I opened my eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling. I was lying on a bed—a bed I didn't recognize. Despite being passed out, my body was still in pain, so I knew I hadn't slept for too long.
I sat up and looked at my first half-hearted attempt to tend to my wounds. The bandages had been completely replaced with new ones, and I could smell some green herbs from them.
I wasn't sure where I was, but I could guess the man I saw had helped me, so I was thankful.
I looked around the room and felt a calm sensation for some reason. The room was simple, filled with nothing more than it should be. The light inside the room was turned off since the sun's light was enough to brighten the room, though the sun was about to go down.
I slowly got up from the bed and opened the room's door. I peeked out into what looked like a hallway with four doors leading to other rooms and a staircase at the end of it.
While holding my ground by using the wall, I slowly walked down the stairs to see where I was.
My mind was still in confusion, but the most straightforward goal I had was going back home. My thoughts were all about finishing my jobs and getting my money... until I reached the end of the stairs.
I looked around and saw a majestic hall with beautiful lights coming from the stained glass. There were many chairs, all placed facing the podium in front of the glass. The mixture of wood and stone inside the building gave the colorful lights a foreign feeling.
"Am I in a church?" I muttered with confidence, even though I'd never been in one.
It didn't take me long to notice a person sitting on one of the chairs. I wanted to make them notice me, but my voice was too exhausted, so I walked towards them.
After I got a little closer, she noticed me and said, "Oh my goodness! Are you okay?"
From her clothing, she seemed to be a nun of this church. She had golden-colored hair with a pair of blue eyes. Based on her appearance, she didn't seem to be much older than I was, which was good for the conversation.
"Thank you for your concern. I'm fine, just a bit disoriented. Can you tell me where I am?" I said, trying to sound composed.
"You're in the town's church," she replied gently. "Someone found you in the forest nearby and brought you here after seeing your wounds."
I nodded and sat down on one of the chairs close to the girl.
"Are you really okay?" she asked with surprise after seeing my nonchalant movement despite my wounds.
I replied with an expressive face, "I am a lot better now."
After that, it got quiet. I was sitting and thinking about what I was going to do next, while the girl was reading her book, which seemed to be a bible of some sort... until she started talking.
"You seem like an adventurer. Have you encountered any monsters nearby? If so, it would be wise to inform the Adventurers Guild."
She mentioned many things which added to the pile of questions I was asking myself. I had no idea what she was talking about, and after she asked me a question, I entered panic mode, though I wasn't showing it.
Since I didn't know anything, I got an idea and said, "I don't know... I can't remember anything."
"You can't remember?" she said, her voice a mix of curiosity and concern.
"Yes..."
It was hard to lie, especially to a person who saved me, but I wasn't in a situation to consider morals. I needed to know, and most importantly, I needed to find a way to return.
"How much can you recall? Is there something wrong with your head?" she asked, her brow furrowed with worry.
"As I mentioned, I can't remember anything. I don't know what an adventurer is, nor do I recall anything about monsters... all I know is my name," I said, expecting a lot of commotion.
She was quietly staring at me, not with confusion but with empathy. By simply looking, I could tell that she believed me and was possibly imagining what I was going through.
"...then let me help you with that."
After she said that, a calm sensation of security appeared within my chest. As a porter, I knew trusting people could result in something deadly, but strangely, I knew I could trust her.
A long conversation started with her telling me everything that was considered general knowledge. It was hard for me to understand completely since she expected me to know a little bit, but I didn't find it hard to grasp the context.
I was inside the town of Arkena, which was located in the Eatram Empire. Geographically, Arkena was far from any major city, but it had a lot of security due to the town's adventurers.
Adventurers were this world's equivalent of awakeners. This was also true for the monsters, but instead of coming out of dungeons, they would spawn and reproduce in places of high mana density, such as forests.
She mentioned a lot more additional information, but I didn't understand most of it, or I couldn't because of my exhausted mind.
Since it was getting darker, she said that I could sleep in the church's infirmary—the room I was in previously, so I returned to get some sleep.
I closed my eyes as soon as I placed my head against the pillow since I wanted to have a more open mind after getting up.
After sleeping for a while, I opened my eyes slowly. By looking out the window, I could see that it was still nighttime, which was expected due to my typically short sleeping time as a porter.
Thud- I stood up and opened the window to the outside. There was no wind coming inside, but the fresh air was enough to calm my sadness. The crickets were singing their nightly songs, and the trees were made visible by the moonlight. From the window, I could see many houses with their lights off, which confirmed I was inside a crowded town.
I was looking ahead, but not at the outside of the window. A transparent text, which was hard to see if not looked at closely, was in front of me from the moment I opened my eyes in this world... yet I wasn't scared.
[ 99% ]
I was waiting for it to finish since I knew the things after it would make sense of the situation I was in. Although I had no idea what was going to happen to me, deep down I felt a sense of assurance... that this was going to be a good thing.
[ 100% ]
The percentage reached 100, which indicated the end of my impatient waiting. My heart was beating rapidly, excited for what was to come... and to think it was something this grand.
[ System Update Completed ]
[ All previously unseen messages will be resent ]
[ Skill "Dimensional Shift ⌜Max⌟" Acquired ]
[ Dimensional Shift ⌜Max⌟
Rank: SS+
=—————=
Teleport the User to any desired Location.
• Cooldown: 24 Hours ]
[ Trait "Adapt" Awakened ]
[ Adapt
Rank: S-
=—————=
User can adapt to new Circumstances. ]
[ Trait "Advanced Learner" Acquired ]
[ Advanced Learner
Rank: Ex
=—————=
User can Learn new Abilities. ]
[ You can use "Status Window" command to view your Personal Information ]
I looked at the new windows with excitement. I didn't know how I should react to the only thing I wanted after my awakening... but somehow, that didn't feel strange to me. I felt composed, as if everything was under my control, which it wasn't.
I started reading the descriptions to understand the situation. The texts explaining each ability lacked context, which drew me further into confusion... and the most noticeable parts were the ranks.
The standard way of ranking was clearly F to S, but one was SS+ and another was Ex. I didn't know if I needed to be happy or not, if this was a good thing or not... but I knew this was far better than being a normal porter.
"[Status Window]" I muttered to myself.
[ Ethan Hoarder
> Mp: 10/10
Race: Human
Class: Dimensional Traveler
=—————=
Traits: [Advanced Learner] ~ [Adapt]
=—————=
Skills: Dimensional Shift ⌜Max⌟ ]
I opened my [Status Window], and a blue window with my personal information appeared in front of me. Just being able to see something I had craved for so long was enough to make me forget about my strange situation.
An unknown [Class] and an unknown [Skill] were something that I had predicted to own, but still felt amusing.
As I was looking at the window with awe, I remembered something, which made me say, "What is a trait?!"
There was a completely new section inside my [Status Window], which I had never heard of, nor had I seen it mentioned anywhere. This part lacked description, and the [Advanced Learner] and [Adapt]'s descriptions did not mention any activation process... it was new.
I quickly brushed it off, thinking that I could figure it out later.
In a moment of silence, I got an idea, so I went and grabbed my bag, which was beside the bed all along. I then stood firmly in the middle of the room and looked ahead, with a lot of belief in my mind.
The Skill, [Dimensional Shift] explained that I could use it to teleport to any location... without any limitation other than a 24-hour cooldown... so all I needed to do was use it and go back home.
Using a skill wasn't hard, as long as one believed in owning it. All I needed to do was imagine how my skill should work, and it would go as I wanted it to.
I closed my eyes and thought of my home—the place I ate, slept, and rested for a long time... then I used it.
[ Skill "Dimensional Shift ⌜Max⌟" Activated ]
[ Teleporting the User to the Designated Location ]