He stared at the floor. He couldn't see the outline of the trapdoor he had just exited. It was not surprising compared to what he had witnessed after opening his eyes.
He could leave the tower's basement after accepting the so-called quest. Yet, the trapdoor vanished when he reached the upper level.
‘A dream?’ Even pinching himself did not awaken him.
"It's not a dream," he sighed, mumbling, "and it's not a game."
Even before the voice rang in his ear, a bright light appeared in the center of the room. As the light condensed, it took the form of a child no taller than four feet.
“If you want to live longer, don’t you dare to think of it as a game.” The adult voice came off the child’s body.
He looked to find a child dressed in leather attire from head to toe. She was wearing a bow with a head full of orange hair and had her face painted with an intricate cyan tattoo.
"Are you human?" He inquired casually.
"Halfling," the child replied, "I am not a native of your plane, but you can think of me as your well-wisher."
"Can you explain the situation? " He inquired, unconcerned about the emergence of the so-called 'halfling' from thin air.
The halfling didn't respond and threw something at him. When he caught it, he noticed it was a bracelet with a small red crystal.
He didn’t get the chance to inspect the red crystal. It glowed and revealed a transparent screen in front of him.
[Title: N/A
Temporary title: #00008850/*****
Level: 0 (0/10)
Traits: N/A
Alignment: Arkid Dimensional Mercenary (Neutral)
Strength: 23
Constitution: 28
Dexterity: 27
Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 20
Willpower: 22
Knowledge: <???>
Skill: <???>
Quest: 1. Striker.]
“Not bad.” the halfling’s voice broke his trance. He stared with the expectation of further explanation.
“Human.” she pointed to his chest. “For a normal human, the sum of six attributes doesn’t exceed 100. Only 12% of all human has attributes over 120. You are part of the rare 1% of all humankind.”
The halfling couldn’t find the rare satisfied smile on his face as she continued, “however, of all the humans we have brought to this Dimension of Acclimatization, you are just average.”
“Why do you bring me here?” He asked, as if the explanation of his status didn’t interest him.
The halfling looked at him, adding, “Didn’t you read the book about the plane of Luna?”
“Earth is evolving. I get that. But there is no reason for you to bring me back to this place.”
"It's because your ancestors told us to do so."
“My ancestors?”
She nodded. "A few thousands of years ago, when the plane of Tellus was undergoing the first trial of the second evolution, the strongest members of your race made a pact with us."
"We, Arkid Dimensional Mercenary, along with six other Dimensional Mercenary groups, will guide a few of their descendants and prepare for the final trial."
He looked at the halfling for a moment, not believing what she was saying. "For nothing? A mercenary organization? The mercenaries of Earth would never do something like that."
The halfling, too, looked at him for a moment before laughing. "Is that what you're most interested in?" ”
"Your ancestor had already paid a certain amount of it," she said when she didn't hear from him. "And for what they left unpaid, we have our own way. For example, you must pay 1000 exp points. But you don't have to be concerned."
Her face lit up with a sly grin as two light balls appeared out of thin air.
While waiting for her to explain, he evaluated the red and blue ball in front of him.
"The red ball held one knowledge; an intermediate-level weapon mastery of your choice. A 'C' grade skill of your choice. A 'Bronze' grade weapon compatible with your 'knowledge.' A potion that boosts ten random attribute points, and..."
She couldn't see the excitement on his straight face, so the halfling frowned. "During your stay on the broken shard of Luna, you can earn three skills," she said, raising her voice a notch. "However, the red ball can grant you one more Skill."
"What about the blue ball?" He didn't even bother looking at the red ball.
“Huh!” The more she talked to him, the more irritated she became. Nonetheless, she replied, "a trait, a gradeless weapon seed, and a random skill."
The halfling was taken aback as he prepared to grab the blue ball. “Wait, what? Why?” She struggled to find the right words. "Are you sure you want the blue one? That makes no sense."
He turned to face the orange-haired halfling, who quickly explained, "A trait isn't always a good thing. A negative trait can hinder your development. It is preferable to have no trait than a negative trait. And maturing a weapon seed takes time and patience."
She was staring at him as if his decision still perplexed her. Despite this, he only asked one question: "What is the cost of the red ball?"
“Huh!” She wasn’t expecting him to catch on to the untold secret.
She felt a little embarrassed, explaining, “if you chose the red ball, then you don’t have to pay 1000 experience points. We will train you to be the strongest.”
“Are you going to give it to me for free?”
She didn't miss the sarcasm in his tone of voice. Her tone became solemn. “Do you know how long it takes a plane to evolve? Nobody knew whether Tellus' races could triumph over Hesperus' races.”
“As part of a dimensional mercenary, you can survive even if Tellus' plane is absorbed. And it will only be for ten years. You will regain your freedom even before the planes collide. You'll be stronger than most people in ten years.”
"How much does the blue ball cost?"
Her frown became even more pronounced. "Do you still want to bet your life on that nonsense? Does that make any sense?"
He smiled as he looked at her. It took her a little by surprise, but he didn't care.
"I can't recall my name. The meteor shower was the last thing I remembered. I teleported into the basement of a tower, spoke to the wall, and it forced a book into my head. The door vanished when I left the room, and now I'm talking about something that only exists in my imagination."
His smile returned as he added, "If it had been any other day on Earth, none of this would have made sense. So why are you looking for logic now?"
The halfling looked at him for a half-second before bursting out laughing. "You're a fascinating individual." She said, shaking her head. "That thing is a gift from your ancestor. It's free."
He gave her one last look before touching the blue ball. When he touched it, it melted. A shiver spread across his palm.
However, before he could enjoy the cold sensation, something hot oil poured on his body and flowed through his vein like molten metal.
His expressionless face cracked like a dam. He collapsed on the stone floor, struggling like a fish out of water. The halfling stood motionless until he couldn't move any longer.
"Huh!" He was still struggling to breathe even after the pain had subsided. It took some time for him to get back up.
"Why don't you reopen your status?"
He pretended he couldn't hear her at all. He took his time with his bracelet's stone. But before he touched it, something else caught his eye.
“This!” He looked at the intrinsic tattoo that had appeared on his arms. They reached his wrists and shoulders.
"Those are the weapon root." The halfling inched closer to inspect the tattoo on his arm.
“Interesting... A pair may be!” she mumbled, looking up at his sweaty face. “To think the root has already taken root... Could it be that you already know how to use a weapon?”
He looked at her but did not respond. When he touched the stone on his bracelet, it glowed.
[Title: N/A
Temporary title: #00008850/*****
Level: 0 (0/20)
Traits: <Leach>
Alignment: Arkid Dimensional Mercenary (Neutral)
Strength: 23
Constitution: 28
Dexterity: 27
Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 20
Willpower: 22
Knowledge: <???>
Skill: <Resonance (C-)> <???>
Quest: 1. Striker.]
