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Odyssey In The Shadow Realm

章節 1: In A World Of Destruction

In a world immersed into destruction, part of it is bathed in sunlight, while its other half is nothing but an empty, black void. The worst national division which traverses world-wide is that which is fully present in the present day Earth.

Recently, approximately 100 years ago, mysterious figures, now identified as Goblins have ravaged the parts of the world leaving them in destruction and apocalypse. The other half is now left with the task of offering aid to the unfortunate nations through the use of portals.

Luckily, Japan is not part of those countries. Its streets shone and its mounts glimmering with portals which let off crystalline glows.

At mount Hakusan, an educator is giving out instructions, educating students on what they should and should not do before entering the portals. Kaito Akira, a 16-year-old is in the midst of the students, preparing to enter the portal.

40% of the world population is born with individual and hereditary talents, 10% have no talents, while 10% are reborn with special skills during their life.

Of course, the remaining 40 percent will not be left out. They are called the Unluckies, and as the tacky name suggests, they were unfortunate during their creation and were left with no individual or hereditary skills, no rebirth mechanism and not even mana to wield, develop and perform basic skills.

The people before the instructor were students who were about to engage in a long-lasting test before they would officially slay Goblins.

"I'm sure you all know how the system works."

"You head into the portal and you will be granted a system that lets you view your stats, and upgrade them."

"But know that once you leave the portal, you have to gain that ability as a skill before you will be able to use it again. So, make sure you attain that skill during your time in the portal," the instructor concluded.

Akira was born with normal skills but no talents. The world around him, including his parents despised him for that fact. His unruly nature left his peers dumbfounded at the sight that the son of a family with one of the most powerful hereditary talents was nothing but a usual individual in the society.

One could even call him cursed.

For that very reason, Akira found it fit to join the Goblin Slayer Force and make himself known even though he possessed the skills of an average Goblin Slayer, and now he is participating in a test to join the Forces.

…

The students murmured for a while, upon hearing the announcement of the instructor.

"Oh, man"

"Wait, we actually have to do some tedious work just to get a basic skill?"

"I didn't sign up for this. They're meant to provide us with a device or something."

But the most important were Akira's thoughts on the situation,

"Am I strong enough?"

"I hope they don't find out I don't have a talent."

"Now, proceed into the portal," the instructor commanded, interrupting Akira's thought session.

The students of a total of 319 rushed into the portal, ready to start the test.

"Remember, this is a beginner's portal with only Level 1 – 2 Goblins!" The instructor shouted, trying to make her voice heard to the students as they rushed blindly into the portal.

The students were transported into an other-worldy realm. A shadowy area with a thick atmosphere. The students tried to adapt to the new environment, but they were unsuccessful because of the poor lighting in the area.

Suddenly, during their murmurs and thoughts, a strange light began to glow from the students and they individually heard a voice.

[Welcome to the Shadow Realm!]

[New skill attained!]

[Stats1 activated]

"Woah, is this virtual?"

"Can you guys see what I'm seeing?"

The students said in surprise, trying to affirm whether all of them were witnessing the same phenomenon.

[Welcome to the Shadow Realm [Beginners]! A realm of Goblins of Level 1 to 2. Be safe!]

The light emitted from their bodies and eyes, allowed them to proceed into the realm. They walked slowly, while questioning the entity that spoke to them.

As the interrogation went on, a student out of the many present in the realm, asked,

"Hey, how can we view our stats?"

Immediately, the students around turned towards him, awaiting the answer. The system took few seconds, and spoke,

[Spread your palm in front of you]

The students looked back at themselves with anticipation and anxiety clear in their eyes, and did as the system instructed.

[Stats]

[HP: 100]

[Strength: 10]

[Fatigue: 8]

[Protection: None]

[Level: 1]

[Skill: Stats1 (Activated)]

[Talent: None]

The stats above were applicable to majority of the students in the realm. Akira was particularly depressed at the stats shown. He looked back up, wondering the reason he was born with no talent, and thought,

"I didn't expect much from myself."

As soon as he finished comprehending the results the system had given him, he shifted his attention to the other students, trying to see their reactions.

"I have a hereditary talent!'

"I have 3 skills!"

"I've got an individual talent!" They spoke.

…

[5 out of 7 are self-explanatory. I shall proceed to explain skills and talents respectively.]

[Skills: These are abilities an individual carries out on either Goblins or fellow humans. They range from Grade 6 skills that are relatively weak all the way up to Grade 0 with exponential power.]

[Talents: These are special skills applicable to only at least 3 individuals in the world's population. Their powers indicate their rarity. Talents an individual obtains when one is born is known as Individual Talents, while talents passed down from generations are the Hereditary Talents.]

[Reborn Talents (Rebirth Mechanism): This is a special metamorphosis only a select few in the world undergo. During intense battles, the individual usually exhibits weird properties for a moment, and is instantly granted a powerful talent, making one stronger.]

[Congratulations! You have achieved a new height in your knowledge of powers.]

The system stopped its response, and the glows their bodies emitted gradually faded away. Those with talents and a significant number of skills got a boost in morale and they took the lead into the Shadow Realm.

"Onward, we shall go," they spoke while the less motivated following them.