“Kyrion, are you done snooping on your friend?”

“Yes. Now then I'm finally free to get back to building.” Kyrion picked up the wrench that had bent as it connected with his left arm. He casually straightened the tool and then reinforced it with an order spell.

Kilo was currently piloting a robot body remotely via his resting tube. Due to being in a junkyard, the smell was enough to make him violently ill and after his trip to the nurse's office yesterday, he didn’t much feel like being sick when he didn’t have to.

“Kilo, I can see those car parts over there and see that it can be made into an arm.”

“How do you look at cars and see an arm?” Jin asked.

“Divide!”Kyrion slapped a vehicle and smiled as it morphed into Five separate piles. Steel, rubber, plastic, aluminum, and a puddle of dry paint.

“That’s convenient.” Jin stated.

“Not done yet. Condense!” Each of the piles save for the paint was turned into spheres of materials.

“Ok. How do you intend to shape it?”

“Not yet. Enhance.” The spheres glowed as mana saturated them completely causing dark lines to form and ripple throughout the finished product like waves.

“Did you just cheat Damascus into being with magic?”

“No. This is called… Er… Star steel, and fouren. Where the steel is strong and durable, Foren is a good mana conduit and can be used for the flexible bits and act similar to muscle fibers.”

“I’m thinking steel, for the bones and frame, fouren for the joints and muscles. Then I can use a less condensed metal for the other shell. From there i’m lost.”

Kyrion called for Karl to appear and began the process of turning the spheres of material into a demo of the skeletal frame for the arm.

“Oi! If you make the joint like that it won’t have full range of motion. Human arms don’t just go up and down. Why should a mech be any different!” Kilo yelled at the spirit.

“Sorry boss!” Yelled a masked gremlin that Karl piloted to communicate with the outside world.

Jin sighed as he watched the handbones form. “Please add springs here, here, and here. It should allow you to create a piston effect. Which could be useful for bursts of explosive power.”

Another gremlin noted that down on a blueprint before immediately getting to work. Pistons were added to the fingers, wrist, and in segments in the arm.

A minotaur was busy shaping the metal with his bare hands like a sculptor. Its hands glowed white hot as the creature showed high degrees of dexterity as fine human-like muscle fibers were turned into thick and flexible braids. In the end, the layer of muscle proved quite time-consuming to make, even with a group of ten minotaurs working simultaneously in a conveyor belt style.

When it was time to return, Kyrion gave the order for Karl to pause in construction to avoid rushing ahead on their own. Which meant it would use its resources to reproduce what was made and experiment on it, while he was otherwise busy.

“The KaJin series seems to be going well.” Kyrion said as he sat in a chair.

“So…Kyrion. You can teleport anywhere, right?”

“If I know the location or have an item with my mana signature in that area.”

“The system just gave me a quest. It’s timed. I have three hours to stop a swamp monster in Louisiana.”

“Where is that?”

“It’s a few states south, so more than three hours to drive and well more than four by plane due to how late it is.”

“So this system can give you impossible tasks?”

“Did I mention that the food in Louisiana is to die for?”

“I’ll get us there in ten minutes.” But you’ll need to step through here before I start flying. Kyrion opened a portal into his domain and Jin stepped through it.

“Lets see. Louisiana is to the south.” Kyrion jumped into the air and flew south at a high speed passing over planes and a few private jets.

After 15 minutes of high-speed flight Kyrion arrived at a strange place. The people there didn’t speak a language Kyrion seemed to understand.

“Uh, where am I?” Kyrion asked the new passenger in his eye.

[Brazil… You overshot a bit.]

“Ah. Care to tell me when we hit Louisiana?” Kyrion asked.

[Three minutes north and one and a half northeast. Do you know where you're going?”]

“Food?” Kyrion asked, having forgotten why he was headed there.

[Not why. Where?]

“Uhh…Swamp monster. I don’t think he told me where.” Kyrion sighed as he took off.

[Hmmm…to the nearest Bayou.]

Kyrion sighed as he was given a series of exact directions that took him to the nearest entrance to the swamplands.

He immediately dropped Jin out of his domain and looked around.

“That was quite jarring? How long was I in there?”

“20 minutes.”

“You’re slower than you stated.”

Kyrion did not mention that he overshot the destination. “Yeah…It was an estimation.”

Placing a hand on one of the tall trees Kyrion pulled off one of its seed cones and infused it with mana before throwing it into the ground. In moments flowers shot out of the ground and Kyrion now had a method to teleport here. In time his mana would spread across the area allowing him to teleport here regardless of the young tree’s state.

“So, do you have any more details?”

“Quest type: Subgation. Target: Swamp King Rougarou. Completed when the creature is either killed or removed from the swamp. Estimated potential for loss of civilian life if failed 30,000, until reinforcements can slay it. Current casualties are zero.”

“Interesting. I can sense your esper abilities acting with your soul…” Kyrion disengaged his soul-enhanced senses.

“What do you mean?”

“The quest is a premonition. Which means we’re partially early. If you need me, call me.” Kyrion began to leave when a hand grabbed his wrist.

“You broke your phone, How will I call you?”

“Fine. I’ll help you waste time. But couldn’t you have informed your superiors of this monster?”

“Ah. That would make more sense.”

“Well you are the first human to have all three slots filled.”

“What do you mean by first?”

“An Esper’s mind, with an untrained Qi infused body, and that system thing embedded in your soul.”

“So…the system from Seoul is attached to my soul.”

Kyrion didn’t answer that as he walked across the top of the swamp. Not notice that it wasn’t solid ground.

“Uh…Are you walking on water?”

“Kind of? It’s more of a dance if that makes any sense.” Kyrion spun around six times before stopping as he noticed a curious monster.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“You ok?” Jin tried to look for a way across.

“Right. I just found a mud dragon.” Kyrion stared at the reptilian nostrils that shrunk back.

“We aren’t looking for dragons. Also I'm pretty sure that's an alligator. A local delicacy.”

“No wonder your dragons are almost extinct. To think your people can hunt dragons.”

“We can’t. That's an alligator. Can you help me get across?”

Kyrion created a bridge of stone which he solidified and formed a path where he trod on water.

“Hear that bub? You're a local delicacy, stay out of trouble big girl. Also, if we have to come back and hunt monsters in your territory, we may have to come back, and I love trying new foods. I bet you taste better than the average gator.” Kyion whispered next to the creature's hidden ears before continuing forward.

The swamp dragon waited for the monster and its vassal to leave before a head the size of an eighteen-wheeler rose out of the water just to make sure that there were no other creatures with absurd power hiding in plain sight.

----------------------------------------

The duo of Kyrion and Jin arrived at a well-built man lying face down in the swamp. His body was covered in an absurd amount of scars and scar tissue from large bestial claws. Debris and shrapnel that should have killed a lesser man seemed to be nothing more than a painful inconvenience.

Kyrion drained the swamp water from the man’s lungs before removing the shrapnel then applied a quick healing spell, reconnecting bone, muscle, and skin. Afterward, he sat the man next to a tree. Cleaning off his form revealed hair that was three-toned and wild, black, brown, and white spikes were strewn about. Yet he was certain there was no dye used to get it that way.

Jin looked at the man and scowled. “Who is he?”

“Uhh… He isn’t registered in any human system I have access to.”

“And mine doesn’t let me see peoples names unless they tell me.”

“Then let me.” Kyrion held a finger over the man’s chest and sent a pulse of mana into him.

After a series of hacking coughs the man opened yellow eyes and stared at Kyrion in curiosity before rage seemed to suddenly shoot through him for a second.

“No, not rage, killing intent?”

“Unaffected by my hunting gaze. Who or what are you?”

“It’s quite weird for us to answer such a question first when you are the one we found in the swamp.”

“Fine, I'm Akecheta, who are you and what are you?”

“We’re looking for a Rougarou. I go by Kyrion.”

“Huh…May I ask why?”

“According to my friend here, one will begin attacking and infecting a nearby population of humans. If we aren’t swift, many could die.”

“Infect?”

Jin looked away for a moment. “This creature is capable of reproducing through a type of curse that propagates through bites and claws. Marks you seem to possess.”

“Ok. I’m like a werewolf. Bu..t.”

Jin drew his Phoblade.

“Wait.” Kyrion held his hand over the opening and triggered the safety he’d snuck into the design. Cecil had a habit of making weapons that couldn’t be turned against the owner. Something Kyrion had learned was valuable.

“Rougaru is a werewolf.”

“Yet this isn’t the creature we’re after.”

“It isn’t?”

“He. I am a he.”

“But he isn’t registered in a human system.”

“No. I suspect neither of you have enough clearance to access that information.”

“Ah…So I'd have to break in deeper to figure it out.” Kyrion had a familiar glint in his prosthetic eye. One that his previous prosthetic didn’t have access to.

[The nearest Janitor databank is within a hundred and fifty miles.]

“You’re up to something.”

“How do you know that?”

“I may tell you later. If you're good.”

“Kyr. Listen. If he isn’t our target then who is?”

“Werewolves from this world don’t transfer their abilities via bites and scratches. It’s hereditary with the percentage dropping when a human parent is involved.”

“Now how do you know that?” Akecheta raised an eyebrow.

Kyrion would not admit that he learned it from Bella pretty early on. Those who changed form in his world were pretty common which was why spirit mastery synergized with what she already had.

“Good question. Now then Mr.Werewolf do you swear on your immortal soul that you are not the Rougaru we are to slay to prevent casualties?” Kyrion bit his finger which he used as a focus for the oath.

“I so swear,” Akecheta stated that there was no backlash as was the nature of truth oaths. If he became the creature within the quest time limit then his heart would stop after that the quest would fail.

Kyrion noticed the oath magic and saw it connect and linger. It then broke instantly as though he couldn't become the creature in question.

“Why do I feel stronger?”

“He can’t become that beast. Are you also immune to most poisons and diseases?”

“Yes, my people are hardy. Again, where do you get this knowledge?”

“Good question.” Kyrion tilted his head to the side.

“Bullshit.” Jin stated bluntly.

“On what?” Kyrion asked.

“You aren’t from this world, and based on what was stated by Akecheta, he’s as much of a native as anyone else on this planet.”

“Does your planet have a bunch of people with your features?”

“In a literal sense, yes. In a rarity sense, my features aren’t very common. Outside of my family I haven’t met anyone with hair quite my hue.”

“I see.” Akecheta popped his back and stood a full head taller than Kyrion as hair began to grow over his upper body, stopping just before it could be considered fur.

“What did you see Mr.Werewolf?”

“I have a name.”

“And I don’t feel like pronouncing it.”

“We have class tomorrow and if you want to eat at restaurants before they close. Right?”

“Mr.Werewolf, lead the way.”

“Huh?”

“Well you are the NPC that we met along the way. Since this is a quest it would make sense if you were a marker, with helpful information.”

“What does that mean?”

“Game lingo.” Said Mr.Werewolf.

“Ah. Don’t care too much then.”Kyrion shrugged.

“Anyhow, I can’t help you much, unless you can find it’s tracks.”

“What is this raw ghoul?”

“It’s a werewolf that is said to live in the swamp.”

“Ah.”

“I don’t live here. I kind of got swept up in a magic tornado. I was on a trip when I got swept away.

Kyrion felt his stomach rumble as he noticed some tracks. Distracted, he chose to enhance his senses and confirm the building mana. “It’s getting late. Head that way and if you need assistance I'll come running.”

“Where are you going?”

“Dinner. I wanna eat everything I can before the stores close.” Kyrion pushed energy into his legs and jumped out of the tree line and soon vanished from sight.

“Did he just fly off and ditch you?”

Jin shrugged. “This is my quest. He only came for the food.”

“Makes sense. He’s probably scaring off your target.”

“What?”

“He’s a powerful spirit master. Most monsters in this world are childs play to him, and they are aware of such.”

“Powerful? Him? Well he did manage to scare a dragon into submission but gauging that has been tricky.”

“On his world, someone on his tier could maybe level a small town in an hour but here he’s strong enough to cause an apocalyptic level event if he isn’t careful due to this planet's lack of authority.”

“Planet authority?”

“The theory is annoying to put into practice. The things they call gods back home are dungeons that have either gained high levels of power and territory or were powerful people that fused with an arbiter’s core. Our planet’s core’s mind is nonexistent, as far as his people are concerned, there are no gods here. At least that's what an uninformed would believe due to the lack of planetary resistance keeping his powers at bay.

“Wait…Would it be possible to wake up this planet's core?”

“Yes, but such a thing would require alot of mana. Why?”

“No reason.” Jin stopped suddenly before grabbing Akecheta and throwing them both to the ground.

In the next instance, an eight-foot-tall bipedal beast with the head of a wolf only had two eyes that extended out of its sockets and up ten inches. The odd appendages rotated and looked at both Jin and Akecheta at the same time.

“Uh… I’m quite sure this goes against the stories of what a Rougarou is. They are supposed to be our weird cousins that drink blood like a vampire.”

Jin ignited his Phoblade and smiled as red flames with an eerie center solidified. From there Jin moved forward to attack, only for his opponent to dodge at the last moment and counter with claws that could turn a boulder into dust.

Jin used his momentum to move forward and under the coming swipe as he removed and cauterized one of its arms in a swift motion.

The wolf abomination howled and its arm bubbled before regrowing. “Why does such a cursed weapon exist on this planet?”

“Human ingenuity,” Jin responded as he evaded a series of blows before removing both arms and its head with ease.

Or so he had thought. The creature's neck bubbled and a new head grew from the stump as did its arms. Though both noticeably lacked muscle mass.

Crab legs grew from the severed head and it attempted to retrieve its arms.

Mr.Werewolf intercepted it and brought his foot down on the head, crushing the parasite's core and slaying the head.

The body continued to fight against Jin, the latter of which was never where it could hit, and continued to dismember the beast with practiced ease. Though the creature shrunk it wasn’t defeated thus the shockwave of killing intent distracted Jin long enough to take the hit head-on.

Jin flew through tree a few tree trunks which slowed his flight but dealt a bit of damage to his back and sides. His was surprisingly whole as he swiftly got back to his feet. A few days ago such an attack would have left him near death and yet now he was fine. However, in that short time, the distance had been shattered and a set of claws were rushing toward him.

Taking a step forward in that brief moment, Jin saw his death on that path. Thus his next move was a pivot paired with a spin that bisected the creature's thick torso before a second slash cut the upper body in half vertically.

White blood covered the ground as the creature rapidly decomposed, its corpse turned into a white-capped mushroom. Said mushroom was mysteriously covered in white flames that didn’t leave so much ash behind.

Jin looked at a screen in his vision.

[Quest complete, generating rewards.]

“Rewards?”

[Skill selection, Advanced Mind, or Advanced Body,]

“Only two options? What kind of…Advanced Mind.” Jin chose without a second thought.

[Mental abilities enhanced, passive instant analysis unlocked, active causality manipulation 1%.]

[As the first Esper to complete a Gaia-generated quest you have been awarded the title, He who will guide humanity. Causality manipulation has increased from 1 to 10% efficiency. Training this talent will now be ten times as effective. Gaia is watching your progress.]

“Uh… This isn’t good.”

“What isn’t?” Kyrion asked from atop an alligator the size of an airplane.

“I thought you were going to get dinner?”

“I didn’t lie.” Kyrion pulled out a paper bag filled with various local delicacies. Mostly boudin in some way shape or form. There were also some fried alligator skewers and a few bowls of various gumbos and jambalayas. He had two whole muffuletta but between the dragon whom he’d given a fourth and the other one and three-fourths he’d consumed on the ride back, he was.

“Kyrion. Where did you get so much food? So quickly.” Jin asked, exasperated.

“Do you really want to know?”

Jin watched as the question was written down and highlighted with a percentage next to it.

[Chances of the information being told to you causing an aneurysm are 79%.]

If Jin had any doubts about the new powers he obtained. That killed them it also made him question what kind of 2D world this person crawled out of. Then he noticed the white scarf Kyrion always wore dig its head into the bag and latch onto a boudin ball.

Jin began to open his mouth when he received a warning.

「Threat to your person if that creature is brought up. 110%]

The creature winked at Jin before tightening around Kyrion’s neck and being forcefully forgotten.

“Allright. That was terrifying.” Jin whispered.

Mr.Werewolf arrived with a few scapes that were healing while he walked. “Yeah. Those eyes were gross.”

“I agree with that. Jin I saved some lef–”

“I don’t want to eat tonight. Can I get a ride home?”

“Fine. What about you?” Kyrion looked at the nice werewolf.

“I’m currently looking for a way to find a lost family member. Before that tornado swung me across the country. I think I'll head back home to figure some things out.”

“Sure. Why don’t you tell me about this family member, and I’ll see what I know.”

“My youngest sister Bella. I recently received a vision that showed that she was alive and thriving somewhere having made friends with a magpie with red feathers, a talking sword, a scale, a white kitten with black stripes, and a purple lizard.”

“Was there anyone else in that vision?”

The wolfman snarled before controlling himself. “The cause of her disappearance.”

“I see. Why are your names so different?”

“The strongest pups always carry the name of their ancestral leaders.”

“Wait…Am I the magpie?” Kyrion muttered to himself.

“What?”

“Nothing. Where do you live? I can fly you there.”

“I doubt that. If you aren't with a guide you’ll find yourself lost.”

Kyrion hopped off the large creature and pulled what appeared to be a headless shark out of his domain. He then tossed it at the dragon who began to chew as it sunk back into the swamp.

“Fine, you keep your secrets and I’ll keep mine. Buddy.” Kyiron placed a hand on the large man’s shoulder which drew his attention away from the tiny plant, Kyrion wove into the man’s clothing. In time the mana would be absorbed by the werewolf and allow Kyion to always be able to teleport to him if need be. So long as he was alive anyway. Anyone with a mastery of magic could easily remove such a thing yet that wasn’t something he’d need to worry about here, Even then, such a thing would still send out an alert to his system and allow for him to teleport to that general location.

Kyrion then teleported Jin to his room before he teleported himself to Kilo’s house.