Chapter 3, Welcome to the truth 1

As I stepped out of the gateway, I found myself in a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie: a futuristic city with 3D holograms scattered everywhere.

"Wow!" My expression must have been comically surprised as I took in the sight. The ground and buildings were made of a gleaming white metal, adorned with 3D display screens for advertisements. People of various shapes and colors moved about, dressed in intriguing outfits ranging from long robes and wizard hats to both heavy and light armors worn by swordsmen, archers, and dagger-users.

'Am I in a video game or what?'

"How long will you remain so surprised there? Come here," Adam's voice broke my reverie as he moved ahead. Walking amidst these video game character-like people, one burning question kept nagging me: "W-Where are we?"

"We are now in the Middle World," the man replied, "at the heart of a continent called the True Realm. It lies in another dimension, yet to be discovered by the ordinaries."

"The ordinaries? What do you mean?"

"The ordinaries are people like you, those in the outer world who do not know nor use these *superhuman abilities*, as you call them," Adam remarked mockingly.

"Why do I feel like you're mocking me now?"

To be honest, I didn't care much about his mockery. At that moment, one thought dominated my mind.

'Another dimension? What the hell? This is so exciting! Finally, my stupid childhood dream has come true.'

While lost in my thoughts, a voice called out to us. "?? ??????" It seemed directed at Adam, though in a language I had never heard before. I hadn't noticed earlier, but everyone around us was speaking the same incomprehensible language.

"??? ??????? ??" Adam replied with a smile, walking towards the man like they were old friends reuniting. The man, in his forties, with a thick brown beard and eyes like pools of golden honey, stood in front of another white building with a sign I couldn't read, but I could tell it was his restaurant.

The two engaged in conversation in the strange language, their facial expressions conveying a range of emotions from joy at meeting again to flashes of anger and moments of sadness, signaling serious discussions.

The man sighed before turning to me and said "???? ???? ??," though I understood nothing, it seemed he was asking Adam about me.

"Hahahaha ???? ?? ??????," after laughing, Adam replied with something.

"????? ???? Ali," the man said, extending his hand toward me. Despite not understanding a word, I shook his hand respectfully.

After a few minutes of incomprehensible conversation that left me perplexed, the two finished, and Adam said, "Let's go."

I followed him with a sigh.

"Finally, I have a questions."

"Haha understandable, first of all, that man is Wanger Hans, the owner of that restaurant, and this weird language you are hearing is called Manthian. No one knows where it came from, but you won't find anyone here not using it."

"The Manthian Language?"

"Yes, it was agreed upon by the First Ones after long wars in the last 3500 years or so between the warriors to conquer the land and spread their cultures."

"Wait, wait, wait. This is a massive influx of information all at once. Who are the First Ones? Also, what the hell is a warrior?"

Adam sighed and said, "Why are you rushing me? Just shut up and listen."

After hearing this, I kept quiet and listened to the rest of what he had to say.

"First, a warrior is a term used for someone who can use their internal energy in combat, categorized from the ninth level to the first level, where the first level is the strongest. There are currently only ten first-level warriors in the True Realm. As for the First Ones, they were the first people to find themselves pulled into the True Realm suddenly. They found different powerful monsters here like that little centipede we saw earlier, and in order to survive, they tried to adapt. Here, they discovered the internal energy within their bodies and developed it for combat. Any questions so far?"

"Yeah, what initially pulled the First Ones into the True realm?"

"There are several gateways or portals like the one that brought you here."

"So that blinding light that struck me was the gateway or the portal that you said?"

"Yep, no one knows when they appear, but when it does you get transported here" Adam smirked and added, "Alright, now you need to learn the language, and then we can start your training."

"H-Huh?! Another language?! You mean this Manh-something language?"

"The Manthian language. Also, you know language is essential, right?"

"I-I mean, that's true, but still..." I couldn't believe I needed to learn a new bloody language.

'I was kidnapped from my world to go back to school again, great.'

"Haha, but don't worry. There is a way to speed up the learning process."

"What do you mean?"

"By the end of this day, you will be able to speak Manthian like it's your mother tongue."

".... You are joking, right?"

He didn't answer, and we continued our way.

"We've arrived," Adam said.

After walking like 800 meters in a straight line from Mr. Hans's restaurant, we reached a huge build like a huge company building or something.

"Wow! Is this where I'll learn the language?" I said in amazement, not noticing that he had moved away from me.

"Why are you standing there? Come over here," Adam called me and headed towards the side of the grand palace.

'Looks like this isn't the place,' I said to myself and followed him, but there...

"What?!" I stopped in astonishment at what I saw. Among all the places and buildings I had seen so far, this place was the worst. An old building made of broken wood in most places, and you wouldn't find any intact part, even the windows. Despite this, the man entered inside.

"Is this person out of his mind?" I said this and followed him, for no matter how ignorant I was of this place called the True Realm, this place didn't seem like a place for learning.

After entering, I wasn't impressed much. There were wooden chairs and tables, cracked floors, and a waiter at the front. The place looked like something out of old west movies' bars.

"???? ???? hahahahaha."

"??? ??????."

And some people were speaking in an incomprehensible language to me.

I approached Adam, who was sitting in one of the chairs on the side, and sat with him at the same table.

The man was looking at the waiter with a calm gaze.

"Hey."

I whispered to my teacher.

"What are we doing here now?"

He didn't answer me and continued to look at the waiter.

"Alright, I'll just be patient," I didn't have anything else to do anyway.

Since he didn't answer me, I'll stay silent and wait, it shouldn't be that long anyway.

***

'Ah, how long will we stay here?'

After about three hours of waiting, it seemed the sun had set, and all the customers had left the place, leaving only us staring at the waiter who didn't show any signs of annoyance at us either, I mean shouldn't he be angry we just stayed there looking at him for three hours without ordering something?

I couldn't bear it, and I found myself on the verge of snapping with frustration, but...

"Let's go."

"??"

Adam rose from his seat and walked towards the front where the waiter was standing.

"W-Wait, I am coming... Huh?!"

as I turned my gaze to the waiter, I couldn't find any trace of him, and I didn't even notice when he left.

"Follow me."

The man said and jumped to behind the order desk and then entered through the wooden door, which seemed like the only thing not damaged in this dilapidated bar.

"Hey, wait," I gathered my scattered thoughts and followed him. After entering through the door, there was a spiral staircase downwards with stone walls and hanging torches lighting the way.

"T-teacher? Are you down there?"

I called out to him, but there was no response for some time.

"Hey, what are you doing there? Come down here!!"

Actually, despite his shouting, I felt relieved because he was here. I continued my descent.

After five minutes of going down...

"Ha, ha, when will all this end?"

I didn't feel the passage of time from the long journey; I just wished it would end soon.

After a few moments of complaining, I began to see a reflection of white light on the walls.

"Finally."

Upon entering through the door, the bright light attacked my eyes, which were accustomed to darkness for moments, and after I opened them...

"Okay, now this looks like a place in the True Realm."

I was inside a huge room with white walls and advanced technology with numerous test tubes that made it look like a scientist's laboratory.

"good grief, finally you are here, come," Adam was standing in front of a girl wearing a lab coat in her twenties with long crimson red hair and golden eyes, smiling at me. 

I walked towards them as I took glances at the huge lab and those papers and chemicals on my sides.

"??? ???????? ???."

said the girl and extended her hand for a handshake, I assumed she introduced herself so I shook her hand back.

"??????? ???? ??????? ?????."

Adam and the girl started a conversation, I thought it will take sometime like with Mr, Hans but it didn't take that long as she started walking away.

"let's follow her."

"I shrugged and followed them."

She guided us towards an iron door with all kinds of warning signs, even if I didn't understand the writing, the drawings were clear.

"What's this? Are they making nuclear bombs or something?" I said sarcastically.

The girl opened the door, and we all entered.

Inside, I saw a man sitting on a chair, apparently writing something in his notebook. His face resembled the previous waiter's.

Both Adam and the girl approached him, and I followed.

"???? ???" Adam said, smiling at the strange man.

The man stopped writing and stood up, looking at us with a calm, piercing gaze. He was tall with short black hair and small sharp black eyes with glasses, and wore a lab coat. Then he said, "??? ????".

The girl bowed towards him and towards us, then left the room. It seemed that he asked her to leave or something like that.

"??? ???? ??????"

The man said with a annoyed voice as if he didn't want to see Adam, and Adam responded to him with a slightly nervous smile and tried to calm him down.

After this short conversation, the man looked at me, and Adam, who had been talking to him for a long time, answered him in detail, and then the man headed towards his closet, which seemed filled with medicines, and carried something that looked like an advanced pistol. I wouldn't be surprised if he fired laser beams from it and approached me. The strange man kept looking at me, and I stood there.

"give him your arm" Adam said.

"what?!"

"tsk," the man ran out of patience and held my hand high fast , I was unable to resist because of the strength of his hand.

Here, the nozzle of the gun pointed towards my arm, and he pulled the trigger. I tried to pull my hand away from the fear, but I couldn't, but all I felt was like a small needle piercing my skin.

After the man let go of my hand, I almost fell because of the dizziness that hit me for a few seconds, but the strange man caught me before I fell.

After I regained my focus and stood up.

"So, what do you think?"

"Hmm? What do you mean... huh?!"

I understood the words of the strange man.