“01666777888”

“01/666777888”

“Call 01/666777888.”

“Call Supreme God-Emperor Bob.”

…..

Stefan tried everything he could think of.

“What? There is a possibility that this could have worked. Nowhere on the paper says that you must use a phone.”

“No no, I am totally with you. I have had the same idea.” Stefan was a step ahead of me.

“Sigh, forget it, the fact is, we cannot go home right now, so let's make the best out of our circumstances. The current situation is already way better than five minutes ago. Now that we know that we got an extraordinary ability called Observer Status, we don't have to worry about dying the very next moment…. Let’s try it out.

“Observer off.” …… “Observer on.”

I didn’t notice any differences while looking at my best friend. There were no colorful sparkles or sudden gusts of wind, nor did Stefan become invisible. Nevertheless, I was glad to see Stefan snapping out of whatever horror story he imagined himself in. Seemed like we could even enjoy our stay here.

I surmised. “Maybe it doesn’t work on fellow Observers?” We definitely had to find a reliable test subject and do some experimenting with this ability.

Stefan agreed with me. “Probably. … There is another thing I don’t understand. What does Bob imply with ‘residents of Khaldir below the soul level of Astral Enlightenment’?”

“Well, Astral Enlightenment is a specific stage in my novel’s or to say Khaldir’s power system. As you know I am a huge sucker for cultivation stages in power systems. … I must go back a little to explain it. A while ago, I have told you on Zoom and Bob also has confirmed it, that there are dimensions where magic is common. I have also written in my novel that there are Xianxia-like dimensions with immortals and Dao cultivation, dimensions with superheroes, dimensions where eldritch creatures reside, and even dimensions with godlike beings in Khaldir.

Every dimension has similar physical but different supernatural laws. As an example, a sorcerer can only use his magic in a dimension where magic is supported. If he travels to a purely scientific world, not only will he not be able to cast any spells, there is even the possibility of death if he has enhanced his body with magical parts and sustains on magic which is very plausible for high-level mages. Likewise for immortals, eldritch horrors, and superheroes because otherwise, those existences will dominate every other dimension. Conventional scientific weapons would never stand a chance against a god, no matter how advanced they are.

However, there is one kind of power that is usable in all of Khaldir because it is unique to every single sentient being. The physical body is affected by both physical and supernatural laws, the spiritual body which controls supernatural abilities is restricted by the dimension’s supernatural laws, so Stefan what is left?”

“…The soul?”

“Ding, ding, ding, correct! The soul or astral body is eternal and completely unaffected by those laws or any outsider interference. Keep in mind that this is only the premise I set and by no means related to our homeworld or other perspectives.

By awakening your own soul, you get a unique soul ability that can be mastered. Someone who has received their soul ability is called a ‘Soul Ascendant’. Their level of mastery is split into three initial stages and four advanced stages. The first three are termed ‘Soul Initiate’, ‘Soul Adept’ and ‘Soul Master’ and the later ‘Astral Enlightenment’, ‘Star Passage’, ‘Etheric Mountain’ and ‘Luminary Ascendancy’.

Breaking through the last stage will lead to godhood. That has been my idea at least, but I haven’t been far enough in my story for this to become relevant, so I am not sure if Bob implemented the system like that.

The initial stages have their focus on mastering the obtained soul ability while starting with Astral Enlightenment the user is concentrating on improving it in various ways. That is where they truly start to embark on their own ‘Path’ and transform into a powerhouse. These Soul Ascendants are the reason why the Explorer Foundation from Earth can contest against dimensions where supernatural abilities rule supreme.

Back to your question of why residents of Khaldir above the soul level of Astral Enlightenment can see through our Observer Status. All Soul Ascendants get an additional ability called ‘soul sight’. This ability allows the user to recognize other Soul Ascendants and their usage of soul abilities as long as they are not masked or hidden. Our Observer Status sounds like a soul ability, so that is why Bob cautioned us.”

“Couldn't Bob just augment the ability? Why leave such a weakness?”

“I don’t know, maybe he is saving on energy. Even if he has created an entire universe, some people are just stingy with giving benefits to other people. At any rate, Astral enlightenment existences or higher are rare, so I don't think we need to worry too much about that.”

“It is still dumb. Anyway, can we learn a soul ability too?

“No, very unlikely. There are only two ways to awaken one’s soul. The first one is to naturally awaken in your childhood while suffering a huge trauma. The second option involves a ritual where a Soul Ascendant at Soul Master stage or higher forcefully kickstarts your awakening. This method is used in most cases and is very dangerous. Failure leads to death without exception. So, get that idea out of your head.”

“Fine, can’t have shit in Khaldir. Let’s get going then before we take root.”

After some deliberation, we decided to try our luck and follow the airship I saw earlier. This had the highest chance of leading to a city. On the way, we implanted the Universal Translator as per instruction. I explained to Stefan that the slime ball was a modified living organism based on a special strand of fungus found on a mushroom world. It could detect and interpret brain waves pertaining to language. Through symbiosis with a host, it could share its ability and sent out similar waves. Because of this particular skill set, as long as our intent was strong, we could understand each other even if we were talking gibberish.

Another thing we did, was testing out the Observer Status. At some point along the hilly grassland, we spotted a koabbit, an animal that resembled a mix of a koala and a rabbit. It was a herbivore and was one of the few animal breeds in the world that was almost harmless to humans. The perfect target for our little test.

We closed in slowly and straight from the front. 20m.…10m….5m…. the koabbit was still grazing on the meadow, one blade of grass at a time, seemingly without a care in the world. We even talked to each other loudly, but the koabbit didn’t stop. The serene tranquility lasted until I tried to reach out with my hand to stroke it. Then it finally recognized me with its big eyes and reacted. And oh boy, what a reaction it was. It whizzed off like a rocket as if it had suffered the fright of its lifetime and didn’t stop until I could barely see it.

We approached the koabbit again, but this time it immediately turned its eyes on us suspiciously. With this, we could conclude that once someone discerned us, the Observer Status would lose its effect. I wanted to test it out a bit more. We walked away and got out of the koabbits sight. After some time, we turned back and repeated the attempt. What followed was a reenactment of the first try. The koabbit hopped away again, however this time, it ran until we lost track of it. All in all, a very successful experiment.

We continued our travel. The rolling grassland changed for higher grass, bushes, and sparse trees. I could see a small water stream in the distance, but I wasn’t sure if one could drink from it. Two hours after we left our initial position, we reached a forest which stretched out on both sides with no end in sight.

"Markus, do we really have to go through the forest?" Asked Stefan in a reluctant voice.

“If we want to follow the airship, then we have no choice. It doesn’t look that bad. I can see that there are a lot of clearings, and the trees have warm pleasing colors, poles apart from the creepy forest at the starting area. This is a happy forest.”

“Alll-rright, I hope our stealth ability keeps us save from tentacled monsters.”

“Optimistic as always, Stefan.”

……………….

We were running. Sticks broke and leaves were crushed under my feet. Faster, FASTERRR! My lungs were burning. Had I only exercised more in the past, but this regret came way too late. Now I only had some ugly hummingbirds mocking me from above. A sudden root nearly tripped me. GOD DAMN IT, what would I give for some quality hiking shoes. Not to say anything against Gary-slippers, they were very comfortable, but they were utterly unsuitable for sprinting in a forest.

Crash!, Boomm!, “Wraaauuggghh!”

An unearthly howl resounded behind us together with the sound of trees toppling to the ground.

“Quick, hide in the underbrush!” Stefan, faster than me or just had better shoes, accelerated and dived head-first into a big clump of shrubs. I followed shortly after him. The sharp thorns ripped open my skin, but that was the least of my concerns right now. The smell of wood and mud tickled my adrenaline-enhanced sense of smell. I tried to breathe shallowly.

Not even three meters away, a black elephant-sized tentacled monster crashed into another tree. We should count ourselves lucky that the monster was so clumsy. Otherwise, with our pathetic speed, it would have caught us long ago.

“Wraaauuggghh!”

My heart was pounding in my chest at a rate that even my obese aunt with her seven kids would be proud of.

The monster looked around with his many spider-like eyes, saliva dripped from its multilayered maw of horror, causing sizzling sounds every time they hit something. It reared its hideous head and let out a fearsome howl again.

“Wraaauuggghh?”

Was it just my imagination, or did the howl sounded a bit sad and disappointed? Stefan suddenly whispered into my right ear. “Hey Markus, have you heard it too? Did the monster just said ‘food, please come back.’?”

“Shhhh, Stefan, don’t fall for its mind games. I believe the Observer Status has now kicked in again. Just retreat quietly and slowly.”

I took the lead and moved my foot backward. Crackkk! And immediately crushed through the loudest sticks in the forest. I didn’t dare to look at Stefan.

Luckily our stealth superpower had truly taken effect, and the tentacled monster completely ignored my mishap. We swiftly, but still carefully, distanced ourselves from the monster.

“Warm pleasing colors, a happy forest my ass. Stop setting flags, Markus!”

“Hey, it wasn't me who stepped on that pullock’s tentacle. Right, now that I have the leisure to recall, I remember that I have created this monster species in my novel.”

“Why, by Gandalf’s beard, have you designed such an abomination?”

“Well, the monster was supposed to be a challenge for the protagonist and his team. Its strongest traits are its rapid regeneration, high stamina, and extremely high strength. At least on paper, it has clanged cute.”

“What’s cute about a many-eyed tentacled monster of death with a deathworm-type-mouth full of razor-sharp tooths of death?”

“You don’t understand. You cannot understand unless you become an author too.”

When I saw that tentacled monster- no the pullock, I felt intense fear. However, there was another emotion- pride. Yes, I felt pride, this was an existence that stemmed from my own creativity and imagination. Maybe it was a stretch to call it a father’s pride but nonetheless, I sensed a distinct connection between us.

At that moment, I wondered how the protagonist and his friends were doing.