Chapter - 03
The Celestial Gate was a place of both terror and opportunity. It was a realm where nightmares took physical form, where monsters that defied human comprehension roamed freely. These creatures, twisted by dark magic and primordial chaos, slaughtered anyone who dared step into their domain unprepared. But for those who were brave—or foolish—enough to venture into the gate and survive, there was a prize beyond imagining. Killing these monsters didn't just ensure survival; it gave power. Every slain beast released a surge of energy, a surge of Iridium, the latent mystical force that existed within all living beings. By absorbing this energy, adventurers grew stronger, faster, and more powerful, their own Iridium reserves swelling with each victory.
In theory, with enough dedication, training, and risk, one could reach the power level of the gods themselves. This tantalizing promise of godhood, of breaking free from the limitations of mere mortals, was what drove thousands to risk their lives within the gate. But it wasn't just power they sought. Hidden deep within the Celestial Gate were ancient treasures, relics of forgotten times and lost civilizations. Some of these treasures were said to be so potent, even the gods coveted them, for they could grant immortality, change the course of history, or bend reality to the will of the possessor.
Two centuries had passed since the Celestial Gate first appeared, shaking the very foundations of the world. The old kingdoms of man had long since fallen, unable to withstand the cataclysmic changes that came with the arrival of the gods and the gate. In their place, four new kingdoms had risen, each aligned with one of the four great pantheons: the Olympians in the south, the Norse in the north, the Shén in the east, and the Ennead in the west. These kingdoms were not just political powers but spiritual and military dominions. Each kingdom revered its gods, and their societies were built around the academies where these gods trained the new generations of warriors.
The region where the Celestial Gate stood was a land unto itself. It belonged to no kingdom, no nation. It was an independent territory, fiercely guarded by all four pantheons. Each kingdom had deployed its most elite soldiers, scholars, and adventurers to this neutral ground, forming a fragile but necessary alliance. They worked together to maintain a delicate balance of power, ensuring that no single pantheon could seize control of the gate. It was a constant game of politics and strategy, where each faction watched the others closely, waiting for any sign of betrayal or power grab. Their forces patrolled the borders of the gate, slaughtering any monsters that attempted to escape and facilitating the passage of adventurers brave enough to enter its depths.
Within this new world, the protagonist of the novel was a young man from southern Europe, specifically from a small, unremarkable village under the watchful eyes of the Olympian gods. He had grown up hearing stories of the great adventurers who ventured into the Celestial Gate, many of whom never returned. His parents were both renowned adventurers who had braved the gate and come back changed—more powerful than before. From them, he had inherited vast stores of Iridium, though this fact had been something he was unaware of, for most of his life.
It wasn't until his enrollment in the Olympian Academy that his true potential was revealed. The academy was a towering marvel of marble and gold, built atop the ruins of ancient Greece and Rome. Statues of Zeus, Athena, Apollo, and the other Olympian gods lined the walkways, their stone eyes watching over the new generation of heroes being trained within the academy's walls. The protagonist, like all new students, was subjected to a series of tests to measure his Iridium levels. When the results came in, the instructors were stunned. His Iridium capacity was beyond anything they had seen in decades, possibly since the gods themselves first descended.
This revelation set him on a path unlike any other. His journey through the academy wasn't just about learning how to wield his Iridium—it was about living up to the legacy of legends and ultimately surpassing them. Under the tutelage of the gods themselves, he trained alongside other students, each with their own dreams of glory, but none with the same raw potential as him. The story followed his growth, his struggles, and his relationships as he worked to become the greatest adventurer the world had ever seen.
And of course, it wasn't just the action that drew me into this novel. One of the reasons I had stuck with it for so long was its large cast of vibrant, well-developed female characters, many of whom played pivotal roles in the protagonist's life. There were rivals who challenged him, friends who supported him, and even divine beings who were intrigued by his potential. The romantic subplots wove seamlessly into the story, adding depth and emotional stakes without overshadowing the primary narrative of growth, adventure, and discovery.
By now, I had devoured a hundred chapters of the story, my eyes glued to the screen as I had clicked through each new page. The rich world-building, the intense battles, the character development—it all kept me hooked, even after hours of non-stop reading.
As I clicked the "Next Chapter" button, ready to dive back in, something strange happened.
The screen flickered, the familiar text glitching for a split second before returning to normal. I blinked, leaning in closer. Maybe it was just a momentary lag, nothing more. I shook it off and clicked again, but the flicker came back, longer this time. My heart skipped a beat as the text warped, twisting into unrecognizable symbols. My hand froze on the mouse. The screen went black.
"What the hell?" I muttered under my breath, staring at the monitor in disbelief. This had never happened before. Was my internet down? Was the website glitching? I moved to refresh the page, but just as I was about to hit the button, the screen lit up again—only now, it wasn't the novel anymore.
Something was wrong. Instead of text, the image on the screen looked like... a portal. A swirling mass of light and darkness, colors I couldn't even describe bleeding together as they shifted and moved. My heart raced as I leaned closer, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
It wasn't just a glitch. It felt real. Too real.
The edges of the portal began to ripple, as if whatever was on the other side was pushing against the screen, trying to break through. My breath caught in my throat as the room around me seemed to dim, the glow from the monitor casting eerie shadows on the walls.
Then, without warning, something reached out from the screen.
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Chapter - 04
I was a normal guy, with a normal job, living an unremarkable life. So, what the hell was happening to me right now?
The last thing I remembered was staring at my computer screen, watching in horror as a bizarre portal seemed to tear through the digital space. After that? Nothing. My mind went blank, as if someone had flipped a switch, and now... I was waking up somewhere else.
My eyelids fluttered open, and for a moment, I thought I was in my own bed. But something was off. The smell was different. The air was crisp, with a faint scent of... fresh wood? I sat up abruptly, rubbing my eyes, and as my vision cleared, I felt my heart rate spike. This wasn't my room. I wasn't home.
The space I was in was small and unfamiliar. The bed I lay on had plain, white sheets, neatly tucked around me. The walls were bare, painted in a dull beige, and the only furniture in the room was a wooden desk with a chair tucked beneath it, a closet, and a full-length mirror standing against the far wall. It looked almost like a college dorm room—functional, but sterile. My gaze drifted to the side, and I saw a door slightly ajar, leading to what looked like a small bathroom. The faint trickle of water from the sink confirmed that I wasn't dreaming. I was somewhere real. Somewhere foreign.
Confusion swirled in my mind. Where the hell was I? Panic clawed at my chest, and I threw the covers off, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I needed to get up, move, do something—anything to figure out what was going on. But as I stood, my eyes locked onto the mirror across the room, and I froze.
It wasn't the room that shocked me. It was my reflection.
That wasn't the face I was used to seeing every morning. I took a step closer to the mirror, my hands trembling as I reached up and touched my face. The person staring back at me was... me, but younger. Much younger. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My skin was smooth, free of the slight wrinkles that had begun to creep in over the years. My jawline was sharper, more defined, and my eyes—still the same deep blue they had always been—shone with a brightness I hadn't seen in years.
I looked like I was eighteen or nineteen again. My brown hair, which had grown long and unruly in recent years, was now short and neat, just like it had been back when I was a teenager. My body, which had softened slightly over the years from too many hours sitting at a desk, was lean again. I wasn't particularly muscular, but I wasn't skinny either. I was... average. A normal guy with a fit, unremarkable build.
But this was impossible. I was twenty-eight. How could I look like this? My mind raced as I stumbled across the room, my heart pounding in my chest. Was this some sort of dream? A hallucination?
I was still trying to make sense of it all when something even stranger happened.
Out of nowhere, a shimmering light filled my vision, and words began to appear before my eyes, glowing faintly in the air as if written by an invisible hand.
Celestial System Uploading...
I blinked, trying to shake off the illusion, but the words stayed in place, as clear as day.
Welcome, New User
"What the—?" I muttered under my breath, stepping back instinctively. My pulse quickened. I reached up to rub my eyes, but the words didn't disappear.
System Integrating with Host Body...
I felt a strange, tingling sensation spread throughout my limbs. My skin buzzed, like tiny electric currents were coursing just beneath the surface, and my muscles tightened involuntarily. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either. It felt as if something was being rewritten inside of me, like every cell in my body was being recalibrated.
System Configurating Host Body According to the Celestial World...
I gasped as the tingling intensified, moving deeper into my muscles, my bones, my very core. It was as if something within me was awakening, some dormant force that had been lying in wait. My heart pounded, my breath coming in short bursts as the changes continued. I could feel it—my body was shifting, adapting, like it was being optimized for something I couldn't comprehend.
And then, just as quickly as it had begun, the sensation faded. My body settled, the buzzing in my limbs gone, leaving behind a strange sense of... power. I felt different. Stronger. Sharper.
Before I could fully process what had just happened, more words materialized before my eyes, this time in the form of a status screen.
---
Callum Brown
Age: 19
Level: 1
Stats:
- Strength: 9
- Endurance: 12
- Speed: 7
- Iridium: 16
Skills:
- Insight of the Observer:
This ability grants the user the power to instantly assess the stats and abilities of any individual, as long as their level isn't overwhelmingly superior.
- Boundless Ascension:
A passive ability that grants the user limitless potential for growth, allowing them to continuously evolve without reaching a cap. With this skill, the user levels up and grows at an accelerated rate. Their Iridium gain and skill development are vastly enhanced.
---
I stared at the screen, my mind struggling to comprehend what I was seeing. Level? Stats? This was like something straight out of one of the web novels I loved reading. But this wasn't fiction. It was real. I could feel it in my bones. The strength, the energy, the Iridium—whatever that was—it was all inside of me.
"Stats?" I whispered to myself, still dazed. My voice sounded hollow in the quiet room.
Strength, endurance, speed... These were metrics that would now govern my body. The skills were even more perplexing. Insight of the Observer? Boundless Ascension?
I felt a rush of excitement, fear, and confusion all at once. These skills—if they were what I thought they were—made me... special. Somewhere deep down, I couldn't deny that the idea of being granted powers like a character in one of my novels thrilled me.
But the question that kept hammering in my head was: Why me?
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