"Ummm..."
Ary responded while slowly opening his eyes.
"What the-?!"
He was left flabbergasted after seeing the surroundings around him.
There was endless water everywhere, with so many tremendous trees grown from the water. The branches of the trees were emitting pink and blue fog, and the leaves of the trees had every single colour that the human eye can recognize. There was some floating fog around the trees. It looked like a glamorous forest had grown up from the water. Also, the water was so crystal clear that even the marine animals in the water were clearly visible from the outside. Up in the sky, a mesmerising colossal moon was seen with soft pink clouds around it. It looked like someone had poured the milk onto a dark carpet with soft pink edges.
"W-Where am I?"
Ary muttered to himself, with a perplexed expression on his face.
The book reported while flying around Ary.
"My deity…?"
Ary tilted his head since he didn't understand what the book was referring to.
"Oh? So you finally made it."
Suddenly, a deep voice was heard from the left direction.
As Ary heard this voice, he shifted his gaze to the left.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound of footsteps was made, and an unknown figure appeared from the silhouette.
"Ah?!"
Ary was left terrified as he saw an unknown but terrifying figure.
He saw a man in a sharp gentleman's suit coming toward him. However, the most terrifying thing was that man's face. He had a silver-coloured, featureless face in the shape of an oval with two sharp golden deer horns attached to his head.
Out of fear, Ary dragged himself backward, asking,
"W-Who are you?"
"Haha. No need to panic, host."
That man tried to calm Ary with a little laugh.
"Host?"
Ary repeated as his gaze shifted to the book of Almita and again at that man. He asked,
"Are you two some kind of system or something?"
"Hmm? No, dear host, I'm not a system; neither is this book the system."
That man replied, then he coughed, introducing himself,
"I'm Galiriothoxmus. The Deity of the Heavenly Realm of Endless Potentials."
Then, he showed his right palm to Almita, telling him,
"And this is your Angel Weapon, the Book of Almita."
"So…are you the deity that book was referring to?"
Ary called out.
"Yes,"
Galiriothoxmus nodded.
Ary was perplexed at the moment. He cleared his throat and while gazing at the deity in front of him, he asked,
"Umm, may I know…why am I chosen for this 'Warrior race'?"
"Of course, to be frank, I summoned you because of the order given to me by my father, Father Albert. According to the report, you're an exception that we are searching for."
Then, he stepped forward, and while placing his right hand on Ary's shoulder, he asked,
"Ary Inochi, I, Galiriothoxmus, the deity of this realm, have granted you the strongest weapon so that you can work as a Warrior to end the tyranny of the merciless Demon King."
"D-Demon King?!"
Ary was left shocked after hearing this term.
"Yes,"
Galiriothoxmus nodded, saying,
"Take a look at yourself."
Then, he raised his right hand and, from the endless water, some water balls appeared and started floating in the air with many different images.
"The 'Warrior' is the race of the fighters that have devoted their lives to fighting for peace and with the sole aim of killing the demon king."
Then, his face shifted to Ary. He commented,
"And you're chosen as one of them."
"But…"
Ary called out as his face shaped a serious look. He added:
"Isn't it risky? Why do I risk my life for this?"
"It's indeed risky. That's why,"
Galiriothoxmus nodded. Then, he pointed his right index finger at the book of Almita, adding:
"That's why, we have given you the weapon that will help you at any cost. Also, if you don't want to do this, then it'll be fine, but don't forget that if the minion of the demon King assaulted your world, then there would be only chaos and no one would be there to protect everyone."
"..."
Ary was left solemn after hearing this.
"Take a look at your weapon. You'll understand what you have to do."
Galiriothoxmus suggested.
"Umm, Okay."
Ary felt slightly uneasy, but he stepped toward the book of Almita and gazed into its pages.
Almita reported.
"And you'll give me that equipment, right?"
Ary asked.
"And what if I failed?"
Ary held his breath after hearing this.
'Seriously? Isn't it too much? I don't even care about everyone.'
Ary pondered but suddenly, he halted as a picture of a certain person came to his mind.
'But…if something happens in my world, then she'll also get into trouble.'
Sigh!
Ary sighed, then extended his hand and pressed "yes."
"Great."
Galiriothoxmus gushed, adding:
"I'm glad to see that you're so determined to save the people of your world."
"Nah,"
Ary shook his head, replying,
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not interested in protecting the world. There's only a certain person that I care about. And for her, I accepted this task to be strong."
"Oh? Well, not bad though. You have someone you care for. By the way, who is she? Someone from your family?"
Out of curiosity, Galiriothoxmus asked.
Ary was left solemn after hearing the term, "family," but he sighed, and replied,
"Nah, I don't have a family."
Hearing this, Galiriothoxmus was just left tight-lipped.
"Well,"
Ary called out as he shifted his gaze to Almita, asking,
"Show me the task."
"Ding!"
Again, Almita made a dinging noise, informing,
<1) Go to a maid's cafe.>
<2) Find a companion that you can trust in the maid's cafe.>
<3) Ask your companion to be your partner.>
"Huh?"
Ary was left speechless after seeing these tasks.
His purple gaze shifted to Galiriothoxmus. He asked,
"Hey…isn't it a little…"
"Ah, I forgot to remind you."
Suddenly, Galiriothoxmus interrupted, saying,
"It'll only give you tasks that will only be beneficial to you."
"..."
Ary had no words left to say then.
He sighed then and gazed at the book, saying,
"Fine, I'll do this."
The book of Almita commented, and suddenly, some golden light started shining around Ary's body.
"W-What's happening?"
Ary flinched.
"Don't worry. You're just returning to your world to complete the task."
Galiriothoxmus assured Ary and waved his right hand, saying,
"Well then, Ary Inochi, let's meet again after you complete your tasks."
"Sure thing, Mr. Deity."
Ary smiled, and soon enough, the light surrounded him completely and he vanished.
Sigh!
After Ary went away, Galiriothoxmus sighed, mumbling,
"I hope he succeeds in the tasks."
"So, that cutie was the warrior that you summoned, huh?"
Suddenly, a smoky voice is heard from the sky.
"Yes,"
Galiriothoxmus nodded, since he knew who it was.
Suddenly, a feminine figure landed on the water beside him.
It was an incredibly gorgeous woman with snow-like skin. She had long rosy hair that reached down to her waist with a pair of oceanic blue eyes. Her body was slim and attracted so much attention. She was wearing a Japanese maiden-like dress in a combo of red and white. She also had pink-colored rabbit-like ears on the top of her head.
"Let's see whether he'll succeed in his first mission after the tasks or not,"
She commented in her honey-like voice.
"Well, I also hope so. Completing the tasks wouldn't be a problem. But the real problem is what comes after the tasks."
Galiriothoxmus commented as his face shifted toward the sky, he added:
"It's hard to live alone, isn't it?"
He was referring to Ary's lifestyle.
"Mhm. But it doesn't matter, is it? If he succeeds in becoming a warrior, then he'll have so many friends that they'll be his family."
The lady commented.
"I agree. But…don't you find it a little odd, Lady Selene."
"Hmm? What?"
Lady Selene asked.
"His surname…"
Galiriothoxmus lowered his head and exclaimed,
"His name is Ary Inochi…Isn't his surname the same as him?"
"Hmm…I agree."
Lady Selene replied as her sweet voice got into a slightly serious tone.
"Perhaps…"
Galiriothoxmus raised his head, adding:
"…they are both connected."