The Determined

Lorn put down the letter and thought about his needs and future actions.

Although the experiment differed from what he expected, it being a game world was infinitely better for him. If the country just wanted to mess around with his consciousness, there was little he could do to affect the situation. The best he could do was to be accepting to the experiments and try his best to do what was asked of him.

But since his task was to roleplay whatever he wanted in a whole entire world, he had much more freedom and control. The best thing he could do was to beat the game, whatever that meant. With that, he would make himself the most valuable sample the researchers would have. They'd try to realize what his potential was, giving him countless other things to try.

At that point, Lorn could casually mention his debt and with the One Country being what it is, they'd pay it for him without batting an eye.

But how was he supposed to beat the game? Was something like that even possible? According to Reina, the One World was not so different from reality. Anyone could do anything they wanted. So to beat the game, one simply needed to be successful in the game world?

However, Lorn didn't feel that just introducing new technology and becoming rich in this world was something that impressive. Anyone could do that.

'There needs to be something specific…' he thought for a bit, before remembering the biggest difference this world had. 'Magic!'

Reina mentioned it herself. In the digital world, there were ways to challenge one's consciousness in ways previously thought unimaginable. She must've been talking about magic.

In that case, Lorn's goal was simple. He needed to master magic. He needed to be able to cast spells without issues, so the researchers would happily throw at him whatever new spelt they came up with.

'This is a good first step,' he thought to himself. 'It's simple and easy to remember.'

Lorn planned to think about this goal of his whenever he meditated in the future.

He nodded to himself and turned to the mayor.

"Thank you for guiding me here."

"It's nothing."

The mayor was polite, but Lorn could tell she was wary of him. Well, it was expected, so Lorn didn't mind it too much.

"Can I ask you some more stuff? The letter explained most of my situation, but for some things, it instructed me to ask you."

"Of course," she nodded; her expression serious. "About what?"

"About the Soulless, about the Undying, and also about the Enhancement affinity I received… About this world in general, I guess. Since I come from another world, I'm still… largely lost."

The mayor smiled a bit at that and nodded. "I'm afraid I'm not so knowledgeable to tell you all there is to know about our world. But I can happily tell you what I know. Please, follow me."

Lorn picked up the knife inside the altar and followed the mayor to the edge of the Inner Town. Lorn was once again subjected to the wowed glances of the crowd. They seemed even more excited this time, seeing the grey crystal on his forehead.

But his attention was on the mayor and four of the Soulless that came. She was giving them meticulously detailed instructions which included the personnel necessary to do the work, the problems that might arise, the actions they needed to take, and even reminding them when they needed to take breaks.

When the four went away, other Soulless came and received the same meticulous orders from other residents of the Inner Town. Some youngsters stood nearby, observing the process and taking notes.

Lorn could only stare in daze at the absurdity of it all. As the process continued, the mayor turned to him to explain.

"In our world, as you've seen, there are the Soulblessed like us, and there are the Soulless. They make up almost 90% of the world and are a docile, but largely unenthusiastic group of humans. However, they're unable to refuse our orders, so we, the Soulblessed give them detailed orders so they have something to do. Every one of us are expected to be able to give clear concise orders, so as you can see, the children are trained in the art from a young age. Are there no such people on your world?" the mayor asked.

"No… In fact, we're unable to use magic as well."

"Magic? You mean spirit techniques?"

"I suppose."

"It's such a waste," the mayor shook her head. "Even untrained, your souls are so powerful…"

Lorn knew why his soul looked powerful. He had his full consciousness inhabiting the One World. He also knew why the Soulless were like that. But he was curious why the Soulblessed were so much smarter and realistic compared to the Soulless.

"Actually," the mayor hummed. "Try using one of your skills. Since your soul is so powerful, it might just work."

"How do I do that?"

"Control your spirit and use it to strengthen your muscles. Don't ask how, just try your best."

Lorn had no idea how he was supposed to do that, but still, he closed his eyes and focused inwardly. Like the mayor asked, he inwardly ordered his spirit to strengthen his muscles. Nothing happened.

"Strengthening!" he said out loud.

Still, nothing.

"Ha-ha, perhaps if you had the boon of Invocation, that might've worked," the mayor smiled. "Well, don't worry too much. Everyone develops their own methods sooner or later, so I can't just tell you to do this or that. What you need is to familiarize yourself with 'Spirit' and to stay mindful of using it."

Lorn was slightly disappointed, but he nodded regardless.

"Mayor! A pack of wolves attacked our flock!"

A guard interrupted their talk. He was a Soulblessed.

"Was there a Possessed among them?" the mayor's tone turned serious.

"I think so. They moved weirdly, and they maimed two more sheep before finally eating one."

"There might be more than one Possessed, then. Call the Hunters," the mayor said, and the guard went running. She then turned to Lorn. "Follow us. You'll be able to see the Spirit Techniques in action."

The Inner town briefly bustled with activity at the mention of a possessed wolf. Lorn followed the mayor outside the city walls. The sheep were huddled together nearby, some of their wool covered in blood.

They walked towards the hill Lorn first appeared and when they came atop it, he saw the hunt that occurred below. Two dead sheep lay in the grass beneath, their blood splattered all over the place. Their flesh and organs were mostly intact. Another sheep also lay on the ground, but that from that one, only the bones remained. Lorn was thankful he didn't go somewhere else other than the town. It wouldn't be funny if he got eaten by wolves right after being born in the new world.

"Possessed appear occasionally among the wildlife," the mayor said. "The souls of great sinners inhabit them, forcing the poor animals to act out of nature, usually making them much more violent and bloodthirsty. It is the duty of us Hunters to hunt and kill these lost souls and maintain peace."

She gestured towards the town and Lorn saw two men and a woman walking out of the city gates.

One man was heavily armored, carrying an oversized rectangular shield and a sword on his back. He was by far the largest man Lorn ever saw and coupled with the scars decorating his pale face and body; he was someone Lorn would've normally avoided on the streets.

The other was much lightly dressed, carrying a variety of tools and pockets around his body. Under his shirt, a curved dagger could be seen poking its handle. His blonde hair swaying in the wind and with the sly grin on his face, the man was talking about something to the woman next to him.

The woman was armored, but hers was much lighter compared to the first man. Hers was mostly made of leather, with only her hands and wrist protected by two steel gauntlets. Her long black hair was tucked neatly into a ponytail, and she wore a pursed smiled as she spoke with the man.