In the violet sky, where the constellations gleamed more brilliantly than ever, the mana wave unfurled like an ethereal aurora. Even as a god, I knew this moment was a beauty beyond any attempt at recreation—primordial, untouched by the concepts of grace or comprehension.
A sudden tremor would soon plunge the world into chaos. Striking at the heart of this realm, an obelisk tore through the violet sky, shattering it like a thin layer of glass and flooding the heavens with a new, ominous crimson hue.
BAM.
The world tree...
[Apologies for the wrong introduction, hmmm. Ah, there our main character is… Don't worry, everything else will fall into place soon!]
"Ugh, again?" The mysterious figure groaned. Another summoning to yet another world. "How many times is this now? Three? Whatever... Let's see what I've got this time. Status!"
{Strength: 10 | Agility: 12 | Wisdom: 0 | Intellect: 10 | Magic: 8}
{Orist Liorar | Title: 'Hero' | Class: Unknown | Level: 1 }
{Skills: Memories from Another World | Soul Link | Extinguish Flame}
He took a quick glance at his surroundings, deep in a forest, far from any sign of immediate threat.
It seemed the goddess of this world was far too proud to admit it: she had chosen a being from another world to save her creation, rather than one of her own.
Orist's adventures typically began with a meeting with a goddess or god, who would grant him a blessing to save the world. But it seemed that Kratoria, the goddess of this world, wanted to test the Hero and see if his abilities were truly as great as the other gods had claimed, given that he had already saved two other worlds.
"Well, I guess the first thing to do is find higher ground. There has to be a reason I was summoned in the middle of nowhere." Orist spoke aloud, fully aware that his actions were being watched. It was a side effect of his Soul Link skill, which worked in tandem with Memories from Another World. He continued walking through the seemingly endless forest until, through gaps in the canopy above, he spotted the silhouette of a mountain in the distance.
On his way to the foot of the mountain, Orist decided it would be best to explain his extraordinary skills. Upon his first summoning, he gained the ability Memories from Another World, which allowed him to retain the memories he had from Earth. This ability enabled him to access any memory from his past life as he traversed between worlds. After saving that world from the Demon King, Orist was summoned to a new world, where he obtained the Soul Link ability. This skill allowed him to carry over the abilities he had gained in other worlds, merging them with his soul and allowing him to use them at the level reflected by his status.
In this case, Clairvoyance was a passive skill that activated automatically, though not at a high enough level to perceive exactly who was watching him or from where. He could only sense it vaguely. However, when he tried to activate other skills from his past, he encountered a blocker. It seemed that the world's system, created by its god or goddess, set limitations on which skills could be passed through Soul Link. This was a major setback for Orist. Despite the skills he had acquired, he was still at a disadvantage, just as he had been in his first two journeys.
As for his third skill, Extinguish Flame, it seemed the goddess of this world had granted him that ability. It allowed him to snuff out any flame, no matter how powerful. In the presence of dragons and demons, this would have been an invaluable skill in the last world he had visited.
As Orist approached the mountain, the night sky came into view, and without a doubt, he felt the ominous malice radiating from the crimson hue that blanketed it. Reaching for a blade at his side that no longer existed, he was quickly reminded that no matter how high he climbed, he would always be pulled back down."Crepesculum, you damned shrew. Your venom can reach these worlds, but it'll never reach me!"
Thunder echoed in response to his expression, crackling through the heavens like sinister laughter.
It was enough to ignite a fire in Orist's eyes once more, fueling his drive to level up and stand before the heavens again. But first... he needed to find armor and weapons before he could do any of that.
"My goodness, is there really nothing but trees in this place?" Orist scanned the area with clairvoyance, barely noticing a singular odd tree that looked different than the others eastward. There had to be a reason for that, a reason he was willing to bet his life on to discover.
Earlier, he had sensed only one presence watching him, but now he felt dozens, their eyes heavy and watching, each gaze slowing his approach toward the strange tree. An arrow whistled through the air, embedding itself in the ground before him. From the shadows, a deep, raspy voice called out, "State your business, foreigner!"
Orist had enough time to think of a response as he raised his hands in the air. "I don't wish to cause you any harm. My name is Orist Liorar. I have no memories, and I'm lost. Can you offer any help?"
A figure emerged from the shadows, fully clad in the attire of an elf: a tall, lanky man standing at least seven feet, with pointed ears, gleaming emerald eyes, and flowing blonde hair. He wasn't just any elf; he was a high elf, of noble blood and pure lineage, the most conductive for mana. His gaze was sharp, sizing up Orist with ease. It didn't take long for him to determine that the man had no weapons and posed no threat, even if he wanted to try.
"Well… Orist Liorar. Your name is unusual, as is your appearance. Simply put, you're like those creatures from the obelisk. You're not from this world." The elven man said as he stowed away his bow.
"You're quick to catch on. I suppose there's no fooling a mage like you. So why fake being an archer?" Orist shot back with his own bit of wisdom, determined not to fall short in impressing the elf.
"So, you noticed? It seems you have the insight of an elf. Now, tell me why you're really here?"
"To seek refuge. I'm willing to repay any debt tenfold; that is the way of my people."
The elf smirked as if a brilliant idea had just struck him. "Fine, but you'll need to prove your worth first. You can follow us for now. When we reach Azbathoth, I'll tell you the rest. You're lucky you didn't run into any mutant creatures out here. They've been rampant since the fall of the eastern wall a week ago, so we'll need to move quickly. It'd be unfortunate to encounter any on our way back."
From the context, Orist deduced that Azbathoth was the city they called home, and the eastern wall must have been a defensive structure; its fall likely the reason this land hadn't already been reduced to ashes.
Panting, Orist watched as they gained speed, leaping effortlessly from tree to tree. The people of this land were incredibly agile, and for a level one like him, keeping up took every ounce of his strength. Even then, he could tell they were deliberately slowing down for him. He had never been summoned to a world where the average person was so inherently strong, which meant the destructive forces of this world were likely beyond anything he could imagine.
By the time they reached a strange field of mana, Orist collapsed from exhaustion. The world swayed around him, and for a moment, his mind went blank.
{You have gained: Agility (+5)}
Of course, the system of Crepusculum. It allowed stat allocation through leveling up, killing creatures, and self-training. Orist had just experienced the latter.
"My name is Tohkselin Abgmhasdi. Grab my hand, Orist, and I'll show you our world." The high elf extended his hand in offering. As Orist took it, the strange mana field shifted into a glass-like sphere, revealing a surreal, otherworldly view.
A miraculous tree with light blue leaves gently shed its foliage, the leaves carried by the wind in a way that seemed almost magical. The houses, built into the tree's roots, glowed with bright moss instead of fire, while small orbs of light—vibrant displays of fairies—danced in the air, their colors shifting and shimmering.
"This is Azbathoth!" The high elf spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the city, allowing its beauty and the freedom it represented to radiate with their glance.