The rustle of leaves was the first thing he noticed, a soft whisper that drifted through the stillness. Next came the earthy scent of moss and damp foliage, grounding him in this unfamiliar place. He took a deep breath, concentrating on the silence around him. No birds, no animals—odd, considering he was deep within a forest. Perhaps a spell? Maybe one designed to ward off intrusions—or to make sure Kotan didn’t come back.

Slowly, Alistair opened his eyes, catching sight of the dappled light filtering through the dense canopy above. He estimated the time—three hours before noon, at most. It had been well past noon when he’d last been with Meera, so the process had taken longer than he’d expected.

Attempting to sit up, he felt an unexpected weakness, almost a sense of lethargy. He paused, then gathered his resolve and pushed himself upright. Stripping off his gloves and bracers, he examined his arms—slender, with barely any fat. His skin was strikingly fair, almost untouched by the elements.

He reached up, fingers tracing his face and running through his hair. No wrinkles, a hint of baby fat, and his hair felt thick and full—more than he’d grown used to. A small sense of vanity crept in, bringing a smirk to his face—until the memory of what he’d lost pulled him back to reality.

He stood up and inspected his body. The leather armor was oversized. With a sigh, he began to strip it off. Once he was done, he noticed the gambeson was oversized too, and suspected the tunic and trousers would be as well. Without a second thought, he removed everything, leaving himself bare.

Examining his body again, he realized that even calling himself “lean” would be generous. He wasn’t exactly skinny, but the lack of muscle definition made him look like someone who’d never worked a day in his life. He turned his attention to the two bags placed near where he’d woken up: one, a simple leather satchel—Kotan had prepared it under Meera’s direction; the other, a dark brown leather bag.

The dark brown bag had arrived after Kotan left. A woman dressed as a ranger had brought it. She must be one of Meera’s trusted administrators, he guessed. She hadn’t said anything, only placed the bag down, bowed to Meera, and departed. He’d been conscious back then—aware for at least an hour after the process began.

He opened the bag and inspected its contents. Finding what he was looking for, he took out a set of undergarments, a tunic, trousers, and a pair of leather boots. He tried them on and found they fit him perfectly. For a moment, he paused, wondering how Meera had communicated his exact size to the ranger. But he dismissed the thought quickly, turning his attention to a nearby tree stump.

In the center of the tree stump, an iron rod was impaled. But what caught his attention was the wooden doll leaning against it, dressed identically to Meera, right down to the simple circlet with its small red gem.

He approached the doll and stopped beside it. Kneeling, he carefully removed the circlet.

As he examined it in his hand, the circlet seemed even simpler up close. Glancing around to ensure he was alone, he brought the circlet close to his mouth and whispered, “Meera is the best.”

Pushing past the faint embarrassment, he focused on the circlet. Slowly, it began to glow with a soft red light. The metal melted, shifting to encase the small red gem fully. When the glow faded, he was left holding a perfectly rounded, slightly larger red gem.

Alistair stared at the gem briefly, then moved away from the doll to sit on the ground nearby. After making sure he had ample space around him, he looked at the gem once more, brought it to his mouth, and swallowed it. Thankfully, it was small enough to go down comfortably.

Now, he waited. All of this was part of what Meera had instructed him to do during the embedding of his soul. She’d mentioned that this would give him the "nice little surprise" she’d promised.

Suddenly, he felt a warmth in his stomach. The sensation spread, radiating through his body. When it reached his head, the warmth abruptly rushed and pooled there, and that’s when the pain began.

Alistair clutched his head with both hands. It felt as though thousands of needles were piercing his skull—pain unlike anything he’d experienced before. Gritting his teeth, he fought to control the agony. It’s not real, he reminded himself. This pain is only in my mind. Slowly, he managed to steady his breathing. But just as he began to release his grip, the pain intensified.

His eyes widened, and he fell backward, still clutching his head. The sensation of thousands of needles merged into a single massive stake, churning the inside of his skull. Just when he thought he couldn’t bear it any longer, the pain vanished.

Realizing he’d been holding his breath, Alistair took a series of deep breaths, wiping away the tears that had slipped down his face.

-You… you actually got through that without screaming.-

A voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Alistair sat up abruptly, instinctively looking around before realizing the voice was coming from inside his head. He’d experienced this before, long ago, when the "goddess" had communicated with him directly.

“…Meera, is that you?”

-?! How did you figure that out?!-

“I just made a connection. You told me you’d leave but also stay with me, so I assumed this was what you meant. And, you know, your voice is still the same.”

Alistair noticed something immediately: though the voice was identical, the tone was definitely different.

-Well… you’re right, kind of. I’m not the same Meera who was with you before.-

“Okay…”

-That’s it? You’re way too calm about this. Anyway, I was made from a small part of her soul. So, you could say I’m her, but not really her. I don’t have her memories.-

“A part of her soul? I took you from that doll—were you the one inside it?”

-Sort of. The main body was controlling the doll, but she put a part of her soul inside it so she could control it perfectly, just like her own body. She also planned to give you this part to help you.-

“Help me… how?”

-I… I don’t have the main body’s memory, but I do have all of the doll’s memories… all one day’s worth. I was also given a database with a lot of information that could help you. I can answer questions if you want to know more about the admins, the pantheon, or how to challenge the admin of this world.

-Oh! I was supposed to tell you something about the main body.-

“Tell me what?”

-Um… for the record, I don’t know why she did this. She wanted to remind you that even though she can’t lie, she can still deceive.-

“Yes, she told me this before.”

-Did you know that she’s not an admin?-

“What?!”

-She said that, during all the conversations you two had, she never once claimed to be an admin. If you came to that conclusion, it’s because she chose not to tell you otherwise—not because she lied.-

“… I see.”

-I’m sorry.-

“Why? You’re not the one who deceived me.”

-I’m part of her, so it does feel like I’m partly responsible. I really don’t know why she did that. I remember your conversations; it looked like you two were getting along. I don’t know why she’d want to deceive you.-

“Are you the same as her in that regard?”

-Pardon?-

“The ‘cannot lie’ thing.”

-Oh… yes, I also can’t lie, and yes, I can also deceive without technically lying. Not that I’m planning to!-

Alistair just smiled without responding. He realized why Meera had done this. This new Meera—the way she talked and reacted—she was just a kid, technically a newborn with a wealth of information. The real Meera was telling him, in her own way, that unlike her, he could trust this new Meera completely.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Because there was no way this “baby” could deceive him.

____________________________________

“What should I call you?”

-Um… you can name me.-

“You don’t have a name? Why don’t you choose your own?”

-I don’t think… I could come up with a good one.-

Alistair thought for a moment. “Alright, I’ll call you Ameera.”

-That’s… pretty simple. You just added an extra letter…-

“What? You don’t like it?”

-Actually… I do like it. Yeah, Ameera—it has a nice ring to it. Thank you.-

“Hmmm. So what’s next?” Alistair asked, turning to the black rod. “I’m guessing that.”

-Yes. The black rod is a medium that acts as a conduit to connect to the system. We’ll use it to initialize you—to awaken.-

“Okay, what should I do?”

-Just grab the black rod. I’ll handle the rest of the initialization.-

Alistair stood and approached the stump, grabbing the black rod without a second thought. Nothing happened, but he wasn’t in a hurry, so he waited, assuming Ameera would let him know if anything went wrong.

-Aaaand… it’s done! You should be able to open your status window now. Some sections might be blank, but you can fill in the personal information.-

With a thought, Alistair opened his new status window.

Page 1/1

Name:

Age:

Class:

Level:

Alistair

17

--

1

Statistics

STR

AGI

DEX

10

10

10

MAG

SEN

ATT

10

10

10

-First things first, we need to pick a new name for you. We can’t use Alistair—or your original name, Bernard. Not that it really matters, but just as a precaution. When you start getting famous, you—-

“The name part is already filled in.”

-...What?-

“I think the only blank field is ‘class.’”

-Wait, no, the name should be blank too. Let me see... huh... maybe it can be edited... no, it’s already fixed.

-Wait, let me check the medium... no… no… nooooooooo. That… that… bastard!-

“What happened?”

-It’s Kotan! He provided the medium for Meera—the black rod. He added a script! A script that ran as soon as you were initialized!-

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

-Argh! Okay, listen! ‘Initialized’ means ‘awakened.’ The black rod is what we used to connect your body to the system, and Kotan tampered with it. He pre-filled all your personal information. Luckily, we’re using a different system than the one champions usually get.-

“I see. So, he filled in my info to cause trouble for me. I noticed he put my name, but without my last name, and left the alias blank.”

-Yeah. I found the script he used. He actually filled out all your personal info—your full name, an alias, your class as ‘spearman,’ and even your age as 94, which I guess is what he thought it was. But like I said, we’re on a different system, so only your full name went through, and even that got swapped with your alias. None of the other details got through.-

“Oh, okay then.”

-…Why are you so calm? Aren’t you mad?!-

“I’m already planning to kill the guy, so there’s that. And this isn’t a big deal. Without the last name, Alistair isn’t that uncommon. I’ve been using it for a while, so that’s fine. Do I still need to hold this thing?”

-Ah, no, you’re already connected to the system. Alistair is a common name?-

Alistair released the rod and dusted off his hands. “Yes, it is. I became known as the strongest decades ago. It’s not surprising that people would start naming their kids after me. It was the same with each of my previous personas—every name I used would, for a while, become pretty popular.”

“Well, it’s been more than 30 years, so the name isn’t as common now, but it’s still not unusual.”

-That… sounds kind of arrogant, or is it just confidence?-

“It’s both. I projected confidence, but most people saw it as arrogance.”

-And you’re okay with that?-

“Why wouldn’t I be? I’d rather be known as an arrogant leader than as a virtuous one.”

-Why?-

Alistair sighed, already growing tired of the turn in conversation. “Because people don’t mess with arrogant leaders, and virtuous leaders are just asking to be taken advantage of.”

-But wouldn’t the prosperity of the—-

“Let’s save the philosophy talk for another day. Why don’t you explain why my system is different from other champions’?”

There was a pause before Ameera spoke. -…Okay. So, how do awakened people usually get stronger?-

“By defeating beasts and other people. When you kill a beast, you gain experience—well, mana from them. Once you collect enough, you level up and get stronger. But you only get mana from beasts that are close to your strength level. If you kill something too weak, you won’t receive any mana. The stronger you are, the higher that threshold becomes.

“You also get experience from killing other awakened, but it’s usually at a much lower rate.”

-Right. So that’s one of the basic systems. The system basically controls the flow of mana in the world. Without it, when any being dies, their mana would return directly to the world. The system doesn’t change that; you’re not absorbing mana from defeated beasts because you can’t use their mana—only pure mana. All the mana from living beings still goes back into the world.

-What the system can do, however, is distribute all the mana generated by the world, which exists as pure mana.

-So, the system keeps track of how much mana you’ve sent back into the world. When a certain amount accumulates, it rewards you with pure mana—that’s what leveling up actually is. The fact that you don’t get mana from weaker beasts, or receive less from other awakened, are just parameters set by the admin.

-The admin controls how much pure mana is distributed for level-ups. The less they allocate to you, the more they keep for themselves—after the system takes its cut.-

“The system takes a cut? So it’s like the pantheon’s system?”

-Yes. It’s not just similar to the pantheon’s system—it’s basically the same thing, just deployed in different places. Systems in outer worlds aren’t divine; they’re created and maintained by pantheons. The admin runs the system, and the pantheon that maintains it takes a cut.-

“Okay. So if the admin controls the mana distribution, why wouldn’t he just monopolize it all?”

-If an admin took too much mana, it would harm them in the long run. If they tried to monopolize all the mana, it would have immediate negative effects.

-The amount of mana a world produces isn’t fixed. The more prosperous a world is, the more mana it generates. One major factor in a world’s prosperity is the amount of mana returned to it. This is important—mana from stronger beings is not only greater in quantity but also higher in quality. So, a world with more powerful beings will generally produce more mana overall.-

“I see. So if an admin tried to monopolize all the mana, it would reduce the number and quality of the awakened, which would then lower future mana production. That makes sense.”

They’d been “talking” for a while now, and Alistair was starting to feel hungry. He glanced at the pair of bags nearby and began walking toward them.

-Now, about the champion’s system—-

“Wait, let’s continue later,” Alistair interrupted. He rummaged through one of the bags, eventually pulling out some jerky and a waterskin. Sitting down, he started to eat, his eyes drifting over the two large bags, the leather armor scattered around, and the spear.

Between bites, he asked, “Hey, this is too much to carry. Even if I’m strong enough to lift it all, it’d be too cumbersome.”

-That shouldn’t be a problem. Meera also gave you an inventory system. It lets you carry things by storing them in something like a private pocket dimension.-

“Really? Now that sounds useful. So, how do I use this inventory?”

-It’s the same as opening your status window. You just… know how to do it.-

“Well, yeah, but when we first awaken, a priest opens our status window for us the first time. That’s how we get the feeling of opening it. Are you going to do that for me too?”

-No. Just like your status window, I can look into your inventory but not use it. Don’t worry—I can send the information on how to use it straight to your brain.-

“Send the information? How would that—” Alistair suddenly paused mid-bite, his eyes widening. After a moment, he resumed eating.

“Now that’s really interesting. How did you do that? I felt a small rush in my head, and suddenly I just… know how to use it. That’s not information; that’s like transferring knowledge, right?”

-Nothing that fancy. It’s basically a memory of someone using their inventory, but we stripped it down so all that’s left is the sense of how it feels to use it.-

“I see, that’s clever.” Alistair concentrated, and in an instant, a vast presence seemed to materialize. He couldn’t see it, couldn’t touch it, and didn’t know exactly where it was—he just knew it existed, like a deep, boundless void somehow connected to his mind. It felt less like a physical space and more like an extension of his consciousness, a part of himself that he could reach into with a mere thought. “Wow…”

He reached out and touched the brown leather bag. With a thought, the bag disappeared, and at the same time, he could sense it in his “inventory.” Not just the bag itself, but every item inside it. Alistair’s face broke into a wide grin.

“This is… this changes everything.” He could feel the bag and its contents filling a portion of the inventory. Although he couldn’t gauge its full capacity, it felt like about a third of it was now occupied. It should be enough to hold all his items.

“This is incredibly convenient. Is this the maximum size? Can I expand it?”

-It’s linked to your strength, or more specifically, your mana. So as you level up, it’ll keep growing.-

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” Alistair wiped his mouth after taking a large gulp of water. Then he looked at the waterskin, put it into his inventory, took it back out, and finally put it away again, grinning all the while.

He turned toward the leather satchel and reached for it, but stopped his hand just before touching it. The satchel vanished, entering his inventory. He looked at his hand for a moment, then reached toward the scattered leather armor set—but this time, nothing happened.

“I see, so I can only take something into my inventory if it’s within my mana range, right?”

-Yes. But there can’t be any interference—your mana must be the only one touching the object. Also, no living beings can be taken into the inventory.-

“Got it.” Alistair stood up and walked over to the armor set, placing it into his inventory piece by piece. He sensed each piece inside the inventory, then an idea struck him.

“When I take an item out of my inventory, I don’t have to summon it into my hand, right? I should be able to bring it out within my mana range.”

-Yes, that’s possible. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, you can summon and equip the armor directly—with enough practice, of course.-

“Oh, this is cheating. The possibilities… I’m going to have so much fun with this. YEAH!”

Alistair shouted at the top of his lungs, then took a few deep breaths to steady himself. Once he’d regained his composure, he asked Ameera, “Now what?”

-Hehe, now you get to choose your class.-