[Living Verse, Omniverse 101, Megaverse 10, Multiverse 101, Universe 1, Galaxy Milky Way, Planet Earth.]
Year: 2005 AD,
Pratik woke up.
Damn it—he was late. Again. He was definitely getting scolded this time.
Thinking that, he practically jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. Quick wash, got dressed, grabbed a slice of bread in his mouth, and—boom—out the window like it was a normal morning routine.
Hello, I'm Pratik. I don't know my last name, so let's just forget that part.
I'm in my late teens—16 to be exact.
And yeah… I'm currently the youngest sorcerer in the society. My society. The Immortalus Sorcery Society.
Things are tight today, so I won't get into too many details.
My parents died during the 1994 alien invasion—or at least, that's what my mentor told me.
After that Catastrophic Event, that cold-faced man took me from the outer world. Actually, the Sorcery Society is a secret world running behind the scenes, so let's not dive too deep into that right now.
That man became my mentor… and also my teacher.
I wasn't thrown into sorcery immediately. He basically just… grabbed me and gave me a normal life. Maybe even a luxurious one, in different countries. I lived in places like America, China, and India.
Then when I turned 15, he suddenly reappeared, grabbed me again, and dragged me into this whole sorcery mess.
You might be wondering his name, right? Well… it's pretty famous, especially after 1995. His name is Kri—
Oops. Right. Mission.
I'm getting scolded today. Hell.
I reached the site.
Immortalus Society is massive—like, ridiculously massive. The residency itself is almost like a small country.
It's still a single structure though, divided into multiple sectors.
Each sector has its own function, its own rules, its own vibe.
The one I was entering was the group teleportation sector.
Today's mission was A-grade.
Rare. Like, really rare for someone like me.
My team was already waiting, and the moment I showed up, I got hit with five different death glares.
Sowwy. Please don't kill me, senior citizens.
Despite my age and everything, I'm still Apprentice Class A-grade sorcerer.
They say my Dark Energy Reserves are weird… but I've got potential.
[Lila]: Where have you been, you trash?!
[Mala]: We've been waiting here for an hour.
Yep. My bad. Let's just move on already.
[Pratik]: I am sowwy.
They all gave me this… deeply offended stare.
[Mala]: "Sowwy"? Are you making fun of us now?
I thought they'd get my sense of humor. Clearly, I failed that mission too.
My boys' group was… smiling at me?!
Wow. Across the whole society, I'm really the only one getting hated today.
Without wasting time, they activated the portal and stepped in.
Hey—wait for me!
I ran after them and jumped in just as the portal closed behind us.
We were walking…
And walking…
And walking…
Can we sprint or something? Why is everyone acting like this is a pilgrimage?
Anyways, the mission was simple: eliminate a monster group—or whatever those creatures were—on this damn planet.
Yeah. We're not on Earth right now.
The portal dropped us on another planet entirely.
[Pratik]: How long are we walking again?
[Mala]: Shut up, brat.
Such spicy attitude.
She's my colleague, same rank as me, but she's 25 years old. Looks about 20 though. That's normal here—once you join the Sorcery Society, aging slows down a lot. Some even get partial immortality.
My mentor? He's 60… looks like he's 21 and still judges me like a disappointed elder brother.
After a couple of hours of walking, we finally reached the site.
A large group of monsters had gathered there.
And they weren't just standing around—they were performing a ritual.
That feeling hit me immediately.
Something was off.
They were screaming something like:
"DO GOS YERA! DO GOS YERA!"
It sounded like worship… or a summoning chant.
[Grimori]: Wait… aren't those summoning circles?
That snapped me out of it.
They were summoning something.
In the center of the circle was the body of some monster placed deliberately like a sacrifice.
This wasn't just dangerous.
This was bad.
My instincts screamed at me: Stop it or you won't leave here alive.
Without thinking twice, I attacked the ritual point and destroyed the setup.
The summoning collapsed instantly.
But that only made things worse.
A massive wave of monsters started charging at us.
My teammates jumped in immediately.
And just like that—chaos started.
[Mala]: What were you thinking, idiot?!
[Pratik]: My instincts were screaming at me! That ritual would've caused a disaster!
[Grimori]: He's right. The space fluctuations were unstable. Something big was forming.
[Kel]: Does it even matter? We're here to wipe them out anyway.
[Mala]: I never said I disagree. I'm saying there's a proper way to do things.
[Pratik]: Does it even matter if we end up dead?
Silence.
Then—
A sudden chill ran through my spine.
Everyone felt it.
Something heavy was approaching.
A hippopotamus-faced monster slowly walked into view.
And I—
I couldn't help it.
[Pratik]: HAHAHA—what is THAT—he looks like he skipped leg day for a century—
The monster's aura turned murderous instantly.
[Hippo]: Dos No Dos Doon?
Uh… English? Please?
Next second—
BAM.
A punch straight into my gut.
I swear my soul almost left for a visa application.
I got launched like a rag doll.
That hurt. A lot.
I was about to throw up blood—but somehow it wasn't blood.
Never again. I am not becoming a flying fairy ever again.
The hippo monster walked up again and hit me—this time in the face.
Yeah. Personal grudge confirmed.
He was ridiculously strong. Pure physical nightmare.
[Pratik]: Shadow Gutter!
The shadows around him twisted into quicksand-like traps, dragging him down.
I rushed in and formed a magic hammer mid-air and slammed it down.
He tanked it.
Like it was nothing.
Then he broke free violently, destroying the terrain just to escape.
He lunged at me again—
I somehow caught him mid-charge (don't ask how), spun, and threw him away.
Heavy. Very heavy.
He got back up instantly and charged again.
And just before impact—
Something sliced through him.
Clean.
Instant.
I didn't even see it happen.
Another monster had arrived.
But this one… wasn't normal.
His aura felt wrong. Not monster-like. Not human-like. Something else entirely.
My teammates were already down. Not dead—but defeated.
He didn't kill anyone.
That made it worse.
My legs were shaking.
Before I could react, something restrained me and my teammates and threw us together.
Great. Captured. Classic.
I should've used a hidden technique earlier… but I hesitated.
And I failed.
The monster spoke again.
"Weak. All of them were useless."
Then he muttered something else.
"My lord won't be pleased."
Serag.
That was his name.
He raised his hand, forming a teleportation circle.
[Serag]: Time to take you to the shades of my lord…
A pause.
Footsteps.
Slow. Calm. Certain.
My heart slammed in my chest.
Someone was walking out of the shadows.
And I knew instantly.
That presence.
That pressure.
My mentor.
Krishna.
One of the Big Three Sorcerers of Immortalus Society.
Leader of the entire Society.
Rank 1 in the 1990 ISFC exams.
The kind of person even monsters hesitate to breathe near.
[Krishna]: Looks like I'll have to thank Sir Shang later.
Calm voice. No panic. No rush.
Our restraints were already gone.
Wait… we were already behind him?
Even Serag looked confused.
Yeah. That's my master.
[Krishna]: I'll handle the rest.
[Pratik]: But ma—
[Krishna]: Further debate will result in your internal marks reduction.
[Pratik]: I am leaving.
No hesitation. I chose life.
We were teleporting away—probably his spell.
But before I left, I saw his expression.
Slightly sharper than usual.
Angry?
Or just focused?
For a moment… even I couldn't tell.
[Serag]: My, my… looks like I'll have to present you instead.
[Krishna]: I'll finish this quickly… because trust me.
A pause.
His aura changed.
"I am quite angry right now."