Zane stood in the gathering hall with Sophie and Jason. Zane and Sophie were wearing a dark green cloak that was enchanted to protect them from harsh environments. Jason wore a purple cloak that helped his magic and kept the dark green cloak in his bag. Jason and Sophie wore cloth and leather armor underneath their cloaks. Their armors were a mixture of green black and brown coloring.

The armor was created to provide the user with physical protection and improve their magic usage. The armor was designed to be used by people at level ten. The craftsman in the town were not capable of making a powerful armor that is still beneficial beyond its level for people below level ten. Although Sophie and Jason did not meet the level requirement to use the armor, they could still wear it without receiving the specific benefits.

Zane decided not to have armor purchased for him. The training clothes he wore provided decent stats and would grow stronger the more he wore it. He did ask for a few weapons. The ones he used now were given to him by Teacher Isabelle. They were made to be used by a person at level one but capable of being equal to weapons at higher levels.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Zane asked Brian and Brianna.

Brian and Brianna were twins. They both had fair skin, brown hair and brown eyes. The only thing that set them apart was Brianna’s long hair and feminine features.

“We want to go but we both know that’s not a good idea.” Brianna replied

“Our focus was on improving our mana control and training skill suitable for the craftsman class.” Brian added. “The training we received at school was the only time we practiced our combat skills.”

“We would be a burden that dragged you down if we went with you.” Brianna said. “It would be better for us to stay here and train our combat skills while praying for the divine pillars to relight.”

“Gather around everyone it’s almost time to send off the children.” Uncle James said.

Zane gave Brian and Brianna a nod to let them know he understood their decision before walking toward Uncle James. On this day the gathering hall was filled with both previous and current residents of the orphanage. Uncle James contacted many of the people that moved out of the orphanage to start a family. Everyone worked together to give the children the resources they needed to succeed.

“We have done our best to make the children ready. Now we have to trust that they will be able to handle whatever trials the system throws at them. Let’s cheer them on and wish them well”

Zane stood with six other people by the fire place while a mixture of worried and excited faces surrounded them. Zane could feel the tension in the air. The fate of himself and the others were unknown. The only thing everyone could do was hope for the best.

Transportation to a starting village will begin shortly.

Time remaining 57 seconds

Will you be transporting to a starting village? Yes or No

Zane didn’t hesitate and selected yes. He took a deep breath and watched the time counting down. Now that it was time for him to go, he felt excitement surge through his body. He couldn’t wait to see what this trial would throw at him.

“Good luck everyone.”

“Comeback safe.”

Don’t take any unnecessary risk.”

Zane and the others waved at everyone and smiled at the kind words they received. The time hit zero and Zane saw a blue light appear around him. The light lasted for a few seconds before it disappeared.

The sun was shining down on Zane and it felt like the entire world was rocking as soon as the light vanished. Zane shut his eyes and took deep breaths as he tried to shake off the effects of teleportation. Everyone say that teleporting for the first time is rough, Zane thought. He could hear people groaning and vomiting around him. He did his best to block out the confusion caused by the unknown people around him. I don’t sense any danger around me so the others should be safe. I just have to wait for my body to adjust so I can check on them.

After a while Zane gained control of himself and opened his eyes. He saw that he was on a grass field that had magic lines and symbols carved into it. The lines and circle were placed in a circle around a stone altar at the center. Zane could see a large building in the distance while a forest was behind him. When he turned his head, he could see similar circles to his left and right. Other than a lot of people on the ground there is nothing unusual or dangerous around. I definitely don’t see any creatures from other worlds.

Zane noticed the other members of his group had adjusted themselves and were moving toward him. He stepped back so everyone could stand in an area that had less people and vomit on the ground. As they gathered around, they all smiled at each other happy to be in the same place.

“Looks like we all made it,” Jason said.

“Greetings Messenger,” Sophie said.

Zane noticed her shocked expression before she became respectful and bowed toward the stone altar. Zane looked at the direction she was bowing before copying her expressions and actions. Looks like the Divine Spirits sent a Messenger to talk to us. Zane heard multiple people in the circle greeting the Messenger.

“Rise,” the Messenger commanded.

The Messenger was a young woman with pink hair wearing long white ropes that covered her hands and feet. The robe had multicolored runes in them to signify her status as a Messenger of the Divine Spirits. The Messengers were viewed as loyal servants that carried the words of the Divine Spirits. The first sentence she said caused Zane’s heart to pound.

“Despite standing next to people from other worlds none of you are afraid. I’m impressed.”

“What?!” Zane and several others shouted.

Zane drew a sword that was tied to his waist and looked around for enemies. I don’t see anything. Are the creatures invisible? Zane started to feel nervous after several seconds passed without him noticing anything. The tension in the air was thick and he could tell that everyone around him was beginning to panic.

“Pfft! Hahaha! You should see your faces” Gone was the Messenger that everyone felt respect toward and out came a little girl laughing at a successfully executed prank. Zane, the people he teleported with and everyone in the circle was confused.

“M-Messenger are there really c-creatures from other worlds here?” A teenager asked what everyone was thinking.

“Not all living beings from other worlds are scary creatures that want to harm you. Some of them are humans like yourself.”

Zane looked at the humans around him with shock. Zane correctly assumed that the ones lying on the ground moaning in pain were the humans that she was talking about.

“That’s crazy,” Zane said. “I never thought that there were humans in other world.”

“Surprised,” the Messenger asked. “The people around you come from worlds that have between little to zero mana on them. Their bodies are adjusting to the mana of this world and recovering from the effects of being transported from one planet to another. If it weren’t for the blessing of the system they would have died by now.”

Zane put away his sword feeling much better about the situation. I thought we would be facing powerful and strange creatures. We only have to fight against humans and these humans look weak.

“The humans look extremely weak to me.” Jason said. He put his hands behind his back and tilted his chin up. “If this is our competition then we have nothing to worry about.”

Zane and the others nodded their heads in agreement. Zane noticed the Messenger gave Jason a strange smile. He felt like she was amused by what Jason had said.

“Humans are known for finding unique solutions to their problems. Although these humans did not have the privilege of growing up in a rich environment, they have still found ways to improve themselves. Also, I never said that only humans were brought over from other worlds.”

The fine hairs on Zane’s neck stood up. He felt like something was wrong before he even heard the words.

“Die filthy human!” A voice that was light but dripping with hatred appeared behind him.

Zane saw a man stabbing a knife toward Jason’s back. Zane threw a palm toward the attacker’s arm. To his surprise his palm was deflected causing him to take a step back. The knife continued on its course without deviating an inch.