As soon as the last announcement reached my ears, a purple magic circle materialized underneath my bare feet. A bright vortex of golden light emerged from it, engulfing my whole body. Reflexively, I placed my arms over my eyes, shielding them from the blinding brilliance of the light.

The whole thing didn’t take more than a second or two before the light and the circle disappeared as if they were nothing but a fragment of my imagination.

Dazed, I brushed my hands across my eyes to wipe off the tears caused by the light. Once I felt like I could see again, I glanced down at myself and my jaw nearly dropped.

Somehow, my line of sight seemed to be higher than before. My skin which used to be a light bronze tan had become a shade darker. Strange white tattoos intertwined with my original black ones, covering the expanse of my entire arms and even a portion of my wrists. As I moved my head, my curly hair no longer brushed against my cheeks which meant it was much shorter now.

I smoothed my hands against my face, looking to feel for any other physical changes brought by the class selection. The general shape of my facial structure felt the same, as if nothing had been altered.

As I was about to pull my hands away, they brushed against something dangling from my left ear. I froze for a moment before inspecting the new object. When I touched it, it felt hard and cold to the touch and once I jingled it, it created no sound.

An earring?

The material with which it seemed to be made didn’t feel metallic. But who knew? This was a fantasy world from a fictional book anyhow. Gold and silver weren’t the only things round.

I continued to inspect myself, noting how muscular the lower half of my body was. I had always been fit and healthy but I was never this ripped. If I had to guess, I would say that the stats dictated by my class’s ‘awakening’ played a great role in determining my physique.

As I was going through things in my head, the voice rang again, almost startling me.

Another magic circle showed up midair. A sleek black sword with a jagged pommel emerged out of it as if the circle was a portal to another dimension. The sword hovered in air, shinning with a dark purple haze.

I lifted my hand towards it and it automatically leaped into my grasp, like a piece of metal to a magnet. I clenched my hand around its cold and smooth handle, feeling a current of something almost electric emitting out of it and seeping into my palm. I couldn’t explain why exactly but the sword felt as if it had been a long lost extension of my own body. Weirdly enough, it felt like it had always belonged to me.

I snorted at myself. How could that even be possible? When have I ever come across a sword in my life? I don’t know shit about fencing let alone actual swords.

I swung it a couple of times out of curiosity and I noticed it felt neither heavy nor light. It just had the perfect weight.

I shrugged my shoulders several times. I could feel the current of raw physical strength coursing through my body. Underneath my skin, a sensation of comfortable warmth seemed to simmer within my very veins. If I had to guess, I would say this how mana felt like.

As I was immersed with familiarizing myself with my new powered-up body, a sudden though popped out in my head, bringing me back to another part of the voice’s announcement.

Did the voice just say I unlocked some hidden hybrid class? Outsider, wasn’t it?

But what was this class? I didn’t recall it ever been mentioned in the course of the story. Was this perhaps triggered by my race choice, the Voidling? And why did I still look quite human despite choosing a non-human race?

As if sensing my confusion, the voice spoke up.

Huh? Does this mean I also have a non-human transformation skill? If that is the case, then this would make sense since the race I chose supposedly had shapeshifting abilities.

Curiosity took hold of me and I said to the voice, “Can I activate the non-human form?”

Almost as if a shift in space itself occurred, the world around me instantly lost color. Everything was utter black now, except for the occasional red hazy shapes dotting the scope of my vision. My senses went on overload. The dirt, the rotten leaves and even the plants. I could smell them all. In fact, I could even smell the blood in the veins of several creatures perched somewhere on the trees. My ears could even pick up the sound of an insect crawling underneath the ground.

Intrigued, I continued to stare at my surroundings like an infant who had just discovered the world outside of its mother’s womb. Titling my head, I focused my eyes on one small red shape about twenty meters or so away from me. I studied it for a moment, noting how it moved from time to time. If I had to describe this strange and surreal way I was seeing the world, thermal vision would be the closest thing to it.

Curious, I took a step towards the red shape I had been observing. A sharp ‘whoosh’ sound followed my movement and somehow I found myself right in front of the red shape.

What? Wasn’t the red shape about twenty meters or so away from me? How the hell did I reach it in one step?

Alternating between surprise and amazement, I continued to unblinkingly stare at the red shape before me which seemed strangely still all of a sudden.

I glanced down at my own hands. They didn’t look red like the other shapes I had glimpsed so far. Instead, they were completely white. Their general outline didn’t look particularly human. Instead of fingers, I seemed to have claws. Their ends extended downwards, almost like scythes.

The side my arms had things like spikes coming out of them and when I shifted my stance, something or rather several somethings behind me seemed to follow the momentum of my movement. It was the weirdest sensation, like having several extra limbs protruding out of your spine. I concentrated on one of them for moment, willing it to swing towards my front. Once it came into my vision, I looked at it, dumbfounded.

Is this…a tail? But since when do tails shoot out of upper spines? Maybe some kind of wing? No, that isn’t it. Wings aren’t normally this thin.

I touched it with one of my hands, keep it in place. The longer I looked at it, the weirder it seemed.

Why does it look like a barbed whip with a razor hooked end?

I continued to brush my hands over it. The skin on it didn’t feel soft. In fact, it felt hard, cold and jagged in some spots. The image of an insect’s exoskeleton came to my mind. I honestly didn’t know whether to be fascinated or horrified at having several of those things hanging off my upper back. Did they have some purpose?

I focused on the one I had in my hand and glanced at the still frozen red shape next to my weirdly shaped feet. The thin tail, wing or whatever it was extended powerfully into the air, growing in length at a visible rate toward the red shape. It entwined itself with it, lifting it up and bringing it to my hands.

I stared at the red shape in my hands. It seemed to have fur because it was soft to the touch. It was shivering violently and the frantic drumming of its heartbeat was loud and clear to my amplified hearing. A stench that smelt suspiciously like urine invaded my nostrils.  

While staring at the quivering red shape, my mind went on override trying to process the startling changes between my human and non-human form. Suddenly my ultra sensitive ears picked on a certain sound. A burble: the kind of sound a running stream or river would naturally generate as it traveled over rocks.

I snapped my gaze towards to the direction from which the sound echoed.

This form is as fascinating as it is useful. It seems with it, I won’t have to worry about navigating the forest for now.

I nodded to myself before crouching down and setting the red shape free. I then stood up and sprinted towards where the nearest water source could be, using the echo of the burble to guide me.

Similarly to what happened before, the moment I focused my mind on a certain spot, I would reach it instantly. It was an incredible experience; however I wasn’t sure if I could repeat it endlessly. And just to prove me right, by the fourth time I used this ‘ultra speed’ move, the voice rang out to warn me.

So this was a skill? A skill which consumes stamina. I wonder how much stamina I have in total.

It was then that the voice helpfully interjected; cementing the idea that it could read my thoughts further in my head.

“Interface.”

Hmm, interesting. It does really look like your typical RPG game stats menu.

05/25 stamina meant I had consumed about 20 stamina points in exchange for four uses of the 【Void Step】skill. If I followed the math, that meant each use of that skill consumed about 5 stamina points just like the voice informed me in its warning. If I wished to raise my overall stamina stat, I would need to level up.

The 【Voidling Form】skill is apparently a passive one, which means it doesn’t consume stamina. So that is the difference between passive and active skills. But if 【Void Step】consumed stamina, what is mana for ?

Job likely meant occupation in the literal sense. For example a Mage adventurer would have Mage as class and adventurer as a job.

Bronze rank, that meant beginner rank. I was actually quite familiar with the ranking concept in the book because the characters emphasized it a great deal during the story.

Bronze rank meant being anywhere from level 1 to level 20.

Silver rank referred to those who had broken through level 20 but still hasn’t gone over level 40. They were generally people who had an adequate grasp of their classes, skills and fighting abilities. 

Gold rank was reserved to those who overcame level 40 and were still under level 60. Gold ranked adventurers, in particular, were considered solid and reliable party members.

Diamond rank started at level 60 up to level 80. This rank was practically a badge of experience and superiority in the Twilight Realm.

Adamantine ranked people, who were anywhere from level 80 to level 100, were hailed as master fighters of great power and strong honor. They sat at the top of the power pyramid within the human world according to the book’s setting. They were automatically awarded noble titles and had both political and social weight. In fact, they could even influence the fates of nations.

The last rank, which had disappeared ages ago according to the book, was the legend rank. Legend rank was essentially a myth in the current setting of the story. Characters often spoke of it as people from earth would speak of Greek gods and dinosaurs. Legend rank, although considered extinct, was reserved to those who had overcome the 100 cap level limit of the Twilight Realm and transcended to another existence.

The hero of the story would eventually transcend to legend rank by the end of the book. It seems the same ranking system work for non-human races as well, as I am non-human now and yet I can see my rank.

The origin selection menu which the voice showed me a while ago clearly stated that I did have 90% potential to reach legend rank.

What a scary thought.

Pulling my gaze away from the rank tab, I focused it on the skills tab.

“Show me more about the 【Void Step】skill.”

The voice obliged.

It was as I thought. “What does 【Privilege of the Reader】mean?” I asked.

Huh? This invitation thing again.Was I perhaps 'invited' into this world? 

Putting that thought aside, what is this authority thing? Does this mean if I ever reached adamantine rank, I would be similar to a drama director who knows the role of every actor on the stage. This could be quite helpful once I actually managed to meet people. Does this apply to monsters, though? Are they also considered ‘characters’?  I guess I will find out soon enough.

“ Could you deactivate【Voidling Form】? ”

Colors exploded before my eyes and the world returned to the way it once was. It was interesting how my senses seemed to have dulled significantly the moment I reverted back to my human form. Shaking off the slight feeling of discomfort, I focused on my surroundings.

It looked like I was few meters away from a running stream. It was a bit shallow but it looked fresh and clean. I laid my sword on a nearby boulder and moved to the stream’s bank. I dipped my hands into the cool water, washing off the mud and the dirt off of them. Afterwards, I scooped some water and brought it to my mouth, drinking my fill. The water tasted sweet, just like spring water. I then jumped into the stream and proceeded to have quick washing down of my whole body.

As I was washing, an unnatural rustle sounded from somewhere close by. My perception stat picked on it. My eyes narrowed, pinning themselves on the spot where the noise might have likely originated.

I slowly and careful walked closer to the bank, hand extending towards my sword. The sword, as if feeling my call, flew through the air and jumped into my right hand.

 I crouched down as I moved closer towards the spot, hand clutched tightly around the handle of my weapon. I waited for a while for the sound to come again. But after a tense five minutes or so, it seemed as if whatever caused the noise had probably left.

Eventually, I lowered my guard and turned back. I started to think about crafting something I could use to hold water when the sound happened again. I tensed and whirled around, only to find something canine-looking suspended in the air, a second or so away from pouncing on me.

I acted by reflex, rolling on the ground to dodge it. The thing which looked like an uncreative combination between a wolf and a hyena growled at me. It was huge; nearly half my height and each canine tooth it had, looked as tall and sharp as a curved dagger.

My taekwondo training kicked in and I unconsciously found myself locking my body into a fighting stance, only to realize that I wasn’t fighting with another human and that I actually had a sword on me.

Mentally chuckling at myself, I corrected my posture just in time for the wolf-hyena to jump at me again. I swung my sword at its head with all the power I had. My strike clashed with its skull, causing the monster to whimper and retreat several steps. It appeared to have been stunned by the blow.

Taking advantage of its dazed state, I raised my sword and hacked at it again, hoping for the strike to land on its neck. However, the monster must have had strong survival instincts because as soon as my sword drew close enough to its neck, it jumped backwards dodging my hit.

Eyes pinned on the monster; I struggled to catch my breath. The hand I had around my sword had started to shake slightly while sweat was already trickling down my naked back. Trying to calm my racing heart, I jerked my head. The movement jingled my earring which didn’t seem to disappear even as I changed forms.

This is the first time I have ever been a situation like this, I don’t ever remembered being attacked by a wild animal in my life before.

Focus Sergio, this isn’t a wild animal. This is a monster, a fantasy monster that is trying to kill you so it could eat you!

Reminding myself of that fact, I mentally activated my Voidling form.

It was easier for me to adjust to the change this time around so I didn’t stall and jumped at the monster, my sword directed at its head. As soon as the monster tried to retreat again, I willed the ‘tails’ protruding from my upper spine, to pin it down.

They shot out into the air like whips. The monster tried to evade them. It succeeded in evading some of them but it couldn’t escape all of them. The tails managed to land on the wolf-hyena. They pierced right through its flesh with their sharp, hooked ends rending it immobile.

Deprived of its ability to dodge, the monster crouched and opened its mouth, further revealing its razor sharp canines. It was looking to bite my hand, which held the sword, off the moment it drew closer to its head.

I didn’t want to gamble so I mentally activated my last remaining【Void Step】use.

Instantaneously, I found myself behind the monster. Using all of my 20 Strength stat, I thrust my sword mercilessly at its exposed back and drove it deep to its heart. Impaled by the sword, the monster whined miserably for some time before slumping over to the ground. The overwhelming stench of blood drowned the air and I could almost feel its metallic taste in my mouth. All that remained of the monster was a heap collapsed on the ground, unmoving.

I tried to move but before I could even take a single step, my vision suddenly turned all blurry. I struggled to stand upright. A sense of heaviness, as if my limbs weighted tons, fell over me.  I staggered before falling down my own knees next to the dead monster. I rested my head against my hand as I tried to regain my breath.

Exhausted his Stamina stat…Ah yes, you could say that.

Lying on the ground on my back, I mentally deactivated my 【Voidling Form】and stared at the clear, blue sky above me dazedly.

Okay, that concluded my very first fight in this strange, bizarre world.

I rested my eyes for a moment, my thoughts already racing to think of a way to skin this monster, make a fire and have my very first taste of roasted monster meat.

I threw a glance at the corpse and a small familiar screen box hovered over it.

Ah I see, so I needed to be even more higher leveled than it was to be able to access all of its information. Well, that answered the question of whether monsters were considered characters or not. Also, now I was almost 99% certain I was in the Wailing Woodlands. I meant the monster had the location in its name, plus in the book, most beast type monsters were already known to roam the Wailing Woodlands more than any other place.

Sighing, I struggled to haul myself up.

Ah, I guess this ‘chain of quests’ thing might take a while longer than I thought.