My name is Jacob Ito. I am average height, 20 years old male with black hair, a typical Japanese look if you will, and I am just your ordinary person in a world of 8 billion people. I always think life was just boring and everyone was just a collective matter that flows through the cosmos. I attended a little college called Kjin college near Kyoto. l wake up, eat, shower, brush teeth, then head out to attend class. I sit through class then I walk back to the lonely place I call home. Life was just not that interesting. 

During the weekends, I watch TV or read mangas. That is if I had time to kill. I always want to be like the characters in the stories I read. They are full of life and open to a new Adventure. "What if life was like that." Then reality hits and I am hungry. I am pretty sure that it is normal for a college student on a planet full of dirt and water with big imaginations. 

As final exams approach, I find myself in our local library studying more often. As I am trying to find books for studying, I came across this big dictionary-like, leather-covered, ancient book. This is not an ordinary book, it had a leather strap that keeps the book closed and on the top of the strap there was a keyhole, the title of the book is A World Beyond Imagination. This book caught my eyes because the title was somewhat unique, with the dust on top, it gives this old book a mysterious feel, and I begin searching for the key that can unlock this hidden book. After a long and hard search, I could not find the key so I took the book to the front desk to see if they may possess the key. As I approach the front desk lady, she looked at me with a welcome smile and said: "Hello there, how may I assist you today?" I reply: "I found this book in the library and was hoping you have the key to open this book?" She took the book and begin to inspect the outside of the book, "Sorry sir, it seems there is not a book number or a tag for this book, this book does not belong to this library." I replied: " OH! Then could you please put this book in the lost and found, thank you for your assistant." She replied with a kind smile: "I will, I am sorry that you couldn't read this book, on behalf of the owner I give my thanks." I walked away and went back to studying, ever since that day, I keep thinking of that book. The week of finals is here, I focused on every subject during the exam, Math 3rd section was especially hard, so was history. After every exam day, I walk home, heat some cheap meal and start studying for the next subject. I did not have any friends so I mainly study by myself. 

Today is the last day of the finals and I am so tired. I had big plans after exams first is a meal to celebrate the end of finals and the beginning of summer break. I went somewhere fancy like a good traditional Japanese barbecue, nothing beats a hot tasty meal after finals. But as the night approaches, I began to head home, unknowing that this would be my last day on earth. As I walk in my apartment I take off my shoes and head to the couch in the living room, I saw a box on my table, "this box wasn't there this morning?" I went towards the box. To Mr. Ito Jacob From. There was no name on who it was from. If this box has my name on it, then it's for me, maybe this morning I forgot I took a box out of my storage closet. The box was sealed and untouched, I grabbed my scissors and starting to open the box. "Ohh!" I bounce back on my feet. In the box was the book from the library. Then cool chill rolled down my back as I take the book out of the box, but this time there was a pouch on top of the book, and in the pouch was the key. Now I am confused and scared, a white letter was beneath the book like it was placed there on purpose. I prayed: "gods or God, whoever you are, please don't do this to me?" Then I picked up the letter and opened, there was a note inside. The note read:
To: Jacob
Are you bored? 
Do you wish your life was just a little more interesting? 
Is life hard? 
Have you done anything meaningful in the life you have lived?
If you were to disappear tomorrow, would anyone search for you?
Are you Happy?
"Am I happy?" These questions made me realize that everything I am doing right now I did it because I had to. 
Continue Note:
What if you were offered a new life?
To the reader of this note, this book now belongs to you and you alone, this is one of a kind book, you can sell it, trash it, put it somewhere you will never look at it, or read it, the choice is yours. If you decide to open it and read the story, you will find yourself trapped and unable to escape the path you have chosen, which could lead to your death. But this book also offers new experiences and adventures, and a world greater than imagination. 
"This is just a book after all, what can go wrong?" I replied after reading the note. As I got close and put the key into the embedded lock I felt the deep bone chill and I opened the book. The first page was blank, then I turn to the next page, it was also blank. I had no words to explain how I felt, yes those pages were old, each page was turning yellow and wrinkled. But then I realized that the temperature was a bit colder than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. So I took my focus off of the book and looked up. "What the faewck!!" I was no longer in my little apartment anymore.

A 20 years old student name Jacob Ito, who thought his life was too boring, he was cast into a world called Izla, struggling to survive, young Jacob starts his adventure to find a way back to his previous life.

September 10, 2018
8:43 am 
Felicia del Mundo

Morning. I should really be at work right now, but this should only take an hour's worth of my time. I carry the box on one hand and my briefcase on another. I walk in strides that I walk pass students rushing for the train station. As I walk, I cannot help but remember my argument with Carlos yesterday.


"How did you get this?" I asked instantly out of fury. How could he keep secrets from me? He made me believe all along that he gave me this necklace. He made me a fool to think as such, when in fact, it was Christine all along.

Carlos can hardly speak. He falls back to our bed in utter regret. He sits with his head in shame, as if he cannot believe what he did. "Attorney Guevarra gave me the necklace," he said slowly. "He said that that necklace is meant to be given to you in the unlikely event that Christine should die. Now that she is dead, the necklace is now yours."

What is this foolish reason? I can feel myself preparing to throw the box at him. As I was about to throw the box, I can feel my temper dying down. Right, this is not Carlos's fault. "Are you in correspondence with Guevarra all along?" I said, trying to calm myself down. "Do you know something that I know nothing about?"

He rose from where he sits and began taking me into his arms. "No, Felicia," he said consolingly. "I would never fool you. I will always tell you everything that is related to our pasts."

He placed his arms over mine and began rocking me like a child. Slowly, I begin to feel gentle with him again, but I still have my questions. "Then why didn't you just give the necklace earlier without making me think that it came from you. You could have just said that Christine wants me to return this necklace back to the store for some goddamn reason."

He patted my cheek as if to console me again. "Felicia, if I told you that that way, you would not even want to open the box. I know you and Christine had your share of unsettled differences years ago. Maybe, there is a reason why she would want you to return this necklace. I will always be yours. Not even my past can take me away from you."

I looked at him again. All I can see is desire gleaming from his eyes. I threw the box to the side without any hesitation. In a surge of a moment, I took his lips into mine and so did he. Our tongues met like swords in a battlefield. Suddenly, clothes were all over the place. That was just the beginning of an act of love.


As I walk into this upper part of town, I can already see various affluent men walking amongst themselves. They walk in their suits and ties, not minding the heat of this country. Women walk with their shades on their eyes, briefcase on one hand, and a trench coat over their body. I walk in a forest of buildings competing for the tallest building title in this country. As for me, I mind not any of them. 

A little more walking, I see this mall 15 storeys high. I look at the box once more, and I am right. This is the right address of the jewelry store. I walk inside the mall. Much to my surprise, the guards began expecting me thoroughly. A metal detector is not enough. They felt my body for any inconspicuous weapons of any sort. They even checked my briefcase thoroughly by having me open each pocket of it right before my eyes. This is one freaky mall. 

As I pass security, I can finally marvel at the beauty of this place. Escalators are all over the place. Chandeliers are thrown everywhere as if it does not cost a fortune. The pillars of this mall are Corinthian in inspiration. A golden fountain lies at the heart of this ground floor. In fact, every corner of this mall is laden with gold. 

I look at the address on the box once more. They are at the eighth floor of the mall. I see the elevator by my side and began to rush for it. Just in time, right before the door is about to close, I get in on time. I can tell that my fellow passengers are giving me the looks. Even the elevator girl gives me a sharp gaze. The hell with all of you. I am a passenger like any of you. Once again, I check the box. I must not get the name of the store wrong. It is called Shimmers. I open the box to check whether the necklace is safe in its place. Good. It has not moved a bit. 

As I close the box, I look around my fellow passengers. Are they in awe of what I am carrying? Is it because I am carrying an expensive necklace that suddenly you think I am higher than you? Those that looked at me with scorn, now gives me a pleasant smile. Fuck you. I know what you are doing. 

Oddly enough, it looks like I am the first passenger to go. It's first stop is the eighth floor. As I leave, I can already see those passengers waving me a goodbye. Psh! I know that you are trying to get on my good side. Sorry, people. I am just a CEO's secretary. I have no money like you. 

I walk around this mall. As I walk, I can already see designer stores flaunting their wealth around me. Whether it be Prada, or Louboutin, or Louis-Vuitton, or Gucci, you could already see the tags of expensiveness screaming from their throat.

As I walk, I now find a jewelry store right before my eyes. I see the name. Shimmers. I look at the box again. Shimmers. I can see that they are only starting their day. They are doing their inventory and quality check. 

I walk with my heels clattering at their shop. Nothing screams fancy than a Louboutin at your feet. I can see the salesladies judging me from head to toe. As I reach the counter, I place the box on their display.
"I would like to return this jewelry, please," I say as confidently as possible. 

The cashier already began giving me the look. I suppose she thinks that nobody walks out of this store and returns as an unhappy customer. But today, that will have to be me. She opens the box and looks at the jewelry. I can tell that she, too, is shocked that I am returning a black diamond necklace.

"Madame, are you sure you want to return this?" she asks, with controlled excitement in her voice. "This necklace is quite rare and – "

"I am absolutely sure," I say with a smug smile. "A friend of mine just gave me it to me, and I am not pleased to have such. . .  jewelry."

I can see her giving a nervous smile. She suddenly swallows some saliva that got stuck in her mouth. She raises a finger to indicate my patience. "I'll be back with my manager," she says hesitantly.

She leaves me with the display all around me. The gold is pure 24k. The silver appears to be high quality Italian silver. Even the diamonds are hundreds of carats in nature. No price tag is attached to each item. Of course. Who would look at the price tag when the elite could buy a human organ? 

Suddenly, her manager appears. He is a no-nonsense man with a sharp moustache on his face. His haircut is cut clean, with no imperfections for impression. His suit is sharp, sharper than a swordsman's sword. His hair, graying from age, is still kept well-kempt. Lines are all over his face, but he is still a jeweler. 

"You wanted to return a jewelry, madame?" he asks gently. "No customer has ever returned a jewelry in our company's history. Why return it? What makes you unsatisfied with our service?"

"No unsatisfaction, sir," I say smartly. "This diamond necklace was just a present from a friend. I wanted to return it back here. I understand that Christine Romulo is one the richest heiresses and businesswomen in the country. I shan't want to keep this as a reminder of her death." 

Suddenly he thinks for a minute. He pulls up a fancy book from under the counter. The book is bound in leather and golden thread. Even the handwriting is in gold as he opens the pages one by one. It is like a logbook with names, but I cannot understand what they mean. I see him glide his fingers across the page. Suddenly, he stops at a familiar line of text – Christine Romulo. Then, across her name, there is mine.

Astounded with what he saw, he shakes his head for a minute to get a sense of the world. I see his wide eyes still in shock of whatever anything means right now. He first carefully hides the book under the counter again. As he shows himself again, I see him trying to prepare his words. With his hands folded together as if in prayer, he finally begins to speak. 

"So, you wish to return this jewelry?" he asks again.

"Yes," I say patiently.

"Good. Ummmmm, may I have some identifications first?"

I don't know what that means, but ok. I pull out my wallet as I browse through my identifications. I just give him my driving license. He scrutinizes it as if he cannot believe that it is me in the picture. He should not worry. I only had my license updated months ago. Of course, the woman in the picture is me. He returns it back to me.

With widen eyes and speechless tongue, all he could do is let out a sigh. "Right, follow me, Miss del Mundo."

He beckons me into the jewelry store's storage. Inside the storage is a tight hallway of displays of various jewelries. I can see the more expensive models being displayed here. From the rarest of pearls to the purest of diamonds, you can see it all around here. At the end of the hall is a door that of a vault. I see him entering a passphrase, then scanning for fingerprints, then a facial recognition, then a retina scan. That is only when the vault opens, revealing many safety deposit boxes. 

As he guides me in, he appears to count the number of the safety deposit boxes around him. He turns back to me and he can see my awestruck face. "Miss del Mundo, have you any idea what returning that necklace means?"

"No," I say frankly. "In the box of the necklace, it says that I should return it here if I don't like it. She expects that I would return it anyway and I should do just that. Her lawyer handed me the necklace after her death. Does that mean anything to you?"

I look at him, and he still appears stunned with the matter. "No. We keep safety deposit boxes here for the keeping of important items. In the case of a certain death, we urge the depositors to give a sign to a close relative or friend to claim the important item from us. In your case, it is the return of one of our most prized models of jewelry."

We stop at a certain deposit box. He pulls out a set of keys chained to his belt. There are no names attached to the boxes. Only numbers. This is possibly for confidential reasons. What can I say about this jewelry shop. It is great at keeping things confidential. This seems to be the safety deposit of the rich. Nothing says hidden like a jewelry shop. No one expects anything deep to be hidden in here. 

When he finally opens the box, I see him pull out a book and a few paper notes. "There, that is all Miss Romulo handed us a year or two ago. Do keep it safe, Miss del Mundo. You are the only one entrusted with those documents. Whatever it contains, it must be that important."


I exit the jewelry store with my head held high. I know I cannot open this book inside the store. Instead, I retreated to some open sitting place at this mall. No one seems to be bothered to sit in this mall. It seems fitting that I can read this book in peace without any interruptions. 

I lay down the book on my lap. It is just a simple journaling book with the cover made of blue leather. Before I opened the book, I looked at Christine's note.

"Felicia, thank you for returning the necklace to the store. I suppose you now know that I entrusted you to help him give my fortunes to my heir. I could tell you right here and now who it is, but if I do, I know you will burn the will as if It had not existed. 

I know you cannot trust my wealth to my chosen heir, that is why I need to make you understand first. You can only find out my chosen heir as you read my diary. There, I have written notes in various places to selective clues on who my heir is. I need to make you read this book. 

And, also, rise from where you are sitting. I know that your anticipation in reading my special document from the jewelry store. Don't read it in the open. I know how your mind works."

Wait. . . How did she know that I would sit and read this at the mall?

Wealth. Power. Beauty. Many Lovers?

This is what Christine Romulo had all her life.

Christine is an heiress and a self-made businesswoman at that. Unfortunately, things go awry when she dies in a car accident. With all these wealth left behind, it is Felicia's job to find the missing heir to her wealth. The question is, who will inherit her millions with so many lovers claiming to be her husband, the rightful heir to her wealth?

The answer lies in a diary that tells Christine's promiscuous life of love, affairs, lies, and mysteries.

---------------------------------------------------

Release:
Every Wednesday and Saturday of the week.
09:00 (UTC +8:00)

Chapter length: 900 to 2000 words

The Dragon Palace was bathed in golden rays.
Walking along the pavement, one could see many Bright Moon Pearls radiating a brilliant glow.
Apart from that, there was also the Water Evading Pearl, Dust Evading Pearl and many other treasures conveniently placed in each and every corner. Any of these pearls would be highly sought after in the mortal world, but they were relegated to mere decorations in this fancy palace.
"There should be other deities in the dragon palace…"
Fang Yuan squatted in front of a pile of ashes and was deep in thought "The Golden Dragon God's realm energy was split into 3. Could they have fled the palace knowing that they have lost their pillar of support? But what about the water folks? Could it be that the Golden Dragon God was a very cautious person and would only let his subordinate the Yin Soul stay in the palace and tend to him?"
This appeared rather curious to Fang Yuan. But he too had no one even though he was of a talented and courageous person.
On the flip side, if there was a tribe of dragon descendants and water folks, it would be a hassle to kill them all.
He arrived at the study and casually flipped open a book.
The Golden Dragon God had a vast collection. Some of the martial arts manuals were even inscribed onto bone or shell plates, then bound together. Every book could be considered a work of art.
"Rain Cloud Evoking formula?"
Fang Yuan teased out the gist out the formula. "Only a person with dragon properties could cultivate this technique… Specifically meant for demons… This book has indeed broadened my horizons."
He browsed through the manual and placed it down, picking up a roll of inscribed steel leaves.
This unknown leaf was wide and had a glossy surface. Inscribed on it was a tightly packed cluster of small words. Every stroke seemed to be filled with a rich history.
"Green Spiritual Sword Formula? Finally a martial arts technique for humans."
Fang Yuan glanced through it. The energy circulation techniques were crude and focused on rough sensations of the energy flow. The last few sword techniques were fairly unique and slightly interesting.
"After all, even Zodiac or Divine Dao cultivators' strength boils down to the strength of one's realm energy as well as the absorption of realm energy. One could achieve everything even without obtaining a high status in the society. As such, techniques of Hui Realm were biased towards utility."
"Mmm, such an interesting train of thought."
He firmly remembered the teachings of the Green Spiritual Sword Formula. These insights would aid him in completing his techniques or think on his toes in future situations.
In the blink of an eye, half a day has passed and Fang Yuan returned to the treasure vault of the Dragon Palace.
The vault was well hidden and it took Fang Yuan some effort to finally locate it.
In front of the broad and sturdy gate, stood statues of two spiritual beasts. They had black jewels as eyes and were very lifelike.
"Pi Xiu[1]?"
Fang Yuan stared at the spiritual beast and muttered to himself.
The statues had the form of a lion, a head of a dragon, a body of a horse, legs of a unicorn, and a pair of wings sprouted from its back. It had a very fierce expression and looked similar to a Pi Xiu.
"ROAR"
He stepped forward to touch the door handle when the two Pi Xiu roared to life.
"Hmph, trying to stop me with a simple static array?!"
The corners of Fang Yuan's eye curled, and the Leaving Fire Sword appeared in his hands.
Roar!
In that instant, there was a warmth radiating from his clothes. The Inverse Scale of the Golden Dragon God appeared with a pure gold hue and was pulsating with life, roars of a dragon could even be heard.
"WuWu!"
The two Pi Xiu bowed their heads in submission and returned to their original positions, turning back into stone statues.
"So you sensed the blood and spiritual aura of the Golden Dragon God?"
Fang Yuan kept the scale "This scale turned out to be the key to the array guarding this Dragon Palace. No wonder my journey in the Dragon Palace was so smooth sailing."
His placed both hands on the door.
The door was smelted from pure crimson copper, it was thick and tall, had 99 round studs and was complete with door knockers in the mouths of a beast. Its design was simple yet grand.
With a light push, the heavy doors swung apart effortlessly, revealing an entire vault filled with shimmering treasures.
Gold, platinum, pearls, jade, corals….
The large amounts treasures piled on the floor and formed a small mountain.
Fang Yuan paid no attention to them and walked deeper into the treasure vault.
In here, several pillars of rainbow corals were converted to shelves, on them were pieces of treasure, each of them was radiating energy in splendid brilliance.
"The Life Shortening Sword?"
He walked forward and read the label on the coral "Concocted from a 300-year-old coral's gold, mixed with 9 Bends Spiritual Wood, smelted with Venerable flames for 49 days. On the last day, the sword must be used kill a tiger demon, completing the concocted process. The edge would be unimaginably sharp. The sound of the sword cutting through the air struck fear into the souls of others, hence the name, Life Shortening Sword.
Beside it laid the handles of several spiritual weapons, all of good stats.
A unique piece was the Crystal Spiritual Armor, it was said to be forged from the shell of a 10,000 years old Mystic Turtle and possessed exceptional defensive capabilities. Fang Yuan was thrilled and put it on immediately.
Even though he could not bring it back to his original world, it would still be of good use in his time here in the Hui Realm.
"But… It was still right for Venerable Fiery Dragon and company to not come here."
He sat on the pile of gold and looked at the many treasures that lay in front of him, shaking his head. "There aren't many items that are of use to us, besides, they could not be brought out of this world. To delay one's recovery for these was not worth it. But…."
He walked to the depths of the vaults, shifted the corals away and lifted the Life Shortening Sword, and stabbed the wall furiously several times.
He shamelessly used the misused the spiritual sword as a shovel and dug a small hole in the walls, revealing a small hidden switch.
"Hahaha, hidden mechanisms designed by mortals would not fool me!"
He flicked the switch and opened the hidden safe, in it laid a tiny box.
The surface of the box was a deep black, covered with various spiritual inscriptions. It sat still without releasing any forms of energy, this was indeed a unique treasure.
"Tsk Tsk…. A self-destruction array?"
Fang Yuan deduced that from just the surface of the box and burst out in laughter, "There must be something very valuable hidden in it. It was a pity that I knew nothing of the unlocking techniques."
Despite that, he made a wild guess and placed the inverse scale onto the black box.
"If this scale cannot open the box, I would have no other options than to use brute force. I should be able to fish the item out before the box self-destructs."
He thought nonchalantly.
After all, there were not many treasures that could be brought back to their world like the realm energy. Even a legendary treasure would be of little use.
Roar!
Upon placing the scale on the box, a dragon cry was heard and a small water dragon emerged, as if it was a miniature golden dragon god, it was bathed in blood.
"An opportunity?"
Fang Yuan's eye twitched, the water dragon leapt onto the box and shimmered with spiritual light, his expression changed, "Oh no, it is initiating the self-destruction spiritual inscriptions!"
He had a horrified look on his face as his mind raced.
The Golden Dragon God had it designed this way on purpose. The scale was the key of the array, but when it came to this last treasure box, it became a command for self-destruction. A smart alec would think that it would unlock the box, but in reality, he had chosen to destroy it!
"This must be an item of great importance!"
Fang Yuan pointed his finger, the Fleeting Fire Sword appeared and split the box open forcefully.
At this point, luck dictated if his method would enable him to retrieve the treasure in its entirety.
He was a decisive man, and he acted upon his instincts immediately.
"Go!"
The Fleeting fire sword was condensed to its peak. It split into 2 before exploding.
"Come back"
Fang Yuan tried to fish out the treasure, then retreated quickly.
Boom!!!
A frightening explosion resulted, blowing the treasure vault into rubber.
Fang Yuan retreated to the entrance and looked at the horrid state the vault was in, speechless. He opened his fists.
In his palm, there was a small segment of roots remaining, of the length of a pinky. The rest of it was long gone.
"Is it some sort of spiritual plant?"
Fang Yuan could not appraise the grade of the spiritual plant just from the roots, but he was sure it was of extraordinary value.
"No… This is right and wrong…"
Fang Yuan sniffed the plant and felt something was different. He then used his spiritual will to look at White Whiskers in detail and saw large volumes of spiritual inscriptions on it. It was a pity most of it was destroyed.
"Such a pity… Even if I had the entire plant, it would be useless to me. Unless I could keep it in my actualized dream world and bring it away."
He looked at the roots and shook his head, "I still have some time on my hands, and why not try to salvage this plant?"
After all, Fang Yuan had the help of the Stats board, even though he started with nothing, he still retained his botany skills.
"These roots have water properties, the dragon palace would be an ideal location for it, and it was far superior to any spiritual lands."
Fang Yuan looked at his surroundings and obtained some information from the roots, he stroke his chin, and his eyes were brimming with joy.
He planned to spend his remaining time reading the manuals in the dragon palace study and to concentrate on cultivation. While doing so, he would be waiting for the plant to grow.
He was curious why the golden dragon god would go to such great lengths to destroy this object.
He got it doing it immediately.
Fang Yuan was a man of action, after careful considerations, he realized that the main hall of the dragon place had the best water energy. He tore it down and made it into a flower bed.
This flower bed was unlike others, it was surrounded by spiritual earth, in the middle, he made a small indentation that resembled a pond.
Above the dragon palace, the spiritual waterfall flowed down into the pond, it was milky and fragrant, filling up the pond. The white whiskers laid in the centre of it all.
Fang Yuan was fairly confident about reviving this spiritual plant. It all stemmed from his level 5 botany skills.
"Botany [Level 5] ——- You're now a master in the Botany Realm! Any plants planted by you would not only awaken but also develop special traits, the maturity period would also shorten based on the conditions!"
"Even though I cannot restore it to its original condition, to be able to awaken it or develop special traits would be good too…"
To him, successfully reviving the plant was going to be a bonus, a failure would just be remembered as a funny memory. With that in mind, Fang Yuan took his mind off the pond, went into a side chamber and sunk into a deep state of cultivation.
[1] Qi Xiu is beast from Chinese mythology. It is a ferocious beast and it said to have a voracious appetite for gold, silver and jewels.


This is the story of a boy who lived a secluded life in the mountains, tending his farm, rearing his fish, and dreaming his dreams. Eh? Did I suddenly conquer all worlds and become the big boss? Or am I still in a dream?

sam closed the door behind him before dropping his shoes to the ground and waking over the couch to flop into it. sighing Sam turned his senses inward focusing on the lust within him, "time to make my fourth core." drawing all the lust except for the bit in his eye towards the pit of his stomach sam focused it into the loose form of a ball,' now the hard part," taking a deep breath sam compresses the ball of energy only for it to resist his efforts. applying more power Sam began to sweat as his blood began to pump faster, the energy ball fought back with just as much power as sam applied to it.

it was a long game of back and forth before sam found the power level beyond that of the energy ball and force it to compress slowly until it reached the size of a golf ball," now the painful part." giving the ball one more squeeze sam let go of it letting it float for a moment before it sent a pulse of energy throughout his body. sam took a deep breath and relaxed his body as much as he could knowing what was going to happen next.

the moment the lust pulse reached his heart his witch demon and ghost core reacted violently. each core sent out the own pulse with much more force then the lust core did. when the lust core was his by the three other pluses is shoot as small cracks appear on it for a moment before healing. "Ficken," sam managed to curse before the lust core shoot up to his heart knocking the other cores out of it. this was the start of a brutal battle of the core across sam's body doing little damage thankfully but hurting like a bitch.

Sam let the core expend their energy fighting each other before using his mana core to knock them down and put them back in their places the lust core in his groin and the other thre-." no that's wrong," sam realized before he placed the demon core in his right hand the witch core in the center of his forehead and ghost core in his throat. feeling the core settle for now sam got off the couch and went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

'My lord, may I ask the reason for the placement of your energy cores?'

'the method I use their powers I attack with my right first no matter the fight it's a small habit so the core with the most destructive power goes there, the ghost core works with my soul which is between the brain and heart don't know its exact location, the witch core relates to yin power so it's near the source of mind power." taking a sip of his water sam rubbed chest where cores mostly fought," the reason they were in my heart before was I wanted to hide them." pushing off the counter sam set his cup down on it," now let's go find my hidden items in the house."

'allow me, my lord, I have the ability to find anything hidden in a certain area' the helper excitedly informed.

 sam usually calm smile widens a bit, "really that going to save me quite some time, go when you're ready".

'then I shall go' using their lord body as the center the helper sent out sonar waves followed metal detaching energy detaching and many more waves to cover the house, moments later the helper spoke. 'I have located everything hidden within the area of your home.' a 3-D blueprint of the house along with front and backyard appeared with more than a dozen red dots spread across hit.

" Great let's get to work" sam took one last swig of water before leaving the kitchen. across the city, daniel was currently in his room reading over the comment of the last video a majority of which wear taking about the patrons of the bar or that sam was working a bar, to begin with.

'i have to agree with on that sam isn't old engine to work at a bar but its sam he's probably taking advantage of some kind of loophole.' reaching over into the bowl of coffee gummies and hard candy he tossed one of those things into his mouth,' okay so what's next...check my email.' pulling up his email daniel scrolled through it,' junk...junk...coupon...junk...ad...porn...company response...junk...' he paused 'COMPANY RESPONSE!' he swiftly opened the email.

"dear mr.lost we are happy to inform you that we will," daniel eyes widened, "GLADY PARTNER WITH YOUR STREAMING CHANNEL for our upcoming project..."HELL YES" he screamed from the top of his lung jump to his feet to jump on his bed." he jumped on his bed for a couple of minutes before he calmed himself down enough to sit but not the least bit still, "hahaha okay okay deep breaths haha... deep breath... in...out...in...out" it took more than thirty breath before daniel calmed himself letting out one more weak laugh he reached over for his candy bowl only to realize he had knocked off his bed in his excitement, "well shit...such a waste of candy." mood successfully dampened Daniel turned back to the email to dig up some details.

"oh sam will love and hate this, I can't wait to tell him, I wonder if will see a conflicted expression haven't seen that on his face before," saving the email daniel went through the rest of them finding nothing as interesting or exciting but he did find a coupon. closing his email daniel started doing research on the event mention in the email, it took a while but he found that this wasn't the first time the event had been held." well this just got ominous" daniel whispered as he read the news articles, "thankful sam loves the ominous". scrolling down the article to see a rather horrific and bloody image," that the end of that" daniel stuttered as he slammed his holo device off. shuttering daniel drops back on to his bed and shivers, so much gray matter.

"I need to get my mind off that" daniel mumbled to himself after a few minutes of the image flashing across his mind despite his attempts to think of something else. getting on the floor he cleaned up the spilled candy before dumping it into the trash, which quickly turned the candy into energy. while he took the bowl to the kitchen he encountered several of the houses staff and exchanged greeting with them, more than he usually did. in the kitchen he learned that there were having guests over, his parent was having a meeting during dinner.

after gaining this information daniel headed back to his room with an arm full snacks and beverages that would hopefully last his the night, he had no intention of being dragged into one of his parent boring dinner meetings the conversation was as dry as Sahara desert during noon on the longest day of the year.

back in his room, he placed the drinks in the mini-fridge under his bed and the snakes in his closet before pulling out a bag coffee taffies and one of his book from the overflowing bookshelf at the foot of his bed. "the tales of squid mike, one of my favorites," it didn't take long for the book to absorb daniel allowing an hour to pass without him noticing. reaching one of his favorite parts daniel was rudely interrupted by the ringtone he set the wailing of a ghost. frowning he answered the call frowning at the noise he heard on the other side it sounded like chanting, " daniel, you said that one of your uncles bought and sold gems right?" rubbing his forward daniel tried to remember the answer to that question.

"yeah that my uncle luke, why do you need to buy from him?" the chanting stopped with the sound of wood hitting wood.

"no, I plan to sell" daniel marked the bag of his book and stretched his back,' where did he...what am I talking about its sam the man describes himself as an abnormality of abnormalities.'

"do I want to know where you got them?" daniel asked worriedly.

"I tell you when I remember where I got them, so anyway what his number," as sam rose his voice to speak over the sound of a laser saw activating.

"I don't know but I can ask my parents later tonight"

"please and thank you", sam said before hanging up.' guess that was all he wanted...even though I know he all ways does this does not make it any less annoying I'll definitely get back at him later on but for now, my book.' picking up where he left off in the book daniel was quickly reabsorbed by it and stayed like that for the rest of the night.

back at the vegal residence sam was sitting on his bed look at the collection of things across the floor, 'first, off I'm going to have to clean all this stuff off.  then I can organize into what I can remember the purpose for and what I can't ', "would you mind making a list of the thing I don't remember so I can check my book of life for them."

'certainly my lord I exist to help to help you in any way possible', hearing this sam paused in carrying the dirty bag containing the ingredients for the blood moon spell to the bathroom.

"if that is how you wish to spend your existence go ahead but do not say that it is your existence is to help me." resuming his path to the bathroom sam waited for the helper to say something but they didn't even when after he sat on the edge of the tub. sighing and hoping he hadn't offended them sam started removing the contents of the bag before dropping the dirt caked bag into the tub.

looking over the vials sam was happy to see them in better condition then he thought they would be, covered in tiny small crakes and cobwebs but in good condition seeing as they been buried underground for the past few years. setting it all by the tub he went back to his room to grab a mushroom cardboard shoebox he had hidden next to the driveway. ignoring the mushroom that was starting to sport from it sam opened the box and examined the insides. 'bullets, I have a box of bullets why I never liked guns,' picking up one of the bullet sam examined it why he had hidden it was on the tip of his tongue. raising his eyesight to get a closer look at it he could see faded blood stains and that jogged his memory.

"the bullets I have been hit with over the course of my life...damn I been shot a lot!" dropping the bullet back into the half-full box and covering it before the memories related to the bullets could rise up. placing the box next to the spell ingredients sam return to grab a giant leaf wrapped around something and sealed with twine. undoing the twenty knots sitting while sitting on the tub sam had a bad feeling about what was in here, unwrapping the leaf sam got a peek at what was inside before immediate rewrapping the leaves and retying the twenty knots plus a few more. gently setting the leaf wrapped object down sam pushed the bile down, guess I'm still not ready for that part of my past.' heading back to his room this time he came back to the bathroom with a small jewelry box.

the few hours until about 9:30 sam slowly made his way through the previously hidden items, most of it he knew the purpose of a few things made him remember unpleasant things but he found one thing he that he missed having at his side, a ten foot silver ribbon. immediate upon freeing the ribbon from the paper bag he had it in sam tied one end around his left elbow before wrapping it around said arm and hand letting the left over ribbon dangle fon his wrist, "somehow having this calms me down?" he whispered before he got back to sorting.

when he was done sorting when left it all in the bathroom to deal with later before going downstairs for dinner, which was a Hamberger and a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries. when the food was gone the dishes drying sam entered the backyard. breathing in the night air he taped into his witch core. opening his pentagram eye he undid the ribbon knot on his left wrist. bring the end of the ribbon to his lip sam whispered to it causing its color to change from its simple green to the violet of the pentagram in his eye.

when the color change was complete sam released the ribbon but instead of falling the ribbon hovered a moment before drifting around sam forming a single circle and then a pentagram within it Sam standing in the center. reaching for the lust core the male witch used its energy to form a small flame on the tip of his right pointer. he stared into the flame for a bit placing it at a point of the pentagram where it divided five smaller flames. four of the flame floated over to the other points. "rehtag", he was the last thing he said before sitting down crisscross eyes closed, the ribbon remains floating above his head.

ten minutes later sam opened his eyes, "twenty miles steady flow, that's pretty good for a core I formed today with a stranded sized energy gathering spell ring." walking towards the door sam snapped the ribbon undoing the spell ring and extingusing the flames. rewrapping and knotting the ribbon as he walked back into the house, sam thought about which knives he should bring with him to beat the shit out of the local gangs,' i should probably bring some first aid supplies as well. Across the island, several people felt like they were in for something painful.

One of the seven sins, the sin of lust is in danger of going on the loose, its new lord must contain it, only he can prevent us from being devoured by our lust.
Why he was chosen is a mystery how he will rule is one as well but he will not fail. probably, hopefully, dear god I hope not
{welcome our dear lord of lust, let your training begin}

Right before the first orc he ran into got a head full of baseball bat, Jake Smithson, shopping addict of Nohas, was holding his bat like he was back at home on a home-run derby.
'This makes me wish I spent more time training with my local softball team,' Jake thought, not surprised that his body was moving by muscle memory as soon as he planted his feet.
'A bunch of guys around the neighborhood and office used to play softball on the weekends, and they dragged me along for the ride. It made for a good few hours for actually going out and doing something, and it also got me out of trouble with my folks for being too much of a shut-in.
And now, something I do to keep my work life "healthy" turns out to be a really useful skill here?
Color me surprised.'
The orc's groaning knocked him out of his thoughts, and before Jake knew it, a massive meaty orc fist came hurtling towards his face.
'Odd,' Jake thought as he saw the punch coming in slow motion, his confusion slowly being replaced with confidence as he eased himself past it. 
'I could tie my shoelaces before this orc's fist would end up anywhere near my face!' 
As the fist sailed past him, Jake grinned, remembering nicer days from the past. 
'Even middle school me could dodge a punch that lame.'
The old bloodlust that he had kept hidden inside himself began to swell forth, and as it did, the surge of adrenaline reminded him of that time he gained the moniker Jake "Mad Dog" Smithson, the guy who walked away, bloodied but unbowed, from a five-on-one fight against the high school bullies giving him a bad time.
Jake's grin widened to what he personally thought as "serial killer level", yet he didn't know that the orcs he was dealing with were only downgrades that exist only within the beginner's area.
But it didn't matter, as the world immediately kicked back into high gear as Jake reared up again and swung for the same orc, knocking him on the head with a very satisfying thwack.
However, the orc's skull seemed to have the resilience of a bicycle helmet, causing Jake's hands to go numb.
He didn't stop, yelling "LIMITED! SALE!" each time he swung down, almost like how a martial artist yelled right before chopping down a set of tiles.
'This bat is pretty reliable,' he thought as he was close to ten minutes battling the orc. 
'It really earned the name Hardened Bat. I've been smacking this orc around for goodness knows how long, and I haven't felt this thing give way yet.'
Something popped out of the corner of his eye.

[Unbreakable through conventional use.]

'Well now,' Jake thought as he saw the additional flavor text. 'Guess I don't have to worry about the bat for now – I can use this on the orcs all I like.'
The sounds of hardened ebony wood smacking against orcish skull echoed in the cavern, all the while Jake considered how he was bringing his full strength to bear when hitting the orc.
Judging by how hard he was swinging, Jake hypothesized that he gained the equivalent amount of strength a normal person would after going through general weight training in a gym for a few years.
'This guy should have been taken down a few minutes ago!' Jake thought, and swung in frustration at the orc's head a little harder than he wanted – he felt a strain in one of his shoulders.
Thud.
His extra effort paid off, as the orc finally tottered and fell, the life going out of its eyes.
'Close to half an hour,' Jake thought, calculating the time he took based on the "LIMITED SALE TIME REMAINING" counter at the corner of his eye. 
'I had to yank one of them so that I'd beat it up in close enough quarters for me to swing this bat, and to dodge the orc's fists. This is taking too long for my liking.'
And as the now-deceased orc began to vanish, Jake gave it a dispassionate look, the one a worker wears while looking at his phone and waiting for a payday deposit alarm to come.
As soon as he turned his head, a most welcome chime resounded in his ear, and at the corner of his eye, he saw his reward...
 
[300 points earned.]

...and his jaw dropped.
"Eh?"
'Wait a minute,' Jake thought, crushed with disappointment as if his monthly salary had an undisclosed deduction. 
'These orcs were much stronger than the goblins I took care of before! What's going on?'
What Jake didn't know was that the goblin scouting party that attacked Brino were some kind of bonus monsters Nohas prepared to train new Awakeners – and that was why those goblins gave a lot more points than normal.
These orcs weren't made for training new Awakeners, they were just located in the beginner-friendly area.
Jake sighed, as he spent a lot of energy just for taking down one orc. 
'This is going to get tougher and tougher. 300 points – still need 2500 more, meaning I need to take down 9 orcs.'
He looked ahead in the gloom to where several other orcs were lying in wait.
'No matter how fucked up I felt about working at my company, I just couldn't quit. This feels similar, somehow,' he thought. 
'I mean, this is the only way to make money. If I stop now, I can't shop. And if I can't shop, what's the point of me being here?'
'Well,' Jake thought, as the old saying goes, 'nothing worthwhile comes easy.'
He turned to another orc who had spotted him running into the corridor and was now closing in on him.
Jake sighed and hefted his bat.
"Looks like I'm running the graveyard shift today! Come on!"
Another thud of many echoed in the cavern. 
***
Much blood, sweat, and tears later, Jake smiled the smile of the victorious as he was making his way back to Brino from his orc incursion.
The smile stretched even wider as a pleasant surprise came his way. 

[As a bonus to our loyal subscribers, you will receive a Book of Strength as a gift after you have purchased from our shop 3 times.]

The telltale chime and alert pointed Jake to the inventory, and Jake took out the box and began unpacking the box with a finesse borne of someone who has done the same thing many, many times.
The sound the tape made as it was ripped from the package was music to Jake's ears, and a welcome reprieve from all the orcs he'd been fighting.
While the clothes he was wearing – the same ones he wore at the time of his summoning – were soaked with the sweat of his toil and the blood of his enemies, the smile he was wearing said that all of his hardship was definitely worth it.
If everyone in Nohas could smile like Jake did at that moment, it would be the happiest place in the entire universe.
'Opening packages never changes,' Jake thought, hearing an angelic choir in his mind as he opened the cardboard box. After removing the crumpled paper bags used to hold the item steady, he looked within to see an extremely luxurious book that made his eyes light up and mood lighten just by looking at it.
He let out an admiring whistle. 'These guys really know everything that needs to be known about online shopping.'
The design of a package is one of the core bases of an online store, and Jake knew this by heart. He found that he bought more items and more often from sellers who paid attention to this rule.
Despite it being a very superficial rule and a blatant appeal to vanity, Jake liked it. It was kind of like the tasty cherry on top of a delicious fudge sundae. Sure, the item inside is what you buy, but how the package is presented speaks more about how serious the store takes their business.
It also needs to be said that Jake was, in his own words, extremely vain ...and that he liked to shop to curb his addiction and indulge his vanity at the same time.
'It's this feeling, this rush, this excitement,' he thought. 
'Once you're done buying, the feeling is gone, and it's on to the next purchase. Oh wait, my hands are dirty. I am NOT touching this beautiful book with my hands full of dead orc.'
And after wiping his hands off on his pants, he flipped open the cover to his brand-new book.

[Tome of Physical Defense: Gives you an additional 2 to physical defense (this is a hidden stat).]

Unlike last time, Jake took a moment to read the additional flavor text he missed the last time he bought an item from the Awakening Store.

[We've taken some time to come up with the perfect item for you: a book that increases physical defense is really hard to get. Upon reading this book, you gain tougher skin and harder bones, for that extra bit of safety when fighting monsters. As your physical defense grows, you will slowly but surely defend against harder attacks! Isn't it great to have a head start on that? Thanks for staying loyal to the Awakening Store, and we hope for more business from you in the future!]

***

[Would you like to read the book? ]

'Of course I should read it,' Jake thought before opening the cover. 'This is one of those important stats needed when hunting monsters. Humans are, by nature, squishy.'
He turned the pages, and as Jake was reading passages from the book, he could feel the change just as much as he could see the essence of the book itself flowing to him.
Jake could not describe it – it sort of felt like he was becoming harder, more solid.
He flexed his arms to see that his biceps had more definition to them and felt them one by one – they not only improved in shape, but in feeling as well – they felt harder. At the same time, he also noticed that the skin on his arms had also looked more vibrant and flexible.
After the book disappeared giving its knowledge to Jake, he looked at the newly-changed status window.

[Name: Jake Smithson
Level: 1
Class: Shopping Addict
Basic stats
Strength: 13
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 13
Physical Defense: 2
Skill: Shopping (Awakening Store currently in beta)]

'All right, I got a new stat category! I think it started out as zero before I read that book, though. Guess I'm not THAT squishy compared to other players now!'
After closing the status window, Jake looked to his inventory to see that all of the skill and stat up books he read was still there, but all of them were marked with "Read".
"Wait a minute, the books didn't disappear after I read them?" Jake asked himself before checking the flavor text on the books he bought. Sure enough, all of the ones marked with "Read" had an additional line of flavor text added to them.
Awesome. I'll keep it nice and safe in my inventory.
For Jake, the empty book was a proof of him making an actual honest-to-goodness purchase from all the points he gained smashing up goblins with rocks and whacking orc heads with a baseball bat. 
He also considered the sentimental value and that he might be able to put these on a coffee table if he had a chance.
He was about to make a decision when he reflexively opened his mouth and yawned rather loudly.
'Well crud,' he thought. 'All that orc bashing left me a bit tired. I think I'll take a break. Even marathon shoppers need to relax once in a while. Besides, there won't be any new events after this… right?'
Jake stood up and began the long walk back towards Brino, taking care to read the Tome of Strength en route, and keeping all the books he read as a souvenir of his adventures.
Plus, if he had a chance to have a place to call his own, he'd store and display all the books on a shelf and place it in a prominent location.
He was halfway back to Brino and unfortunately, that was when the Awakening Store decided to take up Jake on his offer of defying fate and dropped a new push notification on him.

[Featured Event: Hidden Stat Extravaganza! This event is limited only for customers with at least one hidden stat! 10% off all books of hidden stats! 30% off on bundle purchases!]

'Oh, nice. A seasonal event. Kinda like those summer sales. I get it – if I bought a pair of board shorts, I can't shortchange myself and skip out on the goggles, the sun cream, and the waterproof digital camera for underwater picture taking.'
Naturally, Jake found himself opening the Seasonal Event menu, because one can't be called a proper Shopping Addict without buying one of those packages.

[Mana Up! Do you believe in magic? Yes, we do! And we can give you the stats so even YOU can learn magic and set monsters on fire! Only for 2000 points.]
[Magic Defense Up! Are you the type of player who runs away when a magician starts throwing fireballs at you? Buy this now and laugh in the face of danger! 4500 points only!]
[Luck Up! You have to ask yourself: do you feel lucky? With this, now you can really feel lucky! Dodging undodgeable blows and scoring critical hits is now within your reach! Only 4000 points!]

Jake checked the items carefully, his practiced eye looking for a way to get all of them for less…
'Discount rate of bulk purchase? Yes, here it is.'

[You can purchase all three as a bundle for 7000 points! And if you buy this Hidden Stat Bundle, we'll throw in a Tome of Guidance (All Stats +1 except Hidden stats) absolutely free!]

'This is unbelievable!' Jake thought. 'It's incredible. It's attractive. And it even has a freebie! If it was lemon-scented I would have snatched this up in a heartbeat – wait, how long is this offer lasting?'

[Our Hidden Stat Extravaganza will be available for the next two days! ]

Jake's mood quickly did the fastest 180 degree turn imaginable.
'WHAT? I have to get 7000 points within two days?
I… I don't have time! 
But… I have to try it.
No… I HAVE TO BUY IT!'
With the fatigue from his system replaced with an urgency to gain 6800 points in 48 hours, Jake made a mad dash across the meadow back towards Brino.
***
Back in Brino, strange matters were afoot.
"If you do not obey the rules from now on, you're out of the guild," one of the knights said towards a group of lightly armored Awakeners, crossing his arms.
On the surface, their actions seem reasonable, as there is neither law enforcement nor incarceration in this brave new world. There are no punishments for crimes here. It is like the Wild West in America.
But if you take the time to think about it, someone may do something they should not do out of malice.
Which is why powerful Awakeners have created rules to prevent them.
'If that's the case, then who watches the watchmen? Who keeps the stronger Awakeners in line and stops them from abusing their power?' Emmanuel grudged to himself, as he was not fond of what was going on.
'Who or what gave them the right over others? Nobody did. It was just pure and simple power.
And these group of people… this is less a way of keeping order and more a way of gaining power.'
However, he remained silent pretending he was content with the situation.
'I cannot deal with all of them myself.'
***
When Emmanuel first arrived on Nohas, he found out that he had an extremely useful Awakener class: the Assassin.
And as an assassin, the skill given to him was stealth.
True to form, nobody knew that he had such a skill; he did not employ his stealth during the battle with the goblins.
After the battle, he took some time to go to the outskirts of the village and tested out his personal skill in secret, figuring out how it worked in a relatively short time.
For all its benefits – he could become literally invisible – it also had its fair share of disadvantages. One, stealth did not affect his attack power or strength, and it was not good for killing monsters. Also, he was struck by a stone thrown while he was in stealth and it hurt him more than when he was hit in the shoulder by a goblin spear during the first battle for Brino.
Also, someone was able to sense him while he was invisible.
All in all, his personal skill wasn't appropriate for larger-scale battlefields where many Awakeners and monsters are battling each other.
Thus, the Awakener named Emmanuel did not gain much experience or attention during that first battle, and why the stronger Awakeners did not have any interest in him.
This was also why Emmanuel could only watch as the stronger Awakeners started pushing the weaker ones around.
'If not even a couple days had passed and they're already doing this, what will become of Brino and the rest of the Awakeners in a week? A month? Will we even be around at that point?'
During his hours of watching over Brino in the shadows, Emmanuel felt a sense of sheer wrongness from the Awakeners in town.
It was after witnessing that incident that it all made sense to him.
'We're going to be at each other's throats in no fucking time at all! If the Awakeners who won't follow the guilds get taken out by these ambitious guildsmen, there will be fewer Awakeners left to defend Brino! What are these guys' priorities?'
He darted from one shadow to the next, carefully staying out of other Awakeners' field of vision, despite using his stealth skill.
He wasn't exactly recruiting or starting a new guild himself, but with the guildsmen on the lookout for him, he could only observe, and what he saw disheartened him.
A lot of the weaker Awakeners were content with keeping their heads down and doing what the guilds wanted them to do, either to avoid trouble or to become a member of the guild in the future.
It was like they were being tempted to bite into a poisonous apple, and Emmanuel couldn't prevent them from doing so.
'Damn it. What do I do?'
Just as Emmanuel's frustration was becoming unbearable, he saw a man walking down the street, wearing bloody clothes, toting a baseball bat… and was he rapping?
"Two step with me, let me show you how it goes, the Murcielago, lemme show you how it roll..." 
Emmanuel had to take a moment or two to check if the reality of what he was seeing somehow shifted. After he confirmed that yes, he wasn't hallucinating, he corrected himself. The guy with the baseball bat wasn't walking down the street while letting out a passable flow, he was taking confident steps, swaggering like he owned the town.
"You wanna shine, it ain't hard, just get on your grind."
'I know that song,' Emmanuel thought. 'And I know him. Isn't he that guy who walked out of town alone with a plate full of food? What in the world has him so worked up he's rapping about having money in the bank?'
"We keep a bankroll, wallet full of credit cards."
Jake Smithson, after his successful sortie against the orcs, had returned. 
"Cup full of Cristal, box full of cigars!"
And despite his state, he was walking with a purpose Emmanuel had never seen on any other Awakener before – yes, even the guildsmen.

Jake Smithson was an ordinary man who lived an ordinary life and worked at an ordinary job... until he found himself on a fantasy world and tasked to fight off monsters.

While his old life revolved around one thing -- online shopping -- his way of life in this brave new world remained the same.

Despite his extraordinary circumstances... shopping, shopping never changes.

In a world so very different from his own, with his life turned upside down, he turns to the one thing he knows. Accompany Jake as he takes the first few steps on the journey of working and buying his way towards absolute power.

November 15, 2026, 12:00 PM

With excitement hidden within his heart, Aura logged on.

'Welcome player, please select the country you would like to travel to'

Bulrok Kingdom - Population 1.3 Billion
Holy Empire Firen - Population 1.6 Billion
Dowlin Kingdom - Population 1.4 Billion
Warrick (Kingdom) - Population 1.8 Billion
Toffler Republic - Population 1.9 Billion

In the first realm, there are only five countries, but each of these countries is significantly larger than the earth. Due to the low population, there are few wars between nations. Each country has more than enough resources for themselves after all.

Aura picked the Bulrok Kingdom because he is most familiar with its second largest city, Merinford.

'You have selected the Bulrok Kingdom. Please choose the city you would like to travel to'

Capital City Bulrok - Population 563 Million
Merinford - Population 246 Million
Ferde - Population 124 Million
....

'You have selected Merinford. Good luck and enjoy your journey!'

Aura was then transported from his lounge into the vast city of Merinford, a city with a rich history and all sorts of other nonsense that he can't be bothered to remember.

Aura only came to Merinford to pick up a few items he needs to get started, namely, a hidden treasure chest in the city, a skill book owned by a merchant, and some rabbit bait.

Players in Ascendance don't start with a weapon or money, all they start with is a single set of ordinary clothing that gives no bonuses. Players are instead required to earn everything themselves.

As he has no intention of staying in Merinford for very long, Aura headed straight for the city's cemetery. In the cemetery, there is a mausoleum that has a hidden treasure chest in one of the coffins.

Aura simply walked into the tomb, cracked open a coffin using a brick that was lying nearby, and pulled out a decently sized chest, which was unlocked and contained a dagger and three jewels. As he read the items info, he was quite satisfied that this was what he was looking for.

---
Ordinary Dagger
Durability 6/10
An ordinary dagger.
---
Ruby
A pretty red gem worth some money.
---
Sapphire
A pretty blue gem worth some money.
---
Catalyst Crystal
Attribute: Space-Time
Can be used to create equipment, skills, and classes.
---

Catalyst crystals are not actually that rare, but they sell for a ridiculous amount of money due to how useful they are. Aura planned to use this crystal to create a personal skill for himself.

Given that this tomb was away from prying eyes, Aura sat down with the crystal in hand and began to work. First he controlled the forces in his body and forced them to work together and strengthen him in harmony. 

'Player skills, Life Manipulation, Nature Manipulation, Void Manipulation, and Magic Manipulation have merged to form skill Force Manipulation'

'Due to merged skills all being LV 10, skill Force Manipulation is now LV 10'

'Due to skill Force Manipulation reaching LV 10, derivative skill Status Amplification has been formed'

'Skill Status Amplification has no level'

From now on, the skill Status Amplification will multiply all of Aura's base stats by 4. Status Amplification is a higher form of the skill that players will recieve upon reaching LV 10 of their force manipulation's first advancement, and while the skill is powerful, it doesn't get rid of classless player's jack of all trades, master of none stigma.

Once he confirmed his status, Aura then took the catalyst crystal and began to meditate once again, channeling his now harmonized force into the crystal and imagining the skill he wishes to gain.

'Player has consumed a catalyst crystal'

'Catalyst crystal is of the Space-Time attribute'

'Player has created a new personal skill, please give it a name'

"Item Box"

'Name confirmed, player's personal skill, Item Box, can now be used'

'Skill Item Box has no level'

Item Box
Player has a pocket dimension within which they can store items. Item Box has infinite storage and time is stopped for all items stored.
This skill is unique and can not be taught or transferred.
This skill will be retained through reincarnation.

Aura was quite pleased with his new skill. Storing his dagger and the two remaining gems in his Item Box, he began moving towards his next destination.

Aura Thompson, one of the most unknown experts in the DMMORPG known as Ascendance, dies of old age, only to find that his final wish has been granted and that he can start again on his path to immortality through the fantasy game he loves.

Read as Aura uses his knowledge of mankind's second world to chase after his dream.

He knows all the secrets that players uncovered over the 132 years he played the game: quests, classes, skills, hidden treasures, lore, and all sorts of things that could tip the balance of the world in his favor.

How far will he go?

In the sea a black metallic boat with a young boy of around 16 year old was on the only seat reading a book.

Ayden was looking inside a book which registered the most part of the know island, and with his haki was pushing the boat to exit the calm belt and enter the grand line by doing Haki shockwave behind it, it was a practical move that Riley taught him.

Ayden looks infront of him and saw a box that was probably let by Riley before he leave so he opened the box and what was inside was a Log Pose and a letter.

The Log Pose was with a text marked [Ohara] and in the letter there was [Hello boy this is my last demand to you please help a woman named Nico Olvia this woman was one of the only person who helped me to dissapeard of the people mind so it's the only favour I will ask you and I know that Ohara has been destroyed I just want you to look after clews of where she is or protect her family if you find that she died I know that a girl named Nico Robin is related to her goodbye.]

{P.O.V Ayden}

So I have to protect Nico Robin it seem that all are related to the true MC crew in this world but I can't refuse a demand of the guy who I respect the most can I ?

I will have to encounter the Straw hat crew in the end #Sight# how troublesome I hope there plot armour will protect them of the watch curse yes I have bad name taste but I don't know how to name it.....why do I talk to myself I have to see living people and quickly.

{P.O.V Third Person}

Ayden continued his road toward the Grand Line and more exactly Ohara after all he want to find what are rested on this island which is legendary know to be the island of knowledge and the place where lived the only people who can read Poneglyph.

In his road he read a lot of books which he collected to be occupied on the way but he also sleep a lot because it's been a long time since he sleep long and what he discovered was that [Flaws Dream] which was when he saw his clone make all the flaws on his techniques was triggered if he is in a deep sleep so even if he sleep much of the time it's a part of his training.

Ah also he didn't forget the skill that boost his training [Hidden Power] he just use it so much that he didn't think of it much even when he is in the dream he use it but he can't use it forever so he use it when he do a hard training to boost it but now that he doesn't train all day he use it in any training and yes he forgot the altar but it can't be helped he doesn't have the best memory.

After 3 day of sleep read eat sleep read eat again and again he was finnaly arrived at the now dead island Ohara were one of the highly feared Buster Call was used and transformed the living island of knowledge in an burned place on the sea which was also look by marine all day but it was reduced with time and now it's mostly recruit who are doing that with rare high graded marine in charge of them.

He didn't knew but he will encounter a strong fighter to fight him but he was just on the sea by the side of Ohara but he saw a warship of the marine who was doing a circle around the island.

Ayden decided to go in the island in a sneaky way to dodge the marine so he oriented the boat behind a huge rock by side of Ohara and was well hidden of the warship so he parked the boat behind the rock and jumped on the rock and jumped hight on the air toward the island who was not so far of the rock.

All his training was not nothing and he was able to jump on the island easily and run on it to find a place to hide or a secret place didn't know by the marine in the middle of the island there is a lot of wooden branch burn and a cave door that was closed but it was so obvious that the marine have surly passed in it.

But he wanted to see what rested on the island so he destroyed the cave door and jumped on it, and saw a destroyed underground with burned book and broken furniture dispersed on the place Ayden used his Observation Haki to look around and saw under a lot of wood furniture burned part a black book with a purple cube draw on it he opened it and saw a lot of page that were missing in it but the introduction was here and with a big tittle named [Ohara tragedy by Olvia (Don't forget)].

'So she didn't died but we saw it in the anime so when have she write this.'

He looked in the other page but they were not complete but the event named on it was not the buster call but event before it, that was when the Gouvernement found out about the reachearch of the lost history and the Poneglyph and there was even some information of how to read Poneglyph not complete but some where enough for Ayden knowing that the book was written by Olvia he decided to hand it to Robin that will probably be enough to not be considered bad to her and know other history about Ohara that intrigue him.

But it was for later he looked around a last time and found nothing so he goes toward his hidden boat but saw the warship not too away of it and it seem they saw him so Ayden was ready to run on his boat but a zombie tall guy walked off the boat and go toward him he recognised him as T-Bone the only know guy in the marine which can cut a boat with his sword Bamboo and was even surnamed as the 'Ship Cutter'.

When by a miracle Ayden is transported in the One piece world he get ????? and will rise to the top.

________________

*Bullshit enable* *Bad grammar enable*

So enjoy.

A Certain Goddess's Pov

"Fufufu" 

"Looks like you've grown a lot stronger again my little bell"

"I am curious though how did you get strong that fast?"

"I could pluck you up and make you mine right now, but I want to see how much you could grow without the blessing of us gods"

"But first a reward for your growth"

I walk across my room which is situated upon the very top of the Tower of Babel.
And picked a book amongst my bookshelf.

"Ah this one should do"

Bell's Pov

Huh was I being watched? Thanks to my high Perception stat I can pinpoint its location.

Which is the top of the Tower of Babel. A tower used to seal off the Dungeon from the rest of the world.

Who would want to spy on me though? Whatever I should have passed the 10 km mark right?

"Daily Quest: Gaining Strenght"

Press up,100 times: Complete(100/100)

Sit up,100 times: Complete(100/100)

Squat,100 times: Complete(100/100)

Running,10 km: Complete(11/10)

"Rewards for completing the Daily Quest is now available"

"Would you like to confirm the rewards?"
"Y/N"

Wait a second I can go pass the limit on the quest? No the more appropriate question would be.

What rewards would I get if I go over the limit? And just how much over the limit can I go?

Lets test this one.

-Scene Skip-

Alright so it stops counting more after being twice the limit.

"Daily Quest: Gaining Strenght"

Press up,100 times: Complete(200/100)

Sit up,100 times: Complete(200/100)

Squat,100 times: Complete(200/100)

Running,10 km: Complete(20/10)

"Rewards for completing the Limited Hidden Daily Quest is now available"

"Would you like to confirm the rewards?"
"Y/N"

Wait so it was a Hidden Daily Quest and limited too. Geez got to say I must be lucky.

"Confirm"

"The following rewards are available"

Reward 1: Full recovery of the current physical condition

Reward 2: Plus three additionnal points on all stats

Reward 3: One blesssed box or One cursed box

"Would you like to collect them all?"
"Y/N"

PLUS 3 ON ALL STATS!! What the heck how did I not learn of this way sooner. Well no use crying over spilled milk time to collect them all.

"Claim all"

"Player has been fully recovered"

"All of the Player's stats has increased by three"

"Note: Player must choose between the two available rewards"

"Blessed box"

-Grants the Player an item he wants

"Cursed box"

-Grants the Player an item he will need

I have to choose between the two huh. But as enticing the other one  is I know what I should choose.

"Cursed box"

A small box then manifested infront of me. I quickly picked it up and opened it.

Inside was a reddish colored key.

"Item: Key of the Demon's Castle"

-Rarity: S

- Key that will transport you to the Instant Dungeon: Demon's Castle

What the hell is this System!

-Current Stats-

Name: Bell Cranel

Level: 19

Job Class: None

Title: None

Health Points: 3900/3900

Mana Points: 1750/1750

Fatigue: 0

Strenght: 35

Agility: 37

Stamina: 39

Intelligence: 35

Perception: 37

Stat Points(Can be allocated): 0

Skills

Passive:

-??? Lv. Max

-Shortsword Mastery Lv.1

Active:

-Sprint Lv.1

-Critical Strike Lv.1

Title Says it all everyone
Im a rookie writer so don't expect too much
English also ain't my native language
I don't own Solo Leveling or Danmachi they belong to there respective owners

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