Chapter 4: The Afterlife
The mysterious woman breathed out, deciding to end her pestering and get to the point. The high degree of respect and the willingness he had to take time out of his day to help her out deserved some respect. For such kindness, she was willing to give him the information he desired.
"The name's Artemis. As for the information you seek, a gist of it is that this is The Afterlife. However, it's been taken over by an organization known as the Royal Empire since 27 BC. Whether you side with them or not is entirely up to you."
The woman known as Artemis explained to Ian the majority of what he needed to know to fully understand the strange world he was put in. It seemed that the Royal Empire was made up of powerful individuals that conquered the paradise known as The Afterlife through force. However, there were still key points not explained to Ian well enough.
"This Royal Empire... Why would I be fighting against such a force? Is there perhaps something more I should know about them?"
Ian pressed Artemis for more details on the type of organization that the Royal Empire was. Although even if he got the desired information, he felt far too weak to combat an army that could take over the entire afterlife
"As for that, you'll be needing to discover the actions of the Empire on your own. It's far too dangerous for me to disclose any information on them myself. What I can do, however, is bring you to Sorcolaze, a village not from here. You seem to have pretty good combat strength. It would be good for you to develop it in a place meant for newcomers to The Afterlife."
Artemis brought both mysterious and intriguing news to Ian. He could tell that she was trying to manipulate him into becoming a powerful ally to control, but he didn't mind. If he was able to grow his strength quickly, having friendly acquaintances wouldn't be a probl-
{Sorcolaze has been added to your map. Awarding 100 EXP for discovery}
{Ian has leveled up to level 4} {Ian has leveled up to level 5}
{Potential stat has been activated. Level 5 Mystical Rank skill, [Skill Shop], has been rewarded}
The blue screen that seemed to be only visible to Ian appeared once more in the middle of his thought process.
"I'd be glad to join you in Sorcolaze. Although, I'll be needing a few minutes to prepare."
Ian quickly said his goodbyes to Artemis, who was confused as to what else he could possibly have to do since he was a mere novice. Ian rushed over to a small cave far from her, and opened his blue screen once more, activating [Skill Shop].
A variety of skills came in front of him, all of Novice rank. None caught his eyes except a single skill that was labeled to be a potential-type skill. There was just one problem though. All the skills came with a price tag of a currency called "wisps".
The potential type skill was by far the most expensive in the shop, costing 150 wisps compared to the ~40 wisps that each of the other skills had cost.
Just as Ian closed his menu in disappointment, a reverberating grumble erupted in the cave in which Ian resided. Ian was spooked by the grumbling as it only meant one thing. A powerful beast was nearby and looking for a meal.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
low_STR
low_STR Hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well! I wanted to give some insight into what to expect in the future, so I dumped some information. Get ready for what fate has in store for Ian in the next chapter!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone