Last time on Isekai Immigration. Ten thousand humans from Earth were randomly chosen and whisked through the multiverse unshielded. Nine thousand nine hundred thirty-four survived the night while others fell to the elements or the monstrous Trumpeters placed near each drop zone to herd our new citizens to the nearest Agios tree. The Alpha males of their species took over and led a few groups to build a shelter. But who bet on a beta male of group E sparking fire first? Bets on his fear climb from 8 points for dying in a fire to 20 points for their planet’s sun going supernova. We sent our volunteer Jill for a private conversation and to drop off a little reward for breaking the record on fire for humanity. V-orbs are being marked on the map for some bonus content for adult viewers.
…
Zack picked up a brittle agios leaf, felt it crumbling in his hands, and placed it in the fire. The brown pieces of plant matter quickly burnt up into sweet cherry smoke. He sighed as he lay against the tree's base and stared at the fragmented moon.
Was it a comet? Zack couldn’t imagine someone blowing up a moon hours ago.
A sudden gust howled in protest of his campfire. The cold wind raged at his fire spitefully throwing snow on it. Zack was forced to use his warm hands to build banks around his fire to keep the wind from snuffing it out. He protected it as best he could while being assailed from all sides.
When he finished his work Zack slumped out of the wind. Building the small bluffs around his fire also helped him keep warm. He let his mind wonder back to earlier events.
After coming to this world and meeting a teleporting elf, Zack was less sure of limitations. He could imagine someone with a suitable class being able to unleash feats of incredible power.
Zack stared at his hand. A small ball of fire spun around his palm. It helped with his nerves and the biting cold. He also used it to read. The book was written in English, and his system translated the words to appear in English, or the book could alter its format to present its information in English.
The more he read, the more he understood that he needed a good singing voice.
Mass: 400/10,000
“You don’t see the cup; your eyes rove over it and always look up. It is as novel as Darkness in a Pit. Sparks in the dark help the fire get lit.” The verse was interesting. Magic was sung here, and he didn’t have much of a singing voice. He honestly felt like if he tried to sing in front of people, he would die of embarrassment. He almost feared social interaction as much as black holes.
He imagined the flame in his hand being ripped out of his control and twisted like dough into a vortex of the unknown.
The small fireball hovering above his hand sputtered as he fed it more pressure and watched it brighten. What was he going to do?
He pulled strands of pressure from his soul.400 made his soul feel fat, and he wouldn’t miss a few strands. They uncoiled like tightly bound fishing lines.
None of them could touch each other unless Zack wanted them to. He moved them closer, and they passed through each other like ghosts. They weren’t there in his eyes. He felt them vibrating in the open air.
Zack looked up to see people filing into the igloo. He glanced at the log and guessed it would burn for another few hours. He stared at the people who stole from him, and they glared back at him and had the gall to smirk.
It seemed assholes surrounded him; at least he wasn’t alone.
He didn’t feel like sleeping mainly because he doubted the trumpeter was the only enemy around them. If he did try to sleep, then he would need more wood.
“System Compress once at 10,000 and put all points in pressure.”
Ping!
Order Received
That was amazing. With that, he wouldn’t have to worry about losing out on mass.
“System reject any orders by anyone but me.”
Ping!
Negative Administrator Access Required
That wasn't very pleasant. Zack stared at the dug-out snow and the igloo bathed in golden light from the tree behind him.
Did the elves have administrator rights to his system? Did that mean they could turn it off if he got too arrogant? It was a question he didn’t want to know the answer to. Instead, he fell into something more comfortable working with his powers. He focused on the strands of soul mass stretched out from his body. Each was so dark they seemed to draw in the light around them, but they practically jumped to his command.
When he focused on them individually, they existed differently. When he imagined them as a single unit, they became one large strand. Movement within his 20ft range could be shockingly instant. He had to pace himself and move things slowly.
He discovered some hidden aspects of his power system. When he stopped focusing on it, the fireball in his hand vanished. Only the log remained burning, and that was because it had fuel and maybe something else.
Zack knew he wouldn’t get far in a night, but he spread the strands out until they were paper thin and felt for the sound of the wind. Maybe if he could get a hint from it, he could do something useful with it. The wind blew, and he didn’t understand.
Noise like static assaulted his mind. Zack clutched his head and groaned as he tried to pull back his soul strands. It was like turning on a stereo in his head to roaring static.
He stood up, grabbed one of the frozen logs, placed it beside the burning one, and pressed his hands against the rising heat. It would have been almost like he was camping if he ignored the 1000ft drop-off behind the tree.
Zack slowly sang the verse for his first illusion spell and felt the air warp and spread like it was searching for something. He felt it with his strands and noticed little spindly threads poking out of the spell. He reached out with his strands and pulled. The spell fell over him like a well-worn tarp.
With 20 feet around him, he should be unnoticeable. People would still see him, but they should overlook him. That was how he thought the spell should work. Of course, there were massive weaknesses with the spell. It couldn’t be moved once cast, or it would break. For a sniper, it would be perfect for waiting to set up the perfect shot.
Zack turned the book to the second page and saw gibberish. That was fair, but his singing voice was a little rough.
He watched the wind blow against his misdirection tarp, fraying its edges. It might take hours, but it would break. The question was, would the sunrise, or was this their new regular? Would the world remain dark and cold outside the glow of the fading Agios Trees?
Zack formed a fireball on his hand and let it rotate. Keeping the fireball floating above his hand cost him a little concentration. The wind buffeted his fireball and tried to snuff it out. It blew it in one direction and then changed to blow it from the other. It felt malicious. Then, there was the quiet song beneath the cold. He couldn’t overlook it.
He saw a track appear in the snow. More appeared, and they made their way toward the igloo. They had a lookout and would be fine, except no one was outside the igloo. Even if someone were just inside the igloo, they couldn’t see whatever was making the tracks.
Would he have to save them? He didn’t want to, and they wouldn’t do the same for him. Zack would be better off focusing on himself instead of worrying about others.
The fireball was out of his hand, sailing for the middle of the tracks. Twelve short, squat creatures with big floppy green ears covered in fur earmuffs, large yellow eyes, and spears. They stared around while others covered the mouth of the one Zack hit.
When one looked his way, the edges of his tarp frayed faster. That would have been good to know. Fortunately, his spell wasn’t invisibility but unimportance. Another fireball appeared in Zack’s hand, and he saw that Fireball 1.0 was far from triumphant. He had an idea how to fix that.
Zack pressed the fireball on itself, and it brightened as he did so. The goblin's mouths moved, but he couldn’t hear them, and his tarp frayed faster. The fireball, the size of his fist, shrank to the size of a golf ball. He pulled his hand back, and the air froze. His tarp shattered from his sudden movement.
The goblins pointed in his direction and charged, lowering their spears and raising small bucklers on their arms to protect their faces.
Zack chunked his fireball with all the force he could muster. This time, when it hit a goblin, it exploded. He raised his hand, and another fireball appeared. The explosion knocked two goblins over. If they were watching the entrance, someone must have heard the explosion or seen the light from the igloo. The goblins stared at two of their fallen before staring up the hill at him.
They still had some marching to do uphill. Zack raised his hand, and another fireball appeared. He compressed it smaller than last time, and it was ready to explode much sooner. The soul mage felt laser-focused on the situation, and he could feel his flames on the bodies of the dead goblins. As they burned, his mass increased.
Zack was only scratching the surface of what his powers could do. Even so early in his career as a spellcaster, he was deadly. He raised his hand, and the fireball glowed a bright yellow as he prepared to push it forward. His pressure was detached and ready to be fired like a bullet, even in the form of fire.
Three goblins shouted, and their bodies gained a red glow as they charged up the hill. Zack blasted them, and their bodies shot off in different directions. His flames licked their bodies, but they were still alive. Somehow, the goblins made their bodies resistant to fire. Zack knew from experience that spells had time limits, and the wind alone would eat away at their spells. His flames most likely did a number on them.
Another fireball appeared in front of his hand, compressed and aimed at the next closest goblins as they chanted. Red light enveloped them, and Zack changed targets. The goblins behind them didn’t have time to scream. Another fireball formed faster and shot at the goblins, gaining ground.
On his peripheral, he saw a track appear beside him. He dove forward, and that saved him from being impaled. A goblin appeared in the same furs as the others and had gold rings in her ears. That’s right, a female goblin nearly impaled him with her spear. She snarled something, and his eyes lost track of her as she moved.
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He threw himself to the side, and something stabbed into the ground beside him. Zack lashed out with a fireball, and it exploded. The goblin came into view halfway behind the Agios Sprout.
Zack grabbed a frozen log and chunked it at her. She raised her shield and deflected it, giving Zack the moment he needed to form a new fireball, compress it, and blast it downhill. Two surprised goblins exploded. The second he fired a breath after it, killing two more. He was getting a good feel for the spell.
Zack stepped back and formed a fireball before launching it at the goblin’s feet. She stepped back, and he raised his hand and fired one off faster than before. The sheer focus he gained from this fight had already transformed his tactics.
He felt his heart race as he threw feints and blasted the nearest goblin with fireballs to the face. Zack threw a fireball at her face only for it to dissipate, and a new one appeared in his hand. He glanced at the hill and only saw 12 burning bodies. Zack dipped two steps back from a goblin spear, and as it stabbed downward.
Gabby Gob, lvl8
Class: Dragoon/shaman
When her spear impaled the ground, his foot lashed out and trapped the weapon as he placed his fireball in front of her face.
“I surrender. Spare me.” Gabby said.
Zack
Soul lvl3
Mass 1000/10,000
Density: 3
Pressure 1.11 (1.36)
Max Output: 1,327
Soul Space: Locked
He took her weapon and gazed at its quality for a moment. The wood had ornate carvings, and small bones hung off the head. It was primitive shaman, except the weapon felt solid and much heavier than something Zack could casually wield. That might be why he chose to bind her with his strands twisted around each other.
She looked confused when she tried to pull her hands apart and then tried to take a step, only to fall in the snow.
“Gabby, didn’t hear magic words. There was no verse, chant, or haku.”
“Are you a native, or were you brought here like us?”
“Gabby’s father would spit on her for being captured by a no-good immigrant. Hard-working goblins lose out on XP because no-good immigrants hoarding it all.”
“What are you guys, the border patrol?”
“Gabby won’t tell. Her family name is Gob, her way is the spear, and her class is dragoon and shaman.”
That information was also taken into account. Zack picked up the log he tossed at her and placed it on the fire before lighting it. Zack stared at the igloo.
“Did they sleep through our fight?”
“Gabby cursed them to sleep. She will remove the curse if you let her go.”
Zack rolled his eyes. “I know that spells wear off over time.”
“Not curse. Gabby knows it will stick because they feed it.”
He didn’t believe that at all. Not that there weren’t most likely spells like that, but she was level 8. Zack was sure she couldn’t do anything so permanent.
“Well, I like your company better than theirs, so not much is lost,” Zack said.
Her yellow eyes widened at his words. His smile didn’t seem to relieve her any.
Zack renewed his spell and let the flames eat away at the goblins’ bodies. He let a fireball hover over his hand as the fire licked the logs. Who knew when the sun would rise?
“What do you like to do for fun, Gabby?” Zack asked.
“Gabby won’t tell you anything about the goblin stronghold.” Zack rolled his eyes.
“I’m not asking about the goblin stronghold. I’m asking about Gabby. Tell me something about yourself.”
“Gabby’s teeth are sharp and can chew through bone. Her spear work is good, but curses are better.” She smiled, revealing sharp teeth. “Gabby can chew tough meat and match any tone. Her” Zack shoved snow in her mouth, and she choked.
“If you think I will let you cast a spell on me, you’re mistaken.” Within 20 feet of himself, he had thousands of strands to work with. “How are we stealing your XP?” Zack glanced down at the burning bodies. “Besides the obvious.”
He couldn’t sense a difference between their deaths and their burning. When he focused, he could almost feel another song, something sinister and dark in his soul dragging in the soul matter or xp?
That led him to questions. Was XP lost in the transfer somehow? Or was there a way to return home and take that up with them? Did the conservation of mass not apply to xp? It was impossible to prove a negative. So, if he were to test it, he would go about it in an experiment. First, he would take two monsters of equal level, kill them both, and see if there was a difference in XP.
Gabby could be a great source of knowledge or his downfall. Who knew whether the information she gave was accurate? He killed anyone whom they could use to test her answers against. He doubted she would lead him to their stronghold.
There was still the matter of food, shelter, and many other needs.
While the fires burned, he felt less hungry. That could be a placebo for satisfying the hunger of his flames. Wasn’t that an odd experience? His flames felt hungry, desperately hungry to consume and burn everything. Soul matter flowed into him or from what they burned, or was it xp?
He unstuffed her mouth, and Gabby worked her jaw, glaring at him the whole time. Zack only smirked.
“Gabby doesn’t like the look in Zack’s eyes.”
Zack assumed it was an error in translation that caused her verbal tic. “Are there ways of gaining XP without killing monsters or each other?”
Her head turned to the side, and she stared at the tree. “Agios produces sap full of XP; drink it and grow strong.” He could only assume there was a downside.
“So no cultivators that meditate and gather up over thousands of years then,” Zack said.
“The alchemists in the freehold of Verdi make pills that contain xp. Some claim they can even raise stats.” Zack raised an eyebrow at that. Where were no others she knew of who could passively grow stronger? Or was she holding out on him? “Gabby heard shamans claim to make potions that give some, but they are useless after the first barrier.”
“What is the first barrier?” Zack asked.
“Doesn’t Zack know? Anyone touched by the Agios should know the first barrier.” She giggled. You have no class; you rejected its gift. Zack is a fool. Gabby was beaten by a fool.” Who needed a class gifted by a tree? He already had a system. It seemed only to wreck things.
“What will Zack do when he reaches level 25 and is not strong enough?” The goblin shook her head, nearly knocking her earmuffs off. “Gabby would learn lots of spells.”
“What do you mean not strong enough?” Zack asked.
She seemed comfortable talking about things not related to her tribe. Common knowledge was an example of a safe subject for her, and that was something they desperately needed. Knowing there were strongholds, freeholds, and maybe open cities to the public was good.
As she called it, the first barrier was going from 9 to 10. It was also needed to unlock the map. Who knew what else was limited by the Agios trees? They restricted and altered their system, but they were not the source.
“Did the goblins come from another world?” Zack asked.
Gabby snorted and shook her frizzy mane of red hair. “Gabby won’t talk of tribe or people. Zack wants knowledge of the system Gabby gives, which is what everyone knows but immigrants.” The goblin said those words with disgust. It wasn’t like they had a choice. “The system gives a class based on what their progenitor feared the most. Gabby is afraid of spiders, and Grom is afraid of spiders t, too. Gabby must survive her fear at level 25 to break the second barrier. Nightmares grow stronger with every level. If you lose to them, then you become a monster. Gabby will hunt you for XP.”
Zack chuckled, and he saw it cash the source of his unease. It rested like a black egg in the center of his soul, pulling in soul matter. The source of his fear and power was a black hole. Fuck the movie interstellar. He wasn’t terrified of any monster, social situation, or even death. It was the damn things that even stars couldn’t escape that terrified him. He would have to face something he didn’t begin to understand. It was a gravity well that bent time.
Some theorized that, at some point, they go off in the form of their oig bangs. Zack only knew them as terrifying holes in reality that he didn’t want to be anywhere near. So, how did he end up with one in his soul?
Gabby stared at him as he sank against the Agios's tree. “Are there people scared of storms or volcanic explosions? Zack asked.
“Zack can’t fight a storm., Gabby said.
He held up his hand, and a fireball appeared within it. What would a monstrous fusion between himself and a black hole look like? Why was he picturing Gabby’s wrinkled butthole in his head? Was it even dark green? He had been awake for too long.
Zack focused on the fireball in his hand and slowly formed a second one. He felt something warm on his lip and brushed it aside. Blood, but he couldn’t stop. He focused on how it was different from placing static bindings on Gabby. Fire wanted to move; it hungered to burn and didn’t like being controlled. Slowly, a second light appeared, and the harsh icy winds blew down on him. He smiled as it slowly grew, and his pressure became a second fireball.
He looked up to see Gabby staring at him in shock as one fireball rotated around another. With that, his rate of fire had doubled. Zack held the fireballs hovering above his hand as light appeared over the horizon.
“My associates are going to wake up soon. I can either tell them that you are an enemy that I captured or someone who disagreed with killing us and came to warn us.” Zack sucked in a breath. The air smelled like burnt pork. His stomach was empty, but his flames felt satisfied, and he quickly burned the bones of the goblins into charcoal.
“Gabby is a prisoner. She led the attack and is no traitor.”
“I have no idea how they are going to treat you. Torture isn’t off the table. Even if you had a change of heart and told them everything, they might still torture you to make sure.” Zack wasn’t sure they were that desperate yet.
“Gabby isn’t scared of pain. Why does Zack worry?”
“If your information can be verified, then you helped me out. Sure, you attacked and put those jerks to sleep, but no harm was done. I am much stronger for it.
Since they began their talks and Zack continued practicing, he had reached level 6. As the goblins' bodies burned, he gained constant high-quality soul matter.
Zack
Soul lvl6
Mass 1000/10,000
Density: 6
Pressure 1.20 (2.985)
Max Output: 2,985
Soul Space: Locked
Ability Slots: 2/3
Embers I: When Mass is two or greater, sparks can be created and fed with pressure, creating a soul flame—Bonus Soul Matter (XP) from Fire-type monsters.
Choose
Price: 1 Pressure
Enhance I: Pressure strings encircle the limbs, granting more strength even when muscles fail and the body weakens.
Spark I: Pressure strings can become positive and negatively charged, creating a current of soul lighting.
Strand I: Mass can be divided into strings, each equal to pressure, and further divided by halving the pressure to increase the number of strands.
Range I: Increase the user’s range from 20 to 50ft.
Frost I: Pressure forces heat away and pressure transforms into soul ice—Bonus Soul Matter (XP) from Ice-type monsters.
Dark I: Pressure rejects the light and transforms into soul darkness, corrupting everything—Bonus Soul Matter (XP) from Dark-type monsters.
Light I: Pressure drives off the dark and transforms into soul light, purifying all things—Bonus Soul Matter (XP) from Light-type monsters.
Ok, the number of options had significantly increased. What was up with the bonus XP? Killing something strong against its element increased the XP. That was insane. Did it make it easier to collect its soul matter or something?
Two familiar faces crawled out of the igloo, looked on at the burnt bodies, and froze. Jack crawled out and retched on the ground. That was rude; everyone would have to see his vomit. The guy had the decency to kick some snow on it, at least. The guy looked their way, and his eyes sort of just didn’t register them.
Zack rolled his eyes. He forgot about his spell. He thought about just undoing it. He hated talking with people, and the way they treated him before still pissed him off. He had the perfect excuse to remain separated from the group. But survival was a team sport. He had some power, so maybe things would be different.
Just in case he chose the ability to enhance.
His body screamed as strands flowed through his body, covering his muscles like a film, and then pressure emerged in waves. Zack lost control of half his strands as he guessed they merged with his body. The skin around his arms and chest stretched as his muscles grew bigger.
…
Zack felt like he could kick off the ground and fly off the hill if he wasn't careful. His shoes felt wet and uncomfortably tight. It was freezing, but he wasn’t cold. Are his enhanced muscles insulating his organs? That would be wild.
Gabby hung off his shoulder like a sack of wood, and he used her 15-foot spear as a walking stick. Falling and injuring himself would be his luck.
Jack turned, and the others saw him as he descended the hill. “You have a fire skill and didn’t share it with us. Some of us are getting sick. What would you do if your selfishness caused people to die?”
“Perhaps I should have let the goblins do you in after all.” Zack said.
“Gabby will vouch for Zack before the war chief.”
Zack smacked her ass. “Quiet you,” Zack said.
“We need to deal with the monster keeping us pinned here and then find a place to set up camp with water, game to hunt, and wood that isn’t frozen.”
“Are you taller?” One man asked.
He checked the man.
Tyler Vander lvl1
Class: Famer
“Tyler, I’m glad you’re here. We need someone to grow and raise animals. From what my prisoner said, there are other groups that we will eventually be able to trade with. Also, the map opens when we defeat the monster down there.”
“You aren’t in charge here. I kept these people together while you.” Zack formed a fireball above the spear and compressed it to the size of a marble. “Are you threatening me? I’m the one keeping these people alive. What are you doing?”
“You made a few people build an igloo,”
“Are you trying to take credit for my idea or downplay it? People would be dead without me.”
Clint grabbed Jack’s shoulder. “Jack, sit down by the fire and warm up. The cold is making you paranoid.”
“What happened to Mr. Alister?” Zack asked.
“This isn’t the kind of conversation to have in public. You took down 12 goblins and captured a prisoner. That trumps getting some poor, cold people to build an igloo. The group appreciates your contributions. Do you want to scare folk by waving that spear and fireball around?” Clint asked.
This was the man who beat him. He reminded Zack of Jaffar from Aladin. Clint was the power behind the throne.
Clint Eastman lvl1
Class: Smith
Zack winced at that. It was a class that wasn’t very useful without much preparation. They were barely at the shelter stage of their development. However, things would quickly get moving once he got the tools to do his craft work.
“I’m with Zack. He took out those goblins and captured one. Jack would have stood behind us and made the people he didn’t like die for him.
The others locked eyes on Earl as the man in the purple suit moved to Zack’s right side. Zack nodded to him.
He needed to disseminate information and get people up to speed so they can’t be tricked. Also, it would be hard to keep Gabby as a prisoner if she could rhyme a few verses and knock out her guards.
“Magic here works with rhyming and verse. We need someone to guard her that won’t let her get any spells off.”
“Dan and Jeff will guard her. Don’t worry. They can be trusted.” Dan took her off Zack’s hands, and she looked at him with big yellow eyes. Zack sighed and turned away from her.
It must have been the big hips that girl was growing on him.
He walked out with Earl and Clint until they were at the edge of Agios Sprout’s protection. Zack pointed his spear at the Trumpeter and fired off a fireball.
Zack watched the fireball zoom downhill, and a blizzard erupted around the trumpeter. The fireball exploded, leaving the trumpeter unharmed.
“Well, that’s concerning,” Earl said.
“You aren’t such hot shit after all,” Clint said.
Zack formed two fireballs and fired one after the other. The blizzard appeared again and stopped the first one, only for the second to hit the creature in the chest. Its horns blew long and loud as it beat at the flames licking at its skin. Another swirling blizzard erupted around it, smothering Zack’s flames.
Then Zack launched two more fireballs.
“How many of those can you use?” Clint asked.
“There isn’t a limit.” The creature held the blizzard longer, soaking up both attacks. Zack launched two more, timing them a little further apart. The beast roared, and horns blared. Ice ran up the hill and stopped at Agios Sprout’s barrier.
“I wanted to say that you should let Jack remain the leader. He’s good at it, and you don’t have the charisma.” Clint said.
Zack watched the monster slam its fists into the ground and blare its trumpets. Ice spikes blasted all around it. Fighting that creature without the Agios Sprout would be a completely different experience. He needed something to take down opponents like that permanently.
“I don’t have time to lead these people. So, make me a minister in the government. I want a seat at the table and a vote on the decisions. Jack can be our figurehead and enjoy being the face of leadership. But that’s all he will be a face and a speaker for those in charge.” Zack said.
“Mr. Alliser made a mistake using you as a scapegoat. Well, that was the plan, regardless. You will treat Jack as the boss in public, but he will only say what we want.” Clint said.
“This is fucking evil. I like it. Yea, Jack will be the puppet. I can’t wait to break the news to him.” Clint said.
Zack clapped the man on the shoulder. “Oh, and one more thing.” Zack punched the man in the face. Blood ran down the man’s busted lip. “That was for the beating.”