What the hell, my head hurts... Head? Fiinally! I have a body again. It feels so strange to have it once more. Anyway, where am I? Who are all these people? Is that… a crown?
-Welcome, hero!!! You surely don't understand what's happening. You were summoned to fulfill a very important mission. You are the only one… only… huh? Serena… why are there two men on the floor of my castle? -Said the king with a visibly confused expression.
-Eh!? I don't know, my king, this has never happened before -Said a girl holding a staff larger than her own body.
-In any case, heroes I guess, please state your names.
The king's presence was exactly what one would expect. Eric immediately knelt, so I copied him so I wouldn't look bad in front of everyone in the hall.
-My name is Eric, your Majesty, and the one beside me is Angle. He's not very important.
-I'm Angel, Your Majesty. You said we're heroes?…
Heroes?? No way. How did I end up in this situation? Although… maybe they'll finally treat me the way I always wanted.
-That's right, Angel. After so many years of research, our kingdom finally managed to perform the summoning spell to bring forth the hero who will save us from the emperor's control. Serena, please tell them why they're here.
-Approximately a thousand years ago, a baby was born with what we call "the Mark of Terrebios", which granted him the gift of immortality. When Emperor Carlos the First realized his son's ability, he focused on raising him so he could lead their lands to greatness as a single eternal ruler. But his plan was never fulfilled, as he unfortunately disappeared shortly after his son's birth, leaving behind an empire without a leader, a child without a name or family, and thousands of people who didn't know what to do without their emperor. -She paused for a moment. -Or so the ancient writings say. Being so old, the only truth we know is that that child is now the Emperor who has slowly been devouring every kingdom to add it to his empire.
The Emperor… An empire that consumes all others. And what is that "Terrebios"?
*Replying: Terrebios is a god in this world, specifically the God who gives Life.
What was that? Did someone else hear that voice?
*Replying: No one else hears. I am the product of the ability "Solver".
Ability? Solver? Ahh, that's what that voice said back when I didn't have a body.
-You've heard the story, heroes. Although we brought you here against your will, we still want to give you the choice of whether you will help us. If you refuse, no one in the room will judge you. -The king seemed quite kind.
-Of course, your Majesty. I, Eric White, swear to protect the kingdom of… what did you say it was called?
-Kingdom of Gamtr.
-I, Eric White, swear to protect the Kingdom of Gamtr. -The hall burst into applause.
Nice speech. He was surely popular in his past life. It's my turn now???
-And I, Angel Brooks, also swear to give all my support to the Kingdom of Gamtr. -The hall full of nobles soon dispersed after the round of applause.
-Now that everyone has left, Serena, please take our heroes to their room. We apologize; we thought only one would come. I hope you don't mind sharing while we prepare a second one. -Eric's face turned toward me with a piercing look.
Shit
Seeing a castle from the inside is something I never thought I'd do on a regular day of work. Unbelievable. Is this a dream? Someone pinch me. The view from these huge windows is stunning, you can clearly tell this is a great kingdom. Now that I think about it… wouldn't the emperor know that a kingdom this big is planning to oppose him?
-Uhm… Serena, right? Does the emperor know about our summoning?
-Oh... don't worry. The emperor has such a massive ego that even if we armed everyone, he'd let us march to the capital without a problem. The only thing he cares about is charging the king an absurd amount of gold.
So he doesn't rule any territory directly and only demands payment… but if he's that confident in himself, that means he really is powerful…
-This is your room. By tomorrow we expect to have the other one ready. Make yourselves at home.
How nice is the people in this world. They didn't make fun of my body, they didn't say anything about my voice… is this what it feels like to belong? And here comes a new problem, I don't want to go inside. Everything in my body is telling me that staying alone with Eric could cause an issue. What if I pretend I need to go to the bathroom?
-Hey Angle, don't even think about sharing a room with me. Get lost.
Good, I didn't want to share a room with you anyway, you idiot. I'll take the chance to explore the castle; there's still some time before night.
It's incredibly big. So many rooms, and almost all of them occupied. How many people live in a castle? Oh god—what's that huge door? A library!! And it's enormous, the books go from the ceiling to the floor. And two floors? Of course, if I'm in another world I should look for basic information… Wait, don't I have a skill for that?
*Replying: Correct. Solver is your skill specifically designed to answer general questions.
So I basically have infinite knowledge?
*Replying: No.
Ah, then how did you know about the gods?
*Replying: I knew because everyone else in the room knew.
Oooh, so the skill lets me read minds.
*Replying: No, the information exists in everyone's mind; even if someone has forgotten something, the information is still there. Solver extracts all information from the environment.
I see, so I can't ask something I don't know, or something nobody nearby knows
*Replying: Correct.
But, say, can you explain my skills? Or the things the voice said when I had no body?
*Replying: Of course. In the order they were given to you:
-Enhanced Communication: Lets you understand languages and communicate without issues.
-Fearful: No information available.
-Anomaly: No information available.
-Superior Reflexes: You gain reflexes superior to an average person.
-Acceleration: You gain the ability to accelerate in an instant.
-Natural Defense: Physical attacks are less effective.
-Keen Senses: All your basic senses are enhanced.
-Analysis: Gives you basic information about what you observe.
-Adaptation: No information available.
-Natural Efficiency: You find it easier to perform tasks you are familiar with.
-Zero Presence: No information available.
-Shadow Affinity: You gain higher affinity for the use of dark magic.
-Potential: It becomes easier for you to perfect abilities.
-Integration: Allows you to fuse things.
-Expanded Perception: You can sense everything around you.
Hey, that's a lot of skills. And what's that 'no information' about?
*Replying: Skills are connected to a core, which for you would be that voice you heard when you arrived. Unlike magic, they are innate, and each person has different ones from birth. That's why new skills can appear. And if a skill hasn't been used yet, I have no way of knowing what it does.
Well, then I'll have to try them out, but that can wait. For now, I'll keep exploring.