"Ohok, ohok... hoeekk, a-ah... wh-what... what's going on? What's happened?"
He looked around, and in the room, there were many people dressed in black.
"W-who are you?!"
"Oh... it's done, huh? Faster than I thought."
"Who the hell are you, and why am I here? What are you doing?!"
"Calm down... calm down. I'll introduce myself. My name is Bulk Van Haress, and I'm the leader here."
"Huh?"
"I've performed this summoning ritual just for you, and you need to complete your mission to return to your world."
"Another world? Mission? Return? Stop talking nonsense, damn it! Where the hell am I?"
"Haa..."
Suuuu
A black smoke began swirling towards the man as Bulk extended his arm.
"Ahh... damn it, what are you doing? Why does my body feel so heavy?"
"So you're still not aware, huh?"
Grep
"AAAHHHH!!"
The moment Bulk clenched his fist, the man screamed in pain.
"I won't waste time. I need you to listen and complete your mission... Todou."
---
The orc's neck was severed, but not even halfway through. It might be enough to kill him though.
'Should I take some parts of his body? Hmm, but I'm not sure which parts I could sell.'
At first, I thought about taking his eyes and tusks, but in the end, I decided against it since it's too dark here, and it might not be worth much anyway.
I continued my journey until I found a decent spot to set up camp.
'Ugh, I don't know what time it is, but I'm so damn tired and need to sleep.'
It's probably the result of overusing Shu or maybe I haven't slept since yesterday.
After walking for a bit, I finally found a place that seemed decent to rest. Not far from me, there was a river flowing calmly.
"I think I've been using my legs too much."
After walking since the afternoon, my legs felt sore when I sat down. Unfortunately, I didn't have any items for this...
'Wait, what if I try drinking a potion?'
I took a small potion out of my bag and started drinking it. Slowly, the pain in my legs began to fade.
"Wow, this item is pretty good."
Alchemists, or witches who specialize in creating potions for the Guardians, make them, but it's not only for Guardians. Regular people can buy these potions at certain shops in the city.
Well, not everyone who can use the elements is interested in becoming a [Guardian], and some prefer to live a peaceful life, but sometimes, if the kingdom needs help, they're also expected to fight.
'Should I train?'
My spot was fairly bright, with the stars clearly visible in the sky, and some trees scattered around. This place was pretty good for training. My body no longer felt sore, so I decided to meditate and train to increase my Shu.
I focused on the Shu inside me, feeling the energy flow through my body. Little by little, I began to gather it. I didn't fully understand how it worked, but I just needed to focus on the flow of my Shu.
In this world, I could focus longer because here, I didn't have to worry about school tasks.
Hours passed, and I finished my training. I could feel my Shu had slightly increased.
'That's enough for today. I better rest.'
I was too lazy to set up a tent, so I decided to sleep against a tree, wrapped in a cloak made from a Grey Wolf's hide.
Morning arrived, the sunlight shining in my eyes, and I woke up. The night had been pretty calm—no signs of monsters, and I was thankful because I could rest peacefully in the forest.
'Yeah, though my inn's rent still covers three more days, I couldn't use it for the past two... damn.'
There was no breakfast this morning, so I decided to drink water from the nearby river. From a distance, I spotted an animal with large antlers.
"A deer? Hoo, lucky me this morning."
I grabbed a rock and crept toward the animal.
Wusshhh
Crack
The rock I threw, laced with Shu, shot through the air fast, but unfortunately, I missed and only pierced its antlers. The animal ran off, fleeing from the river.
"I guess I should train my throwing or archery next time."
In the end, I just drank from the river and didn't catch anything for food.
"Pretty refreshing. Alright, let's keep going."
I didn't know it was going to be this far, and I hadn't prepared any food for the journey. The items in my bag were mostly things I planned to sell to the merchant and the shop owner, Mr. Resu.
[Essence of Glowing Slime]
[Goblin's Finger]
[Small Potions]
[Grey Wolf Coat]
[Coyote's Feet]
...
...
"No food." After checking my bag, I found no food.
On my way, I passed by a temple I had seen yesterday. It looked old, covered in wild plants.
Ziiiiiiing
"Aah, my head, my head... Aahhh!" Suddenly, I heard a sound, and my head throbbed in pain when I stopped to look at the temple.
I thought my head was going to explode, but thankfully, the pain and noise were short-lived. I didn't know what caused it, but I tried to calm myself down.
「Found you...」
"Huh, who's that?"
I heard someone's voice and kept calling out, but there was no response or sign of anyone.
'A ghost? Wait, are there ghosts in this world too? But how is that different from demons? Damn, I'm getting chills.'
For some reason, I ran. Even though I had seen a few demons during yesterday's battle, yeah, it was just some skeletons.
"Huft... huft, why the hell is there a ghost this morning?"
Without realizing it, I reached the remains of a building that looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.
"Is this Milson village...?"
I looked around and saw that none of the buildings were intact. I walked through the village, and in the middle, there was a gravestone that read:
[Here lies, The Last Frenic]
"Lenia..."
This was her final resting place, the village where she was born, but also the place where she had to part with her clan.
I sat down in front of her grave and took out the flower I had kept in my bag.
"Lenia... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you longer. And because of me, you had to sacrifice yourself... If only this world was at peace... If only there didn't need to be battles... I hope... I hope that when we meet again, you can get what you wanted... Lenia, I love you."
Tears flowed down my cheek. I still couldn't accept that Lenia was gone.
And in that moment, a memory crossed my mind.
"They... are being controlled."
Yeah, Lloyd had said that to me, and now that I think about it, the orc I fought with Lenia had red eyes.
"…Is this the work of Dooms?"
For now, I tried to stay calm and not rush things since my sword was still being reforged.
"Lenia, I hope you're happy where you are now." I placed the flower I brought on her grave and began to leave.
I couldn't hold back my feelings. I was so sad that she had left me, and all of it was because of the monsters and demons.
「Come...」
"That voice again."
At first, I thought the ghost was following me, but then I gathered the courage to approach the temple again.
'If I'm this scared now, how the hell am I supposed to fulfill Lenia's wishes?'
Armed with a dagger, I entered the temple carefully.
Inside, the temple was filled with spider webs.
'So there are spiders in this world too.'
「Come...」
The voice echoed again, but I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, as it just echoed in my head.
'Doesn't it know any other words?'
After exploring the inside of the temple, I found a stone door, light shining from within.
I slowly opened the door, preparing for any surprises.
Wusshh
Blasshh
"Aaahhh!" As soon as I opened the door, the light shot toward me, striking my body.
I felt a burning sensation, and my arms and entire body were engulfed in flames.
"Aaahhh, it's hot!"
I screamed. The iron plates of my armor fell off as the straps burned away, and I threw my bag just before the flames spread to the lower part of my body.
A pair of brown wings sprouted from my back, and a crown-shaped circle appeared above my head in an instant.
「Yes, this is what I've been looking for...」