The New Beginning

'...Am I still alive?'

After opening his eyes and comprehending what was happening to him, Ares attempted to stand up, but a tremendous headache led him to clench his fists in anguish.

A torrent of knowledge reached his head shortly after, leading him to lose consciousness once more.

He gradually opened his eyes after a few hours and muttered,

"Ares Von Rothstaylor," which had become his new name as a result of the memories imprinted in his brain.

He has the same first name as he had in the previous world.

When he finally got out of bed and went to the bathroom to look in the mirror, he was taken aback to see a young person, perhaps 15 or 16 years old, with black hair and black eyes, with an extremely attractive face that appeared to be carved without flaws or like a lovely painting that could mesmerize anyone who paid attention.

Ares Von Rothstaylor was the fourth prince of the Escratia Kingdom. His mother was a maid who became a concubine and was brutally murdered when he was just 13 years old, which is when he lost everything and his sense of purpose.

He had longed for vengeance ever since, but he had discovered that his stepmother, who was also a queen, was guilty of his mother's murder, and he was powerless to confront her.

Despite having a manaless body from birth, he had an unmatched talent with a sword for his age.

He learned his skills from his mother's brother, a mercenary who also died while pursuing vengeance for his sister, since he can't go against a queen.

Despite being physically healthy for his age, he lacked the strength to carry out his revenge plan.

As a result, he chose to join the wicked organization that had offered to assist him in carrying out his revenge.

The organization had a cringe name "SHADOWS."

"....''

Ares was familiar with the organization, having read about them in the novel he had recently finished.

He had concerns after reading old Ares' memories that this was the world inside the novel he read shortly before dying, but despite this, he opted to assemble his thoughts in a peaceful state of mind first.

He attempted to connect the novel, the facts on that black piece of paper, and transmigration.

He learned this from his late girlfriend, who always maintained an impassive look even throughout her death, that it is preferable to analyze and attempt to evaluate things before panicking and making any decisions.

***

After considering his options for several hours, Ares made a firm decision to steer clear of the Shadows organization that the previous Ares had intended to join.

He realized that he had never come across the name Ares Von Rothstaylor in the novel's plot, nor had he encountered it in any of the organization's member lists, suggesting that the previous Ares had likely died before the story even began, which was set to unfold in two months' time.

Which he confirmed and validated by going via his phone and searching the internet.

Yes, phones and the internet are also available in this world but this world's technology far surpassed his previous world by a large margin.

The phone he held in his hand is transparent and glass which can even show holograms and you can transfer objects or anything you want to transfer just by scanning the object through the camera, and online shopping is also very convenient as you can just select and buy any necessities with one-tap delivery directly through phones.

This world is a mixture of the medieval and modern world with high-class technology, not only that but this world also has many races like Elves, Dwarves, Demons, Angels, and many other races.

In two months' time, the story was set to kick off at the prestigious S'OREH ACADEMY, an anagram of HERO'S, where all the main characters would gather.

He had already received an invitation to attend the academy due to his exceptional swordsmanship talent for his age, which he inherited from his merged memories with the previous Ares.

Ares saw attending the academy as an opportunity to uncover more information about his transmigration and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his new identity.

He was eager to explore the possibilities of this world and hoped to find a sense of purpose and belonging within its walls.

***

As he reflected on his situation, he realized that in his previous world, he was a magician rather than a swordsman. However, he had some knowledge of swordsmanship because his lover was a skilled swordswoman well-known as Sword Maiden, and he used to watch her train frequently.

"In my previous world, the main source of collecting mana was through the soul, which is known as 'SOUL FORCE'," he muttered to himself. "That means I can still use my soul force in this world."

He tested his ability and found that while he could use his soul force, it wasn't as strong as it once was and limiting many of his magician skills. However, he was relieved to know that he could still use it.

He continued his musings, "My affinity was electricity, which would perfectly complement my swordsmanship in this world. However, this world uses mana from the body as its source, and Ares's body was well-known as a cursed manaless body. But that doesn't matter to me much now, as I use my soul as the source to collect mana."

As he was lost in thought, the sun began to rise, interrupting his musings. He decided it was time to freshen up and grab something to eat. He was currently staying in a hotel on the floating island where the academy was located.

***

After getting myself outfitted, I ordered food using my phone. To my surprise, the previous Ares had quite a lot of money in his bank account, and I decided to use it for my own needs.

As I finished my meal, I felt the urge to take a walk around the neighborhood. It had been a long time since I had a proper walk due to my previous disabilities, but moving around in this new body felt natural and didn't take me much time to get used to. I left the hotel and proceeded toward the streets.

While walking, I remembered reading about a status screen in this world, similar to the system in my previous world. I

decided to give it a try and muttered, "Status".

To my surprise, a gigantic hologram appeared in front of me. Although it was different from what the previous Ares had experienced, I understood the essence of why. It seemed like my status was a blend of system and status screen, and it was more advanced than his previous system.

[ STATUS ]

NAME: ARES VON ROTHSTAYLOR (ARES)

RACE: HUMAN

AGE: 15

TALENT: INTERMEDIATE SWORDSMAN

AFFINITY: ELECTRICITY, ....????....

SKILLS: 1. FELL CRESCENT (Mastery 12%) (Beginner Level)

(Info: A high-class sword charge-type sword skill that delivers a downward blow and covers a distance of 1 meter in 0.01 sec)

2. SNAKE MOVEMENTS (Mastery 67%) (Beginner Level)

(Info: A technique that helps the user's movement akin to a snake.)

3. ELECTRICITY MANIPULATION (Mastery 3%) (Beginner Level)

(Info: Allow user to manipulate the electricity near his body)

ABILITY: 1. PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY

(Info: Allow the user to recall an image or information with high precision after seeing it only once)

2. ....?????....

***

After checking my Status screen, I murmured to myself, "The skills and abilities are not that bad compared to other characters, but it's still not good enough for me. Photographic memory will help me accelerate my progress, but the lack of clarity in affinity and ability don't make any sense."

However, I decided to set aside these thoughts for the time being and explore this new world further.

As I mulled over the workings of this world, I couldn't help but marvel at its stark differences from my previous world.

Rather than hunters, the land was teeming with adventurers and Heroes: individuals of diverse races and nationalities registered with either the Adventurer's Guilds or the Hero Association.

Adventurers undertook tasks assigned by the Guild in exchange for monetary rewards, while Heroes worked for the Association on a regular monthly salary.

The tasks themselves were varied and often dangerous, ranging from monster subjugation to escort missions and investigations. However, the most popular job among adventurers was gate exploration.

To ensure fair compensation for their services, those posting requests were required to offer a minimum sum, as stipulated by the Association's rules and regulations.

As I strolled down the street lost in thought, I was suddenly jolted out of my musings by a cacophony of screams and commotion coming from nearby. People were running helter-skelter, clearly in a state of panic. Intrigued, I decided to investigate the source of the commotion.

As I arrived at the location, I saw a huge monster gate erupt out of nowhere in the center of the streets; it was a gate I was extremely familiar with.

"...."

"...Even if I am in a different world, this has not changed," I sighed.

I retrieved my trusty sword from my system storage, which functioned much like an inventory, allowing me to store all my essentials. The sword, while not particularly exceptional, was sturdy and dependable, having been salvaged from previous Ares' belongings.

"It's not much, but it'll have to do," I said to myself as I tightened my grip on the hilt.

As I waited for the monsters to emerge from the gate, doubts started to creep into my mind.

"Should I just run? I'm still new to this body, and I don't know if I can wield a sword like the previous Ares," I wondered.

However, I quickly dispelled those thoughts, reminding myself that I had nothing to lose.

"What's the worst that could happen other than dying again?" I muttered to myself, adopting a fighting posture as I waited for the monsters to emerge from the gate.

As I faced the looming threat, I couldn't help but feel a burning desire to surpass my previous self, who was weak and pathetic. I had failed to protect the one I loved the most in my previous world, but I was determined not to repeat the same mistake in this one.

With a newfound sense of purpose, I braced myself for the coming battle, eager to test my strength and find my place in this new world.

***