"What?" Raven heard the guardian of the forest's words, which greatly startled him. How could he fight the evil entity, not even the guardian, zurawa, or the prince who tried to kill that bastard 90yrs ago? Even though his mana was equivalent to an S class, he still had limited combat power, especially his attacking skill and abilities. Thinking now, he could only play as a support in this kind of situation, but to kill the thing that they failed just as he imagined it made him have goosebumps.
"You have the power that we could never have, Mister Raven", as he heard the soft voice like a melody, he turned his head to see whose voice it was, and was greatly shocked by the beauty of the woman.
"Princess, how did you wake up", Zurawa was looking at the princess, shocked at how the princess woke up. It's not even 200 or 300 yrs. Now he was really afraid of what would happen. They asked Raven now because the guardian and he didn't want the princess to face that evil entity and were really afraid of what might happen if another variable arose in the fight.
"The forest woke me up, Sir Zurawa, how can I still be sleeping if we have already found the right candidate to kill that entity? I should also be supporting everyone just as my brother did " the princess was smiling at the three." Master, it's nice to see your healing, but your strength has greatly diminished."
"....." guardian
"Princess? Princess. Hello, my name is Raven Light, it's nice to see a real princess in person, not just by reading a novel haha" He was staring at the princess just now like he had seen his soulmate.
"It's my honor, but you don't need to call me princess anymore. That was in the past. Just call me by my name, I'm Suna " she smiled and looked at Raven.
"Ah yeh, Suna hehe" he scratched his hair awkwardly while evading the stairs of Suna. Before Raven began to get serious again."Suna, Zurawa, Guardian, sorry but I can't help you, my strength is too weak. If I fight the evil entity head-on, I won't even have a chance to know how I died. I have seen the guardian's power with my eyes and I can say, If the guardian and zurawa can't fight it, even the prince who experienced this kind of situation, then how can I compare myself to you all? Your strength and power are all top-notch, especially the guardian" Raven avoided everyone's eyes because he knew what he could and couldn't do and right now, it's really impossible to fight a being his eye's ability can't even see through.
"I see, maybe you're really still weak right now in experience and power just like you said, but what if we can help you!."
"We ask you because you are different from us Raven in this world, we called your kind who are different from us, 'anomalies', a being that deviates from the rules of the world and can break the chain of faith that the world created in order to make balance and follow its rules, but you are un-anomaly your not from this world and by that we can help you"
Raven heard the Guardians' words, even though he already knew that the second trial was a real world with humans and other beings living in it, he was still startled that there were still people like him in the past that could travel to different worlds. Would that mean there are more mysteries that his own world doesn't know? Every gate that is documented when hunters travel through gates is all monsters nest, but the trial gates he entered were different. Not only spirits or dimensional space, but even a real world could be taken as a trial ground.
"Can I ask you a question first, guardian?" asked Raven.
"Hmm, alright asked."
"Are their gods living in this world?" Raven asked the guardian.
"Gods? Hahahaha. There is no such thing as gods listen, Raven, this world is Arzenia. There are only humans, elves, dwarfs, beast-man, monsters, and us kings.. by the rule of the world. In the world, no person can transcend to such a throne, not if you were born in this world at least, but even so, the world gave us the power to learn and rule over the land. If you want to be a god, then you should not be born or created by our world's power, and that is where you anomalies come in, even though no anomalies succeed, they at least become kings of the world."
"Then does that mean there are people like me in your world right now? Why can't you ask them for help?"
"That is because when they challenge the world rules and balance and start to transcend to hold the title of god, they must pay the price. Either you become a real god and sit on the throne in this world or you fail and just become a king, but because you were an anomaly from the start, the world would reject you" Zurawa answered ravens question next.
"I see", so if you are an anomaly and fail to transcend to become a god of this world, you will be rejected by the world and can never enter back as the price of challenging the rules and balance of the world.
'Wait, is this the reason why those gods are so eager to offer me those titles and skills? If an already god enters this kind of world, would that mean they could just breeze out the rules and balance of this world? And become its only god and ruler of this world. Nima... they are really sly foxes. I was tempted to take their offer a moment ago, so that is why
"Raven, please help us" Suna bowed to Raven while she stopped her tears from falling. She had promised herself that she would avenge her brother no matter what, and now that a real person who has abilities that exceed his brother and is also an anomaly, she would not let this chance slip by in her hand.
' Shit, Raven, a woman is asking you for help. How could I help? System now is the right time I should have completed my mission right. I discovered the forest mystery and the prince's death. Why aren't you ringing now?' Raven bit his lips for being powerless. 'wait'
"Guardian, you said you had a way to help me become stronger, right, how? Are you thinking of me to transcend like other anomalies?"
"No... Transcending is different. It will take at least 50 years to know your heart. Even if you take an enlightenment clover it would not fully know your own heart and the real answer for the world, even if you can comprehend it now, were not sure if you could become a god, and once you failed, you either die or become a king. But if you really become a king, you'll be rejected by the world. We can't let that happen. What I want is for you to increase your strength by forming a pact."
"Wait, wait a pact? You mean nature's pact, Are you saying you want me to become a puppet? There's no way I would let that happen. There are people waiting for me in my world"
Raven was staring daggers at the guardian, and at any time he would fight them if he was forced to be one.
"You misunderstood my master, the pact is the world's one of many created rules. Not only kings can use it, even those at the level of commoner can. As long as the world allows you to do so, the pact has always been diverse from nature, elements, strength, etc.., anomalies have the highest chance of creating a pact in this world" Suna finally calms Raven's worries about being a puppet.
"I see, what do I need to do?" Now that he understood what the pact was. The guardian helps Raven to create a formation while Suna explains how the pact works. While Zurawa come out of the cave to guard the entrance, he swore in his life that he would not let the past repeat itself...
"Done," the guardian signal Suna and Raven.
"Raven, you need to have something in exchange. It could be certain memories, feelings, items, etc... you just need to make sure that what you exchange is equivalent to what your pact with the world will be, you can't ask for something that overstretches what you exchange, and also remember you need to embrace it, " said Suna worriedly to Raven.
"I know, you don't have to worry" Raven smiled at Suna while sitting cross leg in the center of the formation. Both Suna and Guardian left the cave to not disrupt the Raven's Focus...
"I, Raven Light, asked for the world's rules to have a pact with me. In exchange, I will protect this world from its invaders whenever needed. The world can summon me... @#$*" as Raven finally chant the words, the light of the formation turned green and in just a second he was in another space.
.............................
"Protect me from invaders, interesting exchange from an anomaly with only a drop of power hahaha"
Raven looked at the huge head that was created from different symbols with different colors. Its eyes were like gates that could suck his soul at any time..
'World consciousness?'
"Yes, that's what I'm willing to exchange," Raven answered.
"Tell me why do I need your protection? I created the rules and I could also repel them for billions of years. No one has even succeeded in invading me."
"Yes, I also think so if you were talking about an anomaly like me. But it would be a different story if a god or another disaster like gates entered your world right? I know you can read my mind, you know where I come from and you know how I entered your world and that is a small gate, you can't even stop it. I was almost tempted to take the title of champion of the gods in exchange for that gate. What do you think would happen to you if I really did so?"
"....."
"The gods in my world are eager to have another world to rule, which means if they truly entered, all your rules will be erased, changing yourself and becoming just a world where you will follow the gods' rules", Raven inform the world consciousness seriously.
"Tell me what pact you want," the world consciousness said directly without speaking of the topic again, he knew that if he had really been invaded by a real god, even if it's the lowest god, he would have to follow the rules he set, but those gods are already powerful, to begin with, and how can his rules affect them? He will just be waiting to be ruled. If that happens, all of his consciousness will be erased in order for the gods to overrule and assert their ideals to the world and its people.
"I want to make a pact with you to let me borrow your power if I need it,"
"Greedy anomaly, but I like it. I will help you, but you have to abide by the rules of the world as long as you are in my world. You can borrow it like a transcendent god. If you are in a different world, my power can only help you at least 10 percent because it's not my world, to begin with"
"I will abide by your rules". Raven put a drop of blood in the floating words that said 'power of the world consciousness' and he could feel that his physical strength and mana were rising at an insane rate.
"Anomaly, remember your exchange, I will summon you if those gods come to me, even death, you will fight for me"
the consciousness of the world, threw Raven soul back to his body again.