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Side Story 1: The ‘Summoned Hero’
When I was a kid, my parents were met with a tragic accident. Ever since then, my life has been met with misfortune. My relatives abandoned me, my former friends began ignoring me, and I was given looks of disdain by other people in the orphanage I was taken to. For a majority of my life, I have been shunned by others, and I was only able to find comfort three things: manga, anime and video games.
I really like those stories where the MC is brought to another world as a hero, and trains to defeat the demon lord. They’re given unique abilities that causes them to be completely overpowering, and defeat the demon lord easily at the end. But most importantly; they were always popular. All the ladies would fall for them. Those were my favorite stories. It was something I wanted to experience myself, but never expected to happen. And here I am, inside a grand guest room provided by the people who summoned me to become their [Hero].
“Good morning Chris, it’s Ash and Raina. May we come in?” A voice calls out to me right outside the door.
“Ah, yeah! Go ahead!” I reply as I sit up on my bed.
A boy entered the room shortly afterwards, followed along by his little sister. They both had snow white hair and wore matching clothes, but their eye colors were different. The brother was quite tall, and looked like one of those cold, distant bishoujos from some of the manga I read. The girl looked as if she just hit 14 years old, but she had a distant aura around her. These two took part in summoning me, and the boy was the first one to greet me.
“So, how’re you feeling? It must be hard to process everything we told you.” The boy name Ash spoke first, asking about my condition.
Yesterday, they gave me several explanations about where I was summoned to. Rather than being summoned into another world, I was brought into another ‘dimension’ altogether that linked several worlds together. Apparently, my world wasn’t part of this dimension because I wouldn’t have been summoned otherwise. In this dimension, each world had their own individual [System] that can allows citizens of their worlds to have video-game like properties.
In a majority of these worlds, an organization called the [Adventurer’s Guild] has established themselves in them. They explain what the guild does, and how the tiers and ranking words in it. They also talk about the different races that exists in this dimension, and about [Dungeon Worlds].
“Honestly, I was already expecting to hear about half the things you told me about.” I admitted. This world was much different than from the games I’ve played and the manga I read.
“Is that so? I’m quite thankful that you didn’t panic in that kind of situation. After all, you were summoned into an unknown place surrounded by five strange people.” He says to me.
“Well, let’s say that I’ve read too many ‘fantasy novels’ that have plots similar to this, which allowed me to calm down after realizing what happened.” I said ‘fantasy novels,’ but really, it was just manga.
“If that’s your reason for keeping your calm in such a situation, then I won’t question it. Just remember to keep the fact that you were summoned a secret.” I nod in response to this.
During the explanation I was given yesterday, I was also told to keep my summoning hidden. Apparently, if it got out that the Humans were successful in summoning a person from another dimension, then other ambitious kingdoms, organizations and perhaps even other races would also attempt to do so. To avoid this, they gave me an alias.
My name remained the same, but I was came from a small village in the edge of the country and came to the capital to become an adventurer. I supposedly attract Ash’s attention during an expedition he took part of outside the city, and he decided to take me as a disciple. I was brought back to the castle to undergo personal training by him, and obtained special permission from the king himself for to right to roam the castle freely.
“So why did you guys summon me anyway? Is there a [Demon Lord] that needs to be killed or something?” There’s gotta be some sort of danger for them to need to summon a hero.
“We received a certain… ‘prophecy’ from a reliable source, and it said that we would require a person of strength beyond gods to defeat a powerful force that plans to destroy [Sykerion] in approximately two years, maybe less. It’s unknown what exactly this force is, but our king did not want to take any chances, and therefore, decided to summon you.” Ash explains to me.
“And you couldn’t just find a really strong person to take up this job?” I ask.
“Not at all. First, we can’t trust the other races due to the chance that they may be the force that tries to destroy our world. Second, There are currently no known humans who have reached the [God-Tier], or anyone who would pledge to help our world for that matter. Third, we can’t afford to cultivate someone personally because we’re afraid that one year won’t be enough time. We’re riding our hopes on the fact that you can become powerful in a short amount of time, Chris.” They must’ve been real desperate if they had to resort to this. There was no guarantee that would summon someone who fulfilled their requirements. Heck, do I even qualify?
“How do you guys know whether or not I meet your expectations? What if I’m just a normal boy with no special perks at all?”
“Well, the easy way to do that is to get someone to use a skill called [Analyze], which allows us to examine your [Status]. By the way, why don’t you check it out now?” He suggests.
“You still haven’t told me how to do that yet.” I remind him.
“Oh, sorry. Just recite it in your head and a blue ethereal screen should appear in front of you that only you can see.” He explains to me.
I do as he says, and sure enough, a status screen appears. Strangely though, instead of it being blue like Ash said, the screen was colored red. But I forget about that as I look at the ethereal screen in front of me.
[table=red]NameChristopher RidenAge17 Years OldGenderMaleTitles[Hero] [Natural Grinder]Classes[None]Level1Health1,160Mana2,035Strength42Agility38Intelligence77[/table]
I was surprised to see that there were only three main stats displayed other than health and mana. There was nothing like charisma, luck or any of that displayed on the screen.
“Why are there only three main stats?” I ask Ash.
“Hm? Isn’t it natural there’s only three? Is there supposed to be more?” He replies with a natural tone. Right, they grew up with the [System] like this, so of course it would be natural for them that there’s only the three of these.
“Well, the thing is; in the dimension came from, we had something called RPGs…” I explain to Ash about RPG’s in my world, and how their stat system works.
“So these games also have stats outside of our main three. Some of them sound quite silly, in my opinion.” He responds unexpectedly.
“How can one’s charisma or leadership be put as a numerical value? A person’s appearance is based on another’s preferences, and a person’s ability to command is based on his knowledge on war tactics and the battlefield. Though I can understand the uses of a stat such as dexterity for people with non-combat classes, but the [System] has not recognized it to be a proper stat that can be numerically valued. At least, that’s the only thing I can assume.” Ash states his honest opinion in reply to my explanations. I guess it kind of makes sense, because it’s still real life. Everyone has a different perspective on who’s charismatic, or who’s a good leader.
“By the way, what are your starting stats right now? You should be level one, right?” I nod in reply before telling him my stats.
“I have 42 in [Strength], 38 in [Agility] and 77 in [Intelligence].” Ash’s face is filled with shock upon hearing this. “Are these stats amazing?”
“Amazing? That’s beyond amazing! Your total stat points amount to over 150, despite being at level 1! A normal person would only have around 30 to 40 points total. Even prodigies and geniuses would have around 50 to 70.” He says with awe in his voice. So I was basically over twice as strong as a normal ‘prodigy’ of this world.
“I can only imagine how your stats will turn out when you finally obtain a class.” Ash adds afterwards.
“How does that work, anyway? Do you have to complete a set of quests, fulfill any conditions or just pick it whenever?” I didn’t know how this kind of thing worked, so I just thought of all the methods that were used in mangas and video games.
“There are two ways to do so, both which you just inquired. The first is an artificial way developed by the [Adventurer’s Guild], where you can pick your classes. This is the most common way to select the class, because you don’t really need to complete any conditions to receive one. The other way is to fulfill certain conditions before the [System] grants it to you. More rare classes can be found through this method, and the guild has not found a way to artificially integrate these classes to be selectable.” He tells me.
“What about the amount of classes someone can have? Is everyone restricted to a single class that can become more powerful and branch out, or can they select multiple classes?”
“Actually, both are a possibility. Someone can select a simple [Swordsman] class and eventually branch into a [Knight] or [Duelist]. It is possible to have multiple classes, but the limit is unknown. Only your first class can be selected, while the rest is obtained through training. For example, if you’re a [Swordsman] and you start to practice magic to a certain amount, you can also become a [Mage]. Sometimes, if you obtain two classes and they’re compatible, then they will mix into a hybrid class. Using the earlier example, a person with both a [Swordsman] and a [Mage] class will have the both of them mix and turn into [Magic Swordsman].” Ash explains.
“Wow that sounds cool. But it would be better to focus on few classes, or else you’ll just become a jack-of-all-trades, right?” I mean, having someone who is average in magic and physical combat won’t do much against a person who’s extremely strong in one of those two aspects.
“Yes, rather than just having multiple classes and hoping some of them will mix into hybrids, sometimes it’s better to stick to one or two classes and focus on them. A hybrid class doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. That’s a good way of thinking, as expected of the one who was summoned as the [Hero].” The sudden praise caught me off guard, but it felt kind of nice to hear it.
“I want to check the skills list to see if I started any. Is it the same way as opening my [Status]?” I ask. He nods in reply, and I recite [Skills] in my head. Again, a red table appears in front of me.
[table=red]SkillsFantasy Barrier [Level 1]
Enchanted Attack [Level 1]
Final Stand [Level 1]
Sound Step [Level 1]
Heightened Reactions ]Level 1]
Beastly Instincts [Level 1]
Arch-Mind [Level 1][/table]
“Just like I thought, I already have a bunch of skills.” I think aloud.
“Must be the side effect of being a [Summoned Hero]. Most people do not start with any skills at level one, so you’re definitely an exceptional person.” Ash comments.
“I’m going to assume that these skill levels are the same as my proficiency with them. Is that right?” I ask.
“It depends on the type of skill it is, because some are more generalized while others are more specific. For example, one of my skills is [Fire Magic], which is basically the ability to create flames with mana and manipulate them. The higher the skill level is, the more freely I can manipulate fire. These kinds of skills are easy to obtain, but harder to master.
“There are also skills that passively improves your status in different ways. These skills have no way of leveling up, but they’re usually effective in the long run due to the fact that they require no activation, and often raise your status by a portion of your original. These are the hardest skills to obtain, because you have to go through strict training of some sort and fulfill unknown conditions to get them.
“Some skills are a bit special, though, and are separate from the category they should be in. Another skill I have is called [Inferno Wolf], which should be categorized under the [Fire Magic] skill. It has its own skill level though, because it can be improved even further. The higher the skill of level is for these type of skills, the more efficient they will become.
“Now, there are also special skills that don’t fall under any category, but they’re often more powerful. They’re harder to learn, though, and some may even require certain conditions to even use them. A friend of mine had a skill called [Titan Strength], which basically multiplied his strength greatly. He can use this as a trump card to turn a situation around in the span of a minute or two.” Ash thoroughly explains the different types of skills for me, which I listened to completely.
“If skills can be learnt, they can be created as well, right?” I continue inquiring about how the skills worked, curious about the limits of the [System]
“Yes, it is possible, but it depends on what you mean by ‘creating’ a skill.” He replies.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Anyone can ‘create’ a skill, whether it just be a simple chain of attacks put together, but to have it recognized as a proper ability by the [System] is a different task. It requires a set of strict conditions to be met before it becomes an actual ability supported by the [System]. These skills are often called [Unique Skills].”
“Are there any benefits from a self-made skill being supported by the [System]? Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a point to having the [System] recognize it.”
“Correct. There are benefits from having the support of the [System] itself. First, the [System] can improve the skill itself based on your proficiency with it. But because it’s self-made, you can also improve it in your own way by adding additional effects alongside the [System]’s upgrades.”
“...huh? I didn’t understand that at all.” Unlike the previous explanations, this was far too confusing for me.
“Well, a visual example would be easier in this case. Would you like to go to the practice grounds for a demonstration?” I take his offer by nodding my head, and he exits the room with his sister while I follow closely behind. As we walk through the grand hallways
“So I’m finally going to see magic right? Moreover, a self made one by you?” I ask with an impatient tone in my voice. It’s going to be my first time seeing magic in action, after all.
“You’ll get to see magic, but I’m not the one with the [Unique Skill]. Raina is the one that will be doing the demonstration.”
“Your little sister has already made her own skill!?” Although I didn’t understand his earlier explanation, it sounded like creating a skill was a difficult feat.
“Yeah, she’s an absolute genius.” Ash says with pride. “When we were still attending [Adventurer’s School], she was tied for the second strongest student in the school. She graduated with an [A-Rank], and quickly rose in the ranks of the guild, surpassing me just about a week ago when she became an [Immortal-Tier] [B-Ranked] adventurer.”
“It sounds like she might reach that [Legend-Tier] that very few humans have achieved. You think she’ll be able to compete with the other races?” According from yesterday’s explanations, Humans were one of the weaker races in this dimension.
“Although the other races have the advantage of natural magic affinities or unique abilities, I believe that Raina can easily match them with her stats and skills. In fact, I think she might even be able to reach [God-Tier]!” Ash speaks with full confidence, believing that his little sister had such potential.
“She’s really quiet, though. I don’t think I’ve heard her voice yet. Is she shy around strangers or something?”
“Yeah, she’s fairly shy. She’s actually quite playful once you get to know her, often going around in search of risks and danger. Isn’t that right, Raina?” She actually nods in reply, which is the first display of communication I’ve seen from her ever since my arrival.
We continue talking about random things as we head to the practice grounds. He gave me more information about the world, explaining the [Adventurer’s Guild] in more detail and talking about different features of the [System] such as the [Party System] and the [Duel System]. He also told me about different races and what traits or unique abilities they had.
When we reach the practice grounds, I was amazed by the sight. It looked like a complete forest, with flourishing plants and large trees filling the entire place, and there was even a small breeze causing them to sway. I see several people dueling each other in mock combat at full force. They’re really going at it, so I guess the [Duel System] was at work right now. They were using swords, hammers, daggers, magic, and even guns.
Wait a minute.
Guns?
“You guys actually have guns in this world, with magic!?” I yell in astonishment.
“Yes we do. They’re called [Magic Guns], an extremely powerful weapon developed by Humans in an attempt to make up for having no unique traits like other races. Although very efficient, their potential is limited. Adventurers who use them generally can’t get past the [Legend-Tier] ranks, so there are no known marksman in the [God-Tiers].”
“Why is that? I’d imagine someone using a machine gun with magic would wreak a lot of havoc.” It didn’t make any sense to me that a powerful weapon which can be used as a medium for magic doesn’t have high potential.
“Guns may be powerful, yes, but in the end, everything that’s fired from it are basically projectiles of magic. A [God-Tier] mage would have the abilities to block, deflect or disintegrate those projectiles of magic, while [God-Tier] warriors can block or destroy them. That’s what it means to be [God-Tier], so adventurers who rely only on [Magic Guns] won’t reach it.” He explains to me.
“Aria relies on them a lot though…” An adorable voice whispers. Although I didn’t see her moving her mouth, I would guess that it was Raina.
“Ah, yes, that’s true I guess. But she’s also capable of using any weapon that goes into her hand, and the largest variety of magic anyone is capable of under the [Immortal-Tier].” A smile appears on Raina’s face as she hears Ash’s reply.
“Who is this Aria person?” I ask him. Judging by Raina’s reaction to Ash’s praise, she must’ve been a respectable adventurer Raina looked up to.
“A junior back who attended the same school as us. She was Raina’s best friend.” That works, too, I guess. I didn’t ask any more questions because I didn’t think there would be interesting to know about this Aria person.
“Hey there Ash, pretty rare to see you around here. Who’s the new guy?” A large man suddenly approaches Ash from the practice grounds, greeting him. He was wearing heavy platemail armor, and had a giant warhammer attached to the back of his armor.
“Hello Marius, this is Christopher Riden, my disciple. Chris, this is Marius, a member of the Royal Guard.” Ash introduces the both of us to each other, and I wave my hand at him.
“You’re only 18, and you’re taking on a disciple. Moreover, it’s a little twig like him. Are you sure you haven’t gone mad yet?” Ignoring me, Marius starts criticizing Ash.
“I am perfectly sane, Marius. In a week or two, you’ll see why I chose him.” He replies in a calm manner, unfazed by Marius’s criticism.
“Whatever, it’s your choice. Soon enough, you’ll see that you’re still too young and inexperienced to be taking in disciples and stuff. So what brings you to the practice grounds?” Marius asks, changing the subject.
“Well, I’m here to show off Raina and give him an idea of what a [Unique Skill] looks like, so can you get the other guys to clear out for a couple of minutes?” Ash requests.
“Sure, don’t see the problem with that. It’d be nice to see the power of one of the king’s personal soldiers” Marius says with a grin before turning to the soldiers training in the forest.
“Hey guys! Raina wants to show off for a bit, so step out for a minute and watch what a real skill looks like!” She must’ve been fairly respected around here, because the soldiers quickly stopped whatever they were doing and left the practice grounds in an excited manner.
“Mind changing the location to an open area location that’s really hot? Something like a desert should be fine.” Strangely, Ash says that to no one in general.
At least, that’s what I thought, until the forest floor began shaking and a loud rumble can be heard. Everything within the forest began being absorbed into the ground, even the trees and grass. Eventually, the entire practice ground turns into an empty field made of stone. Afterwards, cracks began to emerge in the stone and broke it apart, turning the field of stone into a field of rocks. It continues to break down though, turning the rocks into pebbles, and the pebbles into even break down. When the entire process is over, the beautiful forest that was just here has turned into a complete desert.
“Wha… what the heck just happened!? The forest completely turned into a desert! Heck, even the air is getting warmer just from standing here!” I yell in shock.
“It’s called a [Magic Landscape]. Very expensive to build, but it allows us to change the terrain however we like. This is useful for practicing in different locations and conditions for our soldiers.” Ash answers.
“Haven’t you seen any before? Most [Adventurer’s Schools] should have them.” Marius asks.
“He’s from the countryside, so he hasn’t attended [Adventurer’s School].” Ash explains to him.
“So you got a random guy who doesn’t know the basics of adventuring as your disciple. Sounds like you’re an amazing master, with an amazing disciple, huh?” He replies sarcastically.
“Think what you will, but he’s probably going to surpass the both of us real soon. Anyway, Raina, go find a good location to use our skill, I’m going to head to the top of the [Observer’s Tower] with Chris.” Nodding in reply to her brother, Raina walks into the scorching landscape alone.
“You guys seriously have everything, don’t you? I guess it’s to be expected of the largest kingdom in [Atalin].” I say to Ash as he leads us to the tower.
“I can only imagine your surprise when you the castles of other [Living Worlds]. More specifically, the world of clockwork machines and robots, [Syitist].” Ash replies.
“Is there like a different world for everything? Because that’s what it sounds like.”
We talk about more trivial things as we enter the tower and climb the stairwell. Before I even noticed, we’re already at the top of tower. There, was a giant lounge room, and a huge glass window that gives a clear view of the practice grounds. I look out the window, only to see Raina standing in the middle of the desert all alone.
“Was it necessary to turn the landscape into a desert? I mean, an empty wasteland alone could work to demonstrate her skill.” I point out.
“Though unnecessary, it does help display the full potential of it. You’ll see what I mean soon enough, just watch. She’s about to start.” Just as Ash said, some sort of blue, aura-like substance starts to gather in the sky. Although I’ve never seen it before, I’m sure that this substance is the energy known as ‘mana.’ They start to form into large clouds of mana, filling the sky above the castle.
At first, they were thin and transparent, but as more and more mana gathered, the clouds gradually became thicker and denser. Soon enough, it became so dense that the clouds eventually start blocking out the sunlight, enveloping the castle in complete darkness. They start to spiral around ominously, before they all change directions and bolt downwards onto Raina’s position.
Upon impact, the clouds instantly turns into a white mist that begins spreading along the desert floor. By the time the mist disperses into the air, it had already covered nearly the entire span of the landscape, leaving behind a field of ice. Everything the mist had touched was now covered in a layer of ice, except for Raina herself. There was no sign of the ice being affected by the heat of the desert.
“Raina’s own [Unique Skill], [Crystal Battlefield]. It creates a battlefield of ice that hinders the opponent’s movements greatly and even weakens the effect of their magic. On the other hand, it’ll increase Raina’s combat abilities and amplify the effects of her own magic. She’s pretty much undefeatable against anyone in the same ranking as her in this field of ice.” Ash boasts proudly.
“...and you’re saying that she was tied for second in her school?” I couldn’t even imagine another person around her age being capable of this. Heck, I can’t even believe that there was someone who was more powerful than her.
“...I’ll take back my previous statement about Raina being undefeatable. Believe it or not, there’s actually someone who’s far stronger than Raina. Although this person’s skills aren’t as fancy or large scale, she is the absolute strongest.” His words sends a chill through me, due to how serious he sounded.
“What makes her so special?” I ask, curious about this Aria person now.
“Everything about her: Strength capable of lifting warhammers without breaking a sweat, speed beyond a bullet, a magic armory beyond anything I’ve seen or read about.” He speaks of her as if she was some sort of goddess of war.
“So tell me why you summoned me when there’s already someone like her?” With a war goddess on your side, I’m not really needed at all.
“Aria has the potential to become [God-Tier], a very powerful asset that would be useful for fighting against this unknown force. But you, Chris, have the potential to reach [Titan-Tier], which is something that we may need. It didn’t exactly specify how powerful it was, but the stronger you become, the higher the chances are of being victorious in this battle, and the amount of casualties will be reduced.” Ash’s answer caused me to freeze in surprise for a bit. According to him, [Titan-Tier] is a rank that no one’s ever reached yet throughout history. I can potentially be one of the first few to reach it.
“I like the smile on your face. Does that mean you’re ready to get started on training?” Ash asks with a grin, and I give him the obvious answer that he was expecting.
“Hell yes I do!”
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Well, there’s the slightly boring side story. There hasn’t been a show of the [Hero]’s power this story, but I’ll try to give a demonstration in the future when he becomes stronger in the next side story. Now I’ll get back to the main story, and we’ll return Aria’s departure to the hardest dungeon in {Sykerion]. Stay tuned, guys!
P.S. Sorry about the boring side story.
P.P.S I need help. VRDraco is slave driving me to death for me to write more. ARGH!