“Am I dreaming?”

Alan was suspended in a powerless state. He was conscious, but had no awareness of his body. At the end of his meeting with Z'klik-thrr, the Zentari mentioned that he would be transported to the initiation realm.

Initiation realm, he thought, excited about the idea of initiating his journey.

Empowering Lifeform…

He felt a voice and a message pierced through his subconscious state. It was different from all of the voices that the Universal Council used before—this one was almost godly.

A status pane manifested before him, and it read:

STATUS

Alan D. Newman

Race: Human

Class: None

Health: 30/30

Stamina: 30/30

Mana: 70/70

STATS

Strength: 3

Endurance: 3

Vitality: 3

Dexterity: 5

Intelligence: 9

Wisdom: 7

Title: [Cosmic Vanguard Candidate]

So that’s how it is, Alan mused, feeling more than a little nostalgic by the UI.

He wondered if this system had been implanted into him or if it had always been there and he had only now been granted access to it.

Looking at his three highest stats—intelligence, wisdom and dexterity—and recalling his past experiences with RPGs he easily determined which stats dictated his health, stamina and mana.

Thirty stamina was disconcerting, but it wasn't surprising. This past year had been tough; he hardly ate and did zero exercise. On the bright side, he had twice the mana, so he could hopefully acquire a magic-based class to replace the 'None' placeholder.

His reverie was interrupted by the godly intervention.

The vastness of the cosmos bestows upon you a choice.

Pursuit of Valor: Stand with might and honor. Align with strength and combat-oriented classes to face challenges head-on and conquer adversities.

Benefits: Enhance physical prowess, wield mighty weapons, and cultivate a warrior's spirit.

Pursuit of Finesse: Dance with the delicate balance of the cosmos. Align with dexterity, agility, and skill-oriented classes to outwit, outmaneuver, and outlast adversaries.

Benefits: Hone reflexes, master precision techniques, and become one with the rhythm of existence.

Pursuit of Magic: Embrace the arcane and the ethereal. Align with magic-oriented classes to harness the unseen forces of the universe.

Benefits: Unlock potent spells, master enchantments, and grasp the mysteries of cosmic energies.

Which universal pursuit calls to your essence?

Alan’s attention darted between the three options, although his mind had already been set. Just thinking about it prompted the following query…

Though you stand before three pursuits now, be aware that they intersect, intertwine, and create myriad junctions in the vast expanse of the universe. Your journey may begin on one path, but the possibilities for class specializations are boundless, and the blending of pursuits to form hybrid classes is not only possible but celebrated.

Do you truly desire to follow the whispered enchantments and age-old incantations of the Pursuit of Magic?”

Yes/No?

“Let’s do it! Yes!”

You have chosen the essence of the arcane. Life energy alignment in progress...

Boon acquired! [Boon of Manafestation] - Allows for the channeling and release of internal mana, providing the foundation for external magical use.

Aptitude awakened! [Identify] - Reveals basic properties, origins and potential uses of objects and beings in the immediate vicinity.

Classification Identified! [Magic Initiate] - The universe now threads your life force with the pursuit of magic. Embrace your newfound affinity.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I’m so ready. This is thrilling…” his consciousness faded.

Alan had already bounced between ‘dimensions’ several times and was eager to start his cosmic vanguard tutorial, or whatever it was called.

He had many questions for Zee about the universe’s plans for Earth and all that had transpired in such a short amount of time. But he wasn't sure exactly how to phrase them. However, in the grand scheme of things, those questions paled in importance. What truly counted was the adventure; he’d been looking for an excuse to get off his ass and truly live again.

And now he was finally…

Awoken by a gentle rain prickling at his face. He opened his eyes and found himself neither in his apartment nor in any of the ethereal places that the Universal Council had transported him to.

He didn’t recognize where he was. He suspected he wasn’t on Earth. But, it was hard to imagine being anywhere else.

Thick foliage covered the immediate area. Shrubs nestled perfectly among meticulously aligned trees—too perfect to be natural—on either side of him. An ample dirt road, smoothed over, stretched endlessly before him as far as his eyes could see.

The pristine road nestled in the middle of the jungle wasn’t like anything he had ever seen in Boston. Still, he couldn’t fathom the idea of being on another planet—and that’s when he saw it.

He examined the trees carefully and noticed the leaves. So elated that he wanted to jump up and down, his hands shook from excitement; he was, in fact, somewhere other than Earth.

He picked up a silver-tinted leaf from the ground and held it up, marveling at how the light reflected off its surface. It had been months since he'd witnessed such beauty, but in that moment, he didn't want to let it go. He laughed uncontrollably, inexplicably unable to stop.

When the euphoria dissipated, he crushed the leaf between his fingers. He opened his palm, releasing the shiny dust. Watching the silver particles gracefully descend to the ground made him realize that the rain had stopped and there was no wind.

Yet, every single leaf rustled softly, the sound loud enough to drown out his own footsteps.

All of a sudden, the same sensation that he felt three hours ago, soon after Felipe came to visit him, started to emerge; a new message.

Cosmic Vanguard Candidates,

Welcome to the first stage of the fifteen-stage tutorial curated by the Zentari Dominion. While the program has been optimized to familiarize emerging species with the greater universal system, our primary objective is to identify the best of the best to fortify the Cosmic Vanguard ranks. The threats you encounter here are very real and require your utmost attention and seriousness.

Only those with the resolve to risk it all are deemed worthy guardians of our vast universe. We are sad to report that approximately 19 million humans opted out of the program during the orientation. Currently, around 9 million humans remain in the program.

Your immediate challenge is: Verdenterra, Stage One

This realm is segmented into four distinct quadrants, with about 2.3 million humans in each. Your mission is to traverse these quadrants, locate Vitendrea, which is this world’s tree of life, and secure a single piece of its fruit; Cordalum.

You will have [26] [Human] [Days] to complete this challenge.

While the dangers within this tutorial are genuine, they are also invaluable stepping stones. By confronting and triumphing over these challenges, your growth in skills and universal understanding will be monumental. By facing and conquering these adversities, you will experience exponential growth in skills, insight, and readiness, thoroughly equipping you for the lurking threats of the universe.

End of Message - Zentari Dominion

Alan made sure to write down every detail that he could. The message delivered precisely what he’d been looking for; instructions and a clear objective. And now he needed to figure out how to use his two skills.

‘Identify’ was self-explanatory and a well-known trope. But “Manafestation” was a mystery. He took it as a cringe-worthy attempt to combine “Mana” and “Manifestation.” Manifest mana, he thought.

His attention was suddenly drawn to a medium-sized satchel near his feet. It hadn't been there before. It must have appeared after the last communication.

He saw his 60-credits item.

He took a deep sigh, suddenly overwhelmed by his emotions, both eager yet afraid to try on his gear.

Alan sat down next to the items, and without hesitation, grasped a sword in front of him

[Falchion (Common): A one-edged, curved sword known for its robust slashing capabilities. +1 Mana Regeneration.]

It wasn’t a katana, but it was the closest sword he could find amongst all of the medieval style weapons.

Alan wasn't a sword expert and had no experience wielding a weapon, but he decided he would do whatever felt right, whatever made him happy. After all, he was only a level one human, starting from scratch.

He rose from the ground with his falchion in hand, made a sad attempt at a combat stance, and slashed the air a couple of times to get a feel for his brand new toy.

Once satisfied, he moved on to examine the satchel.

It wasn't that the satchel was just easy to open and close. It was. And its convenience would certainly matter if he found himself fighting monsters while carrying the thing—a scenario he suspected, given all the RPG elements he’d encountered so far.

The satchel contained his ring and the two potions. He held the ring up to admire it. But text obscured his view.

[Mana Regeneration Ring (Common): A simple band imbued with arcane energy. +1 Mana Regeneration.]

Alan read the description carefully. There was nothing special about it or anything he didn't already know. It was the same description he had seen in the inventory that Z'klik-thrr presented to him.

But his eyebrows shot up when he realized what had happened. He was so engrossed with his falchion that he hadn't noticed he was using Identify. It felt natural. Easy and inexplicable. “Probably because of all the ominous messages the Universal Council has been forcing into my brain. How many have there been? Six? Seven? At least they made an effort to communicate.”

[Health Potion (Common): Restores 50 health.]

Really?

Alan was utterly offended by the fact that a common health potion would restore more health than his total health pool. Would his health be enough? Enough to survive for twenty six days, explore the four quadrants of Verdenterra, find the Tree of life…Vitendrea, procure the whatever-fruit and not die?

It didn’t make a difference. He’d made a commitment to live and enjoy everything, and that meant that his thirty health points had to be enough. Nothing was going to bring him back to isolation.

“Alright, if the tropes continue the way it’s been going, my first battle will start at any moment,” he told himself.

Alan did some light stretching, threw the satchel over his shoulder, and started walking down the astoundingly perfect path.