《The Trip to the Other World was Just for Training!?》


 Ch. 1 The road home.

    (Ian''s POV)


    ¡°Why is everywhere white?¡± I asked into the air, I was just entering a dungeon with my two trusted companions and now I¡¯m on some sort of limbo. ¡°Are we dead?!?¡± Mia, the feline Beastkin asks in a terrified voice. Well, at least I¡¯m not alone, that would have been much worse. ¡°This place is odd, but death has yet to claim us.¡± Tina the Elf said very calmly. ¡°We aren¡¯t separated, so maybe this is some new dungeon trap to defeat delvers.¡± I suggested this Idea, after all, while most dungeons don¡¯t have these kind of death traps at the beginning, it isn¡¯t unheard of, it just means we have terrible luck and should retreat as soon as we have a chance.


    While I was thinking this, a strange voice said, ¡±You are not dead, trapped in a dungeon, or even in the world you once traversed.¡± Mia and Tina are both surprised and confused at this voice, after all it did just claim something impossible sounding. It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m not surprised myself, but something about this place feels familiar and the words that this voice said seems to feel true for some reason. ¡°Then where is this place at then.¡± I ask the space around me, sounding calmer than I felt. ¡°This is between the transfer space of the two worlds you are familiar with.¡± the voice responded. To this I am very surprised about. If it¡¯s true, then I¡¯ve dragged Mia and Tina away from their home world. They both didn¡¯t hold strong ties to that world other than exploring dungeons, but I still feel guilty for dragging them into this, especially when I think about the trouble I had to adjusting to a new world, those first few days were brutal.


    Before I can think further on this the voice begins again, ¡°I¡¯ll say this quick so no interruptions are allowed, you were sent to that world to learn how to fight against dungeons. That world has already fallen, and all that was left was the remnants of the times before the dungeons made their appearance. You are not alone in being summoned either, all the humans that dwelled in that world were summoned to learn and adapt to the dungeons. The reason behind this is that the force controlling the dungeon first hunted them down, slowly destroying the other races. The many signs of the world¡¯s decline were symbols that the hope was lost.¡± Mia and Tina are both trembling at this, I myself am still, the heavy words pinning me down. ¡°While hope for that world may be gone, your own world may yet be saved. The Dungeons have already begun to appear in your world, awakening the power that resides within humanity. But with that alone, humanity will fall.¡±


    A cold feeling is going through me, the dungeons are going trying to destroy my world now? Humans were a rarity on in that world sure, but what does the fact that the humans of that world being extinct mean? What about why Mia and Tina being here, this place is filled with too much mysteries.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.¡°Unlike the rest, you hold the greatest potential. Due to the trials you have faced in that world, even your very soul shines brighter than ever before. With this I can grant 2 new powers upon you. The pair besides you are connected to you by your souls, thus they may easily adapt to your world. You hold the greatest chance towards learning a way to drive of the threat to your world, and so I beg of you to do the best you can and find the answer to save your home.¡±


    Well, I got a few questions answered, not that I don¡¯t have many more. But if I can have more powers, that¡¯s not bad. The first power I held was summoning. Along with calling creatures to aid me in combat, I could create a kind of tome that allowed me to connect to a creature or a person and summon them from the tome. As I tried it as an experiment, my tome is a smartphone. This is also why Mia and Tina trust me and may also be connected to why they will stay close to me. They both were suffering from curses, as a cult of crazies doing some sort of ritual was using them as sacrifices. The ritual was stopped, but the curses remained, so I tried using the contract power from my summoning magic to break the curses. The result was extremely painful, but it ended up working. As a result, the pair held a great trust in me and we¡¯ve been together ever since.


    Now onto the powers I should choose, since I get two, appraisal is a must. Now for the remaining power I will have is also something that doesn¡¯t need that much thought. The power of healing is a must since I already send summons into the frontline. I may be a full support with this, but I¡¯ll be able to better ensure everyone¡¯s safety during fights so it¡¯s still a plus. I have a feeling that there isn¡¯t much time anyways so I don¡¯t have much time to think past what I¡¯d most like to have, so I inform the voice of my desired powers.


    ¡°You have chosen the paths of knowledge and healing. Along with the path of summoning that you have walked, your actions henceforth may decide the fate of your world. Perhaps your greatest weapon you possess is your trust in others, however do not let that trust lead to your destruction. Our time together is coming to a close, and so I shall wish you luck and good fortune on your new adventure.

 Ch.2 Lets enter a Dungeon!

    (Ian¡¯s POV)


    Suddenly city, that¡¯s how I feel. I know that voice said that I was returning but still. I can¡¯t see Mia and Tina nearby though, which is worrying. I bring out my tome to summon a creature that is well suited to help search for them.As I pull out the phone I realize that summoning something in the middle of a city, even if no one seems to be around, could be a problem. ¡°Wait, where is everyone?¡± As I ask myself that the ground begins to shake and right in front of me a hole emerges with the appearance of a dungeon. I immediately look to my tome, but a message is is on the screen that says Your contract with your allies has been renewed. This is to allow them to share the benefit of shared information. With this they will be able to communicate with others. After reading that message, some of my motivation for storming this dungeon fell. Knowing that they are with me and not stranded in the middle of an unknown dungeon lifts a weight off my shoulders. Although that guy¡¯s powers are clearly too much. For now, let¡¯s just see the difference between that worlds dungeon and this ones.


    Although I entered the dungeon, I only plan on scouting the depth and level for now. As I travel, I¡¯ve only seen a few goblins that I snuck around. The first floor wasn¡¯t very challenging to get around, so when I found the way down to a second level I just went right on through. I didn¡¯t see much difference between the two floors however, and eventually found a dead end. Usually this is where I¡¯d turn back, but there was a blackish crystal like object glowing with a faint purple floating in the center of the room. I cautiously approached it.


    Since this may be an important discovery I test out my power of appraisal. Against my expectations, the info of what this is just appeared in my mind, as familiar as my knowledge of my summoning tome. This is the dungeon¡¯s core, what allows it to use magical power to expand and become more dangerous. I should probably destroy this, however¡­ could that even work? Well there¡¯s only one way to find out.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    With that thought I try and for a summoning contract with the crystal. One of the most vital parts of such a contract is trust, the greater the trust between the two parties, the stronger the contract can be, strong enough to even shatter curses. Initiating the magic, I can hear a slightly scared sounding voice in my head. ¡±W-who are you, w-what do you want?¡± I answered that with a calm ¡°I want to form a summoning contract with you, so we can be friends.¡± ¡°Y-you''re trying to trick me, aren¡¯t you! You want to destroy me don¡¯t you!¡± A justified fear was thrown at me, which I take as a good sign. ¡°I¡¯m not one to fight alone, that¡¯s why I have summon magic, to have friends that can help me. If I wanted to destroy you, I¡¯d have brought one of my summons out ages ago. I¡¯m talking to you here and now because I want to know if you can become my friend.¡± after saying that there was a short pause as I waited for the crystals response. Finally it answered with, ¡°You aren¡¯t planning on hurting me after I form this contract, r-right?¡± it asked.


    After assuring it that I wouldn¡¯t let it get hurt if I could prevent it, the crystal was ready to accept, although before that I stopped it to explain that I may have to fight other dungeons in the future. To this it asked, ¡°Why? Why do you have to fight against dungeons if you can just be friends with them?¡± there was a sadness that coated those words. I answered with, ¡°Many dungeons like to send out the monsters within them to cause harm to others. I don¡¯t know why they do that, but my other friends and family may be hurt or killed because of this. I¡¯ll fight to protect those I care about.¡±


    A minute went by as the crystal thought about this. Finally in accepted the terms that I gave and then the contract was formed. All that was left was to give a name to the crystal. It had a purple glow, and I was thinking a flower name would be best so I named it lavander. What happened next was strange though. First the blackness that the crystalwas washed away by a bright violet, then the crystal seemed to turn into light and moved towards my chest. ¡°What was that?¡± I manage to say right before I collapse.

 Ch.3 Seeds of fate

    (Unknown POV)


    Young child, he who holds the greatest hope for us, you have gained much on your return. Through your intervention, the power to wether this invasion has been been gained. All that remained of the lost have been shepherded by you, as well as given shelter. Such quick growth, I grant to you my power.


    Power of Gaia has been obtained


    (Ian¡¯s POV)


    I woke up in a daze. Above me was a white ceiling. Looking around me only left me confused. I had collapsed in a dungeon, or at least I thought that I did. But despite that, I somehow ended up in a hospital. As I was trying to puzzle my way through this mystery, I was addressed by someone whom I could only guess is a nurse, ¡°Are you finally awake? Hold on I¡¯ll get the doctor!¡± she said as she stormed out. I feel like I fell into a drama show.


    After a short time a man whom I assumed to be the previously mentioned doctor arrived. ¡°Greetings mister Hart, I am doctor Daniel Woods. You¡¯ve been asleep for quite some time, how do you feel.¡± Something feels off, I¡¯m missing something. What does he mean that I¡¯ve been asleep for a long time, and how did I even get here, what¡¯s going on? ¡±What do you mean I¡¯ve been sleeping for a long time?¡± I need to know this!


    ¡°Mister Hart, you¡¯ve been asleep for several weeks now, after being pulled out of that dungeon.¡± Hearing that alleviate some of my fears, ¡°You were rescued after a response team was sent in. You must be quite skilled at fighting to have defeated all of the creatures in there. Even for the other lost, leaving no trace of the enemies as you advanced is quite a feat.¡± There are two things of note I just heard. First, it seems that the other people that were pulled to the other world are doing fine. The second thing is very important though. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry doctor, but what do you mean no trace, I snuck around the enemies I saw, I don¡¯t often fight if I can avoid it.¡± Doctor Woods showed a surprised face to this. If nothing really was there, it likely has to do with contacting the dungeon, but he¡¯ll more likely think I¡¯m lying. For now I¡¯ll just try and get more info. ¡°Umm, do you have the things I had with me?¡± let¡¯s hope that they didn¡¯t take them away. ¡°Besides the clothes you were wearing, this is is all we found.¡± He said as he passed me my clothes and my phone. ¡°It¡¯s strange that that¡¯s all you had though.¡±


    He¡¯s clearly probing for information, one wrong move and I¡¯d be in trouble. Well, it¡¯s not like I have any reason to vilify the world, so let¡¯s just show my hand if I need to. ¡°I did have some more stuff, but it seems to have been taken.¡± ¡°What do you mean I was taken?¡±the doctor asked, ¡°Well I went in there and avoided being spotted by anything in there, yet I was knocked unconscious and most of my possessions are missing, that is what I mean.¡± Hopefully you¡¯ll chase ghosts instead of me, I¡¯m not even a direct fighter after all.


    After that was some simple health checks and I was finished with the doctor. Soon I was guided to an office with a man in a suit sitting behind a desk. He asked some general questions about the other world, one of which was it¡¯s name. This is when I realized that I couldn¡¯t remember the name. There was one but it¡¯s gone¡­ does this mean that if a world is conquered by the force behind the dungeons, not even the name remains!


    When the questions finished, I was informed that as of now my status is considered as one of the lost and if I didn¡¯t what to be arrested, I¡¯d have to register myself as an agent of the government tasked with the protection of the populus from the powers of the dungeon. He seemed a bit surprised when I started trying to learn the benefits and gain a bigger salary immediately. However, compared to how I was before I went missing, I just gained a new job that would be easy, if I consider the experiences I overcame in that world.