The forest stretched endlessly around Ethan as he walked.
He had been moving for nearly an hour now, following what looked like an old ga trail that wound quietly between the towering trees. The silver glow above him never changed. It did not dim or brighten. It remained fixed in the sky like an eternal moon.
It made the entire world feel strangely suspended.
As if this place had no concept of day or night.
Every so often Ethan passed enormous trees whose bark faintly pulsed with a dim light. The slow rhythm reminded him of breathing. Like the trees themselves were living creatures silently watching his passage.
The air felt different too.
Denser.
Not heavy enough to slow him down completely, but enough that every step required more attention than usual.
"Yumiko," Ethan said quietly, breaking the silence, "do you have any idea where the nearest settlent is?"
Inside his mind the familiar voice responded.
[Searching fragnted data...]
A brief pause followed.
[There is a human settlent approximately forty kiloters to the northeast.]
[Spatial patterns suggest organized construction. Most likely a town with guild presence.]
Ethan nodded to himself.
"That works."
He adjusted his direction slightly and continued walking.
As he moved, he carefully tested the limits of his body.
A simple leap sent him upward.
But the result was disappointing.
In his original universe a casual jump like that would have carried him across dinsions if he wanted to, or at least several kiloters if wanted to keep his power suppressed, but here he barely reached fifty ters before gravity dragged him back down.
The descent also felt heavier.
Not painful.
Just oppressive.
As if gravity itself possessed additional weight.
Ethan landed softly and frowned.
"This is going to take so getting used to," he muttered.
The difference in physical laws was clear.
This world restricted power far more aggressively than the one he had left behind.
If even basic movent felt like this, combat would feel very different.
He continued down the trail, studying everything carefully.
Two hours passed.
Gradually the forest began to thin.
The massive trees beca smaller and more spaced apart until eventually Ethan stepped out of the treeline and onto a worn dirt road.
And there, in the distance, he finally saw it.
A town.
Stone walls surrounded it completely.
They rose roughly ten ters high and stretched in a wide periter. Strange glowing runes covered the surface of the stone. The symbols pulsed slowly in repeating patterns, like a quiet heartbeat.
Beyond the walls Ethan could see rooftops of various sizes.
So were simple wooden structures.
Others appeared to be reinforced with tal.
Rising above them all was a tall tower constructed from bronze colored tal that glead under the silver sky.
The town gate stood open.
Two guards stood on either side.
Each carried a sword at their hip.
As Ethan approached, both of them watched him carefully.
Their gazes were not hostile.
Just alert.
"Halt," one of them said once Ethan ca within speaking distance.
"State your business in Valdris."
Ethan stopped and looked at the guard calmly.
"I’m looking to join a guild."
The guard studied him for a long mont.
Then he let out a short snort.
"Another one, huh?"
He scratched his chin and glanced briefly at his companion.
"You’re the third outsider this week. Did you co here from a space rift or ritual?"
Ethan was surprised that they could tell he didn’t belong to this world and they were not that surprised.
"Umm, through a space rift I guess.", he said.
One guard snorted coldly as if looking at a garbage pile.
Then he gestured lazily toward the interior of the town.
"Go straight down the main road."
"You’ll see the Guild Hall at the end."
"Bronze Dawn handles all new registrations."
Ethan inclined his head slightly.
"Thank you."
He walked past them and entered the town.
The mont he passed beneath the stone archway, he felt sothing change.
The air shifted.
It beca more structured.
More controlled.
Ethan looked up.
The runes embedded into the walls had brightened slightly as he passed through the gate.
Ethan continued walking without reacting outwardly.
Valdris looked like an ordinary dieval town at first glance.
The streets were paved with cobblestone that had been worn smooth by centuries of footsteps.
rchants called out prices to passing custors.
Children ran through the streets laughing loudly.
Craftsn worked inside open front workshops while tools rang steadily against tal or wood.
The sll of bread drifted through the air from a nearby bakery.
Everything felt normal.
Peaceful.
Yet Ethan noticed things most people would never see.
A woman walked past carrying a basket full of bread.
Her footsteps touched the ground lightly.
But Ethan noticed sothing strange.
Each step she took displaced small grains of dust and stone.
Yet the mont her foot lifted, every particle returned to its exact original position.
Perfectly reset.
Nearby, a blacksmith hamred glowing tal on an anvil.
The sound of each strike rang out clearly.
But the anvil itself never vibrated.
The force of each blow vanished into the tal without creating resonance.
The energy simply disappeared.
A small girl ran past Ethan, laughing happily.
As she moved the air around her rippled faintly.
Ethan imdiately recognized what was happening.
She was unconsciously manipulating space to accelerate her movent.
Level 1 beings.
Every single one of them.
In the outside universe, these people would be considered gods.
Here they were ordinary citizens.
Bakers.
Blacksmiths.
Children playing in the street.
The scale of power in this world was almost absurd.
Even Ethan felt slightly overwheld by the realization.
Eventually he reached the town square.
And there it stood.
The Guild Hall of Bronze Dawn.
The structure dominated the entire square.
It was built from dark stone reinforced with bronze trimming along the edges. The building stood three stories tall, and the tower Ethan had seen earlier rose directly from its center.
The entrance consisted of two enormous bronze doors.
Each one stood nearly five ters high.
The tal surface was engraved with detailed carvings that depicted warriors battling enormous monsters.
Ethan pushed one door open and stepped inside.
The interior atmosphere surprised him.
It felt warm.
Almost welcoming.
A massive hall stretched out before him.
Long wooden tables filled the space where groups of people sat eating, drinking, and talking loudly.
The sll of roasted at mixed with sothing that resembled spiced wine.
Along the walls were large wooden boards covered with sheets of paper.
People gathered around them constantly.
Missions.
Requests.
Contracts.
At the far end of the hall stood a large counter.
Several clerks worked behind it, organizing papers and speaking with guild mbers.
Supervising them all was a tall woman with silver streaks in her dark hair.
Ethan walked toward the counter.
The woman looked up as he approached.
Her eyes were sharp.
The kind of gaze that missed nothing.
"New face," she said flatly.
"Outsider?"
Ethan nodded.
"Just arrived today."
The woman snorted slightly.
"You have no idea where you are, do you?"
"I know I’m in the World of Elysium," Ethan replied calmly.
"Beyond that, not much."
One of her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"At least you’re honest."
She placed the papers she was holding onto the desk.
"I’m Sera."
"Reception administrator for Bronze Dawn."
"If you want to join, there’s a process."
"I’m listening," Ethan replied.
Sera pointed toward a wooden board beside the counter.
"First you register your na and current level."
"Then you complete a basic assessnt mission."
"That proves you’re not completely useless."
"After that you receive provisional mbership for thirty days."
"If you survive that long, you beco a full mber."
Ethan glanced toward the board.
It contained a long list of nas followed by numbers.
"Levels," he said.
"How are they asured?"
Sera looked at him strangely.
"You really don’t know anything. Did you arrive here by luck? "
"Yeah", Ethan nodded.
She reached under the counter and pulled out a small crystal sphere.
It was roughly the size of a fist.
A faint light glowed within the crystal.
"Place your hand on this."
"It asures your strength."
"It will assign you a level."
Ethan looked at the sphere briefly.
Yumiko.
[The device is safe.]
[It asures dinsional resonance only.]
[It cannot detect .]
Ethan placed his palm against the crystal.
For a mont nothing happened.
Then the crystal flickered.
A faint pulse of light spread through the sphere.
Suddenly the glow intensified.
The crystal blazed with powerful light that filled the entire counter area.
Sera’s eyes widened in shock.
The light faded as quickly as it appeared.
Inside the crystal glowing characters slowly ford.
Symbols Ethan did not recognize.
Sera stared at the numbers.
Then she looked up at Ethan.
Then back at the crystal.
"That’s..."
Her voice faded uncertainly.
Ethan waited patiently.
Finally she cleared her throat.
"Level 2."
Her tone sounded strange.
Half disbelief.
Half confusion.
"You’re Level 2."
Ethan blinked.
"Is that bad?"
Sera let out a short laugh.
"Bad?"
"No."
"It’s just unusual."
She shook her head slowly.
"Most outsiders arrive here at Level 0."
"If they’re extrely talented they might reach Level 1."
"But Level 2 imdiately?"
Her eyes examined him again.
More carefully this ti.
"What exactly were you before you ca here?"
Ethan considered the question briefly.
Then he answered.
"Sothing like a traveler."
Sera studied him for several seconds.
Then she shrugged.
"Fine."
"Keep your secrets."
"Everyone does at first."
She grabbed a form and began writing.
"Na?"
"Ethan."
"Just Ethan?"
"For now."
Sera snorted but wrote it down anyway.
"Alright Ethan who arrives at Level 2."
She reached behind her and pulled a sheet of paper from a neatly organized stack.
Then she handed it to him.
"Here’s your first mission."
She tapped the page with her finger.
"South of town there’s a farr nad Garrick."
"He’s been dealing with corrupted beasts attacking his livestock."
"The creatures are weak."
"Maybe Level 1 at most."
She leaned back slightly.
"Go kill a few."
"Bring back proof."
"And you’ll complete your assessnt."
User Comments
0 comments from readers