Everything is fuzzy, I don’t know where I am. Surrounded by a viscus black fog, in a red forest, I run. I run fleeing the dead goblins. I find my spear and kill them all but more and more of them appear, unrelenting. Monkeys start throwing me stones, but I can’t dodge the pain. I am desperate and fall on the ground, no, in the ground that opens and swallows me. I try to swim in a sea of decomposing corpses. They want to drown me, to bite me, and savor me. I desperately defend myself with my spear, but I quickly lost it, swallowed by the darkness.

Suddenly in the blood and flesh, a huge reptile attack. He rips my arm, eating it in front of me, he seems happy and leaves. Pain is the only color to see. More reptiles appear and swallowing the waves of goblins. I don't know how but I succeed to reach the surface of this sea of goblins monkeys and crocodiles.

In the sky, the two moons stare at me, bags of rage and hate. They are coming to me but I have nowhere to go. I can’t escape the sky or the crashing sea. The two moons fall and explode creating a wave of red with me at the center.

Then the sky without moons becomes black. The sea disappears replaced by a huge ax. I am kidnapped by a monstrous bandit and throw into a cage. I am surrounded by lifeless prisoners; the pain stops and I fall asleep.

I wake up. I try to remember what happened as I look around me. I am in a small room, in a spacious bed. The linens are soft. A warm light embraces the chamber. There are not many things except some pots and tools, a table and a chair. There no monster and this is not a cage. I am safe.

I sigh and calm down.

I continue to look around, obviously, there is no Tv or light bulb, I am not at home. There is nothing ostensibly magical neither, Interestingly the window is a white paper panel.

I hear noises on the other side of the wooden door. I can distinguish between three kids and two adults and that they are talking about cooking dinner. Also, there is a soft odor of chocolate in the room. And the bed smells a nice blend of chocolate and clementine. The family living here could be pâtissier. Nice.

Suddenly I recall what happened and raise my two arms. I am completely fine, someone saved me and healed me. I calm down, I have been rescued. But I should not be careless.

I open my status.

Litchi: level 24 Spear beginner

Mana: 42/42

Blessing: living treasure

Stat point: 0

Strength: 60 Intelligence: 42

Dexterity: 61 Wisdom: 48

Endurance: 63 Willpower: 37

Class Skills: Spear Mastery 27, War Shout 17, Pierce 15, Charge 11

General skills: Mana manipulation 12, Flesh manipulation 4

Pain resistance 11, Sleep resistance 1

Blessing of the living treasure

Gift class equipment at important level Major self-cleaning Major poison and disease resistance. Major savor and smell enhancement. Minor regeneration increase. Understanding of the gluttonous language

Waw, that’s a big power jump. Nice to see that my training and effort paid with my shout skill. Nice name; War Shout makes me a bit more badass… And then I remember that I’m just a lowly spear beginner.

Perfect I gain Mana manipulation, one of the classics. I will need the legendary Meditation skill soon. Strange, after everything that I overcome I didn’t win an observation skill, like Appraisal or Identification.

What shock me is Flesh Manipulation, not healing or regeneration but flesh manipulation. I indeed had more bend my flesh than really healed me by closing my wounds and creating this flesh amalgam. That’s unexpected, but the path to greatness is never closed, I like the idea of being a shapeshifter. But what will I become if I manipulate my flesh but don’t succeed to put it back nicely? I don’t think my muscle could function normally on a manipulated flesh.

I quickly daydream about possible shapeshifting capacities and equally possible abominations.

I try to remember nice abilities from the novel Chimera or My Shapeshifting Life. Oh, and of course the strongest of the all, Boxxy T Morningwood.

While I fantasize about Boxxy I hear someone knocking on the door. I freeze but sadly the knocking continues.

“Hello, are you awake? I will enter so we could talk.” The voice is calm and clear, almost silvery.

“Oh, yes enter” I answer, obviously not stressed, and cover myself with the bedsheet.

The door opens and reveals a handsome man. He walks with a smile, his posture friendly, dressed in a pristine and robust leather outfit. His skin color is black and he is as tall as me 1,80m. As he approaches, I notice his matted fur. The differences on his face are subtle but there are some feline characteristics. He is maybe a Panther-kin? It's hard to say but he is a young adult, like me around 23, I think.

I remember to stop checking him out and say. “My name is Litchi. Thank you very much for saving my life and... and healing me. I will try to pay my debt and help you with anything if it’s possible. Thank you with all my heart.”

He takes a chair and sits down near me. “Hey, everyone calls my Choco, the axman of the village. And no need to have a debt, here everybody helps everyone. Tomorrow if you want, I will present you to the healer who saved you. So, tell me how it happened, what were you doing in the forest?”

This is fast. “I was lost… I come from far away… I was traveling” Ok this is terrible I need to come up with a convincing story and fast. I can’t say that I come from another world. Don’t tell me I read thousands of novels and can’t succeed my first introduction!

“Oh, a traveler. That must be a disastrous trip because I only found a spear around the banquet. Where are you from, and what was your goal?” He answers with an innocent curiosity.

Waw, he is too direct. He wants answers. I calm my voice and try to be more convincing. “I came from a city on the other side of the forest. I was with a traveling merchant. I am just his new apprentice. I don’t know much about a lot of things but I learned mathematics.”

Choco makes a worried face. “There is only one traveling merchant that comes near this place. Where you the apprentice of Citron? “

“Yes yes, I was indeed with Citron, but I became his apprentice only recently” I hope this will work.

“That must be a disaster if you were separated from him. He was always accompanied by… What was her name… Clementine, right?” he starts to touch his chin.

“Yes, clementine I think -”

“That must be a disaster” he repeats, interrupting me” Clementine was an over Level 250 retired warrior. What did attack your group? Was it a huge tentacle monster or something between a bird and a Tree?”

He waits worriedly, staring at me right in the eyes.

“The attack was too fast and I didn't see what happened, I am sorry. They told me to run away. There were loud noises I was afraid.” This is starting to be bad. I didn’t even say there was an attack.

“Did you see a yellow stripe in the air?”

“Maybe, I not sure-”

He stands up, exhaling. “Oh no... There is only one beast that could kill Clementine and that you could not even see. He is completely black with a yellow head. He is the invisible death, that uses a strange sickle-like arm. There is always a loud roar when he comes. The last thing people see before dying is a yellow stripe hanging in the air. He is named …. Durarara”

The silence is heavy, I need a few seconds to answer. How my lie evolved to this? “Maybe they are alive, and that was not this monster”

“No way.” He says looking at the window. “They all have a tracking skill. And you can’t escape either the traveling company nor the Durarara. You clearly have no skills in wildness survival.” He turns around, putting a hand against the wall. I can’t see his face but he sounds terrorized.

“They're dead, and the Durarara did not kill you because she chooses to follow you to this village”

Oh no, what have I done? I start to hear smalls sounds coming from him. Is he laughing, no crying?

“Oh no we are all dead. This village is condemned. I need to alert everyone. We will abandon everything and run to the other forest. No, the kids will not survive this. We will go to the forest and attract the beast or die to the other monsters and leave the kids here. Hopefully, our death will distract the Durarara and save them”

Non-non-non! He continues to talk about suicide plans and monsters. I need to tell him the truth. They will die if they go to the forest.

“Choco, I am sorry… please. I lied.”

He interrupts me, raises his head and arms to the sky, and says “We are all Dooooooooomed !”

And then he burst out laughing. I am confused for a few seconds and then understand, he is laughing at me. I have been played; I should not have lain.

Seeing it wasn’t funny for me, he stops and sits down. “Sorry Litchi. You are just so bad at lying that I could not stop, couldn't resist. Do you understand, it was too hard? I hope you will pardon me.

There is no merchant, Durarara is a story, and you will soon meet the wise Citron and the fierce Clementine”

Who can joke about the death of his entire village! This is the first time we meet and he starts like that!

“This was not funny but I am terribly sorry for lying. I am completely lost; I don’t know where I am or how I came here. This is the truth I know nothing.” I hope complete honesty will work.

Choco put on his smile and confidently answer me “I know. You were teleported in the middle of the forest. You ran away from goblins and found the river. I can bet that you don’t even know where are the Gluttonous Mountains. And of course, you now have the blessing of the living treasure.

You see this place is very unique, and here your case is typical. We often have new people teleported around the Blessed Valley. What is interesting is that you are a bit too weak. You almost die to baby man-goblins and le-monkeys, how is that even possible?”

Ok, the easiest solution was just telling the truth. "I… I come from a place where there is no system. I discovered level, class, skill, and attribute when I arrived here. From where I come, I never have to kill or..or use a weapon and fight.”

“Ok, that’s rare… I heard stories of people coming from another world in the other villages. So, it already happened in the past." He looks at me with a bit more curiosity. "This situation is really strange for you. But it’s ok, it’s easy to adapt to the village. A piece of advice, every villager will try to help you. Be nice to them, tell them a few stories and you will be integrated into the village faster than you think.

If you have no other questions, I can propose you to come and have dinner with us.”

Well, that was easier than I thought, never expected the answer to be. “OK, it happens.”

“It would be a pleasure, thank you. I hope it’s not too much but… can I have clothes?”

“Yes, of course, this is one of Clementine’s dress. It’s for you until the Oro makes you something or you receive a gift.” He says while standing, showing me the table where is fold a green dress.

“Wait, please. I have other questions. How does the system work? What is this blessing? Who gives it to me? It’s possible to come back? And where are-“

He turns around raising his hand defensively “Please Litchi, keep your question for tomorrow. I will show you the village and you will see Bardane. She is the healer, highest level here. And even if she does not like when we say it, she is the boss.”

As he exits the chamber and opens the door three adorable kids fall to the ground. He lifts them as if they are wealthless, and close the door with his elbow.

I put on the dress and a pair of sandals. I don’t know how it’s possible but even the dress smell very good. Even the sandals smell of clementine. At the same time, I hear Choco telling the children that they should not spy on other people.

Ok Litchi, no stress you can do it. I open the door, exit the chamber and all the family welcomes me.

A small pregnant woman with red skin and two crystal horns approach me. I hold out my hand but she goes past it. I am ready to kiss her, but she smells my neck. Without thinking I do the same and a sweet fragrance of clementine caresses my nose.

She steps back smiling. “Welcome Litchi to our village I hope you will like it.”

“Thank you Clementine I am eager to discover it.” Simultaneously the three kids come to me. I squat to be on the same high as them. Citron, Cinnamon, and Ginger.

After the greeting, we start dinner and the food is simply exceptional, professional cooking level. I can even nearly say touching upon the realm of the grandma's level of satisfaction. It was hard to describe because nearly all the tastes are new to me, there is no meat just vegetables and I can tell this is a Palavach in Elatrons.

The dinner becomes rapidly animated, the three kids of 4, 10, and 12 could not stop talking about… kid stuff really. They have hidden places, toys that they do not want to share, and of course, they ask me questions about Earth. I try too to ask back but the kids are just too excited and not very coherent.

To sum up, I am in a village with few other villages nearby, all of them stuck in a vast region between mountains: the Blessed Valley. There is a huge lake on the north side of the valley where two rivers exit and meet again at the south, where we are. All the villages are stuck between those two rivers that act as a protective barrier. The river I was following is the part just after the confluence.

Those rivers separate the villages from the jungle, and there is absolutely no monster on this side. They can't cross the river, that's why people can only leave inside the Blessed Valley.

When I ask what was on the other side, they just answer a lot of monsters. No city or countries just wildness and monsters becoming more and more powerful. There is not a traveling merchant or anything. Just mountains of impossibly mighty monsters.

Cinnamon, the youngest says this to me as I insist to know what was outside “Please Litchi I don’t want you to be eaten. In the stories, all the outsiders want to leave the village but they are all eaten by the monsters. Do you want to be eaten?”

She succeeds to say it in a very cute way, but there is so much certainty that shivers run through my back. The same certainty of the hate monkey gaze, the ineluctable ending of being eaten.

I stop asking questions.

At the end of the dinner, the couple explains to me that normally each evening the kids listen to a story. They ask me if I could be the storyteller tonight.

It’s perfect, I love telling stories but the problem is what to choose. Oh, I know! Let’s start with Attack on Titan, Evangelion, and then Akira. Oh, and I should not forget Berserk.

I joke Harry Potter is the winner for tonight.

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