James definitely made the right choice by coming to this world. Even just this small house, which Helios said was a basic model, was full of wonders to James’s eyes. A bed that was magically enhanced to feel as soft as humanly possible. A wind spell engraved into a button that immediately vacuumed the floor and removed the dust from any surfaces. For a lover of comfort and an extremely lazy person such as James, this was heaven.
After a good night’s rest, James didn’t feel like getting out of bed. There were so many things that his mind still needed to process. A few lazy weeks in bed would be perfect. Reading some books, enjoying the softness of the bed.
That’s what the old James would have done. But he’s not home anymore. This is a new world, rife with new experiences, specifically the exact kind of experiences that he always yearned for.
So it was time for James to buckle up and work. There will be time in the future to bask in the glory of this world’s magic-enhanced comforts. For now, acquiring power is of topmost priority.
But it might not even feel like work after all.
James was always obsessed with progression. He’d play the grindiest video games just to see the numbers go up. Just how many times did he wish that real life would have levels? If only push-ups gave xp, he’d have been an athlete on Earth. One time he stared at the wall, focused his entire consciousness and wished really hard that life would turn into an RPG with levels. He half-jokingly wished he’d develop schizophrenia and some sort of synesthesia, just to have levels in real life.
And now, after his death, he got his wish. Progress was sweeter than sleep, sweeter than reading or lazing around.
James met up with Helios and Lunaris.
Yesterday, they discussed partying up and travelling together.
“Actually, if we partied up, you wouldn’t level up as quickly.” Helios gave James some bad news.
“So what will you do now? You guys told me you wanted to observe me.”
Helios beamed. “Oh we’ll observe you all right. It's just that we won't be there with you, unfortunately. We would've loved to help you out.
"But, the more you struggle, the faster you’ll level up. Having high level allies like us next to you would just reduce the experience points you receive down to nothing.
"As for learning magic, the institute can only teach you after you’ve increased your mana pool." Helios then took something out of his pockets.
"Here, take these observers. An observer is an arcane device that’s capable of flight, recording and streaming video and audio. It’ll fly around you, recording everything you do. If you want it to stop recording you, just send some mana into it, and do the same thing when you want it to record again.”
Lunaris had something to give him as well. “And this is a standard AetherPhone. With it, we’ll be able to call each other no matter where you go. Although you can’t send and receive signals in dungeons and other dangerous places where there are a lot of magic interferences. It’s also capable of accessing the Aetherweb, which will be useful if you need answers to any questions."
Helios then added. “While we can’t join you for now, you should still have a companion to help you out. And there is a way to have a companion without reducing the amount of xp you receive. You should get a pet!”
Hearing that, James couldn't help but sigh. “Pets were one of the things that made life worth living back on Earth. And although I have no regrets about not being on Earth anymore, there is one thing that still bothers me. I miss my parents and my cat. I loved all of them very much and I miss them dearly."
But James's mod quickly changed and he smiled. "But now that you mention it, a pet could be ideal for filling that hole in my heart.”
There was another reason why James really wanted power. Even if it took a billion years, if he could become omnipotent through advancing his magic to a sufficient level, then nothing will be impossible. Including reuniting with his parents. He knew it was a pipe dream, but it was comforting to think about.
Lunaris went on to explain “We have all sorts of pets at Hedonia, you can get pretty much anything you imagine. What sort of pet would you want?”
A cute pet to cuddle would be great, but that wasn't not a priority at the moment. James needed a strong pet. A fierce beast that would be of help in dangerous situations. And there was one species that was always incredibly strong in every fantasy novel ever written.
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“Are there any dragons?”
Both Helios and Lunaris immediately made a grimace, spitting simultaneously.
“What do you want a dragon for? They are disgusting, filthy creatures!” Helios asked, spitting again.
“Back in my world we always thought of dragons as these powerful, magical behemoths. They didn’t exist but every writer seemed obsessed with them. Every other novel was guaranteed to have a powerful dragon somewhere in it.” James was confused and surprised. He didn’t expect this reaction at all.
“Well, that sounds stupid. In our world, dragons are these tiny, little pests that scurry around in the filthiest corners, spreading dirt and disease, ruining crops. They’re a plague, vermin. Last year we had to call the exterminators twice to get rid of the infestation in the kitchen.” Helios had a look of disgust the whole time he was talking.
“Oh, so they’re like rats back on Earth.” James finally understood.
“Rats? What?! No, rats are majestical, flying beasts that can breathe fire! You can ride them too, they’re very nice. You should probably get a rat as a pet now that you mention it.” Lunaris intervened.
“I think I’m just going to play it safe and go with a cat. Cats have got to be great even in this world, right?” James really hoped cats weren’t vermin in this world. If dragons were vermin, what else was different?
“Yeah, a cat will do. Just go on the Aetherweb and pick one out.”
James scrolled through the Aetherweb for a while, but he couldn’t choose. All the cats seemed incredible, both cute and exuding an aura of power. Apparently, both items and beings can imbue their aura into the Aetherweb. So when you look at an image of them, you’re actually linked together through mana and aura.
As James was scrolling, he looked at one of cats on his screen and suddenly he got goose bumps all over his skin. He didn’t know the reason why, he just felt a very weird sensation. He didn’t know what he was feeling, perhaps a mix of déjà vu and several other emotions.
He didn’t know why, but he had to get this cat. It was extremely expensive though. He would never ask other people for that much money, he’d hate to ask people for any money at all.
Luckily, Lunaris and Helios were watching him the entire time.
“Don’t mention it, you don’t even have to pay us back. I bet you’ll be making a lot more money than this in no time.”
James was touched, he’d definitely have to do something nice for them, soon. He’ll pay them back tenfold once he becomes the overpowered beast he believes he will turn into.
The cat was delivered fairly quickly. However, it turned out that it wasn't just a simple cat, but a spirit cat! It can take a physical form, but it spends most of its time in its spirit form.
But it sleeps most of the time anyway, so apparently cats in this world are mostly the same as on Earth. Interestingly, when a spirit pet is sleeping, it takes the form of a tattoo, and now that tattoo is glowing on James’s hand. He didn’t even get to see the cat in person, it went into sleeping mode the second it arrived.
As interesting as the cat was, there was no way to wake it up, and there were too many things going through James’s head anyway. James was feeling happy and grateful to both Lunaris and Helios. Instead of arriving into a desolate world, having to fend for himself, he was helped so generously by these people. He could even call them his friends.
But now it was time to part. He had to train, he had to get stronger.
There’s now a fire in James’s heart. He wants to live. His death on Earth really didn’t bother him, maybe he never really felt alive. But now he really wants to experience life and everything this world has to offer.
There are two big goals, two things pushing him forward. His parents are now gone, but this world’s magic boggles the mind. If he could progress to the point he achieved omnipotence, then at that level, no matter how many years have passed or how many universes separate them, he could bring his parents back to him.
Secondly, as a more immediate goal, there was this Darkness he had been told about. Helios and Lunaris were very patient and nice so they tried to hide it. Maybe they didn’t want to pressure him, seeing as he was new to this world. But the Darkness seems like quite the problem.
James hasn’t been here long but this world is all he ever dreamed of, he wants it to be a utopia just as much as the rest of Hedonia. He doesn’t want to see it destroyed or altered.
So the sooner he becomes powerful, the better. And he doesn’t want to mooch off people either. True happiness and comfort would be when he can be an independent man that is useful to others, a force of good in this world. He had enough of being a lazy parasite in his past life, no more.
“Where do I go now? I want to get stronger as fast as possible. But I don’t want to die either, so what’s a good place to train? I’d also like to know more about this world.”
“Right. I’ll send you a message on your AetherPhone later, with a quick geography lesson. As for where you’re going, I know the perfect place. The Hanoo jungle.” Helios said with a grin.
“What? Are you crazy? He’ll die there!” Lunaris protested hastily.
“No, he won’t die. Well, it’s always a possibility, but he won’t die, I’m sure of it.” Helios seemed to have faith in James. Or maybe he was just a reckless meathead.
“Does he even know any spells other than that Fireball he cast?” Thank god for Lunaris, James is an impatient guy so he could be just as reckless as Helios. James's impatience stems from the years of being a recluse, addicted to the instant gratification of browsing the internet all day long. He would’ve gone there, no questions asked.
“He’ll be fine, figuring out things the old-fashioned way is the best way to improve quickly. Besides, what’s the fun in learning from scrolls anyway?” Helios was a bit of a dumbass after all.
“James, are you okay with this? “ Lunaris asked, she was clearly concerned.
“Oh yeah, I’m all for it, I want to get going as soon as possible. Less thinking, more doing.” So there are two dumbasses here.
And that’s how James found himself hiding up in a tree, with Jungle Demons prowling everywhere.