Retractable Baton - Tier 1
Attack Power: 15
Durability: 94%
Effect: None
Stone Spear - Tier 1
Attack Power: 20
Durability: 78%
Effect: Lesser Mammal Piercer - Deal extra piercing damage against mammals.
Leather Chestplate - Tier 1
Defense: 15
Durability: 100%
Effect: Lesser Physical Damage Resistance - Resist against blunt, piercing, and slashing damage.
What the hell is all this? Roan glanced at the floating texts in the air, wondering if he had gone mad, but remembering recent events, he had another thought. Is this the power of the eye? I’m able to see extra information with the eye?
As he observed the floating texts, Roan mumbled to himself, “But what do the stats mean exactly? How strong is twelve attack power, or fifteen defense?”
And the tiers were another interesting tidbit. The rest of the stat windows were pretty normal, but the tiers were something he had no knowledge of.
“What would the attack power of my hands be?” He tried to look at the stats of his hands by staring down at his body, but a different window popped up instead.
Roan Peregrine
Power: 16
Health: 96%
Energy: 46%
Status: Tired.
My power is sixteen? Roan furrowed his brows. It says power, not attack power, so it should be a different indicator. Is it like the sum of all my current stats?
As he put on all of the equipment he could have on hand, the leather chestplate and the spear, he tried to view his stats once more.
Roan Peregrine
Power: 21 (16)
Health: 96%
Energy: 46%
Status: Tired.
“Twenty-one power…” Roan clenched his fists, not noticing any direct boost to his physical strength. “It might be how deadly I am? My ability to kill?”
“I see, so it should just be a direct quantification of my power.” Roan hummed thoughtfully, before inspecting the final item he had on hand.
Health Potion
Heals the consumer to 100% health.
“Oh damn…” Roan was surprised by the potion’s effects. Directly to 100% health? Isn’t that kind of busted?
As he shook his head, he sat on the ground and grabbed one of the loaves of bread he had looted. Munching on it, Roan was surprised as it tasted exactly just like the bread his mother always bought from a convenience store near their house.
“Is it just a coincidence?” Roan would like to believe it was a coincidence, but if it wasn’t… Let’s not think too much about it. Let’s not question things way above your level, yeah?
What he could do, other than questioning some potentially disturbing truths was to recuperate, eat his food, and wait for his thing to charge up so he could skedaddle back to Earth.
As cool as this place was, he would much rather stay in the comfort of his own home, safe from all of this danger. He had enough blood and gore for today. In fact, today was enough danger and risk for his whole life.
Letting out a sigh, he munched on the loaves of bread and stared longingly at the corpses of the horned rabbits around him. He muttered softly, a regretful look on his face, “I should have learned how to start a fire with just my shoelaces. I could be eating rabbit meat right now.”
Next time, Roan reminded himself. Next time, I’ll bring along a lighter with me wherever I go. Who knows if I’ll get stranded in a random forest again.
Now that he thought about it, could he return to this place again? As insane as that may sound, this place… it was kind of fun. Hunting down monsters, stabbing them with a spear, things like that, things that he usually can’t do back on normal day Earth.
Stuff like this would have never been a thing back on Earth. Where would you even find a living goblin or a horned rabbit back in that mundane place?
“If I ever do return here…” Roan furrowed his brows. “How would I find a gun?”
Guns.
If he could just get himself a gun, then many of the monsters he had encountered, the goblins and horned rabbits, could easily be dealt with.
If the gun is just a puny tier one weapon though… If it was… then wow, he is fucked.
The goblins should be considered tier one monsters if I go with the equipment tier system, so if a gun is just Tier 1, what the hell would a tier two, tier three, or tier four monster be? Would they be dragons? Liches? Abominations of untold horror?
Roan sighed and habitually fixed his glasses. As he did so, he couldn’t help but smell the bloody stench on his body.
“Ah, right.” He was all bloody and covered in monster flesh. How would he even explain that when he gets home? “I think I should just run straight to the bathroom before they notice me. Or climb through the window in my room? I did keep it open so my room wouldn’t be so stuffy by the time I get back from my run.”
“Shit.” Roan realized another tidbit. “What time is it already?”
When he looked at his phone, he found that it was already past 7 pm, and by his estimates, he still had to wait for more time to pass before his power could charge up enough for a jump back home. Clicking his tongue and wondering how he could bullshit his way through this, he sighed and leaned his back on the wall.
Whatever the case was, he had time to ponder.
If monsters do appear again, he would just have to fight them off.
…
In the blink of an eye, his power had finally charged up.
Unfortunately, Roan was busy with something else.
Rolling to the side, he dodged the spear flying through the air which narrowly missed his body. The moment he got a view of the area ahead of him, with two goblin scouts having barged into his temporary base, he flung his spear forward with great familiarity.
With greater skill and accuracy than the puny goblin, it was impaled straight through the stomach, with the tip of the spear stuck deep in the ground.
Goblin
Power: 12
Health: 48%
Energy: 65%
Goblin
Power: 11
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Health: 100%
Energy: 95%
Ignoring the goblin he had attacked, he rushed straight for the other goblin who fearfully pointed its spear at him.
“Hmph.” Roan snorted, tossing his wallet forward which caught the goblin by surprise. It reflexively tried to dodge out of the wallet’s way, showing clear inexperience with combat.
This gave Roan an opportunity to close in on it, and swiftly grabbed the handle of the goblin’s spear, directing its tip away from him. As the goblin struggled to regain control over its weapon from the much physically stronger Roan, the human man raised his hand and punched ruthlessly.
Bam!
The goblin’s head sunken in, its nose broken. Roan hissed out in pain as well as he felt his knuckles hurt from the punch. Damn it, I should have taken boxing lessons or Muay Thai.
Finding its health reduced to 90%, Roan took hold of the spear from the goblin and ruthlessly stabbed it through the head while it was still reeling back from the pain of its fractured nose.
In one blow, its health was reduced to zero.
Letting out a sigh of relief, he walked back to the other goblin, and stabbed it through the head as well, killing it without much suspense.
“Woowee!” Roan kicked the goblin’s head to vent out his stress and stretched out his arms and legs. “I can finally go back.”
As he inspected his body for any wounds, he carefully went back to his small pile of loot which were ten rotting corpses of horned rabbits and a healing potion with scarlet red liquid. Popping it open, Roan mumbled, “Bottoms up.”
The moment he drank the potion, a warm, soothing feeling flowed down his entire body like a warm stream of water had replaced his blood. He shivered from pleasure as all the soreness, tiredness, and exhaustion in his bones disappeared. His minor bruises and wounds disappeared in the blink of an eye, and his health percentage turned to a nice 100%.
“God damn!” Roan whistled, putting the empty flask near the rotting corpses. “That was one hell of a healing potion.”
He felt invigorated, empowered even. He flexed his muscles, enjoying the laxness and looseness of his joints and muscles. However, he still had other things to do. Taking one last look at his trusty spears, Roan sighed and piled them all in one corner.
“Let’s hope you guys are still here when I return.” White electrical sparks slowly crackled out of his skin, with a boundless energy welling up from the white light within him. Roan took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.
His eyes broke wide open, revealing endless whirlpools of white, unstable electricity.
And then, he jumped.
His figure disappeared in an eruption of energy, forming a bundle of white sparks from where he previously stood.
When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by once again an incomprehensible sight of impossible geometries, indescribable colors, and incomprehensible figures. Spheres were stacked infinitely in one singular point, cosmic clouds of endless scale dispersed astral dust to the never-ending darkness, and the void of nothingness existed between everything else.
This time, now that he was calmer and not panicking, Roan let his intuition guide him and soon felt the existence of Earth despite the chaoticness of everything. He could feel a familiar pull from that distant reality. It was as if he had left traces of himself on it so he could locate it whenever he needed to.
Like swimming through water, Roan directed his body’s flight and plunged headfirst into another world. The moment he did so, he felt his body pass through a weird, malleable barrier, before arriving fully into Earth’s cosmos.
He dived through the vastness of space, passing by stars and planets alike. Everything flashed by in a blur of great speeds, and as his vision zoomed in on a familiar river, he stopped moving abruptly, his astral body of white sparks crackling with power.
Roan breathed a sigh of relief when he found himself back in that familiar place, with the scorch marks still fresh and the ground still charred. He glanced at the river, its water still flowing downstream, and the moon still reflected on its surface.
Wait… Roan gazed at his hands, then at the moon in the sky. Why am I still like this? And why did the moon barely change place? It felt like I’d been in that dungeon for at least five hours.
The young man was about to try and deactivate his power so he could return to normal but paused. This might just work.
If he could use his power to travel to a strange void and enter a whole new reality, and the previous trip showed him entire stars and planets alike, what’s to say that he can’t just fly straight to his house as well?
Or more like teleport— Fuck! The moment he tried to take a step forward, with the spatial coordinates of his house strangely clear in his head, space folded in on him as he uncontrollably moved across reality. By the time he stopped, he crashed right into his house, with his control over his ability going haywire.
He transitioned from immaterial to material, landing in his room. Luckily enough, he dropped onto his bed, barely making a sound. If he had made a loud sound by dropping to the floor, then his parents would get alerted, and they’d find him in his pitiable state, covered by blood and grime.
Unfortunately enough, he was covered in blood and grime. He hurriedly leaped out of his bed, staring at his bedsheets, and sighed in relief when he saw only a tiny spot was dirtied by the filth on his skin and clothes.
“Yuck.” Roan gagged as he observed his body and bed. I’m gonna have to wash them again? Even though I just washed them yesterday?
He groaned, but he stopped complaining soon enough as reality sank in.
I’m home! He quickly grabbed his towel and pressed his ear against the door. After hearing no audible footsteps or voices outside in the hallway, he slowly opened the door and rushed into the bathroom. He almost slammed the door behind him, but stopped at the last moment and gently closed it.
It didn’t take long for him to finish showering as water dripped down his bare body. It felt soothing, refreshing, heavenly even. The dried-up blood of goblins and rabbits was washed away in a soothing stream, and all of his worries and problems dripped down the drain.
Not really.
“Now, I just have to sneak out and walk back in as if I’ve just finished taking a run.” Roan wiped his wet hair and swiftly put on a new black shirt and black shorts. Thank god his drip was mainly muted in colors. While not exactly the same, it could pass well enough.
What time even is it right now? He checked the time on his phone and found it well over midnight, but the moon was in no way in the middle of the sky. So time dilation exists. Got it.
Deciding to investigate it for later, his body disappeared in another burst of white light, and downstairs, the door opened with an exhausted Roan stepping in.
“I’m home!” He called out from the living room, wiping his ‘sweat’ and rubbing his ‘sore’ legs.
“Roan, you’re finally back.” His mother walked out of the kitchen, wearing an apron on top of her white shirt and loose black pants. She appeared rather young despite her age, with the same black hair and brown eyes as Roan. In fact, his father had the same features, so those type of features would inevitably pop up on his face when he was born. “Are you going to take a shower now or after dinner?”
“Af-“ Oh wait, he always takes a shower before dinner. “Nevermind. I’ll take a shower before dinner.”
“Okay.” She took off her apron and sat on the living room couch. “Just come down when you’re done.”
“I will.”
…
Thirty minutes later, Roan finished his plate and let out a satisfied burp. He may have eaten some bread hours prior, but nothing could beat a lovingly made homemade meal from his mother. He licked the last bits of curry from his spoon while sipping on refreshingly cold water.
“Did you encounter something on your run today? You got home a bit later than usual,” his mother asked thoughtfully.
“Nah, not really.” Roan gazed at his empty plate. “My legs just cramped on the way home so I had to take a little breather.”
“Oh, really?” She chuckled. “Well, why didn’t you text?”
“Sorry, hehe…” Roan rubbed the back of his head. “I mean, a cramp is pretty darn painful, so I forgot, you know?”
“Mhmmm, sure.” She shrugged her shoulders, grabbing the plate.
“Oh, no, no, no.” Roan stopped her, grabbing the plates instead. “I’ll wash the dishes for tonight.”
“That’s a surprise.” His mother raised her eyebrows.
“I’m almost eighteen, mom. Just a couple more months and I’ll be a full-blown adult. College is just a year away already.” Roan smiled. “Besides, I think washing dishes is kind of fun.”
“Mhmmmmmm…” Her tone sounded a lot more distrustful compared to before. “If you say so.”
Clearly, she felt that something had happened because Roan wouldn’t normally be this proactive. She would have to order him to wash the dishes before the thought would even enter his mind.
“Where’s dad, anyway?” Roan remembered his father going out this morning, but he hadn’t been back even though it was night already. While not that unusual, he still wished his father would be present tomorrow so he wouldn’t have to walk to school-
Wait a darn minute! He froze in place for a split second, his eyes widening in enlightenment. I… I can teleport!
He almost released his grip over the plates but returned to normal at the last second. Taking a deep breath, he placed the plates and cups on the sink while letting the water run.
“He’s out of town for today, and probably even for the whole week if he’s unlucky.” She sighed.
“I see.” Roan squinted his eyes, trying to stare at the area above his mother’s head.
Ava Peregrine
Power: 10
Health: 100%
Energy: 96%
Just a power of ten? Roan was quite surprised by that. Does that mean the average human has a power of ten?
He still had to do more tests to understand what this all meant. It is a surprise that this power still works in another reality.
As he absentmindedly washed the dishes, Roan suddenly chuckled. He glanced down at the foam in his hands, muttering to himself, “You just confirmed the existence of the multiverse, the presence of magic, that your hallucinated past might actually be real, that Navi is real, that you just entered a whole new reality, gained a strange power, fought goblins and horned rabbits… and you’re now washing dishes.”
Roan wouldn’t call himself too self-aware, but he was self-aware enough to notice just how wack he kinda is. He imagined that if anyone else had found themselves in that dungeon, they might have as well died on their first encounter with horned rabbits and goblins.
Instead, when he saw a goblin, the first thought that popped into his head was to kill it rather than run away.
That’s what you get after nearly dying to a robot as a child and watching your childhood friend disappear from the face of the Earth. Roan smiled eerily, his eyes dimming with a strange glint. “It’s the same white light as back then…”
It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Two users of the same white light, the same white spark, were chased by a robot that was seemingly hunting them down or capturing them. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together.
Navi, a person who has no records here on Earth, might have well been from another universe completely. Roan licked his dry lips. “Does that mean you’re still out there, Navi?”
He glanced at the moon hanging in the sky, covered by drifting clouds. From the tiny gap in the window, a cold wind blew in, causing the lather formed from the dishwashing soap to fly away to the side of the sink.
Distant memories replayed in his mind, memories so clear yet so hazy at the same time. It felt like ages, and also days since that event happened.
In just a single night, his whole worldview had changed, one that even he barely had a grasp on. Through sheer miracle and luck, a chance so slim it was essentially one in infinity, an interdimensional hopper died right in front of him, and he had gained their power.
White sparks sputtered out of his finger as he let out a long, deep sigh.
“The multiverse…” The word felt so small, but the meaning it held had infinite weight and gravity. “The door to infinite wonders had presented itself upon me.” He raised his hand, grasping the empty air. “And I possess the key.”
Roan Peregrine, a seventeen-year-old young man studying his final year in high school, had his whole life flipped outside down. For better, or for worse, the endless possibilities of the multiverse had opened their gates for him; now remained the question, what would he do?
I’ll deal with it later. He returned to his bedroom, done with the dishes, and plopped right onto his bed. It might still just be nine pm, but he was exhausted mentally, and a good night’s sleep would fix him.
“I can’t be bothered to deal with the multiverse right now. I still have classes tomorrow.” He flipped himself to lie on his back, staring silently at his ceiling. “The multiverse can wait. I have enough time on my hands anyway… However, I do wonder how hard it would be to attain immortality. I think a sci-fi world would be my easiest bet—”
“ROAN!” His mother, Ava Peregrine, suddenly barged into his room, holding a retractable baton covered in dry blood.
What?! Where the hell did she find that— The bathroom! I chucked it in the bathroom!
“What the hell did you do outside?!” Roan’s mother flicked the lights open, and stared intently at Roan’s eyes.
“I…” Roan raised his hands, his thoughts whirling to life. “I can explain!”
I can’t explain shit!