The screen showed:
STATUS
NAME: HARU YOSHIDA (REINCARNATED) (OTHER WORLDER)
SPECIES: HUMAN
AGE: 18
CLASS: CLAIRVOYANT
SKILLS: STHIRD EYE, PREDICTION, ORACLE
ATK: 47 MP: 93 VIT: 100 DEF: 48
As I looked around, others were using the -[REVEAL]- spell, their own translucent screens appearing before them, some with expressions of awe, others with confusion. Most of our levels seemed to be in a similar range, a baseline of newly acquired power. But then my gaze drifted to Meiko. Her screen, though I couldn't read the specifics, clearly displayed three stats that were well over a hundred. Three division with more than a hundred!? It meant she was already significantly stronger, more inherently gifted than most of us. A familiar pang of inadequacy, a shadow from my old life, tried to creep in, but it was quickly overshadowed by a different emotion: relief. If anyone deserved such power, it was her. She was pure, untainted by the grime of our previous world, and now, she was strong. but that did not last long. Some other kids also received such strength but at least Meiko being one of them put me at ease.
Then, all of a sudden, a low-pitched screeching noise tore through the vast hall, a sound that vibrated through the very marble beneath our feet. As all of us turned to see the source, a blinding light erupted from the far end of the room. For a short time, we were completely disoriented, our vision swimming with residual afterimages. When the light finally receded, it revealed a sight that stole the breath from our lungs.
It was a door. Not just any door, but a colossal archway, entirely golden, with touches of neatly placed, shimmering gems embedded within its surface. Each gem caught the ambient light, refracting it into a thousand tiny rainbows. It stood impossibly tall, its ornate frame reaching towards the distant, impossibly high ceiling, dwarfing everything around it. I guessed the weight of one such door would be measured in tons, not just a few, but enough to crush a small house. To push such a door open, you'd need the strength of an ogre. Actually, a bunch of ogres.
"Who opened that door?" I pondered, my mind still grappling with the sheer scale of it. Then, through the lingering haze of light, I saw a figure pushing it. It was the clergywoman who stood in the middle, Irene. Everybody was surprised, a collective gasp rippling through the group. We had already sensed her power, the aura of authority she exuded, but this was a physical demonstration of strength that transcended anything we had witnessed. The tense mood, however, dispersed as soon as the gap in the door widened enough to reveal a vibrant, impossible greenery beyond.
It was a burst of life, a stark contrast to the polished marble and glowing runes of the chamber we were in. The air, which had been thick with the scent of incense, now carried the fresh, earthy aroma of blooming flora. We were about thirty people in total, and the moment the path was clear, a collective urge to escape the confines of the hall propelled us forward. We rushed outside, a chaotic surge of bewildered individuals, like prisoners finally released into the sun.
The moment we stepped out, a soft breeze, carrying the scent of unknown blossoms, caressed our faces. We found ourselves on a vast, verdant hill. "Hey! Look here," a boy from our group shouted, his voice laced with pure astonishment, as he pointed towards something in the distance. All of us were shocked at the sight. It was a sprawling, medieval-like city, its walls and towers rising majestically from the landscape, surrounding us like a protective embrace. That meant we were on the citadel, a high point overlooking the entire settlement. The realization hit us with full force: we were no longer home. We were truly somewhere unknown, a world plucked from the pages of a fantasy novel.
A wave of disbelief washed over the group. Some stood frozen, mouths agape, while others whispered in hushed tones, trying to make sense of the impossible scene. The sheer scale of the city, the unfamiliar architecture, the vibrant, alien sky above us—it was all too much to process at once. We were all in shock, our individual trains of thought spiraling, until our collective bewilderment was interrupted by the calm, resonant voice of Irene.
She introduced herself again, her voice carrying across the open air, grounding us slightly in the surreal reality. "I am Irene of Goltairine, who serves under the goddess Liimain of Euphoria." She then elaborated further on why we were there, reiterating the grim situation of this new world. "You are in the world of Euphoria," she began, her words painting a stark picture of a realm teetering on the precipice. "A world far larger than Earth. Unlike your home, this world is built upon magical mana. Magic is real here. It governs everything. Some of you may recognize its principles from the stories of your world—Legends, Folklore, Comics, Manga. But this is no fantasy. This is real."
She spoke of how demonkind and mankind had been engulfed in a brutal war for over a hundred centuries, a conflict that had ravaged the land and twisted the very equilibrium of this world. Her words were heavy with the weight of generations of suffering, of a struggle that had pushed humanity to the brink of ruin. Yet, as she spoke, I noticed that most of us were uninterested. Or, perhaps, more interested in other things – the vibrant, alien flora, the distant bustling city, the sheer impossibility of our new surroundings. The grand narrative of a cosmic war felt distant, almost abstract, compared to the immediate, overwhelming reality of our displacement.
"Will we be able to return to our world?" Meiko asked, her voice trembling slightly, a raw vulnerability breaking through her usual composure. The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken hope and fear. She became quiet, her serene expression clouding over with a subtle sadness. That silence was more definitive than any spoken word.
A few individuals, unable to contain their despair, started crying, their sobs echoing across the hill. Others vented their frustration by screaming, blaming, and raging against the unfairness of it all. Even Meiko, usually so composed, succumbed to a quiet, heartbroken weeping. But I, and some of the other people from the juvenile center who were there, did not throw a tantrum. There was a different, far more profound thought getting repeated in our collective minds, an unspoken mantra that resonated deeply within us:
"FREEDOM."
The word tasted sweet, intoxicating. We were no longer prisoners. The iron bars of our old lives, the suffocating routines, the constant oppression – they were gone. We could be free in this world. In this place, this fantastical, war-torn land, it felt like a utopia, at least for us misfits. We no longer had to be underhanded, to steal and scheme just to survive. No longer oppressed, no longer forced to endure the daily humiliations. The bullies, the corrupt guards, the indifferent teachers – they were a lifetime away. Here, we were blank slates, with new powers and a new purpose. The irony wasn't lost on me: we had found freedom in a world on the brink of destruction. It was a strange, terrifying, yet exhilarating paradox.
Our collective thought, this nascent hope for a new beginning, was abruptly disrupted by Irene. Her voice, though still calm, carried a new edge of urgency and enthusiasm. "Then shall we bond as we sparred. Come on, think of a weapon you need, and you will be granted that weapon."
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice cutting through the lingering emotional tension. The idea of sparring, of fighting, felt distant from the profound realization of our newfound liberty.
"You are now going to summon your familiar," she explained, her eyes gleaming with an almost childlike excitement. "A weapon made by your imagination. A weapon with familiarity only towards you. You have been granted that blessing from the one up above. Use it. And spar with me. I am not going to hold back. You all win if you hit me once."
The words were barely out of her mouth before she vanished. My 'Prediction' skill, still a nascent whisper in my mind, gave me a split-second warning. A blur of golden fabric, a sudden shift in the air pressure – that was all I had. Suddenly, she reappeared right before me, a massive, ornate mace materializing in her hand as she swung it with terrifying speed. The sheer force of the blow was immense, a gust of wind preceding its impact. I was fast enough to dodge it, my body reacting almost instinctively, a reflex born from countless close calls in the juvenile center and made possible with my recently acquired powers. It was good enough to survive, but the mace still grazed my side, a searing pain blooming across my ribs. The impact sent a jolt through me, reminding me that this was real, that Irene was not holding back, and that my life, once again, depended on my ability to adapt and survive.
We all were thrown into a disarray. The sudden, unprovoked attack, the sheer speed and power of Irene, sent shockwaves through the group. Half of the summoned individuals, overwhelmed by fear or simply lacking the ingrained survival instincts some of us possessed, immediately turned and ran, scattering across the hill like startled deer. Irene, with an unnerving smile, gave chase, her golden mace a blur as she pursued them, not with malice, but with a relentless, playful determination. This wasn't a fight to the death; it was a trial by fire, a forced awakening of our latent abilities.
"Think of something, Haru," I commanded myself, my mind racing. The chaos around me, the screams of those being pursued, the sheer absurdity of the situation – it all threatened to overwhelm me. But I had faced chaos before. I had learned to thrive in it, to find the quiet eye of the storm. A weapon. What kind of weapon would suit a 'Clairvoyant'? Not a sword, not a mace, not something that relied on brute force. My strength was in observation, in anticipation, in seeing what others couldn't. My father's manga, the stories of heroes who used their minds as much as their might, flashed through my memory.
I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, focusing inward, trying to grasp the concept of 'mana' that Irene had mentioned. It felt like a subtle hum beneath my skin, a tingling energy that responded to my will. I imagined a weapon that was an extension of my senses, something that could amplify my burgeoning clairvoyance. A weapon that didn't just strike, but revealed.
A faint warmth spread through my hands, growing steadily. A shimmering, inky black substance began to coalesce between my palms. It wasn't solid, not yet, but it was taking shape, responding to the blueprint in my mind. It felt like a viscous, dense clay, cool to the touch yet humming with latent power. I envisioned something sleek, elegant, almost invisible. Not a blade, but a conduit. A tool to channel my unique gifts. I began to mold it, letting my imagination guide its form.
When I opened my eyes, a familiar, almost comforting weight settled into my right hand. It wasn't a sword, or a staff, or a bow. It was a single, long thing, crafted entirely from the black, malleable substance. It was about a foot long, wrapped around my hand, and hummed with a faint, almost imperceptible energy. This was my familiar: The Sludge.
Irene, having cornered a few of the runners, turned her attention back to the main group. Her eyes, sharp and assessing, landed on me. She seemed to sense the change, the manifestation of my familiar. Without a word, she lunged again, her mace a golden blur, aiming for my head this time.
My 'Third Eye' activated, not as a conscious command, but as an instinct. The world around me seemed to shift, the edges of reality blurring. For a split second, I saw faint, glowing lines tracing Irene's movements, a network of mana currents that revealed her path, her intent. It was like seeing the strings of a puppet master, or the invisible currents of the wind. My 'Prediction' skill kicked in simultaneously, a flash of future milliseconds, showing me the exact trajectory of her mace, the precise moment it would connect, and the minute shift I needed to make to avoid it.
I sidestepped, a fluid, almost effortless motion. The mace whistled past my ear, the sheer force of its passage ruffling my hair. I wasn't trying to hit her with the needle; I was trying to test it. With a focused thought, I channeled a surge of mana into the black sludge and formed a shield. It absorbed the energy, its surface rippling violently. The ripple shattered my arm.
The sparring continued, a whirlwind of motion and instinct. Irene was a force of nature, her mace swinging with devastating power, each strike capable of shattering bodies. I tried to dodge but her speed was still increasing so all I could do was hold on.
The physical exertion was immense. My muscles screamed in protest, my lungs burned, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins, coupled with the strange, invigorating flow of mana, kept me going. This wasn't the helpless endurance of my old life. This was active survival, a dance with death where I finally had a chance to lead. The determination to not give up, fueled by the intoxicating taste of freedom, burned brighter than any pain.
I looked around and saw glimpses of the other summoned individuals—some still struggling to manifest their familiars, others clumsily trying to engage Irene with their newly formed weapons. Swords, shields, daggers—all molded from the same inky black material. Meiko, with her higher stats, was already moving with surprising fluidity, her own familiar—a tachi—held firmly in her grip. In an attempt to distract Irene from me, she struck her on the head with it, and it was successful. "Haru! I will buy you some time. Just defeat her" Mei shouted.
I was grateful. Now I just had to...
I fell to my knees from exhaustion. I took deep breaths to calm my nerves and recover, but it seemed I was too late.
Everyone else had either been knocked out or had fainted. Even Mei. And Irene? She was slowly approaching me. I had no time to lose. My Prediction skill told me she would keep walking forward. Taking the chance, I reformed my sludge into a revolver and hid it for the element of surprise to catch her off guard. With my Third Eye, I searched for her blind spot.
Everything was happening fast. And I... had not even a single second to waste.
As soon as I saw the opportunity, I fired a single bullet. It rolled out from the barrel and flew forth to strike her on her forehead. It wasn't enough to pierce or kill—but that wasn't what I was aiming for.
"I won," I said as I collapsed.
"You did indeed."