《Chance to a Fantasical World》 Chapter 1: You are selected My name is Sorai Takeir, and today is the opening ceremony for my new life as a high school freshman. "Don¡¯t forget your lunch, Sorai!" "Thanks, Mom! I¡¯ll be leaving now!" I quickly grab the packed lunchbox on the dining table, place my hand on the front door, and leave the house. It''s been a while since I left the house. I spent my entire break mostly on VR gaming, so the whole two weeks flew by in a blink of an eye. "Hah¡­ Two weeks is just not enough I guess. I still have a number of unopened VR games to go through for this month." I voice my thoughts as I watch the cherry blossoms in full bloom. It was a beautiful sight. When I arrive near the high school entrance, I see a large decorated sign welcoming the new 1st year freshmen. I will be commuting to this school from now onwards, huh? I see fellow freshmen chatting with their friends as they continue walking down the same direction as me. They were probably friends since middle school. I had a few friends when I was in elementary school, but we slowly became distant when we entered middle school. I never had someone you''d call a friend since then. I would help to the best of my ability if someone were to approach me to ask something, but I would never be the proactive one to start the relationship. I sigh. Maybe I should''ve been more proactive, then I wouldn''t feel so lonely right now. That''s why I''ve decided to start my own close-knit group of friends while I¡¯m in high school, since things can''t go on like this. Hopefully by then, I won''t regret doing nothing. I followed the flow of the crowd towards the gymnasium and take my seat. "Students, welcome to our school! It''s been¡­¡± I begin to doze off. This is bad¡­ I slap my cheeks to motivate myself. I need to pay attention. "Phew." Just then, the ground beneath me starts shaking. Wait... eh? "Uwah-" Many of the students fell off their chairs including me because of the sudden jolt of the ground. "E-Earthquake!?" The magnitude of this earthquake feels completely different compared to the usual ones we have. I hear screams around me, and the teachers that were standing on the sidelines were panicking. At that moment, something overshadows me overhead. The roof has collapsed before I knew what was happening. Seeing chunks of concrete falling before my eyes as if in slow motion, my instincts told me that I would die if I were to be crushed by it. My life flashed before my eyes. I black out from the pain when the rubble finally reaches me, crushing me under its weight. ¡­ I open my eyes. As if I was resuscitated back from death, my body attempts to take in a huge amount of air in one breath, and I start coughing a heartbeat later. ¡°*cough cough*¡± After settling down, I finally realize that my surroundings were completely silent. I look up to see I was in a beautiful forest surrounded by lush greenery. It was a scene that felt like it was taken straight out of a picture book. I was mesmerized for a moment, then my head started hurting from a sudden influx of coded information. I gritted my teeth in pain holding my head with a hand until the information stopped flowing into my head. "...Hah, hah¡­" ¡´Congratulations! You have been chosen through recommendation to take an available spot as a dimensional traveler. ¡µ Eh? "D-Dimensional traveler¡­?" A robot the shape of a multi-sided sphere hovers towards me from the sky. It was about the size of my head. It begins projecting a high tech-looking interface, and signals me to approach it. What have I gotten myself dragged into? Where is this? What happened to the earthquake?... This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "Sorry¡­ I have a lot of questions right now. Can I...?" ¡´As you wish, dimensional traveler.¡µ ¡°Dimensional traveler¡­¡± I take a deep breath and organize my thoughts. "...I am not dead, right? Right now, I can''t believe it myself. I was about to be crushed by concrete. No, I thought I was crushed¡­ and then the next moment I am suddenly standing here." ¡´You are alive.¡µ I felt relief. If I am alive, that means it''s still possible to return to my mother and two sisters waiting at home. "Where am I?" ¡´4th dimension. Realm: YGGDRASIL¡µ YGGDRASIL? Where have I heard that before¡­ I just can''t wrap my head on it. "Wait, 4th dimension!?" I read a lot of science fiction before, so I got a good grasp on the theories behind it. If I remember correctly, Earth exists on the 3rd dimension. If I am on the 4th dimension, that means I am either in a world ofadvanced technological society, or a world of unscientific influence. It seems in my case, it is likely the former. Various windows are within my field of vision. ?Name: Sorai Takeir? ?Title: Dimensional Traveler? ?Soul Tier: 0? ?Granted Skill: None? ?Weapon Assigned: None? ¡°Did you save me?¡± ¡´No.¡µ ¡°Then who saved me?¡± ¡´Dimensional traveler 7.¡µ The one that recommended me¡­? "Sorry, I now understand my life was saved. But how did I get all the way out here...?" ?You were recommended by dimensional traveler 7 as a successor.? As I expected¡­ "Why did, umm... this ¡®Dimensional Traveler 7¡¯ recommend me?" ?Unable to give an answer.? Only the person in question would know the answer to this question, huh. "How do I return home to where I am from?" ?Unable to give an answer.? I sigh and hold my head. What am I supposed to do from now on? "Where is dimensional traveler 7?" ?Location confirmed six meters northwest.? This guy still nearby! "Which direction is northwest!? Lead the way for me!" The spherical robot begins hovering towards a direction as I quickly follow it, making sure not to lose sight of it. When I arrive, I was left in shock from the scene. There was a young European girl with blond hair. She seemed to be a bit older than me. She was leaning against a tree on the forest floor, and there was a large gash from her left shoulder down to her waist. She notices a presence nearby and weakly moves her eyes to find out who it is in alarm. Once she saw my face, she relaxed her body. I quickly run up to her. "W-What happened to you!?" She smiles softly. "I am glad I was able to save you in time¡­" "Eh?" She covers her mouth as she coughs a few times. When she lowers her hand, I see blood on it. She makes a grim expression when she also sees the blood. "I have been watching you since you were seven years old¡­ I know your family¡¯s situation. I know how big a gap it will create if you were to die¡­" Realizing that she is my lifesaver, she has my upmost gratitude for saving my life. Getting dragged away far from home might be the same as death if I have no way to return, but I would never voice this out loud... Even if my disappearance will cause a lot of worries for my family, all I need to do is figure my way back. I was granted a second life by her. As long as I am alive... If I was dead, everything would''ve become out of my reach to change. "Watching me since I was seven¡­?" I maintain eye contact with her with a complicated expression. She is connected to our family¡­? "Thank you for saving my life." I bow my head. I was baffled, but I made sure to show her my gratitude for saving my life before I ask anything else. She nods and weakly smiles at me. Time was ticking. I have to quickly help her for now. "We need to quickly treat your injury. What should I do to help yo-?" As I was about to move to quickly lift her up, she weakly holds up her palm to stop me from speaking and moving any further. "...No amount of medical help will be able to heal this injury... with your current soul tier..." She told me with a saddened expression. "...I am running out of time. Just listen to me. You are here because I only found¡­ out last minute you were in danger." She takes in another breath. "I saved you from here, dragging you all the way to my side¡­ I am sorry for not¡­ considering your feelings on this matter¡­" She gazes at me with regret. I shake my head. "I am very grateful just to be alive." "I ended up getting you involved with my personal disputes¡­ between me and another dimensional traveler¡­ Because you were in my line of interest, he attempted to get rid of you along with the city¡­" Her expression becomes pained as she grips her chest area. "Why did you choose me?" I felt no bitterness towards her. I was simply confused. Have I met her somewhere before? Although, most of all I was covered with worry underneath. How much time does she have left? She smiles after hearing my question. "I am¡­ an acquaintance of your family¡­ I simply kept an eye out for your family line¡­ and their children. Until you were born..." She must be a lot older than I realize if she was still around even before I was born¡­ "...It seems you have some idea¡­ of your situation. You did not seem surprised about me bringing up dimensional traveling¡­ You are now a dimensional traveler... To get back to your home¡­" She signals the spherical robot to approach her to arm¡¯s reach. She begins to slowly move her fingers in the air. After a few seconds of movement, he breathes a sigh of relief as she lower fingers from the spherical robot. "...I entered the coordinates to Earth. The missions you need to clear to give you¡­ enough strength¡­ Enough strength to return... It will be supported by this little guy..." She looks at her hand. It was beginning to become transparent. I stare in shock. "Y-You¡¯re disappearing¡­" She continues her explanation without pause. "...It will take a while, but it won''t be... any longer than 2 Earth years to return. Please, hang on¡­ until then..." She slowly gaze towards the sky. "...I lived too long a life¡­ Before I disappear, I am glad¡­ I was able to speak with Jake¡¯s descendants¡­ Ahaha¡­" She turns her gaze to me with eyes clear of regrets. I only barely got to know her, but I couldn''t help but show a pained expression of helplessness. She might''ve been someone grandpa knew it seems... I remember he was always sharing very dream-like stories to me and my sisters when I was young. As if he was actually in a fantasy of his own. How he spoke of his stories really connected with my heartstrings. Could it be... "Your name¡­ Please tell me your name." She hesitates for moment. After a pause, she finally decides to open her mouth. "...Sara..." I engrave the name to my memory. "Sara..." "...Promise me. Focus all your power¡­ hah... to return home¡­ Do not take any detours¡­" She gives me a weak but hard stare, as a master would to his disciple. I take a moment to take in the meaning behind the promise. "I promise. I won''t." I gave her a smile. "Thank you." I bow once more to her and voice my gratitude. Her expression changes to warmth and relief. She closes her eyes and moves her finger in the air a few times. "...I will use my remaining time¡­ to create a gift¡­ It was a brief meeting¡­" She begins glowing in a golden aura and her fading seems to have quickened because of it. "...but take care of yourself¡­ and farewell, Sorai..." Her body finally disperses into small golden particles. The particles gather to a single point forming a golden orb of light the size of my palm, and enters my chest. My body gave off a golden aura for a brief moment, then settles down. I clasp my hand. I felt like the strength of my body was heightened by several levels. At the same time, I also felt lighter. ¡­ Chapter 2: Direction ?Name: Sorai Takeir? ?Title: Dimensional Traveler? ?Soul Tier: 3? ?Granted Skill: None? ?Weapon Assigned: None? Soul Tier 3¡­ There is nothing I can compare my soul tier with to know if soul tier 3 is a huge leap in strength or not. At the very least, I understand that I am not an average human anymore. Only now did I realize that there were tears in my eyes. I wipe the tears with my sleeve and called out to the spherical robot. "Hey, how do I get home?" ?Home. ¡®Home¡¯ as ¡®Planet Earth¡¯ Realm 36 has been entered. Calculating coordinates for ¡®Planet Earth¡¯ Realm 36¡­ : Complete. Calculating Distance¡­: 10%...? I turn to my surroundings. From what I remember, this realm was¡­ YGGDRASIL, right? It really is a beautiful forest I''ve landed on. I wonder what the rest of the world is like here. ?Calculating Distance: Complete. Calculating viable routes¡­: 4 routes available.? I hear a beep ring in my ears, and turn my attention back to the spherical robot. "What is the first route?" ?Route 1 will require 36 realm jumps.? T-Thirty-six!?... "How long will it take, err¡­ in Earth years?" ?Timeframe Calculation...: 64 Earth years.? Whaaaaaat!? That too long! Oi! "Hah¡­ How about the second route? How long will it take in Earth years?" ?Route 2 will require 2 realm jumps. Timeframe Calculation...: 0.2 Earth years.? ¡­Only two months? I express my suspicion. "Any requirements if I were to go this route?" ?Soul Tier 12 is required.? I knew it¡­ I sigh. "How long does it take to reach soul tier 12?" ?Unable to give an answer.? I think for a moment, and rephrase my question. "How long will it take me to reach soul tier 12?" ?Unable to give an answer.? "What is required for me to reach soul tier 12?" ?120 completed missions are required.? "What are the requirements for route 1?" ?Soul Tier 2 is required.? I see¡­ the safer the route, the longer it takes. "What are route 3 and route 4? How long will it take and what are the requirements?" ?Route 3 will require 7 realm jumps. Timeframe calculation¡­: 1.8 Earth years. Soul Tier 8 is required. Route 4 will require 5 realm jumps. Timeframe Calculation...: 14 Earth years. Soul Tier 4 is required.? Route 4 is also too long. Route 3 is likely the route Sara was talking about. Under two years, and not too unreasonable unlike route 1. If my situation changes in any way, I can simply switch to route 4, although I want avoid spending so many years at all costs. For now I will focus on route 3. I fall into thought for a moment. ¡°What is Sara¡­ No, Dimensional Traveler 7¡¯s recommendation?¡± ? Focus on YGGDRASIL as a return point and acquire a minimum Soul Tier 10. Expected Timeframe 1.5 Earth years.? It was a lot shorter than I thought¡­ but YGGDRASIL as a return point? If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°¡­¡± Hm? ¡®Focus on YGGDRASIL¡¯ ¡®as a return point and acquire a minimum Soul Tier 10¡¯? If 10 completed missions can raise your soul tier, then Soul Tier 10 requires 100 missions, right? Wait¡­ ¡°How frequent do realms give out missions?¡± ?It is dependent on the realm.? ¡°How frequent does YGGDRASIL give out missions?¡± ?80% chance to obtain a mission within the next week.? ¡°What is the average frequency to obtain missions?¡± ?65% within the week is the average to obtain missions among realms.? *beep* Uwa! T-That startled me. I slowly move a finger to the new icon in my field of vision. It opens a message. ¡®Move back and forth from other realms using this realm as your base. There are low chances to obtain a new mission if you remain in a realm after completing a mission, but if you leave and return it raises the chance to 100%. Do not wait in a realm for another mission. It will not come. The chance that it does come is very low nonetheless. It might take over two years, but do not be impatient and take caution.¡¯ I am starting to get a clearer picture of Sara¡¯s plan. I move my eyes down to the last sentence. ¡®My advice is to find friends you trust to help you. When you do, you will be able to finish things that would normally take much longer alone. You¡¯ve always wanted a circle of close-knit relationships, right? Be sure to do it without regrets. Sincerely, Sara.¡¯ Did Sara plan this ahead too¡­? Just for me¡­ ¡°¡­¡± I scratch my head and smile sadly to myself, slightly embarrassed that my true feelings were also seen through by Sara. I take a deep breath. "What is the first destination for route 3?" ?¡¯Musutafu City¡¯ Realm 139.? Wait¡­ I have also heard this somewhere before... Where am I getting this sense of familiarity from...? "......" Eh? ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah. No way¡­ I can''t believe it! Are we talking about ¡®that'' Musutafu City? Then¡­ is YGGDRASIL ¡®that'' Dive MMO-RPG!?... One is a name of the city while the other is a game set within popular works in the Japanese industry! YGGDRASIL is the name of a dive MMO-RPG set as a premisein a popular Japanese light novel, while Musutafu City is the setting of a popular Japanese comic known as manga overseas. I will have to confirm these conjectures as soon as possible. Both being set in Japan can''t be a coincidence. That means if I were to land back on Earth, I would still remain within Japan. I wouldn''t have to worry about landing in some random country like Europe or North America if I were to reach my destination. Also... if this is true, I can manage well since I would know what would happen, using what I¡¯ve read to my advantage. I nod to myself. It would heavily depend on which part of the story I start from when I enter the realm though. "Hm?" There is an icon under my personal information window, a flashing present box icon in the corner of my field of vision. A gift? "Sara?" I thought what she gifted me was strength, but there was more. I smile to myself. I am honestly being pampered by Sara very much right now¡­ I raise my hand and press it in the air. ?Name: Sorai Takeir? ?Title: Dimensional Traveler? ?Soul Tier: 3? ?Granted Skill: Awaiting assignment.? ?Weapon Assigned: Awaiting assignment.? ?2 extra slots? I have played enough games to understand what I need to do. I sigh in relief. *beep* ?Mental Skill??Physical Skill? I decide on physical. *beep* ?Body??Eyes??Arms??Legs??Head? I open the ?Eyes? category. *beep* ?Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan - See through and imitate; create illusions. Strong drawback on sight.? The first thing I see is something from another popular manga. I continue scrolling down. ?Faustian Contract of Ciel Phantomhive - Summon the demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis. Requires 1 soul contract.? ?Emperor Eye of Seijuurou Akashi - Predict movements and magnify body weakness.? ?Cursed Eye of Allen Walker - Detection.? Originated from Japan. Originated from Japan. More of Japanese origin. They are all from Japanese works. This concludes my conjecture. It is now a fact. If that''s the case, I already have things in mind. I steadily continue my search. Hopefully, it is also available. ?Stone Eyes of Evergreen - Petrification.? ?Shinigami Eyes of Ryuk - Personal information and lifespan becomes visible.? ?Rinnegan of Pain - Grants Six Paths Technique and space shifting abilities. Caution.? The Rinnegan¡­ there are too many mysteries surrounding it. It¡¯s extremely tempting, but I don''t have enough lives to handle it. I continue. ?Geass of Lelouch Lamperouge - Hypnotize and command. Restrictions apply.? If I wanted another ability, I have to be careful on my decision it seems. I don¡¯t completely remember the drawbacks to all of these, and when the only details it gives is ¡®caution¡¯ and ¡®restrictions apply¡¯ with out any specifics, I start having second thoughts¡­ ?Alpha Stigma of Ryner Lute - Analyse and understand all magic and dematerialization. Possibility of madness.? Dematerialization? I never heard of this character before, but that is a dangerous-sounding ability... I sigh. I don''t have the luxury to choose an eye with an ability I barely know anything about. ?Elizabeth Liones''s Eye - Instant heal.? ?All Seeing Eyes of God of Leonardo Watch - Heightened visual senses, enabling past and future perception. Requires strengthened brain.? ?Shiki Ryougi''s Mystic Eyes of Death Perception - Perceive death lines that has a concept of ''death''.? Found it. I grin. *beep* ?Apply Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Confirm?? *beep* ?1 slot will be taken. Continue?? *beep* I move to the ?Body? category. It took a bit of time, but I am glad I found what I was looking for. ?Izuku Midoriya''s One For All. Requires strengthened body.? *beep* ?Apply One For All. Confirm?? *beep* ?2 slots will be taken. Continue?? *beep* The ability taking two slots surprised me for a moment, but I continued without hesitation since I had the slots for it. The strengthening which was included simply made the assignment worth all the more. I move over to the ?Weapon? assignment. ?Range Weapon? ?Melee Weapon? I steadily scroll down. After a bit of time, I found what I was looking for. ?Nietono no Shana - Requires flame haze affinity.? *beep* ?Apply Nietono no Shana. Confirm?? *beep* ?2 slots will be taken. Continue?? As expected¡­ I will have to be patient until I have two more slots. I will choose my second choice for my first weapon. A notification appears. I press it out of curiosity, and it opens the ?Soul Tier: 3? window. ?New mission! Save the girl in debt. Reward: Soul Tier UP Title Reward as ?Dimensional Traveler?: Return point to YGGDRASIL.? ¡°......¡± I return to the ?Melee Weapon? category window and search for my second choice. ?Cutter of Creation: Extase - A weightless pair of scissors that can cut any material.? I crack a grin. If I didn¡¯t know that this weapon had a trump card, I would have ignored it. Whoever created this list, he must¡¯ve been a sadistic person. Albeit not a strong trump card, it is still a secondary ability that makes this weapon stand out from the rest. I am glad I found it. *beep* ?Apply Cutter of Creation: Extase. Confirm?? *beep* ?1 slot will be taken. Continue?? *beep* I return to my personal window. ?Name: Sorai Takeir? ?Title: Dimensional Traveler? ?Soul Tier: 3? ?Granted Skill: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception; One For All.? ?Weapon Assigned: Extase? A new icon appeared again. ?TIPs? I smile to myself again. Isn¡¯t this becoming a bit too easy? I shouldn¡¯t let it get to my head though. I understand that I can still lose my life. I press the button, and a small red arrow appears in my field of vision. I place Extase on my back, take a deep breath, and slowly reopen my eyes. I feel my body has become hardened from the result of strengthening. ¡°Full Cowl. 20%.¡± I get cloaked in sparks of lightning. I move my fingers. I felt like I¡¯m in complete control of the ability. I take a stance and jumped towards where the red arrow was pointing in the distance. ¡­ Chapter 3: Direction II So this is the Baharuth Empire. I glance at the crest on the flag hanging at the entrance. I made sure to undo Full Cowl in the forest before the entrance to the city, or it is going to cause a whole load of trouble later on. I don''t want to get involved with the Magician¡¯s Guild nor catch their attention. I entered the city with ease because of my student attire, assuming that I might be some sort of noble. I should immediately change to some temporary clothes, or I will catch too much attention otherwise. "T-That¡¯s right¡­ I have no money." I quickly turn into an alleyway for now and think of my next approach. Just then, I notice that two armed bandits were approaching me from behind. "Oi! Boy, hand us everything you got!" One of them spoke in a rough voice, with an evil grin showing. "What good luck." I close my eyes, and activate Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Reaching out for Extase, I chop off the hand holding out a knife towards me in the blink of an eye. "Ggaaaaahhhhh!!! M-My hand!!" I have also been feeling a lot stronger psychologically. I look at my hands, and nod with sentimentality. I quickly move to intercept the second bandit and did the same to his hands as well. "Gaaahhhhhh!!!" "You two picked the wrong person to rob. Hand me all your money." I placed my weapon against one of their necks, giving them a sharp look without any expression. "Y-You can have it! You can take all of it!! Please, just don''t kill us!" I redirect my weapon and gaze to the other bandit. He frantically nods. I swiftly take the bags of gold from their pouches strapped on their waists, and leave the alley. My hands were shaking a bit. I was afraid of taking their lives. If they noticed my hesitation, I wouldn''t have managed it that smoothly. I might have even ended up killing them. Really, just watching and reading is truly not the same as actually taking action yourself. I am glad I read all those light novels and manga up until now. My ideology has matured a lot more compared to others because of it. I learned a lot from the different perspectives of life experiences of various characters... even if many were to the point of ridiculousness. I buy a set of decent-looking lightweight armor in brown, a red pouch to strap on my waist. and a black magic cloak. "Hey, do you know where the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is?" "Ah. You just need to continue down the main road to the plaza." "Thank you, I appreciate it." I nod, and head straight down the main road. It was bustling with activity. Now that I think about it, at which part of the timeline has this realm reached so far...? ...Hm? There was a lost-looking girl with short, blond hair walking aimlessly around the road. I walk over and call out to her, offering her my hand. "Are you lost?" I crouch down to her eye level, and gently ask her. "I-I got separated from my sister¡­" "What is your name?" "U-Ureirika" I nod, and pat her head. "Alright, Ureirika. I will help you find your sister. Let¡¯s go find her together." It''s best to head to the plaza first. Her sister might be there searching right at this moment. "......" Ureirika? "Ureirika!!" My thoughts were interrupted by a yell. I find a young girl with short, blond hair running up to us. She immediately knees the ground and hugs Ureirika. I-Isn¡¯t she¡­ The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Big sister¡­¡± She pulls on her big sister¡¯s clothes and looks up at me anxiously. Arche does the same. I focus my eyes, and then a window pops up. ?Name: Arche? ?Title: Magic Caster, Member of Foresight? ?Soul Tier: 2? She really is Arche... She stands up and properly faces me after taking a good look at my expression, conveying her gratitude with clear eyes. "Thank you for helping my sister." I nod ...but right as I was about to turn and leave, she calls out to me. "What is your name?" I turn to her direction. "I¡¯m Sorai. How about you?" "My name is Arche." "We will probably meet again. I will see you later, Arche." I smile at her, and finally went on my way. ¡­ I am a copper adventurer now ...but more importantly, it seems my mission is solving Arche¡¯s family debt. The red arrow was pointing towards her from beginning to end, so there is no doubt about it. Who would have thought this mission had something to do with the tragic Arche and her sisters...? I¡¯ve always been extremely bitter how it ended for her and her sisters. Now I have the power to change it. "I need gold." I borrowed a room at an inn to change into my new attire, and pack my school uniform in a bag. I return to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and walk over to the bulletin board, grabbing the hardest copper level job posted. I am surprised. I can ¡®conveniently'' understand and read this world¡¯s language. I look around the room with the various adventurers chatting away. Mostly everyone here are soul tier 1¡­ There is a soul tier 2 adventurer, but it seems he is the strongest opponent in this room right now. I move my eyes to the plate he¡¯s wearing. "A mythril adventurer, huh." The third strongest rank is a soul tier 2. Arche was also a soul tier 2, which I was shocked about. Someone who can use tier 3 magic is a soul tier 2 in this system¡­ Doesn¡¯t her innate talent affect her soul tier? She should have that ¡®All-Seeing Eyes¡¯, which is pretty much cheat-like in comparison to other skills. I guess there is no use thinking over something I can¡¯t do anything about. After accepting the quest, I leave. "A delivery job. The pay is low, and the distance is far, but I should be able to finish this quickly." I quickly set off without notice. ¡­ It took under an hour. I return to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to notify the staff of my completion. "I handed the package, and completed the delivery." "Eh!? W-Wouldn¡¯t this job take at least a few days to reach the Holy Kingdom!?..." "I guess so." "......" "Is something the matter? I was sure I safely delivered the package." "P-Please wait until we receive confirmation. We will hand out your rewards as soon as we receive news..." I nod, grab another delivery job, and set off. ¡­ "T-Thirteen deliveries in a single day¡­" After the completion of the tenth delivery, I caught the Guildmaster¡¯s interest. Now that the sun has begun setting, I made a record of thirteen deliveries in a single day. The Guildmaster was standing together with the guild staff member in shock. "We¡¯ve even verified that all previous deliveries were indeed safely delivered. I can''t believe it myself, but there is no choice but to do so." "I am glad to have the Guildmaster''s approval. While you''re here, I would like to ask you something. Is that alright?" The Guildmaster seemed to have something more to say, but nods. "I will get straight to the point. What do I need to do to earn the adamantite rank?" The Guildmaster makes a surprised expression from such a direct question, then seriously contemplates over it. "Just from your feats alone today, I was planning on promoting you to an orichalcum-ranked adventurer. If you want to become an adamantite-ranked adventurer, there are two ways to go about it." The Guildmaster raises two fingers. "Accept a job of the same difficulty. The rule states that you can only accept jobs of the same rank or lower, but I can write you a recommendation. But even with my recommendation, that will be difficult with your current fame and prestige. Second is to get approved by a fellow adamantite adventurer." I have no time to be jumping around spreading my name. I am going to have to ask for a direct recommendation for an adamantite adventurer to test me... "Would you recommend me?" The Guildmaster mulls over my request. "I am also interested to what extend your ability can reach. Ok, I will write a recommendation letter." He quickly writes out a letter, and hands me it in a sealed envelope. "Also, take this." He hands me an orichalcum plate and smiles. "You are the first to come up to me and ask for such a direct request. You have gained my acknowledgement through your intentions. Even if you fail this test, there are no losses for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. You should hold your head up high for being the bearer of orichalcum-ranked." He shakes my hand and smiles. "Do your best. Show this letter to the Guildmaster of Re-Estize Kingdom¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild." "Thank you." "No need for thanks. You''ve proven your ability to me clear enough." I nod, and exit the Adventurer''s Guild. ¡­ I managed to reach the Re-Estize Kingdom before it got dark with Full Cowl 20% focused on my legs. After using Full Cowl for a period of time, I¡¯ve gotten a hang of it now. I ask for directions to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and finally reach my destination. "Hey, is the Guildmaster here right now?" She turns her attention to me. "Do you have business with the Guildmaster?" I hand her the letter, and she makes a stiff expression after noticing the seal. "P-Please wait for a moment!" The guild staff member hurries to the back of the guild. Not a moment¡¯s notice pass as the staff member returns with the Guildmaster. She looks around and finally makes eye contact with me. She walks up to me after noticing my orichalcum plate. "Young man, are you Sorai?" I nod. "I read the letter. I will prepare at once. Please come back tomorrow morning. This is a good time since one of the two adamantite groups still currently remain in the capital right now." She is likely talking about Blue Roses... "Then I will return tomorrow morning." I smile and exit the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. "I¡¯ll take this chance to confirm at which point am I in this timeline." I make a trip to E-Rantel. I ask around for Lizzie Bareare¡¯s residence¡­ but while I was asking around, a party of four caught my eye. They were entering an inn, while chatting happily. "The silver-ranked adventurer group, Swords of Darkness..." I focus my gaze. ?Name: Ninya? ?Title: The Spell Master, Member of Swords of Darkness? ?Soul Tier: 1? They are still alive¡­ Does that mean¡­ that today was the first day where everything started? If that''s the case, Momon and Nabe will appear the day after tomorrow. On the second day of their appearance, Dale and Clementine¡¯s first meeting will happen. "I still have time." I sigh in relief. I guess I¡¯ll return to the Re-Estize Kingdom to rest up for the night. ¡­ "Let me introduce her to you. She is Gagaran, a member of Blue Roses." As expected... a member of Blue Rose. She grins as she gazes at me. "I heard you are a promising young boy! What is your name?" "My name is Sorai." Geh. I hope she doesn''t set her sights on me for her hobby¡­ I was more or less expecting Evileye to come, but if you think about it¡­ She wouldn''t come just to help out a nobody like me. Gagaran is also plenty strong. It is said she is on par with Clementine. If I can defeat Gagaran, then defeating Clementine will also become a possibility... "I accepted this request since it¡¯s the Guildmaster¡¯s personal request, but now I feel like this trip was worth it." We head to the back and distance ourselves from each other. I focus my eyes. ?Name: Gagaran? ?Title: Knight, Member of Blue Roses? ?Soul Tier: 4? A soul tier 4¡­ I take a deep breath. Gagaran lifts her war pick and takes a stance. "Are you prepared, young boy?" "Yes, please take care of me!" ... Chapter 4: Direction III She grins preparing her war pick to make the first move. I take out Extase hanging on my back and block it. My muscles strain from the pressure. "Hoh. So that weapon on your back was a giant pair of scissors? Such a strange weapon." She distances herself to take a different stance, and begins a flurry of blows. In turn, I activate Full Cowl at 20% and manage to block every single blow with caution. She looked surprised from seeing my body beginning to cloak in sparks of lightning. I am able to feel much calmer now being able to see her every movement. But right as I thought I could take a moment to prepare for a counterattack, I was suddenly hit with a blow too fast for my eyes. I manage to block it, but I was blown a few meters away from my original position. "That was close..." Gagaran takes a good look at me. "Lightning magic? Are you a magic caster?" ¡±Ahah¡­ I guess you could say that.¡± I take on piercing stance holding Extase and activate Death Perception. I begin following a death line to her arm with my eyes. I clash with her war pick, and switch to a different death line and focus on a different point. The switched to another. Then to another in swift succession, slashing in weird angles pressuring Gagaran to a defensive position. She was blocking all my lethal, even slightly life-threatening attacks on her limbs, so I abruptly redirect my attack towards her body quicker than my previous attacks, finally managing to catch her off guard. In alarm, she quickly attempts to block, but in vain as I slash her lower torso. She was blown a meter away from me. "Hah, Hah... What pressure." She looks up to me to find that there is not a single bead of sweat, nor exhaustion in my eyes. She wipes her sweat, loosens her stance, and turns to the Guildmaster. "Guildmaster. As an adamantite adventurer, he has my approval." Already expecting it, the Guildmaster nods. She has already seen enough since halfway through the test. Coming out uninjured from Gagaran¡¯s flurry of blows already proves one¡¯s ability well enough. "The test is over. From this day onwards, you are now an adamantite adventurer." I take a deep breath and put Extase away in my makeshift sheath on my back. "I am glad to meet such a strong adventurer. I feel like I would have been heavily injured if you were serious. Ahaha." The Guildmaster hands her a potion and she drinks it on the spot. She approaches me and shake my hand. ¡°Let''s meet again someday.¡± "Yeah." I nod with a thankful expression. We return to the front. "I have to return now. Take care, young boy! No, Sorai! If you run into any trouble, contact Blue Roses and use my name." She leaves the Adventurer''s Guild after waving farewell. After her figure disappears from the entrance, the Guildmaster hands me the adamantite plate. I happily accept it. "What are your plans now?" The Guildmaster asks me. "I need a large amount of gold to pay off the debt of someone I know." "Debt?" The Guildmaster falls silent for a moment. "Do you have a job that rewards a large amount of gold in a short amount of time?" The Guildmaster shakes her head. ¡°High pay amounts to high risk. To lower that risk requires time for proper preparation. If you were to capture any wanted criminals of adamantite-ranked, the reward is extremely high. And of course, it is also high risk of failure and death. No adamantite-ranked job can be done in a short amount of time. You will have to depend on your luck if you want to complete it within a certain timeframe." I follow the guild master to the second floor, and look through the wanted list on the large bulletin board. "Are all members of Zurrernorn also wanted by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?" ¡°Zurrernorn, huh?¡± She walks over to a nearby cabinet and opens a drawer. She takes out a book that displays a large number of faces with names attached to them on every page, and turns to a certain page. She beckons me over to take a look. "Yes, the core members, the twelve executives are all currently wanted. All twelve of their executives are also adamantite-ranked. The reward is a hefty amount." "I will accept the job of capturing one of their core members." The Guildmaster looks at me in shock. "Are you sure about going in alone?" I smile, but I don''t give an answer. At this point, Clementine is probably not wanted by Slane Theocracy yet. It might put me at risk if I ask when news hasn''t reached this city yet. "I will be back." I leave the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. ¡­If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The air within E-Rantel¡¯s cemetery is a lot more putrid than I thought. I cringe my expression. I activate Death Perception and enter a tomb. "It was this statue, right?" I push it, and a secret entrance appears. I walk down the stairs to a lighted path. As I was cautiously approaching an open area, a voice calls out. "Who dares to enter?" A bald old man with a wooden staff walks out from the shadows, wearing a red robe. I focus my eyes. ?Name: Khajiit Dale Badantel? ?Title: Necromancer, Executive of Zurrernorn? ?Soul Tier: 4? Warning bells ring in my head. "I will have to go all-out from the start, and take advantage of my surprise attack." Although the surprise is now ruined. I grab Extase. "Full Cowl 50%." I jump forward. Right as I was about to make contact, I clashed with a wall of bones. "Tch. No answer, huh? No matter. Now that you¡¯ve seen this, you will not be leaving here alive." I jump back and separate Extase to two parts, and swing to cut the wall of bones with one hand. "What!?" "Full Cowl 80%." I should have the strength of a peak soul tier 4 now. "Extase!" I activate Extase¡¯s trump card, immediately emitting a bright flash of light to the surrounding area. Dale raises his aim to cover his eyes, but it was too late to act in time because of his momentary shock. "Petty tricks! Orb of death!" While he is temporary blind he raises his free arm holding an item. It seems he is attempting on summoning a second skeletal dragon. He surrounds himself with more walls of bones to protect himself. It seems like it is parts of a body of a skeletal dragon he already summoned and have control over. "But it''s already too late." I break the walls once more with ease, and chop his raised arm.. "Gaaahhhhh!!!" I put the parts back together and used the surface of Extase to hit the side of his head, forcing him unconscious. "Gaah-" He loses consciousness and falls to the ground. "Hitting his head this hard might be overdoing it¡­" The side of his head was bleeding more than a little. Well, at least he is still alive. I take one of the potions I bought for safety measures from my pouch, and pour it on his injury where his arm used to be to stop the bleeding. The arm I cut off¡­ I guess I¡¯ll bury it. ¡­ I carried him straight back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Re-Estize Kingdom. I enter the building and walk up to the guild staff member. "S-Sir Sorai, w-who is that?" "It¡¯s a wanted man." "Please wait for a moment!" After a few seconds, the Guildmaster comes out to meet with me. "... I never would have thought you would complete such a high-ranked job within the same day." The Guildmaster was baffled. "He is still alive. He is disabled, but please restrict his movements and bind him. He is a dangerous person who can use up to tier 6 magic." "Tier 6?" She takes a good look at the man on the floor. "Wait, isn''t that Khajiit!?" Her expression hardens as she sends orders to the nearby staff members. They begin running around. "Because you captured him alive, you will receive a higher reward." He heads to the back. After a few minutes of waiting, he returns holding a bag of gold and hands it to me. I nod, and leave the rest of the work to the Guildmaster. ... The next few days, I focused on completing a large number of delivery jobs, gaining fame from everyone in Re-Estize Kingdom¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild. My name became famous before long through word of mouth. I am now returning to E-Rantel¡¯s cemetery to wait for Clementine¡¯s appearance. "She should arrive in a couple of hours." I hid behind a tree and patiently waited. ¡­ I suddenly hear footsteps, so I open my eyes. I turn to take a good look from the side, focusing my eyes. ?Name: Clementine? ?Title: Warrior, Ex-9th Seat of Black Scripture? ?Soul Tier: 4? It''s really her. She was slowly approaching the tomb, wearing a black robe. "Full Cowl 50%." I open my eyes to focus on the most lethal death lines, grab Extase already in two parts, and appear behind her in lightning speed. "Hehhhh? Who the hell are you?" She blocks me with her weapon at the last second. It seems I can¡¯t easily cut her magic weapon with just one part of Extase¡­ "Someone who wants you dead." I continue following the death lines in continued succession. "Hahahaha! Hah. I don''t know how you found me, but I will play around with you for a bit then!" I cross my arms for the two parts to form an ¡®X'' in front of me, and slash outwards with her weapon as the target. "Na-!?" Her magic weapon gets cut in half. I move in aiming for her chest, but she unsheathes her second weapon deflecting it away to her arm. "Flow Acceleration!" At the same time, she accelerates away from a fatal wound, but it wasn''t fast enough to leave her body unscathed. "Gahhhhh!! You bastaaarrrrrd!!" Her arm falls to the ground. She jumps back and distances herself from me. "Gale Stride! Greater Evasion! Agility Boost! Greater Agility Boost!" I jump back as well, and return another succession of slashes following one death line after the next, but she manages to evade them all. "What weapon is that! You damn bastard!!" She makes sure her weapon doesn''t clash directly with my weapon as she continues to evade. She makes a move and tries to pierce my side. "Full Cowl 80%!" I successfully evade by a margin to the side. I move in to slash her body with both parts at the same time towards a single point. She unconsciously tries to block with her weapon, but it was in vain as I cut through it like butter and slash at her body. "Ga-!?" She raises her weapon, and lightning sparks begin to form. I finally move in and pierce her chest, but she pierces my side and activates the lightning magic. It was only after a moment the magic activated is when she finally falls limp to my sword. ¡±Hah¡­ Hah¡­¡± I remove my sword from her chest a heartbeat later, and she falls to the ground like a ragged doll. I held my breath, and took out the weapon pierced in my side. ¡°Aagh!?¡° It hurts like hell. I shakily take out a potion from my pouch and drink it. I take a deep breath. I am glad I manage to avoid a full blown lightning spell, or else I might have lost the upper hand. ¡°She was dangerous¡­¡± One wrong move and I might have died. After seeing that my injury has healed, I punch the ground to create a small hole and bury the body inside. ¡°I only won through sheer speed. I have to train in techniques as soon as I can, or I won¡¯t be so lucky next time¡­¡± I finish up the burial, and stood there looking down in silence for a moment. "I guess I¡¯m finished here. Just one more thing to wrap up, then I can jump out of this realm without too much to worry for a while." ¡­ I was on my way back from another job, but then I find someone suspiciously approaching my family¡¯s residence from a distance. Hm? "Isn''t he the adventurer that helped my sister the other day? Why is he here this late at night?" It was a weird coincidence. Does he have some business with her family? "Dark Vision." Even if he was wearing the black robe, I was able to see his face clearly with Dark Vision. He jumps over the gate with ease. "Invisibility." What is he doing¡­? At this point, he is obviously trespassing now. The first time we met, with my All-Seeing Eyes, I already knew I would be no match against him alone; but I couldn¡¯t let my guard down because I had my sisters to protect. Waiting for a chance to make a surprise attack, I silently tailed him¡­ but what was stopping me to take any serious action is because of his lack of killing intent. I hesitated. All I felt was sincere intent in his gaze. He somehow broke the lock to the door without a sound and entered the residence. Feeling extremely wary of his next move, I follow him while thinking of a counterattack. He went through each room, but doesn''t steal anything. There were some rooms with gold out in the open, yet he didn¡¯t take it. His actions were becoming more of a mystery to me. He opens another door and enter. It had nothing much, so a framed picture stood out on top of a shelf. A picture of her twin sisters. It was her sisters¡¯ room. "Her sisters¡¯ room?" He glance towards the bed, I do the same. Her sisters¡¯ were sleeping soundly. For some reason though, she relaxed her muscles. She felt that her sisters won¡¯t be harmed. His tone of voice was warm and gentle. "She is out for a job at this time of night? I guess I missed my chance to talk to her. I doubt she would be unable to notice my presence." He sighs. I make a perplexed expression, but his next action perplexed me even more. He takes out a bag packed full of gold coins, and place it on the nearby shelf, along with a letter. "Hm. The mission is completed. It seems this room works too." He begins exiting the room. "Arche, protect your sisters well." He forms a soft smile, retrace his steps, and leave the mansion behind. After seeing him disappearing into the distance, I undo Invisibility and quickly move back to my sisters'' room to open the letter. ¡®Arche, use this money to help your sisters, and break away from your parents. This was earned through honest effort. So please be at ease and use it wisely.¡¯ There was no name on it. He didn''t take credit for this. Why does he care so much about us? We''ve only met once¡­ or have we met before long ago¡­? He even knows about our family debt... My hands start shaking with the letter still in my hand. I turn the letter to make sure if there really wasn''t anything written on the backside. ...Is he a noble? or one of Father¡¯s connections? My eyes full of confusion turn to the window to look at the distance where the boy disappeared to. There is only one way to find out, and it¡¯s to ask him directly... "Fly!" I quickly exit the mansion and fly out to try and catch up to him. I kept on flying towards the direction he disappeared to, but he was nowhere to be found. Only after a few hours of searching did I give up. "His name is Sorai¡­ Sorai¡­¡± I turn to look towards the forest in the distance for a long moment, before finally returning to my family¡¯s residence. ... ?Name: Sorai Takeir? ?Title: Dimensional Traveler? ?Soul Tier: 4? ?Granted Skill: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception; One For All.? ?Weapon Assigned: Extase? I completed the mission and became a soul tier 4. "Hey, are you there?" ?Your orders, dimensional traveler.? A recognizable spherical robot appears from thin air. "T-That kind of freaked me out¡­¡± I sigh in relief that it wasn''t an enemy. "I am ready to jump into Musutafu City. What do I need to do?" A window suddenly opens within my field of vision. ?Enter ¡¯Musutafu City¡¯ Realm 139. Continue?? *beep* I close my eyes. I will be sure to return again to check on Arche and her sisters... but for now, I hope they will fare well until then. ¡­