Chapter 3: The expedition

> "So you want to ask me what I looked forward to the most when I arrived on this planet? Let me think … Oh yeah! My first expedition. Definitely. The monsters were weak, but it was my first taste of adventuring. If you are interested, go ask the secretary at the adventurers guild. There should be a few beginner-level commissions you could try."

>

> "Is it possible to have some more talk about the concept of otherworlders?"

>

> My eyes widened. Normally people from this world would leave it at that. "Are you an otherworlder too?"

>

> "You could say that."

>

> Those fucking nobles. They can't call people to this world whenever they want. And at least give them a proper introduction! Also… I sighed. "Sorry for spacing out. Don't worry, you met the right person. I don't recall introducing myself: I am Rachel, guild master of the Otherworlders Guild. Why don't we talk at my office, and I will answer any question you have."

>

> The little girl smiled. "That would be perfect."

>

> - Rachel, the twice summoned

"Observer?" So he didn't get an OP one-shot-one-kill class, or meet anyone to tell him what his goal in this world was, but he does get to become an observer. The universe sure had an interesting sense of humor.

"Since you have a generic affinity, it’s easier for you to recognize other people's affinities. Observers are also said to be mentally strong, being able to discern details in reality others would normally ignore. Most of the abilities of an observer revolve around the skill stabilize," Zev explained

"You mean [stabilize]?"

"That is what I said."

Tom shook his head. "You forgot the brackets. I can tell."

Zev looked at him confused. "Anyway, it is a skill that allows you to even out the aura of a living being. It is useful if someone loses control of their powers."

"What do you mean by an aura?"

"The aura is the clothes of everyone's soul. Think of it as the physical manifestation of someone's affinity; it is like a sponge that absorbes ambient mana. If someone uses a skill far beyond their abilities, an observer can use their more average affinity to guide their aura to calm down. You, of course, need to be in close proximity. The distance depends on your understanding of auras. An observer can also more easily find out what kind of spirit someone specializes in so their teammates can develop better tactics during battle."

Zev nodded at Ilona. She closed her eyes and murmured something. A small ball of light appeared on the palm of her hand.

He looked at Tom. "Try closing your eyes, and envisioning Ilona in your mind. Remember to apply a purpose or identity to your target. Then focus your attention on the pull of their aura."

Tom closed his eyes and tried to focus on Ilona. He envisioned a priestess, no, a saintess. He imagined her aura must be strong, related to light spirits. After envisioning all the different saintesses he had read about, he did feel some sort of pull. It was difficult to explain, but the image of pulsating white light came into his mind.

"I see a strong white aura. I think it belongs to saintess Ilona." Tom said.

Suddenly, the aura he envisioned started pulsating in rapid sequence. So the aura was also affected by someone's emotions? Interesting.

"I’m not a saintess! I am a normal everyday priestess," Ilona struck back.

"You caught on to this quickly. I'm impressed. Most people struggle to imagine a person in their mind. I presume that is what makes you observers unique. Now, try focusing on her aura and use your skill to even it out."

Tom tried as he said and focused on her aura. He tried envisioning to make her more boring. She is just a normal priestess now. "[stabilize]!"

When he opened his eyes, he saw that the small ball of light in her palm had dimmed slightly. "I did it!"

"Congratulations, you’re a natural at this. More training is required in order to improve since this skill requires a lot of practical experience to master."

"Practical experience? But did you not say skill templates always work the same?"

Zev nodded. "I did. Remember how I explained it is possible to slightly adjust skill templates if one has a deeper understanding behind their skill? Observer is a relatively new class whose whole purpose is understanding reality, and thereby manipulating it in specific ways. The skill stabilize is unique in the way its mana cost is relatively low. Rather then having to worry about mana burnout, seeing the world from different perspectives has a drastic effect on ones mental state. Since common skills for this class have not been established yet, your skill pertains to constantly trying to manually build upon the current blueprint."

That sounded like a lot of work. He was for sure not going to waste his isekai adventure in order to meditate and learn the truth of the world. "Can’t I switch somehow? Unlock requirements for a secret OP class?"

Ilona shook her head. "I do not understand what you mean by … OP class, but don’t be disheartened. Having a better understanding of the world is a valuable way to resolve complicated situations. Also, on a philosophical level, just imagine what inner peace you could attain. I am truly envious."

Sounded like nonsense to Tom.

Zev cut him off before he could ask any more questions. "That is it for our little lesson. From tomorrow you will have to follow the normal routine. Morning assembly begins at sunrise."

Whatever. Tom didn’t awaken any OP abilities, but at least he got a safe one. Maybe this was a good sign? With some days of training, he would definitely become stronger. His EPIC ADVENTURE had just begun.

"Also, I know you just arrived today, but tomorrow you will have to go on an expedition into the new forest. The army is looking for some hidden ruins that the demons are also looking for. Because of your ... status, you will become the squadron leader tomorrow."

Tom had to go on an expedition into the woods? And he was the squadron leader? He had never been the leader of anything in his life. Whatever. New world, new Tom. "Everything will work out fine," he confidently responded.

This world was predictable enough with obvious tropes. He found a secret beastkin prince, an alleged demon spy, and a saintess. Mark was probably something too, so he had some of his possible sidekicks figured out. This adventure was going to go smoother than he thought.

Zev murmured something to himself. "Perhaps this is luck on our side. The camp used to have several observers, but they keep disappearing for some reason."

***

The next morning, Tom was already tired from yesterday's debacle, but he forced himself to get out of bed. He changed into an uniform that Zev had given him yesterday and headed for the assembly with his roommates.

Tom hated waking up early, but he was excited to see how his first adventure would go. Perhaps he would unleash his secret powers during it? His greatness was an inevitability after all.

When they arrived at the central plaza, they took their position with the other commoners standing in an ordered formation to the right. On their left stood the nobles who didn’t bother with formations. They stood wherever they wanted in a messy crowd. Tom found their uniforms with paint thrown on them to be a bit goofy. According to Mark, it was their way of technically not wearing the same uniform as the commoners, but it looked more like someone had played a prank on them.

Lined up on a platform in front of them stood the instructors; they had more leeway on their clothing choices and it showed. The commoner's instructors to the right had cheaper-looking clothing, some wore the uniform and others battle-ready armor. The noble's instructors wore expensive ordained clothing and looked as smug as their students. He made eye contact with one of the noble's instructors who threw a smile at him. Tom quickly moved his gaze and found Zev standing besides the central podium, which probably was to signify that he was neutral.

Eventually, the Commander arrived. She looked around his age with blonde hair and blue eyes. Normally you would expect an old experienced person to be the commander of the troops in the middle of a looming war and not a cute girl, but Tom figured this was one of the great wonders of isekai.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Hundreds of years ago, humanity ventured towards the north and encountered the demons: vile creatures hellbent on corrupting the World-Rune and starting an age of darkness. It is our honorable duty to guard the borders of the kingdom of Boreas, as well as the seven human kingdoms, the cradles of humanity, against the demonic intruders. Even though—."

Her speech was boring, so Tom tuned out and started looking around. He noticed people talking during her speech. Several instructors also looked bored, and it seemed like she didn’t have such great respect. But when Zev signaled for a group of nobles to pay attention, they instantly listened.

"You seem confused," said a soldier beside him. "Since you are from the South you probably haven’t caught up with the recent developments. As you must know, the Commander is the daughter of Duke Richardson. Ever since the king decided to move the capital further north, Duke Richardson's influence increased tenfold. For the current conflict, the king gave him the role of the general. He left his only child, his daughter Alice, as the acting commander of the troops near the border while leaving with the rest of the troops on another mission."

So that was it. "Thank you Mr. Info Dump."

"Mr. Info Dump? I have a name, it is —."

Tom cut him off. "There are already too many characters for me to remember. Get in line."

Mr. Info Dump just gasped in response and turned away. This was some complicated stuff Tom didn’t care about. He wasn't into the kind of isekai where you had to build up an army and stuff. It was too much of a bother.

Eventually, when Commander Alice started talking about the important bits, Mark nudged him on the shoulder.

"That is why we are sending 12 squadrons to search the New Forest to find these ruins before the demons do. First 6 squadrons will go up ahead to fend off any potential demons, while the rest traverse the forest to search more thoroughly."

A disappointed grunt spread across the crowd.

"Do not worry. We have not seen any suspicious movements from the demons. It should go relatively smoothly."

After she finished her speech, Tom left with the others for the New Forest. It was odd that they had modern appliances, but still used horse driven carriages to travel. He yawned and got into a carriage shared with Hiro and Mark. Fortunately there was a lot of room, so he spread out his legs where he sat behind the coachman, facing the exit.

The camp gradually disappeared from view, hidden behind a small hillside. Looking to his right, his curiosity triumphed. "Why are there random ravines in fields of grass?"

Mark hesitated, scratching his head, and looked at Hiro for help.

Hiro shrugged. "Has to be remnants of one of the Void Wars."

"Void wars?"

They both looked at him like he was dumb.

"I guess nobles really are living it well in the capital, not bothering to learn basic history," Hiro said. "The Void Wars were wars fought by nations around the void. The destruction left behind can be found all over as reminders."

Tom nodded. He had no idea what a Void was, but that was probably a terminology he was missing. Asking too much would make him look even more suspicious then he already was. Revealing his identity as an otherworlder to them was probably a bad idea until he had a proper grasp on this worlds history.

Glancing to the left, he saw a ginormous mountain with an area with a lot of fog beside it. That was the biggest mountain he had ever seen, and the fog was probably why he hadn’t noticed it from the camp. He threw the idea about asking another question out of his mind, figuring it was normal.

Both Hiro and Mark looked like they were trying to get some shuteye. Yawning again, Tom closed his eyes and tried to take a nap.

***

"This is the worst."

Going on an adventure had always seemed so fun, but this was not fun. They were each given a satchel with different amenities, even a sword and dagger, but his back ached from the extra weight. To add to that, his face was constantly hit with gusts of wind.

Tom stopped to catch his breath and looked towards Ilona at the back of the group. "Why is there so much wind in the middle of a forest?"

"It’s just a strange weather phenomenon due to the demons," Ilona explained. "Don’t worry, further away it will get better." She clasped her hands for a prayer. "These vile tricks are fitting for the demons indeed. May the Wandering God aid us in vanquishing them."

He heard someone scoff above him. It was the alleged demon spy girl whom Tom unfortunately had to be in the same squadron as. A classic plot device to increase tension.

She was the scout and traversed the branches of the tall trees. "It’s actually something called nature, you dumb priestess."

"Who are you calling dumb, Sierra?" Ilona replied aghast. "Perhaps if you read more of our holy scripture then your attitude would be less distasteful."

"Uhm," Tom stuttered. Tom looked over at Hiro for help but he just shrugged. Since there was nothing he could do he started mentally preparing himself for Sierra to come down and kill them at any moment. However, Sierra didn’t attack them.

"Oi, why did you stop?"

It was the nobleman in their squad. He was the only one who hailed from the nobles barracks, which made sense since there were many more commoners in this camp than nobles. Tom felt this guy was giving major background character vibes so he had been ignoring him for the entire trip. However, answering that question felt like something a leader would do.

"We are taking a break. We need to refrain from using too much of our strength," Tom cheekily answered. He made sure to do a cool nod and find a rock to sit down on.

"Dude, it’s just been 10 minutes," Hiro said.

Mark put his hand on Hiro’s shoulder. "It’s the boss's orders. You can’t go against them."

"I am pretty sure he was chosen as the leader in name only," Hiro added. "And why are you so into his boss-talk, Mark? Stop trying to have fun, we are entering enemy territory."

Mark chuckled. "Sorry, vice-bo… I mean Hiro. This is kinda fun though. I don't like how we are always so serious on expeditions."

Tom nodded to himself. The-main-character-making-the-boring-people-have-fun trope was accomplished. In the beginning, he was kinda nervous when Zev said he would lead the expedition. Having his bunkmates, Ilona and this random background character did make him feel more relaxed. Sierra was a liability though. What if she betrayed them in the middle of a battle with the demons? But she wasn’t making her moves now, and screw it, Tom figured he should let her have her moment. Makes his EPIC ADVENTURE more interesting.

"Stop daydreaming," Sierra complained. "We can’t use too much time resting, I can still see the camp from here. Why are you even walking in the front? You could have stayed at the back if you’re such a slowpoke. What a dork."

Ilona gasped. "Language!"

"What a weak insult, but I am your boss so I understand why you couldn’t come up with anything better." Tom replied.

"Why you—."

"The reason is to best suit our goal. Hiro is at the back with Ilona so the samurai can protect the saintess," Tom started explaining. Before Ilona could scream that she wasn’t a saintess or Hiro could ask how he knew he was a samurai, he continued. "Mark is the shield guy in the middle with whatever that guy's name is again to protect Ilona."

"What do you mean ‘that guy’? It's Jeremia Schumberger Avalonio Nobelius De —."

This guy was surprisingly brazen. Tom preferred the first nobleman he met, Leonard. That guy practically worshiped him. "You, the scout, are up in the trees for lookout, and I as the observer am at the front. I will observe stuff … I think. Hopefully, we will find these lost ruins we’re looking for."

Ilona reassuringly smiled at him. "That sounds good. But please leave the fighting to us, then run back to the small camp at the entrance of the forest to get reinforcements. The Commander said it was unlikely for the demons to attack, but just in case."

Tom nodded. His observer role was surprisingly interesting. It wasn't anything intense. Tom could feel people's aura. It was a weak feeling, but he could sense everyone in his group surprisingly well. Maybe his understanding of them on a personal level helped? It even helped him sense the more dark aura coming from Sierra.

Wait, was this his latent talents showing themselves? This adventure was going better than he thought. He already knew all the main side characters, and as their leader he would do his part to help them reach their own greatness.

"Perhaps one day we can become a group of heroes or something?"

Everyone stopped. "What’s wrong, why do you all look so shocked? Becoming a Hero is every child's dream."

Ilona shook her head. "You must be really sheltered to say that. Historically the church supported the otherworlders and the chosen Hero to defeat evil. However, the previously chosen Hero went rogue and killed all and any otherworlders he came across. He also forced the world to follow his bidding. Hero isn’t such a good word anymore. Next time try something like paladin or crusader as synonyms. Heroism is dead."

That was odd. It did make sense that there must have been other otherworlders before him, but why did the Hero go rogue? He would have to ask around to find out more. Was he the reason Tom couldn’t unlock his OP powers? Was there a hidden requirement that he needed to accomplish? Meh, he sounded like some weak secondary villain. He could handle that. Or maybe—.

Hiro sighed. "Can we start walking now?"

***

Tom noticed Sierra was glaring at him. What had he done now? This world doesn’t let him take a break. He could feel his feet already tire, and started internally counting towards the next break — 15 more minutes maybe?

This forest was annoying. From the outside, it looked like a normal oak forest with tall trees, yet when they walked down a small hillside the forest completely changed. It was now full of much taller glittering purple trees with blue leaves. The ground was also covered by much lighter moss, and Tom spotted several flowers he hadn’t seen before. What used to be a forest with the fresh smell of nature, was now a forest that smelled a bit like candy.

Apparently, they had entered the demon's side of the forest with demonic nature. Just like Ilona said, after being slightly amplified the strong gusts of wind dissipated. Tom never knew such different ecosystems could perfectly coexist beside each other. It did indeed make itself a nice natural border.

"Wait!" Sierra shouted. "I see someone up ahead."

Tom closed his eyes and focused on the auras. "Yes, I sense something."

She snorted. "Thanks for the early warning."

Tom ignored her and focused on this new aura. He couldn't get a clear picture. A demon perhaps? Tom signaled for the rest of the squadron behind him to stop.

"We stopped minutes ago, get over here you’re too far away from us." Ilona shouted.

Tom couldn’t. He was their leader, so he waited as the new person came into view. They wore a full set of armor and his helmet had two horns on them. They looked like a wounded small fry. No weapons on them.

Tom reached for his sword. If there was one thing that becomes strangely acceptable when you get isekai'd, then it was to commit murder. "…Where’s my sword?"

"Oh, you forgot it in our previous resting place." Sierra nonchalantly answered. "I forgot to tell you. Sorry, Boss."

That … Whatever. She wasn’t gonna ruin his moment. Tom ran up to the unsuspecting demon and punched them in the face. He felt the pain from the impact, they were wearing a helmet after all, but from the force his enemy fell onto the ground.

His first battle. His first enemy. His first small fry.

Then Tom heard the sound of someone crying.

Mark ran up towards him. "Why did you hit Timmy? He’s one of the nicest people in the camp."

Wait, Timmy? "He’s obviously a demon. Don’t you see those horns?"

Timmy whimpered. "It’s a traditional helmet from my village."

"Huh, is that so? … My bad."

Ilona walked up to Timmy to check up on him. She didn’t say the name of any skill but simply held her white staff close to him and made him instantly recover. "Why are you alone? Where are the others?"

"They—."

Before Timmy could finish, a person appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Timmy through the chest. It was a dagger coated in some shadow-like aura. Timmy grunted and fell down.

Another person appeared out of nowhere and jumped towards Ilona, but Mark managed to use his shield to throw them away.

"Are these demons?" Tom asked.

"Yes!" The others replied in unison.