On the note of Idroa, I must mention the newly formed planet’s geography. Our best estimates suggest Caen and Xiivet (the two other planets that fused with ours to create Idroa) are similar in size to Earth. This should mean Idroa has somewhat more surface area than Earth, even if not 3 times as much due to the square-cube law. However, that may not be the case as we are near-certain the System has only brought over portions of Earth to the new planet and not all of it, and therefore we can assume it has only brought over portions of Caen and Xiivet as well.

Whatever may be the case, there is at least no dispute that the population density of apex predators has massively increased with a considerable number of these newly introduced predators posing a significant risk to human survival.

Giada Marino - Scholar - Intricacies of the System

____

“We got it, Lazzaro,” Dom said, clasping arms with the walrus moustache man. He passed over the crystal.

“Excellent,” Lazzaro replied, studying the artifact with bright eyes. “I pray there were no injuries?” At a surface glance, he appeared to be a jolly stout man past his prime, but Silas could detect an arcane presence from within him. While it was weaker than Mia’s, it was still something to be wary about.

Dom frowned and gestured towards the injured man being carried in. “Raymond got caught off guard. He’ll live, I think, but it’s best if you do something about it.”

“Of course. Iris, if you would.”

A short girl who looked about fifteen with caramel skin moved from the hearth to Raymond. She looked rather peculiar dressed in a grey newsboy cap, a vertically striped shirt, and a dark pair of trousers. She was silent as she pressed her fingers against a deep cut, taking them off after a second to reveal healed skin. Astonished, Silas stared as she methodically went through Raymond’s wounds, finishing less than a minute later when she stepped back clutching her head. Bizarrely, her hands didn’t even appear bloody.

“Thank you, Iris,” Lazzaro said as she returned to the hearth. “Thank you, all of you, for facing danger and besting it.” He raised the hub crystal and tipped it as if to clink it against another. “To our good health and fortune going forward.” The crystal burst into blinding light.

It caught Silas off guard, and he took longer to recover than others due to his inflated perception. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he then saw what people were gasping about: the hub crystal had expanded into a man-sized monument. Although its surface was still covered with the ever-shifting runes, the beam of light it emitted to the skies was gone.

“Everyone, touch it and join the village,” Lazzaro said.

It seemed like an odd cult practice to Silas, but as everyone else participated, he too joined the queue. As it got to his turn, he reached out and stroked the crystal, unsure what to expect.

You are currently unaffiliated to any settlements. Do you wish to join Riverside?

Yes

You are now a citizen of Riverside. Your mayor has set open-settings, allowing you to see limited information about the settlement. As you are a citizen, you can petition for any changes you would like to see made.

Citizens

Human leaderboards

Nearby settlements

Buildings

Moving to a quieter corner, he first checked buildings and noted there were different categories such as industrial buildings (for example smithies and apothecaries), defensive monuments (which provided attributes bonuses), and houses. They all displayed costs in System credits. Once bought, it appeared the System would only spawn the materials to use and they would have to do the assembly. As Silas currently had zero credits and no idea how to gain some, the buildings didn’t overly interest him.

Next checking nearby settlements, he saw right now there was only one roughly a hundred miles away: New Derby. Perhaps that was where his siblings and Aengus and Mia had been dumped. Then again, maybe not - who knew where the System had placed them? Still, it was something to keep in mind for the future.

The leaderboard was the most fascinating function so far as it listed the top hundred people according to three categories: level, class level (alongside class names), and number of notable kills.

In the levels list, it showed the strongest humanity had to offer.

1. Lucian Grimes - 31

2. Kuraim Jaffer - 31

3. Dahlia Howe - 31

4. Shen Jie - 30

5. Jeung Seoyeon - 30

6. Ajit Ghost - 30

7. Ariyah Mika - 30

8. Vivienne Durant - 30

9. Maximiliano Garces - 30

10. Amanda Black - 29

…

79. Aengus Abercrombie - 28

…

100. Harper Wilcher - 27

Silas sighed with relief on seeing the man-giant’s name. Aengus had to be alive to be on the list, and if he was alive despite his injuries back then, it meant Mia was definitely alive as well. At least that took a worry off his mind.

The class list was even more interesting, not because of the levels but instead due to the classes themselves.

1. Lucian Grimes - Warlord level 3

2. Kuraim Jaffer - Necromancer level 3

3. Elisha Luna - Primal Healer level 3

4. Vivienne Durant - Beastmaster level 3

5. Dahlia Howe - Abomination level 3

6. Kasim Read - Jester level 2

…

100. Tsuda Akira - Blood Mage level 2

Lastly, the notable kills list simply shocked Silas.

1. Dahlia Howe - 2 F-1

2. Lucian Grimes - 1 F-1

3. Kuraim Jaffer - 2 F-2

4. Vivienne Durant - 1 F-2

5. Shen Jie - 1 F-2

6. Ajit Ghost - 1 F-2

…

100. Theia Mcgee - 2 F-4

This meant both Dahlia and Lucian had taken on enemies above level 40 by themselves and won, against monsters stronger than the alabaster mink! Furthermore, it seemed the list only showed the numbers of their highest-ranked kills and not of any others, meaning these individuals likely had several F-2s and F-3s under their belts as well!

Stunned, Silas didn’t pick up on the growing commotion in the hall until Josh poked him in the ribs. “They’re looking for you, man!” he said, grinning.

Zoning back in, Silas realised Josh was right: several people were asking for Silas Wycliffe. Disquieted, he knew it had to be something to do with the only section he hadn’t yet checked: the citizens one. Opening it up, he groaned at the sight.

1. Silas Wycliffe - level 24 - Duellist

2. Lazzaro Toscani - level 21 - Fire Mage

3. Iris Azer - level 20 - Healer

4. Sabine Gantzmann - level 20 - Pugilist

5. Dominic Wood - level 18

6. Elise LeBeau - level 16

…

84. Elsa Johansson - level 1

So much for not bringing attention to himself. He sighed as Josh shouted out and waved wildly, causing all the curious eyes to fall on them. Well, he’s only sped up the inevitable. Silas tried to adopt a passive expression, failing slightly and wearing a grimace instead as Lazzaro strode up to him with a disarming grin.

“Well met, Silas,” he said, before pausing. He seemed to read Silas’s thoughts, especially his discomfort at becoming the central spectacle, as he turned around to face the building crowd in the next second. “Friends, it seems Silas here is exhausted, no doubt from the tribulations he has been through. I shall take him to suitable accommodation to rest.”

The aged mage led him out whilst making small talk, switching topic adeptly whenever Silas showed signs of discomfort. While their conversation began stilted, Silas quickly grew at ease with Lazzaro and became far more forthcoming with the questions.

It was as they were crossing the stone bridge that he sensed an abrupt change in Lazzaro’s tone. “How long have you been here, Silas?”

Frowning, he answered, “A few hours, I guess. I was dumped right next to the crystal lion, which is also where I met your hunting party.” He paused, then supposed there was no damage in saying it. “The System said something about slaying one of those monsters as soon as possible, so I guess it placed me there to speed up the process.”

“I didn’t know the System interfered like that, although perhaps I am an old fool to think it would maintain impartiality,” Lazzaro said, brushing his hand through his balding pate. “Personally, I passed the hard tutorial and came here four days ago. I was hopeful then: my tutorial had gone great, and I even had access to fire magic. Although I started by myself, I quickly encountered others and soon found myself leading a group of fifteen.”

He paused, and his expression stiffened. “Then, five ratmen came upon us. They spoke another language, but we understood them - I guess the System must have translated for us. They told us to drop our weapons and follow them to God knows where, all the while sneering.” Lazzaro chuckled, a harsh, biting laugh. “As you can guess, we didn’t take too kindly to being herded like cattle. To respond to our resistance, they slaughtered us like cattle. Eventually, I and another brave gentleman who later perished drove them off, but by then there were only four of us remaining. I too would have perished if Iris hadn’t healed me.”

He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeves and reined in some of his raw emotion. He addressed Silas differently now, his words slower and gripping. “I believe those ratmen meant to enslave us, but I don’t want humanity to be chained up, not least by those wretched creatures. Still, I don’t have the power to stop them by myself. So, I ask you, Silas, will you lend me your strength to drive those monsters back?

____

Vivienne Durant, the Beastmaster, was originally a veterinarian from France. She awoke to her beast-taming talents in the extreme tutorial when she released her mana at monsters. As her mana spread through their bodies, she found she could control them to a simple extent. Her control grew with practice, and by the end of the tutorial, she took down the final boss using its own kin.

Although she couldn’t bring her tamed monsters from the tutorial to Idroa, it didn’t put a hamper on her progress as the new world was full of targets. Two of her notable early captures were a sanguine elephant and an infant creeling. Using her tamed monsters, she cut out territory for herself and founded Léonois, becoming a local powerhouse. From here, she…

Stefan Sommer - the Chronicler - Heroes and Villains of the First Age