Seyla nodded and asked, "Evil gods?"
"Yes, evil gods. 'Evil gods' are the terms used when you worship an Unrecognized god. This is ordered by the five official gods," Maerin replied.
So that's how it is… Seyla muttered to himself and asked Maerin, "If there are Unrecognized gods, are there gods that have been recognized?"
"Yes, there are gods that have been recognized by them. They are: The God of Giants, The God of Elves, The God of Mermaids, The God of Vampires, and the last to be official, The God of Earth, or simply called 'Mother Earth.'
"These gods have been recognized because they were born centuries after the birth of the five gods. That era is called 'The Era of the Gods,' when they walked and wandered the earth before humanity arrived.
"The gods that have been recognized, such as The God of Giants, The God of Elves, The God of Mermaids, and The God of Vampires, are also called 'The God Ancestors' because they are the first of their species, and their kind considers them their creators," Maerin explained.
Such… too many gods. Won't the world be destroyed because there are too many gods? Won't the forces of their powers affect the world?… Seyla wanted to ask but decided not to. Instead, he just asked, "What about the evil gods?"
"There aren't too many evil gods, but I will tell you about the ones that are always active so you can avoid their worshipers. They are the God of Negativity, God of Decay, Goddess of Birth, and Goddess of Chains. Mostly, they are the ones active because they want to cause trouble. They want to destroy this world, that's the reason for their troubles.
"They have names, but I don't want to tell you. Just mentioning their names will lead to losing control. Or worse, if you mention their names, they can cast their gaze upon you," Maerin explained briefly.
That sounds really scary… Seyla muttered to himself, then nodded.
Maerin added, "They have their own pawns too, or other titles and names. For example, the Goddess of Birth somehow calls herself 'The Mother of All Children' just to expand her fame and gain new worshipers.
"And the God of Decay also has a certain authority over death. So, he also calls himself 'The One Who Rules Death' just to expand his fame and gain worship.
"Then, we have the pawns. What I mean by pawns is that they choose certain followers who are always worshiping them and doing whatever they order. Then they give some of their power to that chosen follower and make them a 'god' and use them to spread chaos everywhere. They're not really real gods. They are just self-declared gods. Or they can use their own blessed to bring chaos."
Blessed?... Seyla wanted to ask but chose not to.
Maerin continued, "And they also have this thing called 'factions.' It's like a church that has many members, and the higher-ups of that faction will order missions that a certain person or team needs to do. It's either an individual mission or they can mobilize all their members.
"Mostly, the orders they give to individuals are assassinations. When they need to destroy a large-scale place or even a large city, they will use their whole faction just to complete the mission.
"And just like the five official gods have churches in every city or country, those evil gods also have assigned factions hidden in those cities, just to watch over the official churches, or to spread chaos around that city."
Seyla nodded, then asked, "So what kind of god are you worshiping?"
Maerin replied, "My god isn't evil nor good. I think of him as neutral, because he doesn't order us to bring chaos or to fix something. Like… he doesn't really care about what is happening in this world. He just wants to have fun."
Like having fun watching this world slowly come to destruction?… What the f—… Seyla told himself.
Before Seyla could speak, Maerin stopped him and said, "This is the end of our conversation. Once I am gone, you can do whatever you want."
"Oh, wait. Before I leave… if you want to be a runebound, I can only help you if you choose the Path of Dream. If you want something else, it's up to you. What's your answer?" Maerin quickly added.
What choice do I have?… I don't even know this world… Seyla muttered and said, "I'll choose the Path of Dream."
"Great," Maerin replied. He reached for his bag and took out a somewhat large stone that looked like a diamond. It had a blue color with white smoke swirling around it. He handed it over to Seyla.
Seyla asked, "Is this one of the separated Rune Stones of the Dream Path?"
Maerin responded, "Yes. Once you swallow that, you will gain power."
"And remember what I told you about swallowing a Rune Stone. You need a strong and healthy mind," Maerin added.
Seyla nodded in response, then looked at his left hand where the Rune Stone was.
For a few seconds, Seyla looked in front of him, only to notice that Maerin had vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a few traces of black smoke, a letter, a book, three small pouches, and two sets of clothes.
Seyla muttered, "Is this one of the abilities of his path? To vanish into thin air…"
After that, he looked at the stone in his hand.
Seyla stared at his left hand, seeing the Rune Stone of Dream resting in his palm. He muttered, "If I swallow this… I will gain its power and become an Awakener."
After a while, he raised his left hand, placed the Rune Stone in his mouth, and swallowed it.
The moment the Rune Stone of Dream entered his body, he felt himself gradually getting cold. His whole body felt as though he was falling into a bottomless hole. His mind filled with black clouds that seemed angry and flashing. Lightning struck his body as if he was being punished. His entire form felt like it was bursting apart, as though something wanted to break free from within him.
After some time, Seyla gradually regained control over his body, feeling both shocked and frozen. He told himself, "Now I know the feeling of losing control… It's like… I don't want to swallow a Rune Stone again."
"It seems like I really gained powers… hmm… when I swallowed the Rune Stone of Dream, it came with certain knowledge, and it gives me skill names and their descriptions. It seems like the first form of the Dream Path is more about passive abilities."
"Uh… The first ability I gained is a passive one. It's called 'Drowsing Aura.' It's a passive aura that gives subtle fatigue or drowsiness to the target or those nearby. The effect is mild, but constant, making enemies feel sluggish, unfocused, or prone to daydreaming. Maximum range of 5 to 10 meters.
"'Whisper Step'—the bearer's footsteps naturally soften. They move quietly, blending into the background. Hmm… this is better for sneaking and vanishing.
"'Flicker of Reverie'—this is an active skill. The bearer can briefly cloud a target's mind, causing the target to stop thinking or experience a momentary lapse in awareness. The target can lose focus, forget what they were doing, or… mentally drift for two to three seconds. It's short-range, brief in duration… more useful for escapes or surprise attacks. When their mind returns to normal, they won't remember what happened. The effects of this skill can be permanent if they didn't notice it. But if they saw it or remember it happening, they will recover their lost memory. So… the target has a chance to lose that memory.
"'Rune Resonance: Dream Sense'—when near artifacts, places, or beings connected to the Dream Veilstrand (Pathway)… the Rune reacts subtly. A soft warmth under the skin or a quiet hum in the mind. I think this is where the Law of Compatibility will take effect.
"Next, my mental capacity has increased… I can now memorize anything I want… including maps, ancient scriptures, and others.
"The last one is called 'Veilstrain,' which represents the user's residual mental, spiritual, and physical resilience strained by channeling the power of their Rune Stone.
"Every skill, every spell, every manipulation of their Veilstrand consumes Veilstrain, thinning the boundary between their body and the power."
"The knowledge I gained when I swallowed the Rune isn't too complicated. It only told me a few things."
Seyla quickly said, then added, "The first is… the other name of the Dream Veilstrand is called 'Miracle Worker' and 'The One Who Has Two Faces.'
"Then the next… is the location of the Divine Kingdom of the Dream Veilstrand… which is… 0 kilometers?"
Zero kilometers?… I don't even see it… I won't think about it for now… there are other forms for that knowledge… Seyla told himself, then muttered, "I finally became a runebound."
After a few minutes of analyzing the events, Seyla looked in front of him and saw the letter, a book, three small pouches, and two sets of clothes.
Seyla took the three small pouches and opened them. He saw the first pouch filled with gold coins, then opened the remaining two, filled with silver and bronze coins.
They use coins here for currency… Seyla muttered, then took the letter. He opened the envelope and pulled out a paper made from goatskin, written in pure black ink with an unknown script… yet somehow, he understood what it meant.
I don't recognize the writing, but… I understand what it says… seems like I need to start learning about this world… Seyla told himself and started reading.
The content of the letter explained the world. After analyzing the goatskin paper, he read:
"Hehe… sorry about this. I couldn't tell you about this world in person because I didn't want to answer your questions regarding this topic."
This motherf—… Seyla wanted to curse but chose not to. He continued reading.
"This world has a total of four realms. They are…"
"The Astral Realms, where divine beings or gods reside.The Spirit Realms, where spiritual beings reside.The Material Realms, where living beings like humans reside.And last, the Underworld, where demons reside."
"First, the Astral Realms, also called 'The House of Gods,' is where different gods reside. Their divine kingdoms also reside in this realm. For example, the Divine Kingdom of the Goddess of Fire, Korveth, is filled with flames. Their divine kingdoms are also called their 'thrones.' Also… the Astral Realms has its ruler. His name is… '×¥π|°¢{¥°¥.' He doesn't care about this world, so don't bother asking."
What the hell… why can't I understand that name? Is it a restriction of lower forms?… Seyla muttered, then continued reading.
"The next is… The Spirit Realms. In this realm, it is full of unknown creatures that reside there. You can enter the Spirit Realms, but you need permission from the higher-ups. The Spirit Realms don't have a ruler. No one knows why… but there's a rumor that the position of 'Ruler of the Spirit World' is still vacant.
"You can also have your own spirit creatures by summoning them and making pacts—if they agree. The higher-ups of the Spirit Realm are called the 'Spirit Lords.' There are also rumors that before the past 'Ruler of the Spirit World' died or perished, 'She' assigned these spirits to manage the Spirit Realm and wait for a new ruler to ascend. They will support that new ruler.
"If you're wondering how the past ruler died… no one knows. There are many things happening in the Spirit Realm, but they're not worth mentioning… for me, hehe. If you want to know, you can go to the place where 'Spirit Travelers' reside. And no, I don't know where that place is either, hehehe. I know what you're thinking—all these events happening in the Spirit Realm are too complicated, hehe."
Wha… Why does this feel like he's mocking me?… If I find him, the first thing I'm going to do is smack him… Seyla muttered, then continued reading.
"Next is the 'Material Realm.' Do I need to explain this? Pftt… right, you're not from this world, hehehe."
Seyla's eyes twitched in irritation. This f—…
"The Material Realm is divided into five continents and four seas:
The Northern Continent: 'Varen.'The Eastern Continent: 'Ezra.'The Western Continent: 'Kaelor.'The Southern Continent: 'Emberin.'And the Center Continent: 'Velden.'
The four seas are:
The Frost Sea — north of Varen.The Mist Sea — between the North and East Continents.The Red Sea — between the West and East Continents.The Veil Sea — surrounding the Center Continent.
"If you want to know about these continents and seas, you can visit the City Library located at the center of the city."
"In the Underworld, we don't have enough information. You'll have to go to the church. The information about the Underworld is strictly held by the five churches and prohibited from the public."
"Next… languages. We have:Human language.Elven language.Ancient Hebrew — these are common on this continent.
The other languages are:Gigantes language.Sanguine language.Greek language.
"If you want to learn them, the City Library has resources."
"By the way… the language spell I cast on you will end in two days. So you better use that time to learn the common human language from the book. That book also has information about cultures in this country.
"Oh, and you can't leave that place right away… so take your time. Be strong.
"The pouches of coins I left will only last for a week. You'll need to work. I recommend becoming a sheriff or a police officer if you want to hide your powers. But if you want to reveal them, join one of the churches in the city.
"If you want to meet me, there's an identification ID and a paper stained with my blood. It's considered an artifact… but with limited uses. When that paper runs out, it's useless. To meet me, write a date and place.
"That's all, my student. I look forward to our next meeting and your growth. Burn this letter after reading.
Your teacher and master."
Inside the envelope was also a card with his identity:
"Name: Seyla VeylDate of Birth: January 6, 1079Place of Birth: Caelwyn, L'Oreal City, Cornelia StreetStatus: Single"
How the f— did he know my birthday? And how the hell did he make this so quickly?… And that damn old man… Why didn't he tell me sooner about the spell's limit?… Seyla muttered suspiciously.
After a long moment, it was already midnight. Seyla burned the letter, took the card, the three pouches, the book, and the two sets of clothes into his room.
The conversation ended at 7:29 PM. He slept for one hour.
After waking up, he went to the kitchen, drank some water, and cooked ramen noodles from his refrigerator. After eating, he rested in the living room and turned on the television.
Suddenly, a question struck his mind. If I'm in another world… how is there still electricity and water?… And how the hell is my house here?… Never mind…
After resting, he returned to his bedroom and began reading the book titled, "The Language and Cultures of Caelwyn."
After reading for almost a day, he finally finished.
Phew… finally done reading… If I stay here, my food stock will run out. I need to get a job… I don't really have a choice but to leave this place and wander outside… Seyla muttered to himself.
He quickly said, "I'm going to leave this place and start a new life!"
After deciding, he put on the clothes Maerin gave him, analyzed everything he learned, and finally prepared to face the outside world.
He stood by the door, holding the handle. For a moment, he paused and sighed deeply.
After a few seconds, he opened the door and stepped outside.
For the first time, he saw the outside world.