Regular guy Rhode Mortimer Irving lived a humdrum life of bitter disappointments until cancer tragically cut his story short.

But he was surprised to discover that death was not the end. Called to another world by unknown powers, Rhode is given new life in an entirely new body. But instead of experiencing wonder and adventure, he discovers his organs are failing all over again.

Deathly sick for the second time, Rhode tries to come to terms with his new reality, and learn as much as he can about the strange goblin civilization he finds himself trapped inside of. But their bizarre, irrational behavior, and their convoluted and byzantine feudal bureaucracy only serve to further confuse and alienate the human. As he hopes to recover, he has to contend with their abnormal magic and inventions. While goblin devices are ingenious, they are just as likely to malfunction catastrophically. And in one particular (and notable) case, Rhode discovers that the magical device which scans his progress and abilities, is actually not only sentient, but completely and murderously insane.

In time, Rhode learns that the goblins of this "Kingdom of Sacred" seem to believe that he has been called to their world as a hero, and to save their country from their hated enemy Delight, a nation to the west. While the structure of the Hero's journey is familiar to Rhode, the key details of his circumstances overwhelmingly lead him to distrust and fear the intentions of the goblins. He survives at the mercy of an unusual assortment of eccentric experts, who appear to have been brought together under mysterious circumstances to create and empower him.

But as his conditions worsen, Rhode's captors are forced to admit a stranger into the project, the naively honest healer-priest Eloft of Selt. Rhode is unsure whether to trust Eloft, let alone anyone, but the young healer proposes a radical treatment which saves Rhode's life. But this treatment does more than simply help Rhode survive. Suddenly, Rhode's new body begins to show its potential as a weapon. Challenged to battle in a hidden underground vault, Rhode faces off against the brilliant and ambitious young knight Ser Hakkat-Yune. Bloodied and overwhelmed by her talent, the homunculus is driven to the brink of losing control.

Though he is ultimately defeated, Rhode's performance impresses his new masters to the point that they decide in secret to advance their Hero project to the next stage.

Meanwhile, tensions in the west reach the breaking point, as a fortress on the border territory falls to the armies of Delight, and the first of Delight's soothsayers and fortune-tellers become aware of the incursion of the Hero.

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Rhode slumbers, recovering from disease, negligence and battle: but the damage to his body has caused his long sleeps to become a permanent, magical part of himself. He will likely struggle with unnatural [Hibernation] and the breathing abnormality [Bellows] for the rest of his life.

When he awakens, Rhode is thrust into the crossroads. While his fight may have changed his standing for the better, missteps and mismanagement by the goblins around him have brought down punitive action on themselves. The careers of the army professionals who oversaw him, the martial trainer who'd tested him, and the magical scholar who was to guide him are all about to be ruined.

Rather than celebrate, Rhode realizes that he has come to sympathize with the strange goblin peoples, even against his own better judgement.

In this moment, Rhode receives his own call to Fate. He is awoken suddenly by the fortune-teller Rikva of Branfield, who was the very first goblin he met in the new world. Using her magic to see into the future, Rikva warns Rhode that he will be presented with an opportunity which will change the course of his life. But in order to meet it, he must follow her and witness as the goblins perform the summon ritual once again. Inspired by their success, they intend to create a second hero and possibly replace him.

Rhode follows as Rikva leads him through hidden tunnels, using her powers to carefully avoid the guards and patrols that would have kept him confined to his room. Her efforts end in both success and failure, as she delivers Rhode to the one man who can escort him past the palace security, but it means she will be unable to follow him and witness the precipitating event.

Driven to a thoughtful mood by Rikva's predictions, his own growing feeling of optimism, and guilt over the punishments the goblins are facing, Rhode comes to misinterpret her advice. Led up into the palace itself, Rhode arrives at the site of the ritual intent on making an appeal to forgive and reinstate his "team". Only to discover he was woefully wrong.

Rhode discovers that the "absent" Prince who has sponsored the Hero project has in fact been an active and present participant from the very beginning. Llanthinanumen, the royal high elf is more than simply a mild variation of goblin. He belongs to an entirely different species. Knocked confused and off balance by a bevy of hidden social and mental powers, Rhode watches stupefied as the ritual is performed in front of his eyes.

And he realizes that the nature of the Hero summon spell is evil to its core.

Reeling from the discovery, Rhode is left even more vulnerable to the psychic manipulation of the Prince. A long string of unexplained gaps in his memory become apparent, as the Prince reveals that he has the power to inflict selective amnesia on his victims, and Rhode realizes that nothing is as safe or secure about his plans to escape as he assumed.

Without options, Rhode is forced to advance his progress as a weapon of war, but he is provided a choice as to how he will grow. But when he announces to the Prince and his agents that he will pursue the next step in his physical strength, his captors use his request as an excuse to submit him to a horrifying surgical procedure which will change his very bones.

And that is where we're at.