Chapter 2: Identity

♢ Status ♢

Name: Eluc

Level: 0 [0/10 EXP]

Class: [Locked until Level 10]

Title: None

Skill Points: 0

World Points: 3

HP: 100/100

SP: 100/100

MP: 10/10

♢ Statistics ♢

VIT: 10

END: 10

WIS: 10

STR: 10

DEX: 10

INT: 10

♢ Abilities ♢

The World (Passive): Lvl 1

Brand (Passive): Lvl 0

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“What the hell is all this,” Eluc said as he saw a display unveil in front of his eyes. Craning his neck, he tried to look around the screen. True enough, it stayed stationary at that specific point of the air. Still unconvinced, he raised his hand and pushed it through the blue holograph, but he quickly drew it back as yet another screen appeared.

Strength (STR):

Strength determines the user’s physical power.

“This is insane,” he muttered under his breath. Despite lacking memories of his life prior to this room, Eluc knew that these displays and the information portrayed on them were not normal. It was to the point he began to question his sanity and his focus on reality. ‘Impossible.’ The word started to flood his mind as he inched away from the screen in an unconscious manner. His eyes blurred and crossed as the truth of the situation began to show its ugly head. The panic continued as he lost himself in his mind, but a voice broke his thoughts away from the insanity he began to fall into. A pleasant voice, without a wisp of pressure, anger, or contempt.

[Registration with ‘The World’ complete. Entering standby.]

Echoing in his mind, the voice comforted him as he calmed down. His brow eased from its furrow, his breaths lengthened, and his heart, previously raging to leave his chest, slowed back to its standard pulse. The words weren’t intended to reassure him and perhaps were not directed towards him either but they held power over influence his physiological functions. At least that seemed to be the case.

He must have missed it in his panic, but the screen had long disappeared. Perhaps when the voice entered standby, it took the screen with it, but he understood how to bring it back. A piece of knowledge was stowed in his brain, stored as if he had known it since infancy. Glancing to his wrists, visible to his pulled back sleeves, the black dots still occupied that space without movement.

Both were the same size, shape, and color, equilateral from each side of his arm between two of his tendons. Neither were larger than the nail of his index, but their presence felt as if they were larger than his own body. Pitch black in color, they exhibited no signs of fading like a tattoo would, even after a few hours as the ink settled. No reaction this time from his gaze besides a little discomfort, but Eluc found that preferable. He had enough surprises for the day.

‘The day…’ he thought. On reflex, his head raised upwards to the sky, but only found a white ceiling blocking his view. Only now did he seriously consider his position and where he was. Throwing off the covers and heavy blankets, he swung his feet off the bed and stood up to stretch. Despite his lost memories, the feeling of his blood spreading to his tissues with the squeezing of his muscles was searing into his mind.

With his body ready for moving, he took the chance to scan his body’s situation. His clothing grabbed his immediate attention. Pure white, the robe covered him from his shoulders to mid-thigh. From then on, form-fitting pants in the same color continued past his calves until his shoes met. While the style on them was unparalleled in design, the comfort they gaze was the most impressive. Eluc expected the robe to inhibit his movements, but it felt as if they functioned the exact opposite as his arms and waits turned this way and that as he wished. Neither the robe nor the pants encountered drag as he moved forward and the shoes were on par with the rest. They would be perfect for everyday activities and even travel, if not very eye-catching.

Besides the clothes, no other concerns were brought to his attention. His body seemed like any other’s and wouldn’t impair him as far as he was concerned. Eluc moved to the door and pushed it open.

As he looked at what was hidden beyond the door, a few hundred steps presented themselves in front of his eyes. Each one was built with exquisite carving and was finally another color besides the white of the previous room, saving his poor eyes which had felt near-blinded since he woke up.

Solemness covering his face he started at the steps in dismay. He took the first stairs as he muttered under his breath, “Son of a…”

♢ ♢ ♢

By the final step, although Eluc was winded, it looked much more daunting than it actually was. After finishing with the first inconvenience of his memory, he placed his hand on the heavy door that barred him from whatever lay past. As he put more strength into his arms to move the dense metal, sunlight began to leak through the crevice between the frame and its door. He hadn’t thought twice about it, but the White Room was well lit despite being many flights below the ground and he couldn’t recall seeing the source. Regardless, the artificial, white light in the room was nothing compared to the bright, warm light of the sun. Fueled with strength, Eluc threw the door open to the surface.

At first sight, Eluc could tell he was in a forest, ignoring the odd colors of the trees. Purple, green, and blue leaves hung from the canopy. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but those colors looked strange. Compared to the trees, the grass on the ground was much more dominated by green than any other color. Various flowers of different kinds were placed in that shrub or next to this tree and he could even see a few mushrooms growing in the bark. As for the sun, Eluc felt cheated as little light found its way through the cluster of leaves that made up the canopy above. Out of the twenty-meter radius around him, only the structure he had just walked out of was completely illuminated.

Eluc didn’t let that bring him down as he enjoyed the fresh air and light shining on his skin. He closed his eyes to bask in the moment. Since he had woken up, he couldn’t tell if this was reality or not. Everything seemed so strange and detached. Yet, not even the weird colors of the nature around him and their bizarre appearance could support his delusion any further. This was real.

Then a growl sounded to Eluc’s left. His eyes shot open as he turned his head towards the source, but he already saw an object flying at him. In a reflex, he raised his arms to guard himself as the creature collided with him. Sharp fur rustled against his forearms and poked into him, but the punctures on his arm were the least of his worries. From the collision, he back crashed into the doorframe, causing Eluc to grit his teeth in pain as he let out a grunt. However, the creature was remorseless and bared its fangs before piercing into its prey’s trapezius, missing the neck it was aiming for.

Not able to keep it in any longer, Eluc released a yelp of pain. His vision turned red as he yelled through clenched teeth, “What the hell are you?”

Creature: Dire Pup

Could not retrieve data.

A display appeared in front of his eyes. After a momentary surprise, he quickly scanned the relevant information. With a gaped mouth, Eluc exclaimed, “This is a pup?”

From his shout, the wolf dismounted its prey and jumped back, beginning a circle around Eluc, staring with feral eyes. Despite being only a puppy, its size while standing on hind legs was as tall as an adult man. Its long body was supported by strong legs, half-obscured by the thick, red pelt that was in the middle of shedding. Long, red hairs stuck to the white robe wrapped around Eluc, but he could tell how sharp they were based on the fact that some were currently pierced into his arms. Red stained the previously clean robe from his shoulder, dripping down to his chest.

Another low growl from the wolf’s mouth sent Eluc’s heart into palpitations. Adrenaline was sent flowing through his arteries, spreading to each part of his body, wanting him to take action. The wolf glared at him as if he was a piece of meat meant to be eaten. Contempt was clearly shown in its eyes, but it only sent a smile onto Eluc’s face. But with his heart rate spiking and hands shaking, he was in no condition to take on this wolf. The danger from the situation sent his brain into a craze, sending signals to run as fast as he could.

But his fingertips began to crow cold and the feeling coursed back up his arms, sending ice in his veins. He grew calm and his rational thinking returned. Realizing that turning his back now would be suicide, Eluc changed his stance, getting lower to the ground as the wolf responded in kind. His eyes widened but his brow tightened, a snarl forming on his face as he glared at the wolf. Both were locked in a standstill, neither initiating an attack. The dire wolf’s encirclement stopped as it unmovingly stared forward at the enemy. Silence settled on the arena.

Breaking apart the silent air, a skitter was heard a few meters from the wolf. A baby rabbit jumped across the ground, ignorant of the tense atmosphere only a few hops away. Its mistake never registered until its body was already caught inside the wolf’s mouth. It tried to release a wail, but its lungs had been punctured by the dire wolf’s sharp fangs and it fell limp within seconds. Crimson blood dripped from its white fur to the ground and the wolf returned its eyes to Eluc, who could only stare at the murder that just occurred within a few short seconds. After the last look, the wolf pushed on its hind legs to run back into the forest, bringing back a different prize for the day’s hunt.

Eluc gulped with his dry throat, mind blank. With his calm mind, he saw the speed with which the wolf launched at the rabbit. On top of the accuracy it displayed with its bite, it was a miracle how he survived the encounter. Backing up his shaking legs, he grabbed at the large dense door to close it. He winced as he tried to use his right arm, but he ignored the pain to rush in case the wolf returned. It took him ten seconds to close the door, and once more he was glad he hadn’t shown his back.