The son of Sario suddenly appeared inside Arci's house. He wore a bandana, had a small dagger in his pocket, and a Sario's bow hanging on his back.
He looked more mature now than he did weeks ago when I first saw him.
- Kayin? Why are you here? And how did you get inside? - I asked.
He squinted his eyes, looking at me like he was inspecting something.
-- You're the son of Uncle Gustav, right? --
- Yes - I answered.
-- Call me Big Brother Kayin because I'm older than you. -- Kayin demanded.
This kid is getting on my nerves. If I could punch his face right now, I definitely would.
-- Anyway, Brother Sting brought me here. I was looking for my mom when I saw him collecting herbs and weird-looking insects in the forest, so I asked him for help. -- Kayin said.
Sting brought him here? But he was the one who passed out and acted completely shocked when he saw this kid.
-- Hold it right there, kiddo. My house is not a nursery. Leon, wake up Sting and tell him to take this kid home to his mother. -- Arci commanded.
I shook Sting's body, trying to wake him up. Meanwhile, Kayin kept talking.
-- My mother is missing… The last time I saw her was two days ago. -- He said quietly, staring at the floor before wiping his face with his arm.
Two days ago… That was when the soldiers attacked us. Don't tell me his mom was one of the villagers I killed…
-- Sigh… So my house is an orphanage now? Two kids who lost their mothers… -- Arci muttered, though his tone softened. He poured a glass of milk and shoved it toward Kayin. -- Drink. You look like you haven't eaten. --
kayin look at arci face his a little teary, he wiped her eyes with his arms as he accepted the glass and gulped it down.
-- You can stay for the night, but you need to leave tomorrow morning. We're traveling to Tlauven," Arci said, her voice firm as she walked toward her room --
Hours passed. Sting was still deep in sleep, while In the hammock flipping through the pages of a book.
Kayin stared at me for a while before speaking.
-- So Aunt Stella is missing as well... -- He asked
I nodded.
-- Do you know where she went? -- he asked.
Maybe. Ishla and my mother should have teleported near the border between this kingdom and Tlauven. - I replied.
-- The southern Tlauven forest… also known as the Phantom Forest, -- Kayin muttered. His expression darkened, and I caught the faintest hint of a smirk playing on his lips. -- They're probably dead by now... --
- Oh really!? I mean, your mother is literally dead by now. I burned her alive when she tried to be a bitch and joined the soldiers and the dumb villagers to attack us. Want to know where your mother is? In the clouds...she's been evaporated… -
No. I can't say that to a child. But I can scare him a little.
I looked at him with cold gaze and cast a small wind blade, the wind blade travel fast and sliced the edge of his ear. Blood trickled down as he immediately grabbed his ear and screamed in pain.
What did you say again!? - I asked.
-- Nothing!! I was just kidding! You didn't have to do that! -- He clutched his ear, curling up on the ground.
…Did I go too far?
What's wrong with me? He's just a kid. He lost his father weeks ago, and now his mother is missing—probably dead.
I know this feeling… I know how it is to lose a mother. Back in my previous world… I remember it well.
Maybe he's just trying to cope, looking for someone to share his emotions with.
Sigh… But here I am, being so immature.
I stood up and cast ice magic to stop the bleeding on his ear.
Sorry. I didn't mean to do that. - I apologized.
-- It's okay. It was my fault anyway. I shouldn't joke like that… especially about Aunt Stella. -- He whispered.
I decided to go out for a bit and check the village. Casting a thin layer of barrier around myself, I flew into the sky.
The night breeze felt refreshing as always.
The moon was huge tonight.
Down below, I noticed miners still working even at this hour. A 24-hour job, huh?
Not far away, I spotted a glowing lake and decided to land there.
The lake was filled with jellyfish-like creatures, floating and shimmering with soft light.
Wait—those aren't jellyfish. They're slimes.
Yeah, the usual slimes from video games. Whoever first created the concept of these monsters and incorporated them into MMORPGs must have been from another world too.
There were so many of them… Can I gain EXP by killing them?
Might as well test it.
I channeled dark magic, pouring my mana into my bloodstream and directing it toward my heart. Even after doing this multiple times, the pain was still unbearable. My mana pierced my heart like a blade.
I focused my magic and aimed at the lake.
BLACK HOLE.
A hole punched through space itself. All the surrounding light vanished, swallowed into the void. Even I couldn't see anything—just a pitch-black abyss devouring everything.
The slimes were pulled in, one by one.
*/System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp */System: +5 Exp
It's working.
- System, open stats. -
*/System: INT: 500 | STR: 200 | AGI: 150 | EXP: 0
…Hold on. Why is my EXP still zero?
*/System: Remember? You asked me to distribute EXP directly into your stats.
Oh. Right.
Just then, I sensed a group of people nearby.
-- Hey, kid. What are you doing here? --
I turned around.
A muscular man stood there, watching me.
Just roaming. - I replied.
-- Roaming? Outside the village at this time? Do you want to die? Go home before I feed you to my slimes. -- His tone was firm.
The lake's glow vanished.
The man's eyes widened as he rushed toward the water.
-- Hey, hey! What happened?! Why did the glow disappear?! -- He panicked, plunging his hands into the water as if searching for something. -- Where did all the slimes go?! --
Four other men appeared from the shadows.
-- Now, where is it, Archie? -- one of them, a robed man, asked.
So his name is Archie.
-- The slimes were just here a moment ago… Don't tell me—! -- Archie spun around and grabbed my shirt, lifting me off the ground. -- HEY, KIDDO! DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?! -- He shouted, his face twisted with rage.
I reacted instantly, casting wind magic to push him away.
Archie was blown back but landed on his feet. The robed man pulled out a staff, while the three others unsheathed their daggers.
-- Oh, a mage, huh? So you killed the slimes?! Kill him! -- Archie ordered.
The robed man began chanting. -- Ignis! Volo! Flare! --
A fireball formed in his palm and shot toward me.
A mage? This is my first time fighting a human mage other than Lili. Let's have some fun.
I raised a barrier, blocking the fireball with ease. Then, I reached into my system inventory and pulled out my sword.
The three dagger-wielders lunged at me in sync, while Archie rushed in with his fists, aiming to restrain me. Their teamwork was solid.
But not good enough.
I cast earth magic. The ground erupted, stone and dirt wrapping around the three attackers, trapping them like statues. Archie managed to leap onto a tree just in time, avoiding the spell.
The mage panicked and kept hurling fireballs, but they had no effect on my barrier. His mana was draining fast I could see it. Then, suddenly, he pulled out a bottle and drank its contents.
His mana instantly replenished.
A mana potion? There's still so much I don't know about this world.
He began chanting again. -- From ash to ember, ember to flame, rise now, fire, in my name! --
The ground beneath me cracked and boiled. A pillar of flames erupted, engulfing the space where I stood.
The spell was powerful… but too slow. Let me try something.
I spread my mana into ten different points across the ground. Then, I cast fire magic.
Ten pillars of flame burst forth, each larger and hotter than his.
The mage's face went pale.
-- H-How?! You summoned that many flames without even chanting… You're a monster! -- He scrambled back and pulled out a bottle filled with a glowing liquid the same color as the slimes earlier.
-- Is this what you want?! Here! Take it! -- He threw three bottles to the ground. -- That's all I have! Please, spare me! --
- Go! Get out of here before I change my mind. -
The mage ran. I could hear his footsteps fading into the distance. I expand my detection magic and i can't detect the man named archie anywhere as well, maybe he already escaped much earlier.
I looked down at the glowing liquid in the bottle.
What is this stuff? A type of mana potion?
Curious, I opened the lid and took a small sip.
Suddenly warmth flooded my body. A strange sensation washed over me. The wind felt more real, every breeze caressing my skin like soft hands. My grip weakened, and the bottle slipped from my fingers, shattering against the ground.
A deep, overwhelming joy surged inside me.
Everything was so clear. My vision sharpened zooming in wherever I looked, like I had a built-in telescope. The world around me shifted.
The trees… they were dancing. Inviting me to dance with them.
The ground rippled like ocean waves, shifting and swaying. People appeared so many of them gathering around me, laughing, moving, swaying in rhythm with the trees.
My skin glowed, leaving behind neon light trails as I moved delayed, like a glitched animation.
Wait… this feels familiar.
I've experienced this before… in my past life.
High school..
This sensation… this overwhelming euphoria…
There's only one thing that can cause this...
Drugs.