That was harder than I thought… Holding back my strength and speed by a large margin is just torture really. It was as if I was holding a dead leaf, even the smallest of unregulated strength can cause damage. With a sigh, I looked up at the large stone gate in front of me. I don't really know if it's a good idea to leave those people at the ruins, but from what I've observed, this place is pretty safe.
Taking a deep breath, I lightly pushed the stone gates.
*Crack*
"..."
Damn, I should really learn how to control my strength. Putting that thought as one of my main priorities in this unknown world, I pushed the gates further until I saw light. Golden light to be precise.
When I finally had a full view of the world outside, I was mesmerized. The sky was of a golden hue that honestly made me admire it. Looking at my surroundings, I saw a lot of trees and rock formations. I took a step outside and looked at where I came from.
"So this place is under a mountain… I guess I'll just call it Mountain Ruins."
A ping sound came out of nowhere after I said those words. I looked around, now on guard, as to where that sound came from. Aside from my immense strength and speed, I also observed that all of my other senses are enhanced too. I might have no memory of who I am, but I still remember a bit of information to tell me that what's happening to me isn't normal at all.
"Beetles… Squirrels… A bunch of birds… A lot of creatures but none of which can produce a ping sound if I recall correctly."
That just makes me worried. Could there be an entity out there that's watching over me? If so… I'd rather stay in the ruins and stay hidden. However, I don't have a choice. This world is something that I can't recognize with the limited memories that I have. A part of me wants to explore it while also wanting to find answers as to why I lost my memories.
With these in mind, I began to venture forth. After venturing for an hour, I came to the conclusion that it was peaceful here and I couldn't help but want to live in this area. Strangely, I also want to live here with that girl I was holding hands with earlier…
*Rustle*
My thoughts were immediately halted as I started to hear something coming towards me. From the sounds of the footsteps, it clearly wasn't an animal. A human perhaps? Stopping in my tracks, I decided to just wait for this individual.
"Halt! Who are you and what business do you have in the land of Ternia!?"
Ternia? Is that the name of this place? From my few memories, yeah that checks out as otherworldly. Wait, why can I understand them…? Shouldn't I just hear gibberish?
"Uh, hi?" I said awkwardly as I turned around.
What I saw was a knight in silver armor that had a cape that depicted a mountain with a shining sun above it. Is that the flag of this land?
"I'll repeat my question once more, who are you and what business do you have in the land of Ternia?" He raised his shield in case of an attack and pointed his sword at me. Narrowing my eyes, I looked at him straight.
"Isn't raising your sword to a person you don't even know quite rude?"
"Answer the question. If not, then I will designate you as a threat."
Heaving a heavy sigh, I raised my hands in an act of being non-threatening. However, that's when I felt something weird on the air. Something was watching me. Focusing all of my attention to my surroundings, I began to try and find where that feeling is coming from.
'Found you.'
Swirling around, I dashed towards where that thing was located. Thanks to my inhumane speed, I arrived there in mere moments.
"Another ruin?"
In front of me was a ruined tower, its luster now gone. I could tell that someone still lives within it though. Judging from the feeling I'm having, it must be someone I shouldn't take lightly… Taking a deep breath, maybe this was a habit of mine, I went to the ruins.
First thing I noticed was the abundance of teal crystals inside this ruined tower. I tried touching one of them, but as soon as my hands were near, the crystal turned purple. I quickly stepped back, but the crystal remained the same.
"Take note, color changes in crystals are permanent. At least for these kinds of crystals."
Just after I said that, much like earlier, a ping was heard. This time though, I was able to pinpoint where it came from. It didn't come from anywhere around me, rather it came from within my own head. Great, something is within my head that I don't know about. What else do I have, a slime that has a symbiotic relationship with me?
Since I don't really know what to do with that thing in my head for now, I decided to continue on with the ruins. Climbing up the stairs, I sensed some hostile entities in the upcoming room. Well then, this should be my first combat in this world.
When I arrived at the room, I saw what the hostile entities truly were. Three stone imp-like creatures with two having a shield and a sword while the other one had a twinblade.
They immediately noticed my presence and aggressively went on the offensive. I was quite disappointed though. Their movements, at least for my eyes, were so slow that I could easily dodge them. No, it was as if time itself slowed down. Was it like this earlier when I ran?
Setting that thought aside for now though, I just took my time and punched them one by one on their heads, breaking it in the process. It was at that moment that everything returned to normal, everything except for the now dead imps that is.
Being disappointed in my first ever battle, I took the next staircase. This time, I didn't sense anything else except for the strong presence from earlier. I don't think they're hostile, but maybe they're just masking it well enough for me not to notice?
I reached the end of the staircase and was now facing a wooden door. I opened it slowly and looked inside. The room was filled with books and those crystal things from earlier while the room itself was lit by torches that burned with blue flames since there were no windows. What caught my attention the most though was the woman sitting at the center, reading a book.
"Greetings, Shattered. That was quite the spectacle you just showed. In all the years that I've seen someone fight, this is the first time I saw someone this monstrous in speed. Thank you for clearing those annoying imps." The woman spoke to me.
She had dark-purple hair and sky-blue eyes, both of which was highlighted by her pale complexion(most likely due to her staying in this room for a long time). Her face was adorned by a kind yet chilling smile, making me question whether I should even be here in the first place. Why does she call me Shattered?
"Enlighten me, what brings you here?" With her saying that, I was reminded of what I came here for.
"You were watching me from afar, why?" she only giggled at me.
"What could you ever mean? Can you not see that I'm only reading a book? Do you suggest that I have Clairvoyance? Or any spells of the sort?"
Clairvoyance? Like the skill? Huh, so things like that exist and maybe magic as well since she mentioned spells. Well, I should have expected this really.
"I don't really know, but I felt you watching me. That's my reason to be here."
"I see… Say, what is your name?" I was taken aback by her question.
"I… don't know."
"Oh? Forgot your past? Why not just check those things that Shattered has?" Wait, what does she mean? "Those transparent boards that have their name and other things."
Wait, levels? Does she mean a Status screen? With that in mind, I tried bringing it up with my mind and was successful. She was right, it did contain a name and other lines of text. Ashborne, Level 915…
"My name, it's Ashborne."
"Ashborne… What a nice name." She said as she smiled at me. "I'm Luna, a witch that watches Ternia."
So that's why she's been watching me. It all makes sense now, she needs to ensure I wasn't a big threat to that land that she's watching over. I guess she saw that I wasn't a bad person now since I didn't hold any malice and didn't attack her as soon as I saw her.
"I shall let you adjust to what you have just discovered. Talk to me once more if you have questions. I take it that you're not a bad person, so I shall let you stay."
"Thank you, really." I said as I bowed a bit. I sat at the carpeted floor and began reading the other lines of text.
//Status
Name: Ashborne
Level: 915
Hp: 99
Mn: 99
Str: 99
Dex: 99
Agi: 99
End: 99
Int: 99
Arc: 99
…
I should have expected these kinds of stats just from my performance earlier and now the high level I had. Still, just how high can I get I wonder…