Foran

"Holy shit!" Rave exclaimed, his face a mix of shock and excitement.

"This talent... Even though it's random, if my talent's grade is higher, then I can get rare skills or weapons, possibly legendary in the future? This is great!" Rave happily said, proceeding with a plan in mind.

"Then what should I do in this world? I didn't even know where am I. But usually, a fantasy world like this has guilds, right? I always read these facts in novels. Let's try and find one." Rave said, readying himself to walk out of the alley and look around, still amazed by the structure of the buildings.

"I'm really in a fantasy world. It's beautiful, but I know it's dangerous. I should find a way to earn money as well. If adventurers or whatever they're called in this world exist, I'll try and join one first." Rave said as he looked around and spotted a merchant selling fruits in the corner.

"Fresh fruits! One bag for 15 coppers! You, boy, want to buy my fruits?" The merchant called Rave and asked a question.

Rave noticed the merchant calling him. 'This looks like a dog... golden retriever? This is eye-opening,' he thought.

"I'm sorry, I don't have money to buy your fruit, but may I ask you a question?" Rave said to the merchant.

"No worries! I'm Pod, here." Pod threw an apple to Rave.

"You need nutrients in your body; you look as young as my son. But what's your question? I'll answer them to the best of my ability," the merchant said.

Rave caught the apple thrown by the merchant, smiling. 'So there are good people – or beasts – in this world as well.'

"Thank you for the apple. I'm Rave! And I would like to ask, may I know if there's someplace where I can earn money on the side?" Rave asked the merchant.

"Earn money? Are you new in this town? Well, there are a lot of ways. You can work in some workplace like a blacksmith, restaurant, cleaners, etc. It's the safest place to earn a living. You can also sell your talent. Can you carve miniature statues? You can sell that, anything as long as people are interested in buying them. You can be a merchant as well, but it's a bit dangerous even if you have an adventurer as your bodyguard," the merchant said, giving Rave a list of jobs he could take and adding a few pieces of advice.

"Wait! Adventurer, can you tell me more about that? Can I become one?" Rave excitedly asked, as he confirmed that there's really an adventurer in this world.

"Adventurer? I'd advise you not to be one, little one. Being an adventurer is truly a cruel job. If you take on a mission that you cannot handle, you might die in the process. But it's true that it's the fastest way to earn money and reputation," the merchant said, as a few customers came to the booth to buy some fruits, so he accommodated them first.

"Thanks! Here are your fruits." The merchant happily said as he passed the bag full of fruits. Then he continued to talk with Rave.

"I don't mean any offense, Rave. But if you know how to read, I suggest you go to the Capital of Library, read some books, and learn the mystery of the world. You might learn something from it," the merchant said after giving a few pieces of advice to Rave.

'Well, my body is 18 years old; it can be considered young, but my mind is already 28 years old. But it's true that I don't know about this world, and I might need to go to the Capital of Library to read some books about this world.' Rave thought after contemplating his next objectives.

"Thank you for that advice, Sir Pod. But I'm already 18 years old, and I know how to fight a little bit. Can I still enter the Adventurer guild?" Rave asked, unsure about how the world works regarding the consideration of the age of adults.

"Well, you're old enough; 15 years of age is considered an adult in this country. I just don't know about the others. But yeah, if you're really into being an adventurer, you can do it," the merchant said, waving his hand, saying goodbye to Rave.

Rave returned the gesture and ran towards the Capital of Library, a grand building, 10 stories high. Multiple races were coming and going into the entrance, but before he entered, he found a nearby river and cleaned himself a bit.

"I've had enough of being a beggar for the time being; let's clean myself a bit." Rave thought, but he didn't take too long in the river. He just washed and rinsed the parts of his exposed body without undressing himself, washed his face as well.

'Well, that 15 minutes of modifying my face and body came to fruition. My face is hella handsome.' Rave smiled as he was satisfied with his looks.

With a charm laid in his striking features. His hazel eyes, deep and inviting, sparkled with warmth. A well-defined nose added a touch of regality, while his lips, subtly curved, hinted at both friendliness and a hint of mystery. In essence, Rave embodied handsomeness with every glance and subtle expression.

"Damn, just my looks beat every celebrity in my previous life." Rave said, after a moment he was done cleaning himself and returned to the Capital of Library.

"This building is insane; let's go in. I hope I can enter this place." Rave said as he walked towards the entrance.

Both guards, standing side by side, already noticed Rave. They wouldn't do anything, but by the looks of Rave and his attire, he was no less than a beggar.

"A beggar? The dirt on his body will stain the books inside, stop him." One of the guards voiced his intention to the other guard at his side, as they prepared to stop him. A voice was heard before they made a move.

"Don't stop him; everyone is welcome to enter the Library, be it beggar, commoner, royalty, or whichever race they come from. They're welcome to read." A gentle voice of a woman was heard, and they stopped their track, allowing Rave to enter the library without an issue.

'Those guards are weird; did the heat get to them? Wearing full armor while standing in the scorching hot sun might be too hard for them.' Rave only glanced at the guard by the entrance outside and quickly ran to the receptionist. He just noticed the guards move, take a step, then stop and return to their post. In Rave's mind, they're struggling, but unbeknown to him, they were ready to throw him out.

After a while, he arrived at the receptionist and asked where he could find some books about the world, jobs, and magic. He just blurred the word magic because he doesn't know if it exists; the receptionist is very professional, as she knows everything in the library, even where to find specific books.

She led Rave to a far corner of the library where dust was already piled up from the books; then she returned to the reception desk in case there's others that need her help. After a few moments, Rave was able to gather a lot of books and read through them.

Hours later, he was able to read almost all the books he gathered; he didn't read through every single page. He only read the things he needed to know and learned a lot from coming to this Library.

He then heard a voice.

"What a hard-working child, eager to learn about the world." A woman with fiery, short red hair, elegantly adorned in a royal dress that gracefully flows into a regal skirt. Her stature emanates both grace and beauty, standing at the side.

"By the way, did you manage to learn anything? Can you read the books? I saw you flip the page as fast as you could, as if you're looking for something? The name's Arnes. You?" Arnes said.

"Rave, and yes, I know how to read. Ah... My father taught me simple words, and I did some self-learning as well. I was just passing the time, looking for something." Rave said as he thought of some excuse on how he was able to read.

"I see, I'm sorry if I interrupt anything. I'll be on my way now. Enjoy your readings." Arnes said as she smiled and walked away.

'This boy is interesting, an obvious lie but who cares. Maybe we can meet again.' Arnes thought as she took a quick glance at Rave again, yet Rave is already continuing flipping the pages.

'Heh.. Cute and handsome as well.' Arnes giggled and continued towards the exit of the Library.

...

Another hour.

"Augh!" Rave stretched, after reading for 3-4 hours long his body ached for sitting.

"So the world I find myself in isn't what I had in mind. I haven't transmigrated inside the game New Horizon, but rather into a different world altogether." Rave said as he closed the last book on his table.

As far as what Rave learned. The world is called 'Foran,' a planet consisting of rich language, different races, beautiful and dangerous places.

In this planet, there's this thing called Labyrinth, and there are 15 of them around the world. But for the longest time this planet exists, the Labyrinth was also born at the same time. They're the source of evil, death, and danger. Yet, with this in mind, after clearing the Labyrinth, comes a great reward as well.

So far, there are only 10 Labyrinths that currently exist; 5 of them were cleared already by the guilds that exist in the planes:

Adventurer Guild: The most famous hub for daring souls seeking fame and fortune through quests and adventures.

Beastmasters Guild: Dedicated to those forming bonds with creatures for various purposes, a haven for beast tamers.

Mystic Arcanum Guild: Masters of mystic arts and arcane knowledge, clad in enchanted robes, seeking the deepest secrets of the world.

Skyward Nomads Guild: Aerial explorers in lightweight attire, navigating enchanted mounts, exploring the uncharted heavens.

Shadowstalkers Guild: Experts in stealth and subterfuge, clad in dark attire, operating in the shadows for covert missions and intelligence gathering.

The most perilous aspect of this situation is that the longer it takes to clear the Labyrinth, the greater the threat to the inhabitants of this world. The Labyrinths also contribute to the phenomenon known as the 'Fractured.'

The 'Fractured' is a tear in the heavens, often referred to as the 'Path of Hell.' Periodically, otherworldly beings invade the planet through this rift, entities foreign to this realm. A pathway opens in the sky above the Labyrinth, leading to significant losses for neighboring countries.

While these beings are numerous, their individual strength is generally low. However, their sheer numbers make them formidable. Despite this, the inhabitants of this world have managed to fend them off, thanks to the assistance of the guilds and the most powerful parties within them.

There's no way to stop the invasion, but there's a way to weaken it, that's to clear the Labyrinth.