The eyes stared at the sky, the glimmers of stars in broad daylight, the red giant sun at the top, the violet hue and blueish-white cloud slithering through.
Han looks around, it's not a dream. The feeling of grass is real, the wrenched yellow-branched trees with roots covered the foot, the hilly mountains towering up to the sky with snow at the top while it rains at the bottom.
"Everything is the same as the game, it's without a doubt the same world, UPITER, but how is it possible?"
Han grabbed his temple, hurting badly. As he looked behind him, he saw his friends lying—not unconscious but sleeping listlessly. He quickly ran to them and woke them all up.
"Jay, can you hear me? Uh! Good, you are awake."
"What had happened, and what is this place?"
"I know you will not believe it, but somehow we are inside the game and it's UPITER."
"Wha— are you joking? How is this even possible?"
Nana, Martha, and Scarlet also awoke until then. Looking at each other with confusion and failing to grasp their situation. Suddenly, Nana screamed, looking around with a concern face, finding something.
"Where is brother Kazuki?"
Jay and Han, both realising quickly, began to search around, as Martha and Scarlet tried to give comfort to Nana sobbing for her brother. Suddenly from afar, a scream echoed through the valley.
A sound of screeching, sharp enough to tear the eardrums. Everyone lookes up at the sky. At a distance, a small silhouette of a bird-like creature started to get bigger and bigger as time passes.
Han quickly paused, as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Everyone, run! Hide behind the trees at the foot of the mountains!"
Before asking any questions, the girls quickly ran towards the trees. Jay, already being wandered a little far, didn't quite have the speed to make it.
Han remembers reading in the manual, the bird screaming above the sky is Kogar.
Large sharp beaks harder than obsidian, and sharp enough to cut through metals. The enormous size of it towering over 60 ft or nearly 20 meters. Its speed is faster than the bullet trains of Japan. Their dark red eyes scan anything around in a split second. The only way you can survive is to get in tight spaces.
"Jay will never make it. What should I do, think, think..."
The time was low and Jay was still far from the woods, the Kogar just right above him, stretching its claw-like legs to grab Jay, somehow he tripped and saved from the claw.
Suddenly Han remember something.
****
"What powers should we choose?" Jay speaking.
"We should randomise it. It will be more exciting that way." Scarlet suggesting Jay.
***
"Power..." Han's eyes widened.
"But what is my power? In the book, there are only written some names of moves, but how do I know my power?"
As Han grabbed his temple again, stressed, his eyes looked upon his wrist. It appears to be a symbol, a symbol of a mountain.
Han, quickly understanding the meaning of symbol, dashed towards and stood behind Jay.
"What do you think you are doing, Han? Run! The girls will need someone to protect them."
"Shut your mouth, you rich bastard."
He clenched his fist, air surrounding him becomes heavy,
"[Core Manipulation] Activated!"
The symbol started to glow, as his eyes tampers with a brown faded hue, the pupils dilated, the ground began to tremble. Just at the moment the Kogar opened its obsidian beaks—
"Gintax Spike!"
The ground shattered, as a chunk of it flew towards the Kogar, piercing through the beak, splitting it, as the internal organs of it splattered everywhere, and blood rained.
Jay didn't believe what he saw. The faces of the girls were paled by disbelief. As soon as Han's eyes became normal, he vomited, overwhelmed by the stress and the gruesome scene in front of his eyes. He vomited atop Jay.
"You sick bastard! Do you think I am a trash bag or what!!"
Han grinned as his legs gave up. Jay grabbed him.
"Now it looks like I have to babysit this nerd".
• • • •
Han sat beside a boulder beside a river, clearer than glass, one can see the fishes, of different colours,which nobody there had seen before, as Jay washed himself in the river, groaning about the vomit and cursing silently into the air.
Scarlet filled water into a small wooden bowl-shaped piece of wood for Han.
"Thanks, Scarlet."
"Do you feel better now?"
"Yes! A little better."
Martha also joined the conversation, confused and curious about how Han knew about the creature and how he defeat it.
Han adjusted his voice, speaking loudly so that Jay could hear him.
"It's all thanks to the Not-so-needed Novel, isn't it, Jay?"
"Ah! You Nerd, okay I give you this one."
Nana was sitting in a corner, sobbing while thinking about her brother. Suddenly, Jay sneezed in front of her, startling her.
"Don't worry. Out of all of us, that person has the strongest will and he is the smartest. He will be safe."
"Hmm..." Nana stood, wiping her tears as she smiled a little.
Jay then movez towards Han, with a confused look of curiosity.
"But how did you know you could perform that... whatever you did?"
"Oh! I just remember reading it in the Manual."
Martha sighed. "If only we had that manual with us, we could know more about this world."
"Oh, you all talking about this?" Scarlet pulled the Manual of the game from her back pocket.
"Wha— why do you have this?" Everyone was shocked.
"Umm... I just kinda suck at games, so I kinda thought of using it a little, so I sneak it behind my pocket" she said, looking a little embarrassed.
"Looks like luck is on our side."
"Pull out your wrists and make a line. Let me see what type of powers you all have."
One by one, Han checked their wrists and symbols to know their abilities.
Jay stretched out his right wrist. A gear-like symbol appeared. Han searched inside the manual.
"Here it is! Gear symbol wielders were known as [Grand Blacksmith]. They have the ability to create weapons with [Sun Crystal]. The crystal was discovered during the Great War. It can potentially create or use power strong enough to destroy any defence breach or monster armor— the wielder power depends on the ability, creative thinking, and knowledge of weaponry."
"Oh! That's cool!"
Jay's eyes sparkled like the stars above.
Seeing it, Martha moved her hand forward. A needle symbol appeared.
"Umm... That's it. Needle symbol wielders are also called [Millennium Crafters]. They have the ability to craft almost anything found in the planet, from [Invisible Robes] to [Dragon Scale Armors]. They're one of the rarest wielders. Currently, most of them work as fashion designers in the country county, not fighters."
"Good! It fits my character."
Martha smiled, relieved she wouldn't have to fight.
After her, Scarlet stepped forward, a little scared of what she might get. She stretched her wrist. A symbol of a shaft appeared, with the head slightly bent, giving a crescent moon shape.
"Hmm... It's [Healing Druid]—no, wait a second. The crescent moon is inverted. Oh wait—it's [War Druid], the wielder of the Blood Crimson Moon. They're also healers like [Healing Druid], but upon awakening their true extent, they become the strongest warriors, wielding the power of the sun above, They can destroy mountains and evaporate seas. But [War Druids] are a super rare class and only some get awakened."
"Wha— I don't want it! I'm good being just a common Druid!"
Scarlet jumped, fearing the power is too much for someone like her.
Han grabbed her hand, holding it tightly.
"Don't worry. I will make sure you never have to use this power, so don't worry."
Scarlet blushed. Her face turned into a red ball.
Lastly, it was Nana's turn. She stretched her hand toward Han as a symbol of a structure emerged. It looked like an ancient temple.
"Let me see... Oh, here it is. The symbol of Hajun Temple. Those who wield it are called [Saints]. They're not combat specialists, but they can increase or decrease, physical or magical abilities of one or multiple people depending on their control, range and attributes. Most of the [Saints] are now pacifists and don't fight."
"It's good."
Nana smiled, looking at the symbol.
"Hmm... Let me see mine then... Uh, here it is. A mountain symbol wielder is called [Core Manipulator]. Everything that belongs to the core of the planet can controlled by them. They can change the shapes of land at will, but their power depends on the size of their will."
"Not bad. It's good."
As everyone read about the world a little , a, Jay suddenly stood up and pointed his hand at a metal ore beside the riverbed.
"Let me see, how did it work"
He focused on the iron ore, suddenly his symbol started to glow, as his eyes turned grey, the ore turns into a liquid, Changing it's shape and form, it converts into a Small knife.
"Nice! I think I can finally understand my power, okay then—
"Let's go."
"Where?" Han looked confused
"Idiot! To find Kazuki."
Suddenly, a thunderous grumbling sound echoed. As they turned, thinking it was another monster, they realized it was coming from Nana's hungry stomach.
As both boys laughed, rolling on the ground, Nana looked embarrassed, Martha slapped both of them.
"You two! Don't do it again. First, we should find some food."
"Yes, Ma'am!" both shouted, sitting folded knees like a kid getting shouted by their mom.
• • • •
Somewhere far west, across the great lake, in a breathtakingly beautiful land covered in a slight pink hue, lies one of the most beautiful kingdom—Drognar.
At the center, lies a castle, purely white like a distant dream, the roofs high enough to touch the clouds.
Inside the grand castle, Kazuki opened his eyes lying in a bed, looking around the dome-shaped room in confusion. He murmured,
"Where am I?"
A voice came from behind, through the broken window. It was a language Kazuki had never heard in his life, yet he could understand every word, like the subtitles are playing in his head.
"Oh, so you are awake."
"Who are you? And where am I?"
"I found you lying in my garden. You don't look like someone from this world."
"This world? What do you mean?"
"Easy. I will tell you everything. First, let me introduce myself. I am the King of Drognar—Sebas Rotham Gurgen II."
"King? What do you mean? The king system was abolished a century ago!"
"Oh, interesting. Can you tell me more?"
"Don't joke around with me! And tell me where my friends and my little sister are!"
"I didn't see anyone besides you when i found you. But if you tell me more about your world, I will help you find them."
"I don't understand your bullshit. But if it helps me find them, then I will answer everything."
The man behind the shadow smiles, a smile so dense, that it chills the spine of the one looking at it, something is going to happen that may change the world again.....