LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 3
I floated in pitch black as my soul illuminated the surrounding until reality poured back in on me. My eyes took time to adjust to the new surroundings, but when they did, I was no longer in my Throne room.
Instead, I found myself standing in a bedroom bathed in sunlight from the panoramic window on one side. The chamber was bathed in the faint, wavering glow of flickering candles, their flickering light casting elongated shadows that danced and swayed on the cold, ancient stone walls.
The only other sound that permeated the silence was the heavy, rhythmic breathing of an unseen occupant, creating an unsettling ambiance that filled the air with tension.
The room was adorned with rich tapestries, their once-vibrant hues now muted by time, and a heavy, ornate canopy bed that stood as a testament to a bygone era.
The bed's curtains were drawn, concealing the source of the labored breathing, and leaving me to wonder.
My instincts were usually sharp, but in this case, they remained dormant. It was clear that no fighting was taking place, but the interference in the summoning left me puzzled. What could have caused the acceleration when there was no danger?
I knew I could not afford to waste any time. The hiccup during the summoning had left me on edge, not taking any risk, I clenched my fists.
Closing my eyes, I reached inside of me to the Hellfire that granted me power, and through it, to the small pocket dimension I’d once claimed. Still there. Good. I reached further, before closing my mental hand around my target and pulling.
I reached deep, grasping at the essence of my armor and yanking it forth. It resisted, and I grunted in surprise before gritting my teeth. The flame within me shrunk, but my target budge and shot forward.
A slight flash, and a bit of wind, saw the clothes and armor form around me and I breathed a sigh of relief as I opened and closed my hand. Still a perfect fit, I confirmed, as the black metal moved without an issue.
The whole process should be seamless but the mental pressure I felt in calling my armor created a red flag in my mind.
Another pull, and the flame within me shrank again, as I summoned my dark longsword, its keen edge and imposing presence unwavering. As dark as my armor, I’d always been told it was an imposing sight. I didn’t really care. It cut, and it cut really well.
Now fully equipped, it was time to discover what sort of world I had been summoned to this time.
I inhaled deeply, attempting to draw upon the ambient magic to replenish my dwindling reserves. Instead, a sudden cough seized me, my eyes widening in disbelief. I tried again, desperate for any hint of power.
"Damn it! DAMN IT!" I hissed under my breath, the realization sinking in like a dagger in my chest—this world was devoid of my magic.
I considered the implications. No, mana existed here, as I can feel in my surrounding, the mana in the air felt different. Something mixed, which seems to alter it on a fundamental level. I’d an inlinking of what it is but if my suspicions were correct, then this world was far more chaotic than I had anticipated, even before my arrival.
My reserves would recover gradually, but at a painfully slow pace, potentially hindering my plans until my body is fully adapted to this world. However, the idea of greeting any enemies with a display of power, such as a fireball, quickly dissolved into an unattainable dream.
As I stood there, I felt a sudden shift in my awareness, as though an unseen force had reconnected me to a familiar presence. The time slowed down until it completely stopped.
Unexpectedly, I decided to wait for the updates to flood my consciousness.
Hah! Who was the idiot who summoned me without something to bind me till a contract is formed? but damn, everything sure as hell not going according to what I expected.
Even though no contact was present, I was still in a foreign world far from my seat of Power. And there is still the restriction from the Reawakening. So I waited for the world to fix the bug.
I felt the autonomous presence of the system shifting to my location.
…
…
[ Accept 20 years Binding Contract with Summonor.
Reward: Level Progression till Summoner Level 94.
Do you accept?
Yes/No ]
…
[ No. ]
[ Reason? ]
…
[ No Reason Detected. Using Angelic Reawakening Rules. Binding Forced Acceptance Initiated. Contractual Years:10 ]
As my system booted up and aligned itself with this new world, I felt a wave of information wash over me. Details of the local flora, fauna, geographical features, and magical properties flickered through my mind, helping me paint a vivid picture of the environment I now found myself in according to the Reawakening Rules.
Suddenly, a message flashed before me, demanding my attention:
[World Corruption Level: 25%]
[Current World Status: Stable]
[System Update Pending...]
[End of Initialization Message.]
My heart skipped a beat at the Corruption Level. A Semi-Corrupted Realm? Normally, someone should have already been summoned when it hit 10%. Yet, here I’m when it already reached a quarter. Maybe the acceleration for my summoning is related to it. I can’t do anything right now about Corruption right now, so decided to place it at the back of my mind.
As I continued to process the information flooding my consciousness, I focused on something that both intrigued and alarmed me: this world, despite being on the fringes of the multiverse, had its own established system. A complex network of rules and a quasi-sentient govern this realm, much like the ones I had encountered in the central worlds of Multiverse.
This discovery piqued my curiosity, raising a multitude of questions. How had a world in the fringes of the multiverse have a system, and what purpose did it serve? Systems are advanced form of governance, generally found in the central worlds of the multiverse where the mana density can sustain a World System.
As system initialization was completed, the time started moving again.
