The distant ball of light rose higher and higher into the air and the sea glittered with a pale golden hue as the ball cast its first rays of light on the foreign land. Rudolph lay down on the sandy beach of Evengale Sanctuary with toes submerged in the sea as he admired the beautiful sunrise in front of him.

Back on Earth, Rudolph was so caught up in his hectic routine, dealing with the troubles of life that he rarely had any chance at observing a sunrise, and the ones he did observe weren't as beautiful and calming as the one before him.

The fish squealed and glubbed as if they were giggling while jumping in and out of the water. The birds danced in the air as they chirped to express their joy.

The cacophony of animals coupled with the lovely sunrise and the sound of sea waves brought Rudolph an unprecedented sense of comfort, causing him to close his eyes in nostalgia. The magical moment had washed away all his worries and calmed his taut nerves from the events from yesterday.

Even he was surprised by how well he had adapted to these circumstances. He hadn't wondered if he was hallucinating or dreaming like what he read of others doing in the novels but that was given since he had nearly lost his life yesterday. Nothing is more real than a near-death experience and he would only be a fool if he still didn't believe what he had seen.

“I didn't expect to see you near water this soon.” Rudolph heard Aryn who was making his way toward him.

He had slipped into a brown leather armor paired with long boots and carried an antique wooden staff on his back. His long hair was carefully tied into a braid, held securely in place by a blade of grass.

Rudolph compared himself to him and found himself utterly lacking in proper clothes, grace, and a pair of … shoes. He didn't know where he had lost them and was too embarrassed to ask his savior if he had seen them. Perhaps it was common for people to lose their belongings upon transmigration. Some people lose their phones, some lose their shorts, some lose their sanity and some lose their shit.

“Aren't you scared?” Aryn asked him.

Rudolph nodded his head and answered, “A little. But there's a saying from the place where I come from 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'.”

“A little bit of fear won't stop me from doing something I want to do.” Rudolph continued.

He wasn't bragging when he said that. These were his sincere feelings. Maybe he would have hesitated back on Earth but now in a world where there are bound to be unlimited possibilities, he refused to back down in the face of fear.

“Splendid!” Aryn clapped in admiration. “You must've come from a home of brave warriors to have formed this kind of mentality.”

“I don't know about warriors but it sure is home of worriers. People worry about almost everything. Feeding themselves, bills, fuel prices, taxes, rents, obtaining wealth, and much more. People there wouldn't hesitate to kick you while you are down. People will kill others for little benefit. It's a place where the laws are only made for the rich and powerful, the poor can go and suck an egg. Not everyone is like that and there are so many good people too but I am just talking from my experience.” Rudolph said, pouring out his frustration in a couple of breaths.

“You had it rough, huh?”

“Not really. I am quite lucky. Some people had it even worse. It's just me being a sore loser.” Rudolph said, sighing. “Honestly, I am just relieved that I don't have to live there anymore. I don't how this world is like but it couldn't be that bad, right?”

Aryn stood quiet for a while and spoke after some careful deliberation, “Anyway, this clears one of my doubts.”

“What doubt?”

“That you aren't from this world,” Aryn said, looking into Rudolph's raven eyes. He had his suspicions. The way Rudolph was dressed, and his expression on seeing him and him casting a fireball spell were odd. Although magus here in Acadia were rare but not rare to the point of eliciting such a dumbfounded reaction.

It wouldn't be that strange if Rudolph had lived in a cave or some secluded area but his manners and the way he talked were different from those dissidents who lived far from the mundane.

“I am not from this world,” Rudolph admitted. He then proceeded to tell him where he was from and the events that had resulted in him being teleported to this place. He didn't see any reason for hiding anything from Aryn and on top of that, the person had saved his life.

“It appears that you have come from an abandoned planet.” Aryn conjectured after hearing Rudolph's story.

“Abandoned planet?” Rudolph frowned.

“Yes, Abandoned planet. When every soul evolver of a planet dies, the soul archives for some godamn reason takes away its blessings from that planet.” Aryn explained.

“And how did you know I am an elf?” Aryn asked, clearly interested.

“Not me but everyone on Earth knows of elves. You long, pointy-eared beings who could wield magic are a part of almost every storybook. There are others too; dwarves, dragons, gnomes, you name it.” Rudolph said.

“I see. Then my conjectures stand correct. You really are from an abandoned planet.” Aryn said, “And those tales about elves, dwarves, and dragons, those must have been passed from the times when your planet was still under the soul archives influence.”

“And this was my story, how a handsome chap got teleported to another world.” Rudolph stretched his body and stood up.

“Now, when are you teaching me magic? ” Rudolph gave a smile and placed his hand on Aryn's shoulder.

“In a while, handsome chap. But first, we must get a move on. The hunt only lasts for a month and we are already a day behind others. I will teach you as we go.” Aryn removed Rudolph's hand and smiled back.

“Alright.”

-------------------------------------

Rudolph and Aryn moved through the forest at a moderate pace. Previously, Rudolph didn't have a clear view of the forest due to bad light but now he could see what he had missed out before. In all their splendor, trees thrice the height that Rudolph was used to seeing on Earth, covered the forest. The forest floor was marked with dense foliage, thorn, and exotic plants and flowers. They hadn't come across any animal or beast till now as that was what Aryn had addressed them as.

The elf had also lent Rudolph a pair of wooden sandals which coupled with his formal pants and shirt, made him look like a clown.

‘I bet I look like John Wick.’ Rudolph mused, trapped in his misapprehension. Except for his black hair, nothing was similar to John Wick.

“The first step of casting a spell is sensing the aether around you and that's also the step that bogs down the majority of the people who strive to become a magus. This requires a considerable amount of soul capacity.” Aryn explained as they kept moving.

“Soul capacity?” Rudolph asked.

“Since you haven't come in contact with soul archives before, it's normal that you don't know,” Aryn said, “Now, repeat after me.”

“Avesta Meéhe,” Aryn said.

“Avesta Meéhe,” Rudolph followed.

DING!

As soon as he said those words, with a quick tinkle, rows and columns of words and letters encased in a blue box appeared before him.

“A sys-sytem!” Rudolph stuttered. The strangely clad human stopped in his tracks and stared open-mouthed at the screen that had appeared out of thin air.

“It seems like you succeeded,” Aryn grinned but Rudolph didn't hear any of it as he was too focused on looking at the screen in front of him.

Rudolph Foster

Overall Combat Ability: 190

Soul Stability: 680

Human (Basic I)

Origin Essence: 0/5

Class: None

Profession: None

Health Points: 30/30

Stamina Points: 30/30

Aether: 0/0

♦ Mechanisms

♦ Equipment

♦ Miscellaneous

Rudolph was busy analyzing the screen before him when two more screens appeared in front of him in quick succession.

DING! You have opened the soul records for the first time and received the skill [Identification] (Basic I).

DING! You have opened up the soul records on a plane outside your affiliated planet and received the title [The Visitor].

"I suppose, you must've unlocked the identification skill." Aryn smiled from the side.

Rudolph subconsciously nodded his head.

"I remember exactly how excited I was upon my first interaction with the soul record. Man, those were good times." Aryn said, reminiscing.

"What does it mean by the overall combat ability? Soul Stability? And origin essence?" Rudolph asked.

'It seems somewhat different from the RPG games I played in my childhood. I wonder if there will be those typical stat elements.' Rudolph thought as he waited for Aryn to speak.

"Overall combat ability, like the title signifies, is the measure of the total extent of your combat ability. This mainly includes the level of your skills, your assigned stats, etc. The origin essence is what helps you to acquire stat points to level up your attributes. It is also the attribute that is mainly responsible for the increase in soul stability.

Then comes the soul stability itself. It is the most complex and important attribute a soul evolver possesses. It directly affects your combat ability, stats upgrade, and skills level. If your stability isn't sufficient enough, you won't be able to perform or cast high-level skills. It also puts a cap on your stats upgrade. You follow me?" The Elven dictionary Aryn explained.

"Yes," Rudolph replied with a nod. Well, at least he got a gist of it.

"Good." Aryn nodded in appreciation. "Your overall combat ability of 190 places you at the middle reaches of Basic I Rank, which is slightly below the standards of this world but if you want to live as a normal citizen then it is more than sufficient. But if you want to become a warrior and get stronger, you need to increase your combat ability."

"How do you know- wait, it must be because of the identification skill?" Rudolph guessed.

"Correct!" Aryn exclaimed. "Try using it on me."

"How?"

"Think of me as the target and just say the word." Aryn guided.

"Identification!" Rudolph said as he imagined using the skill on Aryn.

DING!

Another screen appeared on top of the previous three screens.

Overall Combat Ability: 3360

Ehlenfay (Iron II)

Name: Aryn Von Mercer

Alias: Green Fork

Health Points: 320/320

"Why is it green this time?" Rudolph asked.

"Green marks friendliness, red marks hostility, and grey marks neutral. Keep your weapon ready if you spot a red one as they could be your enemies, possibly." Aryn explained.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Rudolph once again focused his attention on the screen in front of him until he arrived at the section dedicated to Overall Combat Ability, Rank, and Race.

"Ehlenfay?" Rudolph asked, expecting the screen to display elf in the race section.

"That's what my race is called. Elf is something the humans refer to as us." Aryn said.

"And I why can't I see your Soul Stability?" Rudolph asked.

"You can't unless you have a high-ranked identification skill," Aryn answered. "Since we are on this topic, what is your soul stability. Seeing your level, it would be quite good if your soul stability is around 150."

"It's 680," Rudolph answered.

"What!?" Aryn exclaimed as he jerked his in Rudolph's direction upon hearing his answer. Before this, it was always Rudolph who got shocked but now seeing the same expression on Aryn's face filled him with satisfaction.

"That's what someone at the rank of Basic III should have. Your soul is twice, no, thrice as stable as someone of your rank." Aryn said. He didn't for once think that Rudolph was lying.

"If you are done with this, open the mechanism section of your soul records. That's the core of soul archives. Just willing it open should do it." Aryn advised him.

Rudolph exercised Aryn's instructions and a new window appeared in front of him.

♦ Mechanisms

• Body Mechanics

• Aether Mechanics

• Mind Mechanics

• Path Mechanics

• Skill Mechanics

Rudolph went through the mechanisms and noticed that out of the five mechanics, the two; Aether and Path Mechanics were greyed out.

He asked Aryn the reason for this to which he replied, "I will help you unlock the Aether Mechanics in a bit, and as for the Path Mechanics, that's not something you should worry about for now."

Rudolph nodded his head and first tried willing the screens in front of him to disappear which surprisingly worked. After getting rid of the screens clouding his vision, Rudolph opened both the Body and Mind Mechanics at once.

• Body Mechanics

Free Stat Points: 0

Strength: 3

Defense: 1

Vitality: 3

Dexterity: 2

Perception: 1

• Mind Mechanics

Free Stat Points: 0

Wisdom: 2

Focus: 4

Will Power: 3

Spirit: 0

'Focus is my highest stat.' Rudolph thought. He associated this with him being a software engineer. Back on Earth, Rudolph had to work extra time because his fucking boss and coding-decoding required him to just be there and concentrate on his work for hours. This focus-oriented work might be the reason his focus is higher compared to his other stats.

He understood the effects of all the stats except the spirit stat so he decided to ask Aryn.

"The spirit stat is mainly used by those of cursemancers and other similar classes that require a great deal of mind penetrating powers. Spirit-powered skills directly affect the target's mind and can prove fatal if willpower is low." Aryn explained.

So far, despite Rudolph's many questions, Aryn had been patient with him and that made him respect the Elf even more. Rudolph didn't have friends before but now he was starting to treat Aryn as one.

"Thank you." Rudolph looked at the elf, grateful for what he had done. The elf didn't owe him any favor to be doing this. It was Rudolph who owed him for saving his life and explaining everything to him, saving him time to find on his own.

"What for?" Aryn asked him, looking puzzled.

"For everything," Rudolph said.

"Don't be sentimental with me, it will cringe me out. First, I did what I did because I wanted to do it. Within my family and friends, not many people like me because of my divergent views. Don't ask me what they are because you will know soon. Second, I rarely come across people who are willing to listen to what I have to say and that's what makes me happy. Just treat me as a friend and continue listening to my rants." Aryn said, chuckling.

"But still, thank you for every–"

"As I said before, the first step of casting a spell is sensing the aether. Seeing that your soul stability is high, it won't be difficult for you to pass this stage. Try sensing aether now." Aryn cut him and continued giving instructions

Rudolph tried to do as he had been told but after 5 minutes, he still couldn't sense anything out of ordinary.

"Try again. This time I will release my aether." Aryn said.

With a wave of his hand, wisps of green threads emerged from his hand and started to rotate around Rudolph.

"Closing your eyes will help," Aryn said and increased the amount of aether circling Rudolph.

Rudolph closed his eyes and once again exercised Aryn's instructions. Now he had an idea of what he should search for. He could now feel light, soothing tendrils brushing against his skin. They had always been there but Rudolph wasn't able to sense them previously.

DING! You have learned the skill [Aether Sense] (Basic Il).

DING! You have unlocked the Aether Mechanics.

The quick notification in his head told Rudolph that he had succeeded. He opened his eyes and was about to shout and jump in delight when Aryn gave his next instructions.

"Don't stop! Now, gradually gather the aether filaments you have sensed into a ball. A fireball is explosive in nature so imbue that concept into the ball of aether."

Rudolph kept following Aryn's instructions and slowly wisp-like filaments gathered into a ball. It took a whole minute for the ball to be formed and Rudolph was sweating buckets.

Even Aryn had narrowed his eyes upon this sight.

"Even if he's ranked at Basic I, his Aether Assimilation rate shouldn't be this slow," he muttered under his breath.

He was about to stop Rudolph when the ball of aether glowed with bright blue color and transformed into blue flames. The glow and the flames continued to intensify until the flames turned a shade darker and took on a black hue.

"STOP!" Aryn yelled at Rudolph to stop but it was too late.

DING! You have learned the skill [Apocalypse Fireball] (Iron) (Active).

With the appearance of a screen, a notification rang in Rudolph's ears but Rudolph felt no joy. The ball of black fire in his hand kicked up a storm of chaotic aether and spiraled out of control.

Then it happened.

With a deafening boom, the black ball of flame exploded in front of Rudolph, sending him scurrying across the trees.