A beautiful white leather hat, a fine white linen suit. A striking red tie and matching handkerchief. White linen trousers, perfectly tailored, and to top it off, red crocodile leather shoes. His white outfit stood out starkly against his dark skin.
The clothes were strange — I had never seen anything like them — but incredibly elegant. The stranger waved his hands, and a blue rectangle of light, filled with incomprehensible text, appeared in front of him.
"Don't worry, you don't understand a thing, but the readers will."
Readers? What the hell is this weirdo talking about?
"Let's see, your name is Andres D'Iberus? What a pretentious white boy name. That's not going to work. You need a new name."
What the hell is wrong with my name?
"Your name's not 'Little Dice' anymore, your name's now 'Lil Ze.'"
What the fuck is happening right now?
"No, we don't want the author to get into copyright trouble if this mess he's writing ever becomes successful."
I give up. I'm done trying to make sense of this.
"Zumbi? That could work. It would fit the character, give the readers an idea of how the story is going to unfold. But no, we can do better. Maculelê. Perfect! It'll match nicely with a scene coming up in a few chapters."
"By the powers vested in me, I hereby declare you... Actually, better to stick with the 'spiritual guide' stereotype, right? Your name's not Andres anymore. Now, you're Maculelê. I hope I don't see you again anytime soon, because if we meet again, it means you're fucked and need my help. Make good use of this second chance Mama gave you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the strange figure vanished before my eyes. At the same moment, a sharp pain pierced my head. Text began to appear in front of me, in a blue rectangle of light, like the one that had appeared to that weirdo.
At first, it was impossible to understand what was written, but then the pain faded, and suddenly, I could understand everything.
< Ancestral System >
Name: Maculelê (Originally Andres D'Iberus)
Age: 21Race: HumanClasses: Warrior 5 / Sorcerer 1 (when the Sorcerer class reaches at least 2 levels below the Warrior class, both may be merged)
XP (Experience Points): 0
Attributes:
HP (Health): 2550
MP (Mana): 180 (Unstable: -50% penalty to all stats while instability persists)
AR (Aura): 220 (REF [Refinement Rate]: 10pts/sec) (+10% to all stats for every 100 refined aura points)
ATK (Physical Attack): 210 (EQP: +0)
MAG (Magical Attack): 95 (EQP: +0)_DEF (Defense): 170 (EQP: +0, MAG: +0)
RES (Magic Resistance): 130 (EQP: +0, MAG: +0)SPD (Speed): 185
CRIT (Critical Hit): 15%
EVA (Evasion): 12%
Current Equipment:
Weapons: N/A
Armor: Light fabric clothing (Does not affect attributes)
Accessory: N/A
Bloodline: Nobility of Aruanda
Special Bloodline Abilities:
Host of the Ancestral System — You can connect to the ancestry of the Aruanda people and learn any ability your ancestors once possessed. (Trigger: connection is activated by emotional stimulus. The host must engage with elements of their culture to trigger the connection.)
Ancestral System Evolution — You gain experience points (XP) by performing activities the system deems growth-inducing. XP can be used to level up classes and increase stats.
Ancestral Avatar — You can invoke and temporarily embody the power and attributes of an ancestor, including divine beings. (Trigger: the connection with the invoked ancestor must be maxed out. Can also occur forcibly when the ancestor wishes to protect the host.)
Class Abilities:
Warrior Lv. 5
One-Handed Style: Expert (Combat style with saber in one hand)
Dual Wield: Adept (Two short sabers or saber + dagger)
Shield and Sword: Adept
Long Sword: Adept
Spear: Intermediate
Bow: Adept
Special Attacks:
Lethal Draw — In a single movement, draw your sword and slash in an arc. (Condition: 100% refined aura. Fatal to enemies of equal or lower level. Critical to higher-level enemies.)
Dance of the 8 Blades — Perform eight precise strikes on targets within a 10m radius. (Condition: 100% refined aura. Fatal to equal or lower-level foes. Critical against stronger ones. Targets multiple enemies. More effective with dual blades.)
Sorcerer Lv. 1
Elements: Water (Blessing of Iemanjá), Fire
Spells Learned: N/A
I was now Maculelê. As strange as it was, it felt like I had always been Maculelê. And the system felt like a natural part of who I was.
"System, can you tell me where we are?"
It was my first time speaking to the system, but it felt natural, like talking to a voice in my head.
"Geolocation skill not detected. Location can only be estimated based on the Host memories."
The voice was strange, but somehow familiar.
"I'd guess we're somewhere in the north of the southern continent, likely in dark elf territory. Would you agree, System?"
"Yes, that would be my guess, Host."
"Can you change your voice, System? For example, to a female voice?"
"Of course… like this. Is this voice more pleasant for the Host?"
The system now spoke in the voice of a young woman.
"Yes, much better. Could you also call me something other than Host? Makes me feel like I'm hosting a parasite every time you say that."
"Would you prefer 'user'?"
"That's fine, better than 'host'."
At that moment, our conversation was interrupted. I sensed a projectile heading my way. I managed to dodge, but something felt off — my body was sluggish.
"System, is this slowness a side effect of unstable mana?"
"Yes, User. You will need to learn or develop a mana control technique to resolve the instability."
That was a problem that would have to wait. Dealing with whoever had fired that arrow — now lying beside me — was the priority. I was so slow that if the shooter had actually wanted to hit me, I'd already be dead.
Now, I could feel them surrounding me. Sensing no hostility, I raised my hands and adopted a submissive stance. Soon, they revealed themselves: dark elves, confirming my theory about our location.
At the time, I didn't know it yet, but the short period I would spend living among those elves would become one of my fondest memories.