A city in flames. Constant cries of terror. Monsters causing chaos throughout, with the military struggling to resist. The end of everything.
None of that was present in the world that stretched out before my eyes. Instead, I was greeted with tall buildings surrounded by bright lights, hologram advertisements that looked like they were out of a sci-fi movie, and a wide street with a multitude of stands as far as the eye can see. They held up large banners that read strange names, such as "Knights of Egosthetica", "Black Heaven", or "Viole Justiciary".
What on earth?
Out of nowhere, a man wearing a business suit and thick glasses approached me with a smile on his face. He held a futuristic-looking tablet that I had never seen before in my life.
"Congratulations on clearing the tutorial! My name is Heflin McMureid. I'm an agent with the Arbiter's Association. May I ask for your name, arbiter?"
I was at a loss for words. Did I end up in another world?
"Ilyin Gray," I answered.
He nodded while tapping away on his tablet. I looked around restlessly, trying to assess my current situation. Was this the future? An alternate timeline? A transmigration? Too many questions and theories were flooding my mind, giving me a headache.
The man named Heflin frowned. "I'm sorry, but I don't see your information here." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Did you perhaps enter the Ark without registering with the Association?"
Nervousness crept up at me. Registering with the Association? Of course I didn't do something like that! I randomly found myself in that place against my will. Surely I'm not going to get in trouble for this, right?
Then I remembered something Merlin said.
[The administrator Merlin has granted you his 'mark'.]
"It doesn't do anything besides show the Association that you're a 'person of interest'. It should help when you get outside."
How was I supposed to use it, though?
"Um, one moment..."
I quickly opened my status screen. I took note of Heflin's expression as I did so, and it didn't seem like he understood what I was doing at first. Maybe he can't see my screen?
I looked around for a bit, and I found the mark under the skills section.
[Administrator's Mark: Merlin] ▲
An administrator's mark that expresses his or her approval to whomever it is granted to. Activating this skill will temporarily manifest the mark on the back of the user's hand.
—
Without hesitation, I activated the skill. I felt a strange tingling in my right arm, and when I checked, a strange trident-like symbol appeared on the back of my right hand. I raised it to show the agent.
His eyes opened wide in shock, and his expression seemed almost embarrassed. He quickly bowed apologetically, then grabbed my hand, hiding the mark with his fingers. Was this mark that big a deal?
"I'm sorry, I spoke too soon. But please, don't show that mark too openly, or-"
"What's this, Heflin?"
A loud, intimidating voice came from behind him. My attention turned towards the source of the voice, which was a tall woman with long purple hair. She seemed a bit baby-faced for someone of her stature, and she wore what looked like light military wear. What stood out the most about her, however, were her unusual red eyes, which had lizard-like pupils.
Heflin grit his teeth, realizing he had just made a mistake.
"Lady Irisviel. I didn't expect you to be visiting the tutorial area yourself."
The woman named Irisviel smiled mischievously.
"Well, I was told of a young girl with incredible potential that had stopped by the recruitment stand, so I figured I'd check her out myself. But as I was about to leave, I saw something interesting."
She casually came closer, nudging aside Heflin. She lightly took my wrist and scrutinized the mark on the back of my hand. As she verified its identity, an amused expression lit up her face.
"Merlin, huh? That stubborn kid who hardly recognizes junior arbiters? Really?"
Irisviel looked at me, silently asking for an explanation, but I had nothing to offer her. In fact, I don't even know what she was talking about.
"I'm just as confused as you are," I spoke.
"Is that so?"
Before I realized it, there was a crowd beginning to form around us. I saw a handful of reporters trying to get closer, along with various individuals from the different booths edging in for a closer look. Irisviel and Heflin began arguing about something, but I was too confused to follow.
"Um..."
Against my will, I found myself at the center of attraction. Voices constantly buzzed all around, and I felt increasingly disoriented as the seconds passed. As I looked for a way out, I spotted a man with gray hair and wearing a tacky red suit eying me carefully from the back of the crowd.
"Please excuse me," I said, trying to make my way towards him. Both Irisviel and Heflin attempted to stop me, but I evaded their grasp. I quickly approached the man I believed to be Gestalt, all while avoiding the attention of the media.
Fortunately, he met me halfway, greeting me with a relaxed smile. I noticed him wave his hand towards those trying to approach me, and for some reason that enough managed to keep them at bay.
"Are you Gestalt?"
He nodded. "Why do you ask, young arbiter? If you're looking to join the ranks of the Association, you should see that poor man behind you instead of coming to me." He gestured towards Heflin, who was trying to catch up.
I handed him the letter I received from Merlin, still unaware of its contents. As he opened and read it, his pleasant expression darkened.
"What's wrong?"
Without answering, he took out a small device from his jacket pocket, which looked to be a sort of communication device. After uttering a few sentences into it, he turned his attention back to me.
"I understand your circumstances, but it seems that I am not allowed to explain them to you quite yet. That is someone else's role, though I am not sure why she hasn't said anything to you yet. At the very least, I can provide you support—after all, it was Merlin's request. I also would be remiss if I were to give up a talent so easily."
I had a feeling he was mistaken about that last part, but apparently even he knew more about my situation than I did—and I only knew him for about two minutes. I sighed, knowing full well he too would deflect my questions if I tried to ask anything.
However, unlike Merlin, I got the feeling that he wasn't trying to avoid them simply because he wanted to avoid talking. It was like he was trying to protect me from learning too much, but why?
"I would suggest you hide that mark, but it's too late, it seems. Already catching the eye of the media right out of the tutorial, are you?"
I nervously hid my hand, but it turned out that the mark had already faded on its own. "I didn't know it was so important."
Gestalt scratched his head. "Ah, well, Merlin isn't quite good at explaining things. That disciple of mine is a bit anti-social. It's a surprise that he was selected to be an administrator of the Ark of Passion, if I were to be honest."
I nodded along, but in reality, I was completely lost. As far as I could tell, I was basically in a foreign world. Things like disciples, administrators, or arks had no meaning to me.
An understanding look appeared on Gestalt's face, noticing the confused expression on mine. "You will come to learn more about 'this world' once the time comes. For now, I will have someone show you to a place where you can stay at until you get adjusted. Right now, don't worry about anything—you only need to wait until that person comes to you."
I was getting tired of hearing that, but it can't be helped. After everything I've been told so far, the belief that I've managed to arrive in a foreign world is beginning to feel more and more real. Naturally, I wouldn't have a clue what I'm doing and what I need to do. I was fortunate that I managed to receive such aid.
"As for who will help you get adjusted," Gestalt continued, "I believe we don't need to look any further."
He gestured in my direction, but it wasn't for me. I turned my head and saw Heflin quickly appear from the crowd.
"Is there anything you need, President Edelweiss?"
I froze. I realized I didn't even know who this man was. And he called him president?
Gestalt—or President Edelweiss—noticed my shocked expression and let out a hearty laugh, leaving both me and Heflin confused.
"You've gone and scared the kid, Heflin." He turned to me, pressing a hand against his chest. "I'm not used to needing to introduce myself these days. I suppose the attention has gone to my head. Let me formally introduce myself. I am Gestalt Edelweiss, president of the Arbiter's Association."
Having no clue what that was, I felt a little less bad about my disrespect. At least he wasn't the president of the country.
"The Arbiter's Association exists to regulate arbiters like yourself—the people who successfully clear the tutorial and gain new abilities. Although we exist as a government agency, we possess enough authority to match the leader of the country."
I felt a little more bad.
"Now who's scaring him?" joked Heflin, who strangely seemed more comfortable in the presence of his superior than the woman named Irisviel from earlier.
"Haha, my apologies. Despite my role, I am not one to take formalities so seriously. Call me Gestalt. We'll be seeing each other more often from now on."
I nodded carefully, minding my manners. Even if he told me not to worry about it, I can't help but feel self-conscious.
"Now, excuse us one moment," he said, pulling Heflin aside.
While they talked, I felt a number of stares on my back. It was extremely discomforting, but I tried my best to ignore them. Fortunately, nobody came to approach me. Was it because of Gestalt? At the thought of that, my respect for the man increased.
A few minutes later, the two of them came back from their side conversation. It was Heflin who spoke first.
"I've been informed of the situation. Shall we go take a look at where you'll be staying, Arbiter Ilyin?"