Chapter 22

It was a silent night, the air was still, the sky is dark without the usual stars adorning it. The moon is the only thing that's shining, with an eerie crimson glow.

It was at this night. Inside an old, abandoned crypt, a miracle was happening. A figure rose from an old, dusty coffin. It's body was wretched and vile, it's clothes were tattered. The figure rose from it's slumber with only one thing in it's mind,

" I really gotta start writing again. "

===[ Advance Note ]===

Boo!

Did I scare you~?

That's right baby, I'm back! WOOOO!

Due to not so popular demand, I decided to finally wake up from my death and get back to business, I hope you forgive me for this, but hey, I've been thru the busiest days of my life. But that's just me making up excuses, so without further ado, please sit back, relax, and enjoy~

===[ Advance Note End ]===

[ Evan's POV ]

" So you're saying that now you have a "companion" in your head that only you can communicate with? ". Luke asked.

" Yes. ". I affirmed.

" Oh. My. God... ".

We're now in the middle of the Magic Forest, we successfully cleared the Skyscraper ruin a couple days ago without a hitch, we basically strolled right out of there because apparently, the last time someone cleared that ruin was around 32 years ago, so the supposed "final boss" of the place had ran out of power a long time ago, how disappointing. Now we're camping for the night and now I'm trying to somehow explain Nitidus' existence to Luke.

" I think he's doubting you. ". Said Nitidus.

" I can see that... ". I replied inwardly.

" What to do... ". Nitidus ponders.

While I was having an exchange with Nitidus, Luke's face darkened in realization.

" ...Does that mean Nitidus is your new best friend...? ". Luke asked, with a sombre tone.

" Honestly Luke, you can be so childish sometimes. Of course you're still my number one friend. ". I answered with a slight chuckle.

" That's sweet, Evan. ". Nitidus commented.

" Okay, whatever, it's getting late. I'm going to sleep. ". Luke said.

" Okay, goodnight. ". I replied.

Luke then waddled out of my tent and back towards his own using walking sticks I made from thick branches because his wound hadn't really healed yet, so I've been burdened with the task of carrying him around, piggyback style. Not that I mind, of course.

" Cool, now that your friend knows of my existence, are you going to tell others also? ". Nitidus said.

" No, probably not. Unless I got found out, I'm not going to tell anyone else about you. ". I replied inwardly.

" Okay... So what do you want to do now? ". Nitidus asked.

" I might try to get some sleep, it's been a while since I did that, with me not needing sleep and all that jazz. ".

" Okay, I understand, I'll also enter sleep mode then. ".

With that, I mentally activated sleep mode. With the usual robot lady saying " sleep mode activated, wake up sequence in 05:30 hours ".

And then, the familiar feeling of slipping out of consciousness came washing over me.

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I woke up in a familiar blank white room, with absolutely nothing in it aside from a familiar looking old man.

" Oh, hey there old guy. ". I greeted him, it's actually been a while since I met him.

" Don't "hey there" me, you little bitch. ". He snarled.

" Whoa! Why are you so aggressive?! ". I asked. Honestly, I was also shocked, I would've never thought that this guy can use such strong language.

" Why am I aggressive? It's because you haven't slept in months! You know I can only contact you while you're sleeping right?! I was so worried because I can't warn you about that gun wielding maniac! You irresponsible brat!!! ". He shouted. I think he's making a great point, but still, he's a cosmic being, he should be above his emotions.

" Okay jeez, sorry about that, I've been busy lately. ". I apologized.

The old guy let out a tired sigh. " It's okay, as long as you don't repeat that again, I need to inform you of the state of things. ". He said.

" I understand, I'm sorry. ".

" Good. Now, as you've already encountered the manic shooter, you should've guessed that he's not of this world, yes? ".

" I kinda figured that out, yeah. ".

" Good. One thing you should know, if you were being a good boy and slept, you could've made him an ally by saving him when he first arrived here. ". He revealed.

" Huh? Wait, what? Huh??? ".

Huh?

" Surprised? Good. Because you neglected your sleep, I was unable to contact you, therefore I can't tell you of his coming to this world. He actually appeared nearby, in this very forest you're in, so if you were asleep, I'd be able to tell you that he's arrived in this world and that you should save him. Instead, he was picked up by those restorationist creeps, thus your encounter with him. ".

" Hold on! You're saying that the guy with the unbelievable cheat of having guns for hands could be my ally if only I slept regularly? ". I asked, with confusion written all over my face.

" Yup! Must be regretting your choices huh? Dumbass. ". He replied.

that hurts you know?!

" I know that it hurts you so I'm going to do it as much as I can. ". The old man said, clearly reading my mind. Personal space!

" Anyways, I'm going to tell you this, in a month or two, you and your friend will depart from here to the royal capital, there, you will meet another Other-Worlder and possibly, their friends as well. This time, you should definitely befriend this guy, I have a feeling that Fate himself is setting something up, and I don't know what. ". He says.

" This world is getting so many visitors. Is this normal? ". I asked.

" Definitely not, no. I hope I could ask the people above about what's happening, but I'm just a lowly Realm Manager, so I don't have much power or influence. ".

" I see... Then, why am I going to the capital with Luke? ".

" You'll see. ". He says.

The old man then extended his hand towards my forehead.

" What are you- Argh!! ".

He flicked my forehead, causing me to wake up covered in cold sweat. What an inconsiderate boomer.

" Are you okay? Did you have a so-called nightmare? ". The smooth voice of Nitidus said.

" I'm okay, yeah, don't worry about me. ". I replied inwardly.

" If you say so, I guess. ".

I got up and went out of my tent to start preparing breakfast, but not before eating some magic gems for myself.

⟨ Come to think of it, it's been a while since I looked at my status, let's see how far I've come, especially after that journey through that ruin. ⟩. I thought.

" Ooh, yeah. I'm also interested in your status, let's see it. ". Nitidus added.

" Okay... << Status >>! ". I yelled inwardly.

=====[ Status ]=====

Name : Evan Myers

Race : Monolith

Level : 28

Energy : 52%

Condition: Healthy

Aptitude : << Space Magic >>, << Earth Magic >>, << Wind Magic >>, << Fire Magic >>, << Lifestyle Magic >>.

Skills : << Levitation ( Unavailable ) >>, << Syphon >>, << Status >>, << Pocket Dimension >>, << Dark Vision >>, << Body Strengthening >>, << Detect Presence >>, << Form Imitation : Human >>, << Intimidation >>, << Cooking >>, << Tea Brewing >>, << Domestic Cleaning >>.

Spells : << Space Magic : Void Blade >>, << Space Magic : Void Bullet >>, << Space Magic : Void Shield >>, << Earth Magic : Earth Wall >>, << Earth Magic : Sinkhole >>, << Wind Magic : Wind Cutter >>, << Wind Magic : Sudden Gust >>, << Fire Magic : Spark >>, << Fire Magic : Fireball >>, << Fire Magic : Fire Storm >>, << Fire Magic : Fire Wall >>, << Lifestyle Magic : Drying >>, << Lifestyle Magic : Heating >>, << Lifestyle Magic : Cooling >>, << Lifestyle Magic : Illumination >>, << Lifestyle Magic : Cleansing >>.

===============

" Huh, interesting. Nothing major had changed except for my level... ". I murmured.

" Interesting... ". Nitidus also commented.

" Oh well, it is what it is, I guess. I better get cooking. ". I thought. I cooked up the usual for breakfast, bird meat soup. I threw in some more extra medicinal herbs for Luke to get his wound to heal faster.

After that was all done, I called Luke and Melania out to eat. Melania was looking especially tired today, so I'm glad I put in the extra medicinal herbs. Nevertheless, I was worried about her so I asked.

" You alright, Melania? You don't look so good. ".

" Huh? Ah, yeah... I'm okay, just... A little tired. That's all! ". She said. Visibly trying to seem energetic.

" Okay, if you need anything just let me know. ". I said to her.

Then I turned my attention towards Luke. His complexion seems normal, I think he has recovered his lost blood so that's good. But I'll ask him how he's feeling anyways.

" How about you master? How is your leg? Is it still hurting? ". I called him master since Melania is here.

" I'm doing fine, thanks. My leg doesn't hurt that bad, though it's still painful sometimes. My light headedness has also subsided. ". He answered.

" Good. Now please eat, everyone. ".

After I said that, Luke and Melania started to eat the soup I made with gusto. It seems my cooking skills has improved again. Seeing them eating together with bliss paints a peaceful picture. I almost couldn't believe just a few weeks ago they were having a scandalous meeting every so often. But now, seeing them chat together peacefully while eating the food I made. I felt somehow proud, as if I accomplished something. Is this how a mother feels while she watches her family eat together?

" Mothers probably do feel something like that when they experience this- Multiple presences detected nearby, a total of five signatures confirmed. ". As Nitidus was commenting on the situation, he suddenly cuts off the chatter and informed me of the presences.

" Huh? What?? I don't feel anything- Okay, yeah, they're definitely closing in on our position. ". I said inwardly just as my << Detect Presence >> started going off. It was just as he said, five signatures were coming our way.

" Uhhh... Guys... I don't know if you can sense it but we got some visitors! ". Melania exclaimed, confirming the presences.

" I know, I sense them too. There's five of them, they're coming right for us. ". I said.

That said, the presences were moving quite leisurely, so I don't think that they're bandits. But I don't think that they're predators stalking us either, because they're approaching at a walking pace. So that gave us time to gear up a little. well... Luke did his best to gear up but with the injury that he has, he just decided to take a magic scroll that contains a << Fire Magic : Fire Lance >> spell.

We waited patiently for these presences to come out of the foliage. After some waiting, I heard the sounds of humanoid footsteps. So they might be bandits.

" Hey! I assume that you're all Adventurers? ". Someone from beyond the foliage called out.

" Yeah! We're E-Ranked! ". Melania yelled back.

" Who are you all?! ". This time, it was Luke who asked.

" Don't worry! We're with the Guild! ". The person answered.

Then, a group of five people emerged from the foliage, three men, two women. They're dressed in an olive green uniform with black cargo trousers and light leather armor. They're armed with a short sword and a crossbow, one of them holds a magic staff. They're carrying quite a sizeable backpack, comparable to the size of a school backpack. But what's the most interesting thing about them is the fact that they're all walking what I assume is the equivalent of a mountain bike for this world.

" Nice to meet you all, I'm Alexandra Heiman, leader of the 33rd wolf pack of the Guild's Forest Security Service. ". A woman who seems to be the leader says. She has short, straight, dark blue hair and blue eyes. She is relatively tall and slender. With a distinctive scar on her cheek.

..... I wonder if we're getting arrested or something.....

====[ Author's Note ]====

Oh man, does it feel good to be back~

I'm alive again~ I'll do my best to keep up a consistent update, but don't hold any expectations yet.

Thank you all for sticking around~

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