1 Another world

"5..."

"4..."

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

"...0!"

All people all over the world started to celebrate for the new year of 3152.

As tradition goes, after the "chosen ones" comes back, another set of people will be chosen at the start of the year to go help and save another world.

With the last group coming back five months before the new year, everyone started to prepare even more for the new batch of "chosen ones" who'll have the right to go to another world and save it.

With the members of the Ten Great Families with the highest chance of being selected.

The ten great families who are basically the pillars of our world. Families that specialize in martial arts, swordsmanship, politics, architecture, medicine, commerce, assassination, technology, machinery, and magic. Yes, magic. Around 900 years ago, a group of chosen one were sent to a world where magic exist. And they have become the founders of the current magic clan which is located in the U.S.

Those who are chosen will be granted a blessing, a sort of power to help accomplish the said goal.

No one knows how, however she would show herself all over the world at the same time in all cities when there will be another selection to be held.

According to historians, she first started to appear at least a thousand years already. With the same lines as if scripted, with the same tone as if a robot, and with the same movements as if a projection, Raphael would always say the same thing other than the names of those who will be chosen. She who sends chills to our spine just from her appearance. Because it would signify to the people that they would once again have the chance to explore another world full of mysteries and treasures.

Meanwhile according to experts, those who are chosen have the highest aptitude to do the said goals since the problem is different for every world. There are some who are at war, some that are which is facing a crisis, a plague, and etc. Hence why the ten great families exist. The ones who specialize in all the things that could be needed for that world.

"Kyaahaha!"

"Pass the beer!"

Still though, I wish people would not celebrate at the front of my house just because it is spacious!

Then again this is the perfect spot to see Raphael since she will be showing up exactly one hundred meters in front of my house.

If this house was not given to me by my deceased parents, I would have already moved out.

Light started to appear and a beautiful angel showed itself.

I lean and look from the window.

"I am here to request thy help. A world is in need of a hero! And I am here to bring this message in request of all your support. I repeat, I am here to bring this message in request of all your support! And now I shall say the name of the chosen hero!".

That's a bit weird.

Normally she would say 'names' instead of 'name'. A person soloing something like that must be impossible though, right? And yet I can't help but have a bad feeling about this.

"The hero, Michael Santiago! The other world needs your help!".

I flinch.

M-me?! Surely not, there should be at least hundreds of people with same name as I do.

Blinding light shined beneath my feet and in an instance the room I was in was replace with a seemingly infinite room with no end.

An endless horizon.

Dumbstruck, I wasn't able to stop my trembling legs as well as my racing heart. Not because of the fact I was transported to an unknown location but to the fact that I'll be going to another world.

T-this is a dream! I finally must have develop some kind of brain disorder with all the training I suffered through. Yup, that is the only logical explanation.

I'm just getting delusional!

The archangel Raphael appeared in front of me, her white dress still glowing. Her over all height is significantly smaller than the one I saw earlier.

"I thank you for your bravery" She said.

"There must be a mistake there's no way I can be a chosen one." I said in disbelief.

I didn't sign up for any of this to begin with.

I may be part of one of the ten great families and I have been practicing and mastered martial arts with aura since I was young due to my strict grandfather who is a retired three star general from the military. But there's no way they would need an offensive type person unless...

"Please sit down and wait here" She said.

A chair pop out nowhere and she was nowhere to be seen anymore. She vanish.

As I sit down in confusion, another one, another woman abruptly appeared.

"Greetings, I am the Goddess of Wisdom. And I will be the one explaining the details to you about the other world" She said as she gracefully sit down on the other chair in front of me.

Athena was wearing an elegant white silk dress with a wreath woven evenly using different kinds of beautiful flowers. Even an untrained eye such as mine can tell that she is simply graceful. Be it her clothes, the vibe emanating from her, or her movements. Everything she do is downright graceful.

Her presence alone is suffocating me to revere and kneel down on the ground for her.

How frightening.

"May I ask why I am the one chosen to be the 'hero'?"

"The reason for that is because you are someone who is already able to bend the rules of the world despite not having any blessing from any god or goddess. Second is that you are someone comparable to a hero with blessing as it is. Third, is due to how you do things." She said.

Is she talking about phantom world?

"How I do things?"

"Yes. You grew up being thought about the world and learn the skills of your parents before they passed away. And so, a cunning and powerful individual who is not arrogant have attracted the eyes of many gods above. Also, you are the only hero chosen" She said gleefully.

I haven't calm down yet and all these information is forcing its way into my head.

Knowing I have to do this alone is a bit hard to take in since there are no records of anyone saving another world alone. Then again I am a loner who doesn't like being in crowded places.

I let out a sigh upon knowing that the difficulty have risen up even more.

"Do not worry about that, because the Goddess of Truth, Veritas, will be accompanying you. She is not allowed to help you directly though you can still engage in a conversation with her. In a way you can say she will just say whether the one in front of you is lying or not. Additionally, she will also tell you their true intentions."

This basically means that I can tell when someone is lying or not. As well as what they are planning. A pretty convenient power to be on my side.

"I heard that those who are chosen have the rights to decline this summoning. Can I also decline?"

"No you can't"

The way she smiles is irritating somehow. Ugh.

"Then, what kind of power will I have?"

"For starters, I will be giving you one artifact and two powers. If you are successful, then at the end we will be granting three of your wishes. You can also choose what type of power and the artifact that you want ."

Well that was unexpected. Based on all of the previous chosen ones, they said there can only be one blessing per individual and one wish at the at that. Not to mention I can also choose what I want.

By any chance is she testing me? It doesn't matter anymore.

"Then for the artifact that I want is an artifact that will allow me to live even if I don't eat or sleep with no side effects." I said.

Her face frowned to my request.

"That is indeed a rather convenient artifact for someone who will be working alone. Then what about your power?"

She ask with a smile as if a new person came.

"For the power I'll be receiving, I would like to have something that can make me form an unbreakable contract with someone no matter who or what it is. For the second one I would like to have a healing type that can also restore stamina with low amount of energy"

I'll need it if I want to use both warstyle and phantom world more efficiently and effectively.

"I see, it shall be like that then."

Light came forth from her hands.

Slowly something started to materialize and a pendant necklace emerge. One that is a cross. The cross have some kind of crystal gemstone in the middle.

I suppose that is the artifact that I'm asking for then.

"For your power, you'll receive it upon entering the world. Also, we program the system that matches of a game so that you can familiarize with it more, it is a system that will help you regarding your current status as well as a way to communicate with some gods or goddess." She said.

I put on the the pendant and a screen pop up in front of me.

[You have wore the "Necklace of the Gods". You will no longer feel hunger or feel the need to sleep anymore]

Wow! It really does look like a game.

[<Necklace of the Gods> have assimilated with your body]

The necklace vanish.

[You are able to remove the effects of the necklace by simply thinking about it]

I just remembered that a lot of show and stories were created in similar genres since the appearance of Raphael became a trend and so the genre of people going to another world became so popular.

"As for the your mission: Your mission is to unite all the kingdoms and to defeat the demon king"

Demon king? What kind of sick cliche story is this?

No wonder they need an offensive type like me. However since she mentioned kingdoms I suppose it would be alright to assume that they are in the middle ages or something similar to that.

"May I ask something?"

"Go ahead"

With a serious face I ask,

"I, as the hero, am I allowed to do anything that I want to accomplish my goals"

"Yes" She replied.

"And that I can do anything such as illegal and inhuman activities"

"Yes. Your mission is to simply unite all the kingdoms and to beat the demon king. Anything that you do, us Gods, will not interfere. It is your decision on how you will accomplish your quest"

I smiled.

"If you are ready you can enter the door there. It will transport you to the location you need"

I stood up and bowed.

"Thank you very much for the help"

I may not like being chosen however the fact that she is a Goddess still remains, I have to be polite now.

The door was changing its color every second, as if to captivate or hypnotize those who look at it.

I reluctantly open the door and went in.

A forest?

For some reason I feel dizzy.

[You have successfully entered the world]

So I'm here already, ugh. And to think I was in my room several minutes ago.

A sphere of cloud started to form in front of me. It kinda remind me of cotton candy.

"How you doing? I'm the goddess of truth, Veritas. Right now you are about eight hundred meters to the kingdom the reason why you're so far away is because I'll be explaining to you what the situation is. By the way if you are wondering, this sphere is a medium for us Gods to communicate rest assured that you are the only one to see and hear it! Hahaha!"

"Y-you are surprisingly enthusiastic"

"Well of course! I am the goddess of truth, I have to be true to myself and to other people"

For some reason I have another bad feeling about this.