Chapter 4- A New Comrade?

"Hello there! Can you understand me?" The centaur inquires faintly, and Raymond's mind adjusts to the new information.

"Crystal clear. What kind of fruit was that?!"

"The Voithós Glóssas. It's a fruit brimming with mysterious prana that magically unravels all the languages within the THEOS DOMAIN."

"Now, enough of that. Who in the heavens are you? Why the attack on sight? And what's the deal with this place? What's our competition, and how do we compete?"

"Apologies for the ambush earlier, but that's just the way of things in THEOS DOMAIN. Now, greetings! I am Theodore Centauri II, a royal prince among centaurs!" Theodore proudly announces.

"Hmm, do you want me to bow or something? Just explain what's going on in this place."

"Alright... Alright. Trying to explain things to someone who looks like he might kill me at any moment is a bit tricky."

"Okay, okay."

"So, THEOS DOMAIN is a fascinating realm divided into 5 layers, each hosting contestants based on their ascension points. We're currently in the first layer, the beginner's realm. To ascend, you've got three options: first—by killing other contestants and gaining their points, the easiest way; second—by clearing requests and quests set by higher beings on upper layers; and third—the most challenging way, by conquering dungeons scattered across this layer, you can also trade and buy items with ascension points."

"Hm..hm..hm, intriguing. But how does one reach a higher layer? Ascension points right?"

"Yes and no, my friend. Climbing to the top 10,000 in ascension points secures your ascension, but there are rare cases where contestants become powerful enough to challenge beings on higher layers. Ascension points reset with each layer transition, but once you hit layer 3 and beyond, your rank is determined solely by your strength."

"Points for killing others? But do new contestants die easily?"

"NO! Free zones exist around the layers, prohibiting bloodshed. New players need to find these sanctuary cities. The closest one to us is Aplistía, but beware—it's a dreadful city for new contestants and normal citizens alike. The city protectors demand hefty taxes and make you do some rather questionable actions in case you can't pay. Despite being 'free' cities, they're established by higher beings too busy to micromanage, creating a colossal power hierarchy within their walls."

"God, that's gonna be a hell of an annoying time. Also, how do I learn to use the energy? I can sense them but don't know how to use them."

"Wait a minute! You beat me without using mana or some energy?! How is that possible? Even though I might be weak, I have three layers of prana flowing around me at all times. A normal person can't harm me without energies!"

"Hm...really? I just punched hard with everything I got. Wait, the system talked about willpower; is that the reason? I thought I could beat you, and I beat you."

"What... Do you want to go on pursuing willpower? That's the hardest path to follow. People might have a fixed goal, but they stray from their path at some point in their journey. There are maybe at most only a handful of contestants who ascended from the first layer with willpower. That demanding path you're taking. Aside from that, how do I learn to use the energies?"

"The only ways are to research books from the great library at Aplistía or get a mentor to guide you."

"Anyways, how many points do you have?"

"About a thousand...why are you asking me that?!"

"Is that a lot, or is it less?"

"It's kinda less compared to the monsters on the ranking list, but why are you asking me that?!"

"Whose, follow me and serve me or die here," exclaims Raymond with an overlord-like feel.

"Hey, you're getting scary! You're joking, right?!"

"I need to build my power so I can take over the layers. I don't need dead weight who have their free will!"

"STOP! Just kill me; I don't want to be degraded to a servant. I'd rather die proudly than lick anyone's feet."

"I will give you a painless death as you have helped me."

Raymond picks up the spear from the ground and goes towards Theodore and...