That night, Peter dreamed again.
He stood on the edge of a vast precipice, the ground beneath him fading into shadow. There was no sky, no stars, no sound. Only darkness.
Thick. Endless. Smothering.
He couldn't see what lay below, but something was down there, buried deep in the void, waiting.
It didn't move. It didn't speak. But its presence pressed against him like the weight of a mountain, vast, ancient, and still.
The air was cold, not in temperature but in sensation, like standing in a place that had never known warmth. His skin prickled. A chill ran across his skin, raising the hairs on his arms. But it wasn't quite fear he felt. Not exactly. It was something closer to anticipation, as if he were standing before something inevitable.
Something that recognized him.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, or if time even passed at all. Then, just as his thoughts began to unravel, a voice, wordless yet unmistakable, resonated through the dark.
"I am the Void."
The words didn't echo. They simply existed, heavy and final, spoken directly into the marrow of his bones. Peter staggered, breath caught in his throat. A tremor ran through him, not of cold or terror, but of something deeper. Recognition.
And then, he began to fall.
Peter jolted awake, breath caught in his throat. His skin was cold, his body tense. Not just a dream. A vision. It still clung to his mind like fog.
The Void.
He could still feel it watching from the dark, ancient and patient. Whatever it was, it had power. And it had spoken to him.
He sat on the edge of the bed, wiping sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. "What the hell was that?" he muttered. "The Void? Is that what brought me here?"
He didn't have answers, but it didn't feel like coincidence. Not anymore.
A few minutes passed before his heartbeat calmed. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly. Then, as had become habit, he closed his eyes and spoke softly into the quiet room.
"I don't know much more than I did yesterday, but I'm still thinking of you. I won't forget you. I promise. Today's the first day of my new life as an adventurer, and I'm going to give it my best. There's not much else for me here, but... there's someone I met. She's kind. Brave. And she's alone in a world that hates her."
He paused, staring at the floor for a long moment.
"Anyway, that's it for now. I'll talk to you again soon. I love you, baby."
The words hung in the air for a moment. Then he rose and got dressed.
Today was the day.
Peter stepped out into the morning light, the air crisp and cool against his skin. The streets of Enrain were just beginning to stir. A few early risers moved between buildings, hauling goods or sweeping storefronts. The scent of bread and smoke drifted lazily through the air.
He followed the path Reia had shown him, winding between squat timber buildings and narrow alleys. It wasn't a far walk, the inn that had been provided for them to stay in was close to the Guild Hall. His new gear felt a little stiff, he wasn't used to wearing armor, even light leather, but it gave him a strange sense of reassurance.
The Adventurer's Guild building stood near the center of town, larger and sturdier than most. It looked exactly how he imagined it would, broad, wooden, worn by time but solid. A carved crest was mounted above the entrance: a sword and a flame, framed by the wings of some mythical creature.
Peter pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The hall was quieter than he expected. Only a few adventurers were scattered around the room, sitting at long wooden tables or hunched over mugs. A large notice board dominated one wall, paper requests tacked in uneven rows. Mounted heads of beasts and monsters decorated the walls, trophies of past hunts. The place smelled faintly of sweat, ale, and oiled leather.
He tried not to stare too much. No sense looking like some wide-eyed tourist.
Behind the counter near the back stood a young woman, maybe in her late teens or early twenties. She had neat auburn hair and a calm, professional demeanor. As Peter approached, she looked up and offered a polite smile. Peter didn't recognize her, she was different from the receptionist he originally met when Reia and him first inquired about registering for the guild.
"Good morning. Are you here to place a request?"
"Actually," Peter said, adjusting his posture, "I'm here to join. Reia sent me. She said to speak with someone named Orban."
The receptionist blinked, then gave a small nod. "Ah, I see. One moment please. I'll let him know."
She disappeared up a flight of stairs, and Peter took the opportunity to glance around the room again. It all still felt surreal, like stepping into a game he used to play. Except this time, it was real.
A few minutes later, the receptionist returned, with a mountain of a man following behind her.
Orban was tall, broad-shouldered, and bald, with a face like a carved stone slab. His skin was dark, his arms thick with muscle, and his gaze sharp as a blade. He looked Peter up and down, unimpressed.
"So, you're the one Reia mentioned," he said, voice deep and blunt. "You don't look like much."
Peter sighed inwardly. So this was how it was going to be.
"I'm Peter," he said simply. "Here to join. She said you'd help."
Orban stepped forward, towering over him. "Do I look like a noble to you? Don't waste time with politeness. Let's see what we're working with."
He circled Peter like a hawk, lifting his arms, pressing fingers into his ribs. Peter grunted, half in pain, half in disbelief.
"Bit of muscle," Orban muttered. "Not useless. You got any real training?"
"Just some basics. Reia worked with me for about a week."
"A week?" Orban raised an eyebrow. "That's barely enough time to grow a beard."
He paused. "Any weapons experience? Sword, spear? Magic?"
Peter hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sword, mostly. And... yeah. I can use magic. Sort of."
Orban's eyes narrowed. "Magic, huh. Well now I'm curious."
He slapped Peter hard on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of him. "Alright, enough talk. Follow me."
"Do you always yell at people who are right next to you?" Peter muttered.
"Yes," Orban said without looking back.
They moved through a side hallway and into a smaller, enclosed room. A polished crystal sphere sat on a pedestal in the center, faintly glowing in the dim light.
"You know what this is?" Orban asked.
"No clue. Fancy decoration?"
"It's a divination crystal. Put your hand on it. It'll show your current strength, affinities, and anything else the Guild needs to know. What you see, it's different for everyone. You don't have to share everything, but we'll need to know what you can actually do if you want work. I'll give you some time."
With that, Orban turned and left the room.
Peter stepped toward the pedestal, eyeing the crystal warily. It didn't look like much, just a sphere of glass or quartz.
What did he mean it's different for everyone?
Peter curiously placed his hand on the crystal and as his fingers brushed against it, the surface shimmered. Then light bloomed beneath his palm, and a strange pulse ran through his chest.
At first, nothing happened. Then his vision blurred, and something strange shimmered into view, as if projected directly into his mind.
Damn! So this is how it works! Hah! I can't believe it, a real status screen. Reia said there wasn't one... wait. Maybe this is what Orban meant when he said it's different for everyone? Am I the only one that sees this like a status screen straight out of a video game? This is incredible, but what's with my stats? Wait a second…. I'm Immortal!? What the hell is this?
[Status Interface - Active]
Name: PeterLevel: -1EXP: 0 / 0HP: 12 / 12Health Regen: 0.01/minVP (Void Power): 15 / 15Void Threshold: 15 (Next Threshold: 30)Void Regen: 0.1/min
Strength: 8Physical power, melee attack force, carrying capacity.
Dexterity: 9Reflexes, coordination, balance, precision.
Constitution: 9Stamina, durability, health recovery.
Charisma: 10Appearance, presence, influence on others.
Intelligence: 137Memory, reasoning, magical comprehension.
Wisdom: 150Perception, intuition, judgment, resistance to mental effects.
Affinities: Void (Innate)Element: Void FlameCost: 5 VP to activate, 1 VP per minute sustainedSummon black flame for offense or defense. Power increases with Void Threshold.
Special Traits:
Molecular Absorption: Absorbs Dark Matter Contamination, strengthening host.
Immortality: Ageless body and soul. Cannot die of natural causes or time.
Blessings:
Blessing of the Void(details obscured)
Proficiencies:
Swordsmanship: Level 2/10 (Beginner)
Peter stared, frozen.
Level... negative one? What the hell kind of start is that? Zero would've been bad enough, but negative?
His eyes scanned the screen again, trying to make sense of it.
HP, VP... so Void Power instead of mana? That explains the black flames. The cost makes sense too, 5 to cast, 1 to keep it going. So three bursts max before I am drained. Maybe less in a real fight. That is better than when I first used it and could barely move. I wonder if I got stronger?
The Strength and Constitution were kind of pitiful, but the Intelligence and Wisdom, what the hell? He double-checked. No, not a mistake. Over a hundred in both? That was insane. There must have been something different about how the different attributes were scored, there wasn't an instruction manual so Peter could only guess. He never saw himself as the overly intelligent type, but his memory was pretty good and he did feel like his willpower wasn't so bad.
Peter scratched his head, "No use thinking about it, it doesn't really make much sense to me with the information in front of me. Well, I can easily guess that I am pretty weak physically, but I guess my magic is pretty powerful? But the rest though...."
"Immortal," he read out loud. The word felt foreign in his mouth. His pulse picked up again.
"Ageless. Can't die of natural causes," he muttered, rereading it. "Could this possibly be what I think it is, I mean ageless? Is this for real? Maybe this is my cheat code! Every Isekai has one of these!"
His fingers hovered near the crystal. No option to scroll. No button to press. Just the screen. Floating there. Waiting.
Blessing of the Void. No description. Just the name. Whatever it was, it wasn't ready to be explained.
Molecular Absorption...that had to be the thing from before. The mist. The way his body felt stronger after those monsters. That's how the Void Threshold worked, absorb enough of whatever that "contamination" was, and he'd hit some kind of milestone.
This wasn't like leveling up. At least not the way he was used to. No EXP, no obvious path. More like evolving through exposure to something he didn't understand.
He leaned back slightly, still staring.
"I'm either lucky," he whispered, "or completely screwed."
And yet... some part of him wasn't afraid.
He felt something stir inside his chest. That same flicker he felt when he used the black flames. Cold. Steady. Patient.
The Void was watching.
He pulled his hand back slowly, the faint glow of the crystal fading with it. The screen vanished from view, but the information it had shown was burned into his memory.
Level negative one. Immortal. Void affinity. Whatever that meant.
He stood there for a moment, just breathing.
No way was he sharing all of that. It was too weird. Too different. Maybe even dangerous. Who knew what people here would do if they found out he had something like "Molecular Absorption" or a blessing from something that called itself the Void?
Yeah. Best to keep it vague for now.
He left the room and headed back down the hall, where Orban was waiting by the front counter. The man took one look at Peter's face and laughed.
"Ha! You look like someone told you your dog died. Let me guess, your current strength is trash?"
Peter offered a flat look. "Something like that."
Orban snorted. "Don't worry. You'll grow into your own. Everyone starts somewhere. Come on. Time to see how you do in the real world."
He turned and marched toward the rear exit of the Guild without waiting. Peter followed, gripping the hilt of his sword a little tighter.
But one thing lingered in his mind.
That screen. That voice.
"I am the Void."
He wasn't sure what it meant yet, or what path lay ahead of him. But something deep inside told him that his presence in this world wasn't an accident.
"Hey, Orban. Can I ask something before we head out?"
Orban paused and looked back. "What is it?"
"You ever heard of something called the Void?"
Orban frowned. "Void? No, can't say I have. Sounds like some kind of edgy cult nonsense." He waved a hand dismissively. "Stop wasting my time with weird questions, Peter. Let's move."
When he said that, a strange feeling overwhelmed him unexpectedly.
I don't think I want to be called Peter anymore. I never liked the name to begin with, it was just what my parents gave me.
I'll probably change it soon. New name, new identity.
This is a fantasy world, after all. No reason to hold back.