"Imperial War Sword"

Despite the menacing title, this game is considered a galge

For those less knowledgable concerning said subject, it stands for "gal game", which is the inverse of "otome game". If the latter is a dating sim that allows you to date attractive man, the former makes you date attractive woman. Basically, it's a form of wish fulfillment the lonely people would often buy into to satisfy their desire for intimate kinship

One would think they are misdirecting RPG fan into playing it, but that in fact is a misunderstanding. The game is a hybrid that combines both genre of fantasy RPG and romance into one, effectively creating a story that revolves around medieval warfare, political intrigue, and fantasy action with a whiff of romance mixed in between. In my old world, the freedom to switch between either genre had caused many people to purchase it

The game setting is diverse by design. Swords and magics exist inside this world, as does world-class beauties available as romantic heroines, along with quirky NPC's and apocalyptic force of nature that could bring about the end of human kind if not dealt with in time. In terms of factions, there are numerous of them to choose from, each with their own benefits and unique interactions in game

It was a mixed bag of story telling, which makes it all the more amazing that the stories adapt accordingly to every choice you make

For example, the protagonist's option to kill a corrupted noble early in the game could very well lead to the fall of his family and a revolution to occur. Another example is if they trained in one particular swordstyle, they may ended up saving a character from death later down the line, in which the character would have died in any other routes

The overarching plot of "Imperial War Sword" is not just a simple story with singular routes, as it would indicate narrow storytelling made of core choices. Rather, it would be more fitting to call it a chronicle instead

Yes, which is the reason why I am feeling worried right now

If my hypothesis of being inside the game is true, that means there's a chance I would have to deal with the various elements that come inside the plot. The numerous factors that are hard to keep track of is surely going to be my doom!

"Sir Johann, we've arrived at the Capital!"

Leslie's cheerful voice resounded from outside the carriage, snapping me out of my thought. I felt the vehicle grounded into a stop. Through the blinds on the window, sunlight streamed into my face, signifying the start of the day after I left town

Faintly, I heard the multitudes of sounds outside. Seems like there's a lot of people walking around

Deciding not to be rude, I packed my suitcase and opened the carriage door to walk out. Leslie is standing there, his mustache quivering in an oddly cheerful tone as he closed the door behind me

"Good morning, Mr Brown. Apologies for not notifying you of our arrival sooner. I dared not to disturb you during your slumber"

"No, that's alright" I waved my hand sheepishly "I'm glad you did. I need that sleep yesterday"

Rather, it turns out that sleeping is required to assimilate the rest of Johann Brown's memories into my own. I ended up learning about the rest of the world he lives in, as well as the basic laws that govern this land, thus confirming my suspicion that I'm not Earth anymore

Indeed, it seems like I have transmigrated into the world of Imperial War Sword after death

"Can I ask you something, Leslie?"

"Ask away, mr Brown"

"What school of magic do you specialize in?"

The portly man straightened his posture. He looked at me with confusion at the abrupt question

"A-ah. I would not say I am specialized in anything. Only learned a few basic healing spells during my youth" He scratched his head "Make the horses pulling the carriage go on for longer before they become tired"

"An interesting application. Thank you for the answer"

Bidding farewell to the still puzzled coachman, I picked up my suitcase and go toward the entrance to the Capital

 

---

 

The street here were cleanly polished. Their marbled gleam showed off the difference not only of wealth, but also of infrastructure planning between the Capital and where I came from. It was more organized and well maintained, and most of the houses are not crowded together in a violation of safety hazard. An alley or so could be occasionally spotted here where I walked through 

I weaved in between the crowded street. People merrily going on their way toward work, or children playing with each other under the supervision of their caretaker. It carried a lively atmosphere wholly different from the desolate town from which I came from

The only thing I could do is to look at them silently as they passed by

Elysia. The Capital. No one here except me know about the events that are going to happen to it

The first arc of "Imperial War Sword" opened with a memorable intro. 

It narrates the cycle of life, how everything have an end and a beginning. A story born from nothingness will return to nothingness. It then go on to say the human species is of a similar nature. Their presence were nothing more than fleeting wisps of candle, easily blown out by the force that drive the change in this world

Before the player could prperly comprehend the message, the screen lit up. In it, shown the ruined rubbles of a fallen kingdom. Massive ravines have been gouged deep into the Earth as the sound of screaming and fighting drew nearer. Ash drifted through the air. Blood spattered on the ground. Scenes of carnage bloomed as it showed men being mercilessly slaughtered by the cackling abominations above them

The screen spanned out further beyond the battlefield. Flesh and bone sticks out from the ground as evil entities ravaged the sky and ground, pouring out endlessly in a hellish slaughter of the human below. Their presence choked up the sunlight. Shrouding the kingdom in a sea of darkness.

Even when the screen had turned black, sounds of flesh being torn apart and agonizing shrieks still resounded in the air as they left the player feeling disturbed at the gory opening sequence 

Slowly, the screams faded out of earshot, leaving behind a single message in its wake

"The First Rupture unleashed countless demons upon the mortal realm. Many were killed that day. The once lively city was turned into a desecrated realm of blood under their filthy hand. Elysia is the first of this fate, but it will not be the last."

 

"It starts with Elysia..."

....

Yep.

At the start of the game, this very place I'm standing on has already been destroyed

Passerby's turned their head at the sudden noise. What they saw is a man slamming his head against the brick wall repeatedly with a red face

It does not take long before I completely vent my frustration out on the wall. I stood up and fixed my coat in a nonchalant manner, soundly ignoring the blood trickling down my forehead

There's no reason to panic about this. The event I'm talking about takes place in the first half of the second millennium. There's still at least a gap of five years to prepare for said event. I can still land myself a job here and, if worse come to worse, I can resort to run away before the invasion began

Yes. There's no reason to worrry. My priorities here still remain the same no matter what. Be positive, Johann!

 

---

After wandering around for some bit, something interesting came to me

I stood in front of the two-story building with a contemplative look on my face

On it is a label called "Magic Shop". The front is covered by black-tinted glass, preventing curious traveller to peer inside. It looks like a standard shop where they sell you those tools used for magic tricks in my past life. Except real magic exists in this world, making those toys obsolete

In this case, the "Magic" mentioned is very much real. From what I can recall from Johann's memory, a magic shop specialize in a variety of service related to one's magic. Their fields are often versatile, ranging from selling and buying magic artefacts to providing magic ingredients vital to one's research. Novice mage with no backing from their organizations often frequent this place to restock on their supply

Neither of those are the reason I come here. In the first place, Johann Brown is not someone who is well versed in magic. His poor upbringing prevented him from pursuing a luxurious field of specialty like that. As a result, both I and him don't know the first thing about casting spells. This is something I am planning to rectify as soon as possible

After all, there isn't a reason not to do it. The Capital is a place where one can unlock their potential with a small fee. It only stands to reason that a place like this can offer insight into what kind of magic I can use

With a push of my hand, the door opened. I walked inside the store, where a variety of customers are standing by the isles observing the items on display. I didn't bother glancing at them and instead walked to the front where the receptionist table lies

"Hello, what can I do for you?" Noticing my approach, she quickly offered a greeting

"I would like to unlock my magic. Is your service available?"

"Oh" Her eyes momentarily flickered up to analyse my form, before nodding "Indeed we do. Please go inside. Second floor, third door to the left"

Muttering a quick thank you, I went past the receptionist and into the inner area. The magic items displayed at the front gradually disappeared from my side, replaced by more exotic-looking armaments locked inside enchanted glass boxes stacked together. It seems those outside only serve as a distraction from the real goods displayed here

I mentally made a note to visit this place in the future

The second floor is just like the first floor, except it was divided into two isles. On one side there are several display of magic tomes and books on magic. On the other, there are three doors with separate signs on them. Remembering the receptionist's words, I entered the third one

"Welcome" Said a soft voice as I opened the door. I blinked at the dimly lit room, before my eyesight adjust their brightness enough to recognize an elderly man seated at the corner of the room

There was a wooden table separated between me and him. Only two chairs were present in this room, one of which the man has already taken. 

"Please take a seat"

He didn't look too remarkable. A hood was pulled up above him even though he was indoor. Through the cowl, I could see wrinkled skin and a pair of grey eyes observing me. He looked experienced enough

I slowly walked toward the table. Sitting down opposite from him, I chanced a look at the old man.

"So you want to unlock your magic" Before I could say anything, he nodded in understanding "You'll have to pay first. The price will be ten gold coins"

"Can I pay with silver coins instead?" 

"Very well. That will be fifty silver coins" 

I felt a dropping sensation in my stomach as I forked over the required money to him.

Like every fantasy world, gold, silver, and copper coins were used as the country's currency. Thanks to RPG logic, their conversion rate were luckily rounded up for our convenience, with one gold equalling five silver and twenty five copper repectively. In this case, the sum of fifty silvers is equal to one month's worth of food for me

With that, a third of my total savings are gone

'This has better be worth it'

I watched as the old man stow away the cash. He reached out and touch my hand. A soft light began emitting from his hand, slowly encompassing my palm like a calming wave. My eyes shot up as a strange sensation filled my body

"The unlocking of one's magic has to do with their mana"

Seeing my expression, the man began explaining 

"Mana is the fundamental energy generated from the life force of every living entity. Save for a few exception, the utilization of Mana is the core process of casting Magic, but the amount of people who can control their Mana since birth were few in between. That's why mages of old has devised a method to unlock their potential for Magic through forced mannipulation of Mana"

Those were information I already knew from the game, but to experience them first hand is an entire different matter

"Very fascinating" I look down "Are you perhaps trying to stimulate the path way of my Mana, so as to gain a semblance of control over it?"

"How did you know?" The man's eyebrow raised

"Just an educated guess" 

In essence, it is akin to holding your cat or dog vertically so they can learn to walk on their own. Since sometime they're too used to being in a state of what's considered natural, they are forcing their body to resist that change. The same can be said for human whose mana has laid stagnanat over the course of their lifetime

But sometime there can be complications. The first example is for those with unique "flow" stemming from their rare attributes. The second is for those who possess excessively large Mana reserve. The third is for those who have no talent for Magic in the first place

In the game, there would be such cases with most of the heroines and the protagonist, who is a magic prodigy themselves

I felt the sensation getting stronger by the seconds. The man's hand were trembling. I watched as he opened his hand to release his control over the gathered mana. A jolt of power blasted through my palm

"Watch out!"

--but it was too late

There was a crackling sound as something inside me broke, Like a dam has been destroyed, vivid light flooded the room and dye it a pristine white. Gale gathered and whipped around the room in a storm, scattering dust in its wake from one corner of the room to the other. The old man dived to the ground with a yell as he me to fend off the rampaging Mana that has been unlocked  

I didn't feel particualarly concerned. This little disturbance just mean he lost control of my Mana. Something unexpected most likely happened, in which case I'll just have to reign in the energy in my body to stop this so as to control it

I took a deep breath and began to find the presence of newly unlocked Mana flow in the body. Once the core has been pinpointed, I began to redirect their movement inside me. The Mana began congregating backward, flowing like a spiral into my body as I slowly feel the power surging up inside me

Slowly, the room returned to normal. The chair on the opposite side has been thrown to the corner of the room, revealing the trembling silhouette below me

"..."

"You can stand up now"

The shaking old man's head slowly popped over the table. He looked at me with nervous eyes

"Congratulation, sir...in my ten years of doing this, this is the first time I've had such a reaction" He cleared his throat, so as to salvage what remains of his dignity "It appears you have an exceedingly rare attribute. Do you need me to make further evaluation as compensation to this blunder of mine"

But I did not listen to him

Instead, my eyes are glued to the window now floating above my head. It's digital blue light shining an invisible light across the dark room, illuminating my troubled expression

 

Mana Pathway has been unlocked

Mana unit: 20/20 (Low)

Magic Attribute has been unlocked

[Growth Acceleration] (Mythical)

[Empyrean Observation] (Mythical)

[Fire] (Common)

 

"No. I think we're done here"