Zen's eyes fluttered open.
Darkness covered the sky.
It was night. His whole body ached, like he'd been beaten.
His mind felt thick and fuzzy, like trying to think through heavy fog.
"Agh," he groaned, pressing a hand to his pounding head.
The headache was sharp, making his vision swim.
In the distance, a faint sound drifted on the cool night air: drums.
Boom… boom… boom.
Strange, jabbering voices and sudden bursts of rough, ugly laughter joined it.
He blinked slowly, trying to make his eyes focus in the dim light.
Shapes began to form.
Reality crashed down on him like cold water.
A wave of pure dread shot through his chest, making his heart race.
He felt cold sweat break out on his skin.
He looked around quickly, a sudden fear gripping him.
Something felt wrong. Something was missing.
"Iris…" he croaked, his throat dry and scratchy. "Iris, are you there?"
For a long, terrifying moment, only the distant drums and goblin noises answered him.
Silence pressed in.
His breath hitched.
Every second she didn't answer made the helpless feeling grow bigger, heavier, like a stone in his gut.
Then, her familiar voice cut through the fear, calm and clear inside his head. "Yes, I am here."
A huge rush of relief washed over him.
But it vanished instantly as he remembered the ropes, the darkness, the drums.
The danger.
"What's going on?" he whispered urgently, panic rising like bile in his throat. "Where am I?"
"This is a Goblin Village," Iris explained, her voice still calm but not comforting. "You have been brought here as a sacrifice for their ritual."
Zen's breath caught. Sacrifice? The word echoed horribly in his mind. "A sacrifice? For what?"
"A ritual for their Goblin King," Iris replied. "They believe that by sacrificing a life, the Goblin King will grant them the gift of prosperity for their children."
Zen's pulse hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.
He looked around wildly, taking in his surroundings.
Crude wooden huts surrounded the clearing where he was tied.
Their walls were made of thin, splintered planks, looking like they might fall over in a strong wind.
The roofs were patched messily with big, overlapping leaves.
The air smelled thickly of woodsmoke, roasting meat, and something else… something damp and animal-like.
The village buzzed with activity.
Goblins of all sizes filled the space.
Some danced in a wild, stomping circle around a central fire, their movements jerky but rhythmic, like some ancient tribal dance.
Others tore at big chunks of dark meat with sharp teeth, their laughter harsh and grating.
Small goblin children darted between the huts like tiny, ugly monkeys, chasing each other and shrieking.
A few banged on strange instruments made of stretched skins and hollowed wood, making offbeat, clattering music.
It looked like a crazy, bad dream.
But the smells of burning wood and cooked flesh, the heat from the fire, the rough rope biting into his wrists – it was all horribly real.
"Iris," he whispered, the panic sharp in his voice. "What do I do? How do I escape?"
"Don't worry about that for now," she replied. Her voice was steady, but it didn't make him feel any better.
Before Zen could ask her what she meant, a strange voice spoke clearly inside his head.
[Synchronization complete.]
Suddenly, a glowing rectangle appeared right in front of his eyes.
It hung in the air like a window made of light. Its design looked exactly like something from a video game menu.
___________________________________________________________
[PLAYER]
Name: Zen Nullis
Title: None
Core: Basic
Strength: 7
Speed: 6
Stamina: 10
Defense: 7
Mana: 10
[SKILL]
Empower
Rank: Basic
Allows the user to gather mana in any part of their body to strengthen it.
Mana Harvest
Rank: Basic
Allows the user to recover mana while meditating.
Appraise
Rank: Unique
A gift from Miss Erza. Allows the user to see anyone's stats.
___________________________________________________________
Zen stared at the glowing screen, his mouth hanging open. "What the heck is this?"
"This is your Player Status," Iris explained.
"What?" Zen asked, confused but suddenly curious. "Like those RPG games? Where they show you your numbers? Strength? Speed? Like that?"
A tiny spark of hope flickered.
Maybe this crazy adventure had rules he could understand.
"Yes," Iris confirmed. "But unlike those games you describe, this system does not have a 'Level Up' way to grow stronger."
Zen felt a stab of disappointment. No easy way to get stronger?
But then his eyes jumped back to the [SKILL] section. He had abilities. Real ones.
His shock faded, replaced by a mix of frustration and a strange, small relief.
At least he had something.
"These stats and skills... they're so basic," he muttered. "I thought people like me, chosen for stuff like this, were supposed to be super strong right away."
"Even basic abilities can be useful," Iris replied firmly, "if you use them wisely. Think."
Zen focused on the first skill: Empower.
It sounded simple.
Put magic energy into a body part to make it stronger.
Simple… but maybe exactly what he needed right now, tied up and helpless.
"I have a question?" Zen asked, a new thought pushing through the fear. "What do I get after I'm done with whatever this mission is? After setting up all these arrays?"
"After setting up all the arrays across the worlds," Iris answered, "you can ask for anything you wish. Anything within our power. But your wish must be something we can actually do."
"So…" Zen hesitated, hope flaring brighter. "Can I return to my previous world? My old life?"
"Yes," Iris said. "You can return. But… if you return, the record of you being dead in that world will not be erased." She paused, letting the words sink in. "Meaning, if you go back and show yourself… the government, the people in charge… they will not ignore it. They will find out. They will start asking questions. They will suspect… that you might be some kind of alien, pretending to be someone who is supposed to be dead."
Zen fell silent. He stared at the flickering firelight reflecting on the rough huts.
Return home, only to be hunted? Or stay… wherever this was?
He felt lost, the weight of the choice pressing down.
Suddenly, a new sound cut through his thoughts. Harsh chanting. Close.
His head snapped up.
A goblin stood right in front of him.
It was different from the others.
Taller, thinner.
Bones and feathers hung from cords around its neck and arms.
It clutched a long, twisted wooden staff.
Its yellow eyes were half-closed as it chanted in a low, guttural voice that rose and fell like a song about death.
"Is the ritual starting?" Zen asked, his voice shaking. He could feel the fear turning his legs weak.
"Yes," Iris confirmed simply.
"And who's that goblin?" Zen whispered, unable to look away from the chanting figure.
"That is a Goblin Shaman," she replied. "He is the one who will do the ritual."
Zen swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. "What… what are they going to do to me?" He almost didn't want to hear the answer.
"They are going to burn you alive," Iris stated, her voice flat and matter-of-fact.
"WHAT!!!" Zen shouted, the panic exploding out of him. His voice cracked with raw terror.
His blood felt like it turned to ice in his veins.
He watched, horrified, as several goblins stepped forward. They carried tiny, wriggling bundles – goblin babies.
They placed the infants on the ground before the shaman.
The shaman dipped a bony finger into a small pot filled with a thick, glowing green liquid.
He started drawing strange, squiggly symbols on each baby's forehead, chanting louder and faster as he did it.
The liquid shone with an unnatural light.
Meanwhile, two other goblins walked towards the pile of wood at Zen's feet.
Each held a burning torch. The flames cast flickering, monstrous shadows on their ugly faces.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Zen yelled at Iris, twisting desperately against the ropes.
The rough fibers bit deeper into his skin, but didn't give. Panic choked him.
The two goblins leaned down.
They pressed their burning torches to the dry twigs and kindling piled around the base of the wooden pillar where Zen was tied.
Crackle…
Hiss…
Flames burst to life. Small at first, licking hungrily at the dry wood. They began to spread quickly, climbing up towards him.
The heat hit his legs like a physical blow.
"Iris! What do I do?!" Zen screamed.
The heat was already intense, making sweat pour down his face.
Smoke stung his eyes.
He could feel the fire getting closer.
"Stay calm!" Iris urged, her voice sharp in his mind. "Think! Remember the skills you just saw!"
Skills! Zen frantically looked back at the glowing status window still hanging in his vision.
His eyes locked onto Empower. Could it work? It had to work!
The flames reached the ropes binding his ankles.
The dry fibers caught fire quickly.
They burned, blackened, and snapped! His legs were free!
But the heat was terrible. It scorched his skin. He cried out in pain, but a huge rush of adrenaline surged through him, pushing the worst of it back.
'Focus!' Zen thought wildly.
He pictured the skill Empower.
He imagined pulling that strange energy, Mana, from deep inside himself.
He pushed it, shoved it, down into his arms.
Into his shoulders. Into his wrists and hands tied behind the pillar.
His muscles seemed to buzz.
They felt suddenly harder, tighter, stronger.
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with smoky air.
With every ounce of his new strength, fueled by panic and mana, he pulled against the ropes binding his wrists.
SNAP!
The weakened ropes, already straining, finally gave way.
He was free! He stumbled forward, away from the pillar.
Flames licked at the hem of his pants. He slapped at them wildly, beating out the fire before it could catch properly.
Chaos! The fire from his pyre was spreading.
A goblin screamed.
Another tripped over a log. They were scrambling, confused, trying to understand what happened.
Zen didn't hesitate.
He grabbed a thick, burning branch that had fallen from his pyre.
It was hot in his hand, the end glowing red. He swung it hard and threw it like a spear towards the nearest hut.
The hut was made of dry wood and leafy roof.
WHOOSH!
The burning branch hit the leafy roof.
Dry leaves caught fire instantly.
Flames roared up the side of the hut, greedy and fast.
Bright orange light filled the clearing.
Pure chaos erupted.
Goblins shrieked in panic.
Some ran towards the burning hut, trying uselessly to beat the flames with their hands.
Others ran in circles, screaming.
Some froze, staring in horror.
Mothers grabbed their babies and ran.
The rhythmic dance turned into a stampede.
Zen didn't wait.
He ran.
He darted away from the roaring fire and the screaming goblins, heading for the edge of the village.
"Don't stop!" Iris urged sharply as Zen pushed through the confusion.
He ducked under a swinging arm, jumped over a fallen basket, and weaved between huts.
Smoke stung his eyes.
The heat of the spreading fire warmed his back.
The commotion caught the attention of some goblins not caught in the panic near the fire.
They saw him running.
They pointed.
They shouted in their rough, ugly language.
Several broke away, chasing after him.
He saw them raising small blowpipes to their lips.
Swosh!
Swosh!
Small, sharp darts hissed through the air past his head.
One scraped his shoulder.
He ducked and weaved, running faster, putting huts between him and his pursuers.
More goblins joined the chase, some carrying short spears.
Zen pushed his legs harder, his lungs burning.
He burst out of the village, leaving the glow of the fire behind.
He stumbled into the dark woods.
Relief washed over him for a second. He was out!
But the relief vanished.
He glanced back over his shoulder.
Seven goblins had followed him out of the village.
Their short legs pumped surprisingly fast.
Their yellow eyes gleamed in the moonlight.
They weren't giving up.
They were crashing through the undergrowth after him.
"Great," Zen muttered, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His legs ached. His shoulder stung where the dart had scratched him. "This is just what I needed... goblins chasing after me."
The chase was on.
He ran deeper into the dark, unknown woods, the sounds of angry goblin shouts close behind.