A New World, Sudden Danger!

 

A vast land had sprung into view blanketed by a deep blue sky. It carried an air of majesty as if a plethora of infinite mysteries were deep within. For as far as one could see, towering mountains overlooked the landscape, looming above rich forest filled with wild plants, bizarre flowers, and lofty trees which extended towards unviewable heights.

A soft mist lingered in the surroundings as the hour slowly approached dawn. There were shuffling movements in the brushes, vibrations from heavy footsteps as sonorous cries sounded from unknown beasts. Each added a feral flare to the environment as if to convey its wildness.

If one followed these howls and peered through the fading haze, one would see a few silhouettes. Some had familiar shapes of rabbits, wolves, and other Earth-like animals, while others seemed bizarre, not like any beast found in our everyday world. A cat with four tails, a tiger with three eyes, a cobra with the head of a frog, and many others that would only bring wonder to any eyes.

A few of these creatures perched on top of high branches, peering over from a distance as others lurked deeply in the bushes. Their eyes had a cold glimmer as they aimed for a good hunt of morning prey.

In this wildland, filled with beasts of such savage nature, there weren’t many who would dare to wander here, as it was all too known just what kind of disaster would await them if they ventured through the depths of such peaks. An end like no other, in the belly of the beasts. Yet, despite this fact, a poor unknowing family would be destined to fall prey to its boundaries.

It happened instantly; an odd sound like the space itself tore apart echoed above an open field. In that second, a portal formed with a complicated diagram that glowed within the region.

Eventually, a few light rays flew out of the rift and fell on the diagram. It didn’t take long for these lights to expand before they formed into the figures of four individuals that hovered in the air. The chart faded as they touched down on the verdant floor, and the scene returned to normal.

“Argh,” Marius groaned in pain. He held the side of his head while he looked at his family’s situation.

Shit, of all times, the side effect of that thing is kicking in now. Just my luck!

It was the effects of using his Empowerment skill in a world that didn’t accept its existence. Instantly, he felt a feeling of tiredness, but as if something strange had happened, a unique power from the atmosphere gushed into his body, one that caused the fatigue and pain he felt to ease up by a section.

Marius was surprised by this as he knew these effects from using his skill would only worsen around this time. However, right now, he knew that now wasn’t the time to ponder it.

Marius was surprised; he never thought he would have encountered such an occurrence. To be summoned to another world so suddenly, he didn’t know whether to be excited or angry. Nevertheless, with his abundant experience from his past professions, he recovered and got to the matter at hand.

“Ria, we must hurry! I don’t know what’s happening, but I can sense a few dangerous presences in this forest. We must take the kids and find shelter immediately,” Marius said, making quick judgment after looking around this unfamiliar environment. He even felt a tinge of anxiousness due to the strange roars he was hearing.

Like his father, Grevlin was also an oddly mature child for his age and didn’t act out in a panic. He trembled a bit and edged as close as possible to Marius as he tried to hide his fear. He then looked up at his father and asked with worried eyes, “Father, where are we?”

Marius looked away from the surroundings; his attention turned to his son, only to notice the fear in his eyes. He sighed and patted his head as he spoke, “Grev, I don’t know, but we need to leave for now. We can figure everything out once we’ve found safety.”

Grevlin lowered his head and then looked up at him with understanding eyes as he replied, “Okay.”

Marius felt proud of his son’s ability to adapt to the situation, but as for his wife, he frowned as he didn’t hear her reply. Instead, he heard another sound.

“Mama, wake up! Mama! Dadda Mama is swiiick! Waaaa!”

Marius turned around in astonishment as he saw the tiny and adorable Rose seated on top of the collapsed Ria. Her arms rested against her cheeks, trying to rub away her tearful eyes as she cried helplessly.

“Mother!” Grevlin called out as he ran over with worry on his face.

“Damn! What’s happened to her?” Marius unknowingly swore out loud. He hurried over to Ria.

Upon arriving at her side, Marius placed his hand on her forehead and found that it was burning like a raging flame. Her face was a bit reddish, and even her breath seemed feverish despite her lack of consciousness.

This symptom of hers, it’s like back when she first appeared, that illness of those days. What does it mean? Darn, this isn’t the time for it; I can’t have them stay here, even more so without knowing of the dangers around us. We must find shelter first, he decided while looking at her.

“F-father, is mother okay?” Grevlin asked as he looked up at him.

Marius shook off his thoughts and replied, “She’s fine; it’s only a minor fever. Grevlin, prepare yourself. We are going to leave here.”

Grevlin nodded his head at his father’s words. Marius then looked at Rose. He then lifted her and tried to coax her.

“There-there now, do not cry. Look, mother is fine; we only need to bring her to safety,” Marius said in a soft tone as he wiped the corner of her eyes.

Rose looked at Marius with her tear-filled eyes and asked, “Rweally? Can Dadda help Mama?”

“Of course, when has Pappa ever lied to you? My sweet little Rose must be a good girl to help daddy protect mommy.” Marius replied. He knew that time was going, but he couldn’t just run off with her using force; it would be worse if her cries called out a pack of dangerous unknown creatures.

Rose seemed to have calmed down; she adorably stared at Marius with her small palms clenched as she responded, “Okway.”

“Good girl,” Marius said as he patted her head, he prepared to take her up and bring the entire family away. Sadly, despite his effort to work quickly, it was already too late.

A savage roar sounded from behind the entire family, filling them with a terrible feeling. Even Marius felt that whatever was behind them was something even he would find a hard match.

With its two heavy steps, Marius heard the stones behind them being crushed into rubble, further emphasizing the danger of the entity.

Grevlin was so shocked that even with his mindset, he fell onto his rump and trembled. Now in Marius’ arm, Rose fearfully pointed at the thing behind Marius and spoke, “Dadda look! It’s a biiiiggg cat!”

Marius sighed as he didn’t turn to face the beast but looked at his trembling son. He firmed up his mind and shouted, “Grevlin!”

His cry reverberated inside the trembling boy’s head, causing him to awaken to his senses. Grevlin, now awoken from his fear, looked at his father.

Marius only smiled and put down Rose as he spoke again, “Protect your sister and watch over your mother!”

Grevlin now understood the situation; being quite wise for his age, he knew their position well. As a highly obedient son who was extremely attached to his father, he would do without hesitation no matter what his father said.

A firm look came into Grevlin’s eyes as he stood on his feet and bawled up his small palms into a fist when he replied, “I-I will do my best!”

Marius heard all he needed to hear from Grevlin’s words; he looked at Rose and spoke, “My little Rose, Pappa will be busy, be a nice girl and stay close to your brother.”

Little Rose was confused at first, but when Grevlin stood nearby, she looked at Marius and replied, “Okay.”

Marius wasted no more time; he turned around and walked toward the beast that lurked behind them. As for why it didn’t attack immediately, it seemed that the creature was somewhat weary of Marius as it was eyeing him with cold and analytical eyes.

It was a trait of any wild beast to watch their opponents cautiously and strike when at an advantage. Some wouldn’t even waste a second, attacking directly to conquer their prey with brute force.

A tiger was one such beast, the prestigious king of any creature in the wilds. It knew its strength, knowing that any prey before it would fall by its claws; this was the basis of its confidence.

Of course, this very creature before Marius’s eyes was indeed a tiger, but certainly not an ordinary one. Its frame was more than triple a normal tiger’s size, as its fur was dark. Looking at its rear, one would see two tails, and much like its two ruthless eyes, each of them had peculiar traits. One had flames that blazed wildly as the other glowed in an icy light.

The Flaming Ice Tiger, a sinister predator, found not only in this mountain range but in many others. Though it was pretty common, it was still a creature with excellent fame amongst those other beasts in the lower ranks.

Naturally, Marius didn’t know about this creature’s fame. What he did know was that he had no options at this time. He needed to fight and eliminate the threat to his family, no matter the cost.

Suddenly, the Flaming Ice Tiger growled as a surge of ice and flames coiled around its body, spiraling around its vicinity as it burned the grasses while freezing them simultaneously.

Marius, fully experienced in wild combat, knew it was about to attack. His face was stern as he adopted a combat stance. His legs crouched as his torso leaned forward while he readied himself to face the beast. In this state, his eyes peered at the surroundings and the features of a creature as he contemplated.

With simple steps, it could shatter large rocks with the base of its legs. Yet, based on the appearance of those stones, they were a bit harder than even Earth-like boulders. While I could do the same to stones in my hand when using my Empowerment skill. Judging by its display of strength, I don’t think I’ll be able to easily face it with force, not in my current state. I must think! There must be a way out of this situation! How do I face this creature? Do I go for its vitals like in an ordinary tiger? Would the same methods work against a beast like this?

Marius stared at the tiger in deep contemplation, his manner of utmost concentration. He saw that it glared at him in silence; its low growls sent a foggy breath from its savage mouth swept around by the morning wind. Its eyes shone in an ominous light as the flames and ice on its tails grew brighter.

Suddenly, as if Marius recalled something, his eyes flickered as he thought, Yes, that’s right, the System. I couldn’t use it on Earth, but maybe… it will be different here.

Marius first used it to spy on the enemy before him, not wasting any time. However, the moment he took action, he got an unexpected notification.

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Ding!

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Your power is far lower than the enemy!

Inspection has failed.

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Marius frowned, he calmed down and decided to check his stats, but another notification popped up before him right then.

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Ding!

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User has invoked the System in a new world!

Optimizing…

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System is optimized!

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Ding!

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Status: Hidden is now active!

Title – System Chosen is awakened!

A privilege is granted to you!

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User has received a large amount of Life Essence!

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Ding!

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Your level has been increased by 1!

(EX-Max) Innate Skill: Empowerment has fully awakened!

Special Effect: Strengthen All is now awakened!

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When Marius heard this notification, his eyes beamed with joy, but this didn’t last long. He saw that the Flaming Ice Tiger, which was eyeing him cautiously, had started to push power into its hind legs, causing the ground to form a spiderweb of cracks as flames and ice scattered everywhere.

“Hmph! I don’t care how powerful you are, threaten my family and face your death!” Marius roared as his face turned malevolent. The air grew cold as the misty wind blew across the area, acting as the setup for Marius and his family’s first real battle in a brand-new world.