《The Millennial In Another World》


 Prologue I

    ***


    An affinity for men and women alike,


    a fate strung together with emotions and suchlike,


    they are part of the Sin-Bearer, the Hero Summoner,


    the burdened sacrifice who will never be remembered.


    - Anonymous


    ***


    ¡°A great disaster shall befall upon us.¡±


    Beard as white and clean as his robes, a middle-aged man steps forward, raising his hands and stretching them, looking up at the ceiling of the cathedral. Behind him, an entourage consisting of other men in similar-looking robes and a squadron of armoured knights. The entourage is unmoving, only looking at the man as he continues his speech.


    ¡°The calamity has already begun,¡± he continues, ¡°We must hasten the Summoning. Else, we¡¯d find ourselves in the middle of a great, unforgiving war. We¡¯ll stain our hands with blood again.¡±


    There is silence except for the echo of his voice within the cathedral. His booming voice seems to shake the knights. A few them even feel their gauntlets and greaves vibrating after each sentence. One of the knights takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself.


    ¡°Prepare the sacrifice.¡±


    There is no word but action: one of the knights raises his hand, flicking his wrist to gesture for the knights behind him to keep clear. The white-robed men give way as well, watching a man clad in cold steel tugging at a rope, which leads to a loop binding together the arms of a young girl.


    ¡°What are you doing to me?¡± The young girl screams. ¡°Let me go! Let me go!¡±


    Her pleas fall on deaf ears as the knight forcefully hoists her in front of him, throwing the girl a few steps before the leader.


    ¡°You will not die in vain,¡± the middle-aged man says, ¡°Let me tell you this: you¡¯re going to be a great person. For our Empire¡ª¡°


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± The girl yells. ¡°What are you doing? Let me go this instant! I¡¯ll have you know that I am the 4th Princess of Dremlin. You can¡¯t do this to a foreigner¡ªand a noble, no less!¡±


    ¡°Your identity is what makes you valuable to us,¡± he replies. He gestures at the white-robed men.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Get ready,¡± he adds, ¡°You will soon join the ranks of great legendary warriors.¡±


    ¡°To hell with that!¡± She screams again. She tries to stand, but her bound hands are not able to help with balancing her. She tries to push herself with her knees, but her mind seems to not cooperate, as if bewitched.


    ¡°Please,¡± she says, tears rolling down her cheek. ¡°Please. Don¡¯t do this. I know what this is all about. I¡¯m not suitable. Please find someone else. Please.¡±


    The man gives a slight smile. ¡°You¡¯re the most compatible person out of everyone¡ªhell, I¡¯d say you¡¯re more than compatible. You could almost become the Summoning itself. Perhaps, after this, you¡¯d be the one bringing our great esteemed warriors.¡±


    ¡°Dremlin will not forgive you for this,¡± she says, her eyes full of hatred and anger. ¡°My father will personally see to your demise.¡±


    ¡°Empty threats from an illegitimate princess do not work on me,¡± he retorts, ¡°Sadly, you¡¯re still to hung up over that tinkle of blue blood you have in you.¡±


    He walks up to the young girl and grabs her by the collar.


    ¡°I¡¯ll liberate you right now.¡±


    With that, he spins around, throwing the girl into the middle of a white magic circle. The incantations and inscriptions on the circle glimmer slightly, reacting to the girl. The girl coughs, spitting out blood. She glares at the man, gnashing her teeth.


    ¡°Esteemed Elder,¡± one of the white-robed men begins, ¡°Pardon my impudence and ignorance, but how are we going to solve the problem after she has been used for the Summon? Did you give instructions?¡±


    ¡°You have no need to worry, my dear Apostle,¡± he replies, ¡°Dremlin will say nothing about this¡ªand even if they do, they¡¯ll be dead before they can even begin forming a sentence.¡±


    The girl tries to get up once more, but the magic circle seems to enhance the gravity within it. The girl falls on her behind. She tries to stand again but to no avail. She then scooches in front using her knee, getting close to the border of the magic circle.


    ¡°What did you do to my parents?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You monster! You fucking monster! I hope you die a terrible death, you fucking freak!¡±


    The Apostles look visibly displeased. Some of the knights draw out their swords but the man merely gestures at them. With that, they sheathed their blades.


    ¡°Your words are nothing but words,¡± he says, ¡°Finmul, the young Princess of Gremlin, I hereby grant you the honour to be part of the Summon. I bestow upon you the right to venture to the next world and to bring back the heroes that Elgia really needs.¡±


    ¡°I reject!¡±


    ¡°You have no other choice.¡±


    The girl screams as she feels her skin tingling. A hot flame erupts from the inscriptions, engulfing her in flames. Her screams seem to grow softer as the flame continues to burn. The flames reach up to the cathedral ceiling, forming a pillar of fire that only burns the girl in the magic circle.


    After a while, a pile of ash appears in the middle of the circle.


    ¡°The summoning may begin,¡± he continues. He turns around to address his entourage.


    ¡°I hereby declare the new era of Elgia and an even newer era for humanity! This, is our path to salvation.¡±


    He turns back to face the magic circle. He closes his eyes, muttering.


    ¡°I summon thee, warriors of the other world, heroes of this world! Come forth, and lend us your hand!¡±


    A small white orb of wisps appears in the air, hovering over the center of the magic circle. It starts to expand, slowly growing in size and even starting to spin.


    ¡°Here comes, the first.¡±

 Prologue II

    ¡°Fucking loser!¡±


    It has always been like this: they start to pick on me, calling me names and demanding for my already empty wallet, then they¡¯ll shove me and push me to the ground.


    The bigger one will be throwing a few punches at my face, in which I¡¯ll block. If they¡¯re feeling up to it, they¡¯ll pull down my pants and throw my pants over the wall, forcing me to go back to school with only my checkered boxers.


    ¡°This is the 2nd time you¡¯ve forgotten to give us the money, Sung Jae,¡± the big one says. His gorilla-like face is pissing me off¡ªnot that I can do anything about it though.


    I lie against the wall, feeling for a wound on my lips. I¡¯m probably bleeding somewhere. Heck, I ought to check my head for swelling after all the times I had the back of my head colliding against the wall¡­ Maybe I¡¯ve got some kind of brick-head kungfu talent?


    ¡°Stop spacing out, you fuck face!¡±


    Oh boy.


    The big one pulls me up by the collar, dragging me up against the wall. His other hand comes flying, hitting me square in the nose.


    Fuck. Did I just hear a pop?


    ¡°That¡¯ll teach you to pay attention to your elders when they¡¯re speaking!¡± He continues, guffawing. ¡°Look, just go back to your mom and tell her you need some money. Then, come back here, give it back to us, so we can all live happily. Alright?¡±


    I wish these people would die. Sincerely. God, if you¡¯re seeing this, smite them for me. Somehow. Come on, man, it¡¯s like, just a little bit of your power!


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I say, giving the usual apology speech, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to get it again. Please don¡¯t hit me anymore. I¡¯m in pain.¡±


    ¡°Good boy!¡± The big one says, his triumphant look replicated by his goons.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in¡ª¡°


    I quickly grab the wall, holding it to support myself. The violent tremor shakes up the goons as well. Some of them fall on their behinds while others are on all fours. The big one comes over to the wall, leaning against it.


    ¡°Fuck is going on?¡± He says. ¡°We haven¡¯t had an earthquake since forever¡­¡±


    The hell. I hope you will die in an earthquake. May the tectonic plates split just right where you¡¯re standing, so you can fall into the burning abyss.


    I look around as the tremor continues, trying to calculate the damage this might cause¡ªwait, why are people just walking around as if nothing¡¯s happening? The buildings are fine¡­ no, if there really was an earthquake, this wall would¡¯ve collapsed anyways! Our school is not built to withstand an earthquake since we never had earthquake problems here.


    Then, what is this? Some super tiny-scale tremor? That¡¯s ridiculous.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    I turn to the floor, noticing a crack in the concrete. A bright, blue light emerges from the crack, slowly growing in size. It glows brighter and brighter each second.


    Soon, I realise I¡¯m enveloped in that light.


    ***


    ¡°¡­heroes of Elgia. Welcome¡­¡±


    Damn. I¡¯m groggy as fuck. I want to vomit. I want to pop a few aspirins and sleep. Is there an aspirin here? Where am I? Why is it so bright? It¡¯s so white¡­and blue. Blue! Blue like the light that enveloped me. Where am I? This isn¡¯t South Korea¡­


    ¡°Your companion has woke up.¡±


    I can faintly hear a gentle lulling female voice. It seems that ¡®your companion¡¯ refers to me.


    I try to get up. My hearing seems to have come back and so is my sight. I look in front of me, noticing the goons standing in their usual haughty poses and a white-robed, fair-skinned woman, levitating over the ground¡ªwait, levitating?


    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± I mutter.


    ¡°You must be confused,¡± she says, ¡°No worries, I have already briefed your companions. Once you¡¯re in Elgia, they¡¯ll tell you everything. For now, let me just briefly explain.¡±


    I decide to shut up.


    ¡°Elgia is in deep trouble. Their country is in turmoil. The demons are trying to take over the world again. You, are going into Elgia as esteemed heroes. You will save the country from the disaster and save the world!¡±


    How fucking cliche. Demons taking over the world? Some sort of transmigration? That¡¯s like, several light novels I have at home. So, I¡¯m going to be a character in those stories now?


    ¡°Oi, do you get it?¡± The big one pipes up. ¡°Fucking idiot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t ask for another explanation again, dimwit. We¡¯re not going to stay here and let her babysit your dumb ass.¡±


    I nod. Please kill me so I can go another world now. There must be another world that needs saving, right?


    The woman raises her hands, floating upwards.


    ¡°Go forth, esteemed heroes! Go forth, and save the world!¡±


    A huge portal¡ªI¡¯m not even surprised anymore. Yeah, it¡¯s a huge portal, it¡¯s blue, shimmering. It¡¯s nice. It¡¯s a portal. Where the fuck is this place? Is this ¡®Elgia¡¯? Or is this some sort of heaven-hell area in that ¡®Elgia¡¯?


    The goons are all eager to step through the portal, racing with one another to the portal. Soon, I am left alone. I stand before the portal, observing the waves of blue. The woman floats over to the portal, gently touching my arm.


    ¡°Are you not going to step through the portal?¡±


    I wonder if this is going to be a change in my life. I want to go back home and play some computer games. I want to read stories on my phone. I want to eat instant noodles in the dead of the night, binge-watching a great anime series that I chanced upon. I don¡¯t want this. I don¡¯t want responsibility.


    I don¡¯t want to be a hero.


    But I know whining and complaining aren¡¯t going to get me anywhere.


    ¡°If Elgia is saved, will I get to return to my world?¡±


    On a closer look, I see that her eyes are covered by a thin, white veil, similar to the one on a wedding gown. Her lips a deep, dark shade of purple, somehow looking out of place.


    ¡°I am not allowed to comment on anything on that matter.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡±


    ¡°Please step through the portal, Sung Jae,¡± the woman says.


    I sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a hero.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be a hero?¡±


    Well, of course. That goes without saying. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t.¡±

 Prologue III

    What?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a hero? I can choose to do that?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s of any consolation to you, you¡¯re free to live however you deem fit in Elgia. No one can exert any pressure on you¡ªmaybe the kingdom of Elgia, but it¡¯s all up to you. You¡¯re a powerful hero. Or so the legends say. Perhaps, your role is never meant to be a hero.¡±


    This is so confusing. So now you¡¯re telling me that I was summoned to another world¡ªhell, I still haven¡¯t properly reacted to that. Should I freak out? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got back on Earth¡­ sorry Pa, sorry Ma, your son¡¯s useless anyway. They¡¯ll probably panic for a while, cry for a few weeks, but after that, they realise that their NEET of a son is gone. That¡¯s good for them!


    That¡¯s good for all of us.


    Back on topic. So this summoning is pretty screwed up after all? Is this even a ¡®hero¡¯ thing?


    ¡°I¡¯ve got loads of questions, but I figured most of them wouldn¡¯t be things you can answer.¡±


    The woman simply smiled.


    ¡°When I step through the portal, what can I expect?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be in the center of the summoning circle. It¡¯s a large, circle bordered by inscriptions. It¡¯s white, and it glows white as well. You¡¯ll be in the middle of the cathedral.¡±


    ¡°Will everyone be there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but since you haven¡¯t stepped through the portal yet, they¡¯re most likely waiting for you¡­ unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless?¡±


    The woman floats a few steps closer to me, bringing her face close to mine. ¡°You¡¯re not very popular, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Damn that kind of hurt.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°That¡¯s all fine. Your popularity does not matter. When you go to a new world, perhaps you¡¯ll see yourself being popular!¡±


    ¡°That does not matter to me.¡±


    She floated around a bit more. On closer look, I can see wisp-like orbs floating around her, faint and blended into the surroundings. Though her voice may be gentle, the authority that emanates from her words are no small matter. I watch her circle around me, her face occasionally close to mine, her curiosity obvious.


    I wonder how this woman got here. Is she some sort of deity? Specifically, for hero-summons? That¡¯s just stupid. Imagine being a deity of summoning brats, immature assholes, and naive children. I¡¯d tender my resignation immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going now. Off to save this ¡®Elgia¡¯.¡±


    The woman nods.


    As I place a foot through the portal, I feel the waves of blue rubbing up against my leg. Like fish, I can feel ¡®mouths¡¯ nibbling at my skin, though it is painless. I turn to look at the woman for the last time.


    ¡°Farewell, young hero,¡± the woman says. ¡°Perhaps, you can be the one to really save Elgia.¡±


    I chuckle.


    "If I were you, I wouldn''t trust anyone. Good luck."


    The portal shrinks and I quickly jump through the portal, plunging myself deep into the waves of blue. The light behind me disappears, leaving me to navigate through this ocean with light emanating from the sides of the portal. I close my eyes, wondering if this is how this works. I shouldn¡¯t have to move in a portal, right?


    Then, I feel something solid.


    Solid ground?


    It¡¯s solid, beneath my hands and legs. I quickly open my eyes.


    It¡¯s dark.


    It¡¯s cold.


    I quickly get up.


    It¡¯s the cathedral alright. Tall ceilings, glass paintings, mosaic walls. Behind me, stood a statue of whatever deity they prayed to in Elgia. Roses, unlit candles, and plates of offerings lay on a wooden table before the statue.


    I look down on the floor.


    That¡¯s the magic circle, right? There are inscriptions¡ªthough I don¡¯t know what language that is, oh wait, Elgian? They border the whole circle, and in the middle, another circle with similar-looking inscriptions. Geometric-looking glyphs... if I were to compare to the real world, I''d say they looked like Hebrew.


    Well, then, since I¡¯m summoned, there must be someone here, right?


    Where¡¯s everyone?

 Chapter 1

    Seriously?


    Not a single human¡ªheck, I¡¯d take a demi-human¡ªis in sight.


    The cathedral is lifeless. The suns rays piercing through the glass windows illuminate the small dust particles floating in the air, rising and falling as time passes. On a closer look, this cathedral does not look much different from the churches that I¡¯ve always seen. The layout is pretty similar, with many rows of long wooden benches before the altar.


    I stand up, feeling my legs give way a little. I struggle for balance, quickly supporting myself by crouching and placing my hand on the floor. I decide to take a closer look at the magic circle.


    Heck, it looks like those kinds of summoning circles I¡¯ve seen in anime and cartoons. Or those devil-summoning ritual pictures I see online.


    It seems like I¡¯m the devil here since no one is here to welcome me. Wait, even the devil is welcomed by the ones that are summoning him.


    Seriously, where¡¯s everyone?


    I sigh. One consolation is that at least, I don¡¯t see those bullies around. The second consolation is that I¡¯m wearing my winter clothes, so the cold in the cathedral does not bother me. The third consolation is that I don¡¯t have to avoid awkward conversation.


    Where do I go now, then?


    Ping!


    A phone-like notification sound goes off in my head and I quickly scan around me. There¡¯s a phone in this world? Wait, isn¡¯t this a medieval world¡ªokay, well, I mean the girl didn¡¯t say anything about whether it is or not¡­ So, where is this sound coming from?


    Ah.


    A black, slightly translucent screen with an ebony background floats a few inches away from me, the corners capped by a golden arch. I realise that this particularly perturbing situation does not faze me and I sigh once more.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­¡± I mutter. ¡°Where¡¯s the tutorial for this?¡±


    Man. This seems like one of those typical game screens¡ªlet¡¯s just call it Game Menu. I guess I have to tap on it like in a game to make it work.


    ¡°Ah!¡± I yell, reeling back.


    I felt it! I felt the screen! The screen is solid!


    To test it again, I¡¯ll tap on it once more.


    It¡¯s solid! My finger cannot go through the screen, but somehow, if I force it through, I can stick my finger through it and pull it back without anything happening. I decide to experiment with it a bit more, rotating the screen and even flipping the screen upside down.


    ¡°This is neat,¡± I comment.


    However, all those tappings did nothing for my Game Menu. I¡¯m still stuck. The game screen isn¡¯t responding. Is there a task manager for this? Where can I end the process and run the program again? Hell¡­


    I need a tutorial, but there¡¯s no one around here right now.


    I exhale.


    ¡°Well, time to find out where the hell I am,¡± I say, walking towards the large, mahogany double doors of the cathedral. With one hand on the handle, I push the door. The door swings outwards and rays of sunlight invade the entrance, dousing me with brightness and temporal blindness.


    Then, the sigh of the wind.


    Though the air is slightly dry and the sun still sunny, I¡¯m not feeling hot at all. Perhaps, this is a winter or autumn season? Or is it a spring season?


    Is this Elgia?


    The cathedral sits atop a small hill, with a flight of stairs winding around the hill, leading towards what seems to be a small town. I squint, barely making out ant-sized figures moving in the town. Smoke emerges from the chimney of some buildings.


    As I climb down the stairs, I take this chance to experiment with the screen again. After multiple tries of tapping, I realise that this screen cannot be activated by me. Even after flipping the screen or rotating the screen, there is still no point to it.


    What¡¯s the point of being a ¡®hero¡¯ when I can¡¯t have this screen?


    I¡¯m guessing that the way this world works is pretty similar to those light novels and anime. You fight, you level up, you get points to put into your stats or you get skills and titles relevant to the fights that you take. You probably also have magic skills¡­


    Ah!


    A small, brown rabbit emerges from tall blades of grass by the side of the stairs. A distinct, screen-like bar hovers over its head, filled up by red. The rabbit stops in its tracks and looks up at me, then hopping away.


    Hmm, it seems like you can see the statuses of other things. That should be the ¡®HP bar¡¯.


    With each step, I tap on the screen once more, trying to get it to work. Is it ¡®locked¡¯? Perhaps, the summoner who should have been there could be the key to unlocking this screen for me.


    The main thing is, why isn¡¯t there anyone there to help me do that?


    I notice that the town is pretty medieval¡ªWestern medieval, specifically. Tudor cottages line up against one another, some with chimneys that spout smoke into the air. Men and women in fine tunics and armour roam the streets, each with a direction in mind. Somehow, the busy-looking town seems to look calm and serene.


    I quickly make my way down, skipping a few steps along the way.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ I look out of place.¡±


    I realise how much this winter uniform stands out. A hooded slate-grey coat covers my black cardigan. Underneath the cardigan is a sports tee with a huge brand logo featuring a rooster in the front. My ripped jeans are of the same colour as my coat as well. My boots, however, are a shade of light brown, with the soles slightly worn over time.


    What the townspeople are wearing is totally different from my modern outfit. However, it seems the fashion scene in this town is pretty non-existent; the similarities in everyone¡¯s outfit made the town look like a giant army base. Their tunics are made of coarse cotton, roughly spun and looking uncomfortable. Some had buckles that function like buttons on a shirt while others sported chest-pockets. Their pants are of the same material as well.


    I hurry towards one of the houses, hiding behind the white brick wall. From the corner of my eye, I notice some of the guards patrolling the area. They too sported an HP bar that hovered above their heads.


    ¡°What do I do now?¡±


    Man, fuck this world. When I find the summoner, I¡¯m going give him¡ªor her, whatever, doesn¡¯t matter¡ªa good thrashing.


    ¡°It seems like the heroes have arrived at the Elgia Helm!¡±


    My ears perk up and I slowly walked towards the source of the female voice.


    ¡°Hmph, those heroes are nothing but false heroes. The true heroes are those who have been training for a long time¡ªand I¡¯m talking about us! We are the true heroes of Elgia, not some randomly summoned being from the other worlds.¡±


    I quickly stop peeking. Seems like they are talking about some hero¡ªwait, hero? Are they talking about me?


    ¡°I heard that these heroes are very strong!¡±


    Two armoured guards, both females, stand across each other.


    ¡°Captain Gillard is definitely strong than any of those fake heroes,¡± says the red-haired knight, ¡°Even I am better! I¡¯m sure!¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen them in action yet,¡± says the black-haired knight. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for them to be on the frontline with us! I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re going to be assigned to the 8th Battalion.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll personally inspect their skills when it comes down to it,¡± the red-hair knight replies, her tone arrogant and condescending.


    It seems that those bastards have reached the palace and are already hailed as the heroes¡ªwait, huh? Are they at the palace? Doesn¡¯t that mean that I have to be at the palace too? Aren¡¯t I supposed to be the hero?


    Wait, what the fuck?


    I see what this is! Since I entered the portal late, I arrived late. The summoner must have left because those fuckers said that there are no more heroes¡ªor were they waiting for me, but they were in a rush? If that was really the case, then they should¡¯ve left a note or something, right? No way could they treat a hero this disrespectfully¡­


    I¡¯ll fucking tear those bastards apart. Now they left me with no one to rely on and no objective in mind.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I mutter. I have to think. Think! What¡¯s the next step? Should I go to the palace then?


    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡±


    I quickly look up, then reeling back a few steps in shock.


    ***


    Since when did they appear? I was literally looking at them a few seconds ago!


    ¡°You were eavesdropping on our conversation,¡± the red-haired knight says, ¡°I already heard your footsteps a few minutes ago. Why are you listening in on us? Are you a spy? Are you a Dremlin spy? Or are you one of those Zwei barbarians?¡±


    What the fuck, I think I¡¯m in deep shit. Me? A spy? Are you fucking kidding me? Well, it¡¯s not like I can tell them I¡¯m born in Seoul, South Korea¡ªwell, maybe I can fabricate something by saying that I hail from a land in the far East?


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The black-haired knight appears from the corner, sword in hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want any trouble,¡± I say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was listening because your conversation was interesting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a spy aren¡¯t you!¡± The red-haired knight says, her tone firm.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Melissa, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a spy¡­¡± The black-haired knight protests.


    I want to nod, but I realise whatever I do right now will definitely be incriminating. I decide to nod anyway, reaffirming my position.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not a spy. I¡¯m really not!¡±


    ¡°Why are you dressed so weird then? Your clothes aren¡¯t of Elgia.¡±


    Yeah, I knew this would be the outcome. My clothes stick out like a sore thumb in this town.


    ¡°Show me your identification card then, if you¡¯re a citizen of Elgia,¡± she continues.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any¡­¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m a traveler. I don¡¯t own any identification card.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Ah, fucking hell! Why am I so unlucky? I got summoned to literally no one, walked out by myself and now I¡¯m going to get arrested? Whatever god it is in the world, if you¡¯re real, please bless me and help me on this very particular prob¡ª


    ¡°Melissa!¡±


    I feel the cold of steel around my wrist and her solid firm grasp around my wrist. I look down, realising that she just handcuffed me¡ªand surprisingly, it looks pretty similar to the modern-world handcuff. I was expecting something like a wooden block placed in front of you.


    Wait, I¡¯m being arrested!


    ¡°Stop!¡± I protest. ¡°Wait! Listen to me, before you do anything!¡±


    It seems that the knights are not to be persuaded. I look at the black-haired knight with pleading eyes but she shakes her head. Is this Melissa person of higher rank? Damn.


    Ah fuck, I seriously lucked out.


    ¡°Okay! Okay! I¡¯ll tell you the truth.¡±


    Melissa stops yanking at the handcuff and stares into my eyes.


    ¡°About time.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just listen to me.¡±


    With my other free hand, I point at the cathedral.


    ¡°I literally just came down from there, okay? I was in the cathedral.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing at the cathedral?¡±


    Can I tell her that I¡¯m summoned? Will that make me seem like I¡¯m some sort of monster? They know about the summoning, but it seems like those bastards already reached the palace and snatched the place of being the ¡®hero¡¯. Will this mean I¡¯ll be the antagonist instead?


    Smite me already. I want to restart this. Where¡¯s the ¡®Exit to Desktop¡¯ button?


    ¡°I was¡­ praying?¡±


    ¡°Praying? You¡¯re praying to Fleuris, at this hour?¡±


    Hmm. Seems like it¡¯s not a good hour to pray to this¡­ Fleuris? Do they have a prayer time? Is it like the Christians-go-to-church-on-Sunday sort of thing or do they have something against praying to the god at a certain timing? Fuck! How do I know? Where¡¯s the pause button! I want to pause this.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ well¡­¡± is all I can muster. I gulp.


    ¡°The cathedral to Fleuris is closed right now. It¡¯s only open every first night of the week. What were you doing there at this kind of hour?¡±


    Holy fuck, I did not think of that! Okay, calm down, Sung Jae. Let¡¯s analyse this calmly. You¡¯re now going to be suspected for totally different things, most likely trespassing or theft. Though they seem much better than being a spy¡­


    ¡°I had something to do there,¡± I say, ¡°Running errands.¡±


    ¡°Did you trespass the grounds?¡±


    ¡°I was unaware of the timing,¡± I reply, ¡°I am a traveler, after all!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    What a bitch! She¡¯s just hellbent on arresting me! Whatever it is that I say, she will not believe no matter what. Damn. If only the black-haired knight can help me in this battle, I¡¯d probably have won this Melissa over a long time ago.


    ¡°You have to believe me, I came to town to visit the cathedral, then roam the streets a bit.¡±


    She raises a brow.


    ¡°I usually sleep on the streets or hide out in the forests,¡± I say, extending my lie.


    ¡°You don¡¯t stay in an inn?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You do know it¡¯s also illegal to sleep in the streets of the Silver District, right?¡±


    ¡°Silver¡­ district?¡±


    She nods.


    Oh, I get it. There¡¯s a class system where the Empire is separated into three different parts or something of sorts. There¡¯s the Silver District, so there¡¯s most likely a Gold District. Most likely, there will also be a Bronze District. Based on my knowledge of all the light novels and manga¡¯s I¡¯ve read, there might be a shitty district for the slums.


    ¡°Sorry, I usually go to the slums to sleep,¡± I say.


    Melissa blinks. She then looks away, turning to the black-haired knight.


    ¡°He¡¯s still suspicious of me. I want to know where he got these clothes.¡±


    Ah crap, I can¡¯t tell them I bought them on sale at Uniqlo, right? I decide not to smile at my own self-entertainment.


    ¡°Do you still think he¡¯s a spy?¡±


    ¡°Most likely he is,¡± she says. ¡°Let¡¯s bring him to the barracks. We¡¯ll search him there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I say, flabbergasted. This is ridiculous! Me? Going to the barracks? I literally just explained myself¡ªalbeit economical on the truth¡ªover and over again, and this bitch is telling me that I have to be searched anyway?


    What kind of fucking system is this?


    It¡¯s obvious this knight is really, truly, unshakeable in her beliefs.


    ¡°Bloody hell¡­¡± I mutter.


    What a fucking horrible Empire.


    She yanks me by the handcuff, gesturing for me to follow her. The black-haired knight smiles at me sheepishly before going behind me. As we pass the streets, I notice most people trying to look at me with sideways glances and slight turning of heads. When Melissa stared back at them, however, most of them look away and continue with what they are originally doing.


    ¡°What happens if you guys say that I¡¯m a spy?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Under the Alnd International Code, all spies, when discovered, are to be executed by the country that arrests them. If however, the spies of all certain value, there usually is some negotiation involved. You better pray that which country employed you is rich enough to pay off your fine.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not a spy¡­¡± I mumble. This is¡­ just too ridiculous. This tutorial sucks.


    Big time.


    ¡°I¡¯m really not a spy,¡± I say again, my tone firm and resolute.


    ¡°No matter how much you tell me, I will not believe you. Save your breath.¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous! I literally just explained to you where I¡¯m from and what I¡¯m doing, yet you¡¯re just going to arrest me anyway because you believe I¡¯m a spy? Where¡¯s the evidence? Where¡¯s your justification?¡±


    There is no reply. Both knights keep their mouths shut, only walking down the streets.


    If not for the handcuffs and situation, I¡¯d have enjoyed the aroma of tea coming from that teahouse and few blocks in front of me. I¡¯d have enjoyed walking down the brick pavements, browsing goods from roadside stalls. I¡¯d have enjoyed the cool, gentle breeze of the wind caressing my cheek.


    But no, I¡¯m in deep shit, I¡¯m tired, I want to sleep, I have no one I can find here and I¡¯m getting arrested for being a spy.


    ¡°I can walk myself,¡± I say. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you will do this.¡±


    ¡°We need to keep you under our watch, so bear with me,¡± Melissa says.


    Shit. I didn¡¯t even choose to be a hero.


    The barracks is well¡­ barracks-like. I awkwardly pass by the mess hall where there are many guards engaging in boisterous conversations. Some of the men laugh heartily. Others are seating by themselves, indulging in the food served. After making a turn, I reach what seems to be the ¡®holding room¡¯.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be detained for a while before our Captain can come down and investigate you personally,¡± Melissa says while unlocking a metal gate, ¡°If you try anything funny, we¡¯ll kill you immediately.¡±


    And that is most definitely not a threat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get a lawyer? An attorney?¡±


    The red-haired knight stares at me with furrowed brows.


    ¡°What¡¯s a lawyer?¡±


    I sigh. This world is much more fucked than I thought. It¡¯s really medieval¡ªor backwards, I¡¯d say.


    ¡°Someone who will hold a trial for me? He¡¯ll fight for my case and argue that I¡¯m innocent, so I can be acquitted of whatever charges that you¡¯re going to charge me for? You don¡¯t offer that sort of thing?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I can feel my heart drop. That¡¯s not the thing you want to hear from a ¡®police officer¡¯.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know which land you hail from, but we do not hold trials for people like you. Trials are for nobles and important figures in the Elgia Helm.¡±


    I decide to shut my mouth before I reveal more knowledge on things that do not exist in Elgia¡ªor heck, even the world. How much disparity is there between Earth and¡­ was it Alnd?


    The gate shuts close and I¡¯m left to my own devices: which means looking at my handcuff.


    I look around my surroundings while sitting on the dry, cold brick-laden floor. The walls are the same as well. Within the cell, a large sleeping bag, most likely made from fur, lay near the corner. A small wooden bucket lay near there as well.


    I sigh. Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t get to use either of them.


    I realise it¡¯s a great chance to recollect my thoughts and figure things out from here.


    Let¡¯s analyse the situation once more: I¡¯m summoned to Elgia as a hero, but no one escorted me or anything of sorts. Therefore, I left the cathedral but mistakenly chanced upon their conversation and was caught as I¡¯m a suspected spy due to my clothes.


    So far, I know Alnd to be a pretty magical place. Since there exists a magic that can summon people from other worlds¡ªor dimensions, even¡ªthen this says a lot about Elgia too. This also means that there is other equally insane magical shit existing in Alnd, or even worse.


    Since Elgia is doing this sort of summoning, I¡¯m going to say that this place is in peril. That is not yet known, though those bastards at the ¡®Elgia Helm¡¯ will most likely know of it. Then, since this sort of summoning can exist in Elgia, it shows that Elgia has always possessed great magic. However, I have not seen anything magical yet in town, so I can¡¯t say for sure that Elgia is a ¡®magic-based¡¯ country.


    This place is still pretty medieval, so I¡¯m guessing that the technological advancement here isn¡¯t really based on science. That would mean that it will be based on magic. Since I hadn¡¯t seen anything such as motors, they probably don¡¯t exist here.


    Okay. So they also have pretty horrible legislation in place. No lawyers? No attorneys? Doesn¡¯t that mean that I have to argue for myself?


    Wait, there is no trial. That means I¡¯m going get fucked anyway. Okay, move on.


    I feel like I''m way too calm about all this.


    If I am to think about this even further, I¡¯m totally reacting to this as if it¡¯s supposed to happen. Just like how I was beaten and robbed of my money every day for their cigarettes. Just like how they can insult me, berate me, scold me, humiliate me¡­


    I shake my head, trying not to recall all the bad memories.


    I hear a cling.


    ¡°This is the one.¡±


    A brown-haired man, tall and dashing with a sharp nose and eyes looking like bright, enters the holding room. His armour is equally as bright as well, glimmering even under the candlelight. His steps are light and full of vigour. He quickly reaches the cell gate.


    Instantly, I feel uncomfortable, like prey being judged by a predator on whether it¡¯s worth to eat it now or later. I quickly avert my gaze, turning away and instinctively pulling my coat closer.


    ¡°Those clothes are foreign.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are right, Captain,¡± Melissa says, her tone gentle and lulling. This man would most likely by the ¡®Captain Gillard¡¯ that she mentioned just now.


    ¡°He¡¯s a spy.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ wait, yes?¡±


    My eyes widen in shock¡ªthough it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t expect this. I just didn¡¯t expect that I would be considered a spy this easily.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a spy,¡± Gillard says, ¡°It¡¯s obvious from his behaviour. He¡¯s averting my gaze, he¡¯s trembling and he¡¯s not trying to explain. His lips are tight because of obligations. He is dreadful spy.¡±


    Fuck no! I¡¯m averting my gaze because looking at other people straight in the eyes is awkward as fuck to me. I¡¯m trembling because I¡¯m slightly cold and because I¡¯m so nervous. I¡¯m not explaining because I already did to Melissa! My lips aren¡¯t sewed tight, damn it.


    ¡°Execute him at dusk and dispose of his body in secret.¡±


    ¡°Who shall be his executioner?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re free, you can take his head.¡±


    Melissa grins. ¡°As you wish, Captain.¡±


    The captain leaves the holding room and Melissa follows. Once again, the holding room is quiet except for my quick, shallow breaths. I can almost hear my heart beating in my chest.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    There is no option right now. Since those two won¡¯t listen to reason because of their belief that I¡¯m a spy, there is no other option¡­ unless¡­


    I can¡¯t prove that I¡¯m a hero! That sucks! If I can do that, then this would all be okay.


    Shit. Fucking Elgia. I get summoned, and this is what you put me through?


    I sigh. I must think calmly right now.


    If I can activate my Game Menu, I can most likely access my skills or find something very ¡®hero-like¡¯¡ªmaybe something that¡¯s game-breaking. In that same vein, I haven¡¯t felt anything ¡®hero-like¡¯ since I came here though. I was roughly expecting some kind of magic in me, or at least I can get my nagging back pain away from me¡­


    So, it¡¯s either I prove that I¡¯m a hero or I leave this place.


    Since I have no way of proving my identity, then I have to find my way out of this place.


    I have to escape.

 Chapter 2

    Ack!


    I quickly turn and flick my wrist, feeling a tingly sensation on my skin much like a slight static shock. The coldness of the metallic handcuff slowly dissipates. I realise the handcuffs have disappeared and I look at my hands, puzzled.


    Since you¡¯re supposed to unlock the handcuffs when you¡¯re detained, I guess this is their own method? A self-destructing method?


    I begin pacing about my bedroom-sized cell.


    The cell is cold, which means that this is probably a place that does not have heating¡ªthough I can¡¯t say for sure that they invented heating already. Since this place is supposedly magical, I guess they probably have some sort of magical heating tool during the cold?


    This cell is within a holding room that only has a small table and chair near the entrance, which is most likely a place where the guard will sit. The table is empty except for an unlit lamp. The only illumination in this cell is from the small window near the top of the wall, outside of my cell.


    Cold. Isolated. This holding room is definitely not just a holding room. Since the cell only has one bedroll and one bucket, it shows that this place is for only one person.


    I examine the bedroll, my fingers running through the fur. Like the cell, it¡¯s cold, but it¡¯s definitely very new. Either that, or it¡¯s untouched for a long time.


    I pick up the bucket, placing it close to my face, taking a whiff of the bottom.


    ¡°Seems like this bucket is totally unused¡ªor it has been replaced,¡± I mutter. ¡°What about the wall?¡±


    My fingers run along the wall, feeling for any wet spots or sticky areas.


    Nothing.


    I take off my shoes and feel the floor beneath my feet. I walk around the cell once more, feeling for any wetness or stickiness.


    Same! There¡¯s nothing!


    This brings new information to me: this cell is either used rarely or cleaned regularly.


    For it to be cleaned regularly, there must be a cause for use. So, this means that this cell held a lot of prisoners in the past, and probably last time as well. Yet, I don¡¯t think this is the case: if the cell is used regularly, then that means it¡¯s guarded frequently as well¡ªor at least, all the time. Why isn¡¯t there any guard? Why is the chair empty?


    Shit, I wish I can touch the chair. If the seat is warm, at least I know whether it¡¯s used or not¡­


    No matter. I can conclude that this cell is used really rarely.


    So what?


    Think, Sung Jae, think! Calm down. This is all new information. Let¡¯s think about this carefully. Rarely used cell, barely used bedroll, barely-used bucket, cold and dry holding room¡­


    ¡°Oi! What are you doing over there?¡±


    I quickly turn around, looking at the red-haired, haughty-looking Melissa.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I say, smiling. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your guard¡ªand executioner. You better prepare for your end.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Do I really not have a chance to explain to you my position and convince you otherwise?¡±


    The knight pulls the chair and sits on it. She places both of her legs on the table, then laying her sword on the wall. She leans back in the chair, back facing me.


    ¡°Nope,¡± comes the firm reply.


    Okay. So Elgia is a horrible place.


    So does this mean that these ¡®guards¡¯¡ªwell, police officers, in a modern sense¡ªhave the ability to judge their criminals? So, if this guy robbed someone, they can say that he actually committed something worse and execute him? These guards have that much power to even decide that I am to be executed, which also means that Elgia¡­


    I have to be insane to be their ¡®hero¡¯.


    Fuck! Back on topic: now that Melissa is here, I have a problem.


    I need to find out where exactly I am.


    ¡°Are you not cold?¡± I say.


    Melissa jumps a little. ¡°Uh, yeah, it is, but you¡¯ll be colder later on after I chop your head off.¡±


    Tsk. Seems like she¡¯s a terrible conversationalist with a bad sense of humour. It also seems like she wasn¡¯t expecting any conversation there. Let¡¯s push it a little.


    ¡°When will I be¡­ uh¡­ executed?¡± I say, trying not to let my voice tremble.


    ¡°Eh? That eager? Are you planning a breakout or something?¡±


    No shit, but I don¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Well,¡± she continues, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, it should be in six or seven hours¡¯ time. Captain Gillard has too many things to do than to waste time on someone like you. He¡¯s probably coming later to fetch us to the block.¡±


    I gulp. The block? Do they want to decapitate me with like, a huge axe or something? Or is this place advanced enough to have a guillotine?


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I say. ¡°Well, actually I wanted to ask something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why is this place so damn cold?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± She says. She stands up and turns the chair around, then sitting down while facing me. ¡°Do you expect a prison cell to have heating? This is the execution holding room, no less!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s funny how this ¡®execution holding room¡¯ is parked so near the mess hall,¡± I remark.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°It actually isn¡¯t,¡± she says, ¡°Seems like you¡¯re not aware of the spatial manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Spatial¡­¡± Then, it clicked. This means that the mess hall is the main thing one will see in the barracks. Other than that, everything else would be connected using spatial manipulation¡ªI¡¯m guessing some sort of portal will lead to this space.


    I wasn¡¯t aware of anything like that. Does this mean I¡¯m not perceptive to magic?


    ¡°I see¡­ Then you¡¯re no threat. If you don¡¯t even know about spatial manipulation, then you¡¯re really useless. What sort of spy are you? Whatever country it is that sent you, probably meant for you to die here. Not that I care, but that¡¯s poor planning.¡±


    ¡°Are you not curious about where I¡¯m from then? Don¡¯t you want to torture and get more information out of me?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point in doing that?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean what¡¯s the point?¡± I say, flabbergasted. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know what I know? Don¡¯t you want to use this information? I might know of something that¡¯s really critical to Elgia¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t even know about Fleuris¡¯s praying hours, then you¡¯re probably still foreign about Elgia. Seems like you need to research about Elgia better¡ªbut well, not like you have a chance to do that again.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± I mutter.


    She¡¯s not giving me any important information! It¡¯s clear that she¡¯s a very nationalistic moron and that Elgia is probably a very strong country¡­ so what? Okay, so according to their whatever-name-that-is code, they just execute the spies they arrested without giving them a fair trial. This probably has severe repercussions, but seeing how they aren¡¯t even remotely interested in where I¡¯m actually from, they probably executed hundreds of people this way.


    Silent. In secret.


    ¡°So, you never tortured a spy before? Not even one?¡±


    ¡°Nope. All the spies are usually killed on the spot. You¡¯re the first one we¡¯ve arrested this easily.¡±


    Seems like she¡¯s not the type to torture prisoners¡ªand that if I¡¯m a spy, I suck.


    ¡°So everyone else must not torture their spies as well?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ if you¡¯re bound by the code, then you must execute your prisoner. No questions asked.¡±


    Isn¡¯t that weird¡­ who in their right mind will give such good treatment? What if some country doesn¡¯t want to do that? Who is supervising this?


    Ah! What if I tell her¡­


    I shake my head. It¡¯s too big of a gamble. I might be wrong. She might not buy it.


    Whatever! I¡¯m a dead man if I don¡¯t try.


    ¡°Well, what if I told you that you¡¯re the only country that executes the spies?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I stop myself from smiling. The tone in that ¡®what¡¯ seems to indicate shock. I clear my throat and scoot nearer to the metal bars.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re only one doing all these¡­ should I say, kind executions? What if I told you everyone else is busy pulling out fingernails, dripping water on their foreheads, twisting their toes off¡ª¡°


    ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re the only one!¡± She exclaims, getting up from the chair. She walks up to the cell, nearing the bar. I inch a few steps back. ¡°Tell me! What do you mean we¡¯re the only one?¡±


    ¡°Well, my lips are sealed tight. That¡¯s all I can say.¡±


    Melissa paces about, her fist clenched and brows furrowed.


    ¡°Well¡­ I was just surprised, that¡¯s all,¡± I continue, ¡°just wanted to tell you before I die.¡±


    ¡°Which!¡± She says, grabbing the bar tightly. ¡°Which countries? Which empires? Which kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®which¡¯? I can¡¯t tell you, end of story. I can only say that Elgia is way too naive to even follow something like that. Think about it, who will follow such statutes and laws? Who will enforce such things? Are you supervising everything that the other countries are doing?¡±


    I shrug and scoot back, leaning against the wall.


    ¡°Well, any of those ¡®supervisors¡¯ you¡¯ve sent are probably left to hang dry in the desert anyway. It was fun while it lasted.¡±


    She grabs the hilt of her sword and unsheathes it from the scabbard. She walks up to the cell door and places a foot on the lock. She stomps on it once and I quickly roll back, avoiding the door flying past me. She stomps into the cell and before I can react, I feel the cold of metal against the soft, thin skin of my neck.


    ¡°Wait, wait! Let¡¯s calm down!¡± I protest, raising my hands. Shit! Did it backfire?


    How much more can I say?


    ¡°Spill the beans. Where are you really from? Who are the people involved? Who are the bastards who still torture their prisoners? Which uncivilised, uneducated motherfucker did it?¡±


    I can literally sense her anger growing as her blade sinks one millimetre deeper with each question. I try to adjust to it, inching my neck a bit further away, but her sword follows me without a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°Okay, fine! I¡¯ll tell you! Please put the blade away from me, I¡¯m going to be dead anyway, but at least let me live a little longer so I can say my last prayers later on.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± she puffed, removing her sword. ¡°Now, tell me, before I decide to kill you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Dremlin.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Fuck, did I pronounce it wrong? It¡¯s dreamt-lean but shorter, right? ¡°It¡¯s Dremlin! Dremlin! We still torture people there. All our prisoners die only because they are either on death row already or they were tortured to death.¡±


    Her pupils seem to widen.


    ¡°Well... that¡¯s really all I can say,¡± I mutter, letting my voice trail off. ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Despicable Dremlin. That Empire is still eyeing for a complete unification of Alnd under their banner! Elgia is clearly the main contender for unification. How dare they try and step up their military efforts¡ªand go against the international code, no less!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I say, laughing sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m not from Dremlin, though.¡±


    ¡°How did you know about this, then?¡±


    ¡°Well, okay, to put it simply, I am recruited by them,¡± I correct, ¡°But I¡¯m not born there. I¡¯m born in a land from the far East.¡±


    ¡°The far East? You¡¯re from Giron then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say, unhesitatingly, ¡°I am a traveler from Giron¡­ but I¡¯m still a spy for Dremlin after loads of circumstances.¡±


    Man, I¡¯m on a roll here! Lie after lie, bullshit after bullshit, I¡¯m way too deep to back out now. I have to find the exit in this hole that I dug¡ªthough this is just stupid. If only I mentioned that I was from the ¡®far East¡¯, perhaps this bitch wouldn¡¯t have arrested me for no reason.


    Melissa puts down her sword, the tip of the blade towards the floor. I heave a sigh of relief and feel for my neck, instantly touching something wet. I look at my finger, realising that I¡¯m bleeding slightly. How sharp is the blade? It cut me even though it¡¯s just brushing against my neck lightly!


    I better not push her too hard, lest I¡¯d get cut down at this very moment.


    The crinkles on her face only tell me that she¡¯s trying to make sense of this information. Seems like her nationalistic character got her thinking hard, eh? She¡¯s probably feeling shocked at first, then now she¡¯s angry as she broods over the matter. Imagine being so proud of your nation¡¯s ¡®clean execution¡¯, then realising that they¡¯re the stupid ones for doing that. How funny is that!


    Well now, it¡¯s results time. What will this mean for me?


    ¡°Are you going to tell me more, or not?¡±


    I give a short arrogant chuckle. ¡°Well¡­ what else do you want to know?¡±


    She ponders for a bit.


    ¡°I want to know who¡¯s involved. I want to know what they do. I want to know why they¡¯re going against the code.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you stepping over your boundaries here? From what I know, you¡¯re not a Captain.¡±


    Melissa clicks her tongue in disapproval. ¡°I have my own authority here.¡±


    ¡°Well, unless you¡¯re Captain ¡®Gillard¡¯, then I¡¯ll listen. If not, you can just cut me down here right now and lose all your information. My lips are sealed.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Her exasperation is clear, but that¡¯s how it is. She¡¯s not getting jack shit from me¡ªthough, up till now, they¡¯ve all been blatant lies. Not that she¡¯s smart enough to know that they are.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Captain Gillard! You, stay here¡ªwell, you can¡¯t escape the spatial magic anyways. It¡¯s one-way for you. Well, just don¡¯t leave this holding room! I¡¯ll get him.¡±


    ¡°Aye, aye, not-captain,¡± I say, snickering.


    Melissa raises her sword. I stare into her eyes, goading her with my glare. She gulps and looks at her sword, then putting it away and leaving the cell in an angry, hurrying stomp.


    ¡°Well, time to move.¡±

 Chapter 3

    The first logical step is to find out where exactly I am in the barracks.


    I make my first move, walking out of the holding room and entering a corridor. The flame of burning torches hung on the wall illuminates the small space. There is no sign of Melissa, but it is difficult to pinpoint where she had gone. It¡¯s difficult to understand how the barracks work when it doesn¡¯t make sense when compared to the modern¡ªas in, real-world police stations. It would seem that the barracks also house prisoner complexes and services, but I hadn¡¯t seen one yet after what feels like hours¡¯ of walking silently.


    I scratch my head as I turn a sharp corner, wondering if this corridor will end.


    A black screen hovers near me¡ªwhich I deduce is brought up when I raised my hand¡ªand I instinctively tap on it. Knowing about it going to fail won¡¯t stop me, but I¡¯m still disappointed when it shudders and stays blank. I sigh.


    Where¡¯s the deus ex machina here? If we go according to how most ¡®anti-hero¡¯ plots go, I, the protagonist is in a very dangerous and unfair situation. So, this will make me either hate the world or hold a sense of very different morality from normal humans. Usually, they also have some kind of undiscovered power that makes them really overpowered.


    Let¡¯s see here¡­ no tutorial, bad start, might have to prematurely end my tenure here in this world¡­ I¡¯m in a bad situation alright. Okay, moving on¡­ I hate Elgia, I hate these guards and I don¡¯t want to be a hero¡­ okay, I hate the world and have my own sense of morality.


    Where¡¯s my undiscovered power?


    I stare at the blank Game Menu.


    ¡°Fucking bullshit!¡± I yell, punching the Game Menu.


    The Game Menu shudders as if mocking my exasperation.


    Calm down, Sung Jae.


    I collect my thoughts once more.


    Where¡¯s the spatial manipulation that the bitch mentioned earlier? What could that spatial manipulation mean? Does it mean that the holding room¡ªand maybe this maze of corridors¡ªis within a different space?


    That seems plausible. From what I know about spatial manipulation¡ªwell, strictly speaking, what I know from anime, comics, and movies, spatial manipulation should refer to a change in a ¡®space¡¯, which can be in a different dimension or within the same. If this whole area is within a totally different space¡­


    I¡¯d have no way of getting out.


    Or do I?


    If I¡¯m in a totally different space, then I must have come through a ¡®door¡¯.


    I met the floating woman before I came to Elgia, which means I was in a totally different space¡ªbut hell, I reckon that I was in a wholly different dimension from Alnd. I stepped through a portal and came to the dimension that holds Alnd, thereby reaching Elgia. In the same vein, I must have stepped through a portal to enter this holding area if there was spatial manipulation.


    If that¡¯s really the case, where¡¯s the portal that I supposedly stepped through?


    Is there a gap in my memories that I¡¯m unaware of?


    With each question that I ask myself, I feel my heart rate rising. I quickly take a deep breath, regaining my composure. I inhale and exhale again, feeling a wave of calmness wash over me in after a few moments.


    Let¡¯s start the thought train again.


    If I retrace my steps from the mess hall to this holding area, I can only vaguely remember turning a corner after exiting the mess hall. I was held by Melissa, led down a corridor and I somehow reached here¡­ which means somewhere, I must have stepped through a portal. Otherwise, why would this dimly lit corridor seem like a strange, unfamiliar place?


    Then that would mean only one thing, but I have to confirm this. The only way to do that is to go down all the corridors and see where they take me.


    I sigh, knowing how much gambling I¡¯ve done. Maybe my undiscovered power is luck in adversity? I guess that¡¯s a neat power, but frankly, I¡¯d rather not have adversity at all¡­


    Once more, I exhale deeply, wondering if I¡¯m ever going to see the light of day again.


    ***


    It has been several minutes.


    I turn left, walking down a corridor looking exactly the same as the previous one. It is still devoid of life with neither guards nor prisoners to be seen. I can hear the faint crackle of flames on the torches along with the echoes of my coughs when I clear my throat. My heart beats faster, pushing me to pick up the pace and do a brisk walk.


    The texture of the bricks vary, but they are all similar to touch: cold, hard and rough. The coldness of the holding area also seems to be similar. Yet, the flames still burn, albeit lacklustre in its dance atop the oiled paper.


    ¡°Jesus, how long is this going to go?¡± I say, thinking out loud.


    I wonder if there are surveillance cameras¡ªor magic, to put it aptly¡ªin this world. Perhaps, some sick fuck is looking at me through them, laughing my desperation to escape the area. Perhaps, I¡¯m being watched, and the reason that nothing is happening is that they wanted to give me a chance to escape, just so they can take it all away when it seems that it is within grasp.


    ¡°I¡¯m overthinking,¡± I say, literally shaking my head to shake off those thoughts.


    Calm down, Sung Jae, you can do this.


    It¡¯s funny. Why is there such a corridor built if everyone can just use spatial manipulation? The bitch said that it¡¯s one-way for me, which means that I can probably only enter this area but I can¡¯t leave this place at will, unlike here.


    Which doesn¡¯t make sense!


    This might support my hypothesis.


    You need light if you can¡¯t see in the dark, that¡¯s a given. So, in this medieval world, there isn¡¯t any lightbulb, so a torch is used. You burn a torch to light the way before you, holding it while you go down whatever path you¡¯re going down. If you see torches on the wall, you will burn them too, just so you can see better with more illumination.


    Torches don¡¯t burn indefinitely. They¡¯ll definitely give off exponentially less light over time. The torches that I¡¯ve seen are all giving off dim lights, barely lighting up the corridors.


    Since these torches are hanging on the walls, then these torches are meant to guide. The holding area is meant to detain and keep criminals on death row, so that means they aren¡¯t meant to guide the criminals. It¡¯s the other way around.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    It¡¯s to guide people to the criminals.


    Then why is there this corridor then?


    That bitch of a guard mentioned that it¡¯s a one-way trip for me. That must refer to the portal and not the holding area! Since they are sensitive to magic, they are most likely allowed to use magic because of that existing sensitivity. Which means they can freely enter and exit this holding area since they can detect the portal that will allow them to do so.


    I have been thinking wrongly!


    Her way of putting it makes it seem that everyone in Elgia has an aptitude for magic. In all likelihood, the guards are most likely able to use magic in different degrees.


    What if, there are people who can¡¯t use magic?


    It¡¯s completely plausible¡ªthough it¡¯s only because I don¡¯t know the history of Alnd or Elgia. But let¡¯s not think of that. I¡¯m going to assume that my conclusion is right.


    If that¡¯s the case, what if there¡¯s a guard¡ªor just someone, in general, who¡¯s responsible for the holding area that doesn¡¯t have any aptitude for magic? Or at least, it¡¯s so weak that he can¡¯t even use the portal that supposedly connects the mess hall to this holding area?


    Then, that means this corridor is meant for those who don¡¯t have magic! I need to confirm that...


    Shit! Doesn¡¯t that mean this might lead to somewhere real?


    If that¡¯s really the case here, then I might have a chance after all, albeit slim. What if everyone in Elgia can use magic? What if spatial manipulation is a basic magic skill? What if this world works differently from all the novels that I¡¯ve read before?


    What if¡­


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I say, clearing my thoughts instantly. ¡°I can¡¯t think negatively now."


    I take a deep breath, calming myself.


    There¡¯s only one thing left to do now: walk faster and clear the corridors as soon as I can.


    While clinging on to that sliver of hope I forged in my head, my footsteps seem to become lighter and the corridors seemingly growing shorter. After a few minutes of brisk walking, I find myself tugging at my coat, pulling it closer. I take a deep breath and exhale, realising that I can see my breath. I exhale again, watching it in fascination.


    ¡°It¡¯s this cold¡­¡± I say, breathing against my palms, warming my hands.


    Wait, why is it getting this cold?


    From what I remember, below four feet, the temperature is likely to stay around 10 degrees Celcius¡ªbut I¡¯m in Elgia, so will this matter? I guess it roughly applies¡­


    It¡¯s freezing.


    I look up, realising that the torches are getting dimmer, some of them doused by droplets of water dripping from the walls. I quickly retrace my steps, grabbing a torch with my right. I grab another one with my left, extinguishing the flame against the wall, then grasping it tightly, turning it into a short, most likely ineffective, wooden club.


    If not for the crackle of flames, the walk would¡¯ve been deafeningly silent and the corridors would¡¯ve been shrouded in darkness. The claustrophobia-inducing walls do not help in this situation, making me take my steps with caution, my paranoia going full blast as I look behind every ten seconds or so.


    Fuck, I regret watching horror movies back at home.


    I raise my torch, extending my hand as far as I can, revealing a sharp right turn. The shadows from the walls spread their shrouds onto the corner walls, fading away as my torch reaches them. I stare into the darkness as if looking into the abyss, my heart beating faster with each second of doubt and fear.


    I gulp.


    ¡°You can do this, Sung Jae,¡± I mutter, repeating the sentence over and over again in my head.


    I take one step forward with the tip of my torch pointing into the darkness. My grip on the club tightens with each step. My footsteps get heavier as my breath becomes shallower and quicker. My heart beats faster as I give cursory glances at the walls. In my head, I pray, wishing for the flames of my torch to burn brightly so as long as I¡¯m walking.


    Then, the sigh of the wind.


    I¡¯m blind.


    Pitch-black.


    Fuck.


    Fuck.


    Fuck!


    Holy fuck!


    I take a few steps, not knowing what I¡¯m stepping on and where I¡¯m going. Am I facing the right way? Where am I going? Why am I here? Where¡¯s the exit? Is something in the darkness? I¡¯m going to die, right? Where the fuck am I? Shit!


    Shit!


    I¡¯m panicking. Calm down. The darkness isn¡¯t the thing that will kill you. If there¡¯s something in the darkness that will kill me, so be it. Right now, I need to escape from the bitch and her captain who will definitely chop my head off if they found me. Either way, I¡¯m going to die, I might as well take this small little chance.


    No, the darkness is most likely because of there is a lack of use. The corridors are unused, that¡¯s why the torches aren¡¯t replaced. That¡¯s why it¡¯s not illuminated. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. This is within the barracks! How can there be anything here?


    With that reasoning in my mind, my heart rate drops, slowing down to a comfortable rate. I wonder how many years of my lifespan were shaved off just now.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s move.¡±


    With renewed vigour, my steps become light once again and I hurry down the corridor. My steps echo, the soles of my boots tapping noisily on the brick floor.


    Ping!


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Instinctively, I move my hand a few inches from my hip. My unlit torch hits against something, shocking me for a moment. I realise it¡¯s the Game Menu.


    ¡°Fuck, why is it out?¡±


    I ignore it and quicken my pace, breaking my brisk walk and going into a walk-jog sort of movement. I then realise that I could¡¯ve gone back to grab another torch, but it¡¯s too late. I turn around, realising that only darkness is behind me. My heart rate shoots up again and I turn back, making a short dash.


    Then, about a few hundred metres away from me, a small orb of light appears, hovering in the air.


    I squint, realising that it¡¯s not an orb.


    ¡°It¡¯s an exit.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Gillard says.


    He¡¯s usually calm and collected. During a battle, his companions have mentioned that just the mere presence of him calms them down, forcing them to judge their situation objectively without adrenaline coursing through their veins. Due to that, Captain Gillard is hailed as a sort of demigod and lucky charm, sought after by many battalions intending to replace their own captains with him.


    It¡¯s the first time Melissa saw Gillard this angry. Standing up from his chair, hands gripping against the table so tight she can see him exerting strength, crushing the wood slowly underneath his fingers. Splinters of wood zip across the air as his grip tightens.


    Melissa gulps, wondering if this is the same Captain Gillard, yet at the same time she understands his anger; she shares the same sentiments as her vice-captain.


    ¡°That¡¯s what he said,¡± Melissa says, her head looking down on the floor. ¡°You have to come. He doesn¡¯t want to spill any information if you didn¡¯t go. He only wishes to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at the death-row holding areas.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ left him there? Is he bound?¡±


    Melissa gulps again, realising how stupid she was when she made that decision. Why did I leave him there? Couldn¡¯t I have brought him here with me? Why did I choose to do that?


    She sighs. ¡°I apologise, Captain.¡±


    Captain Gillard releases his grip on the table, then exhaling deeply.


    ¡°No matter. Right now, the priority is to get to him. I don¡¯t expect him to be waiting in the cell quietly, so he will most likely explore the vaults.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologise,¡± Gillard says, walking up to Melissa and gripping her shoulder.


    Melissa feels her heart rate gradually slowing down and her breaths deeper and slower.


    ¡°Bring a few men with us.¡±


    Melissa raises a brow. ¡°Huh? Why? Aren¡¯t we only catching one man?¡±


    ¡°Have you not been to the catacombs?¡±


    Melissa shakes her head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand when we get there, but right now, I don¡¯t have time to explain to you. We have to hurry. Gather the men in a few minutes and we¡¯ll leave to fetch him.¡±


    ¡°In a few minutes? That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s so fast! I don¡¯t know if anyone is in a mobilisation-ready mode right now.¡±


    Captain Gillard gestures for Melissa to follow.


    ¡°We have to hurry¡­ if we¡¯re not there quick enough¡­¡±


    ¡°He might die.¡±

 Chapter 4

    ¡°Move it, move it!¡±


    The captain¡¯s worry is obvious; the slight tremble in his voice while trying to commandeer half-asleep men is clear. On the sidelines, Melissa watches him with guilt, wondering if this would¡¯ve been prevented if she didn¡¯t kick down the door in her haste.


    ¡°Melissa, get moving!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡± She replies, feeling her body go stiff.


    She hurries over to the small squadron of men, each of them yawning and looking irritated. Captain Gillard is in the front, leading them with a loud and clear voice. Melissa feels the twinge in her heart once again as her eyes gaze upon his back. She looks away, focusing on the greaves of the man before her.


    ¡°Where are we going, Captain? Seems urgent but you only mobilised a few people.¡±


    Captain Gillard clicked his tongue in disapproval.


    ¡°There¡¯s a breakout of a spy and he has very important information that we need to have.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Another man pipes up. ¡°Don¡¯t we execute our spies? Why is he still alive?¡±


    ¡°I arranged for the execution to be at dusk, not immediate. In any case, shut your mouth. We¡¯re going down to the catacombs and I¡¯m not having one of you noisy dimwits wake up the residents.¡±


    ¡°Catacombs?¡±


    It instantly clicks in Melissa¡¯s head.


    ***


    The orb of light seems to form the shape of a doorway.


    I quicken my footsteps, motivated by this light and the eagerness to leave the darkness. I realise that even as I got closer, that short-lived breeze that extinguished my torch flames did not reappear. The air is still dry and stale.


    Somehow, that raises an alarm in me.


    In any case, the best thing to do right now is to investigate this exit.


    ¡°Is that¡­?¡±


    I¡¯ve played enough games to know where the doorway leads to. I can see light in the corridors, illuminated by burning braziers, torches and lanterns hanging on the walls. I quickly rush in, enthused about leaving the long, winding corridors.


    Yet somehow, the alarm in my heart isn¡¯t going away.


    Perhaps, I still need to stay on my toes.


    As I walk down the corridor, I realise that this place has its own beauty. Murals and inscriptions are on the wall, presented either in darker stones or blood-red paint¡ªor blood, perhaps, but I shudder at the thought of it. The floors are solid, marble-like stones, the veining thick and dark.


    The corridor itself, however, is much like the dark corridors that lead from my cell. Cold, dry and stale, the air seems less breathable than before.


    My ears perk up.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    My heart rate starts to pick up again. Adrenaline courses through my veins once more. I frantically look around, turning left and right, wondering what sort of thing would make such a noise.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    That¡¯s when I see it.


    I quickly rush over to the wall, squatting down and covering my mouth in case I let out a scream. My eyes are widening. My skin is crawling. My hands are trembling. I quickly put down the wooden club, holding the extinguished torch with one hand. I take a deep breath, spending a few seconds in one breath, then holding it for a few more seconds. Then, I exhale. After a few cycles, I feel my heart rate slow down again.


    I hear another creak.


    This really is another world after all.


    At that moment, it suddenly clicks in me. For all this while, I had been looking at this world as if I was a tourist. I would go sightseeing, then I would leave this place after a while. I had no attachment to this world and to the life that I was given.


    Right now? I¡¯m well aware of how weak I am.


    If I¡¯m a strong hero, perhaps I could go in swinging my sword or bashing my shield. Maybe, I can throw fireballs and shoot lightning bolts from afar¡ªthat seems to be more of my style, but heck, I¡¯m now a weak, pathetic, human being with nothing but a short wooden stick in hand. No tutorial, no pause, no restart. If I die here, I don¡¯t even know if I can go back to the real world or not.


    Why am I thinking about the real world?


    Is it because I feel safe there? That I don¡¯t have to do anything, yet I can still maintain my lifestyle? Is it because I don¡¯t have to face this sort of dangers?


    Do I miss home?


    Fuck that place!


    Screw it. Screw it!


    I peek from a corner, noticing thick, metallic greaves. The metal itself is dark, much like granite, yet looking firmer and sturdier. Much like the walls, blood-red inscriptions can be seen on it, though it looks like the paint has dried up considerably.


    Wearing the greaves, however, is a¡­ skeleton.


    How the fuck does that make sense? A zombie? No. It¡¯s a goddamned skeleton! It¡¯s a skeleton, live and breathing¡ªno, they probably don¡¯t breathe¡­


    It¡¯s Elgia. It¡¯s a magical world with things such as spatial manipulation. If I can believe that you can connect a portal to teleport from one place to another, then I can believe that there can be skeletons wearing greaves and gauntlets, walking around in a corridor, making creaking noises with each step it takes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a skeleton.¡±


    At that moment, I feel a surge in me. Is it courage? Is it bravado? Can I really take down a skeleton? If I think about, this skeleton looks the same as the model in biology class. One time, one of the girls in class bumped into the skeleton and it fell. The model fell apart since the glue dried up a long time ago, and she had to stay back and piece it together or she had to buy a new one for class.


    Wait.


    What if this is totally different? This skeleton might have stronger bones. Heck, it might not even fall apart if I don¡¯t apply considerable strength. Plus, it¡¯s alive. It can walk. It can move. Its¡¯ hands are free. If I charge for the skeleton without a plan, it might actually fight back.


    Yet, when you come down to it, it¡¯s just bones. They¡¯re bones, connected by joints. Those joints creak when it walks. The only thing that I have to be wary of is the gauntlets and greaves. If it decides to smash me with them I¡¯d most likely meet my end here.


    Fuck. What do I do? Do I charge?


    There¡¯s no sneaking around this one.


    The skeleton stands within a small, square room. Ceramic urns, painted in different colours, are placed around the room. Besides that, the area is bare and devoid of any form of decoration.


    I look at my extinguished torch.


    Can I burn this skeleton down?


    I never understood why skeletons are always susceptible to flames. I know cremation can vaporise and deteriorate bones, but it doesn¡¯t work that way in real life. You can¡¯t just burn down a skeleton and then watch it become ash: it¡¯s not like the temperatures of the flames will reach over a thousand degrees Celcius¡­


    Flames are out. Perhaps, if I wielded some sort of flame-shooting tool, or if I¡¯m a flame-shooter myself¡ªno, let¡¯s not think about that. Right now, what stands between me and my exit is a skeleton looking left and right.


    I look at my torch.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I mutter. ¡°Here goes.¡±


    All those home workouts at home better be useful right now!


    The skeleton turns around, exposing the back of its head. I quickly emerge from the wall. I take one deep breath and ready myself. With a war cry¡ªin my head¡ªI sprint for the skeleton, raising my club.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I blurt. ¡°Fuck you!¡±


    I bring my club down, smashing against the bones. I can feel the collision creating huge vibrations, reaching my hands and resonating within my bones. The skeleton stumbles forward, then turning back.


    Before it can turn back I raise my foot and stomp at its spine.


    I hear a crack as the skeleton falls onto the floor, unable to react in time. I rush forward, realising that this is my chance, and I repeat my stomping. Left leg on the spine. Right leg on the ribs. Left leg. Right leg. Left¡­ Right¡­


    At this moment, I feel like a king.


    Fucking Elgia! This place sucks balls! I hadn¡¯t had a good meal, hadn¡¯t had a cup of water, hadn¡¯t had time to rest¡­ No one adjusted me to this place, no one gave me an objective, no one gave instructions. I¡¯m on my own in this bloody strange place. Where are my companions that I will somehow meet during the journey? Where¡¯s my overpowered, undiscovered power that I must hide from the masses?


    You¡¯re the fucking problem here! Fucking skeleton! Eat my shit! Die! Die!


    With pure rage boiling in me, I feel my left foot land on the floor, realising that the skeleton¡¯s spine has snapped a while ago while I was welling in my anger.


    The skeleton, with its torso, attempts to crawl away, grabbing at the floor with its hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say, ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to do this. It¡¯s not like I want to kill you. You¡¯re already dead anyway, you¡¯re the undead. You¡¯re not supposed to be alive.¡±


    With that, I grab the bottom of its skull, feeling the cold of its bones. My other hand grabs the hyoid bone, connecting the head to its torso at the neck. I take a deep breath, feeling the skeleton twitching and trying to turn. The hands of the skeletons are flailing about, frantic and in panic.


    Like wringing a towel, I twist the skull to the left and the neck to the right.


    Not budging.


    No matter. Again!


    Again!


    Ag¡ª


    Snap.


    The skeleton stops moving.


    So, the skeleton dies when the head is severed from the torso?


    That¡¯s much like a zombie¡ªor at least, that¡¯s much like the zombies I¡¯ve read and seen in movies.


    Now that I look at it, the skeleton seems to be less threatening. No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s just a pile of bones. The only thing that scared me was the fact that this never existed in the real world. Just like how horror movies scare me, it¡¯s the fact that we usually don¡¯t believe that ghosts or abominations exist in the world. Or maybe they do.


    Who knows? The point is, this bastard existed in fiction. Right now, I cannot think like that. Things in Eliga are totally different. Magic. Skeletons. Portals. Gods. I must take in everything as if they are true first before doubting them.


    Now that I¡¯m embracing that skeleton exists, this does not scare me anymore. I¡¯m not afraid of a walking skeleton, roaming the corridors with its creaking bones and dark, metallic greaves.


    I¡¯m afraid of losing my life.


    ***


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    The captain rushes forward, his sword glowing brightly. In one swing, the captain cuts off the head of the skeleton. The force throws the skull a few metres away and it smashes against the wall. The captain finishes the skeleton off with a front kick and what¡¯s left of the skeleton falls apart, leaving only a pile of bones on the floor.


    ¡°Captain, there¡¯s more coming!¡±


    The drone of bones creaking and jarring noises as their swords collide against one another come together in a cacophony, debilitating the inexperienced and unwise guards. Unable to stand their ground, some of them throw their helmets on the floor, hurrying back to where they came from in a flash. Some of the others, however, are more afraid of the Captain than their undead opponents, forcing them to take deep breaths as they steady themselves for the clash.


    ¡°Get ready!¡± Gillard signals, the hilt of his sword an arm¡¯s length away from his head.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming! They¡¯re coming!¡±


    One of the skeletons strays from the pack, charging forward on its own accord with a long, dark, metal sword. It opens its mouth as it rushes forward, giving a silent war cry.


    ¡°Take them down!¡±


    Gillard charges forward in response, swinging his sword in an orbital movement. His sword collides with the skeleton¡¯s ribcage, sending it stumbling sideways. At that moment, he launches himself with his left feet, spinning sideways and landing a kick right at the skeleton¡¯s temple. The skeleton falls, crashing onto the ground.


    Melissa rushes for the skeleton and delivers a stomp, smashing the bones underneath her greaves. She relishes in the sickening sound, feeling a tingle in her nerves.


    The two¡¯s swift takedown of the skeleton pumps what¡¯s left of the guards with adrenaline and vigour. They quickly take up arms and charge forward as well, throwing themselves into the tempest of battle-hungry skeletons. Skulls begin to fly as the guards swing at them with maces and axes, while the others armed with finer swords stomp the skeletons back to the underworld.


    And in several minutes, the raging storm of undead is now reduced to lonely piles of bone.


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s fucking scary,¡± one of the guards mutter.


    ¡°Thank Fleuris we lived through that,¡± another agrees.


    They then laugh, jesting behind their Captain and Vice-Captain, wondering out loud if they¡¯re going to meet more skeletons as they go deeper. Some become complacent, going so far as to claim that they may be a hero.


    The Captain ignores them, noting that since the morale is high, there is no point to dampen their spirits as they continue their search in the catacombs.


    ¡°We might meet stronger opponents, dimwits,¡± Melissa pipes up in anger, ¡°Don¡¯t get too ahead of yourselves!¡±


    ¡°Ah fu¡ªyes, yes, Vice-Captain¡­¡±


    Melissa looks on at them with a smirk, her smug expression irking the previously self-absorbed men.


    ¡°Melissa is right,¡± Gillard reiterates, ¡°You must not let your guard down. We¡¯re only in this situation because of a real loudmouth in our midst. Thank Fleuris that he escaped before we started fighting the horde, or I¡¯d have thrown him into the skeletons as a meat shield.¡±


    The guards gulp, making a mental note to shut up when Captain Gillard tells them to.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on, the holding area shouldn¡¯t be that far away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ***


    Now that I¡¯ve beaten the skeleton, what do I now?


    The path out from this small square room leads to another room at the far end of the corridor. A chandelier with candles dangles from a rusted chain a good ten metres or so from the floor. Besides that, nothing else seems out of ordinary, the room looking very much the same as the one I¡¯m in right now.


    A large bone¡ªprobably the femur bone, rolls over to my feet. I kick it aside, noting that back in the real world, doing this would most likely be disrespectful to the dead. Here in Elgia? The dead fucking came to life! What¡¯s there to respect? Who cares!


    In my fit, I find myself walking down the new pathway. I look to my sides, realising the walls are filled with mounds made of soil and clay.


    I pat on one of them.


    Seems like the type of burial mounds that you can find in the Philippines, the ones where they have the coffins in the mountains or something. It¡¯s hanging on the side like these mounds.


    This place should be some sort of catacombs.


    That¡¯s why it¡¯s so cold here! The temperature is suitable to preserve their bones for a longer time, but I guess this is the result of some kind of magic. Necromancy? It has always come off as a sort of cold, chilling magic, devoid of life and soul. Maybe it¡¯s that.


    Who knows?


    Right now, the objective is to get out of this place as fast as I can. Fighting the skeleton has drained my stamina considerably after the adrenaline flushes out of my system. The crash after the rush comes quick, causing me to wonder if I can ever do that again. If another skeleton pops out of nowhere, armed or not, will I able to pulverise it like just now?


    No time to think. Move. Move. Move.


    The pathway leads to a room that¡¯s similar to the square room I was in. Ceramic urns are scattered around the floor, some of them overturned. A large metal cabinet filled with thin, yellowish paper stands near the next doorway.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just move, let¡¯s just move.¡±


    Go forward, move quickly, avoid fights.


    At my current state, I now realise how rash I was to choose to fight. How was I so sure about winning the fight? Was I motivated by my lack of understanding? Is it perhaps because I embraced death a long time ago, that I could willingly throw my life away just to gamble it on one chance?


    I¡¯ll never do it again. Not while I¡¯m only armed with a pathetic, wooden club, which existed as a torch hanging on a wall just a while ago.


    I need a better weapon.


    Do I have magic?


    I look at the Game Menu, noticing a small round circle on the top right corner. The center of the circle seems to align itself directly on the edge of the menu. I pull up the Game Menu, bringing it closer to me, examining the circle.


    It¡¯s a dark red, somewhat burgundy, with a white number in the middle.


    ¡°Two¡­?¡±


    What¡¯s this? What is the meaning of this? It looks just like a notification bubble on the smartphone¡ªwait, maybe it is! Maybe it is a notification bubble after all.


    Damn. If only I can unlock this Game Menu.


    No matter. No matter.


    When I leave this place, the first thing I have to do is to find a way to unlock this Game Menu. Then I¡¯ll go around the world, sightseeing, eating the best foods, bedding the best girls¡­


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    Stop daydreaming, dumbass! Let¡¯s get a move on so I can live that dream!


    ¡°That¡¯s the last of¡ªno, there¡¯s more! On guard, men! Defend!¡±


    Wait.


    That¡¯s the voice of a man.


    And it¡¯s oddly familiar.


    I feel my heart sink for a moment.


    Bloody hell, don¡¯t tell me...?


    I hurry over to the door, stretching my neck out, peeking from the side of the wall.


    Skeletons, tall and mighty, stand with shields and swords, deep in a heated battle between the ¡®guards¡¯. I quickly scan them, noting a total of five guards and twenty skeletons. Some of the skeletons are standing around, waiting on the sidelines, as if substitutes for a football match.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Then, I see it. One man, without a helmet on, merely combining swordplay and martial arts, swinging his sword and kicking the skeletons like stubbing out the flames of candles. One woman, without a helmet on, here ponytail flailing as she fights, her movements animated yet controlled, the thrusts of her sword seemingly finding the right spots to stab through, cutting the skeletons down in quick fashion.


    Seems like it''s not just the head that''s the weak spot; the whole skeleton itself is a walking dummy.


    Wait... what''s...?


    Brown hair.


    Black hair.


    Oh fuck.

 Chapter 5

    I feel my legs rooting underground.


    At my frozen, shocked state, I find myself admiring this sword-dance by the brown-haired knight. His parries don¡¯t seem to take that much energy out of him as if blocking the swings of a child. Even if he¡¯s swinging that sword, somehow he can still find the right positioning to land his sweeping kicks, which sends skulls flying and crushing ribcages as if they are a sponge.


    On the other hand, there¡¯s the black-haired girl, swinging her sword wildly and yelling as she battles. She crushes the skeletons with the hilt of her sword, then landing powerful forward stomps, toppling her opponents.


    ¡°Just a bit more!¡± She bellows, her voice somehow greater than the clangs of swords and grunts of men.


    What can I possibly do now?


    If they catch me, what am I going to say? A prisoner breaking out should be some sort of heinous crime here¡ªand if they find out that I¡¯m lying¡­ I guess that¡¯s no big deal, since I¡¯m going to die either by humans or skeletons, but I¡¯d at least prefer to be struck down in battle rather than to be executed in foreign lands.


    Is there no way to escape this situation?


    Think, Sung Jae, think!


    Only eight skeletons remain. A few of them are disarmed, but the others are wielding menacing-looking swords. The guards are outnumbered, but they aren¡¯t outmatched in terms of fighting abilities. This battle shouldn¡¯t take too long.


    I reckon I only have about a minute or so to get going. Within this one minute, I must think of a way to escape and slip through this battle. There must be some sort of way for me to do that! If only there¡¯s a way for me to mix in¡­ and hide right under their noses¡­


    There isn¡¯t any kind of hidden space back there, right? The rooms were bare and the corridors are all one-way. So hiding is out. I must face them headfirst.


    I can¡¯t fight them. I haven¡¯t got the balls for that and I am as well-equipped as a newborn baby. I¡¯d die in an instant if I go head-to-head.


    What if I leverage on the fact that I hold ¡®precious information¡¯? Maybe they¡¯ll listen to me? Let¡¯s simulate this: I go up to them, surrender myself, then¡­ I¡¯d still have to figure out a way to escape! What¡¯s the point of trying to escape then, when I could¡¯ve just waited for death in the cell?


    Let¡¯s throw that out of the window.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    One of the guards falls back, stumbling onto the ground.


    ¡°Stay back!¡±


    The skeletons are reviving! The piles of bones are coming together as if someone pressed the rewind button on their deaths; in a few seconds, there are more skeletons, formed from bones and ash. There must be more than twenty skeletons now! It¡¯s going to get dangerous.


    That¡¯s better for me! If they¡¯re preoccupied with the battle, then they wouldn¡¯t have enough eyes to check their surroundings. They would focus on their opponents and try to survive instead of trying to catch me, right?


    But I can think that way. Both the top brass in this squad of guards are pretty perceptive. It might be possible that they can focus on multiple things at once. I¡¯d rather not underestimate their fighting abilities.


    So, they must focus on the battle for me to slip through.


    What if they focus on something else? Is there anything else for them to concentrate on so they won¡¯t pay attention to me? Can the battle get more heated? Perhaps, they¡¯ll get injured during the fight and start to pay more attention to the skeletons?


    Focus on something else¡­ Focus¡­


    Wait!


    I quickly turn, forcing myself out of the shocked state and creeping back to the square room. I turn to the right, facing the tall, metal cabinet. I notice two drawers at the bottom and quickly tug at them, pulling them out to reveal stacks of yellowish paper, similar to the ones lying on the shelves and the floor.


    Near the left wall, I spot a brazier, the flames burning strong.


    Hmm¡­


    I peek from the doorway again, realising that the battle is still way too far from me.


    I quickly set up the papers, placing them to form a large circle. At the corners, I stack the papers in a messy manner, making sure that they are ¡®connected¡¯ to the circle with more paper.


    I need still more!


    I discover a few unlit torches, the oil-paper still soaked in oil. Are they still flammable? Oil shouldn¡¯t have some kind of expiry date, right? I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s test it out.


    I bring the torch to the brazier, lighting up the oil paper and burning the top of the torch.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    With the torch in hand, I rush out of the room.


    Can I do this? Am I able to do¡ªheck, if I¡¯m able to muster enough courage to go against a fucking skeleton, I can fucking do anything! I can fly! I can finally get laid!


    I take a deep breath, feeling the air within my lungs.


    ¡°Oi! Come and fucking get it, motherfuckers!¡±


    One of the skeletons instantly reacts¡ªwhich shocks me a little, since I still doubt that they can hear when they don¡¯t have any organs, though it shouldn¡¯t be surprising since these bastards even exist in the first place. The other skeletons turn around as well, some of them giving silent war cries.


    Then, the first skeleton to notice advances, raising its sword high up and charging towards¡­me?


    Wait! That¡¯s not how it¡¯s supposed to work!


    ¡°Help!¡± I say, changing my stance. ¡°The skeletons are coming to get me!¡±


    The captain doesn¡¯t seem to notice¡­ I need to do something, and fast!


    ¡°Help!¡± I yell at the top of my lungs, straining my throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! It¡¯s the spy!¡±


    I wave my torch at him. The captain gestures at his guards, who immediately make a dash for me. Their war cries distract the skeletons on their way towards me. Instantly, the battle begins, the skeletons seemingly able to parry their strikes. Naturally, the guards, who are already exhausted, start to falter.


    One of the guards charges for the skeleton before him. At that moment, he produces superhuman strength, somehow managing to push the skeleton back. The skeleton doesn¡¯t give up, exerting more strength¡ªnot that I can see it, but it looks like it¡ªand suppressing the guard.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    I duck instinctively, realising that I just dodged a sword¡¯s sweeping strike. I try and inch away but I¡¯m frozen in fear. I look up, wondering why the skull seems to be more malicious-looking than the one I crushed back there. I gulp, feeling my heart rate increase once more.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Someone! Come! Captain!


    As if my thoughts got transferred to his mind with telepathy, the captain comes swinging. In one quick slice, the captain severs the spine of the skeleton. The skeleton¡¯s torso falls onto the floor, but it isn¡¯t giving up. It flips over and starts crawling frantically for him, grabbing his leg with both of its hands.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± The captain grunted, trying to shake off the skeleton.


    ¡°Captain, I can¡¯t handle them!¡±


    Melissa¡¯s cry of help distracts the captain, and the skeleton instantly takes the chance to latch onto his leg, hugging it tightly like a koala. The captain turns his attention back to the disgusting creature, using the hilt of his sword to bash against its skull. He then tries to pull the skeleton away, grabbing the neck and pulling away.


    Yet, the skeleton is still holding on tightly. It then opens it mouth, coming down onto the thigh, biting into it.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    His eyes reflect his rage. He starts to curse and yell. His breathing becomes irregular. Yet, even with all of his frantic shaking, the skeleton seems to stick like a lizard on a wall.


    ¡°Captain! There¡¯s too many! We need to fall¡ªargh!¡±


    ¡°Melissa!¡±


    The captain turns around. Melissa falls, a sword lodged into the side of her stomach, somehow piercing through the chainmail. The captain bellows, letting out a cry of pure anger. He punches at the skull repeatedly, grunting and screaming as he does so. The skeleton shudders with each blow.


    Crack.


    The skull finally breaks. The captain punches through the skull into the head. Instantly, the skeleton lets go, falling onto the floor. The bones forming the torso are also out of shape, forming a pile of lifeless bones instead.


    ¡°Melissa!¡± The captain rushes back but the skeletons are already on their way to him.


    The girl in question, however, is lying on the floor in a pool of crimson.


    Serves you right, bitch.


    ¡°Fall back! Fall back!¡± The captain yells out his commands.


    Yet, none of the guards alive are listening, each one of them deep in a heated battle against two or more skeletons. In a bid to survive, they resort to desperate measures, giving up their sword and choosing to tackle them down as if in a street fight. The skeletons are putting up good fights as well. Clearly, these bastards were swordsmen before they died!


    Or maybe there¡¯s a spell that allows skeletons to be proficient swordsmen?


    No matter! The skeletons are coming and they are almost here!


    ¡°You!¡± The captain says, pointing his sword at me. ¡°Stay alive! We¡¯re falling back!¡±


    By falling back, they refer to retreating to the room. At that moment, I realise that there are two options for them: they can either go back the way they came from or head for the holding area and use the portal there¡ªwhich I cannot find.


    For me, however, there is only one option.


    I dart around the room, relying on my instincts. I duck. I jump. I dodge. I even fall, rolling onto the floor, trying to avoid the stabs and thrusts.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± The captain yells in frustration.


    More skeletons are coming to fight against him now; the captain finds himself parrying strikes from many swords, each one of them coming hard and fast. Do these skeletons have endless stamina? Don¡¯t they need to rest? Do the undead even need to rest?


    The torch in my hand is still burning, the flames strong and in a dance.


    I remove my feet from the paper I¡¯m stepping on and bend down, quickly lighting up the corners with the torch. I repeat, as fast as I can, trying to avoid the skeletons.


    Soon enough, I smell it.


    ¡°Wait! Fi¡ªack!¡±


    One of the skeletons pushes him back with its sword. He stumbles a few steps back. He then pulls himself forward, narrowly missing the swing of another skeleton.


    The flames begin to spread and I quickly head for the doorway.


    ¡°Get out! We need to leave!¡±


    The papers burn.


    The fire starts to grow bigger.


    Soon enough, I feel the heat from the tall and large flames.


    With that, I leave the room, not turning back to look at the captain deep in a heated fight within a circle of flames. If the flames are dealt with soon enough, it should bring the room an inferno for a short while.


    That¡¯s good.


    I stop in my tracks, staring at Melissa lying on the floor, her life oozing out from the sides of her stomach. The wound is deep and with each second, the pool of crimson seems to grow bigger and bigger.


    I sigh.


    ¡°Too bad, you fucked up,¡± I mutter. ¡°I must go.¡±


    Go, Sung Jae! Go!


    I quickly dart around her body, ignoring her groans.


    I reach another corridor similarly to the ones I¡¯ve seen. Piles of bones line up against the wall¡ªmost likely there was a battle here as well. Damn! They¡¯ve fought so long? Doesn¡¯t that mean that they¡¯re pretty much exhausted?


    Great!


    One of the swords that the skeletons were using lies near the pile. I pick it up, feeling the cold of the hilt against my palm. It is heavy, yet at the same time, it¡¯s not bulky. The hilt is made of the same material as the blade, which means that if intense heat is applied to metal, this sword is most likely useless. I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it!


    Nonetheless, I still have to have something with me. This sword should be useful.


    Right now, I have to run. I have to run as far as my legs and lungs can take me. I have to find the exit as fast as I can.


    Luckily, I notice that there is a linear path from the exit. The corridor is long but it is connected by large, round rooms, each with burial urns littered all over the floor. I notice a large cabinet full of yellow papers as well. I quickly sweep them down onto the floor, then grabbing one of them, lighting them on fire at the brazier. It starts to burn at the corners and I lay it to rest on the stacks of papers.


    It catches fire too, burning a great orange-yellow tint.


    Ping!


    Time to move again!


    I turn, rushing out of the room. In haste, I almost stumble and fall. I quickly regain balance and sprint once more down the corridor, crossing a few rooms on the side of the corridors. Some of them are disconnected, connected only by a broken bridge.


    Is that the exit?


    Oh, fuck!


    I didn¡¯t think of it! What is the entrance to this place? This place must be connected to the barracks, right? Won¡¯t that mean that I have to fight my way out¡ªor work my brains again?


    Shit!


    Holy shit.


    I¡¯m not going to live for long, aren¡¯t I? A woman who summoned me, are you watching me right now?


    I bet those bastards in the palace are living the high life now. Great! I hope they fall from high places to their deaths and suffer from some kind of debilitating disease! Pieces of shit. I¡¯m going to have my revenge!


    Ping!


    Fuck! It¡¯s a skeleton!


    I look at my sword, gripping it tightly. It¡¯s the first time I held a real sword other than the katana that my father bought. I¡¯m going to be using this to defend myself.


    The skeleton turns to look at me.


    ¡°Yaargh!¡± I yell, charging for the skeleton with my sword.


    The skeleton parries, sending a vibration right down to the bones of my toes. I pull the sword back and take a step back. Without looking at the skeleton, I charge again, pushing the skeleton. It stumbles back, crashing into the wall behind it.


    I twist my elbow, tipping the hilt at the skeleton. I bring it down, bashing at the skull. This should work. This must work. I bash. I bash. I bash again. I feel the vibrations, the shuddering, the transfer of kinetic energy. The skeleton twitches, trying to wriggle free as I place my weight on it.


    Crack.


    The first line appears on the skull.


    I raise my sword higher, this time bringing it down faster and harder.


    Crack.


    Crack.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± I yell. ¡°Die! Just die! Why aren¡¯t you dying!?¡±


    Ping.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Ping.


    Crack.


    Back to how it is.


    A skeleton should stay a skeleton! It doesn¡¯t have any fucking business walking around¡­


    Ping!


    ¡°Fuck! What¡¯s going on! Why are there so many pings! It¡¯s not like I can actually see them anyways, why are you pinging me!¡±


    The Game Menu hovers near me, this time showing me a totally different screen.


    Name: Lee Sung Jae


    Class: None


    Title: Hero of Elgia


    Action Required!


    New title available, would you like to discard current title and replace with: Outlander instead?


    *Titles replaced are unrecoverable. Skills gained will be forfeited and converted to experience points and skill points.


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