Christmas present for my readers~ I finished this in time for Christmas Eve tomorrow Yay~ Enjoy~

"..." I hadn't taken much notice at it until i dived into the pond but... "-sigh-"

I had been summoned in the same clothes i had died in. In other words, my prisoner uniform.

The white shirt clung to my skin and i could feel the weight of the orange tracksuit as i trudged out of the shallow water and into a small garden.

I slowly began to make my way through a small sandy path that weaved through the shrubbery and flowers until it split at small forested area a few hundred meters away from the pond. I turned around and saw a tall majestic church-like structure and surmised i had been summoned in some sort of religious building.

I turned back around and shivered a little from the cold, damp clothes that clung to me as i thought of which way to go.

The left path headed into a darker portion of the forest, while the right path headed to a part of the forest that had small flowers growing along the side of the path.

The so called "trick junction" I'm sure.

"Eeny Meeny Miney Moe~" Since i couldn't exactly just blindly go down the seemingly gentle path, i decided to leave it to chance.

"......" I begrudgingly headed into the darker path and began to slow my pace so i could keep an ear out for anything or anyone, who may be watching or stalking me. It might be a baseless worry but... It was better to be careful rather than ignorant.

".........." I kept walking through a seemingly endless straight path and i begun to feel restless. I wonder how much time has passed? I was starting to feel tired and hungry and the forest was getting darker with every step i took.

There was a slight scent of the ocean in the air that just barely tickled the nose but i couldn't determine the direction it was coming from.

After another few hundred steps i stopped walking and turned around, feeling a sharp gaze on me for the nth time since entering the dark path. The weird gaze fell me on me every 104 steps exactly, almost like it was triggered by some sort of complex system in place. The main concern is that every time i walked another 16 steps, it would vanish as though it was never there to begin with.

Considering that i couldn't tell where the path led, nor if it was truly going straight to begin with, i decided to confront the gaze, wherever it may be coming from.

I turned my own gaze towards the uncomfortable feeling and frowned when i saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"I'm 100% sure It's not in my head so..." I started walking towards the gaze until i hit my 15th step.

"Going by the current system in place... I'll have to do something about it from here but... what?" I brought a hand to my chin and began to stroke the small stubble that was growing, letting my thoughts wander for a few moments.

"I wonder..." I opened up the menu screen in front of me and then tried a little something.

"Create category [Help Desk]. Create category [Status; Enhanced]."

You have successfully created the menu item [Help Desk]

You have successfully upgraded the [Status] category.

More details will be added.

More entries will be added.

Hidden variables will now be unlocked but not displayed until certain conditions are met.

The title [Statica's Apprentice] has been unlocked and registered.

"Yosh~ Just as planned. But who's this Statica? Another god?" I smiled mischievously as i reopened my menu again.

Full StatusInventorySkillsMagicEquipmentQuests[Locked][Locked][Locked]BonusHelp Desk

I brought my finger over to the new menu category but stopped as i felt the gaze grow more intense.

I hastily closed my menu and sent my focus back to the location of the gaze as i heard the snapping of twigs and underbrush gradually getting closer.

"........" I slowly breathed out and then took a deep breath.

"Yo, kid." I heard a deep voice echo around me and felt myself begin to break out in cold sweat. I tried to take a step back but a taunting message betrayed my expectations.

Status [Fear] contracted.

Due to a high degree of the [Fear] effect, you have been Paralysed. [Paralysis] in effect.

.... great, just great.

"Hey boss, he looks scared kakaka."

"Should we kill 'im?"

"Oioi, why don't we sell him to the slavers? He looks like he'd fetch us a decent amount."

I could hear another couple of voices as the footsteps drew nearer, an unnatural fear building up in me.

I forced myself to go against the paralysis effect and slowly turned my head behind me.

"... Interesting." An older man stood directly behind me, a smile on his lips.

"Boss?" I heard one of the voices say in a slightly anxious voice.

The man that stood behind me had dark tanned skin and toned muscles that were visible even through his shirt. A long scar cut across from his right eyebrow to near his chin and a fierce black eye gazed at me warmly from under his scraggy grey hair.

"It's been a while since i last saw a fellow Japanese... About 35 years now i reckon." He lifted an arm up and suddenly a light began to be emitted from the air around him, lighting up the dark forest like it was daylight. As soon as the forest was brightened, i felt my body loosen and a message telling me the fear and paralysis effects were cured, popped up in front of my eyes.

"..." I slowly turned my body around and smiled awkwardly at the old man before me.

"H-hello there Jii-san."

"Jii-san.... i guess i am getting on in my years now. The name's Nagamu Oshiro, a pleasure." He held out a rough hand to me and i shook it awkwardly.

"Boss is being friendly with a kid..."

"It's a miracle..."

"Shh they can hear us y'know."

"Stop talking idiots, you'll piss 'im off again."

I could hear the 4 other men whispering amongst themselves and felt a surge of anger begin to radiate from the old man.

"Kora, get moving back to the camp before i beat your asses to the next sundown." His voice held a slight amount of humour under the angry tone.

I turned around and saw 4 men ranging in age, salute the older man and begin to walk through a hidden path in the forest. All 4 of them were wearing outfits with fur and leather as the main focal point, in other words, classic barbarian attire i suppose.

"So, quick question. Are you one of the hero's the asshole summoned?" I decided to question him a little as we began to follow after the idiots.

"I suppose calling myself a Japanese was a poor choice huh... Yeah I'm one of the summoned fools who got used up until i was no longer useful." He chuckled a little as he lead me forward through the hidden path, following after the the other guys.

"Yeah i was summoned a good 50 years ago now i reckon. Just like you, i was summoned in my old 17 year old body." He stopped speaking for a few moments, reminiscing on his past experiences no doubt.

"I blindly followed his orders and did what i thought was right, right up until i met the previous demon king, a powerful demon lord and handsome to boot. We exchanged a few words and pleasantries before he invited me to dine with him."

Demon king, demon lord... Aren't they the same thing... Oh shit i almost stopped listening to him. I almost got lost in my thoughts for a moment as he steadily began to tell me his tale.

"I was quite surprised at the sudden invitation but i decided to accept his invitation regardless. After all, why would a demon king want to invite a hero to dine if not to talk? Well i soon found out the truth from his very own mouth about what that bastard Furio was planning and i immediately made my way back to complain to him."

I saw a small camp-site set up in a clearing as we neared an edge of the thick trees, the smell of smoke and fish filling the air. Nagamu smiled brightly as we exited from the hidden path and entered the clearing, telling me he would finish talking about his time as a hero when we had eaten.

"We have plenty of rare fish and fish monsters that we caught a few days ago, help yourself kid."

"Ahh, thanks Jii-san, i appreciate it. Oh yeah, i never introduced myself, did i? My name is Katamiya Shiina, pleased to meet you." I bowed once before continuing, "I was... summoned on my 25th birthday."

"Shiina, huh... an interesting name i guess." He trailed off towards the end with a small smile on his face, it almost looked like he was reminiscing again but i just titled my head and followed him to the camp-site.

The 4 idiots were joined by a young a woman who was leaning against a tree near one of the make-shift tents, her eyes closed and her arms folded over her chest.

"Fendia, I'm back, sorry about that." He called out to the woman who opened her eyes at his call.

"Eh?" I almost dropped to the ground as i she fixed her gaze on me and i felt my strength leaving me.

"Why is there a legit criminal following after you, Nagamu? Care to explain?" Her voice sent shivers down my spine as i felt a large amount of hate and animosity directed towards me.

"Oh... Is there a problem here? You remember what the letter said right? Only those with an extreme amount of good karma can be summoned right? So how is he a legit criminal?" I could see him tense up a little as he questioned the woman named Fendia.

"..." I felt my strength return and her sharp gaze softened a little.

"You're right. My bad Nagamu." She pushed herself off from the tree and slowly approached us, her movements leaving no openings.

"..." I stared in awe at her beauty as i tried very hard not to swoon.

Long black hair that seemed to shine in the light of the fire. Soft, smooth, porcelain like skin and and slight muscles were visible on her visible belly. Her eyes were a strange hue of red/purple and held a certain allure to them as i found myself lost in her gaze. She was wearing a pair of black hot pants and a tight black tank top that accentuated her modest bust.

"Beautiful...... Oh fuck, i said that out loud." I bowed down and held my head to my knees as i felt a large amount of embarrassment wash over me.

"Wow~ I'm impressed he didn't propose to you right away like i did." I heard Nagamu's mocking voice and lifted my face, red with embarrassment, towards him.

"Eh!?" The woman named Fendia was standing directly in front of me with her face just inches from mine, staring into my eyes.

"..."

"..."

I fell backwards onto my butt and almost screamed out loud as she slowly stood up straight and smiled at me.

"It must have been rough... Welcome to Demonia, Shiina." She was almost like a goddess when she smiled...

"Eh? Ahh, un, thanks..... Wait, what??!!"

"It's Fendia's special ability, [Memory Link]. It allows her to see a persons past from their own point of view. Of course, the people themselves have to either allow it, or be incredibly weak willed."

"Oh...." I felt a little naked after finding out that my life had just been seen through like it was nothing.

"My name is Fendia Kingsly, I'm also from earth... Kind of." She bent down and held her hand out to me as i sat there stunned. I awkwardly grabbed her hand and felt my heart beating faster as she pulled me up to my feet.

"Th-thanks."

"Hmhm, no worries Shiina." It felt a little awkward to be called my first name by a beautiful woman i had just met.

"Ahh, call me Fendia too please~"

"Sure..."

After i was finally on my feet, i noticed that her hand was still holding my own, the warmness that was transmitted made me feel calmer and more relaxed. She noticed me looking at her hand and then she smiled mischievously at me.

"Am i making you excited, Shiina? Fufufu."

"A little..." I murmured automatically before i realised it, my face blushing bright red when i became aware of what i had done. Her hand holding mine tightened a little and she pulled me into a hug, stroking my hair a little before pulling away and letting go of my hand.

"Anyways~ For now, let's eat some fish." She giggled a little and then we all walked over to the camp fire and sat down.

There was a wide variety of weird-looking, cooked fish, skewered with sticks that were slowly roasting over the open fire. I grabbed one at random and took a tentative bite, the salty flavour of fish entering my mouth as a little juice trickled down my chin.

"This is pretty good."

"HAHA! I know right? We caught some good ones this time." Nagamu's heartily laugh eased a little of my tension and i began to eat in earnest, devouring 3 small fish and 1 large enough to cover the length of my arm.

After the meal, Nagamu continued his story from earlier, telling me about what happened after he left the demon kings castle.

"Since the demon race lives primarily on the small island nation of Highgrande, it's fairly difficult to get there unless you can fly, or you travel with the slavers on their ships. The areas around their islands are dotted with whirlpools and rifts, making it very hard to get their without a proper guide. And since the slavers are neutral in regards to power struggles, they are given permission to enter any lands they like, as well given detailed maps on surrounding terrain." He reached beside him for a clay mug filled with some sort of alcohol, and took a swig from it.

"Anyway, after getting permission to use one of their griffins to fly back to the main continent, in other words, Gardenia, i hastily made my way back here to the mainland. That was over 35 years ago now though, and this forest was still just a small garden area with a few saplings spread out. The church building way back on the other side of the forest is called [Summon Point Alpha] and is, as the name implies, the primary summoning point in Gardenia."

"Ara, you "borrowed" a griffon? Isn't it more like you demanded one and stole it when they refused? Don't lie to the poor boy, Guma." Fendia chimed in when Nagamu stopped to take another swig out of his mug.

He immediately spat out the contents in his mouth at her words and then proceeded to choke a little before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and replying.

"Oi, don't tell him that... and don't call me Guma, it's embarrassing. Anyway, where was i..." He paused for a moment and then continued again.

"After i finally got back to the main continent here, i landed near the port city of Harrier near a cave and sent the griffon back to Highgrande. After leaving the cave, i used my spacial magic to teleport to the capital city, almost running out of mp at the same time.

I got within 5 kilometres of the city and walked the rest of the way until i got to the city gates, where i met another hero that had been summoned while i was gone....... He later ended up getting killed by a dragon but that doesn't matter at the moment."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"I saw him from a distance and felt a sort of, connection with him. I knew immediately he was a hero thanks to my special ability, [Connections]. I won't go into detail about so i'll just give you the basic, it means I can tell if someone has a strong connection to me. It can be either through a quest or through an event that will happen in the near future.

Well i decided to ignore him for now and I made my way to the hidden door that was situated in a small alcove of the wall  of the gate, shrouded b a few trees and vines."

"Seems like you must have been favoured by the asshole, huh?" I couldn't help but mutter that little comment."

"iie. I don't think he's ever favoured anyone to be honest. I found that hidden entrance on my own thanks to a skill i had at the time." He shook his head gently at my comment and then continued once again.

"Once i was inside the city, i felt a tangible tension in the air and i hesitated to head straight for the castle. I walked into the quest hall that was located near the entrance i had been at and asked one of the adventurers what was going on. He told me in no uncertain words, 'It looks like the day has finally come... Furio-sama has decided to make public, his plans to conquer the world'. I felt my blood run cold at his words and so i headed straight to the main gates of the castle as fast as i could. Unfortunately for me, however, it would seem that he was waiting for me."

"When i reached the main gates, a large amount of guards and soldiers came rushing out of them and began to surround me. When they had fully surrounded me, i drew my sword and got into a stance, ready to kill my way through if necessary. Just as i was about to start killing them, Furio himself showed up and walked between the assembled men to confront me. He said one word, with a big smile on his face..... 'Banishment'. Before i could do anything to defend myself or even evade it, i was suddenly pulled up and out of the city by a strong force and sent crashing into the ground from 50 feet up in the air. I lost almost all my hp and suffered broken bones and punctured organs all throughout my body, barely surviving."

"I later found out that i had a cursed seal placed on me, preventing me from being able to get within 2 kilometres of the city. I later formed up a large organisation to try and do something about it but in the end, everyone but my 4 friends over there, were killed. It was 5 years ago that i met the 6th hero, Fendia. She's from a similar world like earth but it was also similar to Demonia in that it was a sort of game-like world. Well if she wants to tell you about her world or our meeting, I'm sure she will."

I slowly took in all the information and then frowned a little as i saw a small flaw in the story.

"Hey... You said that he made the world domination plan a publicly known thing but... How did he keep that a secret from the hero's?"

"..." Nagamu looked at Fendia and that back at me.

"Was there a young girl with him called Julia when you were summoned?"

"Oh..." I knew immediately what that meant and so i voiced my thought out.

"So it was the [Weeping Lily} huh.... I see, that makes sense."

"Yes. That flower is as dangerous as it is beautiful, and the one holding it, is even more so. She is Julia Faith Gardenia, first princess of Gardenia and the most powerful magic user in the world. She has the ability to completely brainwash and control the minds of, every citizen on the continent. It's just a shame that she herself is being controlled by her father."

"So that's why she was scared of her father... I got the feeling that if i tried, i could have seen her status, possibly even found a way to save her if i wanted."

"Wait... You can see people's status's?" Fendia was the one to cry out.

"I don't know... I do know, however that i can see detailed information about items if i try." I told them about how i learned what the flower was and how i was under the care of Jun.

"Oh yeah that reminds me, what kind of god is Heris? I haven't checked the patron gifts from her yet so i have no idea."

"Hmm~ So you have 2 gods huh? Well... I'm not too sure about that myself. It's very rare for someone to be under her sign after all. You'll have to check it yourself."

"Yes i agree. The only other person who would be under her sign in Rachel, but... Since she's the current demon king..."

"Oh yeah that reminds me. What's the difference between a demon lord and a demon king?"

"[Demon King] is the title for the ruler of the demon race. [Demon Lord] is a species of demons, kind of a pure blooded devil i guess. Think of it that way."

I thanked Fendia and then turned my attention back to the fire, letting my mind wander as i watched the dancing flames.

After a few moments of silence i stood up and walked over to a nearby rock and punched it, the sudden action stunning everyone a little. As my fist hit the rock, a sudden surge of power flowed from my chest to my arm and down into my hand.

[Heavy Blow] That name entered my thoughts as the rock shattered and burst into fragments, spreading out in the surroundings at an incredible speed.

""""""..."""""" I felt everyone's gaze on me and i slowly brought my hand back to my side. A sudden message filled my vision and i laughed a little.

Strength [+3]

The status slot [Attack Power] has been uncovered.

Current attack power [15 ~ 49]

"Well this is something i wasn't expecting." I turned around to face everyone and then told them i was going to rest over by the trees while i check out my status screen for a while.

Leaving the clearing, i headed a little ways into the forest and then found a desent sized rock to sit down on.

I hastily opened my menu and then pressed on the Help Desk tab, a new window appearing before me.

Currently available categoriesSkillsProfessionsStatsLocationsPeopleRacesGodsGods GraceBestiary

Hmm it's  more detailed then i thought. For now i guess i'll just have a look at the Skills, Stats, and Gods Grace categories.

I pressed on the Skills tab and saw a very short list of skills that i could select. A list so small it only had 5 skills.

I went through each of them slowly, nodding as i read the descriptions and such.

Minds EyeAn ability that is both unique, and unusual.

It has a very high chance of overlapping someone's true thought with their voice as they speak to you.

In most cases, it only activates when someone is either lying to you, or you feel a deep mistrust towards them.Semi-ActiveUniqueNo mp costTop Rank [2]No EvolutionsNo Skill Combinations

AnalyseA special gift from the god [Heris]

Gives a greater ability to learn information on an object or person than [Appraisal]

When mastered, can completely divulge a persons status among other things.ActiveUnique [Gods Grace]No mp costTop Rank [3]1 EvolutionNo Skill Combinations

Wisdom Of The AncientsA special gift from the god [Jun]

Has a myriad of effects including-

Easy understanding of the world

Easier skill acquisition

The ability to learn hidden secrets of an object or personPassiveUnique [Gods Grace]No mp costTop Rank [0]No EvolutionsNo Skill CombinationsThis Skill can not be levelled and is automatically acquired at [Master] proficiency

Heavy BlowA battle skill that greatly increases an initial attacks power output.

Can also be used as a defensive skill to parry a powerful attack.ActiveCommon [Class Specific]Mp cost [35]Top Rank [5]No EvolutionsCan be combined with other attack oriented skillsSkill cool-down time [60 Seconds]

Fighting SpiritA berserker type skill.

Grants the user an increased attack speed and attack power at the cost of defence and evasion.ActiveBasicMp cost [100]Top Rank [3]2 EvolutionsCan be combined with [Buff] type skills and magicSkill cool-down time [300 Seconds]

"I see. So these must be skills that i already know, or have seen, i guess. Let's take a look at the stats section now."

I went back to the Help Desk's main menu and selected Stats.

HP

Your Life points

If this runs out you will die

if not revived within 5 minutesyour soul with ascendMP

Used to cast spells and use skills

With isufficient points, you can not use skills or magicStrength

Your physical capabilities

A higher strength mean a higher attack power

Some quipment and weapons have a strength requirement to use themEndurance

Your overall stamina and defensive capabilities

A higher Endurance means a higher defense

With a higher Endurance, you will have more staminaAgility

Your basic speed and movement are affected by this stat

Higher Agility means faster movement and better body control

With a higher Agility, you can jump higher and move fasterIntelligence

Smarts and magical power are derived from this stat

You can better understand things with a higher Intelligence

Your Magic power and capabilities will improve with higher IntelligenceWisdom

Magic defence, mp regeneration and hp regeneration are affected by this stat

10 points grants 1 point per minute to hp/mp regeneration once per minute

Wisdom also improves understanding and tacticsDexterity

Reaction speed/movement are affected by this stat

Higher stat means faster reaction speed and reflexes

Your degree of movement and evasion are affected by this statDefense

Determines how much damage can be reduced from an attack

If your Defence is higher than an enemies Attack Power-

A certain amount of damage will be avoided upon impactMagic Defence

Same as Defense but against Magic based attacks insteadEvasion

As the name implies

A higher evasion means a higher chance of dodging an attack

Also works against some Magic based attacksAttack Speed

How fast you can attack with a weapon or body

A higher stat means more attacks in a shorter timeAttack Power

Your minimum and maximum damage variables

If your Attack Power is higher than the enemies defence-

May increase the odds od dealing a Critical Attack

May deal more damage than expectedMagic Attack Power

Same as Attack Power but using Magic based attacks[Locked][LockedAll stats grow naturally over time as you accumulate experience.

They can also grow from taking certain actions or completing certain tasks.

There are also special ways to grow these stats [Locked]

I nodded as i read through the descriptions, the information mostly matching up with what i expected.

"And lastly, let's check the Gods Grace section now..."

Currently acquired knowledge of Gods GracesJunHerisKnowledge Of The AncientsStat Growth Correction [Unused]Limit Skills [Currently Sealed]Rapid Stat Growth [Unused]UnderstandingMagic UnderstandingAnalyseLanguage Library[Locked][Locked][Locked][Locked][Locked][Locked][Locked][Locked]

I already knew the general information for Jun's gifts, so i went ahead and looked through the 2 remaining ones for [Heris], Limit Skills and Language Library.

I didn't look at Rapid Stat Growth, though, since i already had a general idea of what it would be. The fact that both the stat related gifts were unused was likely because they cancelled each-other out. And i didn't check Analyse since i had already seen it's description in the skills section.

Language LibraryGrants the mortals under Heris the ability to completely understand all languages of Demonia.This allows a complete understanding, and the ability to-

-Read

-Write

-Speak

-Understand the speech patterns, tones and variations of the different races.

Limit SkillsOnce a certain amount of power and knowledge has been accumulated by a mortal under [Heris] They can unlock the ability to use [Limit Skills]Limit Skills are special skills that require Limit Points in order to be used.

They can range from Defensive to Offensive and are always very powerful.

Some are activated straight away and some have a time lag between use and activation.

There are two types of Limit Skills-

-Immediate

-Continuous

Limit Points are gained by fighting and killing your enemies or by performing cetain tasks for the goddess [Heris].

The maximum amount of Limit Points can grow over time and all Limit Skills use the full amount of your Limit Points.

The more Limit Points You have, the stronger the effect of the Limit Skill.

I raised my eyebrows at the description of the Limit Skills and felt a little troubled about the god that decided to take interest in me.

"Heris... huh..."

"You called~~"

".................................. Eh?"

Woo~ Another chapter~ This series seems to be more popular than my other one... Oh well who cares -shrugs- I kind of like this one more as well to be honest. Anyways i'll try to make the chapters for this series long if possible but that may mean delayed releases as i add more content to each chapter.

Also some of you may have noticed, but, i'm switching to using my Australian spelling from now on as that is what i'm used to~

Either way, look forward to another chapter in the next 3 days (Maybe tomorrow).

As always guys, Thanks for reading my story~ I love ya's and enjoy~.

P.S Let me know if you want me to put more detail on the location/character appearances from now on (I'll try harder if needed).