Arc 1: In the Depths of Alchamara.

Chapter 1: A sudden wake.

Adam’s POV

"UGH! My goddam head!" I screamed in agony. I had no idea what happened after provoking that wannabe god, but all I could focus on was the relentless pain.

Rolling on the cold, hard ground, I sensed both wetness and coldness. In my disoriented state, I would have done anything to escape the torment.

After a while, exhaustion set in, the pain subsided a bit, and I could finally think and assess my surroundings.

I tried opening my eyes, but they refused to open up, so the only thing I could do was to feel and sense what was going on around me. The was first sensations I registered were the cold, unyielding ground beneath me and the unsettling wetness. But the water was very sticky so it wasn't water; the smell was all too familiar.

Blood… No, I'm the one bleeding.

The realization hit me like a bolt. The splitting pain in my head wasn't just a headache; it was an injury. On the ground, I reached for my head, exploring to assess the damage.

Thankfully, my head wasn't split open, but I could feel a sizable gash that needed urgent attention unless I wanted to become a retard for the rest of my life.

Surveying my surroundings, I tried to call for help but I had no energy to scream let alone stand up.

After a little while, I could finally open my eyes and the darkness surrounded me, except for a faint sun ray piercing through from right above me. I immediately deduced that I had fallen into a large hole, surrounded by a mix of dirt and stone.

Regardless, I didn't want to dwell on it. I attempted to swiftly rip apart my clothes to fashion a makeshift bandage, but a problem emerged.

I wasn't able to tear open my clothes.

Wha-?

It was then that I noticed how thin and small my hands had become.

What in the world…?

A sudden wave of realization hit me. Now, with a pounding pain in my head, bleeding profusely, and devoid of energy to stand or call for help, I came to the stark awareness that I now had the arms of a child.

I almost accepted my fate of dying again, but just when all hope seemed lost, my body started glowing for some reason, and some kind of warmth overtook me. The pain suddenly subsided enough to let me think, and I felt like the opened gash on my head had closed down.

My body relaxed a bit, and exhaustion finally overtook me. While I had many questions, my weariness proved the stronger adversary, and I succumbed to its embrace.

I woke up later and noticed that the little sunshine coming down from the hole was gone which meant the night had risen. I didn’t know how long I had slept but it wasn’t a bad thing since now my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, so I could see a bit in this pitch-black environment, but it didn't matter; I still couldn't discern faraway details.

Sitting up, I felt the cold and wet ground beneath me, damp with my own blood. I didn't mind it much because I had more discerning things to check. The first thing I checked after waking up was my body. Besides the gash, I noticed that I had the arms of a kid, not my usual toned and muscular ones that I took pride in.

“Wait… doesn’t that mean…” I immediately Panicked and my hands went straight to my crotch, I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt a small bulge there.

“Thank god my Manhood is still there.”

Inspecting further, I confirmed my suspicions; besides my arms, my entire body now resembled that of a brat.

I sighed, "Looks like that wanna-be God isekai'd me in the end."

What am I supposed to do now?

Now I’m just a brat, I got nothing with me, no knowledge, no connections, no family, no weapons. Besides this shirt, pants and shoes, I got literally nothing.

And that thought… Really excited me.

I finally have nothing holding me back, I can do whatever I want, I don’t have to be mindful of my actions, and neither did have to me careful with whoever I had to meet.

Though while I was happy, My stomach made a gurgling sound and snapped me back to reality, I was hungry, and stuck in a hole… with no food.

Uh oh. Please don’t let my new life end before it even began.

Wait, now that I think about it, what was that light from before that just healed me up?

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Is there magic in this world? Can I do magic?

I finally stood up to scream abracadabra just in case when I heard someone’s voice.

"Connection re-established with the host."

"Who's there!?" I shouted almost instinctively.

“It’s me.”

It didn’t seem like the other party wanted to hurt me but it helped to be safe. I raised my hands in a fighting pose before screaming again, "Where are you? Show yourself coward, I ain't afraid!”

I've already been isekai'd once; I don't mind getting isekai'd again!

"Alper, it's me, Your Core Nexus. Please relax and rest for now. I've used the last of our materials to heal you so you don't die. The only thing I recommend you doing now is to rest and conserve your energy." Her voice was monotone, almost robotic. But I don't know if it was due to the brain injury, but I couldn't tell where the voice was coming out from. It was almost as if it was resonating inside my head.

I lowered my guard and called out again. I didn’t know who Alper was or what a Core Nexus was, but I couldn’t talk to the darkness until I knew who I was facing. "Well hi, pleasure to meet you voice in the darkness. You know, It’ll be quite swell if we’re talking face to face."

The voice fell silent for some time. I couldn’t discern if it was confused or contemplating, but I kept looking around for any signs of movement.

"What is your name?" it asked me and all the hair on my body stood up in fear.

I don’t know why, but my instincts told me I had to be very careful in how I answer from here on out.

"… Isn't it common courtesy to speak your name first?"

"You never gave me a name, Alper."

"Who's this Alper you keep speaking of?" I said carefully before the voice fell silent again while I started thinking deeply.

Wait a minute, what if… instead of growing young, did I possess some poor kid’s body?

It didn’t make sense at first, but now that I think about it, no kid would survive a fall like that from the hole above that I saw before, and considering the amount of blood loss and the giant gash on the forehead, it was quite probable that some kid died and I overtook his body with my soul.

Is that what happened after I met that wanna-be God she banished me and I went to this kid’s body like a magnet?

“Alper, did you get amnesia? Do you remember anything about how you got here?”

“… no?”

“Your parent’s?”

My parents aren’t of this world, so no.

“Uhhh… No?”

“You don’t remember anything?”

“nope. I just woke up, was bleeding everywhere, and now I’m talking to someone who won’t even show herself.”

“Alper… It seems like I was too late to heal you which caused some serious damage. Forgive me.”

“I’ll forgive you if you show yourself.”

“Alper, I am your Core Nexus, or more specifically, you made me. You can see me anytime you want.”

I made her? Like a build a bear?

"Alper, I’m going to forcefully make you enter your Core Nexus Area; it might feel weird, so please brace yourself."

Wha-?

She told me to brace myself but didn’t even give me a chance before everything went dark.

I felt like I was moving through the very space and the cosmos. It happened for only a brief moment before I could see again, and what I saw made me flabbergasted. If there was a word to describe it, then it was like I was looking at a miniature floating solar system.

In the center, a bright glowing yellow orb, not on fire like the sun, but radiating like a light bulb. Four smaller crystal-like orbs orbited around it, one of those small orbs was shining with a yellow light.

Surrounding us was a deep and dark outer space that stretched to infinity, creating a mesmerizing scene of celestial beauty. The vastness of this cosmic environment left me in awe.

"I am your Core Nexus." The light of the bright yellow orb in the middle fluctuated with each word, resonating in my mind.

"You created me.”

I created her? This solar system look-alike thing?

By now, I already knew that I was possessing some poor kid’s body because there was no way I could make this solar system like thing, and how did I even get here?

“You seem confused. You can ask me anything you like.”

I had many questions to ask but I knew I had to be careful first most, I felt like I’d be in danger if I asked anything wrong.

“Then… What are you? Or more specifically, what is a Core Nexus?”

“Everyone is born with a core nexus; each person can access their own core nexus that is located in their Core nexus area in the subconsciousness of their heart. The core nexus’s main function is to make their users stronger by telling them their stats, helping them in doing their metal weaving, Alchemy, upgrading the users through core nodes, and lastly storing materials in their nexus core storage area.

What?

…Honestly, that just gave me more questions than answers.

“I don’t understand anything you just said?”

“When a baby is born, they will always be born with a weak and inert nexus core. Through learning and experience they will be able to access their Core nexus after they are a few years old. The core nexus is like an organ for each person, helping them grow in any fashion they want.”

That makes a bit more sense… I’m guessing that’s just how they people of this world are, Quite alien but also a bit exciting.

“Can they all talk like you?”

“No and yes. Let me explain further, The inert core of a baby has to awaken first, it awaken into a random evolution of the core nexus and then only through slowly feeding the core nexus precious materials can you evolve it further. I awoke as a Sentient core and then you fed me materials that could enhance the intelligence of the core Nexus, and thus, I evolved into a Sentient Core II. With the power to think for itself, and help you in further calculations."

Oh, so you’re like an A.I? Or rather you were evolved into one as such? I still don’t know that much.

“So you’re like a built in computer?”

“A computer?”

Oh wait, Maybe the don’t have computers here.

“That is an accurate representation. I’m surprised you remember something as negligent as a Computer, especially since we only read about it once. This means, there’s some hope in you remembering everything.”

I don’t know why computers are negligent but I don’t have much info about anything so I don’t know what to ask.

“Alper, Might I recommend you checking all your basic stats which might help you remember who you are?”

“My basic stats?”

“Yes, let me show you.”

A game like window screen opened in front of me.

Statistics:

Basic Information:

Name: Alper Alaric (Adam Vagner)

Health Points (HP): 77/125 (Current/Maximum)

Nexus Energy Points (NEP): 272/600 (Current/Maximum)

Age: 14

Gender: Male

Overall Stats:

Strength (STR): 6

Vitality (VIT): 5

Endurance (END): 5

Intelligence (INT): 36 (+10)

Dexterity (DEX): 10

Wisdom (WIS): 27 (+5)

Charisma (CHA): 8

Metalweaving Mastery (MW): 2

Alchemical Mastery (AM): 32

As I inspected the information in front of me, A single thought kept passing in my head.

Holy shit, Am really I in a game?