"…"
The sound of carriages being drawn filled my ears along with the chatter of people.
"…"
A dirt road, dry and hard, small buildings made of wood, with their architecture reminiscent of what you'd see in an old western movie.
"…"
The people that passed me were fair-skinned with European-esque features, wearing clothing that fit the setting. The men wore long pants, boots, shirts, and top hats, some even carrying firearms. The women wore modest blouses, long skirts, and boots; none I could see were carrying any weaponry.
"Wha…"
Paying attention to the animal drawing the carriage, I saw that it was like nothing I've ever seen before. The body of a horse, yet bulky and furry, with large horns, similar to an ox.
"Am I…"
Looking down at my feet, I noticed that I was wearing clothing very similar to the people around me. A white shirt tucked under black pants that were tightened with a brown belt, and brown boots worn over the pants. None that I remember owning or wearing.
"This could only mean…"
Closing my eyes for a moment, I reopened them, coming to a conclusion.
"I'm lucid dreaming…"
Coming to the most obvious conclusion, I began planning my next step.
"Okay… I'm lucid dreaming and I'm aware of it…" I spoke aloud, "As I heard, going too overboard will result in me waking up so…" I took slow breaths, in order to not panic, "I gotta execute operation nuke-Pluto without going overboard…" I concluded. "But how the hell do I do something like that without turning myself into Goku?"
"Just what the hell are you talking about?" Came a feminine voice.
A bit bewildered, I looked around in search of the mysterious voice.
"Down here!" The voice spoke again, albeit unusually close.
"…"
Looking down for the source of the voice, I saw a head poking out of my shirt's pocket.
"Fuck off gnome!"
"Wah!"
Not hesitating, I dug into the pocket, grabbed it, took it out, and threw it towards a building on the other side with as much strength as I could muster.
"!!!"
The light creature was thrown at incredible speeds, but before it could reach the other side of the road and splat, it gleamed a green hue.
"!!!"
The green hue morphed to its back, sprouting 2 green translucent butterfly wings, giving it the appearance of a fairy. Spreading both its arms and legs wide, it came to a complete halt, right before it hit the building.
"…"
The creature flew over to me, causing me to get on guard, but I calmed down a bit after realizing it was a fairy.
"Why did you do that! Why would you do that? How could you do that!?" It snapped.
The fairy had a soft, soothing, and feminine voice, not childish in the slightest. It was about 6 inches tall and had the frame of a petite girl. White hair and fair skin, she wore a dazzling green dress which complemented her green eyes.
"Sorry, I thought you were a gnome," I explained.
"Just what kind of excuse is that!?" She spat.
"Well, forgive me." I remarked with sarcasm, "It's not every day I see a fairy, so I was obviously confused."
"I'm an elf, not a fairy!" She snapped, "We went over this!"
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
At my confusion, she too tilted her head in confusion.
"What, why are you looking at me like you have no idea what I'm talking about?" She asked.
"Because I don't?" I spoke, "But then again… dreams never make sense, guess the same applies for lucid dreams."
"Dream? Wait!?"
I continued, "Honestly, though, this whole thing feels so realistic, to the point I'm questioning if it even is a dream." I said, "But hey, come on, what other explanation is there? And besides, an elf? Yeah right, everyone knows elves are busty mature women that are insanely horny for human di-"
"Okay, stop!" It snapped."
"?"
Confused, I looked on as she made a face of shock and brought her hands to the side of her temples.
"Oh no, no no no no!" It mumbled.
"Hey, you good?" I asked.
Looking at me with panic, she spoke, "Your name, do you remember your name?"
"What kinda question is that?" I asked, "Of course I-"
"What is it?"
"Huh?"
"Your name! Tell me your name!" She snapped.
Confused, I spoke, "Kenneth Kafka." I continued, "Hey, you know, it's rude to ask someone's name without giving your ow-"
"So you don't remember me!?" She snapped.
"Like I said, no!" I, too, got a bit riled up, "Hey, you're making less and less sense."
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"…" A bit annoyed, I answered anyway, "Nothing out of the ordinary? I just went to sleep, and then I ended up here."
"And you believe this is a dream?"
"It obviously is!" I snapped, "What, you're gonna tell me I got isekai'd into a magical fantasy wo-"
"…"
…
"No way?" I remarked.
Slumping her shoulders down, the "elf" spoke, "Yes way…"
"…"
…
***
The fairy's name was Annabelle, or so she says. I was sitting on the front porch of a random building, and she was on my shoulder. The chatter of the passerby and the sound of carriages served as a distraction from the hectic thoughts in my brain.
"Hey, you okay?" Asked Annabelle.
"Yea…" I replied, "As okay as someone can be after hearing what you said."
"…"
I had died.
"…"
I was run over by a speeding van, ended up in some limbo-type space, where I had promptly agreed to come on down to this unknown planet which, fyi is called Radia, and now stay with me here, become a prophet and contribute to some ongoing war in order to get a wish if I make enough of a difference.
"What in the actual fuck even?"
"…"
"No, I'm sorry, but isn't this too much?" I spoke, "Like this type of information, I feel like it should hit heavier with a sudden drop in music?" I questioned, "But instead, I'm just sorta told I got no way back home, and I'm now supposed to fight in a war, which I don't even remember agreeing to?"
"What do you want me to say, Ken?" Annabelle spoke, "Just being here alone should stop you from believing in any common knowledge you had before, and your distrusting of me isn't going to help either of us."
"I get that, but…"
"Look." She continued, "The angel that went on to give you the explanation and send you down here messed up the transportation spell…" She explained, "Or at least I think? It's the only reason I can see why you lost your memories."
"So you aren't even sure either, huh?" I said, "Dying and getting transported into some western fantasy… even if that part's true, explain my clothes!" I snapped.
"You were just a soul when you went into limbo, and as such, your body had to be recreated from scratch to be sent here." She explained, "New clothes, new organs, an immune system that can fight off this world's diseases, and this world's language in your brains, you got the full package."
"Putting aside the language and everything else, did you just say new organ?" I asked, a bit stunned.
"Hmm, the world's life evolved a special organ called the yamu, which can circulate and transmutate mana," She explained, "And now you have it."
Feeling a shiver run down my spine from the knowledge of some unknown organ in my body, I looked down in defeat.
"Mana… so magics a thing… in a wild west setting…" I mumbled.
"…"
Sitting up straight, I looked at the "elf", "What's your deal anyway?" I spoke.
"I'm the holy relic you chose, an artificial lifeform created for the specific purpose of guiding and protecting you." She explained, "I'm Annabelle, the light elf, your one and only guide slash pocket priest!"
"Priest, huh? So you heal and stuff?"
"And a lot more!" She said, puffing up her chest, "Actually, scratch the priest part, I'm pretty much a pope!"
Chuckling a bit in amusement, I looked down again, clasping my hands, and taking a deep breath, I spoke, "This is not how I expected my Wednesday to go…"
The sun had passed the midway point, and my skin was dripping with sweat from the summer heat.
"What the hell do I even do now…" I wondered to myself.
Looking up, Annabelle spoke, "Well… the first thing people do when they come into someplace new is settle down, right?"
"Yeah sure, that's the immediate step." I said, "But what do I do?" I said again, "I'm in some unknown world, and I'm supposed to participate in a war… I'm no soldier man, sure I did combat sports, but come on! War?
"Technically, you don't need to do any of that…" She said, "You can just get a job, settle down, and live your life like a civilian." She explained, "No God will come down to smite you for it."
"Yeah, well, I so happened to not want that either." I said, "I want to go back home!"
"…"
lifting my head up, I spoke, "Is that what I wanted to wish for? To go home? Hey, how does this wish even work?"
"It's a bit complicated… all the prophets will be evaluated to see which among them contributed most to the war, and the winner will get any wish they desire… with some limitations…."
"And those limitations are…"
"No messing with the concept of infinity, such as no infinite power… and also, no altering history in any significant way." She explained, "You could ask to be a God, though."
"Don't wanna!" I snapped, "And wait, if I can't alter history, then I can't even ask to be sent back to when I died?"
"I said significant," Annabelle said with a sly grin.
"Hey now, was that a diss?" I raised an eyebrow, "And hey, if I become the chosen prophet who contributed the most to this war or whatever, then me not ending up here will be significant, right?"
"Well… we're in a separate branch of reality and not exactly the same universe you're from, so maybe there is a loophole around it?"
"Different reality… right…" I mumbled.
I don't want to hear anymore…
"Argh!" Ruffling my hair, I spoke, "What the hell do I do?"
At my outburst, I saw a few people give me concerned glances, which I ignored.
"Hey, fairy, what do I do!?"
"I said I was an elf, didn't I!?" She snapped, "And my answer remains the same, first you have to get your foot on the ground, become stable…"
"Right, right, but I'm asking how the hell I'm going to do that!?"
"You find some part-time work… Or if you're up for it, join the champions."
"The what?"
"They're basically what you know as adventurers."
"…"
Adventure's huh… well, I suppose being a fantasy world, it's to be expected… Although with it being more Western than medieval, can you really blame me for not coming to that conclusion? But anyway, with the choice of part-time or to be a "champion," I think the answer is a no-brainer.
"Alright, let's go look for work."
"Huh!?"
"What?" I said, "Look, my brain's already overloaded like hell as it is, and going on and thinking more will just stress me out more." I explained, "So for now, let's go get some work in, and hopefully I'll be too tired to worry about it at night as well."
"No, no, I get that, but…" Annabelle panicked, "Why work? Don't you want to become a champion?"
"Sounds cool, but I'm a high schooler who's only fights were in controlled environments, and I got no weaponry or understanding of this world's monsters if there are even any, so I think I'll pass on that for now."
"I… Wah!"
As I promptly got up, Annabelle nearly lost balance, but managed to hold on.
"Now then… where to look."
"Wait, hold on!" She snapped.
"What…" I asked, glancing at her.
"Are you sure… with me around, I can buff you and then…"
"Look, Annabelle…" I said, "Don't expect me to be the reckless hero who constantly seeks glory." I explained, "Right now, my priority is to survive. I'll worry about war and prophethood later."
"…"
"Now then, if that's sorted…" I looked around, at a loss for where to start. "Now, how do I do this…" I mumbled.
"Why don't you head to the labour office?" Anabelle spoke, "There should be plenty of recruitment sheets there."
"Great idea!" I said, "See, you're useful, now then… where exactly is the labor office?" Looking around, I wasn't able to find many signs of advancement here… just a small local town…
"Deeper in… we're in the outskirts of town, it seems… but I don't know exactly where." She said.
"Right… so we gotta ask someone…"
"Good opportunity to test if you got the language in your head."
"…"
Speak a language I've never spoken before, huh… All of a sudden, I'm feeling a bit shy…
"…"
Scanning the area for someone to talk to, my eyes set on a friendly-looking old woman who was carrying a light bag with vegetables. Walking up to her, I tried to speak. "Ahem"
Noticing me, she gave me a soft smile, "Oh, how may I help you, young man?"
"!!!"
The words that came out of the granny's mouth… words I have not heard before in my entire life… new syllables and pronunciations, completely unfamiliar to me but…
I can understand her…
"Sorry for disturbing you, I'm new in town and was wondering where the labor office was?" I answered in the same language.
"New in town, ey?" She spoke, "When young ones like you visit, it's usually to register as a champion." She said, eyeing me carefully.
"I'm uhh… I don't think I'm ready for that just yet."
"That so, well, it is a dangerous line of wo-" Her words got caught in her throat, and her eyes went wide. "E-elf!" She panicked, "A light elf!"
"Uhhh…"
"By the heavens, you're an elf contractor!"
Noticing the commotion, the passersby stopped and gathered.
"A light elf?"
"But he's so young?"
"Isn't that just a gnome?"
The words of the citizens rang out.
"Oh dear, you really had me fooled there!" She said, with a nervous smile, "With a light elf, you surely must be looking to become a champion."
"What, no! Like he said, we're-" Annabelle tried to correct her but was interrupted,
"Ah, it speaks! It's real, it's not a gnome!" One of the passersby yelled.
"A light elf in Hillreach! Incredible!"
"We're seeing the birth of a legend!"
Guys, wait, hold up!
"Fret not, lad! You don't need to keep a low profile, I'll give you the directions straight to the Champions Hall!"
"H-hey, wait up-"
Just walk straight into the inner parts of town in that direction. Once you walk for about 20 minutes, you'll reach the town center, and right there in the middle will be a grand building, which will be the Champions Hall."
"I…"
"Welcome to Hillreach!" She exclaimed, "We're all looking forward to seeing your exploits, elf contractor!"
***
"Well, here we are…"
"…"
Annabelle and I were standing in front of a large two-story building. Although its architecture was similar to the rest of the town, it was much more grandiose. It had wooden walls reinforced with concrete, large wooden pillars supporting the balconies, windows all over with thick glass, and a giant clock in the center of the building.
"This looks more like a town hall than some place for adventurers…" I said, a bit stunned.
"Well, being a champion is a big deal in this world… they make up a large part of the military force, and the high-level champions are comparable to high-ranking NBA players in your world in terms of fame."
"Huh…"
Looking up at the clock, I saw that the time was 1:30, with this world also seemingly having 24-hour days. By the way, the numerals are completely different from the ones on Earth, but I could read them perfectly.
"Well, daylights burning, shall we?" I said.
"Sure, but…" Annabelle hesitated, "I can't believe you let the crowd influence you that much…"
"Well, after all that… I couldn't bring myself to say I wanted to work construction or something."
"True…"
It appears having an elf contracted is a big deal in this world… So seeing me with Annabelle, everyone just assumed I was some sort of big shot prodigy or something.
"Alright, here I go…"
Walking up the twin doors, I pushed them open and entered the building.
"…"
The smell of alcohol and food reached my nose, and the gazes of many people were directed at me. The building was separated into two, a giant golden statue of a warrior separating them. To the left was a bar-like area, a large portion with tables and chairs, and a counter area with a man mixing alcohol. On the same side, there was a staircase leading to another floor, although I couldn't tell you what was there. The men and women on the side were few… aside from the waiters in uniform carrying food, there were men and women wearing rugged western-style clothes, carrying heavy weaponry such as guns and swords. Some of the men were wearing heavy armor, but kept a cowboy-like aesthetic, There were some wearing robes, but nothing that made me think "Ah, that's a mage".
The other side of the building was a counter area, 6 or so open counters with most of them having people lining up, except for one, which was empty. To the side of it, there was a giant board with a multitude of flyers, likely the spot to pick up a quest from. Just next to it, there is a corridor, and a small sign on top with the stick figure of both a man and a woman, likely the bathroom. A lively chatter, drinking, hard wooden floors, and architecture gave a lively atmosphere, adventurous to say the least.
"Yep, this is an adventures guild all right," I said, to no one in particular.
"Champions Hall." Annabelle corrected, "Get used to this world's terms."
"Yea yea…"
Ignoring the curious gazes of the other champions, I made my way to the counter area.
"..."
I diverted my attention to the one empty counter. The girl managing it was resting her chin on her palm, looking zoned out. She has a cute face, pale skin, with freckles, red wavy hair that goes down to just below her jawline, and green eyes. She was wearing a modest uniform, yet her curves and feminine figure were still apparent through it. She looked close to my age, from what I could tell.
"Why do you think she's the only one without any customers?" Annabelle asked, curious.
"Beats me… but I'm not gonna let it stop me from speaking to a pretty face."
"I…"
Without hesitating, I quickly made my way over to her counter, "Excuse me." I spoke.
"…"
At her lack of response, I looked at Annabelle, who simply shrugged her shoulders.
Focusing on her again, I put a bit more effort into getting her attention, "Excuse me!" Speaking a bit louder, I snapped my fingers in front of her face.
"Oh, huh? Ah… AH!" The girl panicked, but immediately straightened her posture and put on a professional smile, "Hello, and welcome to the Champions Hall. My name is Sarah. How may I assist you today?"
"…"
A bit stunned at her 180, I began speaking, "Yeah, umm, my partner here and I are looking to become champions, can you help us out with that?"
"Partner?" Confused, she looked around me before her gaze landed on Annabelle, who was sitting on my shoulder, "Ah, a light el- *Mhfhf*"
Quickly putting my palm on her mouth, I stopped her from causing a scene, "Please be quiet, we don't wanna go through that again!"
Despite looking a bit surprised at me touching her without consent, she quickly nodded, and I let go.
She spoke, "Sorry, it's just seeing an elf, let alone a light elf, is so rare that…"
"Yea yea," I spoke, "Apology accepted, now can we get to the nitty gritty?"
"Yes, of course!" She spoke, "But before that, I'm obligated to ask your reasoning for becoming a champion, and if you have any questions regarding it."
Reason huh…
"We want to take down the demon king." Spoke Annabelle.
Huh?
"Y-you do?" Sarah asked, a bit stunned.
"Ah well uhh… can you give us a moment?" I asked.
"Oh, sure."
Quickly turning around, I whispered to Annabelle, "What the hell? I didn't agree to that?"
"What? It's as good a reason as any." She said, shrugging her shoulders, "What else are you supposed to tell her? That we want in for the money?"
"Well I…"
"And besides, if you wanna get that wish and go on home, you'd need to take down at least a few of the kings."
"There's more than one demon king?"
"Six, plus an emperor who is currently sealed… but the kings don't really work under the emperor, nor do they work with each other, it's just more of a title."
"So what, they're just doing their own thing? They can just take the name just like that?" I asked, a bit confused as to how it works here.
"Well, demon king just means king of the demons… not all human kings work together, right?"
"Fair enough… but how does the whole war work if they don't work with each other?"
"The war you're meant to help in refers to an ancient war… your enemy is the demon emperor, not the kings, and most humans or demons aren't even aware of this ancient war, or the demon emperor, to be fair."
"… I feel like you just gave off some really important exposition very casually." I said, "And if the kings aren't my enemy, why do I have to kill them?"
"You don't have to…" Annabelle explained, "I just said it so she lets you sign up."
"Fair enough, I guess…" I spoke, "And this demon emperor… he's?"
"It… not he, It's an ancient devil… something that is just… evil…"
"Ominous…"
As much as I wanna just stand here and get a history lesson on demons and their culture, I have a bit too much on my plate at the moment.
With the conversation done, I turned around and faced Sarah again. "We are indeed hoping to kill the demon king," I said.
"I see…" Sarah said, "Well, with a righteous goal like that, I would be in the wrong to deny your entry… but do you have any questions regarding the process?"
"Yes, actually." I spoke, "We're both new in town, and don't really know anything about the process, so a run down on how it works and my responsibilities would be nice."
"Of course, just give me a moment!" Said Sarah, before she disappeared to the back of the counter room.
"…"
Before long, she arrived back with a small glass orb. Placing it on the counter, she spoke, "Do you know what this is?"
"Not a clue," I answered.
"Well then, to start, this is an enhancement orb, a divine relic sent down a thousand years ago." She explained, "It has the ability to directly link with someone's Yamu and produce a special slate. The slate, which is known as an enhancement slate, is capable of artificially boosting your strength and assigning you classes that let you master skills by filling the gaps in knowledge." She continued, "This process is done by gaining experience. You gain experience by killing beasts, demons, or even other humans… Once you gain a certain amount of skill points, you will level up, and each level will give you a skill point or even multiple depending on you're class's standing. You following so far?"
"Yep, go on," I answered.
Yamu is the organ Annabelle mentioned earlier, right? And the rest is just RPG mechanics… cool.
Seeing as I did not have any questions, she continued, "Okay, so classes are split into 3. There are beginner classes, intermediate classes, and advanced classes. Those who are starting off will likely end up with a beginner class, as they lack proficiency or the necessary stats to gain a higher class. This rank will give the user a single skill point per level." She explained, "Now intermediate class, those who have reached a strong proficiency in their class, and a stat of 75 or more in the needed stats will gain a class ascension and evolve into an intermediate. Once an intermediate, they will gain 2 skill points per level, and not only that, they will also gain a 2x boost to the corresponding stats in the particular class, for example, mages will get a boost in power, while knights will gain a boost in strength, durability, etc."
Okay, okay, cool, now we're getting somewhere.
She continued, "Now, advanced classes are extremely rare… the number of users is so far in between that those who achieve said class are given the title overlord. An overlord will gain an additional 2x boost to their skills, making the total 4x. And for one to reach it, they require a complete mastery over the class, and stats higher than 200. Only the most skillful of champions achieve this level, and the majority come from noble families, but even then, it's just not something you'll see."
"The stuff of legends, huh…" I asked, a bit overwhelmed.
"Yeah… anyways, do you have any more questions regarding the enhancement slate?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, actually." I spoke, "You said the enhancement slate fills gaps in knowledge, right? So, what if someone is just about missing a small puzzle piece in mastering a skill, would they also have to spend the same amount of skill points?"
"No, actually," Sarah explained, "The amount of skill points needed is determined by how much of the skill you already know. If you know nothing about it, then it'll take a lot; if it's something you could learn quickly, it won't cost much. Regardless, leveling is slow, and skill points are rare, so better to conserve them for the most important of skills."
"And learn the rest on my own…" I interrupted.
"Yes…"
So not as video gamey as I assumed…
"What are the classes?" I asked.
"There are several: mage, priest, thief, archer, squire, and monk." She explained, "You'll be given a class that is appropriate for your skills."
"Wait." I interrupted, confused, "I can't pick?"
"No, the enhancement slate does that for you."
A bit annoyed, I glanced at Annabelle, who didn't seem very interested in the topic.
"Don't look at me." Annabelle deflected, "Blame the Gods."
"I'd rather not suffer divine retribution."
"Meh, they don't really get involved much," Annabelle said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, uhh…" Sarah spoke, "If you don't have any more questions, shall I explain the responsibilities of the champions?"
"Go ahead." I encouraged.
"Right," Sarah spoke, "So champions, they are humanity's fortitude against demons, or so they say in ancient text. Years ago, during the time of the inheritors, the humans were overwhelmed by demonkind's superior strength and were on the verge of extinction. And this is why the Goddess Celestina descended and handed humans the essence to create the enhancement orb. Once the orb was made, humans quickly gained a fighting chance and helped turn the tide from a slaughter to an even stalemate."
"Inheritors?" I asked.
"Proto demon kings." Annabelle explained, "Except they worked together and for the emperor."
"Yikes…"
The ancient humans of this world sure had it out for them. Thank you, Lady Celestina, whoever you are.
"Moving on…" Sarah continued, "The task of champions has not changed much since that time. As a champion, you are to assist in beast exterminations, resource gathering, assist the people in their day-to-day needs, help fend off invading armies, and be drafted for war. You are legally obligated to follow through, and will be held responsible in court for neglecting your duties."
"Damn… what is this, the US military?" I joked.
"It's more like a humanity task force," Annabelle added.
"I don't know what any of those are…" Sarah said, a bit confused, "But if you agree to those terms, you may sign these papers and we can get your enhancement slate made."
"Do I get a cool badge?"
"The enhancement slate will also act as your identification…"
"Cool, cool, give me the papers."
"Right," saying so, Sarah went to the back to gather the papers.
"You're joining too, right?" I asked Annabelle.
"No need, I don't really have skills I have to manually learn… besides, I don't really want to be obligated to fight in wars when I can just sleep," Annabelle said.
"Hey now…" I lectured, "If I'm gonna fight, so are you!"
"Hey, I'm more of a healer and buffer." She said, "But of course, I'll help you out, but only because I want to, not because I have to."
"Fair enough, same results."
Not long after, Sarah arrived with a pen and paper. "Here you go, give it a good read and sign." Saying so, she handed it over to me.
"…"
Reading through it, I saw that it was more or less what Sarah had explained, essentially giving away a majority of my civilian rights for power…
Signing the paper, I handed it back to Sarah. "Alright, done."
"Alrighty," Sarah spoke, "Now then, all is done, and all you have to do is place your hand on the orb and focus your mana on it."
"Uhh, sure…"
As Sarah instructed, I placed my hand on the orb and waited.
"…"
…
"Focus some mana on it."
"Right right… it's just uhh…"
"Just?"
"How do I do that?"
"…"
Sarah just stared at me, looking a bit bewildered, and didn't speak.
"Ah, jeez… here, let me do it for you," Annabelle said, before closing her eyes and focusing.
"!!!"
The enhancement orb lit up, and I felt a weird electric spark going through my body… but nothing unpleasant.
"You just… directed his mana… how did you…" Sarah mumbled, her eyes wide.
"Perks of having a contract," Annabelle said, with a sly grin.
Okay, no idea what that was about, but the orb is glowing now. It glowed a variety of colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple… all 7 colors of the rainbow before it settled in a steady pure white and then…
"!!!"
It shot two small lasers… the lasers began moving around, and creating material out of thin air.
"Wow…" I said, mesmerized as I watched my enhancement slate get woven into existence.
Soon, the process died down, and the orb dimmed. What was left was a small card, about the size of an ID card from my world, glowing white, as it slowly dimmed.
"Alright, let's see here- Argh hot!" As the card dimmed, Sarah attempted to pick it up, only to drop it immediately. Blowing on it a bit, she picked it up again, more carefully this time, and took a good look at it.
"Let's see…" Sarah spoke, "Kenneth Kaf- KAFKA!?" She yelled.
"Huh?"
"Y-you're!" Her eyes wide, she looked at me in shock.
"Kafka, did she say Kafka?" The words of another champion were heard.
"Hey, what's going on?" I asked, confused.
"Oh no…" Annabelle panicked, "I forgot to tell you!"
"Forget to tell me what!?" I asked in panic.
"Your name is Kafka, and you also have a light elf contracted, that means!"
"Hey!" I snapped as she casually revealed Annabelle's presence.
"A light elf?"
"Oh my god, it's really there!"
"How did we not see it!?"
Oh no, not again!
"And with that name, could he be!?"
Before I could say anything, Sarah exclaimed, "You have to be, you're related to Aaron Kafka, aren't you!?"
"Who?" I asked, genuinely baffled.
Ignoring my confused look, the champions and other receptionists went on.
"It's true, the legendary hero did have a lover after all!" One of them yelled.
"To think one of his long-lost descendants would return, with an elf contracted nonetheless!"
"This is it! I can feel it! This boy will put an end to the war!"
"H-hey guys, hold up!" I tried to de-escalate the situation, while Annabelle just hid her face.
"You!" One of the champions came up to me and grabbed both my shoulders. "We're so glad to have you here!"
"I-"
"Kafka! I just knew it, I knew someone like him won't go down to some demon!"
"His hair too, look at it, as black as a mule's ass! He must be a grandchild!"
"The fuck you say about my hair asshole!?" I yelled.
"Kafka! You're gonna do great things, kid!"
Without me realizing it, a giant crowd had gathered around me, which included the other receptionist.
"Kenneth Kafka." Among the receptionists, a dark skinned, dark blue-haired woman wearing the same uniform as Sarah spoke, "We're honored to have you among us, and are looking forward to your future exploits."
"Wait wait, please listen-" I panicked.
"Yea! Chears to Kafka!"
"Kafka, yeah!"
"Hell yeah to the son of Aaron!"
"What son!" I yelled, only to get ignored.
"Kafka! Kafka! Kafka!"
***
…
"…"
"I apologize for the commotion my actions caused…"
"It's fine…"
The guild had a bit of an awkward, quiet atmosphere, while Sarah was looking down in shame, apologizing.
"…"
All the while, I felt the glances of the other champions and even the receptionist, all of them had a tinge of disappointment on their face, as if the whole situation was somehow my fault.
"It's just… Kafka is such a rare name, and you were contracted to a light elf so…"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, can we move on now?"
"Right… sorry."
After a lot of screaming, yelling, and Annabelle supposedly casting a calming spell on everyone, I managed to clear up the misunderstanding and explain that I wasn't the descendant of some legendary hero. How could I be? I literally just showed up here, and last I checked, my dad wasn't some world-hopping hero.
"But are you sur-"
"My dad's name is Victor, and my grandpa's name was supposedly Kenneth as well, whom my father named me after, and my father never mentioned any siblings of the sort to me."
"Right, my apologies…"
Apparently, Aaron was some old big-name war hero or something… his contributions were so great that people revered him as a sort of messiah. With us sharing the same surname, people just assumed that I'm a second coming for some reason. Is the name Kafka really that rare? I wonder if Aaron's a prophet.
"Well, I'll think about that later…" I said, wanting to desperately switch topics, "Can we get back to the enhancement slate, please?"
"Right… of course."
Taking my enhancement slate into her hand, she gave it a read. "Let's see… Kenneth Kafka, and not to be confused with Aaron Kafka…" She joked, "Human-Male, 17 years of age, 5'10" 71kg, as for your class, you got… Oh…"
"What now…"
"You uhh… got Wanderer…" Sarah said, looking a bit awkward.
"Wanderer… your stars really aren't bright today, huh, Ken?" Said Annabelle.
"Wanderer?" I questioned, "Don't think you mentioned this one. And what do you mean? Is it like a useless class or something?"
"I wouldn't say useless…" Sarah corrected, "More so, impractical?"
"How come?"
"Well, it's a class without any real specifications or, more accurately, has all the specifications…" Said Sarah.
Ohh… I think I know where this is going.
She continued, "For example, a mage would be good at magic, a priest at healing magic, and a squire at swordsmanship. But the wanderer class has none of that, it is just everything, just balled up into one."
"An all for one deal… Sounds too good to be true, to be honest." I said.
"It is…" Said Sarah. "It's trade-off is that the skills don't just pop up in the card, and the user has to essentially go out of their way to learn it so it pops up in the first place. That and the champions council has, with research revealed that, for one to gain a class ascension, you not only need to be proficient at every class, but you also have to be able to creatively use all of them together seamlessly."
"So essentially, a class ascension is impossible."
"Ah, well… Wander can evolve into Adventurer… actually, Aaron Kafka was said to have that class as well… funny enough."
Great, more reasons to relate me to some random guy.
She continued, "And hey, on the bright side, if you manage to reach the class ascension, adventures are said to have a 2.5x boost as opposed to a 2x boost. If the trend follows, its advanced class should have a 5x boost… if it exists."
"If? So it's not even something that is confirmed to exist?"
"There are no written records of an advanced class for wanderers in any archive ever, but… it should exist, right? Why would this be any different?"
"Even if it does… being peak at literally everything is?" I said, "I mean, I'm no prodigy."
"I'm sorry…"
Guess Annabelle was right… The stars really aren't shining for me today…
"Hey, cheer up, Ken." Said Annabelle, "Even if you're a wanderer, you're still cut above essentially everyone who gets the class."
"She's right." Added Sarah. "Most get Wanderer because they lack the necessary stats to gain any other class, but… you're stats are above average for your age, it's just…"
"Just?"
"They're so… balanced."
"…"
She continued, "I mean, usually someone has something or the other they're better at, but for you, you're just good at everything it seems… all these stats… here, take a look yourself." Saying so, Sarah handed over the card to me.
"…"
Taking the card, I took a good look at it.
The material was akin to metal, and no matter how I tried to bend it, it wouldn't bend. On the top right corner was an avatar of my face, in a cartoonish art style, imprinted into the metal. Right next to it was my name written in full, "Kenneth Kafka," under it was a giant bar that was empty, with the initials LVL 1 written next to it, and under that was basic information, such as my race, sex, age, height, and weight, which was in kg…
"Hey, is kg Kilograms?" I quietly asked Annabelle.
"Yep, thank a past prophet for that." She answered.
"Hmm…"
The bottom was split into 2… the first corner was a circle, displaying my stats in a graphic. Strength, Speed, Agility, Durability, Endurance, Stamina, Power, Arcana, Intelligence, Luck, all having an equal circle indicating it, with the numbers displaying right under it. Every one of them was an even 72-75… nothing more, nothing less.
"What's arcana?"
"Stamina, but for magic."
"Hmm…"
Anyways, the 2nd corner… it was a table… with the top brackets being available skills, active skills, and finally, kills… Under it, the words available skill points were written, with the number 0 next to it…
"Wow!"
Pressing the table brackets, the bracket gleamed, likely indicating a switch. The whole table wasn't big enough to display it, so I guess there is a touch pad-like feature… cool.
"So then…" I spoke, "My stats are good?"
"Very good!" Sarah answered. "A bit higher, and you'd have the stats needed for an intermediate class, so you might actually reach adventurer soon. Actually, your stats are pretty impressive and are close to the peak most men your age can reach. So, if you were to gain any other class, some of the stats would have needed to be lower."
"Suffering from success, huh…"
I can't exactly complain about being gifted, so well, guess I'll roll with it.
"Argh!"
"Eeep!"
Sarah flinched back as I slapped my face and let out a scream.
"Like I'd let something like that bring me down!" I said, "Anna, let's go pick a quest, we got work to do!"
"Huh? Ah, yeah, sure, ready when you are." Said Annabelle.
I then diverted my attention back to Sarah, "Thanks for your help, Sarah, I'll be going now!"
"Ah, please wait!"
As I tried to turn around and leave, Sarah stopped me, "I still have to fill in your details and log you into our records!" She panicked.
Sighing, I turned back around and placed my arms on the counter. "Alright," I spoke, "How long will that take?"
"Well, not long, if you give me your slate, I can get it done without you." She specified, "In the meanwhile, you can go pick a quest."
"Will do, here." Saying so, I placed my enhancement slate on the counter. "Alright, get to it then, time stops for no one!" I hurried.
"Ah, y-yes, okay!" Seemingly a bit surprised at my hurry, she took my card and left for the back.
"Alright…"
Not having to wait here, I left the counter and made my way over to the quest board.
"It is a quest board after all," I said to myself, as I skimmed through the flyers.
"…"
…
"Umm…"
I stood there a bit stunned. The low-level exterminate the slimes quest or fetch the magical mushroom quests I imagined to find weren't there, instead, all I found were high-level and dangerous sounding quests.
"Raid the bandit camp - B rank, Hunt the Quadrilla A rank, Slay the Wyvern – S rank…" I read aloud, "The hell's a quadrilla even?"
"You wouldn't want to know…" Annabelle spoke.
"What is this even… why are they so high level? Where are the low-level quests?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"I… actually don't know." Annabelle apologized.
…
"Feels like I've been hit with setback after setback since coming here…" I mumbled.
"…"
After skimming through the flyers a bit more, Annabelle called out, "How about that one?" She said, pointing at a particular flyer.
Picking it up, I read it aloud. "Exterminate the flock of dire chickens – C rank… A flock of dire chickens has been unusually aggressive and has been reported to raid the town. They are located 30 minutes south of town. There are seven total, and all must be exterminated. Reward – 50,000 fields…"
I'm guessing fields are this world's currency.
"Think I can handle it?" I asked.
"With no weapons… the chances are very slim for a beginner class… usually it's recommended to have at least 4 beginner classes for a C rank quest, but," She continued, "With me around… You'll be able to pull it off easily."
"Oh, you're that confident in yourself?" I raised a brow, "Didn't you say you can't fight?"
"I can't but… don't forget that I'm a holy relic." She said, without going into an explanation.
"Well, might as well try…" I spoke, "Hey, how much is 50,000 fields anyway? What's the conversion rate?"
"I'd say… 300 fields is worth about a dollar."
"Hmm… so 50,000 divided by 300, that's… 166.6 dollars…" I calculated, "Let's round it up to just 165 dollars. Not bad for a day's work."
"Yeah, you gonna take it?"
"Sure, if you're so confident." I spoke, "Actually, what are dire chickens anyway? Sounds dangerous."
"They're more like raptors than anything… you'll see."
"They dangerous?"
"They can break stone with the force of their beak… not to be taken lightly."
"…"
I guess I'll have to be extra careful.
Taking the flyer, I made my way back to Sarah, who was busy writing down something in a massive book, while referencing my slate.
"Hey," I spoke, walking up to her, "I'll take this quest." Saying so, I placed it down on the counter.
"Okay, give me a sec, I'm almost done." She said, finishing up the writing.
"…"
"Sign here, please," she said, handing the book and a pen to me.
"…"
As instructed, I signed, then, taking the book and pen back, she also made a quick signature and closed the book. "Done, congratulations, you are officially registered as a champion." Smiling, she handed me back my enhancement slate. "Here's your slate back."
Taking it off her hands and putting it away in my pocket, I smiled back, "Thanks."
"Alrighty then, let's see here." Looking at the flyer, she gave it a read. "Dire chickens, huh… usually a beginner champion wouldn't be permitted to do this quest alone, but…" She continued, "With the light elf with you, I'm sure you can handle it."
"It's Annabelle." Annabelle interrupted.
"Right, Miss Annabelle, sorry." She continued, "I'll confirm the quest for you, Mr. Kafka."
"Thanks, and please just call me Kenneth, or Ken, or whatever." I said, "Mr. Kafka's my dad."
Giggling, she took out another book, "Sure, Ken, then." Writing some logs in the book, she made a quick signature, and gave it to me, "Sign here, please."
"A lot of signatures, huh…" Signing it, I handed it back to her.
"Annnd done, the quest is now active for you." Sarah spoke, "Do note the deadline for it is midnight today, and if you fail the quest, you will be given a penalty of 5000 fields."
5000!? Damn the hell? Guess I can't fail it no matter what.
"Alright then, I'll get to it," I said.
"Hmm, good luck, and may the Gods shine upon you."
"Yeah, may the Gods shine upon me…"
Turning my back on Sarah, I made my way to the exit. On the way, I felt the gazes of a few champions, who were eyeing me curiously, likely the few that was disappointed that I wasn't related to the Aaron guy.
"Alright…" Ignoring them, I left the building.
"Let's do this!"
***
Mid-afternoon on a hillside, 30 minutes away to the south of town, Annabelle and I lay prone, observing our targets.
"Holy shit!" I say to myself, "This is not what I was expecting."
The dire chickens were large to say the least, at least six feet tall. Their bodies were long and rugged, not the tiniest bit soft like a chicken, despite having all the features. They looked wild and beastly, yet remained colorful and elegant.
"What I tell ya," Annabelle spoke, "Raptors."
"Couldn't believe it till I saw it…"
I counted a total of seven of them, although I couldn't exactly spot an alpha in any sense.
"Alright, how do we do though…" I thought, "1 one 1, sure, but 1 vs 7? I'd die."
"If I get to your body in under 7 minutes, I can revive you," Annabelle said, as a matter of fact.
"Yeah, very reassuring." I answered, "So… what was your plan for this? How do you fit into this?"
"Simple," Annabelle spoke, "My role is that of a priest, I heal, exorcise, and buff, emphasis on the buff."
Raising an eyebrow, I spoke, "So that's it? You're gonna give me a few buffs and take the sideline?"
"It won't be a few buffs, it'll be buffs greater than even most popes can cast," Annabelle said proudly.
"Well, alright then," Getting up, I spread my arms wide. "Buff me then, oh pocket pope!"
"You got it!"
Standing up from her spot, Annabelle lifted her arms up and pointed them at me.
"!!!"
A green glow enveloped her arms, only for my body to begin glowing the same green. The glow then burst into an aura of green, which roared like a forest fire, it then shifted to a deep orange before immediately dissipating.
"Done," Anna confirmed.
Examining my body a bit, I spoke, "I don't feel any different."
"Jump," Anna said simply.
Not having a reason to argue, I did as instructed and,
"!!!"
Instead of my usual jump, my body leaped into the air, at least 6 feet or more. Then, as I fell back down, I braced for impact, but I felt no shock or pain. When I hit the ground, I stood straight like it was nothing.
"Ah, what the hell!"
Realizing the miracle, I got into a fighting stance and threw a punch.
"!!!"
The punch flew at incredible speed, so fast that it had to be milliseconds.
"Ahahaha!"
Shadow boxing and performing kicks, I tested out my newfound power. At the end, I even did a triple black flip with ease and landed as if it were nothing.
"This is awesome!"
"Hehe," Annabelle grinned, "You can praise me now!"
"Praise be!" I praised, "Praise be to the great pocket pope!"
With my newfound confidence, I directed my attention to the dire chickens. "No weapons, and only flesh, but I'm gonna fuck those things up and have KFC for dinner!"
"That's the spirit!" Annabelle spoke, "Now let's think of a strategy, I say you wait and I go cast a ta- Hey wait!"
Without paying attention to Annabelle, I immediately ran towards the chickens.
*Cluck?*
Alerted to my presence, the chickens stopped their activities and paid attention to me, looking wary.
"!!!"
Running at speeds that surprised me, I charged right at one of the birds as it braced itself.
*Cluck!*
Immediately as I got to it, I slid down going past it, but as I went, I grabbed one of its legs.
*Cluck!*
"ARGH!"
Getting up, I lifted the bird with a single arm, then, directing my attention to another chicken, I slammed it right onto it.
*Cluck!*
As it was stunned, I turned around and attacked another with it, stunning it as well. Then, using the same momentum, I lifted the chicken again and slammed it into the ground, crushing it, and causing some of its organs to fly out and soak the grass in red.
"!!!"
The birds looked stunned, and I let go of the now-dead chicken and got on guard.
"One."
To be continued.