeper to say. Yon inquires again. ¡°Are you sure you have no rooms? That seems unusual.¡± The innkeeper, once again trying to avoid eye contact, cowers and says. ¡°no- no- no rooms. You can have anything you want to eat- drink. It¡¯s on the house. Just please don¡¯t get in a fight. Please don¡¯t kill anyone.¡± This is unusual behavior. The serving lad approaches the rest of us at our table and asks what we want to eat. ¡°Umd, Fobog, ugr(e) e hduml ba (i)ldih.¡± (Lors) Unbeknown to Iso, as soon as Lors speaks, everyone in the inn now knows he is a Kiyuwer speaker. Why did he speak even though it¡¯s risky? This is because Yon and Lors trust this specific community. This community is one of the few that doesn¡¯t discriminate Lors¡¯ race and Yon is acquaintance with most people in this community. Meanwhile, Iso is confuse and doesn¡¯t understand what Lors said. Many of the people in the inn turned their eyes to the bounty hunters in the corner. The bounty hunters whisper among themselves. Then without paying, without finishing their food, they got up and try to leave. One of the people interpose his body between the bounty hunters and the exit. Several other people got up to do the same.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Where do you think your going?¡± The person asks, confronting the bounty hunters. To the people of this inn, to the many people in this area, they were good and trusted friends of Yon & Lors. So, these men and women are willing to sacrifice their lives if it means this Kiyuwer speaker does not get sold out to the Church. Of course, the Kiyuwer Speaker, Lors, knows this and will not let this people sacrifice their lives for him. He stands up. Yon follows. A battle ensues. Iso joined them, wanting to help his acquaintances. They let him come with them to find an inn. This is just repaying the favor. Iso got to use his new-found Support Skills to help Yon and Lors fight off the bounty hunters. Because the bounty hunters are weak or because of the support of Iso, Yon and Lors easily wins. But casualties could not be avoided. Many are injured and Yon is consoling one of the people who lost someone in the fight. There are now four dead bounty hunters and one dead innocent person in the inn. The innkeeper is completely panicking. ¡°I told you not to start a fight. I told not to kill anyone. Why didn¡¯t you listen to me?¡± The three of us turned to the innkeeper, ready to inquire what on earth he¡¯s panicking about. Then the doors open and we soon found out why. Floating across the floor toward the innkeeper, as though the act of walking itself is beneath him, comes a silhouette with a powerful pressure. Hull in grey and blue robes, his face hidden behind a mask. From underneath his cloak, he reaches out in pale hands clasped in a fist and says: ¡°As per our usual arrangement.¡± The innkeeper, shaking, terrified as though his body is not under his own control, reaches out his palm. The Silhouette drops five pieces of blood-red silvers into the innkeeper¡¯s hand. ¡°You are as good as your word. A pleasure doing business with you again, my friend.¡± The silhouette said. The silhouette turns his back on the innkeeper and with that, his water sprite minions flood into the room, grabbing the corpses and taking them to the waiting cart outside. What kind of bargain is there between that silhouette and this innkeeper, and how did the silhouette know the moment there were corpses in the inn? We were faced with a quandary. He is obviously evil but also obviously very powerful. I don¡¯t think my stats could be compared to the silhouette. The pressure he is emitting could probably make some people faint. Yon tried to attack him but with a flick of a wrist, he was decimated, leaving him for dead. I quickly run towards him, horrified at what happened. He didn¡¯t kill Yon, that¡¯s a good thing. I quickly chanted a healing spell to treat his wounds. The silhouette ignored us as if we were beneath his notice. Then he went on to leave along with the corpses. ¡°Hey, innkeeper, give us a fudging room! Do you want another dead man?!¡± I shouted, angry that I wasn¡¯t able to do anything. The innkeeper, scared, quickly gave us a key. Lors helped me carry Yon and followed the innkeeper to our room. ¡°No room my ass.¡± I silently muttered as I close the door in our room. I laid down the body of Yon in one of the beds. Lors went outside and got some water. I helped him clean the wounds and apply some makeshift bondage. Lors was silent the whole time. He must be feeling that it is his fault that Yon got into this mess. ¡°It¡¯s alright Lors. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s not.¡± I patted his back, trying to console him. ¡°ib il geb odkemb. It ogdi em rir geb (i)lhis.¡± (Lors) ¡°You know I can¡¯t understand you, right?¡± (Iso) Lors look at me with irritation. Then he stayed silent again. I wonder why the bounty hunters were so interested when Lors spoke. It was just another language. I don¡¯t really get it out all why the people in the inn made a huge fuss about it. And who was that guy who salvage the corpses? What is his relation to the innkeeper? Damn it, there is still a lot of things I need to know. Chapter 21 Our new ally (Lor鈥檚 POV) Inside our room, I was sitting near one of the corners. I was watching my friend, Yon, rest in the bed. It had been some hours after his breathing became stable. This is thanks to the efforts of Iso. I stared at him at the other side of the room, silently watching Yon also. I remembered how he kept casting a basic healing spell over and over to Yon, hoping that it might make a difference. The first try didn¡¯t change anything much on the wounds but after a few more tries, the wound stop bleeding. Iso continued casting the spell until he was out of mana. This guy¡­ even though we just met yesterday, he is ready to lend a helping hand to us. Even going so far to help us fight off those mercenaries. Thinking about it now, Yon and Iso became close during our travels escorting Gihir the merchant. They talk and talk about various topics. I didn¡¯t join their conversation because, back then, Yon and I still don¡¯t trust Iso fully. Their conversation was about the world Iso came from during the first half of our travels. This topic actually interests me so I listened also. Iso told us about how their world doesn¡¯t have magic but have much more advance technology. Then we were attacked by bandits and got saved by an Ogre. The latter half of the conversation changed about that Ogre. We were all pretty confuse by it. No normal Ogre would do that kind of stuff. They just attack anyone without discrimination except their own kind. They only follow strength. So, why did it only attack the bandits. Adding more to the confusion is that it was holding a sword, where normally they only use clubs. If my eyes don¡¯t deceive me, it was a magic sword at that. When we separated with them inside Skydusk, I talked to Yon about Iso. I felt that we could try trusting Iso a little. So, we agreed that if we ever met Iso again, we¡¯ll talk to him and maybe invite him to our party. That was why I spoke in the tavern even though Iso would hear me. I didn¡¯t care about the other customers. They were good friends with them and could trust them. But I didn¡¯t notice the unfamiliar mercenaries. Then that guy went here when the mercenaries were dead. If I¡¯m not mistaken, that guy, who retrieved the corpses, was Eler Lordwin. Yon and I knew him because we found his wanted poster in an Adventurers¡¯ Guild before we went to Skydusk. What he¡¯ll do with the corpses is anyone¡¯s guess.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I could explain this all to Iso but when I tried talking to him, he clearly didn¡¯t understand me. So, I decided to wait for Yon to wake up and let him explain it to Iso and maybe become my translator for us to communicate. But for now, we made do with body gestures. *** Yon then begun to stir. His eyes twitched for a few seconds before they open. He tried to stand but his face went distorted. He winces at the sudden jolt of pain from all his wounds. ¡°Suktad.¡± I cautioned him while trying to help him sit in a comfortable position. Iso noticed that Yon is now awake. He quickly stands and started helping him. He got some water and made Yon drink it. ¡°Where am I?¡± Yon asks us, his face showing confusion. ¡°We¡¯re still in the Inn. The Innkeeper was clearly lying about the rooms.¡± Iso answered him. ¡°What happened?¡± Yon asks again ¡°Ma yeb rulbkomr(e) wem Eler. Ra geb ra reb eyug.¡± (Lors) ¡°What?! Eler Lordwin?! The Vicar?! Are you sure?¡± Yon was clearly flustered about this information. The assailant is someone strong. ¡°Mul¡± I confirmed his fear. ¡°Now that I think about it, his face is the same as shown in the wanted poster. He has a 40 gold coins bounty, higher than your race.¡± (Yon) ¡°Wait, who¡¯s Eler? And what do you mean that Lors¡¯ race has a bounty?¡± It was now Iso¡¯s turn to be confuse. ¡°Bud Pif ewenb(i) ib.¡± I gestured for Yon to explain things, just I have originally planned. ¡°Well, we saw the face of Eler Lordwin in a wanted poster before. He is known by his title as the [Water Dragon Vicar]. He is a disciple of the Water Dragon, Akuwarshia. At least that is what is written in the wanted poster.¡± (Yon) ¡°I see. Then what is it about Lors¡¯ race?¡± (Iso) ¡°About that. He is not wanted or a fugitive or a criminal.¡± Yon stop looking at me, asking if he should continue. I nodded silently then he continued. He then continued explaining about my race¡¯s history, our eventual curse, our persecution, the discrimination, about our race¡¯s bounty, and our ensuing fate. ¡°That¡¯s tough luck. I¡¯m sorry for not understanding sooner.¡± Iso apologizes to me. ¡°I thought that you were just a foreigner who doesn¡¯t know how to speak the common language.¡± ¡°The uneducated people often thought that as well. I also thought he was a foreigner until I eventually learned the truth. I made the effort to learn their language.¡± (Yon) ¡°Bud pif ewenb(i) ek hidegl. Igwemb(i) pif ba ek hekbi.¡± (Lors) ¡°Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me. Hey Iso, do you want to join with us together to form an adventuring party? We need at least three people to form one.¡± (Yon) ¡°I would gladly join but I have yet to register as an adventurer.¡± (Iso) ¡°Then register now!¡± Yon got too excited, pushing his body even though he isn¡¯t fully recovered, and shake Iso around. ¡°Ib il ilbid gemb(i) bemf.¡± I reminded him that it was already dark outside. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. Then tomorrow, let¡¯s head straight towards the guild.¡± (Yon) ¡°Tomorrow it is¡± (Iso) We all agreed with the plans we made for tomorrow. With that, a new member had joined us. One more trusted friend added. Chapter 22: Adventurers (Iso鈥檚 POV) When it was morning, Yon tried to ask the innkeeper about his ¡®deal¡¯ with Eler Lordwin. He pried what was the blood-red coins that the Water Dragon Vicar gave to the innkeeper. He asked what will Eler do with the corpses. The innkeeper was too scared to answer. Because Yon asked too much or because he was making a scene, we didn¡¯t get to eat breakfast at the inn. We were asked to leave by the innkeeper. He said that if we stayed for too long there might be more dead bodies coming his way. We went inside the city of Skydusk with our stomachs grumbling. The smell of bread from a local bakery made my mouth water. I decided to buy bread for all of us for 3 copper coins. Yon and Lors were thankful for the breakfast. We headed towards the Adventurers¡¯ Guild while eating. I decided to ask information about being an adventurer. Yon passionately explained it to me. There were thirty ranks in total to all adventurers to measure their individual strength. When you join, you will automatically be F rank under normal circumstances. If you graduate from a prestige school, you might be given an E rank. Or if you think you are more than an F rank, you could always take the Special Rank Test and it will give you an appropriate rank depending on the result. The lowest rank of all is the rank F-. You don¡¯t normally get this rank unless you¡¯re a scum. If you have this rank, it means that you did something that made the Guild not like you. It serves as a warning before they fully remove you from the guild if you did something similar again. Adventurers that are caught in heavy criminal acts often got this rank. The ranks are SSS, SS, S, AA, A, B, C, D, E, and F. There will be a plus (+) or minus (-) sign at the side to indicate if you¡¯re stronger/weaker than the average strength of your current rank. This makes all the ranks thirty in total. Adventurers could get quest that are one step lower, equal, or one steps higher than their ranks. For example, if you¡¯re a C+ rank, you can take quest of C, C+, or B- rank. The ranks of the quest you did will be recorded and give you merit for your rank up test. In order to rank up, some requirements are needed. You¡¯ll need to pass a rank up test. This is both physical and written exams. It also includes an interview to determine the personality of the adventurer concerned. In order to take the rank up exams, you must complete the highest rank quests you can do five times, or more, consecutively. How many rank ups they¡¯ll give you depends on the results. Usually they only rank you up once. The average knight usually has a strength level equal to an E+ rank. Most veteran adventurers could only reach until C rank. B rank adventurers are few and an A rank is already considered hero level. Higher than A ranks only existed at the age of the gods. The Guild keep it in order to honor the time long passed. By the way, the Knights¡¯ Order are all A rank in average.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°What are your ranks though? I¡¯m curious.¡± I asked suddenly at the middle of Yon¡¯s explanation. ¡°Hehe¡± Yon scratch the back of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to boast but I¡¯m D- rank. Lors here is D+ rank¡± Lors nods his head in confirmation. I forgot that he can¡¯t speak freely in the public We arrived at the front of an Adventurers¡¯ Guild. It is a different branch from the one I visited yesterday. This one has a lobby and an inn built together with the Guild. When we entered, there were few people inside. This was normal, it was still early in the morning after all. ¡°Go and register already, we¡¯ll wait for you there.¡± Yon pointed to one of the comfortable looking chairs beside the wall. ¡°Then we¡¯ll register as a party.¡± I went to the receptionist and asked to be registered as an adventurer. He asked me if I want to take the Special Rank Test to determine my real rank. I declined. I don¡¯t have time to do that. He then asked for my status plate. I took it out and gave it to him. In the meantime, I was asked to fill up a form while I wait. This form is for the sake of recording my information. It also provides introductions about being an adventurer and warnings about the dangers that comes with it. Most of the explanation was already discuss by Yon. At the end of the form is an agreement where the adventurer is solely responsible for any injuries s/he acquires and the guild is not responsible for his/her death. Stuff like that. When I finished filling it up, my status card was given back to me. It has an additional information where it showed my rank. Adventurer¡¯s Rank: F I then went back to Yon and Lors. Yon has his head low. He has a depressed expression. ¡°I forgot to think of a name for our party!¡± Yon was shaking me violently. ¡°Then. Why. Not. Think. Of. One. Now?¡± I was getting dizzy with all the shaking. ¡°It¡¯s haaard.¡± Yon finally stops and returned back to being depressed. I looked at Lors for help but he just gently shook his head. ¡°What kind of name do you want?¡± (Iso) ¡°I want it to be catchy and cool¡± Yon gestured with his hand to form an imaginary rainbow. ¡°Look, usually, party names contain the goals and identity of the group. So, think of a goal for our group.¡± (Iso) Yon became serious after hearing that. He pondered for a moment before he opened his mouth again. ¡°To stop the Water Dragon Vicar, Eler Lordwin.¡± Yon said with determination in his eyes. ¡°Uhm¡­ why?¡± (Iso) ¡°To get the bounty of course. We¡¯ll be rich, you know?¡± Yon¡¯s eyes became dollar signs. I regret that I asked. ¡°What else?¡± (Iso) Yon looked around to check that no one is listening. He gestured for me to come closer. ¡°To take out the discrimination and bounty of Lors¡¯ race.¡± He whispered. ¡°That¡¯s an honorable goal¡­ let me think for a bit.¡± I stand there with my closed for a few minutes, full of concentration. ¡°How about the [Forsaken Kind]? Cause Lors¡¯ race was abandoned in a sense?¡± (Iso) ¡°Forsaken Kind¡­Forsaken Kind¡­Crimson¡­Coins.¡± Yon said the name like he was trying to taste it. ¡°I like it. It¡¯s decided then, we¡¯re now the party called [Forsaken Kind].¡± Yon run towards the receptionist excitedly. Lors just followed slowly behind. We were asked to give our status cards temporarily. When it was given to us again, it has something new written there. Party Name: [Forsaken Kind] Party Rank: E+ ¡°With us, you could accept quest higher than what you can. Consider it a blessing. Usually, F rank quest are cleaning houses, finding missing pets, getting some fruits, carrying things, stuff like that.¡± (Yon) ¡°Ah nice. It would take too much effort to rank up to get better quest. Now we could get mission that are either E, E+, or D- rank. By the way, what should we do now?¡± (Iso) ¡°Take a quest, of course!¡± (Yon) Chapter 23: Unexpected news (3rd Person POV) A few days earlier¡­ ¡°So¡­ what do you want?¡± In a room, with three people in it, a tense atmosphere was created. The man, that seems to be the one in question, is quivering in fear. He was clearly afraid of the man in front of him, the one who is questioning him, the Baron of Skydusk. ¡°I-..Milord, Th- the farmlands, it¡¯s-¡± The man was stumbling with his words. It was as if there was a pressure being held on him. He does not know this but the pressure was coming from the bulky man behind the Baron. It is usually called as killing intent. ¡°The farmlands, what about it?¡± The Baron faked a I-do-not-know-anything-about-this look. He obviously knew about the problem and most probably may have cause parts of it. And further pressure was released to him. But the man was too scared to speak that out loud so instead he, ¡°Uhm, nothing. The farmlands-, the farms are doing great! Ther- There¡¯s no problem, milord.¡± The man furthered stuttered with his words. ¡°If there¡¯s no problem, then stop wasting my time!¡± The Baron banged the table with his fist. ¡°Go now and tend to those farmlands!!¡± The man made a cowardly yelp before stumbling to get out of the room. The Baron sighed as he looked at the papers at his table. ¡°Those lowlifes¡± His name is Blaine of the Noble House of Oesau. He is the fourth son of Viscount Marcus. Being the fourth child is hard. The first son would inherit the family¡¯s legacy while the second son will be a backup. That leaves him with little to no heredity. To compensate for that, he was given the title of Honorable Lord. Not satisfied with what he has, he made his way up to becoming one of the Barons of Skydusk. Needless to say, he didn¡¯t do his work with ¡®clean hands¡¯. He got such an important seat in Skydusk that he got himself a bodyguard from the Knight¡¯s Order. The Bodyguard isn¡¯t fully a core member of the Order but his skills is not to be made lighten off. That was the man behind him who was emitting the pressure earlier. ¡°Tell me that was the last one.¡± Blaine had a complicated look shown in his face.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°My lord, the next one is the last one.¡± The Knight relied with a rough voice. ¡°That¡¯s good. I still have a meeting in the Church.¡± Blaine seems to have gain energy as he learned that this will soon be finish. ¡°Let¡¯s end this quickly. Let him in.¡± The door opened to reveal a stout man with a lot of trinkets in his neck. Wearing striking clothes, the man pleasingly bows to the Baron. He has charisma not seen from the previous people. His face shows that money is all there is. Obviously, a merchant¡¯s charm. ¡°My lord, my name is Gihir, I have traveled far and wide, and now came to visit the beautiful city of Skydusk¡± He spoke with such fluidity in his voice that it almost drowned the pressure ¡°It is an honor to see the famed Baron of Skydusk.¡± ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Blaine was unfazed by the praises of the merchant. ¡°What do you really want?¡± Honestly speaking, he doesn¡¯t like this part of politics. Going with a fake smile, speaking with overly exaggerated accomplishments, power struggles, conspiracies, and the likes. He doesn¡¯t get the gist of it. But that doesn¡¯t mean he doesn¡¯t want any of it. ¡°I would soon depart in a journey to the Empire of Sound. As you know, terrible things happen in the roads.¡± Gihir tried to look troubled to appeal to the Baron. ¡°Just earlier, in my way here, we were attacked by bandits. Bandits, I tell you.¡± Blaine was becoming impatient. Why can¡¯t they just go straight to the point? His face seems to be saying. ¡°Then there was this Ogre. Can you believe it? The Ogre was holding a sword! And it was magical one. It might have been an artifact.¡± The Baron snorted at what he thought a poorly made joke. ¡°An Ogre using a sword? Don¡¯t Jest with me¡± But it seems the knight was interested in hearing this out. ¡°You said that it looks like an artifact. Can you tell me what it looks like?¡± The knight has a nagging feeling that this sword is what he thinks it is. The merchant was not ready for the unexpected question of the knight. He was here only to appeal and asked for guards to protect him in his journey to the Empire of Sound. He was not there to further talk about a sword. But a larger pressure was released to him and soon he has sweating all over his face. He was forced to recall his memory and described the sword as best as he could. When he finished, the Knight was wide-eyed. ¡°What is the significance of this sword anyway?¡± Gihir found the courage to asked. ¡°It does not concern you merchant.¡± The Knight then faced the Baron. ¡°My lord, may I have your permission to leave? I have some important news to report to the Order.¡± The Baron lightly gave his permission to the Knight. He was smart not to obstruct the Order. He doesn¡¯t want them to be his enemies. ¡°And you. You want some guards to protect you right?¡± Blaine already knew what Gihir came here for. It was a skill he develops during his time in politics. ¡°I¡¯ll go hire you with some mercenaries.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Gihir bowed again to the Baron. ¡°Your help is greatly appreciated.¡± ¡°Send my regards to the Emperor.¡± Blaine said as Gihir was about to take his leave. ¡°IF you happen to see him¡± ¡°I shall make that as one of my priorities.¡± And the Baron smirked at that. Chapter 24: Grave Report (3rd Person POV) Skydusk housed many buildings for all kinds of purpose. Some tall buildings are used as a ramp of sorts for members of Sky Corps, some are used for several types of guilds, and others are used for living. It is sufficed to say that Skydusk also housed a church. The Church of the Three Gods, an important building, any priest would say that. This is where people worship the God of Light, the God of Order, & the God of Destiny. A holy ground. But this is also where the Bishop Pius held his meetings. One such meeting is currently happening inside the Church. In one of the rooms, several people talk among themselves while they sat around a semi-circle table. Standing in the middle of it is the guard of a certain village, Ruke. Among the ones sitting around the table is Bishop Pius and at his right is the Archdeacon Donus. Joining them is the Baron Blaine. Representing the Sky Corps is the man named Normannus Laughingwing. All of them were here to hear the report of Ruke. After some time, they all finished talking and silence soon followed. Bishop Pius gestured to start the report. ¡°The officials are now ready, Ruke from the village of¡­.¡± The man, who seems to be an announcer of sorts, looks at Ruke with a questioning look. Ruke, in turn, just tilted his head. The announcer just looked at him annoyingly. ¡°Ruke, from wherever he came from, will now start his report.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯ll just do that.¡± Ruke said followed by an awkward silence. They all looked at him intently. Ruke coughs before he continued. ¡°A few days ago, in our village, a growing problem rose. I, along with some few others, were asked to-¡± ¡°Get to the point, peasant!¡± Baron Blaine shouted at him. ¡°Ye-, yes.¡± Ruke nodded. He wasn¡¯t used to this audience. All he knows is how to fight and defend for the village. He wasn¡¯t suited for this but the village chief trusted him so he must. ¡°We found a half lich fused with a mana distortion in our village¡¯s graveyard¡± This incited a few murmurs among the officials. Some looked doubtful, some have a grave look, while others didn¡¯t even look like they cared. The Archdeacon and Normannus both have a serious expression. Baron Blaine kept muttering to himself and the Bishop is looking right at Ruke.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°You are not lying, are you?¡± Pius asked him with a solemn tone in his voice. ¡°Why would I lie, sir?¡± Ruke answered, standing his ground despite the pressure. ¡°To get us to send funds to your village, perhaps?¡± Blaine spoke accusingly to him. ¡°Are you sure about this? Because this is a crucial matter if it¡¯s true.¡± Pius continued asking Ruke, ignoring Blaine¡¯s remark. ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Ruke answered with determination in his voice. ¡°That is all I need to know. We will conduct an investigation about this.¡± Pius begun standing signifying the end of the meeting. ¡°You all are now free to go.¡± *** From the Church, a bird like thing came out flying. But it was too big to be a bird and too humanoid. The people of Skydusk knew this. It must be a member of the Sky Corps. They were right of course, it was Normannus Laughingwing coming out after the meeting. With silver wings reflecting red light from dusk, Normannus made his way through the skies. He was heading towards one their headquarters to tell his leaders what transpired at the meeting. It is of course a crucial matter so he must say it directly to them. *** Leaving the gates of Skydusk, Ruke made his way towards the roads. The horse he is riding made galloping sounds as he guides it back to his village. ¡°That¡¯s one gold wasted by me.¡± Ruke muttered to himself ¡°It¡¯s better than riding those expensive carriages¡± Ruke was feeling lightheaded after he left the Church. He got a sudden feeling of quickly coming home. He felt that something bad might have happened and he must return immediately. He bought a horse on the whim with the money meant for his food supplies. As the sun slowly set itself in the horizon, darkness soon grows at the forest surrounding the roads. ¡®Shit, I should have waited at the city. But I got a bad feeling for the village.¡¯ Ruke was having contradicting thoughts as he continued riding in the dimness. The horse suddenly stops and neighs. Cause of that sudden movement, Ruke was thrown off balance and drops to the ground. The horse keeps moving wildly as if it was scared of something. With Ruke¡¯s experience, his instincts are telling him something¡¯s coming. He drew his sword from its scabbard and he made a fighting stance. A ghostly silence followed with only the echoes of the whinny of his horse to hear. Soon, he saw what the horse is fearing as a monstrous figure made its way towards the horse and killed it. With its blood red eyes, it looks at Ruke with immense killing intent. *** ¡°Bishop Pius, do you think it is what I think it is?¡± Archdeacon Donus asks as he kept up with the pace of Pius. Both of them were walking inside a hall heading towards their respective offices. ¡°If it¡¯s true, I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Pius replied ¡°It¡¯s too much of a coincident not to be connected.¡± ¡°You mean those things are connected with this half lich?¡± Donus suddenly stopped walking in bewilderment. ¡°Whether we like it or not, the Demon King is on the move.¡± Chapter 25: Yay, an encounter (3rd Person POV) Back at present time... ¡°Oh, I ask thee Guardian, the Sentinel of Old, grant us your shield, grant us your protection, don¡¯t let thy harms hurt us, [Solid Wall]!¡± A translucent white shield appeared suddenly. Shaped like a half orb, it protected the three people from frontal attacks. Namely, Iso, Yon, and Lors. Lightning sparks along with some arrows flew towards them but was block by that magical barrier. ¡°Limib, rum rimel sih ebesigy¡± The Kiyuwer Speaker, Lors, was having a hard time dealing with the enemies. He swings his tails and attacks with his claws, severing the thread of life of whoever they are fighting. ¡°Language, Lors, Iso¡¯s still a kid.¡± Yon wasn¡¯t having much luck either. Sweat trickled down his face and few wounds could be seen in his body here and there. ¡°Sword Art: Flashing Stab!!¡± Activating a sword skill, Yon dash towards an enemy with blinding speed and stabbing it with his sword. ¡°I thought we¡¯re dealing with just goblins.¡± Iso, who was positioned at the rear guard, use spells and such to support them. He currently activated Strengthening Aura and Broken Pillar to boost his two allies. Yes, they are fighting goblins but there are other things that are joining them. Firstly, Lightning Wolves. These are rare monsters seldomly seen at the surface area. They could produce lightning balls and sparks to attack their enemies. They are considered D- rank alone. Iso, Yon, and Lors are fighting 5 of them not to mention the goblins fighting along side the wolves. In other terms, this is most probably an almost deadly encounter for them. Leading the group of monsters is a Hobgoblin, easily ranked E+. ¡°I thought so too.¡± Yon replied sarcastically to Iso¡¯s remark while performing a riposte against two goblins. Lightning made its way through and shocked Yon¡¯s body. This opening wasn¡¯t wasted and a wolf lunged at him. ¡°Stop the movements, stiffen the body, [Stunning Counter]!¡± Iso shortened a chant just so he could make it in time to save Yon. The wolf¡¯s body stopped midair and drop down. Yon, recovering form the shock, punctured the wolf¡¯s head with his sword. ¡°Thanks for that.¡± Yon then continued to tanked the other wolves. Current count: 4 wolves, 7 goblins, 1 hobgoblins. Lors was facing the hobgoblin head-on. Burned claw marks the hobgoblin¡¯s body like a tattoo. Gashes and rips designed the hobgoblin¡¯s further. Breathing heavily, he lunges towards Lors with an angry yell. Lors side stepped and easily dodge the attack of the hobgoblin. Using his right foot, Lors kicked the hobgoblin in his abdomen sending him flying. It was a one-sided fight, until the hobgoblin called two lightning wolves. The hobgoblin grinned as he ordered the two wolves to attack Lors. Lightning fast (pun intended), the wolves drives their mouths deep into Lors flesh. Lors tried to move his body wildly trying to shake off the wolves.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. With his strength, he threw one wolf biting his left arm. With his other hand free, he tightly grips the wolf that was biting his right leg and snap its neck. Lors went down on a kneeling position. He was quickly losing blood. ¡°Descend upon the world, at least just once, let them feel your warm touch, make the cold winter go and let the spring bloom. I, who understand the process of the world, invoke your name, restore what was, [Healing Sanctuary]!¡± It was a medium ranked healing spell that Iso activated. Shining orbs of light surrounded both Yon and Lors, their wounds healing and their weary bodies full of energy again. The spell temporarily grants the target/s a barrier and heals them at the same time. With renewed vigor, Yon managed to kill two goblins and one swoop and deal heavy damage to the other monsters. Current count: 2 wolves, 5 goblins, 1 hobgoblin. Seeing that Iso¡¯s magic is going to be a problem, the hobgoblin ordered one of the wolves to attacked him. The wolf easily passes by Yon¡¯s defenses and quickly got near Iso. Iso stumbled in surprise as the wolf attacked at him. Iso regained his senses and back away, barely dodging the wolf¡¯s claw. He stands and tried to make some distance away from the wolf. But the wolf has fast feet and already covered the distance made. Sparks flew off from the wolf and went towards Iso in a zig zag manner. Iso deployed some basic barriers to protect himself from the attacks. The wolf keeps getting nearer and nearer at him till almost point-blank range. Iso made a grin. ¡°Firebolt¡±. He was actually muttering a chant while moving. And now the wolf, realizing his mistake could only stand there as the how bolt of fire hit it at point-blank range. Yon smiled that Iso manage to deal with the problem y himself. He already finished off the last wolf and was already dealing with the remaining goblins. Lors was already holding the lifeless body of the hobgoblin. The three already won this encounter. The remaining goblins tried to escape but failed due to Yon¡¯s speed. All of them was killed of course. Now all they have to do is cut off the goblins¡¯ ear and stuff to get the proof that they finished their quest. ¡°They better pay us as well for defeating those lightning wolves.¡± Iso grumbled as he cuts an ear from the wolf near him. ¡°Why are the lightning wolves with them anyways? They don¡¯t ally themselves with other monsters unless they were tamed by someone strong.¡± Yon replied leisurely as he cuts some goblin ears. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to report this to the guild later.¡± Iso said as he walks towards the next wolf. After cutting its ears, Iso noticed Lors haven¡¯t moved from his spot. Lors was looking intently at the body of the hobgoblin. Curious, Iso went nearer to Lors and asked. ¡°What is it? Is there something wrong with the hobgoblin?¡± Lors didn¡¯t reply and just simply pointed at a symbol etch at the hobgoblin¡¯s leather armor. Yon also went near and looked at the symbol. The symbol has an inverted triangle and circled by a dragon biting its tail. ¡°That¡¯s weird. Maybe, the hobgoblin stole the leather armor from someone important?¡± Yon made a hypothesis. ¡°Check the other goblins.¡± After checking what the goblins¡¯ wear, they all saw that the same symbol was engraved there. ¡°This isn¡¯t a coincidence. Someone organized these goblins.¡± Yon finally concluded. ¡°We should report this to the Guild. They might know something.¡± (Iso) ¡°Dubl wukg re weril tikl¡± Lors said as he gathered the dead bodies of monsters in one place. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We don¡¯t want them returning back as undead now, do we?¡± Yon then gestured to Iso. ¡°Will you do the honors?¡± ¡°With pleasure¡± Iso started chanting and casted fireball at the bodies, burning them till the remains are but ashes. Chapter 26: A symbol, an old library, and a durable person ¡°I can¡¯t believe the guild doesn¡¯t know anything about this symbol¡± Yon ranted as he kicked some rocks on the road. After defeating the goblins and the wolves, we immediately went back to the guild to ask about the symbol we found. Unfortunately, the people there didn¡¯t have a clue. ¡°Ib il e wuki odr lifwod malr ig re bemfl ot re rakeyogl¡± Lors quietly reasoned that the symbol is ancient¡­. ¡°used in times of what?¡± I roughly understand Lors language now but I didn¡¯t get the second part. Yon had taught me the basics of the language so that I won¡¯t need a translator. I guess I still need to get the hang of it. ¡°Rakeyogl. Dragons.¡± Yon whispered, translating. ¡°The dragon encircling the triangle indicated that. Anyways, I hope the library would be much helpful.¡± We were walking down the main street near the Church, headed to the library. The guild receptionist told us that we might find something about the symbol in the library. ¡°The sun will almost set. Do you think the library would still be open?¡± I asked as I saw people closing down their shops, locking their doors, and preparing to go home. ¡°Maybe we should head back to our inn and just come back tomorrow.¡± ¡°Eh, we¡¯re already here¡± Yon said as we turned to the right and stopped in front of a building. There were cracks on the walls and the paint already lose its hue. The building has three floors, all with no windows. Above the door is a signboard. It reads: ¡°The library of ¨C¡±. The last word was unreadable. ¡°Who manages the library?¡± I have to ask. The other buildings are in good condition while the library is in this state. ¡°They did a bad a job at it.¡± Yon smirked. ¡°The Church. I reckon they don¡¯t want the masses encouraged to seek knowledge.¡± He then opened the door and entered. Lors soon followed (of course his hood was on since before we entered the city). ¡°I think we should have knocked first¡± I said but I shortly followed also. The library was no better inside. The first floor was barely lit by candles placed here and there. Several books were piled up and was randomly placed. From the little cobwebs on them, I inferred that these books haven¡¯t returned to their bookshelf for a while. Scrolls and ripped or crumpled papers littered the floor. Even the bookshelves were disorderly. Some were broken and most are unclean with dust on them. The books weren¡¯t alphabetically arranged, at least the books with titles that I can understand with my skill. ¡°Hello?¡± Yon called with a slightly elevated voice. He grabbed a candle to light his path. Me and Lors did the same. We explored a little bit, checking out books, scrolls, and papers that might show us the same symbol. The closest we got were papers on the floors showing alchemical symbols but there were none that was exactly the same. We couldn¡¯t even understand what was written on the paper. We were about to go to the second floor when we heard a noise coming from under the stairs. We look at each other and nodded. We silently went behind the stairs and crouched. Yon forwarded his hand with the candle and we saw buried in books was a youngster. He looked at us with desperate eyes and muffled. We understood the message clearly. *** ¡°Many thanks. I thought I¡¯ll be stuck there forever. People rarely visit the library.¡± His name is Lois and he was the only librarian assigned by the church. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that he has pointy ears barely covered by his blonde hair.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°How long have you been buried in books under the stairs?¡± Yon asked who looks quite comfortable in his chair. We were talking in one of the tables in the second floor after we helped Lois out. ¡°Probably about 2 or 3 days.¡± Lois answered with his eyes looking up. ¡°I can¡¯t say. The windows are covered.¡± ¡°2 or 3 days?!¡± I was astonished and concerned. How could this guy have survived without food?! ¡°You sure you¡¯re alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I developed a unique skill called [Tardigrade].¡± He said, brushing of the problem. ¡°It makes me have really high constitution. Anyways, what are you guys here at the library?¡± ¡°Ah. About that. We would like to get more information about this symbol.¡± Yon signaled for Lors to show the piece of clothe that has the symbol on it. Lois got it and examined it closely, deep in thought. ¡°Hhmm. I think I might have saw this in some old scroll about the patron guardians.¡± Lois finally said as he stands up and gave us back the clothe. He disappeared behind bookshelves presumably finding the scroll he talked about. Me and Yon looked at each other with slightly raised eyes. Lors seems to be the only one who has an idea. ¡°Here it is.¡± Lois returned with a tattered scroll in his hand. He puts it on the table and carefully opened it. ¡°That¡¯s the symbol on the clothe you showed me.¡± He pointed at the bottom of the scroll which shows the exact same symbol. ¡°It¡¯s the symbol of Akuwarshia, the Water Dragon.¡± Lois explained. ¡°The inverted triangle represents water in alchemy while the dragon surrounding represents, well, a dragon.¡± He further explained that Akuwarshia is one of the four guardians during the times of the dragons. They represent the four basic elements (AN: A clich¨¦, I know). People gather and worship them to ask for their protection. They are about class AA in power if the four worked with each other. Understanding and distress dawned on us. This could mean that Eler is behind recent monster attacks indicate on our last quest. Lois looked at us confusingly. ¡°Is there something that I should be getting at?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably better if you don¡¯t know about it.¡± Yon sullenly replied. ¡°Thanks for your help Lois¡± ¡°Oh. Uhm. Okay. Thanks again¡­ also¡­ I guess¡± Lois said looking dejected. Then he looks at us with hopeful eyes. ¡°You can visit again anytime though. Please do come by if you have time. The library is need of visitors. ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to visit.¡± I said with a smile. *** ¡°Ni limadr bikes reng re yewdigl reb per ril lifwod.¡± Lors suggested tracking down the goblins with a whisper as we walked out the library, now headed back to our inn. ¡°Yes, we should find out where did they come from¡± Yon agreed with him. ¡°Find out their base and we could probably find Eler there too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re a bit weak as of the moment to fight head to head with Eler, who, I don¡¯t need to remind you, knocked you off unconscious with only a slight flick of his hand.¡± I said very disapprovingly as I walked along with them. ¡°Weak? You¡¯re, like, level 62 already.¡± Yon pointed out with a sarcastic voice, smirking. ¡°I think we could deal with him already.¡± ¡°Excuse you, but I¡¯m still only a support¡± We have become stronger these few months we¡¯ve been together but I think we¡¯re still no match to Eler. I¡¯m now rank E+ in the guild with two new skills gained from the level up. It was already nighttime and was kind of hard to see already. Torches and windows with lights barely lighted our path. Most shops were already closed except eateries that serves people dinner. Guards patrol in the watch towers strategically placed in the area. ¡°Of course, we wouldn¡¯t want to face Eler yet.¡± Yon said after a while of silence. ¡°I just think that we should scout the area. Then report back to the guild to ask for back up and support. Eler IS deemed a dangerous man by the guild.¡± ¡°Yeah... I do hope we¡¯ll be able to defeat him.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Name: Isoide Shinu Age: 17 years old Gender: Male Level: 62 Job/Class/Vocation: Support HP: 185 MP: 100 Attack Power: 75 Strength: 65 Defense Power: 117 Vitality: 130 Resistance: 131 Evasion Efficiency: 80 Agility: 71 Magic: 117 Magic Resistance: 136 Intelligence: 66 Luck: 80 Skills: All Common Language Comprehension Support Magic Aptitude, Healing Magic Aptitude, Light Magic Aptitude, Barrier Magic Aptitude, General Magic Aptitude. Allied Sustenance, Allied Strengthening, Ally Minor Appraisal (new), Minor Experience Sharing (new). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 27: Missing - the villagers. No, not that kind of missing. (Iso鈥檚 POV) ¡°Are you Isoide Shinu?¡± A man, who looks like he is in his 30s, asked me this as soon as we entered the inn we were staying at. The man is sharply dress in a navy-blue long coat and black breeches. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for your return. I have a letter for you, a reply for your report about the half-lich.¡± A few months ago, I made my report about how I defeated the half-lich. They doubt it at first because they haven¡¯t heard of defeating the undead with healing spells. It was back up and clarified by Ruke in his own report so they at least considered it but didn¡¯t bother to reply. ¡°Where are my manners.¡± The man continued looking at me with nonchalant eyes. ¡°I am Relim Brewridge, an honorary baronet.¡± He straightened himself up with pride ¡°Oh, uhm, I guess you know my name. I am Isoide Shinu¡± I replied hastily and unreadily, still surprised at the sudden question and greeting of the man. ¡°These are my party members, Yonshi Furan and Lorlasar Taltel¡± I continued saying while pointing at Yon and Lors respectively. Yon and Lors nodded and bowed at the baronet. Relim looked suspiciously at Lors but eventually turned back towards to me when I started asking. ¡°How come they only replied now? Do they have some questions about my method?¡± ¡°Actually, the letter doesn¡¯t concern about your methods. Don¡¯t get me wrong, our magicians already experimented on it and are now researching your method.¡± The baronet explained. ¡°Would you mind discussing this over tea while sitting?¡± I got the hint and we went towards one of the tables in the waiting area of the inn. We got some tea but only Relim touched his. ¡°Anyways, as I was saying, the letter concerns, instead, your friend, Ruke.¡± Relim¡¯s atmosphere turned heavy. ¡°The man you were with went missing, along with the inhabitants of the village where he lives.¡± ¡°The letter contains information of the village¡¯s current situation and an optional quest of investigating it. The quest only got posted this day in the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. The officials saw it fit to personally inform you because they think this might be related to the half-lich¡± ¡°The higher ups think the ones behind the half-lich will be targeting you next or are targeting you since then. Why they haven¡¯t attacked you yet, I don¡¯t know.¡± The baronet finished explaining. Relim handed me the letter across the table. Yon and Lors looked at me with concern. ¡°With that, I¡¯ll be leaving you with the letter. I have another appointment and I think my time is already spent enough¡± ***The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The letter didn¡¯t have much details about the situation of the village. It just said that the village was disarrayed with some houses destroyed as if something big swept them. Attached to the letter is the quest paper which shows a map where the village was. I was frustrated about the situation and concerned about Ehrhard, Nara, Jushar, Ruke, and the other villagers. I was lying down my bed in our room holding the letter. I was upset that I didn¡¯t got to check on them these past few months. ¡°Do you want us to come with you?¡± Yon asked firmly, sitting on his bed. Lors looked at me with serious eyes. ¡°We would gladly help you out and find Ruke and villagers. We have also known Ruke in our travels albeit shortly.¡± I got up, glad that I have my part members behind me, ready to support me. ¡°But what about scouting where the goblins came from?¡± I asked back in concern. ¡°That could wait a while longer.¡± Yon said casually, trying to get back to his old atmosphere. ¡°Em ra geb bi?s reb il neml¡± Lors gave his own serious opinion the matter. He said it is foolish to wait to gathering information for Eler. I couldn¡¯t blame him, the more time that pass, the more Eler might be getting stronger. ¡°Then how about we split up then? I could go and scout where the goblins came from.¡± Yon suggested, trying to keep up the atmosphere. ¡°You and Lors could go investigate the village. ¡®Cause you need a companion to support and Lors can¡¯t go alone cause of you-know-what¡± ¡°That¡¯s reasonable¡± I said. Lors also nodded, showing his agreement. ¡°So, that¡¯s our plan for tomorrow, I guess.¡± My worries and anger now partially subsided because I know I¡¯ll always have these two at my back. *** A few days have passed since we separated and started our own journey. Lors and I bought two horses for 2 gold coins from the money we got from our previous quests. Our journey started smoothly, rarely encountering weak monsters on the way. However, the nearer we got to the village, the more frequent and stronger the monsters we encounter. We are currently fighting one such monster right now. ¡°I invoke your name oh deity of light. Guide your people in this dark hour. Illuminate them with your radiance. Put your divine lamp to our feet and light us on our path, [Flash]!¡± A blinding light showed coming from my hand. ¡°Now, Lors, finish it.¡± ¡°Nir hudulimak¡± Lors gladly went in and killed it. The body of an orc heavily fell down. This was the last of the orcs we encountered. We barely manage to win the fight. Orcs were at least D+ ranked (equal to Lors) and we encountered four of them. We were a little crippled because Yon was not here so Lors did the heavy work and I just supported him. We sustained heavy injuries, especially Lors (AN: Lors is carry lol). Many times I thought I¡¯ll be dead but Lors was there to defend me. So I tried my best to protect him also. ¡°The sun is setting down already. Should we check the bodies thoroughly first or quickly dispose of them?¡± I asked Lors looking at the dead bodies of the orcs. They didn¡¯t have much. Just some iron clad leather armor and some blunt weapons. ¡°Rilhol¡± Lors picked to quickly dispose them, the practical choice. I got the items that we could probably use but most I left behind. We gathered the bodies in one place and I burned them with fireball. ¡°That settles it¡± I said after ¡°Let¡¯s go find a place to rest. We¡¯re near the village. We should soon see the farmlands.¡± And they left (switching to 3rd POV). If only Iso and Lors have thoroughly checked the bodies of the orcs, they would have noticed a symbol tattooed on their shoulder. A very familiar, very important symbol¡­. Not a chapter but an announcement Hullo, author here, so some of you probably noticed that I only wrote two chapters this summer and then stopped after that for a long while. The novel was in a hiatus. The reason being I didn¡¯t have the eagerness to do it. I have these rough ideas already for the next few chapters or so but I just feel dull in writing them. The two chapters I posted this summer are the same. I just didn¡¯t feel like I wanted to write the next chapters. I would like to apologize about that. I started this novel to make some of my ideas be alive, to take some kind of physical form. At first it felt good but after a while it felt flat. I¡¯m aware that I promised in chapter 25 that I¡¯ll continue writing my novel but I guess this is that one rare time I break my promises. I have decided not to continue writing my novel. I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t take down the novel (so as to leave it for those who still wants to read the earlier chapters) but there won¡¯t be a next chapter anymore. To end this, thanks for all those who showed their support.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.