Ryan smiled at the two men who stared back at him flabbergasted and with looks of disbelief.
"Well?"
He encouraged them to speak, but the two simply stared blankly and silently at him, as if he were a figment of their imagination, something they had conjured in their moments of desperation.
Ryan sighed, giving up, choosing to glance at his surroundings.
The place definitely looked like something out of a horror movie or the results of a brutal war. Two human bodies were killed in the most brutal of ways Ryan had ever seen: one of them had a decapitated head, which was just a few inches away from its headless body. The deceased had been wearing black armor with a 'W' emblem written in special font. With this , he identified the deceased to have once been a knight.
The second death was even more brutal than the first, a literal faceless man was sprawled on the ground with two stingers impaling his leg and chest - a third stinger no doubt having swiftly put him out of his misery by removing three quarters of his face, which rather not to say was scattered on the ground in portions.
Ryan felt his bile rising up and he fought against it. Seeing the corpses of monsters was one thing, but this.... It was a completely a different thing.
On sections of the forest Ryan noted the dead, squashed and sliced bodies of the disgusting menacing bees.
The things would continue to terrorize the forest as long as their nest was in one piece and their queen continued to live. What a shame Ryan wasn't yet strong enough to completely eradicate the things out of existence.
[ Congratulations!
As a result of your selfless and brave act of saving two knights in distress -
you have gained the class title : Hero ]
'Hold up, what?'
[ Class titles are titles given to people holding a particular class, eg. Mage, priest and healer.
Most of them are gained as a result of a fitting great achievement.
The class titles aren't of equal power and each class comes with its bene... ]
" Yeah , yeah I know that ! "
Ryan cut the system's explanation, he could care less about what class titles were and how they functioned. The video games , manga and anime back on earth had proved to be resourceful enough.
"What does my class title do? "
Ryan asked , his voice rising with his excitement.
And then he heard a grunt, he glanced around to find the two men staring at him with looks of bewilderment. Then he realized that unlike him, they couldn't hear the system nor were they even aware of its existence. He must have looked crazy speaking to the void.
'Shit, I forgot about them. Ahh system, is there no way to communicate to you without actually speaking... Ahh , what am I even saying?'
Ryan looked away to glance at a further distance, his back turned to face the two men. He needed to hide his shame.
[ Prompt word 'system' recognized, new function which allows the host to communicate using thoughts has been created.]
'Wait, system, does that mean you can now analyze and read my every thought?'
Ryan chilled at the thought. Privacy was a very important thing to have.
[ Negative ,only thoughts with the keyword or prompt 'system' shall be picked up and analyzed, and a response shall be prepared almost immediately]
Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he mentioned the system in his thoughts only when he needed to then he was safe.
'So system , what does my class title do?'
He regained his previous enthusiasm.
[ Class title : Hero
Description: this is a class title which had been gained as a result of a great selfless act. The title was given to the host with a handful of benefits :
- rate of mana absorption has increased from 0,75 MP per second to 4,5 MP per second.
- the host's current stats have been boosted by +100
- EXP stat has been unlocked.
- the host has gained the skill :
Ryan felt a shudder course through his entire body as he stared at the screen.
Isn't this what he had been wishing for ever since arriving in this crazy world ?! And it was now given to him on a silver platter.
'4,75 MP per second ?! That's such ridiculous overpowered ! if I was a vacuum cleaner when it came to absorbing mana before , then I am a black hole now !'
His wrongs since transmigration were being righted gradually, and it was about time too!
'Hehe.. and system, what does this skill Multiplier do?'
Ryan asked , grinning from ear to ear. He was now a 'Hero' so the skill had to be ridiculously overpowered.
[ Skill : Multiplier
Description: A skill earned as a result of the class title 'Hero'
Use : skill multiplies gained EXP from slaying monsters by a factor of 5 , additionally multiplying every other gained stat points by a factor of 3 per level up. ]
And as expected. Ryan grinned at this revelation.
'So that means if i were to kill a monster now and gain 10 EXP, it would be multiplied to become 50 instead? Hehe! I can already see a harem comi-'
[ ERROR !
Class title 'Hero' is not in alliance with primary title 'One Who Destroys The World' ]
'heh?!'
[ ErRoR !
Class title 'Hero' has been revoked to correct system malfunction and prevent backlash. ]
'WHAAT!!'
[ Error has been fixed and class title 'hero' has been instead demoted to the title 'Selfless one'.
ERROR again !
title 'Selfless one' is also not alliance with primary title.
Title 'Selfless one' has been demoted to 'Courage' ]
'Eh system? What about the..erm , the benefits of the hero title?'
Ryan knew it was a hopeless wager, but a little hope never hurt anyone.
[ All benefits of the class title 'Hero' have been reversed and the skill
"......"
Ryan took a breather.
"You've gotta be bullshitting me ! "
'No no!!'
Ryan felt as if he had been slapped in the face , teased with the hero title and an overpowered skill only to have them mercilessly stripped away. If he were back on earth , it would be like being shown your favorite meal and only to have it dunked into the dustbin just as you are about to take a bite.
He felt his knees growing weak.
'And what benefits does courage give me system?'
The title had a sophisticated touch to it, so it probably wasn't that bad.
[Title: Courage
Description: a title gained as a result of the host showing bravery and courage to help people in need. Title comes with the benefit :
- the EXP stat has been unlocked. ]
Ryan was gob smacked.
'That's it?! Nothing else? Take your title , I don't want it !'
Ryan sighed.
He should have expected things to end up this way , supposedly there weren't any shortcuts for a villain.
And then he turned , facing the two knights.
The title fiasco was over him, he had been disappointed plenty of times ever since arriving in this crazy world and had managed to get over it , if wouldn't be any different this time as well.
" Do you two feel like saying something or should I leave you be to the monster's 'kind' hands? "
Ryan asked them , making an emphasis on 'kind'. If the two were anywhere close to smart, they'd realize the sarcasm - the monsters in Doom Forest were anything but kind.
The older looking man of the two grunted, then cleared his throat.
"Hero ! We are so thankful for your help in our desperate time of need! The house of Winchester shall recognize this deed and repay you handsomely and with anyth- "
"Yeah yeah ,I get it - I am the good guy and you're overtly grateful to live longer. But what I'd really like to know is what on earth were you two doing in a place like this? seriously, did you all have a death wish or something? "
Ryan could care less about the great promises of rewards, he was in Doom Forest and currently undergoing training, therefore could never leave to face outside civilization - the rewards as nice as they sounded were simply a carrot on a stick he could never get.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The two men looked at each other , as if questioning whether to be truthful about their intentions regarding Doom Forest. The older man spoke up eventually.
" I , a retired soldier and along with the knights were tasked with guiding the young master and young mistress of Winchester back to their home , taken from the slums of a village south of this forest just a few kilometres away. the forest you see was our only way back to home. "
"Oh..."
Ryan nodded, but there were some gaps in the provided information.
"If the forest was your only pathway which took you back home, how did you travel to the village in the first place? You should have known what to expect of this forest I assume so , and prepared beforehand. "
The older looking man sighed, and he looked away seemingly collecting his thoughts, he had an expression that suggested he was contemplating something. Then Ryan realized his mistake.
'Ah but of course , I am a stranger to these people aren't I? Even if I have saved their very lives. And with these clothes I am wearing, I must look really suspicious... if I can even call them clothes'
" It's fine , you don't have to tell me - knowing about it won't change what has happened anyways. "
The older man's expression instantly looked relieved , he must have been thinking of cooking a lie but hadn't figure a good one yet.
Krrr.
The sound of forming cracks rang and in an instant it was replaced with that of shattering glass, Ryan watched as the yellow dome which had been surrounding a carriage broke into a million pieces.
" Oh dear.. "
The older man said gravely, his expression looked grim.
Before Ryan could comment , a group of people came out of the carriage - a man who looked like a chauffeur; another man who wore white robes with yellow edges and a long stylish hat; and two small children who stood next to each other, their eyes darting around as if a monster could appear to snatch them at any given moment.
'Oh.. these must be the two young master and mistress.'
Ryan presumed; he silently watched the group with great interest.
"Sir Almezo !"
The robed man who appeared to be in his thirties had a panicked expression as he ran over to the older man named Almezo, Ryan watched as the robed man examined Almezo's missing right arm and pierced leg.
'I must give it to the guy, he has nerves of steel to not cry in agony with those injuries'
Ryan couldn't imagine the pain the man must have been going through with the ripped arm, he had broken his fingers not so long ago and that had hurt like a bitch.
" Priest Virgil, calm yourself! I am fine, what has happened to the carriage? "
Almezo himself didn't seem to pay heed to his fresh wounds, seemingly more interested to what had happened to a gone barrier over his own life.
" Sir! The wounds are fresh, if the bleeding doesn't stop...we might lose you. "
The robed man who was supposed to be a priest knelt before Almezo , who was without a doubt about to object to whatever suggestion the priest would offer next judging by his grimacing and frowning expression.
" Priest Virgil , we can not waste heal- "
But before he could finish his words , a yellow light surrounded him - emanating from the priests' reached out palms. Ryan watched with an amazed expression as the bleeding wound from Almezo's left shoulder closed up in a matter of seconds.
'Healing magic... How super convenient!'
Ryan was awed at what he had watched. Even though he knew what healing magic was and had been introduced to the concept in several manga and games , seeing it up close and in real life was surprising and awe-inspiring to say the least.
" This is the little I can do with my depleted magic, if we manage to return to the church, I may be able to return your lost arm if it's not too late. "
The priest said in a hopeful tone , Almezo simply looked at him , his eyes absent of hope. He had an ugly expression.
" Yes , if we manage to return to the church. "
The priests expression turned grim as well , mimicking Almezo's. The implication was clear, they wouldn't be able to survive Doom Forest. Ryan had had the honors of witnessing firsthand what the monstrous bees had left them as - victims of prey, and easier pickings for whatever other monsters that saw them as meaty meals.
" What happened to the carriage? "
Almezo asked again, breaking the silence.
" I...I ran out of enough mana to maintain the protection magic , as a result the spell fell apart and as you see, the protection wore off... dramatically so if I saw so myself. "
The priest said to Almezo ,defeated. The two then simultaneously glanced at the two children. Ryan imagined they both thought of what would become of the poor young souls.
The two thin children didn't notice the stares and seemed to have their attention fixed on something , or rather someone.
'Hmm? What's it with them? Do I have something on my face or something?'
Ryan suddenly felt self-conscious of himself under the children's gazes.
And then he sighed , the situation was turning into a sob story quite very quickly.
" Walk straight from here then turn right, you should see a path which leads to a straight but narrow path. walk straight up until you see some vines, do not step into that place unless you have weird fantasies of being eaten by a plant.
Before you ask, no you won't be able to take the carriage with you no matter how expensive it might be.
Walk straight after that , up until the forest gradually becomes less dense and wider. By then you should be safe , you also should be able to see a clearer path leading to some road if you walk even further. You'll be able to call for some reinforcements then , assuming you won't walk all the way to wherever you live by foot. "
Ryan watched as everyone's expression brightened and become far less grim and hopeless, there was a light of life brimming from them.
" H-How do you know this? "
Almezo asked , most likely skeptical of Ryan's directions despite it being an easy way out of Doom Forest.
Ryan simply rolled his eyes.
" You have your secrets ,I have mine. You could choose to take my advice or continue travelling on the road you have been travelling on in your fancy little carriage, though it will likely lead to your brutal death. I've done all I can help so I couldn't care much, really. "
Almezo nodded, hearing Ryan's words.
And then Ryan heard a small voice call out to him.
" Big brother , you look strong , how old are you? "
One of the two children asked , the male one with blonde hair and silver grey eyes. He walked closer to Ryan up until he was just two steps away.
Ryan simply silently glanced at him , he didn't know how to respond.
" Big brother ? Can you hear me? "
The boy asked Ryan in the most low-pitched voice he had ever heard, he also found himself having odd feelings at being called 'Big brother', having been an orphan in his past life and never having a sibling even after adoption.
"Ehem , yes. How old am I you asked? "
And then he thought about it.
'Come to think of it , I know nothing about this body I am inhabiting - who it belonged to and how old is it... System , think you can help out ?'
[ Question received
Computing host's age through the system's analytical skills in conjunction with
Answer formed !
The host's body is currently aged 14
There is no retrievable information on who the body belongs to. ]
Ryan blinked.
'I am fourteen ?!'
Ryan hadn't paid much mind about his age considering there had been more life-threatening things, and he now realized he was far younger than what he had assumed he would be, his estimations were at 16 to 18 years old.
The two children glanced at him, awaiting a response. The younger looking girl had decided on joining her supposed brother after a period of hesitation.
" Oh yes, I am fourteen. "
Ryan said, not really bothering to hide his real age. He barely knew the people , and he doubted he would ever meet them again so revealing this much about himself wouldn't be detrimental, if telling someone your age could bring serious harm.
But it seemed he had downplayed the matter of his age a bit too much than he should have.
" Big brother, you must be lying, you cannot be fourteen! "
The young boy didn't seem to believe him, his eyebrows were pressed together - a sign of his apparent confusion.
Ryan simply shrugged.
" Believe it or not , I am fourteen. "
" B-but.. I am twelve! "
The boy said in short breaths. Ryan blinked again.
" Eh? You look so young though? "
" No big brother, you're the one who looks like an old man at fourteen ! "
'Tch..'
Kids could sure be ruthless with their words , wait, wasn't Ryan technically one too? he had been 22 in his past life.
Ryan made an expression that said he was deeply hurt , he turned to face the priest , Almezo and the knight , looking for some assistance.
The three blankly stared at him, then the priest and the knight stared at Almezo - seemingly hinting that it was his duty to say something.
" We cannot be blamed, you do look older, sixteen or eighteen perhaps, surely you jest when you say you're fourteen? I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I have been bested by a child.... "
Almezo said the last part more silently to himself, Ryan heard it anyways.
Ryan's pretend-hurt face quickly disappeared, and he grinned at a realization.
'Oh , I didn't think of it that way ! Being this strong while this young ? I must surely be a genius!'
His spirits were up again ,he glanced at the old man - contemplating whether to save or crush whatever pride the man had in himself.
He decided to be merciful.
"Fine , lets say I am not twelve for all of your sakes."
"Big brother, why are you smiling then, can I call you that Big brother? "
The young male asked Ryan, who simply rolled his eyes.
" You've already been calling me that for a while, I don't see the point in asking me now. "
Ryan watched as the boy's expression brightened and he jumped to hug Ryan , who flinched at the surprise attack - almost subconsciously reaching for his pale wyvern dagger.
" I now have a big brother! A Big brother! Come over Charlotte. "
The boy egged his sister on, who shyly walked over to join the hug - but quickly parted after a few seconds.
" Uhm. Mister , I wanted to say.uh.. L-let us m-marry when we're adults! "
The young girl suddenly said , her face turning as red as tomato. She quickly ran over to the priest , hiding her face behind his long robes.
Ryan was flabbergasted, he had never expected the young miss to say something like that.
But he smiled wryly.
" Sure ! If you want to ! "
That's all he could say.
" Do you promise to always protect us big brother ? Also don't make my little sister cry or I won't hand her over to you! "
The boy said grumpily, in what appeared to be throwing a fit.
Ryan made a hearty laugh.
" Sure I promise to always protect you , but when I am older though as I am currently having problems protecting myself. And no , I won't make your little sister cry. "
Ryan also wanted to point out that if he was the boy's big brother , then how was his betrothment to the young lady named Charlotte supposed to work , but the young man was just a child. Such complex relationships probably didn't register to him.
" What is your name ? "
Ryan asked him.
" Damian , my young sister is named Charlotte. "
The young boy named Damian answered without hesitation. Ryan was amazed at how quickly the two had trusted him , enough to share their own names.
Nevertheless, he patted Damian's head like the old brother he was then walked over to pat Charlotte's. He then walked back to stand in the centre of the group to watch them all.
" It has been nice meeting you all, I wish you safe travels as I must now leave. I hope to see you again. "
Ryan bowed, a sign of respect and acknowledgement, then he turned to leave.
"Wait! "
The priest's voice called out to him before he could leave, Ryan turned to face him.
"Yes? "
The priest dug into the robes surrounding his chest then he took out what appeared to be a medallion with the signature engraving 'W' on it.
" How could we ever let you leave without showing gratitude after what you've done for us? I wouldn't be able to live with myself ! This is a token of appreciation, keep it with you on all times and if we do meet in the future - this medallion will be proof our favor and relation to you. "
The priest had a fatherly expression as he gazed at Ryan. He handed the medallion to Ryan before he could object. Ryan then looked at Almezo and the knight, noticing the guilty expressions they all had, they must have felt horrible for leaving a 'child' like Ryan to the forest without offering some form of assistance - but then again, they needed that assistance themselves.
" Thank you , I shall cherish this.. "
Ryan glanced at Damian and Charlotte who looked back at him with expressions that suggested they were fighting tears.
" Let us meet again Damian and Charlotte, I look forward to seeing what you shall become in the future. "
And then Ryan disappeared, or at least he must have appeared to have disappeared to his spectators with how quickly he dashed away.
'Only a dramatic exit is fitting for that dramatical speech.'
Ryan thought, satisfied with himself.
He didn't leave just yet, but rather climbed a tree - observing the group from a far where it was impossible to notice him.
They took out their belongings in the carriage , choosing to leave some considering they couldn't carry everything all at once. And then they decided to follow Ryan's advice , choosing the safer route.
Ryan was oddly glad to see that they had done so , despite mentioning that he wouldn't have cared of what they chose to do.
He then trailed behind them for an hour to see them walk out of the forest safely without facing any troubles. He didn't think that he was being soft on them - it couldn't be helped that their way out was closer to his own house after all.
And then he stopped trailing seeing that they had made it out safely.
'Whew , what a day it has turned out to be !'
Ryan was beyond mentally exhausted from his hunting and from the strange encounter , he was more than eager to sleep it off for a few days !
'And what a nice medallion this is , those guys must be nobles to easily give me this. No good deed goes unrewarded it seems!'
Ryan glanced at the round object, it was silvery - looking identical to a large coin, it was only the red, white and blue cloth which hanged from it that made the difference.
" Also, where am I going to place this thing? Placing it anywhere near my pouches or the house is no different from tossing it away. "
[ The system has detected an artifact nearby and has run an appraisal on it.
Artifact has been identified to be a spatial treasure with the capability to store items , objects and equipment. ]
Ryan's voice croaked.
" Spatial treasure, where ?!! "
[ On the host's right arm - index finger. ]
'hmm?'
Ryan glanced at his right index finger, seeing nothing but the black ring he had been cheated into wearing.
" This old thing which was found in a pawn shop? "
[ System has confirmed the ring to be a spatial treasure. ]
Ryan narrowed his eyes to look at the ring , but no matter how hard he tried - the thing looked nothing more than a dull black ring.
"System , are you messing with me? "
[ Negative, the artifact is indeed a spatial treasure
To activate artififacts , blood of the user is usually needed to link to the artificact. If the user is recognised as worthy , the artifact accepts the user who is then given access to the artifact's abilities or ability. ]
"I had something like this all this time and you didn't tell me! ....... So, you suggest I spray this thing with my blood? "
[ That is what the system suggests , the ring's current physical attachment to the user could in fact already be a form of acknowledgment. ]
Ryan sighed , deciding to do the crazy suggestion his system was giving him. He just hoped he wasn't performing some ancient blood spell which opened a gateway to hell by doing so.
He removed his pale Wyvern dagger and slightly slit one of his fingers , he then dropped a drop of blood onto the ring which immediately stuck bloated on it like a balloon without spilling to the sides. Ryan then observed the ring for a few seconds.
" System , nothing is happening. "
[ The system asks the host to be more patient, it can take minutes to days or weeks for an artificact to recognise or accept a user , depending on the artifact's attachment to its previous owner. In some extreme cases , it can even be years. ]
Almost immediately after the blue screen popped up , Ryan watched as his drop of blood on the ring swirled and was absorbed crazily by the ring, disappearing inside it.
"Eh ?!"
And then the ring changed its appearance. The dull and normal ring didn't look so dull anymore, it became slightly thicker and glimmered with a shine. Strange markings also appeared all around the ring which added a touch of mystery to it and made the ring look Greek and ancient.
" Awesome! It seems the spell worked, now what? "
[ The system suggests the host to start pouring mana into the artifact to activate its ability. ]
Ryan did just that immediately, he guided his mana into the ring and as the system had predicted, he received a response instantly. The space around his ring and hand bended and warped in an eerie way that made him feel funny from watching.
" Ah , my hand ?? Where is it !! "
Strangely enough, Ryan could still feel his hand despite it having disappeared into the space bend.
[ A space fissure has been created by the ring , which has been linked to the system. To store items , the host has to drop them into said fissure and to retrieve them , the host has to think of the required specific item while activating the ring and it shall appear on the host's ringed arm - or anywhere else desired on the host's body. ]
Ryan grinned from ear to ear.
'Awesomer !'
Ryan didn't hesitate to throw the large burdens of the gorilla arm, a head of a wild boar king and the rest of what he had hunted on his list into the space rift. The things disappeared into the ring with a quick swirl, making it appear as if they had been spaghettified and then absorbed by a miniature black hole on the ring.
Ryan chilled at the thought of having a black hole right on his finger.
And then he walked to his house with a whistle and his arms behind his head.
He would sleep with an obnoxiously wide smile on his face all week.