《Mystic Reality》 Chapter 1 Confusion ¡°My name is Pedro Silang. Well, this might sound crazy but I¡¯m not such a handsome nor wealthy guy. You can even consider me an average guy or even lower but I had the most wonderful life. Enough of that, let¡¯s start the story so you can say it¡¯s true.¡± In a small town in Cebu, a man was working diligently on his job as a construction worker. He has deep brown eyes, an average size button nose, black short hair like Jason Bourne and a well-built body. He was currently bringing in the hollow blocks from the truck to the site. ¡°Working overtime eh?¡± the old driver asked him. ¡°Uhm.. yes sir. I have to buy something important.¡± he answered. ¡°Well, Pedro my boy, you really are a good example here¡± ¡°Thank you sir, got to go now. Bye¡± ¡°Take care of yourself, young one¡± Pedro was working so that he can earn money, not for his family, not for his loved one, not for his pet, nor any of that kind. He was alone in a small wooden house. His parents died in a car crash when he was still 5. If a hospital was present in their town, they could¡¯ve been saved. Unfortunately, there was none. He was their only child and the couple was very poor. After the burial, he was left all alone in his small wooden house but he never felt lonely. This is because the folks in his town are helping him so that he can survive daily. He felt as though he became a leech on everyone so he asks them for work so that he won¡¯t be feeling guilty. At the age of 8, he was helping the fields, washing dishes, cleaning backyards, pulling weeds, caretaking animals and many other works that he could find in his town. He never misses a day on visiting the grave on his parents, until one day, he had sworn an important task on his parents¡¯ grave. He decided to go to school because he wants to be a doctor who can help everyone in the town and build his own hospital. He diligently studied and now he was graduating in high school as a top student. He wanted to take the scholarship of a prestigious medical school so that he could achieve his dream. He was working in the construction site so that he can buy the requirements for graduation and scholarship exam. ¡°Congratulations Pedro, you are now on the final level of high school.¡± said his coworker. ¡°Thanks Bert, this is finally it.¡± he responded. ¡°So what are your plans after graduating? Still gonna follow your dream?¡± he asked. ¡°Yup, there¡¯s no stopping this now that I¡¯m here.¡± he proudly said. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you Pedro¡± he admired. Pedro just chuckled and continued his job. He then went home and took a little rest before going out again. This time he plans on doing the only thing that he was very fond of, Computer games. He already planned his money on everything that he will spend and there were some extra so he decided to play games. He went to a gaming cafe and played Massive Multimedia Online Role Playing Game called The Conqueror. He played it for hours because he wasn¡¯t aware of the time. When suddenly, an earthquake occurs and destroyed the whole town. Before the cafe he was in collapsed, a huge crack on the ground swallowed him and then everything went black. He slowly opened his eyes and the sunlight stung it so he closed it again. He steadily stood up and tried to remember what happened. He recalled that he was playing happily when the ground shook and ate him whole. He then opened his eyes again wondering if he was still alive. He then saw a fountain in front of him as big as a whole SUV in diameter and 2 feet deep. There was a monument of a Goddess named Silv, it was a woman with a long beautiful dress with flowers and butterflies and a halo made of leaves and stems. On her right hand, she was carrying a basket full of fruits, vegetables, grains and spices in it. On the other hand, she was holding an elegant staff with a beautiful flower on its tip. She looked majestic like her description below the monument Goddess Silv The goddess of abundance and beauty. This monument is a tribute to the goddess for protecting the village and giving abundance of food and shelter We thank you from the bottom of our hearts From the citizens of Raflis He was dazed when he saw the statue because it depicts beauty on another level. When he stood up and looked around, he realized that he was in a square at the center of this mysterious town. He saw shanty houses around the square and there are other people buzzing about. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The people was dressed with clothing similar to the medieval era peasants and citizens. The moment he saw every single thing he saw, he sat again. He was absorbing everything that transpired before him but his brain is rejecting it. He was at the point of being insane when a soothing voice caught his ears. ¡°Ahoy there young boy, are you somewhat lost?¡± a decently dressed old guy asked him. The old guy was taller than him by a feet. He was a white-haired guy with an appearance natural to European countries and body which can be called elderly at around the age of 60. ¡°W-w-where is this place? W-where am I?¡± he asked in a hysterical manner. ¡°Hey, calm down, boy. May I know your name?¡± the man asked gently ¡°P-P-Ped. You can call me Ped.¡± he answered in a stuttering way. ¡°Well, you seem to be new around here, are you okay? Are you hungry?¡± As soon as he heard the word hungry, his stomach grumbled so loud that the old man heard it. The old man chuckled and said. ¡°Come to my house, by the way, I am the Mayor of this town and Jerry is the name. Welcome to Raflis.¡± The mayor guided him to his house and fed him fresh steaming potato and grilled meat. He was very thankful to the mayor but he can¡¯t get the feeling of distress of everything he just saw. The mayor told him that this was the town of Rafline, in the region of Raflis. There are 5 continents and only one is inhabited by humans and this was where he was, in the continent of Madrigal. There are all sorts of monsters and magic that he was told but he didn¡¯t believe it because he thought that the old man was playing a prank on him. He was also told to be careful on going out the town because it was unsafe. But then again, he didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°So how are you feeling now?¡± asked the mayor. ¡°It¡¯s still takes a lot to take in.¡± he said. ¡°In time, boy, in time. If you want to defend yourself against the monsters, you can go south of the square. There you will see a man named Tom. He specializes in teaching the young ones the basic fighting and defending skills you need to venture outside¡±. he calmly said. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Mayor.¡± he then left to go outside of town for he didn¡¯t believe any word the mayor said. As soon as he reached the gate, two guards with tunics and spears approached him and block his path. ¡°Stop, it is very dangerous outside specially for a young untrained man like yourself.¡± the first guard warned him. ¡°Yeah, like hell that¡¯s true.¡± he retorted ¡°If you don¡¯t believe us then come with me.¡± the guard snapped at him He was a bit afraid for he didn¡¯t know what to do. He followed the guard and just as he stepped outside, he saw a huge sea of giant trees. He was shocked by what he saw because that was the first time in his life that he saw such huge trees, and what¡¯s more, they were in a vast number. As he was still appreciating the surrounding, he didn¡¯t notice the eyes that were watching him. The guard yelled as bat-like monster with a single huge red eye and a wingspan of about the 3 feet appeared. It was a battle cry of which the guard readied himself. They battled it out but the guard was caught by another bat¡¯s huge wing and he was toppled down as his spear was sent flying. ¡°AHHHHHH¡± the guard was shocked of what happened but he then calmly assessed the situation. He quickly rolled to grab his spear and struck the eye of the first bat which led to its death as he dodges the assault of the second. He then murmured something and his spear glowed and struck the second bat 5 times so fast that Ped¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t follow. With a swing towards the bat¡¯s body, the guard was the victor on a disadvantageous battle. Ped¡¯s eyes were wide and his mouth was opened for the whole time the battle was conveyed. In that moment, he realized that everything the mayor said was true. That everything that transpired here is reality. He pinched his hand so hard that he shrieks on the pain. This was reality. Right there and then he realized that he was in a different world. A world where everything is a mystery to him. Chapter 2 Vagrant鈥檚 Training Ped was escorted back inside the gate as he was still in the state of shock. He still analyzing the events that happened. First was the earthquake, then a foreign town, and lastly, the forest and monsters. This was the stuff in games that he plays on the computer. He was wondering if he was dead and this was his after imagination. But everything seems to real so he deduced that this was reality, but a different one. A foreign world unknown to him. He sat down on the bench near the fountain of the Goddess Silv. He pondered for about an hour on deciding on what to do next and how should he approach others. He recalled everything Mayor Jerry said and stood up. He went to see the guy that trains others to protect themselves. The trainer guy named Tom. He has a body of a weightlifter on Earth. He had a reddish long hair that freely ran up to his neck. He has a very short black beard that runs up to his sideburns and a mustache that covers his lips. He has the aura of security and sturdy around him but his attitude was very approachable. ¡°G-Good day to you, Sir Tom.¡± Ped greeted. ¡°Good day to you too, son. How may I be of service?¡± Tom answered with a smile. ¡°I would like to learn how to protect myself when I go out¡± he boldly said. ¡°Out? Why would you ever go out?¡± the trainer said with keen eyes. ¡°*Gulp* I want to experience adventure and travel to new places. As well as to get stronger and protect the ones important to me. Most importantly, to answer all the questions inside my head and of my purpose of being here.¡± he said nervously. He thought to himself, ¡® Well I didn¡¯t lie, I just didn¡¯t told him the whole truth¡¯. ¡°You will face life-threatening danger and situations that could break your will and determination. You could still withdraw if you¡¯d like and live here happily for as long as you live.¡± he tried convincing Ped. ¡°My will is firm and my determination is unquenchable. My decision is final, Sir!¡± he held his head high. ¡°Well young man, you have proved to me that you are worthy to become a vagrant. Go to the training hall at once and teach you the ropes of protecting one¡¯s self.¡± Tom said happily. Ped walked towards the grounds which they call training hall. The grounds was very big that you can fit 3 basketball courts in it. It was divided on four sections which are levels that should be accomplished before heading out. He saw few people doing physical exercises and sparring. There are also scarecrows which are used as punching bags and sword fodder. While I was still observing, Tom approached me and pushed me towards the ground. ¡°Are you ready, boy?¡± he challenged Ped. ¡°Ready as I will ever be, Sir. But first, what is this place?¡± he asked. ¡°This is the training hall where you learn everything.¡± he said proudly. ¡°So how is it divided or what are the things needed to be achieved to be qualified to go outside?¡± he eagerly asked. ¡°Woooh! Hold your horses young man. You need to finish each section in order. The first section was like a gym where you can do various physical training. It includes the oval around the four sections. The second section was the scarecrow section. It was a place where you learn to hit the target precisely. The third section was like an obstacle course. It teaches the trainees on how to adapt to the environment and how to dodge or block attacks from monsters. The last section was like a ring where sparring occurs. This is the area where you adapt all the skills you have learned . After that, I will give you a crest that makes you legible to go and venture outside as you please.¡± he explained. ¡°Okay sir, I understand. So how do I begin?¡± he said. ¡°Firstly, you need to move the gate that separates the first and second section to go to the next level. You need sturdy legs and strong muscles to achieve it. Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± He smirked after saying. ¡°Gladly¡± he was nervous because the gate was 1 meter thick, 3 meters wide and 10 meters tall. He thought that no ordinary man can move it so he needs to build strength on his body from scratch. He slowly approached the black gate. It¡¯s appearance was like the gate of the Forbidden City in China but its black and the knob like designs were brown. He tried to give it a push with a single hand but the gate didn¡¯t budge. He tried two hands and push it but still the gate didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Looks like you need more muscle, hehe¡± Tom heartily laugh Ped breathed in and out before recalling the times when he was in the construction site. He anchored his feet to the ground and set up his legs, thighs and hips to have a more force as he put his two hands on the gate. He leveraged himself as he parted his feet forward as he pushed it with all his might. He began to hear a creaking sound as the gate slowly moved. Tom was shocked as it was the first time he saw someone passed the first section on the first day, let alone on the first try. The gate fully opened leaving the observers with their mouth agape. ¡®I didn¡¯t think i could really do it, but I did. If this was the real world it would be impossible. But in this mystical world, my strength seems to be higher. What a surprise, I wonder what else could I do¡¯ he thought to himself happily. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°W-wow! Great job on finishing the first task easily. That was a bit of a surprise.¡± he said while looking baffled. ¡°B-beginner¡¯s Luck?¡± he cautiously said. ¡°Hahaha, well, you¡¯ve done it though. Do you like to start the second phase? It¡¯s still 2 hours passed noon.¡± he asked. ¡°Sure, I want to discove- I mean I want to learn more.¡± he eagerly said. He was hyped at the thought that the game that he played before is now happening to him as a reality. ¡°You are a hardworking young man. I appreciate that. Well, let¡¯s get started. First, you pick a wooden sword and find your comfortable position on holding it. Then, you try hitting on the scarecrow and adjust your grip to maximize the power of your swing. To finish this section, you need to destroy the scarecrow without breaking the wooden sword. This requires technique and accuracy to achieve this task. Your strength really transcends those before you but that may be your downfall if you can¡¯t control it.¡± he lectured Ped like a father. ¡°Yes sir, I would keep that in my mind always.¡± after saying that he grabbed a wooden sword and started adjusting his hands unto it. He remembered the days where he was tasked to cut down small plants and weeds with a bolo or a sickle and the time where he was tasked to trim the plants in his town. He then tried to swing his sword and feel the rhythm of his hand and the sword. He then swung towards a scarecrow with a little force but the sword recoiled as he hit the scarecrow which causes him to drop it. He picks it up again and hit the scarecrow at full force. He was shocked when the sword broke into splinters. Tom laughed haughtily when he saw the sword broke. ¡°Hey Ped, remember what I said earlier.¡± he said in a happy manner ¡®This is the first time he said my name. Does that mean my intimacy towards him rose as I progress in the training hall? Hmmm. Technique and Accuracy, that¡¯s what he said. Wait, if it is technique then it means a weak point, like cutting those grasses on their softest part so it will be easy. As for accuracy, it is like pinpointing it¡¯s hitting it with precision just like trimming the correct part of a plant. I got it! Thank you, Sir Tom.¡¯ he thought deeply. He picked up another sword and held it as before. He looked at the scarecrow and observed its weakest spot. He saw weakly reinforced wire on the lower chest of the scarecrow and some loose and sloppy straws with it. He also saw the metal tube holding the scarecrow. He them breathes deeply and raised his concentration towards the loose straws on the scarecrow. ¡®I need to avoid that metal tube but I can¡¯t destroy the scarecrow with one shot. I guess I should hit it multiple times with light attacks so that the sword could last until the scarecrow is destroyed¡¯ he murmured to himself. He then visualize his attack pattern and thought of a game which has a cycle attack pattern that can continuously hit the target without breaking the rhythm. A downward diagonal hack from right to left. Then, a sweep slash attack transition from left to right. Afterwards, an upward slash to prepare for the strongest attack. Lastly, the downward chop that focuses all the strength towards the target and reverting back to the initial position for the first attack to form a cycle. He approached the scarecrow to distance where the sword can hit it but not the metal tube while he perform his attack pattern. The trainer were curious of what he was trying to do so he observed keenly. Ped performed his first attack and it was a direct hit but not enough for the scarecrow to be destroyed. He then initialize the second and third attack which loosen the already loose wires and straws. Then, he hit the scarecrow with the strongest attack on the attack cycle he visualized resulting into the destruction of the gut part of the scarecrow. ¡°EXCELLENT! Very fascinating. You just might finish this whole course in a day. If we are open anyways, but it¡¯s almost time for dinner now so we need to go home. Wait, do you have a home to stay?¡±asked Tom. ¡°F-f-frankly, I am just new to this place. So I don¡¯t know anyone nor do I have any home to stay.¡± answered Ped shyly. ¡®It¡¯s better if I just go with the flow with this situation I am in and finding out what the hell is going on later. The reason why I am here, that should be my first goal. My second goal is to find a way back to my world. For now, I need to blend in on the situation ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, son. You can stay at my home. It¡¯s a comfy and spacious place and we got spare rooms. You can stay there for tonight so that you can have a place to sleep.¡± he smiled widely while saying this to Ped. ¡°T-t-thank you so much, Sir Tom. I will never forget this.¡± Ped also smiled. ¡®The people around here are not as much different from the people back home. I better rest so that I could exert my everything tomorrow and discover if there are other strange things that has transpired in my body¡¯ he thought with a smile. Chapter 3 Verge of Choosing Ped was walking alongside the Trainer Tom when he saw some adventurers running towards the North Gate. The trainer was also in a state of unease as he look towards the area where the adventurers are going. ¡°Something seems wrong. ¡± Tom said with furrowed brows. ¡°Should we be going there too?¡± he asked the instructor. ¡°On normal circumstances, I would strongly disagree with that thought. But as I saw you breeze to those challenges, I was thinking of reconsidering that idea.¡± he smirked to Ped. ¡®This is my chance to test these irregularities on my body. Though it freaks me out on why I have it and why I am here, I should just take this in step by step and search for answers in a more thorough approach¡¯ he murmured to himself. While he was thinking these things, Tom abruptly said in a lively manner. ¡°First things first though, you need a weapon and armor for your offensive and defensive aspects. Do you have any of those?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Uhhmm.. U-uhhm¡­ N-no, actually I h-have nothing¡± he said shyly. ¡°Well, that¡¯s to be expected. You are my trainee after all so I am responsible for your equipments. Come with me, boy.¡± he smiled to Ped. Ped was hesitant to follow the trainer. He was hesitant because he was shy. He was shy because he feel that he became a leech again. But as of now, he had no choice. He followed the instructor and came to a shabby house near the gate of the town which the adventurers were heading. It was like a shack both in size and design with a ¡°Tom¡¯s Warehouse¡± sign. Tom opened the door and surprised Ped on the order of weaponry and armor inside the shack. On the wall on the left side were all kinds of swords, spears, daggers and arrows arranged in a manner from smallest to biggest. Just below these sets of weapons was a table divided into two, the right were range weapons like bows, slings and crossbows, and the left with shields of all sizes and shapes. The wall on the right side were adorned with blunt weapons like mace, hammer, rods and battle gloves. Under it was also a table full of weapon made of the combination of wood and metal. Like Escrima sticks, Spiked Bo, Tonfa, Bokken and Kama. (search them on google, they are very powerful and deadly. A/N C: ). Lastly, the wall opposite to the door was full of gauntlets, pauldrons and helmet, while the table below was full of armors, tunics and chainmails. Just below the table were greaves, boots and leg guards. It was like a shack on the outside but an armory on the inside with an owner which has OCD on order of things. ¡°Well then, choose a weapon and armor of your liking. Pick something you are comfortable and suited with so that there will be lesser complications when you¡¯re fighting a real battle for the first time.¡± the trainer advised Ped so that he has a higher chance of using his maximum fighting prowess and his survival. ¡°T-thank you, Sir Tom. I would never forget your generosity.¡± he said shyly. He then surveyed all the weapons and armors that laid before his eyes. His attention was caught by a tunic that he was sure that he will be comfortable with. He also picked a leather gauntlets, armguards and boots. He was picking things which are light so he could utilize maneuverability and speed. He was looking at the weapons and he was confused on selecting one because there are many choices. He considered speed over power to have optimal control of his body. But he was concerned on the damage that he will afflict to the enemy, so he also considered a weapon with high damage such as sharp ones. Then he saw a wooden stick with blades at each end leaning against the corner of the table. ¡®Perfect. Light and lethal.¡¯ he knew there and then that it would be the best weapon for the situation he was in now. ¡°All set, young man?¡± the Trainer asked him after he done his gauntlets. ¡°All set and ready to go, Sir¡± he eagerly answered. They both headed to the North Gate to join the adventurers crowding there. They saw many adventurers wielding all types of weapons. They also saw men and women with robes and staves. They were called wizards and witches. The instructor¡¯s face was a contorted and he said to Ped. ¡°There seems to be more people than I expected. We should prepare for the worst, boy. If worse comes to worst, you should run back to the town and save yourself. Understand?¡± he instructed Ped. ¡°Yes, but I doubt that we will have to resort to that.¡± he said confidently. ¡°You¡¯re right. We should be optimist on this one. But, just in case.. Don¡¯t hesitate to do it. Okay?¡± he worryingly said. ¡°Yes Sir¡± he assured him. ¡®As if I would ever leave someone behind to die for me.¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡°EVERYONE, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION¡± a guy wearing a full armor with a broadsword on his back stood on a platform and shouted to them. The adventurers, including Ped and Tom, looked up to him and listen to what he have said. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°MY NAME IS LORD DARQUIS. I AM LORD OF THIS TOWN. I AM ALSO THE ONE WHO COMMISIONED ADVENTURERS AND ACCEPTED VOLUNTEERS FOR THE MONSTER EXTERMINATION. AS YOU CURRENTLY KNOW, MONSTER INFESTATION ARE ABRUPTLY RUNNING RAMPANT NOWADAYS. THE SCOUTS HAVE FOUND A LARGE MONSTER ENCAMPMENT INSIDE THE FOREST LOAH ON THE NORTHERN PART OF THE TOWN. OUR MISSION IS TO EXTERMINATE THE MONSTER AND PROVIDE PEACE AND PROTECTION OF OUR PEOPLE. WE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THIS ARMY OF MONSTERS IS BEING LED BY A COMMANDING MONSTER OF GIANT CLASS. THAT IS WHY WE NEED MILITARY PROWESS OF THIS DEGREE. ARE YOU ALL WITH ME ON THIS MISSION?¡± he exclaimed loudly. ¡°YYYYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡± the crowd shouted with enthusiasm. ¡°Hey Ped, this is a monster extermination quest. If you ever make out of this alive, that would make you more than qualified to venture outside and be called an adventurer. But if you fail, well, you die. So my question is, are you still willing to go with me on this quest? What would it be, boy?¡± Tom challenged Ped. ¡°I never back down on my word. I will continue and succeed this task, Sir.¡± he said proudly. They then approached a table who enlisted all adventurers and volunteers that would participate in the monster extermination quest. The mission will be on the move in three days time, so the enlistment of participants would go on until the last day. Tom and Ped were the lucky ones that are included to be in the line of the participants waiting to be enlisted. A guy wearing a tunic just like Ped was the one listing the names. His tunic was more elegant and he had a noble atmosphere around him. ¡°Next please.¡± the guy listing participants said. ¡°I am Thomas Godfrey¡± Tom said ¡°I am the butler of Lord Darquis, Sioret. Your profession please?¡± he said to Tom ¡°Warrior of Raflis¡± he said proudly. ¡°Thank you for joining Sir Thomas. Please proceed to the camp outside the gate. Next please.¡± he said as he bowed courteously. ¡°See you there, boy¡± he said to Ped as he turned his back and headed for the gate. Ped slightly nodded and headed towards the table. ¡°H-hello, I am Pedr- I mean I am Ped.¡± he nervously spoke. ¡°Ped?¡± he said to Ped with a doubtful look. ¡°Ped¡­ Li-Linster¡±. he said ¡°Oh, I see. What is your profession Sir Ped?¡± he asked him with keen eyes. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have a profession yet but I am under the supervision of Sir Tho-¡± ¡°We strongly disagree of someone who has no profession to join this quest. It is very dangerous and it might cost you your life. Please do comeback when you have been trained and have acquired a profession.¡± ¡°B-but I-¡± ¡°Next please¡± Ped was rejected to join the mission because he has no profession and has not yet completed any training that is required in this new realm that he resides in. He sat again on the bench in front of the Goddess¡¯ Fountain. He was thinking of what it means to have a profession in this world, what are the different kinds of profession and how can he acquire one. As he was immersed in his thoughts, a familiar voice spoke to him. ¡°Ahoy young man. You¡¯re still in the same place doing the same thing, ain¡¯t ya? ¡°Oh, hello, Mr. Mayor. I was just thinking over some thi-¡± he then realized something. ¡°MR.MAYOR CAN YOU HELP ME IN FINDING A PROFESSION?¡± he said abruptly. ¡°Woah their child. It was just this morning that you were sitting here and didn¡¯t know where you are and what you were supposed to do. But now, you are wearing a tunic and wielding a Bladed Bo in your back. What¡¯s more is that you are asking for a profession? Aren¡¯t you way too eager to die, young man?¡± he said in a concerned tone. Ped explained to the Mayor that he didn¡¯t believe him at first, then he told the incident with the guards and how he decided to go to Trainor Tom. He also said his achievements in the Training hall and how he acquired his armors and weapon. He told him that he can¡¯t join the quest because he has no profession and that he won¡¯t be able to help the trainer. ¡°You don¡¯t have a place to stay for the night, right young man?¡± Jerry asked Ped. ¡°Y-yes, you¡¯re right, Mr. Mayor.¡± he answered shyly. ¡°Call me Elder Jerry. That¡¯s way too formal for me. Also, come with me to my house. I will explain everything to you there.¡± Like a child given a gift for Christmas, his face lighten up and he smiled brightly. ¡°OH YEAH ¡­Thank you Elder! ¡° Chapter 4 One of Them Tom¡¯s POV It was a very beautiful day so I decided to loiter around. I was sitting in front of my training hall when an unfamiliar fellow approached me. He look young and weak because of his small physique. He said his name was Ped. I was not surprised when said that he wanted to train here to get stronger. After asking him a bunch of stuff, I accepted him as my trainee and told him to go inside the training hall because I will put my training garments on. After I done my garments, I proceeded to the hall and I saw him staring at the ground with a confused look on his face. So I explained to him the stages that are required to accomplish to become an adventurer. He has a different aura around him, I could feel that he was not an ordinary person. I was predicting that he will take about four years at most to finish the training, but judging on his aura alone it might take a half of that duration. But to my surprise, he breezed through the first two task magnificently using his unreal strength, adaptability of his techniques and form, and also, his keen observation, decision-making and determination. What¡¯s even more surprising was his precision and timing in executing his plan to achieve his goal. Then, a realization dawned on me that brought chills down my spine. It was a doubtful realization but he has shown some of the signs. ¡®Maybe¡­ Maybe he is one of Them.¡¯ I thought to myself as if trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle with lots of missing pieces. I invited him to my house so that I observe him without getting suspicious but things weren¡¯t going according to plan when a heavier task came along. Then, an idea suddenly came to my mind. ¡®What a great timing. I could prove my intuition if he could go with me in this mission.¡¯ I led him to my warehouse where I stockpiled my collection of weapons and armor. I let him borrow some of them to be used on battle. I was expecting him to choose a heavy infantry type of armor and a large and heavy weapon to accentuate his power. But he surprised me again. He picked the lightest armor I had and selected minimal garments alongside it. He also picked a very light spiked bo. I was confused on his selection of armaments but then, I trusted him that he is comfortable with it so I shrugged that thought. After donning all we needed, we proceeded to the meeting area to be debriefed. The local lord held the debriefing and we both agreed to join the monster extermination quest. We were lucky enough to be included in the number of participants that would have a chance to register on the first day. I was the first to go and was accepted immediately. I whispered to the guy named Sioret as I took the participatory crest that I will vouch for the next applicant. But he replied differently. ¡°If he passed the requirements, then there is no need for that.¡± and smiled then I turned away. I was confident that he would pass it easily. An hour passed and I was still waiting for him on a tent near the gate but Ped was nowhere to be found. I was furious on the thought that he chickened out in the last minute because I thought he was a man of his word. After three hours of idling around the area, I saw Ped walking towards me but he showed no sign that he was accepted nor was there a crest to prove that he was accepted. I hurriedly headed towards him and scold him. And then¡­. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Ped and Elder Jerry headed towards the gate before going to the Elder¡¯s house. They want to tell Trainer Tom of what happened on Ped¡¯s application on the monster extermination quest. ¡°Ped? I was looking all over for you. What happened? Where did you go? Why di-.¡± Tom barraged Ped with questions but he stopped his nagging when he saw the Mayor alongside Ped. ¡°Good evening, Elder Jerry.¡± he greeted and bowed at the Mayor. ¡°Good evening to you, too, Thomas.¡± he greeted back at Tom. ¡°What brings you here, Dad?¡± Tom casually said. ¡°Well, primarily, I was going to see you and how you were doing. Knowing you, I knew that you would join the task of protecting the people of our town. Then, I passed by this familiar fellow pondering unto something. He already told me of his performance in your training.¡± the elder exclaimed. ¡°Is that so? Hey, boy! Why didn¡¯t you join the quest? Did you chicken out?¡± he furiously said. ¡°N-n-no sir, I-i wasn¡¯t accepted on this mission.¡± he explained ¡°So you were rejected? How did that happen? I already vouched for you.¡± Tom pondered. ¡°Apparently, one of the requirements of this mission is to have a profession.¡± the elder butted in. ¡°Crap! I didn¡¯t consider that possibility. Boy, what profession do you want to become?¡± Tom asked Ped. ¡°Ahhh.. I-i don¡¯t know yet sir. I don¡¯t know the professions available and the conditions needed to be met to acquire one.¡± he said. ¡°Worry not, Thomas. The boy already sought for my help. I will explain everything to him in our house. You can relax for now, son.¡± the elder said and then turned to face Ped. ¡± Young man, can you give us a moment?¡± he asked Ped. ¡°No problem, Elder.¡± Ped smiled and sat on a stump outside the tent of Tom. Then, both the elder and the trainer entered the tent. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Tom¡¯s POV As soon as we headed inside the tent, I knew what my father was about to ask. ¡°Is he one of Them?¡± he asked with a serious face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But this quest came at the right time. I will use it so that it would be the proof of my intuition. I will keep observing him until I can confirm that he really is one of Them.¡± I explained to my father. ¡°Hmmm, I understand. But as you look at him now, can you deduce that he is one of Them?¡± he said as he sighed out a relief tone. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Maybe, just maybe. Would it affect us for the worse?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, But there should be good and bad effects of it. I just hope that the bad ones are minimal. Depending on his character, that is¡± he said as he headed towards the exit of the tent. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I want to say to you. I will help you in observing Ped, but for now, I shall help him first for it is my responsibility after all. Take care son and come back alive and well.¡± he said with smiling eyes. ¡°You, too, Dad. Thanks. Oh! I almost forgot, can you give these to Ped¡± I passed on my trainer¡¯s emblem then I prepared my equipments for the upcoming quest. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Ped¡¯s POV I watched the two of them went inside. As they vanished on my sight, I looked up to the sky and saw the colors of the bewitching dusk. The transition of day to night is one of the few things that are very beautiful in my previous world. I was immersed on looking at the sunset when the Mayor went out. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± he asked me. ¡°N-not so, Elder.¡± as I said that my stomach grumbled. ¡± Haha, it¡¯s like the first time we met, isn¡¯t it, young man?¡± ¡°A-ha ha ha, you¡¯re right, elder¡± ¡°So what are we idling for? Let¡¯s go.¡± he said and smiled as he walked away. We talked about the town a lot as we were walking towards the elder¡¯s house. He said that the town is new and considered to be a frontier town on the continent. He also mentioned that the villagers are mostly composed of farmers and herbalist which are very common in a small town. He also said that he would most likely appoint Tom as the successor After 15 minutes of walking, we came by a medium sized, 2 floored log house that is as big as four trailer home aligned side by side. It has a short pathway from the gate to its front door. The sides of the pathway is adorned with flowers of different kinds. I didn¡¯t noticed this when I went here on the first time because I was still dazed to what has happened. Then, the elder spoke as we reach the gate of his house. ¡°Here we are. Home sweet home.¡± the elder said with eyes looking at the house full of admiration. ¡°It¡¯s a very nice place.¡± I said truthfully. ¡°Thank you, young man. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± We headed straight to the living room. I sat on a sofa and he told his butler to prepare some food. We then talked about what monsters there are outside. The bat I encountered was called Kabog. There are other monsters more dangerous than the Kabogs. There is a dark yellow boar-type monster as large as a car with a large protruding ivory horn between its eyes called Ramo. There are also giant red stag beetle-looking monster as big as a breed of a dog called Doberman with two horns looking like a tusk in its mouth called Bakukang. Gray wolves also roam around these forest in packs. There are also some monsters that rarely show itself like undeads, giant spiders, ogres and trolls. Trolls are considered the strongest monster in these forest because of its power and regenerative ability. ¡°Dinner is served, Elder and guest. Please help yourselves and enjoy the food.¡± the butler said as he entered the living room. ¡°Thank you, Douglas. Shall we?¡± the elder said. ¡°Okay, thank you, elder and to you, too, Uncle Douglas.¡± I said as we went to the dining area to eat. As we eat, I can¡¯t help but ask the elder of what are the available professions that are allowed to go outside. ¡°Hmm, a bit eager as usual, eh? Well, there are 4 major professions. Each professions have classes that distinguish them from one another. First, there is a Fighter. This profession specializes in melee combat and uses blunt or edged weapon. It will harness your Strength and Stamina. This profession leads to a knight, champion, berserkers, swordsman and other similar type classes. Second profession is a Viper. This profession specializes on light edged weapons like daggers or long range combat weapons like bows. It is the most agile profession and most deadly as it harness your Agility, Accuracy and Precision. This profession can become a rogue, assassin, rangers, archers and other similar type classes. The third profession is a Magi. This profession specializes on magicraft and uses spells. It is the most offensively destructive profession but at the same time, the weakest in defense. These profession focuses on one¡¯s Wisdom and Intelligence. This profession has classes like wizards, mages, sages, priests, witches and other similar ones. Fourth is known as Binge. These are production classes like merchants, farmers, artists, bards and other production classes.¡± the elder explained. ¡°What are the conditions needed to achieve any class, elder?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, you need to go to the adventurer¡¯s guild. You will need an emblem from your trainer to proceed to the next phase. Don¡¯t fret for Thomas has given me his emblem for you to use. The other phase is easier. You will know when you go there but for now take a rest. Tomorrow is a big day for you, you know.¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, elder.¡± I courteously thanked him. We proceeded eating and then talked for a while before he led me to the room where I will sleep. I can¡¯t sleep while laying down on the bed. ¡®Tomorrow, my profession will be a stepping stone to find clues of this world. Mother, Father, I wish I could talk to you right now. But I know that you don¡¯t want to see me troubled nor sad, so I need to be strong right now. I know you¡¯re watching over me.¡¯ I thought as I drifted to sleep. I had a good rest that night and got up early. We ate our breakfast and part our ways because the elder needs to go to the Town Hall while I proceeded to go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was two blocks away from the training hall and it is very huge. I stood on the front of the Guild house. ¡®Inhale, exhale. Good, now go¡¯ I thought as I encourage myself. I walked towards the door and pushed it. Chapter 5 Selection Ped¡¯s POV The guild house was three stories high with a tower that stood like five stories. It has a magnificent structure like a European type houses and a royalty designs on them. The door was 8 feet tall and it was an elegant, Greek styled, Red Oak door. I stood there and breathed before I enter the Adventurer¡¯s guild. I was shocked as I saw the inside. Contrary to its elegant exterior, the interior was just like a tavern and a pub combined with a large notice board beside the reception area. There are a lot of people inside, I assume they are adventurers. I then proceeded to the receptionist and asked. ¡°Is this the guild house?¡± I said. ¡°Yes sir, welcome to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. How may I be of service?¡± the receptionist was an elf girl with aquamarine blue eyes and golden straight hair that reaches her back. She was wearing a red dress with a white shirt underneath and a white nurse hat. ¡°Uhm, I would like to apply to a profession fitting for an adventurer.¡± I said with a straightface. ¡°Do you have an emblem of the trainer who taught you the basics?¡± she asked. I then reached my pocket and brought out the emblem. It was a pentagon shape brown wood with a carving of a shield with two swords intersecting behind it. I then showed the emblem to the receptionist. ¡°Here is the emblem of the Trainer Thomas Godfrey.¡± I said. She looked at the emblem and then observed it. She took it from my hands and inspected the emblem as her eyes turned to gold. After inspecting, she closed her eyes and it turned back to aquamarine blue. ¡°It is authentic. Congratulations. My name is Diales. Please come with me to proceed to the next phase.¡± she said. We then went inside a room inside the reception booth. It was an empty white room with a spherical glass floating in the center. ¡°The orb will tell you the best course of profession you are fitted the most. If the orb turned red, it means that your fitted to be a fighter. If it turned green, then you are fitted to be a viper. If it turned to blue, then you are a Magi. If it turns to yellow, then it means you are not suited for adventuring and should proceed to be a Binge. Well, good luck to you, Ped.¡± she said. ¡®Wait, how did she know my name?¡¯ It freaked me out. It is as if she can see through me like looking at my biodata. ¡°How did you know my name?¡± I can¡¯t help myself and asked. ¡°The emblem said everything. I use my skill of Envision. It allows me to look at the past of anything I touched.¡± she said casually. ¡°Something like tha-¡± I blurted out the words in my mind unconsciously ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± she said ¡°No-Nothing.¡± I said. I sighed because I was lucky that she didn¡¯t heard what I said. ¡®Envision, what a useful skill. I wonder if I too can get that. It will be very reliable if I could learn something like that.¡¯ I thought as she lead me towards the center of the room. ¡°As soon as I go out, please put your hand on the orb and say ¡®I seek for thy guidance¡¯ to activate its power. Then shout the word ¡®Done¡¯ but don¡¯t remove your hand so that I could judge the color it emits for you to become an official adventurer.¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Th-that¡¯s it?¡± I was shocked because it was so simple. ¡± Well there are a lot of paper works needed for your registration. But you can leave that to our side. We can fill it up using our skills and process it as soon as you are done in this room. You can receive your insignia a day after you performed the second phase.¡± she said. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Insignia?¡± I asked with a puzzled look. ¡°Yes, insignia. It is a trademark of becoming an adventurer. It is a magical symbol embedded in your left shoulder. It will be removed if you decide to retire or you have been banned from the guild. It is also a ranking system based on the color of the insignia. The green ones are the color of the new adventurer. the yellow ones are the upgrade of green which means that the adventurers are now familiar of the monsters and situations outside. The proceeding color can be acquired with achievements. So here are the proceeding colors according to their rank. Blue rank, Red rank, Dark Brown rank, Copper rank, Silver rank, Gold rank and the rank of a hero, Platinum rank. These are the ranks present on the guild on every part of the world.¡± she said. ¡°The world? What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°The world we are living in is called Tulles. It was said that this planet was created by the Supreme God, the God of all the Gods. It was also said that this world was created with all races found in the universe. We are on the continent of Madrigal, the continent of humans. But it doesn¡¯t mean that is exclusive only for humans, as a matter of fact, kingdoms around the world are led by each of the races.¡± ¡°Can you tell me the races found in this wor-¡± I was cut off from asking anymore question. ¡°We¡¯re here. Now do what I told you earlier, okay? I will answer all your question after you finish here.¡± she said as she turned around and walked towards the door. As she opened the door, she gives me a thumbs up. I gave her a smile before she exited. Then, I turned towards the Orb and approach it. ¡°I seek thy help.¡± I uttered as I laid my hand on the Orb. Nothing happened. ¡®Did I fail?¡¯ I thought. Then a faint light shone inside the Orb. The light intensified as time goes by. After around ten seconds. The whole room was surrounded with blinding light. ¡°AHH-¡± I tried to shout but something is stopping me. As I tried to shout again, I saw something holding the Orb. It was a faint silhouette of a human, but I couldn¡¯t see clearly. The light soon vanished in the whole room as it conjured a white silhouette. I was looking at a man literally made out of white light. Then, he spoke. ¡°Hello Ped¡± _____________________________________________________________________________________ Somewhere deep in the northern forest, there was a ruckus going on. Sounds of different kinds of monster could be heard. They were chattering nonstop when a figure stood upon a stump of a huge tree. A loud thud could be heard as he struck the stump with his mace. Every single monster fell silent due to the declaration of the creature of its presence. ¡°RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRR¡± the creature shouted a sharp cry. ¡°EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKEEEKKKKEEEEEEEKKKKKKK¡± the Kabogs also joined its cry. ¡°GWAARAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡± the Bakukangs opened its jaw and bellowed. ¡°UWEEEEEKKKKKKK UWEEEEEEKKK¡± the Ramos also made a sound. After the whole cry of the monster, the creature pointed his mace towards the direction of the town Raflis. A thunderous cry erupted once again as the monsters mobilized and headed towards the town. They are attacking the town, or more approriately, to ransack and destroy the town. Chapter 6 First Encounter Tom¡¯s POV What¡¯s that rumbling? Are there carriages running about? Tom immediately stood up and looked outside through the entrance of his tent. He was still half-awake as he peep through the slit when he heard a scream. He hurriedly donned his equipments and grab his weapon as he went outside. The outside was an uproar with the huge monster invasion and adventurers clash against each other. Vanguard-type adventurers scrammed to the front and positioned there shields as a great wall that protects the damage dealers. The Magi and Viper professions are using a wide AOE long range skills and attacks. This formation is very effective and easy to follow. If ever the monsters pass through the Vanguards, Fighter and melee type Viper professions are waiting to slaughter them. They positioned themselves in behind the Vanguards so that they can slip their weapons on the holes of their shield. The monsters where no joke also. Tom saw a huge flock of Kabogs interrupting the magic and arrows. Ramos and Bakukangs also rammed the shields which shook the Vanguards. It was one of the biggest battle of monsters against human battle he had ever seen. That¡¯s what he thought. Just as he stepped ouside, he saw a figure leaped from the monster towards the Magi and Vipers. With one swoop of his giant double sided axe, the figure sliced 5 men in half. It was a bipedal creature with a huge human body but had the tail, feet and the head of a dark horse. It was one of the rare monster that appear in the forest, the Tikbalang. Tom rushed towards the Tikbalang and blocked the second blow with his sword when the Tikbalang was about to strike again. Tom was thrown several feet after receiving a hit from the Tikbalang. The Tikbalang effortlessly closed their gap and prepared to strike again. He hurriedly move back to his feet block another hit from the Tikbalang which causes him to fly again and hit a tree. Owww, he¡¯s way too strong and fast. If only we had a priest. The Tikbalang rushed towards him and sliced horizontally. He dodged the Tikbalang by rolling to his left side but he got kicked in the stomach instead and hit the trunk of the tree that was chopped down. The Tikbalang slowly raised its axe, and then¡­. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pedro¡¯s POV Ped: ¡°Who are y-?¡± ???: ¡°I am the one who brought you here.¡± Ped: ¡°Why ha-¡± ???: ¡°If you want answers. Finish the mission entrusted in you by the Trainer.¡± Ped: ¡°But how? I don¡¯t even know what I am anymore.¡± ???: ¡°You are what you always are.¡± He vanished, I gasped. The figure made of light vanished and the light that accumulated was scattered once again. He was confused but he got a lead to find the answers he seek. He looked around and saw nothing strange. He then remembered Diales and what she said. ¡°D-Done!¡± Diales opened the door but was awe-struck when she saw Pedro. Pedro was observing Diales because he knows this is an unusual light. It was none of the given colors of light that she emphasized earlier. Diales immediately kneeled and prayed with a bowed head. Pedro was shocked of her actions and hurriedly ran towards her. Ped:¡±Are you okay, Miss Diales?¡± Diales: (murmuring) Oh Great, Merciful God. We thank you for the lives we had and all the things¡­¡­.¡± Ped:¡±D-D-Diales, Diales, Diales!¡± Diales was back to her senses when Pedro shouted. Diales:¡±I-I¡¯m sorry, Sir Ped. That was unsightly of me.¡± Ped:¡±N-no worries.¡± Diales:¡±Now, back to your light. That is the very first time I have seen it in this area. The divine light.¡± Ped:¡±D-D-Divine light?¡± That doesn¡¯t sound very relaxing. Diales:¡±You are the first ever human to have a divine light.¡± Ped:¡±F-F-First??¡± Definitely problematic. Ped was alarmed when he heard Divine Light. His worry worsens when he heard the word first. Diales:¡±Humans have very low affinity to magic and has the least physical prowess on their arsenal. That is why I was surprised to see a human having the light of the Divine.¡± Pedro then looked back at the orb and it was back to a ball of glass. He looked around and it was the same room as he entered. Diales asked Pedro to follow her back to the reception area. Pedro took a sit opposite to Diales. Diales:¡±Normally, it will be us who will fill up your form. But since you are one of Them, you need to fill them up yourself.¡± Ped:¡±Them? Who are Them? Diales:¡±It was said that they are the foreign entities of this world. They said they came from other worlds much different than ours. They don¡¯t have any particular specie or race. But, legend said that they were all chosen by the gods. They are most commonly known as Champions.¡± Ped:¡±O-other worlders. Is my p-profession a Champion?¡± Diales:¡±That is correct. Although I am not sure of you humans, but there are many books that discusses the uniqueness of the Champion profession. What is your specialty?¡± Pedro thought of everything and he remembered when he was still a child with his father. They were the moments of when he and his father bonded. His family was poor so they have no money for buying toys. Instead, his father thought him to imagine the things that he held to the things that he want. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. And so, Pedro and his Father acted like valiant warriors with steel pipes as a sword even though the length of the pipe was as big as Pedro and they played all afternoon. It made Pedro realized that he was comfortable with long stick type weapons. Then he thought. Maybe, I should ask her that. Just in case. Ped:¡±Is there any book concerning the general knowledge of weapons and magic?¡± Diales:¡±Yes indeed, but first fill these up.¡± Diales passed Pedro three sheets of paper of the same copies. It looked like a personal sheet or biodata from his world but there was one problem. He can¡¯t understand any of the writings on the paper. undefined Ped:¡±Uhm, excuse me. Is there any other language around here? Diales:¡±Other language? No there isn¡¯t. Everyone on this planet uses one language.¡± Ped:¡±I-I-I can¡¯t understand the words written on the paper.¡± Pedro lowered his head because it looked like he was an illiterate. Diales:¡±OH! I almost forgot. I apologize. I didn¡¯t take into account the fact that you were from another world. This writing here is called Alibata. The language in this world is Eskri.¡± Diales opened the drawer under the receptionist¡¯s desk and grab something. She gave it to Pedro and the latter was confused. Ped:¡±What¡¯s this? Diales:¡±It¡¯s called the Common Glasses. It is a rare item obtained from the fairies when you do what they asked. It helps you understand the gibberish words you are looking at right now.¡± Pedro was holding an eyeglass piece with a gold plating around it. It was just a plain piece of circular lens of a glass. He put the lenses to his eyes and he saw Diales with a blue aura around her and a red aura in her stomach. Ped:¡±W-What is that blue aura around you and the red aura inside you, Diales?¡± Diales:¡±Oh yeah I forgot. You can also see other peoples mana and life. Blue aura represents mana and red aura represents life. Now try looking at the papers.¡± ADVENTURER¡¯S GUILD Registration Form Year of 921X Name:__________________________________________________________ Age: ___________________________________________________________ Gender: ________________________________________________________ Race: __________________________________________________________ Specialty: ______________________________________________________ Profession Acquired: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Sub-Classes Desired: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Purpose of becoming an adventurer: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Signature of the Applicant: Drop a droplet of blood in this Area: Diales passed an ink bottle and a pointed quill to Pedro. Diales:¡±Use this to write¡± Ped:¡±T-Thanks.¡± Pedro filled the paper that was given to him by Diales. He pricked his left forefinger by the needle given to him by Diales. As soon as the blood dropped to the paper, a red and white insignia was embedded unto his left shoulder. It looked like a phoenix going clockwise. undefined Ped:¡±W-White?¡± Diales:¡±The insignia of the champions differ in color from one another. That¡¯s what I know for now.¡± As they were speaking, a hexagram has suddenly appeared in his forehead. It shocked Diales for it was the first time she saw it. Little did she know that it has a very deep meaning. Pedro suddenly stood up and excused himself. undefined Ped: ¡°Excuse me, Ms. Diales. I have done what you¡¯ve asked, now I need to go.¡± Ped rushed outside and stride like the wind. Ped:¡±Clarity of the Oppressed!¡± Ped saw the area where the battle between humans and monsters are taking place. He saw the valiant efforts of these adventurers as they defend themselves from the savage beasts of the forest. He then turned his vision to the battle between his Trainer Tom against a horse-headed creature. Ped:¡±Aspect of the Tiger!¡± He ran faster than before to reach the battleground. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tom¡¯s POV As he scrambled to retrieve his sword to block the lethal attack of the Tikbalang, a figure rammed the creature that send it flying. The figure that rammed the Tikbalang used a very powerful flying kick. Tom was shocked when he saw the Tikbalang flew for a few meters. What¡¯s even more shocking was the one who kicked it. ¡°P-Ped?¡± Chapter 7 The Champion Tom¡¯s POV ¡°P-Ped?¡± Pedro looked at me and smiled. He has a red-white phoenix insignia on his left shoulder which surprised me. But what shocked me was not the insignia on his shoulder. It was the symbol on his forehead. Ped:¡±Hand of the Healer¡± Pedro healed my wounds in just an instant. Is he a cleric? No, judging from that kick alone maybe he is a monk. Ped:¡±Go Sir Tom, help the others. I got thi-¡± Tikbalang:¡±NEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHEEHEE, DAMNED HUMAN! YOU DARE INFLICT DAMAGE ON ME. PREPARE FOR YOUR DEATH! OH BREATHREN AND BROTHERS! HEED MY CALL! COME AT ARMS WITH ME TO DESTROY THE ENEMY! CALL OF THE TRIBE! Is he calling for reinforceme- Before I even finish up my thoughts four more Tikbalangs and a lot of Ramos came at the woods behind the Tikbalang we were facing. I looked at Ped anxiously. Ped:¡±Go now sir, I can handle this.¡± Impossible. That was what my mind was telling me. But my instincts told me to follow his command. I looked at the monster once more before going to the others. Tom:¡±You better not die on me¡± Ped:¡±Of course, Sir. You too, Sir Tom.¡± Then I left with a worried face because I am not sure on how he will win. To take down one Tikbalang, we need a party of at least 5. Now he was facing five Tikbalangs and a number of Ramos. But something is telling me, that Ped was not the same guy I trained before. What is that kid? Even if he is a Champion, that is just reckless. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ped¡¯s POV I didn¡¯t know what came to me. But something took over my body and moved on its own. I was like a spirit watching myself as he ran towards the battle. He kicked the horse-headed creature and send it flying. Ped: Who are you? ???: I am you, Ped, I will be your guide. But first let me show you how to use your body and skills. Don¡¯t worry I am not demon or spirit that takes over bodies. As I said earlier, I am you. The entity who took over my body was talking to me in my mind like it was nothing. He approached the Trainer and healed him. The horse-headed creature started to curse him and then said a kind of a ritual. After a while, figures started to appear in the woods behind it. So this is what a Ramo looks like. Lots of Ramos came from the forest. The treetops shook wildly as if something big was coming. Four figures jumped out of the trees and stood beside the creature. It was the same race as the horse-headed creature that was welding a giant double sided axe. They were armed with different weapons namely, a giant sword, a huge mace, a long spear and a gigantic wooden club. They had red eyes and a very intimidating aura. I panicked and talked to the entity inside me. Ped: This is suicide. I never had any fights before, and now I¡¯m facing a monster my Trainer can¡¯t defeat. And there¡¯s five of them, not to mention those Ramos. LET¡¯S GET OUT OF HERE ???:That¡¯s why I told you, I will show you what you are capable of. The entity who took over my body readied himself and faced the group of monster. The Tikbalangs shouted their battle cry and came running towards us along with the Ramos. ???:¡±Petrifying Pulse¡± What the heck! If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The monsters advancing towards us was gradually moving slow until they came to a stop. I thought that the time stop but as my spirit looked around, the fierce battle around the area was ongoing. ???:¡±Vermillion Flames of Gehenna¡± A huge fire pillar erected towards the sky. The Ramos instantly burnt out and died while only two Tikbalangs were toasted. The other three quickly moved out of the flames when the petrifying spell was dispelled. Ped: Oh my God! ???: I¡¯m not done yet. Even though this still falls a bit short of your true abilities, I shall show you a glimpse of it ???:¡±Aspect of the Wild ¨C Call Spirit of the Jungle, Tamaraw Warrior¡± ¡°Aspect of the Wild ¨C Call Spirit of the Skies, Agila Berserker¡± Two magic circles appeared on each of the side of my body. A bipedal giant black buffalo with heavy armor and a broadsword and a humaniod eagle-like bird with two swords on both of its hands and brown wings on his back appeared. They bowed with one of their knees on the ground. Tamaraw Warrior and Agila Berserker:¡±You called Master?¡± _____________________________________________________________________________________--- Tom¡¯s POV Ped:¡±Petrifying Pulse¡± What is that spell? The monsters attacking Ped was slowed and then stopped like they became statues. Is that an earth-based magic? Then he is a Magi that specializes earth element. But that is Advanced type magic. How can he yield a magic of that magnitude. Ped:¡±Vermillion Flames of Gehenna¡± A-another magic of advance type but of different element. What is this guy made of? Is he some kind of sage at a young age? Ped:¡±Aspect of the Wild ¨C Call Spirit of the Jungle, Tamaraw Warrior¡± ¡°Aspect of the Wild ¨C Call Spirit of the Skies, Agila Berserker¡± S-s-summoned creatures? He is also a Summoner? I never heard of such a combination on magic. T-this is absurd. There were tales about a human who can summon creatures at his will. A summoner is a very rare class that only appear once in a millenia or so. This tends the people to deduce it as a myth or a stuff of legends. H-he really is one of Them. One of the Champions. *grumble**grumble**grumble**grumble* Tom was in deep thought when a strange thing happened. The ground was rumbling and the trees were shaking from a far. Then debris and uprooted tree flew towards Ped. *crash**crash**crash* ???:¡±Anti-material Shell¡± Ped casted a spell that shocked even the Magis around. All the debris and trees where vaporized as soon as it hit the orange barrier that covers Ped. Then a giant 10-foot tall figure jump out from nowhere and landed in front of Ped. It was welding a two-handed magic sword bigger than Ped. The creature has thick and rough dark green skin, two bulging eyes and intimidating tusks from its lower jaw, and has tremendous physique adorned with magical armor with elven blessings. The creature moved so quickly that I can only blurt out words of warning as it was swinging his sword to Ped after closing in on him. It looked like Ped was gonna be sliced in half. Tom:¡±Ped watch ou-¡± *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* Chapter 8 Ruler of the Loah Forest Pedro¡¯s POV This guy summoned an eagle and a buffalo Pedro was surprised that the entity inside him casts magic after magic easily. He pondered if he really have that inside him all along. Ped:¡±H-hey, who are you? ???:¡±As I said I am you, but if you insist on differentiating us, call me Cron.¡± Ped:¡±C-cron, what are those creatures?¡± Cron:¡±Those are our servants. There are more of them so don¡¯t stress yourself just yet.¡± undefinedundefined Cron:¡±Show me your allegiance! Attack those who oppose u-¡± A loud rumbling and crashing in the forest was heard by both Pedro and Cron. While Pedro was wondering what it is, large debris and uprooted trees were going to their location. Cron was quick to his wits and activated a defensive spell. Cron:¡±Anti-material Shell¡± All the debris and trees where vaporized as soon as it hit the orange barrier that covers both Pedro and Cron. Pedro was astonished for he believed that he was a warrior type of adventurer but now, his self was casting magic that was far beyond the games he had played. Pedro was amazed by the power that he held inside his body. To be specific, he was amazed by Cron who resides in his body. All the while he was deep in amazement, a figure leaped out from a nearby forest entrance. A giant that looked like a half forest troll half ogre, has appeared right before them. The creature hastily attack Pedro¡¯s body. Pedro heard the trainer shout a warning call but that was way too late. Tom:¡±Ped watch ou-¡± *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* A huge explosion of force and dust covered the area. As soon as the dust cleared, the creatures attack was blocked by the Tamaraw Warrior. The creature leaped back but the Agila Berserker caught up to him in mid air. It blocked the Agila¡¯s attack with its sword but was thrown off his balance and fell flat on the ground. Tom:¡±T-T-The ruler of the Forest of Loah? What is it doing here?¡± Ped:¡±Ruler? Is it some kind of a territorial aspect? Or by power? Cron:¡±Both are correct. This guy is a tough one so you better watch our back, Ped. Ped:¡±W-What? I can¡¯t do that!¡± Cron:¡±Agila Berserker, Tamaraw Warrior! Go and fight the other two Tikbalangs. I¡¯ll take care of the remaining Tikbalang and this monstrosity¡± ???:¡±Big talk for a human. Kel kel kel kel! (creature¡¯s laugh) Cron:¡±Look who¡¯s talking, you slump of a slime.¡± ???:¡±RRRAAAWRRR! DON¡¯T YOU DARE INSULT ME, REZ NAGUV, RULER OF LOAH FOREST. YOU WILL PAY FOR IT WITH YOUR LIFE AND THIS PUNY VILLAGE. RAAAAWWRR!¡± Rez Naguv immediately rushed forward and closed the gap between Cron and him. He prepared for a thrust attack so that the weakly human will be overwhelmed. But to his surprise, the human grab the stick on his back and prepare to intercept him Rez:¡±YOU CHEEKY BASTARD! TAKE THIS!¡± Cron leaped upward and the sword passed through the air. The stick he holds was now swinging towards the creatures head but the creature nimbly dodged the attack by rolling sideward. Rez:¡±You seem to have skills, what is your name human? So I could remember you after killing you.¡± Cron:¡±You might have gotten this thing the other way around. Never mind though, the name¡¯s Ped. And I will have your he-¡± The Tikbalang was rushing towards his back while he was speaking. Tom quickly blocked the Tikbalang¡¯s path and parried its attack. Tom:¡±I got this, you go deal with that guy, whoever you are. I know you are not Ped but you came here to help us so I¡¯ll do my part.¡± Cron:¡±Don¡¯t worry, Thomas. Ped is here, but on an ethereal form that is. He can hear you too.¡± Rez:¡±RAAAWWRRR!¡± Rez Naguv attacked Cron once again. This time he was using his special attack. He deemed Cron worthy of such attacks. The sword glowed into dark red as he advanced forward. Rez:¡±SAY YOUR PRAYERS HUMAN, SINISTER BLADE OF LOAH¡± Cron:¡±Now who you say was cheeky? Greater Bash of Jotunheim¡± The stick weapon now turned into a huge hammer larger than the creature itself. Rez couldn¡¯t stop his advance so he speed up even more so that he could kill Cron before the hammer could land. Rez:¡±Kel kel kel kel! I win!¡± The sword was about to reach Cron¡¯s throat when the hammer suddenly vanished above. Rez:¡±Kuh-! GURAAHHH!¡± The hammer has appeared on the side and hit Rez hard. He could hear the cracking of his bones as he rolls to the ground far from the source of impact. Cron:¡±You are just one unlucky fellow. You faced the wrong guy at the right time though. This is good to teach the other me how to use himself efficiently. Now will you face him? Here, Hand of the Healer!¡± Rez stood up and was confused. He no longer felt the pain in his sides nor the brisks of the broken bones. Cron:¡±Okay, this will be a good start. You fight him!¡± Ped:¡±WHHATTT???¡± Cron:¡±C¡¯mon now, use what you have learned from that trainer over there. Ready? Substitute!¡± Ped:¡±What the hell are you talking abo-?¡± Pedro was stunned as he now regained control of his body. Rez and Tom was also confused about his sudden outburst. He looked at Rez and then the weapon in his hand. The mark on his forehead was gone but the he can still feel the power that he saw earlier in his body. Cron:¡±Relax, calm yourself and assess the situation. Read and predict his attack. Try remembering a mountain or a jungle where you feel relaxed and comfortable. Then state this, Style of the Artisan!¡± Pedro remembered the mountains in his hometown which he was always passing. He remembered the part of the mountain where he can see the whole town that made him feel safe and happy. Ped:¡±S-Style of the Artisan!¡± He felt his body became lighter. The weapon on his hand was like a long popsicle stick and as light as a feather. He maneuvered his weapon left, right, twirl and hold. He readied himself as he faced the enemy. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!Rez:¡±I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to human. But I won¡¯t miss twice.¡± Ped:¡±L-Let¡¯s do this.¡± Both of them prepared their stances and attacked at the same time. Rez slashes his sword downwards as Ped parried the sword on the lower edge of the bo and used the other edge to strike. Rez ducked and punched Ped at the side but Ped was quick to his feed and jumped away. Cron:¡±Don¡¯t worry that you might kill him. We can heal him you know so don¡¯t hold back.¡± Ped:¡±O-Okay, I-I¡¯ll try¡± Ped advance forward with the sharp edge of the bo forward. Rez reacted on his move and leaned to parry his attack. Ped had already read his move so he kneed him to the chin which caused Rez to take aback. Rez was still dazed when Ped punched the stomach and kicked the sides of Rez which sends the latter rolling to the ground away from Ped. Rez stood back up, wiped the blood in his nose and spit the tooth that came loose because of the knee. He then rushed towards Ped but the latter ran to the sides. Rez halted as Ped circled around him. Rez was furious because he felt like he was a prey. Rez:¡±OUTRAGEOUS! I BECAME THE PREY? ME????¡± Rez:¡± RRAAAAAWWRR!¡± Ferocity runs through the brain of Rez and ran towards Ped. Ped was a bit scared when he saw the monstrosity that was following him. Ped:¡±O-okay now he¡¯s following me, w-what now? Cron:¡±Say this, Artisan Style, Countering Block!¡± Ped:¡±Artisan Style, Countering Block¡± Rez jumped towards Ped with his sword thrusting towards the heart of the enemy. Rez was sure that it would end the battle, but to his surprise, Ped stood still and waited for the attack. Rez:¡±Did he gave up?¡± Rez was curious but he still continued his attack. As soon as his sword reached about a feet from Ped, the bo of Ped nimbly blocked the his sword which caused Rez to be stunned for a moment. Ped then hit the back of the head of Rez with the blunt edge of the bo. Cron:¡±Now! Dragon Claws! Ped:¡±DRAGON CLAWS!¡± ________________________________________________________________ Tom¡¯s POV Tom didn¡¯t know what happened to Ped but he felt as if he was another person. He showed skills that pars senior Magis. He even demonstrated a very rare magic which is summoning. He was convinced now that he was in fact a champion. But what he can¡¯t believe was, he was a human. How could a meek human become a category of a champion. He thought that every champion came from the mystic bloodlines like draconians and elves. But now, he was witnessing the first ever human champion in the flesh. The champion that is now defending the town he grew and lived in. The champion that is facing the Ruler of Loah Forest. At first, Tom thought that Ped would be split apart from the surprise attack that the creature initiated. But the summoned creatures defended and attack the Ruler that made it back off. The Ruler then introduced himself as Rez Naguv in an outraged fashion. After bantering around, the two powerful beings clashed in manner that was way too much for a human to handle. Their movements was so fast that he saw them part again in a short time. Then their was a sudden movement aside from the two. A Tikbalang was now advancing towards the back of Ped. Tom couldn¡¯t just bare to watch his student took on two monsters at the same time so he quickly blocked the Tikbalang¡¯s path and parried its attack. Tom:¡±I got this, you go deal with that guy, whoever you are. I know you are not Ped but you came here to help us so I¡¯ll do my part.¡± Tom was not sure if he could defeat the Tikbalang alone but he could parry and block it¡¯s attack as long as he wanted to until Ped could help him finish it. Then he thought otherwise. Ped was now battling against the Ruler of the Loah Forest and he was facing its soldier which was the Tikbalang. It would be unfair for him if I, his trainer, would ask him for help. He then made up his mind and prepared for the battle of his life. The Tikbalang rushed towards him with the huge mace held high. He then dodged to the sides and thrust his sword towards the monster¡¯s side. The Tikbalang quickly stepped backward and kicked Tom the stomach. Luckily though, Tom used his sword to block the hoof that was advancing to his stomach. The two then quickly separated from each other and prepared for the next clash. Then a huge pressure pushed them both back. The pressure of the weapons clashing reached to where he was standing and made him wary of the next moves. The Tikbalang quickly fled the battlefield when he saw Rez got hit with the enormous hammer. That can¡¯t be good. Could be the end of the fight. But surprisingly, Ped healed Rez and murmured some words. Then, an unusual behavior of Ped made Tom comfused. Ped shouted then stopped as if he was talking with someone. Has he gone insane? Then, Ped battled against Rez again. This time, he seemed to be someone different. Someone who seemed to be a newbie on battling foes. The Ped he knew before, the Ped that was meek yet powerful on terms of human comprehension, and not the Ped that transcends that of humanity. He analyze Ped¡¯s moves and patterns. Ped seems to be gradually progressing and developing his skills as the battle goes on. Ped showed the defensive tactics, offensive tactics and the luring ones. Then, the most sought out ending happened. Ped used a skill that was only possible on dragonkins and draconians. The attack that could rip any foe to shreds within seconds. The Dragon Claw. After a while, something unthinkable happened. ________________________________________________________________ Rez POV Rez watched Ped with blurred eyesight. Ped slashed Rez fourteen times in a flash which causes the latter to collapse. The blood spluttered from the wounds of Rez. His life was now dwindling to a fraction of time. Rez:¡±P-p-protect t-the f-f-for¡­est¡± Those were the last words of Rez. Everything was black like someone blocked his eyes. He can¡¯t feel anything on anywhere on his body. He was felt like he was floating on nothingness. But then, he felt something touched his heart. It was a warm touch like the time he was looking at his dominion. He felt happy and satisfied on his short life. Then a voice struck his head, Protect it again. He then saw a light not far and a hand was reaching for him. He hesitated first, but then he remembered the forest which he ruled and protected. The sight of every being living peacefully and protecting each other from invaders like humans. He then took the hand which forcefully pulled him. He felt like he was pulled the east side of the continent towards the other side in a split second. He felt a searing pain all over his body and extreme exhaustion that he can hardly open his eyes. Ped:¡±Done, are you awake now? Chapter 9 Allegiance Pedro¡¯s POV Cron:¡±Think of a beautiful angel, the most beautiful creature you could imagine then say, Breath of Silv.¡± Pedro thought of his mother, he never saw someone as beautiful as her. She was the best mother in the whole world. A teary eyed Pedro then spoke. Pedro:¡±Breath of Life¡± Pedro felt all his energy being sucked out on a white haze that was forming above Rez Naguv. The white haze then formed a silhouette of an angel. The angel then blow a whitish wind towards the body of the diseased. The body shook for a bit then the angel¡¯s silhouette collapse towards the body of Rez. ¡°Mmmhh¡± Rez Naguv groaned. It sounded more like a below. Then, he slowly opened his eyes. Pedro slowly approached Rez Naguv. He was exhausted as he revived the one he killed. The thought that he was a killer made him shiver so he quickly asked Cron if there is a way to revive someone. Ped then sat beside Rez and observed him. He gave off a sigh of relief as he saw the Ruler of the Forest of Loah alive. Ped:¡±Done, are you awake now?¡± Rez:¡±W-W-what d..did yo¡­u do? I w..as s..ure I am alread¡­y de..ad¡± Ped:¡±I revived you. Honestly, I can¡¯t stand killing anyone or anything, specially those with intelligence. My only aim here is to know why I am here and if there is any chance I could get back home.¡± Rez asked Ped even though he hasn¡¯t have any energy left to move. He never had been this exhausted in his life. The answer he got from Ped was confusing him even more. Ped bantered about his existence on this world. He was thinking of how to go back to his world before. But as he last remembered, there was a huge tragedy that led him here. He thought that this should be the afterlife. So there is no way that he could go back to that world. He gave up the thought of going back and think of this world¡¯s norms. Ped:¡±You look tired, you should rest a bit. There are a lot of things I would ask you later.¡± Rez:¡±Mmmmh¡± Cron:¡±You should rest up too, remember? I told you that when you revive someone, it takes a toll on your body and power, so it should be only use at most once a week.¡± Ped:¡±Once a week, huh? I got some questions for you,too.¡± Cron:¡±I know, but you best take a rest now. I will answer them all after that.¡± The eyes of the Rez Naguv shut down and he was in deep slumber. Ped also laid down beside him and closed his eyes to take a rest. His exhaustion quickly caused him to fall asleep fast. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tom¡¯s POV I saw Ped pondering over something after he ended the life Rez Naguv. I thought that it was gonna be the end but something unheard of happen. The rarest magic that could only be used by Gods, the resurrection spell. But, this is the first time I have heard someone of the human kind use it. What¡¯s even more surprising is that it is used on the enemy the caster once have. Is he some kind of a sadist? I thought of this in my head but then i think otherwise. I walked slowly towards Ped with his summoned creatures at his sides. It confirmed my doubt when I overheard their conversation. Ped:¡±Done, are you awake now?¡± Rez:¡±W-W-what d..did yo¡­u do? I w..as s..ure I am alread¡­y de..ad¡± Ped:¡±I revived you. Honestly, I can¡¯t stand killing anyone or anything, specially those with intelligence. My only aim here is to know why I am here and if there is any chance I could get back home.¡± Ped:¡±You look tired, you should rest a bit. There are a lot of things I would ask you later.¡± Rez:¡±Mmmmh¡± This conversation struck me. He really came from another world. He might be also finding some information regarding this world that¡¯s why he revived Rez. And also, he is looking for a way back, back to his own home world. The two powerful beings are now resting. The newly revived one is in deep sleep while the other seemed exhausted. The servants he summoned guarded them of any other harm that might come. The Tikbalangs they fought also fled because of the same reason. Might as well catch a nap after a mind blowing day. I decided to sleep under a tree not far from the two. There I sat and thought of what would happen in the future. Will Ped protect the town? or moreso, the whole humanity from the threats of other beings? My consciousness faded as I drifted to sleep _________________________________________________________________ Rez Naguv¡¯s POV I opened my eyes slowly as I woke up from the longest sleep I had. It seemed more like a slumber rather than just sleeping. As I watched where I lay, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. The bed was soft and the area seemed cozy ???:¡±Done, are you awake now?¡± These words that I heard caused a flashback onto me. The battle of my life, the time I died and then was resurrected. I looked at the source of the voice and it was the same familiar man who revived him. He was holding a bowl that smells good. Rez:¡±Y-yes, where am I?¡± Ped:¡±Oh, you are at the tent of my trainer.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Tom:¡±Trainer? Really? HAHAHA! After that show of power you still call me that? That¡¯s kinda embarrassing. But really, where did that po-¡± They halted talking as I remembered that he resurrected me. I quickly got on my knees and bowed so low that my head touches the ground. This person is stronger than anyone. He can help me protect the forest. Rez:¡±My Lord, please accept my allegiance to you! I would gladly accept any order you command. This life of mine is of reverence of your existence.¡± Ped:¡±W-What a-are you doing?¡± Tom:¡±He is pledging his loyalty to you, as servant. Much like the ones you summoned awhile back.¡± Ped:¡±W-why?¡± Rez:¡±I have experienced your greatness in all aspects of combat, may it be strength, power, intelligence and agility. I seek only for the protection of the forest that I ruled so that we can live peacefully.¡± Ped:¡±W-what do you mean?¡± Rez:¡±Long before I ruled the forest, all existence where in peace and harmony. Until the Blight of the Land happened. Creatures unknown to us began to appear on what seem to be a green circle standing upright. They are called Ungo, the scoured the land and fest on the living. They destroyed everything in there path. That is what my ancestor told me. And now, the Ungo from the East of Madrigal had spread towards the Forest of Loah, if I don¡¯t seek help from you, we, including the people of the town of Rafline, and all living beings in Raflis, will perish.¡± Tom:¡±If that is true, then, why did you attack the town?¡± Rez:¡±I merely ruled the forest, but I don¡¯t control the creatures. They are only afraid of my power that is why they obey me. But some of them, like the Ramos and Tikbalangs, can be quite troublesome because they go on a rampage. You¡¯ve seen them flee as I clashed against my Lord, right? They were afraid of me. I came because my subordinates are getting slaughtered while I saw a strong pillar of fire that no mere human can cast. That leads to our conversation now.¡± Ped:¡±But why me?¡± Tom:¡±Because you are the strongest being he had ever seen, actually, the strongest being any of us had ever seen. With that said, I¡¯m convinced of your reason because the scouts came by this morning reporting that the scent of the dead is coming from the east and has infected the forest.¡± Rez:¡±IT STARTED? MY LORD PLEASE, ACCEPT MY LOYALTY AND HELP ME DEFEND THE FOREST.¡± I bowed once again begging for the holy sacred being in front of me. He has the compassion to revive someone who he had no attachment with and moreso, to and enemy he just recently fought. That is why I pledge my allegiance to this being, I would be more than honored to serve under his rule. Tom:¡±With that said, I, the successor of the town of Rafline, pledge my allegiance to Lord Ped, and serve under his reign.¡± Ped:¡±W-what¡¯s this all of a sudden? Aren¡¯t you my trainer?¡± Tom:¡±The situation different now, even the adventurer¡¯s guild are seeking for your presence. That proves that you are the most powerful man in the region of Raflis. Please, my Lord, accept our loyalty.¡± _________________________________________________________________ \ Pedro''s POV A forest troll that rules the forest and a human that will rule the town is now pledging their lives under the command of Pedro. Pedro was confused, nervous and was about to throw-up with all the build up tension Ped:¡±How did come to this?¡± Cron:¡±Want me to help out? Here¡¯s a suggestion, accept their loyalty.¡± Ped:¡±Easy for you to say, I don¡¯t even know what they meant by pledging their allegiance on me.¡± Cron:¡±From your world, you watch the movies on medieval times right? It¡¯s like you are the king and they are the knights. Only, a step higher in fact. But still the same concept though. Hehehe¡± Ped:¡±What should I say or do?¡± Cron:¡±Accept their loyalty, of course. First, put your hand on top of your insignia. After it, say the words, ¡°I accept your loyalty, I vow to protect you as you to me, now rise and prosper. From this day forward, you are my loyal knights!¡±. Then hover your hand on top of their heads. That should do the trick.¡± Ped:¡±R-really? Well, here it goes.¡± I put my hand on the insignia and looked at both of them. The insignia on my shoulder glowed and there was a white haze-like orb on my hand. Ped:¡±I accept your loyalty, I vow to protect you as you to me, now rise and prosper. From this day forward, you are my loyal knights!¡± I hovered my hand which has the whitish orb over their heads. The white haze became a small bird which entered the foreheads of the two. Then, a glowing insignia the same as the one on my shoulder was on their chest, only, it was smaller. Cron:¡±With that, you have successfully acquired new subordinates. Well, it¡¯s about time I show myself up. A white light covered the whole room. This light was the same as the light on the adventurer¡¯s guild¡¯s orb. The light then gathered and formed into a silhouette of a person. Then it slowly formed into an animate being of light. Does this mean- Cron:¡±Hello Ped¡± Chapter 10 Revelation Ped''s POV I saw the the person who called my name changing as the light dances through his figure. After a while, it turned out to be a little kid not more than 8 years old or the like. What''s bizarre is that the kid, looks exactly like me when I was young. Only, he was totally white, from hair to his clothes. His eyes were golden, a majestic addition to his sacred aura. The aura of hue then settled, and revealed the younger me smiling. He then walked towards the two summoned creatures at the entrance of the tent and called them. The three mystical figures faced the three of us mere mortals. Ped:"Are you r-really C-Cron?" Cron:"Well, you could say that, but that is not my real name, you just insisted on naming me so I thought that it would be good for your understanding too so I picked the name that came to my mind." Ped:"S-so what are you? Who are you? And why am I here?" Cron:"Once again, I am you, and you are me, we are one because we are created by one entity. You can call me Cron as I said earlier, I am your God counterpart. A fraction of the God that you represent on this competition." Ped:"I didn''t remember signing up on any. Do you know how crazy that sound? GOD COUNTERPART?!! What the hell does that even mean. I don''t understand anymore" Cron:"Then let''s start from the beginning then." Cron narrated the events that led me here. First was that I was chosen by a certain God to represent him. The God saw compassion, determination and good will on me that was why he chose me. He didn''t even bother my race which is a human. Sure, there are lots of other races that could surpass human, so I asked Cron why me and he just shrugged it off. He then told us that in order to come to this world, you need to die a natural death first. Either of natural illness, accidents or calamities. As long as it doesn''t conflict any of that world''s law. So it explains why there was an earthquake to the area where I was playing. So I really am dead. I thought I could meet my parents if I died. Wait a sec0- Ped:"Hey Cron, are there many who''s lives has been taken on that tragedy you caused? You could''ve just give me any lethal disease so that it may not affect others" Cron:"Don''t fret, my friend. You were the only one who was missing there so they presume you are dead. Sadly the shop you were in was destroyed. But overall, no harm done to anyone except, you" Ped:"Am I really dead? If so, where are my parents" Cron:"No, of course you''re not dead. You were just transported here through the warp gate. And also, it''s a misconception on your planet on the belief that you go to the afterlife when you die. You are just a spec of dust in the universe. "And to dust you shall return." Isn''t that you''re saying? That is kinda accurate." Ped:"S-so you mean there are no s-souls?" Cron:"Of course there is, what I said is that there is no afterlife. Your plane is the source of the soul and it also the collector. Soul is the mana of your world, but you can''t use it. People in Earth tends to be literal, they don''t believe what they can''t see in their own. That is why you can''t use magic before." Ped:"Then why am I using it now? Also, where are my parents? Can I see them back? Or can I return to my world?" Cron:"You can use because I showed and taught you how. Also, you have already an innate large mana pool inside of you. Don''t you even wonder where you get you''re strength when you were very exhausted in your former home? That is the mana that''s replenishing your energy. Also, your parents are in your planet of course, at the core, where all the souls are. No, you can never see them back because it will disrupt the flow of the soul system in your planet. And as for your homecoming, hmm..it depends on how you perform in this competition." Ped:"S-so there is a chance?" Cron:"I wonder about that" Cron smiled slyly as if he was up to something. No, he really is up to something. But I couldn''t guess what it is. Now that it has all been cleared up, its time to get to the more important stuff. The mechanics of the competition. Ped:"What should I do? I mean do I have to kill again?" Cron:"That depends on you. But in order to win the competition you have to prove your worth. You have to defeat the ruling representatives of each God that is scattered in their domain. Not one yet had attack another with full force but there are wars going on between them." Ped:"W-wars? You mean there are more like me that could number hundreds of thousands?" Cron:"Not exactly like you, they are one of the select few like you. But they are not humans. Most of them have arsenals exceeding that of a human''s power. Like draconians, expert in magic and had brute force accompanied by their toughness and longevity. Or trolls like the guy who has just pledged on you. They great battle prowess and regenerative abilities." Ped:"Wa-wa-wait. You mean I will face those kinds of creatures? And they are even champions. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? What could I possibly do against those? And even more so, against an ARMY OF THEM ?" Cron sat on the chair like a little prince. The two guards then stood behind him side by side. It was like witnessing a royal image before me. Cron:"Don''t sweat it dude. You know that I am always with you right? I will teach you everything that you need to know." Ped:"S-still seriously dangerous! I am just a kid!" Cron:"You felt it right? When you were battling that guy, you felt the rush in your veins, the calmness of your mind and the thrill of the battle? That is the real you." Ped:"..that." Cron:"No use in denying it, I am you after all." I couldn''t deny the fact that the thrill of the battle had caught me off guard and just let my instincts drive me. That was the best moment I ever had all my life. Then I ask Cron on what happens if I won every obstacles. He said that I will over the world as an emperor. I will be the one deciding the fate of this world and its inhabitants. He said that as he saw me, I will be the most fitting ruler if I want peace. But that would only happen if I won the competition. I can even send everything on Earth here any time I want. These causes me to shudder in thought. An extreme power, can cause to tragedy. Along with it bears reliability and responsibility of keeping everyone alive. Cron:"Well, you should start by commanding those two. In their ears, we are speaking in a gibberish language. I did it to protect your reputation as a leader you know. Now you should act like the ones you see on TV or the game that you played." My eyes shone brightly as the thought that I could be the character on the game I played so much. I pictured myself as the hero who could protect everyone in his town. A hero of legends that goes to history and songs of time. This thought got my blood pumping. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I don''t have a life in that town anyway, but I hope they could at least manage a hospital there. Now, for the adventure of my life. Let''s do this.! Ped:"I''m ready" Cron:"Then let''s start with the problem of one of your servants then." Ped:"I''d rather not call them that, rather, they will be called Knights. The Freedom Knights." Cron:"Not bad, not bad at all. Then let''s go with that. Oh by the way, only you and your serv- I mean the Freedom Knights, can see me and hear me." Ped:"Wh-what? why?" Cron:"It''s in the condition of this tournament. No contacts on other Gods. Now lets go to the blighted forest alongside your new Knights" _________________________________________________________________ Tom''s POV I was stunned to see the sacred being appearing before me. I can''t help myself but kneel alongside Rez Naguv. Only Ped was standing and was talking to him in a different language. They seem to be debating about something then came up with the same ideas. I saw Rez Naguv looking at Ped intently, like he is expecting something from him. I can see the loyalty in his eyes and pure admiration. He was revived, what more do I expect but to see him worship Ped. Honestly, my thoughts on Ped changed drastically. I thought of him as an excellent and talented individual at first, then I thought that he might be special like one of them. Then he performed a divination that restores life, which practically made him like a God. I know from there on that our fate as humans rest on the palms of this man''s hand. He has the power to protect our race in this rugged world. I believe that he could lead us, he shows mercy and righteousness on others even to his enemies. This proves that he is the one that could unite humans all across this continent. The legend of a man that would unite all humans and conquer the continent. Then he turned around and look at us. His eyes were the look of a guy who is determined to prove his worth. Even though I am the successor of this town, I would be more than happy to let this guy rule over it. Ped:"I have decided, I shall call you my first comrades and the upcoming ones as, The Freedom Knights." _________________________________________________________________ After naming his subordinates, Pedro and his little band went to the center of the town. They informed the adventurers and human soldiers about their aim to protect the region from the Ungo. The people of Rafline took arms and joined us in our cause. They banded together as we proceed to the forest. The creatures of the Forest of Loah are scattered all around it. But one call of the Ruler and all of them gathered at the center of the forest. The center of the forest was a huge plain with a monolith at the center. Pedro stood above the monolith and the Knights including the summoned creatures was below in a cardinal direction positions. Cron was hovering over him, he was invisible to others so it doesn''t really matter. Pedro told them that he had their ruler under his command now and that he will protect anyone who would be under his rule. He also tackled the issue on the blighted lands of the forest that was caused by Ungo. As he was in the middle of his speech, he saw some of the creatures cringe and tremble in fear. Rez Naguv shouted that they will be successful for they are now one with the people near the forest. The crowd which was divided into half where the humans were at the left and the forest inhabitants at the right, was now looking at each other. Distrust and doubt was obvious in there look. Cron told Pedro to raise his staff. As Pedro''s staff rose, he was then instructed to utter the words Growth Spurt. When he uttered those words, the monolith glowed a bluish light and then a huge crack appeared on the monolith. The monolith was a seed, a huge seed that turned into a sapling that was more than a hundred meter tall. Pedro then stood at the center of his knights and yelled that he will restore the forest to its former majesty. The effect of the tall tree growing and the persuasive words uttered by Pedro caused the crowd to heed on their call. They seem to have a rejuvenated force that wipes away the terror of Ungo. Pedro assigned Tom to lead the humans and Rez Naguv for the forest inhabitants. After all the preparations, they headed towards the blighted land of the forest. Their purpose and aim was one, to protect what they care about and destroy the ones harming it. The whole forest and the town were united as one by a single man. _________________________________________________________________ Pedro''s POV After the nerve wrecking speeches I delivered on both the people and adventurers of the town, and the inhabitants of the Forest of Loah, I deliberately sat beside the sapling which was once a monolith. Cron:"You''ll get used to it. HAHA" Ped:"Ugh- Easy for you to say" We prepare for the war that would be my first. Cron told me to relax and release the tension in my body and feel the energy around me. This process was called meditation. He says that it will help me in the future when I will be as exhausted as the time I resurrected Rez. After three hours, the people were fully armed and armored. The adventurers have done all the rituals and maintenance of their weapons and items. The Tikbalangs have sharpened their weapons and gears. Even the forest trolls of the tribe of Rez Naguv joined in the alliance. Creatures such as Kabogs, Ramos, Bakukangs, Wolves and Bears were kept under control by their tribe. The alliance of humans and monsters advanced towards the blighted lands of the forest. They were determined to restore the forest and keep the peace of the whole area. An impossible alliance that was made possible by the appearance of a common enemy. Driven by the righteous motivation shared by every one, they walked forward as one. Not long after, a view of a withered part of the forest appeared in our line of sight. The scouts have reported that we will encounter the Ungo less than an hour by now judging on our speed. Creatures of the undead and horror was said to be present in the area. Now I understand the terror of the monsters against this invader. The Ungo was ready for our assault. They formed ranks of their horde of horrific entities. Skeletons, Death Knights, Vampire Bats and other unspeakable creatures were present in them. To my surprise, they were not what I thought they were, a savage. They formed ranks neatly and seemed to be obeying orders of someone. Then before I was about to search for their commander, a rank of Ungo advanced towards us. Our alliance wasn''t fazed by their action, rather we were like volcanoes waiting to erupt. Cron that was still hovering over me said that they were all waiting for my command to attack. Cron:"Let the battle for survival, BEGIN!" Chapter 11 War Against Ungo Tom''s POV I have officially became the underling of a champion. A legendary class that was chosen by Gods. I felt as if it is the right thing to do considering the dangers that lurks in this world. And as if the time was just right, a threat to the lives of the town was in danger because of the blight caused by the Ungo. I took the opportunity to fight them first hand by asking to be the one of the underling of Ped. I am the successor of this town so I have the responsibility to protect it. As soon as we took the oath of allegiance to him, we saw a majestic light that took both Rez Naguv and me by surprise. Ped said that it was the God that brought him here. It has an aura that could be called sacred and the summoned beast beside him were like ancient creatures guarding a royal being. The entity said that only Ped and the ones who has allegiance to him can see him. Ped then requested to talk to all soldiers and adventurers that would go with us and protect the town against the enemy. I told him to go to the plaza. He persuaded the adventurers and soldiers of the town to protect their home. Almost 500 people came with us towards the Loah Forest. He then asked Rez Naguv to recruit the inhabitants of the forest. They came in huge groups numbering 800 at least. Variety of forest creatures came and all of them decided to join their ruler in battling the horror from the East. After the short briefing, we advanced towards the enemy. An army of alliance of races between the town of Rafline and the inhabitants of the Forest of Loah. We arrived at what seemed to be a forest before but now became a plain. Burnt ground and charred tree stumps are present in the wasteland lying before us. Ped looked like he was furious because of the damage done on the forest. Then he told us to proceed further. What we saw caused a chill down to the depths of our hearts. Ranks of horrific creatures numbering more than thousands were present. These despicable creatures are the cause of the damage on the region, the Ungo. Horrendous and corrupt beings driven by rage and hatred towards living beings. As we were still in awe of what we were looking at, a rank of Ungo advanced forward. _________________________________________________________________ Ped''s POV Cron:"Oh, I almost forgot, you only know two fighting skills right?" Ped:"Huh?" Cron:"The Style of the Artisan and Dragon Claw, remember?" Ped:"Oh, the ones that you taught me?" Cron:"Yes, well, it is not that strong yet but it will be more than enough to handle these enemies. But just in case, do you recall the fleeting feeling of seeing an angel when you revived Rez Naguv?" Ped:"Yes, I remembered my mother that time, she always gives me things that are very helpful to me." Cron:"Oh, I see. Then, I''ll teach you another one of the Light Attribute. Now, you need to remember the one who always protect you. The one who never let the hands of misery and harm reach you. Picture in your mind that this person is holding a sword. Then shout, Sacred Empowerment." I then thought of my father, the one who protected me and my mother from anything that could harm us. The person who I owe my life, yet still protected me as if it wasn''t enough. He was a good provider and guardian. "SACRED EMPOWERMENT." A wave of warm air came rushing towards the ranks of our Alliance. A feeling of being someone who you can adhere your life with. Then, a male angel with three pairs of wings descended from the heavens. He was holding a bow with a tranquil design. Then, he shot an arrow towards us. The arrow splits into multiple numbers and entered our very bodies. The angel was nowhere to be seen but an aura of white haze was visible in our ranks. Cron:"Heads up, here they come. I taught you that to even up this battle." Ped:"What do-?" And just like a cue to his words, multiple enemies wearing robes floated above the stagnant ranks of Ungo. The advancing rank halted as if they were waiting. Among the floating robed enemies were someone who has a red sigil floating on his back. He was skin and bones with a blood red robe with black designs. The other robed enemies have pure black robes. I was still looking at the red robe person when he raised his finger towards me. ???:"Plague of Corruption!" He spoke huskily and a black miasma appeared from the insides of his robe and covered his rank of Ungo. The other robed enemies followed suit and used the same spell. Now, all our enemies has a disgusting miasma oozing out from their bodies. Cron:"See, that is why I even it up." Ped:"What are th-?" Cron:"The floating ones? Well, those black ones are necromancers. The red one is a lich. And yes, I can read your mind. You can''t harm those floating ones with just normal physical attack but the Sacred Empowerment spell give your attacks a holy attribute that drastically counters their power. But that doesn''t mean that they can''t kill you or any one here." Ped:"Then, how sh-?" Cron:"Should you fight? I can''t teach you that. You need to learn to command your troops alone. This is necessary so don''t make me repeat it twice. Now that I already told you the kinds of enemies you have now, you can judge now on how to handle this matter. Oh right, I didn''t taught you how to summon creatures yet so these guys well be gone by now, and so I am, too" Cron then turned into a bird of light and flew higher and higher until we can''t see him anymore. The summoned creatures vanished in a smoky haze. Then, the words that Cron spoke hit me. The responsibility of everyone''s life is in my hands. The burden of being a leader in times of war. What the hell did I get myself into, I shouldn''t be doing this. I just wanted a normal life and help my town back home. Find a fine woman to marry and have many kids. Why did this happen? You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I cried inside, but still I need to focus on the matter at hand. Judging from what Cron said, the rank which the Necromancer is has the strongest force the enemy has. They outnumbered us one to ten so we are now in a pinch. The enemy seem to advance one rank at a time but their formation looks like the advanced rank was a bait and they will surround us. If that happens, we will lose by sheer number of force. Wait a second, we have armored knights with us. Archers and magicians are present too. Even magical creatures of the forest are here. I think I know what to do. I just hope this plan works. Ped:"ALL WARRIORS AND KNIGHTS WITH A SHIELD GO TO THE FRONT AND MAKE A TIGHT FORMATION. MAKE SURE THAT NO ENEMY CAN ENTER THE CENTER, YOU ARE THE SHIELD RANK. CHAMPIONS, SWORDSMAN, AND MELEE VIPER CLASSES AND CREATURE OF THE FOREST WHO CAN''T USE MAGIC FORM A RANK AFTER THE KNIGHTS RANK, YOU ARE THE COMBAT RANK. RANGE VIPER CLASSES, OFFENSIVE MAGI CLASSES AND MAGICAL CREATURES OF LOAH FOREST FORM NEXT TO THE SECOND RANK AND PREPARE YOUR SPELLS IMMEDIATELY, YOU ARE THE DESTRUCTION RANK. DEFENSIVE AND HEALING MAGI CLASSES AND MAGICAL CREATURES OF LOAH FOREST STAY BEHIND THE OFFENSIVE MAGI CLASSES, YOU ARE THE SUPPORT RANK. MY GOAL IS FOR EVERYONE TO SURVIVE THIS BATTLE" ???:"ATTACK!" The Lich commanded all his troops to attack our ranks that are still in progress. He seemed to know that I figured out his plan so he decided to just overwhelm me with sheer force. Thousands of Ungo were now rushing towards us. The sight can''t be compared to a zombie apocalypse, because it''s way worse. The Lich and his Necromancers stayed at the air and watched the battle unfold. Ped:"NOW! CAST YOUR SPELLS ON THEM" "Fire Ball" "Lighting Bolt" "Rain of Arrows" "Triple Shot" "Vine Whip" "Ice Bolt" "Wind of Destruction" "Flame Bolt" "Leaf Blade" "Petal Dance" "Razor Leaf" The spells of my comrades rained down towards the enemies rank. It was about thirty meters away from the Shield Rank. Hundreds of Ungo fell down due to this spells. But that number is still insignificant to their ranks. As soon as they passed the casting range of the spells I immediately prepared the ranks Ped:"SHIELD RANK SWITCH PLACES WITH THE COMBAT RANK AT MY COMMAND WHEN THE ENEMY REACHES YOUR POSITION. YOUR PRIORITY IS TO PROTECT THE DESTRUCTION RANK AND SUPPORT RANK. COMBAT RANK YOUR GOAL IS TO OBLITERATE THE ENEMY WITH YOUR POWER. DESTRUCTION RANK CONTINUE YOUR SPELLS. SUPPORT RANK HEAL AND BUFF THE COMBAT AND SHIELD RANK" "WOOAHH!" The enemy stepped on their fallen comrades like they were nothing. The spells were still destroying them but still, we can''t hold them back. The creatures who aren''t affected much of the magics were the death knights. They breezed through the magic spells and ran towards the Shield Rank. Then enemy reached the Shield Rank. The battered the shields of the knights but the latter fought valiantly. The Support Rank were healing them so they can take on the attacks of the enemy Ped:"NOW! SWITCH! COMBAT RANK ATTACK!" While I was standing at a tall rock at the middle of the Support Rank, Tom and Rez Naguv joined the Combat rank and attack with all their might. The future of their home was at stake at this battle. They led the Combat Rank that looked up to them and engaged on the Ungo The Shield Rank. though they had not flawlessly retreated, they were closing in towards the Destruction Rank. The Combat Rank advanced forward and battled against these monstrosities. They are toe to toe with the enemies in a one on one but the situation is very disadvantageous. The ranks of Ungo was still in a huge number when the Combat Rank engaged on them. Then a sudden move by the Ungo which I totally didn''t expect happen. They ran straight even though there are no enemies in front of them. This gave me the goosebumps. Did they move their little bait towards us because we are stationary. Oh crap, I didn''t thought of that. Ped:"SHIELD RANK! QUICKLY SURROUND THE DESTRUCTION AND SUPPORT RANK! PROTECT THEM AT ALL COST! COMBAT RANK, SURROUND THE SHIELD RANK AND FACE THE ENEMIES AT ALL SIDES. SUPPORT RANK FOCUS ON HEALING THE COMBAT RANKS MORE. MAGIC CLASS CAST YOUR MAGIC ON OTHER SIDES OF THE BATTLEFIELD." The quick critical decision I made was because of my hunch. And this hunch was proven correct. The Ungo that passed our ranks were now surrounding us. They really moved their bait tactic towards us. My ranks, although they were just newly founded, quickly adapt to my sudden commands. They entrusted their fate to me so I should best think of their safety. I don''t want any other child to be like. I will return them on their families. Impossible as it may seem, but I will try. ??:"GRASP OF THE UNDYING" Then, a black orb reached twelve people of the Combat rank. As soon as it disintegrated to them, they collapse on the spot. As if the very souls of their bodies were sucked out. WHAT?!!