"That's some warm welcome." I complained.

One of the guys with a baton took a step forward at my words, "tsk! You better be grateful our boss and the little miss took it upon themselves to come out here to see you."

"Eyang, that idiot just gave out the secret you didn't want to divulge." Linda, the girl said to her grandpa, who is standing there smiling gently at her. "Hush child, be polite with your words. I am sorry for this," he then said to us. "Linda, smart as she may be, is much too young. While Budiman is just over enthusiastic. May I inquire about your reasons to be here?"

"But Eyang, I'm eleven!"...

"We're not here to cause trouble." Henry said, "my wife here needs a checkup for her and the fetus, do you have any doctors around?"

** thonk **

"Can't you ask normally!?" A finger poked him on the head. "Sorry sir Herman. I'm Jennifer, this weird guy is Henry, my boyfriend and the quiet guy behind us is Zane."

She did a quick bow -- Too much anime, sheez. -- and continued to talk, a lot. "But it's as he said, I kinda do need a maternal checkup. Is the hospital still open? Are you really the boss? Your granddaughter is so cute! Are debit cards still working? Are those batons magical? The scalpel? Please, if you know."

Henry quietly rubs his head, though I heard a faint, “weird guy..?”

Mr Herman took a moment to look at each of us, his eyes slightly lingered on our weapons and Jennifer’s belly. “Our hospital is not open, as in we're not accepting patients, but we do have doctors on standby here. As for the cards, well, I wouldn't count on it. The network has been unreliable.

"Before we get to that, as this doesn't seem like an emergency. Since you, all of you, seem healthy to me. I have some questions." He told us, evading more than half of Jennifer's questions. "What do you know about what's happening to the world right now?"

"Why do you as--" I almost replied, but we're just answering questions with more questions out of caution here. It's good to be cautious, though that will most likely never end. The girl seems well enough, cheeky but she seems intelligent and morally fine. Kids should be easier to read, probably. And we do need their help.

"Uh, well. All that I know right now is that the planet has become known as Argead and it's now larger. The continent has once again become one supercontinent, Pangea. Mana is now real, so we should be able to cast magic and that animals are, like, changing or mutating." I decided to answer, omitting the fact that we can already cast spells.

"Is that so," Herman patted Linda's head absent-mindedly. "Hmm, magic and the animals we know of. How did you come across knowledge about the planet and the continent? Our satellites are not quite working as they should be, so our maps are currently impossible to update."

At this, Henry took over. "Do you know about your status profile?"

"We do, yes."

"You might notice it says there, your gender, race and then Argead under name." Henry continued his explanation, "we have a skill that can help give us more details about various, things."

"Is that so," Herman focuses his sights on us. "I propose a trade then. I have information you guys might be interested in, something about how this all started. In exchange, I want you to teach Linda, my employees and I this skill you mentioned."

"I got it!" All eyes turned to see a little girl hopping in celebration. Earning her a question from her elder, "you got what?"

"The skill, its Inspect right?" She asked Henry. To which he nodded.

"Well it was pretty easy to get, just start looking at things and peoples and stuffs and really really check them out for everything!" She added joyfully, her eyes wondering to everyone present, only pausing slightly to focus then read something in the air.

"Care to elaborate?" The grandpa looks at us.

"She's amazing!" Jen said excitedly. "I have the skill now too, she's a great teacher. You're very smart!" She approached Linda and they started chatting in girlish.

Henry went to explain the skill for the less gifted people, which left me alone with nothing to do. They started moving inside as they talk, so I followed, someone locked the door behind us before walking along, soon we reached a lobby of sorts.

Well, everyone is doing their own thing, and since it's been a while. So I found a seat and decided to check my profile. 'Status please.'

** DING **

Name: Zane Fair Prayoga

Specification: Male. Human. Argead.

Level: 1 (997/1000)

Hp: 100 / 100

Mp: 339 / 339

Sp: 110 / 110

Str: 10

Con: 10

Dex: 10

Int: 13

Wis: 12

Wil: 12

Cha: 10

Ap: 0

Syscred: 1011

Fp: 0

Titles: [Mind as old as Time], [Memories of Forever, Forever lost], [Pioneers of Magic], [Prodigy Mage], [Spell Dilettante], [Pristine Peddler]

Traits: Adaptable, Metamorphosible Mana, Immortal Mind, Memory Vault

Skills:

Sneaking 4

Mace Proficiency 3

Inspect 7

Unarmed combat proficiency 1

Meditation 3

Poison Resistance 1

Mana Manipulation 7

Visualization 4

Thrown Weapons Proficiency 1

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

Dagger Proficiency 3

Mana Sense 3

Artificial Infusion 1

Spells:

Disinfect - Basic

Unsoil - Basic

Distill - Basic

Light - Basic

Coat - Basic

Mend - Basic

Ignite - Basic

Soften - Basic

Wind Arrow - Basic

Conjure Flames - Basic

Mold Earth - Early

Magico Disk - Intermediate

Conjure Dagger - Basic

Lesser Heal - Basic

I sigh reading my experience, three more to level two, three more!! Maybe I should go out and hunt something. It's a tempting idea... but, maybe later. I sigh internally. Creds are nice, it's money, the more is always the better. As for skills and spells, I probably have more than I can properly utilize or train. But, better have them and not need them than vice versa. Besides, it's fun to have something to collect.

Now the thing that I'm more concerned about is Prodigy Mage and Memory Vaults. I don't really remember seeing them. Hmm~. Where's the lucky thingy title? I shrug, something more important probably came up and they just didn't make it into my long term memories.

'Inspect', x2. Let's check them out and hope nothing distracts me again.

** DING **

Prodigy Mage. The System is now sure it's not just luck you use to rediscover spells. You are the mage it's been looking for, talented and lucky to have discover at least ten spell on your lonesome. The world is not fair, the good only gets better and better, especially with less cost to cast spells and an amazing skill. Keep up the good work.

Alrighty, that's awesome. Less mana cost is definitely good and a new skill is also good, yes. I do wonder how much less, why is it being so vague. 'Show me the formulas, dammit!' I curse at the system in my head, it must be in here somewhere. Inside the minds of everyone in the multiverse even... maybe cursing at it demanding something is not a good idea.

Reach level fifteen

Huhhh?

Memory Vault. The treasure of the mind is best kept safe-y safe-st. Set or unset selected memories into memory vaults to make them fresh forever. Vault number limited by Int + Wis. A vault may only contain one memory.

A blue window popped up long enough for me to get a quick read before disappearing like a mirage, level fifteen what? Mindblown, I spent the next several minutes or so staring at inspect results, but catching none of its meaning.

"I got it!" Someone shouted, snapping me out of my haze. Looking at its source, I see Henry, the five security guards and Herman sitting in a loose circle on the floor or on random objects.

"And that's all of us," Herman said to the group. "Guess it's time for my side of the bargain."

"But, they didn't really fulfill theirs, miss Linda figured it out herself." Budiman complained, geez, he's so cliché. Please don't end up having to get killed to save the patients or something.

"Linda managed to do that thanks to the clues they gave, that would count as helping her get the skill in my book." Herman denies him, then looks at where his granddaughter is excitedly chatting with Jennifer. "Besides, she's right there chatting with one of them, I'll bet you half your salary she's almost done telling Jennifer her experience."

"No bet, thank you sir." Guess he's not that, stupid. Good! Might get to keep his life.

"Zen," Henry called. "Come and join us," he waved me close.

I approached and sat near Henry in the circle, "if we kill him, it's not anyone's fault but his." He whispered, I gave him a thumbs up. Guess he was thinking what I was too.

"No killing please." We hear Herman reply, both our necks snap at him. "You have an excellent hearing grandpa." Henry said, being the one to give the thumbs up instead.

"No promises, but I would rather not." I told him seriously. His eyes lingered at me as he began. "Alright, let's cut to the topic.

"In my old days, I've learned to trust my instincts and it's telling me right now that you three are not bad people. My granddaughter probably agrees, seeing how she behaved her age when with your friend. So I'll be honest and summarize this as best as I can, please don't interrupt.

"First of all. Our galaxy, The Milky Way, has been integrated into the multiverse through a vote and we all get introduced to The System. Now, Linda also said it was a forced one, something about non-denizen nomination which gives us a forced integration bonus. This bonus gives us a one year protection, 1 tier of mana we don't understand, and a System Point to all denizens.

"This integration happened Tuesday, four days ago, very early in the morning. We all got introduced in an instant that morning, everyone on the whole planet woke up in a white room before being sent back to Earth. The instant we're back from there, the government was quick to react and evacuated most people, though not everyone was evacuated successfully. Although there are also people like me, who choose to stay put, or maybe couldn't, or various other causes.

"Now about the rewards, this one year protection being protection from what and where it is placed at, we have no idea. But protections are good right, so we leave it be. The mana tier we're not sure about, Linda said she asked and was told that it increases the whole galaxy's mana tier by one, which means nothing to most of us, some others have theories. Linda is adamant it's a good thing.

"While the last is a System Point. In the white room, we were required to use the point to buy any one thing we wanted from a store, one thing at any price may be bought for that one point. After that, our memories get cleansed, Linda's words. Then we are sent back to Earth, right where we were previously."

He lifted his hands in a one moment gesture and continued. "The thing is that part where our memories were cleansed, it made us forget about the white room and anything that happened inside. Time also moves infinitely slowly in the white room, though Linda admits to spending a long time reading and memorizing entries from the store, long enough to give herself a memorizing skill. Which is how we know of all this, though she only retained what she actually put effort into memorizing. Which means, for example, losing the mental maturity she had gained throughout those years."

He said no more. We all sat in silence for a while to think about all that's been said. It sounds crazy but then again, so is the world now.

"Eyang! Enemies incoming!" A shout broke our silence. Herman and the guards hastily stands up, "where?" To which she says. "From the crossroad with the traffic lights, Eyang."

I know that place, after all, I would pass it by on the way to work everyday. Herman took command, having them leave in groups to various directions, some coming back with more people who are once again ordered somewhere else. He then asks us," what would you like to do?"

"We'll help of course!" Jen, who else.

"Alright, I need to know what you can do."

"What's coming?" I whispered to Linda, she somehow ended up standing near me. To which she answers, "Goblins, green child sized monsters. They're creepy." Well dang!

"We can use spells to shoot at them from range." Henry provided the answer, Linda wasn't a very good whisperer. Earning him a look from Herman, "that's interesting, all three of you? We couldn't get any to work. Fine, you guys go to the second floor balcony, shoot at them from above, follow Linda". Don't they know about the CredStore, they could've just bought one.

Rushing up a set of stairs and through some doors later, we're now looking at the Goblins marching in two uncoordinated lines, maybe about 150 meters away near the slight turn down the road.

"There's more of them!" A random guard exclaimed, he's on the balcony with us, holding a slingshot in his hands a sack beside him filled with pebble sized debris. I can count a dozen of them with various crude weapons.

"How many were there previously?" Henry asked the same guard, who turns out to be quite talkative. "The started coming on the second day the world went to shit, three of them. We defeated them easily enough. Then just yesterday, there were six of them, taking care of them costs us one death. He got too eager and got surrounded, not to mention those of us with several injuries. Now this." His face despaired.

Aren't goblins supposed to be fodder monsters? Trying to but getting nothing, they're way too far to inspect. A homing Magico disk also won't work as Mana Sense also can't reach that far. Manual control then, the description doesn't mention any range, having a range for losing control of them also didn't cross my mind when I was making designing the spell.

I ignore the three guards up here, making a slight ruckus seeing the two disks manifesting above me. By now I've had a little more familiarity with them, controlling the two no longer necessitates linking them to my two hands. They zoom out at my mental commands, first flying down to be parallel to the road at about fifty centimeters high, where I approximate the Goblins torso to be. Then I let them loose in a straight line at the marching Goblins.

I can still feel the disks under my control as they move further and force the first two Goblins to jump out of the way. They had an unobstructed view of the spell, which allowed them to jump clear of the trajectory. One of the disks managed to pierce the second Goblin in the left lane on its lower stomach then cause a glancing cut on the fourth Goblin's right thigh before getting stuck on the stomach of the fifth behind it. I felt my control of the spell dissipate at the moment of impact.

The other disk however flew wide, missing all enemies on the right lane. Yet, in exchange, the feeling of control is still present. So I made it take an incomplete u-turn to the left lane and hit the sixth goblin right through its torso, once again losing the feeling of control on impact. The disk flies off and smashes onto a building.

The enemies that got hit did not die just yet, allowing the three who got pierced to fall down and hit the ground while screeching in pain, instantly joined by the one who got cut. That caused the others to go frenzy and charge.