THE VOICE'S REVELATION
The pain of disintegration was gone, but the ground they felt was not asphalt. It was soft, strange grass. They landed sitting down, beneath gigantic trees that seemed to touch the two moons shining in a purple sky. The smell was not pollution; it was wet dirt and something... magical.
"Whaaaaaat? Where are we?"
Levi asked, his voice weak, still trying to process the panic of having turned into dust. The fear made him feel the shame of being weak all over again.
Nira jumped up, her eyes bright, not with fear, but pure shock. She was looking at creatures that looked like fairies, flying in the distance.
"No… it's not possible… This… this is exactly like in the books! The climate, the colors… Magic…" She was in ecstasy and panic at the same time.
Rimuru was on all fours, dizzy, his hand on his head.
"The probability of us being in a mass hallucination induced by extreme adrenaline is 99.999%, but the temperature and atmospheric density are inconsistent with our original world." He just wanted logic back. He just wanted to go home.
The voice that stopped time echoed again, but this time, it wasn't a shout in the sky. It seemed to come from inside their heads, calm and powerful, like an ancient library.
"I am the Voice of the World. You are on the plane of Eldoria."
"Eldoria? What kind of name is that? Who are you, really!?" Sasha shouted, the brute's anger returning stronger than the fear.
"I am the consciousness that connects all beings in this plane. The Supreme Wizard, Alastor, used the 'AbsoluteConsciousnessRitual' to escape Andras's destruction. That Ritual would not kill you, but transport you to another world. My world. And, because of the Prophecy, I selected you at the exact moment of the transfer."
"Prophecy? What's all this Prophecy talk, huh?" Levi asked, trying to sound determined, but his voice cracked.
"You have been chosen. I brought you to be the heroes this world needs. Your souls have been infused with the Essential Magic of Eldoria. Your skills and essences have been transformed for combat."
The voice explained the battle, the threat of the Demon Kings, and their fate.
"If you fail, this world, and yours, will be destroyed."
Levi felt the crushing weight. Him, the school loser, was now the salvation of two worlds? His fear was real.
"Alright! So we're like manga heroes, right? And what are we in this world then!? Like, what power do I have, damn it!?" Sasha demanded, his fists clenched.
The Voice of the World replied, the force of nature in every word:
"Levi, you are the Scarlet Arcane. The Chosen One, the bearer of the 'CrimsonHeart ' Grimoire."
Levi blinked. Scarlet Arcane? Grimoire? Me!?
"Nira, the DraconicMonk. A warrior who combines martial arts with internal energy."
Nira gave a quick smile, surprise mixing with satisfaction.
"Ah, that's it! Yay (enthusiasm), I knew martial arts were good, now martial arts and fantasy! This is awesome as hell!"
"Rimuru, the StrategicTechnomancer. A rare hybrid, a manipulator of magic as programs."
Rimuru adjusted his glasses, which hadn't fallen off during the transfer.
"Programs… magic… the fusion between metaphysics and engineering… this is a computational challenge!" Fear was replaced by curiosity.
"Sasha, the FistofChaos. A savage warrior who channels raw energy into his blows. Your strength grows in a fight."
Sasha let out a dry, satisfied laugh.
"Good! I knew I was the baddest one, damn it!"
"You are the Four From the Otherworld," the Voice concluded.
"Now, stand up. Time is running out."
Levi took a deep breath, forcing determination to overcome his fear. He looked at Nira, then at Rimuru, and finally at the irritating Sasha. This crazy group was all he had.
"Okay… and where do we start?"
The Voice of the World seemed to smile.
"With the basics, Levi. All of you start at Rank: Beginner (F). The Rank D training camp is your first goal. But be careful, the darkness is already waiting."
🐾FIRST FIGHT: THE THREE-HEADED DOG
The instant the Voice of the World stopped speaking, the grass around them began to sizzle. A heavy, hungry dragging sound came from the trees. There were red eyes, three pairs, shining in the darkness.
"Welcome to Eldoria."
An ugly creature, a brown, tough-furred monster with three scary heads and almost six feet tall, leaped towards them. Its claws were as big as Levi's hand.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Sasha screamed, the swear word catching in his throat, mixing the shock of seeing a real monster with the fear.
Nira reacted with fighting instinct. She had seen this kind of creature in her books!
"It's a Rank C Cerberus Dog! We need to run! It's too strong for Rank F!"
Nira yelled, getting into an attack stance, but panic was on her face.
Levi looked at the sharp claws coming his way. He was the Scarlet Arcane, the Supreme Wizard… but he was only Rank F.
Was he going to die before he could be a hero? The fear of being weak again was paralyzing.
The Cerberus roared, drool dripping from its three mouths. The middle head lunged to bite Sasha.
"We don't run from a fight!" Sasha roared, his street-brawler instinct taking over. He stepped forward, raising his fist to face the monster.
"No, Sasha, don't! It's suicide!" Nira tried to grab him.
But it was too late. The central head struck Sasha's forearm guard, making a dry sound. Sasha stumbled back two steps, screaming in pain, his guard cracked. His fury increased tenfold. His aura grew darker, and he felt a brute force surge in his muscles.
"You hurt me, you bastard dog!"
While the monster prepared for a second attack, Rimuru saw his chance, calculating the trajectory of the previous attack and the monster's movement.
"Nira! The weak point is the base of the middle neck! And the density of the forest is our trump card!"
Rimuru shouted, throwing his backpack to the ground. He stretched out his hand, and a faint blue light enveloped his Arcane Interface Gloves.
"I will create a Sonic Distortion Field!"
Levi felt his head spin. Sonic Distortion Field? How could he help? He looked at his hand, and by instinct, he thought: "Fire."
He squeezed his hand, feeling fear and determination together. A faint red light, like the ember of a cigarette, appeared in his palm.
"This… is… fire…" he whispered, the shame of being so weak hitting him. The ember was tiny; it wouldn't even tickle the monster.
"Levi, now! The sonic distortion is ready!" Rimuru yelled.
The Cerberus hesitated for a fraction of a second, confused by the sound Rimuru created. It was enough.
"DRACONICSHORYUKEN !" Nira screamed, ignoring the fear. She ran to the side, jumping onto a tree trunk with absurd speed, and landed a spinning punch on the spot Rimuru indicated: the base of the middle neck.
BOOOM !
A wave of clear green energy burst from Nira's fist. The Cerberus groaned in pain, staggering sideways
"Now it's our turn, you ugly beast!" Sasha roared, his anger having activated his class power. He ran and delivered a clean punch to the monster's rib cage.
POW !
The Cerberus fell, whining, its three heads confused.
"We did it…" Levi gasped, surprised by what they had done together.
"No! Not yet!"
Rimuru shouted, calculating. "Its vitality is above 60%! It's only stunned. It's going to attack again!"
The Cerberus shook its heads and, with an even louder roar, opened its mouths. This time, it wasn't to bite. It was to burn. A sticky, black fire began to form in the three throats.
"Shadow Fire! It's an area attack! We're going to be barbecue!" Nira shouted, backing away.
Levi's fear turned to desperation. They were going to die! The monster was going to blow everything up. He looked at the ridiculous ember of fire in his hand and felt his throat tighten.
"No! I won't go back to being the weak one!"
With this determination, Levi threw the ember forward, as if it were his only weapon.
He thought of fire, of heat, of destruction.
The tiny ember did not hit the Cerberus. But, halfway there, it met the monster's Shadow Fire.
KA-BOOM !
Levi's ember, upon touching the dark fire, was not extinguished. It reacted. A scarlet energy surged, swallowing the Cerberus's black flames and forming a giant barrier of vibrant red fire between them and the monster.
The Cerberus howled in pain, backing away, the scarlet fire burning its three heads.
Levi, Nira, Sasha, and Rimuru were paralyzed, staring at that wall of fire. Levi had done that.
"My… my Grimoire… it activated…" Levi murmured, feeling a strange power in his chest.
But the wall of scarlet fire was unstable, trembling. The Cerberus was still alive, and the trees were catching fire. They had to get out of there now.
"GUYS! THE FIRE IS GOING TO ATTRACT OTHER MONSTERS!" Nira yelled, pointing at the Cerberus, which was staggering but hadn't fallen.
"We have to run. The thing isn't dead, it's just pissed off!" Sasha growled, adrenaline pumping.
"I can create a drone to guide us! Follow me!" Rimuru was excited by the challenge. He conjured a small floating object, glowing blue.
"Let's go! Hurry! The Cerberus is still on its feet and it's coming!" Levi shouted, feeling the heat of the fire he himself had summoned.
They ran, following Rimuru's blue drone, leaving the wounded Cerberus and the burning forest behind. They needed to find the Rank D Camp. They needed answers.
Was the Rank D Camp real? Were they being led straight into a trap even worse than the one they had just escaped?