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2024-10-29 19:42:56Chapter 2
~ The System ~ Glitch... [Wake up.] [Alan, wake up!] A synthetic voice kept probing Nathan, who was fast asleep on a moderately-sized bed. He turned and turned, relishing in the comfort of the bed. It felt so soft, unlike the thin mattress he was used to. [Wake up!] The synthetic voice hollered once more. “Ugh... Just five more minutes,” Nathan mumbled under his breath, throwing the blanket over his face. But after a second or two of trying to get back to sleep, he paused, “Wait...” Tossing the blanket aside, he sat up immediately, his eyes wide open. He gazed down at his body and felt his torso. His ribs were still intact. There was no sign of bleeding. He couldn’t even feel the slightest pain. “The hell..?” he lifted his head and scanned the room he found himself in. It was two times bigger than the single room he was accustomed to. The walls were even painted, and the floor was tiled. He could see a wardrobe, a standing mirror, and other essential furniture needed in a room. But what stole his attention the most was the bed he was seated on. It felt so fluffy, he feared he could sink into it. There were two pillows behind him. This room was in complete contrast to the one he lived in before he died. “Aren’t I supposed to be dead?” he gazed at his hands once again. “Is this some kind of afterlife trance or what? Where am I? What happened?” [You have been--] He heard the synthetic voice once again, but it quickly faded when a knock came from the door. Before he could react to the knock, the door swung open, paving the way for a young girl to walk in. Her hair was blonde, sweeping down her back. She had deep brown eyes, just like a particular person Nathan used to know. She was clad in a floral-themed gown that swept below her knees, with a colour mixture of lemon and yellow. Nathan narrowed his eyes, just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. This girl that had just barged had a striking resemblance to his deceased younger sister. She looked a few years older though. His eyes dilated and he muttered, “Lily...?” Lily was Maya’s middle name. He didn’t even know why he called her that, instead of just Maya. She lifted a brow, sizing him up sceptically, “Who’s Lily?” “Uh... But... You...” he didn’t even know what to say. His mind was boggled with overlapping thoughts. She grunted, shaking her head, “I told you not to go for that raid yesterday. It was a Myriad 4 gateway. Only God knows how you survived. But I’m sure you must have hit your head a lot, because now you see me as someone else.” Silence ensued for over five seconds as Nathan stared at her blankly, “Eh?” She sighed and moved closer to him, rubbing the bandage on his left cheek, “Maybe you should get some rest today. I have to go to school now or I’ll be late.” “Hm-hmm. Sure, sure,” Nathan nodded repeatedly, urging her to leave. She took one last melancholic glance at him before walking out of the room, closing the door gently. Nathan sat there listlessly for seconds, waiting for her to leave the house completely. Once he was sure she must have left, he ruffled his hair, “What in the world is going on? She’s like an older version of Maya. How did I even get there?” A glitching noise spurred in his head, immediately followed by the synthetic voice that had been trying to communicate with him. [Alan, calm down.] He groaned, “Stop disturbing me, you stupid voice. And stop calling me that. My name is Nathan.” [Not anymore. Nathan was your mundane name before you completed the transferral ritual.] He raised a brow, darting his eyes across the room to confirm if he was alone, “T-Transferral ritual?” With a very lacklustre tone, the voice answered... [You died.] Nathan didn’t even know what to believe but he decided to play along. He sighed, “So that wasn’t a dream, huh? Then what is this place? How am I still alive?” [I assumed someone of your wits would have figured it out by now.] Nathan could have sworn the voice said that with a tinge of emotion — sarcasm. At that moment, his mind clicked and a sudden realisation dawned on him. His eyes dilated, “I’ve been transmigrated?... Or wait, is it reincarnation?” [The term doesn’t matter, Alan. Just know that the transferral was complete. Welcome to Oratoa, Alan Hermolith.] Nathan, or rather, Alan, was no longer confused as to how he was alive or where he was, but he still had a ton of questions. However, the first one that came to his mind was, “Who or what are you?” [I am your guide through this world of magic and death. I am the System.] “Oh... That kind of thing,” Alan nodded in understanding. This ‘System’ was quite popular in the few open world games he had played before his parents died. They usually came with a lot of perks and helped the player level up faster. A small smile escaped his lips, “So, a world of magic, huh? With you inside me, I’m like one of the strongest Mages, right? What’s my ability? Death magic? Fire magic?” [Actually...] Alan waited in anticipation. [I will just show you your stats instead.] A rectangular green screen flickered to reality before him. --- [† Name: Alan Monolith. Alias: The One. Race: Human. Level: 1. Title: Nil. Class: Awakened. Health Points (HP): 100 Mana Points (MP): 50 Experience (XP): 0 / 100 † Attributes: - Strength: 10 - Agility: 10 - Intelligence: 10 - Endurance: 10 - Dexterity: 10 - Luck: 5 - Wisdom: 5 - Charisma: 5 † Skills: - Combat Skills: - Basic Swordsmanship: Level 1 - Magic Skills: - Basic Fireball: Level 1 - Miscellaneous Skills: - Basic Cooking: Level 1 † Abilities: - Active Abilities: - Quick Strike: Level 1 - Passive Abilities: - Enhanced Senses: Level 1 † Equipment: - Weapon: Wooden Sword - Armour: Locked. - Accessories: None. † Inventory: - Health Potion: 1 - Mana Potion: 1] [Other parts of your stats are yet to be unlocked.] “Hmm...” Alan rubbed his chin, using his free hand to scroll through the screen. “Basic cooking? What am I even going to use that for? Ugh... These points are too low. How powerful is my basic fireball?” [Why not conjure one and see for yourself?] Alan raised a brow. Though it was subtle, this so-called system conveyed some emotion through its words, and they weren’t good ones. He sighed and raised his right palm, visualising a ball of fire coming to life. His thoughts acted as a trigger, channelling some of his mana to his palm. Flickers of sparks began to emanate over his palm, momentarily igniting into a ball of flames. Alan smiled widely, “I did it! I—What the...?” The fireball was barely as big as a tennis ball, struggling to keep itself ignited. [Oh, I must have forgotten to add your Myriad level to your stats.] Alan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could tell the system was messing with him. Why would something powerful enough to move his soul from the afterlife to this new world, forget something as basic as that? [You’re a Myriad 5 Mage, the lowest of the ranks.]
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~ Imminent Danger ~ “Huh? What do you mean?” Alan asked with a perturbed face. [Did I stutter?] Alan’s brows twitched, “You sly... Ugh! What’s the point getting transmigrated or reincarnated, only to wake up as the weakest Mage in the realm?” [Fret not. There are other Myriad 5 Mages in Oratoa.] “For real?” a glimmer of hope shone in Alan’s eyes. The System didn’t respond until a few seconds later... [No.] “What?!” Alan pinched his nose bridge in frustration. What kind of system are you? Why would you put my hopes up like that?” [I couldn’t watch my host getting depressed.] “Well, you only made me more depressed. Thanks a lot,” he shook his head. [You’re welcome.] Silence. [No Hunter is awoken as a Myriad 5. The least is Myriad 4. And that’s how it has been until you were born.] “Wow. I broke the record. Classic,” Alan muttered in sarcasm. He lowered his head, “Why does the rank exist anyway, if no one had been awoken into it?” [The rank came with your exis
Ethereal Ascension Chapter 4
~ Calvary ~Even with his eyes closed, he could see the hellish intensity of the ocular blasts, their heat threatening to peel off his skin. His clothes shrunk on him in response to the heat.But then came a sharp swish, immediately followed by darkness. Yes, that was all Alan could see with his closed eyes. The red light that shone bright just a second ago, was now shielded by something... Or rather, someone?He felt himself falling with the Armoured Tusk’s hand still gripping him.However, before he could make a full descent, another swish sound came and the hand crumbled around him. Someone now carried him in their hands and they descended slowly.This prompted him to gradually open his eyes. Under his blurry vision, he could see the figure of a man standing before the sun, his hair swaying behind him as though they were riding the air currents.‘An Angel? Is this how spirits are carried to the afterlife?’ Alan couldn’t help but ask himself. He f
Ethereal Ascension Chapter 5
~ Vanquishing the Beast ~ [† Name: Alan Monolith.] [Alias: The One.] [Race: Human.] [Level: 1.] [Title: Nil.] [Class: Awakened.] [Health Points (HP): 100] [Mana Points (MP): 55] [Experience (XP): 10 / 100] [† Attributes: - Strength: 10 - Agility: 10 - Intelligence: 10 - Endurance: 10 - Dexterity: 10 - Luck: 5 - Wisdom: 5 - Charisma: 5] [† Skills: - Combat Skills: - Basic Swordsmanship: Level 1 - Magic Skills: - Basic Fireball: Level 1 - Miscellaneous Skills: - Basic Cooking: Level 1] [† Abilities: - Active Abilities: - Quick Strike: Level 1 - Passive Abilities: - Enhanced Senses: Level 1] [† Equipment: - Weapon: Wooden Sword - Armour: Locked. - Accessories: None.] [† Inventory: - Health Potion: 1 - Mana Potion: 1 - Enhancement Potion: 1] [Quests unlocked] [† Secret Advancement Quest: Courage of the Weak >>> Completed.] [† Active Quests: - Complete Daily Basic Training: To be completed before noon.] ... “I still don’t get how
Ethereal Ascension Chapter 6
~ Scepticism ~Alan couldn’t help but frown a bit, “The forbidden artefact? Am I supposed to know what that is?”[Actually... Yes.]‘Huh? Tell me,’ Alan replied internally, while maintaining his confused expression on the outside. He saw Captain Beaumont move and he panicked, ‘Spill it!’[Artefacts are found in random dungeons and possess very unique abilities. From stain removal to rewriting reality itself. The artefacts are graded based on their level of power. A forbidden artefact is at the crux of the hierarchy.]‘Okay, but what does that have to do with me?’ Alan’s gaze remained on the squad, who, for some odd reason, had stopped moving.He raised a brow, ‘Are my eyes playing tricks on me?’[No. It’s my doing. It helps relay information faster.][Now, listen. You went on a raid yesterday with this particular squad... Well, the former you. You discovered a forbidden artefact after clearing the dungeon and beating the final boss. Everyone was told to leave, so that higher ranked Hu
Ethereal Ascension Chapter 7
~ Gaining Information ~ A subtle tremor shook the street as every other part of Alan’s house came crashing down. The quake startled him a bit, but he quickly found his bearing and turned to trace the source of the sudden impact. His house was nothing more than a heap of rubble at that moment. He simply sighed and turned to continue his stroll, ‘I really hope you’re right about that damage insurance.’ [They should arrive soon.] He took a sharp detour and approached a small restaurant, puffs of steam escaping its chimneys. He didn’t know why, but he felt familiar with the restaurant, as though he had been here a couple of times. ‘Maybe the former me used to come here,’ he surmised internally, pushing the metal door open. He walked in to see some men gathered behind the counter, laughing at intervals. There was a young man in the middle, his hands hovering over the counter. Beneath his waving palms was a somewhat holographic construct of a dungeon. In that small construct, th
Ethereal Ascension Chapter 8
~ Basic Training ~ Alan took the last bite and drank up his milkshake. His right fist reflexively went to his mouth as he let out a burp. He pushed himself up and cracked his neck. He took a glance at the homeless man still munching on the half burrito that he had given him, “I have to go now.” The homeless man lifted his gaze and simply nodded, chewing gently on the burrito. “Yeah,” Alan nodded back and left the alley. ‘Yo, system,’ he called, feeling quite pumped up. It was as though the little he had just eaten was some kind of energy booster. [Less than two hours before the time limit expires.] Alan smiled, ‘Heh. It’s like you can read my mind. Well... You literally can...’ he quickly moved sideways when a car honked behind him. He watched the car drive past him, its exhaust casually coughing out black smoke, ‘So... this basic training, what am I to do? A few push ups or what?’ A green tab flickered to reality before him. [† Active Quests: - Complete Daily Bas
Ethereal Ascension Chapter 9
~ Solo Raid ~ 4 Hours Earlier “So, this is it, huh?” Alan muttered, standing before a five story building, his neck aching as he tried to look at the zenith of the building. The area was quite secluded. Most of the buildings here were either demolished or uninhabitable. It was as a result of a gateway break that happened about a month ago. Only one or two people walked by, mostly adventure-seeking teenagers. Alan lowered his head and stared at the green tab before him. [† New Quest: - Clear the five floors of the abandoned 5th Avenue bakery: To be completed before midnight. - Rewards: ???] There was a picture of the bakery’s current structure underneath the quest. He pinched his nose bridge and let out a sigh, “Let’s do this.” He easily made his way into the ground floor of the building, since the entrance door was barely locked. Damaged baking tools and equipment were left scattered across the floor, rodents dashing here and there. Alan gazed at the stairs th
Ethereal Ascension Chapter 10
~ The First Floor ~[Ground Floor Cleared!][Five Floors Left.]“Oof...” Alan let out a sparse exhale, watching the bodies of the goblins shiver into green flakes, slowly evaporating to nothing.He moved closer to a wall and rested his back against it to recover his strength, whilst taking another glance at his profile tab.As usual, the tab appeared and vanished in quick succession, but he was able to retain every bit of information.“Hmm... Wait... No rewards for clearing this floor?” he creased his brows. “Or am I missing something?”[† New Quest:- Clear the 5 floors of the abandoned 5th Avenue bakery: To be completed before midnight.- Rewards: ???]Staring at the quest tab before him, he shrugged, “Yeah, so? I’ve cleared the first one already.”[You are to clear the 5 floors of the bakery. The ground floor doesn’t count.]Alan’s eyes dilated, “What?! W-Why? What was the point of fighting the goblins and wasting that much mana?”The sense behind the System’s logic
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Chapter 23
~ Countering Vibrations ~Inside the room of a duplex within the dome, the young lady on the bed sat up and yawned, her lush white hair scattered over her face.“Ugh... That noise again,” she grumbled softly as she smoothed her hair and packed it behind her.She remained seated on the bed for minutes, staring listlessly at the window, as though enjoying the recurrent booms and subtle quakes occurring outside.Her eyes were squinted as she focused on the source of the disturbances. She could feel two auras. The first one felt dark and raw, like that of a dungeon monster. The other felt restrained, as though the host had placed a limiter from letting the rest of their aura lose. The latter’s aura also felt familiar... Very familiar.“I thought we took care of all the monsters that escaped the Gateway Break,” she muttered half-heartedly, contemplating on whether to go back to sleep.She could handle the tremors, but other civilians were at risk. It was also certain that the limite
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Chapter 22
~ Energy ~Aside from the noise coming from everyone that ran for shelter, and those that tried to break through the dome, the street was oddly quiet.Alan and Banshee remained in a fierce staring contest, standing completely still. Alan’s azure eyes were glowing red, while Banshee’s white spiralling eyes had gotten dimmer.[MP: 360][MP:358]Alan’s mana points kept dropping by 2 every passing second.‘What am I supposed to do now?’ Alan began to skim through his inventory. Maybe he had something strong enough to puncture Banshee’s vibrational field.But other than the Blood-red Helmet, Bane’s Fang was the only weapon made of a metal stronger than steel. The vibrational force field had repulsed it like it was nothing .[Can’t you think for yourself?]Alan clicked his tongue, ‘I wasn’t talking to you! It was a rhetorical question. Just get out of my head.’[That’s impossible. We are one.]Banshee’s fingers twitched as he fought hard against the Gaze of Terror. He could see h
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Chapter 21
~ Noise ~‘Of all rooms to crash into... Tch!’Alan turned his face away when his eyelids refused to close. He stood up almost immediately and dusted the rubble off his body.With his face still turned away, he addressed the naked couple, “Um... I’m really sorry about this. I’ll be leaving now. Carry on.”He walked closer to the gaping hole in the wall and stared down at the street.Banshee was standing at the centre of the land that was once his house. All the rubble and whatnot had been cleared. The creature had his hands behind him, his white spiralling eyes fixated on the hole where Alan stood.‘Tch. What’s this guy’s problem? I just need a place to sleep,’ Alan brandished Bane’s Fang and cracked his neck. ‘I’m tired.’He took a leap off the edge and dove at Banshee with Bane’s Fang raised before him.Banshee let out a sonic scream as Alan got in proximity, but the latter wasn’t planning on facing him head on in the first place.[Ability: Quick Strike >>> Activated!][MP
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Chapter 20
~ Distortion ~Alan yawned and tilted his neck back, fixing his gaze on the crescent moon.He had given up on looking for a place to sleep. He had no one he could confide in, and vice versa.His lips parted as he muttered, “Ahh... So peaceful.”He regretted his statement almost immediately as a distorted guttural voice boomed into his head.“So it is true, huh? You have returned!”Alan turned on his heels immediately and jumped back in reflex. His body acted before he could even bring his mind to order.“What the...? Who was that?” he asked the thin air and the few cars that drove to and fro.He felt something, like a warm liquid drooling out of his ears, prompting him to touch them with his index fingers. He brought his fingers down to his eye and streetlamp range.They were smeared with a not-so-thick reddish liquid.He creased his brows, “Huh? Blood?”How his ears started bleeding was a complete mystery. Was it because of the voice he heard? But he didn’t even feel any p
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Chapter 19
~ Night Dilemma ~“8:01 already?” Alan rushed down the sidewalk whilst taking a glance at the big analogue clock situated at the centre of the city. He straightened his neck and focused his gaze on the path before him, ‘Maya must be worried sick. I hope those damage control guys have come to fix the house.’[Actually...] The System stressed as Alan took a sharp turn by a bend.He came to a momentary stop, his eyes gradually opening wide as he stared at the heap of concrete and metal, on the piece of land that his house once stood upon.[... With the Gateway Break that happened earlier today, it would seem that the damage insurance staff are a little short-handed] The System completed.‘Of all things... Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?’ Alan ruffled his hair with a slight frown.Just then, a familiar feline voice jolted him back to reality, “Alan?”Dropping his right hand, his gaze immediately shifted to the small car ahead, parked diagonally across him. He noticed two g
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Chapter 18
~ Rewards ~“You know what? No, thank you. I do not want my rewards,” Alan snapped, frowning ever so slightly. He couldn’t get mad at the System, no matter how hard he tried, but the frustration was there.[They are YOUR rewards. You’ve been granted them already.]“Then why ask if I want them?” Alan creased his brows.[Don’t you at least want to know what they are?]He sighed, rubbing his forehead with two fingers, “Ahh... I do. I’m just so confused right now. I have a lot of questions, and you just want to ignore all of them.”[I figured it was best you went home to rest for now, and you’ll be debriefed later. More so, the dungeon will crumble and the bakery will take its previous form in an hour.]“That’s a lot of time...” he raised his head and stared at the opposite wall. It was still a little odd talking to someone or something he couldn’t see. He pictured the holographic form of a robot sitting across the hallway as they conversed. “One hour is enough time for any explana
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Chapter 17
~ Counterpart II ~‘How--’A dense punch to the gut shattered his train of thoughts.The next thing he could remember was getting slammed against a wall, the fist that punched him sinking deeper. He wheezed dryly to catch his breath.But then, the hair behind his neck went taut like needles, alerting him of imminent danger. For that brief moment, Alan wondered why his ‘danger sense’ hadn’t warned him of the punch. Or was it because his mind was experiencing shock?His eyes rolled down and he tilted his neck to the side, his head swaying along with it. Another fist punctured the wall beside his head. It would have hit him instead if he hadn’t dodged in time.Mustering some strength, Alan grabbed both hands by the wrists and stared intently at The Final Boss, just to confirm what he had seen earlier. Maybe it was just some hallucination? His head had been bashed in a couple of times... So there’s that.But no. His brows twitched as he stared at The Final Boss. It was like looki
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Chapter 16
~ Counterpart ~ Thooms and thuds resonated across the hallway as The Final Boss bolted forward in a blur, bouncing off the two walls repeatedly, creating this zigzag pattern. Alan wasn’t sure if the former was doing that to disorient him or something, but if he was, well he was in for a big surprise. Alan’s azure eyes rolled quickly around his sockets, trailing each path that The Final Boss took. His perception of things was heightened enough to follow a Level 1 Quick Strike movement. He grinned. For one, his hunch about The Final Boss being able to copy abilities and skills, was confirmed. Also, the level of the copied ability/skill remained the same. This was why Alan could follow his movements. Though Quick Strike only enhanced his body’s speed, it also came with the perks of enhancing his senses, so that he could keep up. One last bound off the left wall and The Final Boss threw his knees forward at Alan’s head. Holding his breath, Alan sidestepped, missing the flyi
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Chapter 15
~ Copy? ~As soon as the wooden sword shattered, the final boss reached for Alan with his right hand, grabbing his collar and sinking two knee jabs into his torso.Alan’s body jerked back in response to the jabs, his lungs momentarily contracting, causing him to gasp dryly for air.In quick succession, the final boss pulled him closer, whilst pulling his own head back. His neck moved as he threw his head forward, striking Alan right on his glabella.Bang!Metal met flesh and bone, the latter tearing and cracking.A flux of pain condensed at the impact point, dazzling Alan for a moment there, so much so that he almost fell asleep.His body getting lifted jolted him awake, and, before he could tell what was going on, the final boss spun on his heels, reeling Alan to the air as though he was some weightless mannequin.In a single 360° turn, the final boss flung Alan across the hallway, the latter’s flight momentum blowing out a few torches. They reignited back almost immediately
