A slow day. Rayce thought as he looked at the clock hanging on the wall next to his counter.
Rayce was an 29 year old employee of a bank. Today was Thursday and the people coming to avail their services has dwindled. Mondays were busy and it slowed from then on.
It hardly mattered to him as he couldn't wait to get home. Yesterday, he had purchased a new game that the people all over the internet were raving about. He wanted to play it and collect the most powerful items in the game. He had heard that they could even sell the items online to other players and that people were profiting from it. He sighed as he looked at the clock striking 5 pm. Another hour and I'll be out.
"Rayce, do you want to go get a cup of coffee", Kiara asked.
Kiara was a colleague of his who sat next to his counter. She was a beautiful girl and had joined the bank just a few months back. They had become good friends and she would occasionally drop him off after work. She also liked games and the first time they met, they had talked for hours about the games they had played and improvements that could have been done.
"Yes, let go", Rayce replied.
-------
"Finally", Rayce sighed.
He quickly cleared out his desk and got ready to go home. Kiara was waiting for him but he politely declined the invitation to go with her. He had to buy a lot of snacks and other stuff on his way home. He will be locking himself up and playing the game until midnight and he didn't want any disturbances.
As he made his way to the neighborhood convenience store, the lights were starting to come on as it was becoming dark. He saw people out and about. Couples, people running and tourists just enjoying the evening air.
He quickly bought the items. As he came near the bridge on his way home, he could hear the trucks and big vehicles on the road. As he made his way, his eye caught sight of a person, a young girl, who was dangerously close to the guardrail. In an instant, the girl, climbed the guardrail. He knew what she was going to do and ran. Other people were also running to save her. As soon as he reached her, he yanked her arm so that it prevents her fall and drags her to the pavement. Instead he slipped and fell off the bridge.
As he was falling off of the bridge into the river below he only had one thought. That he had learned how to swim.
When he came to it was dark. Very dark.
As he opened his eyes, there was only darkness all around him.
Suddenly as if pulled forward, a pillar of light came rushing at him, enveloping him.
As his eyes got adjusted to the light, he looked around and saw that he was standing in a white room and a teenage girl was sitting on a throne smiling at him.
"Welcome", she said smiling.
"W-where am I. I thought I fell into the river"
"You certainly did".
"Is this the afterlife".
"To be exact, it's a gateway for souls that connects worlds".
"A gateway?"
"Yes, you see your world is not the only one and neither is your universe. There are countless universes and your world is one that is located on one of those universes.
Different worlds with different universal laws and by using those laws, different lifeforms live their lives".
"Are you a God?"
"Hmm, you could say that. But I'm more like a manager of some universes. You may refer to me as God, I guess. But I do have a name. I'm called Dexra".
"So Dexra, what is going to happen to me?"
"Hmm, I've been wondering about that. I saw your last moments and you seem like a good natured guy".
"W-what happened to the girl?", I almost screamed.
"Oh, she's alright. Other people found her and she's safe now".
I sighed in relief.
"So..."
"Would you like to be sent to another world in another universe", she asked excitedly and jumped off the throne.
"A-another world?"
"Yes, you see. We don't usually interfere with the lives of the lifeforms inhabiting a universe but sometimes due to extenuating circumstances, we are forced to take action".
"Extenuating circumstances?"
"Ah, for example, in simpler terms a bug in a system that corrupts the data. An individual with enough power to destroy the universe".
"I-Is there such a thing. Wouldn't it be possible to remove the bug yourself?"
"Well, it's possible but I'd have to reset the whole universe and all the lifeforms and their advancements will go back to zero. And then it will take thousands or even a million years for life to form. Honestly, it's a pain."
"That's where you come in".
"W-what can I do. I'm just a simple human from earth".
"Ho ho ho, don't worry about that", she said looking smug.
"Well, here's the plan. I will have you reincarnated in a world in that universe and give you some powers. You will basically be able to live a life as you want but I'd like you to deal with the bug when the time comes".
"I see. Is there a chance for me to win?"
"I'd say fifty fifty. But it mostly depends on you. You will need to train your powers and become stronger. The first step is to learn your strengths and weaknesses".
"I see. Is there something like internet over there?"
Whatever people say, internet is pretty handy and you can have all the information at your fingertips. I thought.
"Internet, huh. Hmm, no. The world I'm sending you to is kind of like what medieval earth once was. But you don't need to worry. The fundamental laws of that universe is different".
"Fundamental laws?"
"Umm, for example, there is a phenomenon like what you would call magic in your language. So, the lifeforms there basically don't need the technology that humans on earth have built to live their lives".
"But you could certainly introduce those earth technologies to the other universe albeit with a few tweaking. Come to think of it, that universe is fairly new so you could use your knowledge of earth to enrich the lives there".
"I see...."
"Tell you what, I'll give you a support system. And also a way for you to procure items from earth and of course ample powers", she smiled rubbing her hands as if she's enjoying it.
"S-seems like you want me to change the whole universe".
"I wouldn't mind", she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
"You see, life here gets boring. There's nothing to do. Sometimes I get together with other managers and the only thing they do is boast how much their universe has flourished and how peaceful it is. It ticks me off".
"......"
"Even I want to boast. Is that too much to ask for?", she said smugly.
"A ha haha"
"Well, you get the gist of it".
"Will I be a human?"
"Yes, although are are other species in that planet. You will get to know once you see them".
"And one last thing. I have prepared a body for you and also a way to check your powers. You just need to think about seeing your status".
"A way to check my status?"
"Yes, everyone has them in that universe. Even I have one".
"......."
"Well then, without any further delay".
She came next to me and touched my head.
Something seem to go inside my head. Symbols and letters began to swirl around in my consciousness. A tingling sensation like your whole existence was overwritten.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
She finally let go.
"Take care", she said smiling.
"W-wait, I still have questions".
But she just stood there waving at me smiling.
My vision went dark.
----
After Rayce vanished, Dexra paced the room thinking about something.
"This should do it, I think. Hopefully I don't have to take other measures. Such a headache, ahh".
----
As soon as Rayce opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the ground in what seems to be a meadow. Grass and flowers growing as far as his eyes can see.
The sun shone bright yellow with blue skies.
He slowly got up and looked at his body. He seems he has become younger. He tried flexing his fingers and jumping around. It seems there's no problem. He was wearing casual clothes like those on earth.
He remembered about his status as told by Dexra and thought about it.
Suddenly something popped up in front of him. It looked like a floating screen just like from a tablet.
[Name: Rayce
Age: 21
Race: human
Skills: All magic, creation (locked), Alchemy, support bot, dimensional storage (unlimited), perception block, appraisal, shopping, hand to hand combat, all equipment and weapon mastery, enhanced senses (all)]
Seems like I'm pretty broken.
He clicked on support bot and a female voice floated in his mind.
(Please give me a name)
A name, huh. Alright, Airi.
(Airi at your service, master)
"What are you?".
(I am a support function included for your help in this world. I can process everything including helping with your skills and all generic knowledge about this world)
"Hmm, can you tell me where I am?"
(You are currently in a country called Quizen in a continent called Azeron. There are six countries on this continent. And there are five continents on this planet)
"Can you show me a map".
A small globe popped up in front of him.
He touched the globe and tried rotating it to look at it. Seems like earth but the size of the continents are much larger.
"How big is this planet".
(It is three times the size of earth)
Hmm, seems like earth memories are also implanted in the support bot.
"Is there a city nearby".
(Yes, about 10 kilometers away there is a city called Flaedan)
"Can you make the map smaller to show only this area?"
(Yes)
The map changed to a small screen showing his location and his surroundings.
"Alright".
He opened the status screen and asked about the other skills.
All magic seems to be the aptitude to do all kinds of magic as per this universe laws.
Creation seems to be able to create things out of nothing. But this was locked. When asked she said some parameters need to be fulfilled for it to be unlocked. But even she didn't know what those were.
Alchemy seems to be the ability to change and interfere with animate and inanimate objects. Going by earth knowledge, I think it can make potions and change metals.
Dimensional storage seems to be a storage space that only I can access. I checked and it seems to be empty.
Perception block seems to be able to hide my status and skills from other living things.
Appraisal seems to be able to appraise the things I direct it to. I looked at the grass with it and it showed
[Name: Light Grass
A kind of grass that grows abundantly on Thieca. Sometimes used in Alchemy. Inedible]
I guess this planet is called Thieca.
Next is shopping. I clicked on it and a small screen popped up with items from earth. It seems every item made on earth is available there. Even weapons, machines and vehicles.
The price seems to be in a currency I am not familiar with called GB. I tried clicking on it and it showed global coins.
The bread and milk shown there was 30 GB and 10 GB respectively.
I tried pressing the floating button next to the bread called buy.
Insufficient funds. A popup came up on the screen.
Hmm, seems like I need to earn money to use the shopping features.
The rest seems to be combat oriented skills.
The biggest problem now is money.
"Airi, tell me the fastest way to make money".
(You will be able to convert items in your storage to money. For example, I would suggest you to cut down a tree and put it in the storage and then convert it to global coins)
Alright, let's do that.
I slowly got up and after getting used to the body began to slowly walk towards the city that Airi told me about.
Soon I came to a forest. I looked at the map and it showed the entirety of the forest. It was huge.
Airi, how long will it take for me to reach Flaedan?
Calculating the current speed, if you go through the forest, it would take two hours.
Hmm, I need to be fast.
Though there were motorcycles I could buy from shopping, due to money constraints, it isn't possible.
I slowly walked to a tree. I had no axe so I was wondering how to cut the tree.
(Please place your hand on the tree and think of the storage)
I did so and the tree disappeared leaving only a dug out ground.
So this is magic, huh.
(The dimensional storage is a place where time is stopped though you can forward or rewind it if you wish it. Basically, anything put into that space will retain the state that it was put in)
Alright. Now to convert this tree to money.
I thought about dimensional storage and a screen popped up. It showed peca tree. And below it the number one.
Hmm, next I opened shopping and the dimensional storage screen also popped up beside it. I clicked on the tree and it asked if I wanted to convert the peca tree to global coins. I confirmed and the balance on top of the shopping screen showed 200 gb.
At least, the food problem is solved now.
I clicked on the bread, butter and milk. The total came up to 70 global coins. The items seemed to be delivered to the storage and I was able to bring them out by thinking about the item. It appeared in my hand.
I sat down in the shade of a tree near the forest and began to eat. The items were similar to Earth in my previous life. It could even be said to be of better quality. I wondered where they came from. Does the shopping skill create them or transport them from earth. It's probably creation. Probably.
I finished and put the empty packages inside the storage.
I opened the map and searched for a road. The city must be connected to a road. And sure enough if I go east from there I'll come to a road that connected to the city.
I got up and began to walk towards it.
Suddenly, a warning Bell started to ring in my head.
(Master, there are 5 beasts coming towards you. They are 780 meters away and are coming from the forest. They seem to be chasing a human)
I faced that direction and tried to squint my eye and look. It seems I can see far. I saw a female wearing a strange dress running from something that looked like five bears. I used my appraisal eye and it showed.
[Name: Bohlok
Type: Monster
A type of monster infesting the jungles of this planet. Attacks people on sight. It is a cross between bears of earth and a wolf. The furs are sold for high prices and the meat is delicious if properly prepared. Edible]
The monster looked like a bear but the upper body was of an wolf with red eyes.
As the female got closer, she seemed to be frantically waving her hand and saying something. I tried to enhance my hearing and she was screaming.
"Run, run"
She turned back and bought out something like a crossbow and fired at one of the monster. It seemed to hit him and it stopped for a moment but it began chasing her again.
(Master, I strongly advice you to use ice bullets to kill them)
"Ice bullets?"
(Yes, I'm sending the information inside your head. Please think about ice bullets and fire them. You can fire multiple projectiles)
I closed my eyes and the image of something like ice cones floated inside my head. I'm able to change the shape and direction.
I began to think about the bullets and opened my eyes and five ice bullets were floating in front of me.
(Locked) I heard Airi say.
"Fire"
The bullets zoomed through the air avoiding trees and obstacles and pierced the monsters one after another. They gave out a small whimper and collapsed to the ground.
The girl was looking back at the monsters chasing after her and after she saw them die, she fell to the ground. I ran up to her and I saw that she seemed to be a teenager. Blonde hair and sharp features. She looked up at me and I could see her beautiful azure eyes.
"Hey, are you alright", I asked.
"Y-yes, I'm fine. Thank to you. I thought I was dead".
She seemed tired but I guess everyone would be if one of those things were chasing them.
"You....don't look like you're from here".
"A haha haha.....I guess you can say that. I'm a traveler".
"I see....Are you perhaps going to Flaedan?"
"Yes, I was on the way to the city".
"Let me guide you then as a thanks for saving my life".
"Thank you".
She slowly got up.
"Do you have a bag?"
"A bag?"
"To put away those monsters. You will be able to sell them in the city".
"I...don't have a bag. Sorry".
"Hmph, can't be helped. Wait here".
She went to one of the bears and seemed to chant something and one of the bears disappeared.
As I was looking at her. She smiled and patted the bag that was slung on her shoulders
"It's a storage bag though I only have enough space for one Bohlok".
(Master, use your storage)
"Oh, I see. In that case, let me".
I looked at the remaining monsters and they went inside my storage immediately.
The girl was looking with her mouth open.
"It's a storage skill".
"Is it. I've never seen anything with that much capacity. I've heard very few people possessed such large storages".
"I guess I'm one of those people", I said nervously.
"I guess". She looked at me interestedly.
"Shall we go then?"
"Ah, yes"
We began to walk towards the road that connected to the city.
Now that I look at her, she seemed to be wearing a kind of uniform. It was green. Maybe she's military or the people of this world dressed like her.
"By the way, I'm Eva. I'm an adventurer. What's your name?"
"I'm Rayce".
"So, Rayce. Is it your first time in Flaedan?"
"Yes, I've never been to the city".
"Where are you from if you don't mind me asking".
"Ah, I'm not sure. It seems I have some kind of memory loss. When I woke up I was near the forest".
I didn't want to tell her about earth and that I was sent by a God. I didn't know how she would interpret it.
"I see. A memory loss. I'm sorry to hear that".
I shrugged my shoulders.
I quickly used appraisal on her.
[Name: Eva
Age: 18
Race: Human
Skills: Martial arts, Marksman, Swordsmanship, Magic (Air, Water)]
Hmm, the status seems to be alright compared to my blown up status. Are the people of this world like this. I need to conceal my status or I don't know what I'd be dragged into.
I quickly began changing my status using perception block and now it looked like this.
[Name: Rayce
Age: 21
Race: Human
Skills: Magic (Fire, Water), Storage (Medium), Appraisal, Hand to hand combat, Alchemy, Weapon mastery, Enhanced hearing]
This should do it.
"By the way what do you do, Rayce?"
"Ah, I'm an Alchemist".
"Oh, an Alchemist. I see. You might find jobs in the city".
"You looked quite proficient in battle looking back at that fight. I thought you were an adventurer".
"Hmm, is adventuring a common profession?"
"What? You don't know!"
(Master, I suggest you become an adventurer)
"Adventurers are people who go around the world fighting monsters and exploring unexplored regions. They are in high demand everywhere".
"I see".
"Is it hard to become an adventurer".
"Nah, you can easily register yourself in the adventurer association in the city. However, staying alive is a different mater".
"But I'm sure you'll be alright".
"Aha ha ha.."
I looked up and saw that the sun had already set. And there were three moons in the sky. It truly is a different world, huh.
"Oh, doesn't Althea look beautiful".
"Althea?"
"The moon. She said while pointing to the biggest one".
"Althea, Andrea, and Homer".
She said pointing at the moons in descending order from the biggest to the smallest.
"She sure does."
It was a beautiful evening and the sky looked majestic with stars that I've never seen before.
We soon reached the road. It was a beautifully paved road.
"Where does this road go",
"The other side goes to the port town of Eblana", she said.
"Ah, it's a bus. Let's get on".
Soon we could see a vehicle coming from the other side.
Eva held up her hand and the vehicle stopped.
We got on and the bus started to move along the road. It was a crude replica of a bus and it was more like a long carriage with space for about 20 people. I guess it ran on magic.
A conductor came to us.
"Are you both together?"
"Y-yes", I said.
"That will be 30 copper".
"Let me pay it", Eva said and brought out a few coins from her bag and gave it to the conductor.
"Thank you. I didn't have any money".
"It's fine. It's fine. It's the least I could do. And you will have money after selling the bohloks so you can always pay me back later". She smiled.
"Thank you".
As the bus moved on, soon it came to a curve.
"Look look, that's Flaedan. My hometown". She pointed at a city in the distance.
"Wow",
It was a big city. Not like Earth but it did have tall buildings spread out. Looked something like out of a advanced magic civilization. The lights spread around the city and it was shining.
"It's beautiful, right!"
"Yes, extremely", I said smiling.
"Hmph". She nodded her head.
I slowly relaxed in the seat as the bus slowly moved on towards the city.
Airi seemed quiet.