Darkness.
Then, sensation.
Ethan stumbled forward, his balance thrown into chaos as solid ground reappeared beneath his feet. The sharp scent of fresh air filled his lungs, completely unlike the stale familiarity of his apartment. His eyes struggled to adjust as the golden light that had enveloped him faded, revealing a vast, open space stretching endlessly in all directions.
A sky that defied all logic loomed overhead—a deep void of swirling galaxies, constellations shifting and dancing like living beings. The ground beneath him was smooth, metallic, yet eerily reflective, like liquid silver frozen in time. There was no horizon, no walls, no indication of where he was.
Just emptiness.
And then, the system spoke.
[Welcome, Initiate Explorer. Your request to Know More has been acknowledged and the 'Body, Mind and Soul' waiver has been signed.]
The voice was neither male nor female, carrying an otherworldly clarity that sent a chill down Ethan's spine. He whipped around, expecting—hoping—to see someone, anyone, who could provide an explanation, but there was no one.
His breath came in quick, uneven gasps.
I just got scammed into signing a waiver for God knows what.
Okay.
Stay calm. Stay logical.
He had read enough fiction to recognize what was happening.
Some kind of initiation.
A system.
A transfer.
But knowing that and experiencing it first-hand were two vastly different things. His mind rebelled against the impossibility of it all, but his body was already shifting into survival mode, adapting. If this was real, panicking wouldn't help.
[Initializing Module 'For Dummies 101'…]
The system's voice returned, smooth and precise, as if reading from an unseen script.
A new chime echoed through the void, and before Ethan could react, a figure materialized in front of him.
It wasn't just text anymore—this was an actual projection.
A hologram. The figure was human, broad-shouldered with well-defined musculature, clad in an absurdly intricate bony armor that looked more decorative than practical. A massive greatsword rested on his back, almost as long as he was tall.
The man—Galen, as the interface labeled him—crossed his arms and grinned, eyes glinting with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"Ahhh, fresh meat. Welcome to the absolute madness that is the Omniversal Exploration Society, kid." His voice carried an effortless charisma, tinged with the knowing amusement of someone who had seen countless rookies before.
"Let's make this quick. I could spend hours on doing things the way they are supposed to be done and making this easy for you, but—" he shrugged, "—if I did, you wouldn't survive five minutes as an Explorer. So, let's call this tough love."
Ethan blinked. "Wait, can you hear me?"
No response. Galen was just a recording, running through a predetermined script.
"Ah a recording, figures", Ethan sighed.
Galen continued, unbothered.
"First things first—the OES. What is it? Simply put, it's the greatest organization in the Omniverse, dedicated to mapping and understanding the infinite realms that exist beyond time, space, and your limited imagination. And kid, don't ask. Yes the multiverses exist, yes an omniverse exists. Kid, do not expect me to explain to you how this is possible. I do not know. And do I look like a person who cares in any way? Anyways, as I was saying. . .we go where no one has ever gone before, document things that make reality seem like a bad joke, and survive things that should, by all logic, should not be survivable."
Galen clapped his hands together.
"Now, you might be wondering, 'Why do we need to explore?' And to that, I say—shut up, because I don't have a good answer for you. It's just what we do. Curiosity, discovery, pushing limits—all that grand nonsense. And if you live long enough, maybe one day you'll get to ask someone important why we exist."
Ethan exhaled sharply. Fantastic. The entire foundation of this group is 'because we feel like it.'
As if reading his mind, Galen grinned.
"Also don't think of the OES as a standard group. We are heavily decentralised, unless you hit a certain power level, you won't even be able to enter the HQ. Run ins with other Explorers are uncommon and there is a shit ton of ethical conduct rules and all that nonsense when we do run into one another. My personal piece of advice and wisdom, whenever you run into an Explorer, just go at them! What better way to bond than with your fists! Hahaha!"
Hearing Galen guffaw, Ethan could feel all his anxiety and paranoia being replaced by frustration and annoyance.
This guy is a pure musclehead.
"Right, I mentioned power levels so lets get onto ranks. You're an Initiate. Congrats, that means nothing." the holographic Galen smirked and held up a screen with a Writing App that had a document opened and titled- 'Master Galen's VV Important Notes'.
It was a list.
Initiate – That's you. The OES equivalent of an egg waiting to hatch or, more likely, a worm waiting to be crushed. You're not even a real Explorer yet.
Novice – You've survived long enough that people stop taking bets on when you'll die. Probably get a skill or two here, to ensure your probability of dying decreases a bit.
Adept – You can handle yourself but still get treated like a kid. I guess an Advanced Novice? Man, I can't understand why they have so many ranks.
Specialist – You actually have a skill set. People start calling you by name instead of 'Hey, you.' Also here is where you specialise! Pick a means to fight, a weapon to master and just grind, grind, grind. Oh and skills become more abundant now.
Expert – You've seen things, survived things. This is where you start being useful.
Master – You are a walking disaster. An immovable force. People actively avoid you. Believe me that is a good thing. Less people, less problems. No wait, less people means less skulls to smash. . .argh! Whatever!
Sovereign – If you reach this point, you might as well be a legend. People whisper your name in fear or admiration.
Transcendent – At this point, you are basically a god. Try not to break reality too hard.
Ethan ran a hand through his hair. "So, basically, before a Specialist you are cannon fodder. Also this guy has not mentioned anything useful!"
Galen continued, unfazed.
"Now, moving on... wait, what am I missing?" He tapped his chin.
"Ranks, OES... oh! Explorer Jobs! And skills!" His eyes lit up with realization, like a teacher who had just remembered an important topic five minutes before the bell.
"Alright, kid. This part is important. Explorers fall into three basic categories:
Melee– Personal opinion, the best type. You like getting up close and personal? Smashing things? Cutting things? This is for you. You're the ones who turn fights into messy, up-close brawls. Swords, axes, fists, heck I've seen people use bricks—it doesn't matter, as long as you can hit hard.
Ranged – You like not dying? You prefer keeping a safe distance while still being useful? Ranged weapons, firearms, bows, energy rifles—whatever the hell exists in the Omniverse, you'll use it. Also what I said about being safe, yeah ignore that.
Magic – Oh, you like blowing things up with fantastical powers beyond your understanding? Good for you. Magic is stupidly powerful, stupidly useful, and, of course, incredibly hard to master. If you go this route, expect life to be unfair in every possible way."
Ethan was rubbing his temples.
So, basically, everything revolves around fighting.
Great.
And this guy has a thing against mages?
What happened to the 'Exploration' part of the Omniversal Exploration Society?
Almost as if reading his mind, Galen grinned. "Oh, and in case you're wondering—yes, this is an exploration society, but let me make one thing very clear: Exploring is NEVER peaceful."
Galen leaned forward slightly, voice dropping to a serious tone for the very first time.
"Everything—and I do mean everything—is out to kill you. Creatures? Deadly. People? Even deadlier. The very environment? Oh, buddy, you have no idea. You will get attacked, chased, poisoned, maybe eaten, possibly all in one day. So, pick a weapon, pick a style, and get used to it, because fighting is part of the job whether you like it or not. "Oh, and that 'Body, Mind, and Soul Waiver'? Yeah, you'll probably lose one of those at some point—maybe even all three. And no, OES doesn't cover damages. So good luck with that."
Ethan let out a slow breath. Survival wasn't optional.
"Skills, very simple to understand. These are like special things you can do. Umm, like summoning swords, coating your sword in some energy, barriers, enhanced physiques and so on. Basically they make you a bit more special and formidable. Although, honestly I think a skill is just as good as the Explorer using it. All explorers begin with a Map, Radar and Appraisal skill. You know, tools of our trade."
The hologram flickered slightly. "Alright, that's enough wisdom from me. If you survive long enough, maybe we'll meet in person. And if you die—well, sucks to be you."
Galen threw a lazy salute.
"Welcome to the OES. You're in for one hell of a ride. Also one last thing, don't trust people. The OES may call itself an exploration society, but the fact that they have rules about being wary of your own says a lot. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that the Omniverse is full of secrets, and not all of them are friendly. This is not a game, if you die. . .well you die. Unless you have an artefact. Damn it! I missed that explanation, never mind you'll learn it on your own. Cannot spoon feed a kid all the time. Also kid, remember, the greatest weapon that an Explorer has is the ability to adapt and improvise!"
And with that, the hologram of Galen flashing a thumbs up, blinked out of existence.
Ethan stood there for a long moment, speechless.
This mentor seems a bit unreliable.
But then again, now he knew a lot more than just a few minutes ago.
Multiple universes and worlds exist.
An organization that randomly recruits people, throws them into life-threatening situations, and considers that exploration, exists.
Ranks. Jobs. Skills.
Then, with a heavy sigh, he muttered, "I hate how simply he put things that make no sense at all. But the thing that bothers me is, where's the tough love? Shouldn't that imply an actual physical aspect?"
Almost as if on cue, the cold voice of the system sounded out.
[New Quest: First Steps of a Seeker]
Objective: Survive in an uncharted realm for 24 hours.
Utilize any available resources.
Complete at least one significant discovery report.
Failure results in death.
Do you accept?
[Y/N]
The text flashed in front of him, clear and absolute. There was no extra information—just a simple choice. Ethan exhaled slowly, his fingers hovering near the glowing interface.
So this was it. The real start of whatever insanity he had been dragged into.
With a deep breath, he pressed N.
Anti-climatic? Yes. But unlike the protagonists in the novels he had read, this was a tad bit different now that it was happening to him in real life.
Of course he would not just dive in. There was still a lot of things he didn't know.
For instance, the fact that if he went to the so called 'uncharted realm', what would happen to his life on Earth?
Did the OES have a system like time dilution or something for such scenarios where Explorers had to spend extended periods of time in other realms and worlds.
And what about the quest conditions? Any available resources? Did that mean he could stock up before heading out?
Also, the second objective was way too open ended? What even was a discovery report? What qualified as significant?
Finally, the death clause. Rationally he should have just backed off the moment he saw that but somehow, his detachment from his current life and purposelessness were all propelling him to anchor himself to something.
Galen had not mentioned much.
And barely anything useful for the first quest.
Before diving into the unknown, I need answers. The first being—how do I even get back home?
No sooner had he thought of it, the system's screen materialized again.
[Leave the Explorer's Lobby?]
[Y/N]
Ethan thought for a moment and then pressed Y.