Carto's mind was in chaos, to say the least—he had just been transmigrated to another world for the second time.
"What the hell is going on!?" he blurted out as Tharmas's voice echoed in his mind.
"You must be terribly confused, and that's completely understandable! Please, do not be alarmed. As my previous model mentioned, we here at Tarthocas Enterprise are dedicated to alleviating your lack of goals and perpetual boredom. Hence, we present to you The Myriad World Scribe Initiative! With the MWSI, you'll never be bored again! Your task is to travel to various worlds, each with their own unique set of laws, and create your own progression method. And to make things even more exciting, you're also tasked with using that very progression path to grow stronger until you reach the limits of each world!"
Hearing this, Carto felt a sickening churn in his stomach.
"What about all that talk of Urizen back in the first world when he forced me into a mental breakdown?" Carto roared, anger boiling over.
"That was merely to encourage you to continue on your journey! You were always a depressed individual, but look at what you've become with our help!" Tharmas replied smoothly.
"You made me commit omnicide!" Carto shouted in outrage.
"And then you brought everyone back! It doesn't matter how many people you killed if you brought them back." Tharmas retorted calmly.
Carto, caught off guard, struggled to find a response.
"We understand the distress and mental trauma you've experienced, but you've also transformed! You're no longer a meek individual but someone capable of enduring what most would flee from! And now, with the MWSI, you'll have a purpose once again!" Tharmas explained.
Carto remained silent, his reasoning begrudgingly aligning with what was being said.
Sensing this, Tharmas continued.
"Of course, some questions may arise, and I'll address the most common one we've anticipated: 'Won't I get bored by the repetitiveness?' This is a valid concern, but we have a straightforward answer! Although the laws of each world may appear similar, they are, in fact, unique, with distinct rules that challenge the creation of a progression method. You'll need to actively think of different approaches! And to maintain a stable sense of purpose, we've activated the Mystery Software to keep your mind engaged. There are numerous enigmas surrounding you and Tarthocas Enterprise, and it's your optional mission to solve them! After you 'complete' a world, you'll receive a glimpse of the truth, and it's up to you to piece it together!"
A contract appeared before Carto, and Tharmas's voice echoed once more:
"Please acknowledge the following contract:
By acknowledging this contract, you agree that:
You will suffer mental breakdowns.You will become further depressed.You will become someone else.You will become a rabbit.You will become a maniac
Do you accept?"
An overwhelming number of terms and conditions flooded Carto's mind, causing a sharp headache as they streamed into his brain.
"Damn, this is annoying. Well, I'm already in the game; what am I going to do now? Decline? Yeah, no." With that, Carto accepted the contract.
[Thank you for accepting the contract! Now you will be given an infopack to ease you into this world! Enjoy!]
As soon as those words echoed in his mind, a torrent of information surged into Carto's consciousness, causing him to clutch his head in agony. The pain was intense, but it gradually lessened. Slowly, he lowered his hand and began to process the new knowledge.
Water Saint Wilford Aguarias Darrow—that was the name of this body and the identity he had been assigned.
"This world is quite different," Carto muttered as he sifted through the details. If the First World similar to the Eastern fantasy novels he'd read, this one was more Western, with magic and wizards and the like.
The world, as he now understood it, was divided into two halves—a consequence of an ancient war that had taken place long ago. The larger part was governed by Deities,while the smaller portion served as a prison, sealing away a renegade Deity.
"I wouldn't be surprised if these so-called Deities are just people at the 'Deity Rank.' Oh, wait—huh, it's actually true." Carto was stunned as his casual conjecture was confirmed by another influx of information.
The so-called deities were, in fact, individuals who had reached the Deity Stage, the apparent pinnacle of this world's power system.
"Damn, I got a good body this time around," Carto muttered, skimming through the details about Wilford Darrow.
To say that Wilford Darrow was strong would be a understatement. In truth, Wilford Darrow was one of the most powerful figures in the entire world. He was ranked among the top 10% of the world's elite, surpassed only by the Council of the Divine Alliance—who were at the Quasi Deity Stage—and The Deities, whose status remained unknown.
Wilford Darrow was a Saint Stage individual with a water affinity. He served as one of the Commanders of the West Brigade, responsible for preventing the incursion of the 72 Generals of the Renegade God.
"Saint, huh," Carto mused as he observed the flow of Aether swirling around his conjured ball of water.
Aether—the fundamental energy of this world—was akin to a more versatile form of mana of those old video games. It could be used for magic and so much more. Like Qi, Aether was essentially the fabric of Reality itself, capable of influencing the mind, soul, and even the very laws of existence.
However, there was a significant limitation to Aether: it could only be harnessed in a refined manner, taking on just four accessible forms—Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, the classical elements.
Aether could also be converted into Elemental Energy, a more stable manifestation that embodied a singular property of any one of these four elements. This Elemental Energy was the cornerstone of cultivation for this world, serving as the foundation for the progression method developed over time.
"And I have to create my own progression method based on this, huh?" Carto thought, reviewing the details of the pre-existing systems. But something else crossed his mind.
"Oh yeah, what about my apprentice?" he realized, recalling the young man still waiting outside.
"Come in!" Carto called, his voice still hoarse. It wasn't age that made it so, but rather the characteristics of this new body he inhabited. The door creaked open, and Edmond Fowl entered the room, saluting with a peculiar gesture—right hand placed in front of him and the left resting atop it, resembling a referee signaling a timeout.
"Edmond Fowl, huh?" Carto thought, rapidly reviewing the information about his apprentice.
Edmond was the heir to the Fowl House, a noble family led by a patriarch who had reached the peak of the Elite Stage. He was born with a peculiar affinity for a subset of water skills known as The Frost. Though The Frost wasn't particularly rare—it merely involved manipulating water by lowering its temperature—Edmond's affinity was restricted solely to these ice-related skills and nothing else. This was highly unusual, as even those with a basic mastery of water could create ice if they wished. Someone of Wilford 's caliber, for example, could transform entire regions into icy tundras at will.
The family was puzzled by Edmond's singular affinity. At first, they suspected infidelity, but this theory was quickly dismissed after Anius Fowl, the family patriarch, conducted a thorough test. Despite confirming the purity of Edmond's lineage, the mystery persisted, for the Fowl House was known for a pure wind bloodline, leaving no room for such an elemental deviation.
In an attempt to understand this anomaly, Edmond's grandfather had called in a favor from Wilford , asking him to take Edmond as an apprentice for a few weeks. The hope was that Wilford 's guidance and insight could help unravel the origins of this unusual affinity and, perhaps, assist Edmond in overcoming his limitations.
"Hmmm, tell me, Fowl, why have you disturbed me?" Carto tried his best to sound like an old, powerful figure, his voice carrying an air of authority.
Edmond shivered. Even Wilford 's casual words were infused with such potent Water Elemental Energy that they seemed to weigh down on him.
"Master! The Grand Commander of the West Brigade requests your immediate presence at the 24th Western Frontier!" Edmond replied, his voice trembling.
Hearing this, Wilford 's brows furrowed.
The Western Border was divided into 26 equal frontiers to maximize efficiency, and being summoned to one of them could only mean one thing: someone had breached the barrier.
"That's not good news," Carto sighed. Since the summons was directed at him, he had no choice but to comply.
Wilford was at the Jade Sapling Level within the Saint Stage, while the Grand Commander had reached the Ruby Petals Level, making it impossible to refuse. Besides, if there was indeed trouble brewing, any ensuing battle would provide an excellent opportunity to better understand the laws of Aether.
Carto glanced at Edmond, who was still holding his salute, and spoke.
"How is the Frost Core coming along?" he asked.
"Master! The Frost Core is one-third complete. I estimate it will take a few more days to fully form," Edmond responded almost immediately.
Hearing this, Wilford nodded thoughtfully.
The Frost Core was a Spell Construct designed specifically for Edmond's unique situation. Spell Constructs were essential for advancement during the Mortal Stage, as they significantly boosted the speed of Aether conversion and refinement.
Edmond wasn't the first person to have an affinity limited to a specific subset of skills, so it hadn't been difficult for Wilford to use his influence within the Divine Alliance to find records of similar cases.
The Frost Core, unlike typical Spell Constructs, would convert Aether into Cold Elemental Energy that would soak into Edmond's body, amplifying his affinity for The Frost even further. Wilfordhad assigned this task to Edmond to test the young man's capabilities. If Edmond could successfully complete even a tenth of the Frost Core's construction, Wilford wouldn't hesitate to accept him as a true apprentice.
Carto glanced down at Edmond and spoke firmly.
"Return to your chambers and continue working on the Frost Core."
Without hesitation, Edmond bowed and swiftly exited the room. Once he was gone, Wilford let out a small sigh before vanishing from the room as well.
Although Saints could theoretically teleport using sufficient Elemental Energy, it was an exhausting process, even for someone at his level. Therefore, Saints typically opted for another method—moving at extreme speeds by channeling Elemental Energy, which was far more efficient and less taxing on their bodies.
As Wilford streaked through the air, the desolate landscapes of the Western Frontiers sped past beneath him. Jagged rock formations and shimmering lakes dominated the terrain, leaving few places suitable for habitation. But that was of little concern—most people avoided the Western Frontiers, leaving them to the Western Brigade, the primary force stationed in these lands.
In the distance, Carto caught sight of a crumbling stone castle etched with ancient engravings—the 25th Western Stronghold. From its core, he could feel rippling waves of impact.
Yet at that moment something caught his eye,a ring on his index finger.
The ring was bronze in texture with his initials inscribed onto it.
Wilford however cared not for long as he slightly adjusted it and burst towards The stronghold.