There may also be some inaccuracies, since English is not my native language.
Essentially, TBATE is first translated from English into my native language — and in that process, some details are already altered to make it more understandable for us. Now I'm taking that adapted (and somewhat distorted) version, revising it, rewriting it, and then translating it back into English.
I hope you'll point out any mistakes in the text that I might have missed.
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Third-person view
Stepping into the portal, Lucius didn't really know what to expect on the other side. He still expected that instead of Maerin, some other zone would appear. He was already tired of these zones and endless fights with monsters. But all his fears vanished when he noticed two guards standing on either side of him and Arthur, who literally jumped up in surprise, letting out cries of fear.
The guard on their right, a rather plump man in chain mail armor that clearly couldn't fit his wide waist, managed to muster what little experience he had to at least point his trembling spear at them. A second later, his thinner, though not by much, comrade followed suit.
"W-Who's there?" the thin guard stammered.
Then the plumper guard spoke up.
"Y-You... you're from the r-relictombs?" he muttered, shaking his head from right to left.
Lucius's heavy gaze shifted to the rounder guard, who flinched at his gaze and replied, "Yes."
The thin guard to their left gasped loudly.
"E-Esteemed ascendants," began the plumper guard, bowing as far as his belly would allow before raising his head. "Allow us to escort you to the head of the town of Maerin."
The larger one motioned for us to follow him, and the thinner one trailed behind.
A row of columns towered above us on both sides, each hung with lit candelabras. Upon closer inspection, one could see intricate carvings of what was obviously a basilisk in its humanoid form, before which men and women knelt. Each column told a short story that led to the same message: worship the basilisks.
The doors creaked and groaned as they swung open, and rays of sunlight enveloped the two ascendants. The warm touch of the sun enveloped them like a mother's embrace.
"Um... esteemed ascendants—"
"Shh! They must be meditating or gaining insight!"
When Lucius's eyes adjusted and he could see everything around him, it was... unimpressive, even though he had already read about it.
Single-story brick and lime houses stood in neat rows on both sides of the approximately seven-meter-wide cobblestone street. He could see the residents going about their daily chores, from hanging up laundry to tending to their gardens, while children ran around waving wooden swords wrapped in cloth. There was even a child drawing various doodles on his friend's back with charcoal.
Lucius's eyes continued to dart around as he surveyed this town from the magical world, but he didn't look around for long, as the nauseating stench behind them made his already dissatisfied expression even more sullen.
"Please bear with the stench until we reach the city itself, esteemed ascendant," said the thin guard, noticing how much Lucius's expression had changed. "We are still on the outskirts of the city, so the smell from the outskirts still seeps through the walls."
"And what's on the other side?" Arthur asked out of simple curiosity.
"The vagrants and idlers who were expelled from the city of Maerin either for non-payment of taxes or for committing crimes were all gathered there. Our generous leader allowed them to stay in the area and even take jobs from the city's residents if necessary," explained the larger guard. "It could also be night work, if the esteemed—hey! Sembi!"
"Don't be an idiot, Chumo! Do you really think the esteemed ascendants have so few options that they would sleep with these dirty sluts?"
The two began to argue heatedly, elbowing each other and whispering insults, as if they thought the two Ascendants wouldn't notice.
'I wonder if they rehearsed this scene beforehand,' Regis mused in their mental space, clearly amused.
Tuning out the sound of these idiots, Lucius didn't notice that many of the civilians they and Arthur passed were staring at them until Arthur's thoughts pushed Lucius's more dewy thoughts out of his mind. Some had the decency to pretend they were doing something, while others simply stopped and stared brazenly.
Some of the men looked at them appraisingly, instinctively thrusting out their chests while keeping their heads bowed in respect.
A group of local girls, who were not much older than thirteen, blushed after making eye contact before giggling among themselves. There were also a few older women who could be seen adjusting their blouses to emphasize their breasts and smiling sweetly with an inviting look.
"Look, Chumo! Look how everyone is drooling over the esteemed ascendants. They have a rich selection," boasted a thin guard named Sembi.
"How far is the mayor's office?" Lucius asked with undisguised irritation, giving both of them a cold look.
"Just a few blocks from downtown!" Chumo replied, while both visibly cringed at his gaze.
Houses soon gave way to shop windows as they approached the city center. The cobblestones suddenly branched into four separate roads—one main road and three smaller ones, each leading to multi-level structures of various sizes with large amounts of land surrounding them. This was exactly what Lucius wanted to see from the magical world of the Middle Ages.
"What are these buildings for?" Arthur asked, pulling up the information.
"Ah! These three schools are the pride of the city of Maerin!" Chumo replied breathlessly. "In the one on the left, our children who have received their first mark as shields study, while the larger building is for casters, and the building with the black roof is for our future strikers!"
"Our instructors are all very capable, with coats of arms themselves," Sambi interjected. "And the head instructor of our school of strikers has two coats of arms and once taught in this very city!"
"By the way, you have indeed come at a good time, esteemed ascendants," Chumo said. "Not only is tomorrow the day of initiation, but in a few days, students from neighboring towns will gather here for our annual performance!"
"—endants?"
Lucius turned and saw Sembi, Chumo, and Arthur waiting for him.
"This way, esteemed ascendants," said Sembi, pointing to a domed building with a long portico supported by columns similar in design to those in the building where the portal leading to the main entrance was located.
Once inside, they headed for a counter in the empty building, where a clearly bored young woman was playing with her chestnut hair, pulled tightly into a bun.
Chumo leaned his elbow on the counter. "Hey, Loreni."
"Skipping work again for a snack, Chumo?" Loreni asked, without bothering to look up. "Be careful. You and Sambi seem to be stuck guarding the Hall of Descent. Vritra, honestly, I don't know why the old man bothers to station guards there when no ascendant has come out of that portal in years. If I were him, I would—"
"Um, Loreni?" Sambi interrupted, glancing nervously between Lucius, Arthur, and the girl, who had already begun picking dirt from under her fingernails.
Loreni finally looked up at him with an irritated expression. "Wh—Oh!"
Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as Loreni stood up and adjusted her blouse. "W-Who... are they?"
"They're Ascendants," Chumo whispered, leaning closer.
The girl's eyes widened even more. "Oh Vritra! I apologize for my rude behavior, esteemed Ascendants. We don't have many Ascendants here, so I couldn't imagine that they would appear... oh Vritra, I have to stop talking now. Are you here to meet with the town chief? Of course you are, what a silly question. This way!"
Loreni led them down the hallway, looking back frequently, then turning away nervously as Sembi and Chumo giggled behind her. Lucius and Arthur entered the chief's office, modestly furnished with a desk and two leather couches facing each other, separated by an oval tea table.
"Chief Mason, the leader of our city, will be here shortly. Please make yourselves comfortable while I bring you something to drink!" Lorenie exclaimed, bowing.
Giving them another long 'look', she bowed her head again and practically flew out of the room, while Chumo and Sembi stood guard outside the door.
Taking advantage of the moment to open the window behind him, Lucius breathed in the light breeze that blew in, carrying with it the chatter and sounds from the town square. The laughter of both young and old rang out like tinkling bells.
Lucius Zogratis POV
The brief moment of peace I had enjoyed did not last long, as rapid footsteps approached, growing louder until the door burst open.
I raised an eyebrow when I saw a bear-like man with bulging muscles instead of arms and a long white beard that fell to his broad chest. In my past world, I had only seen such people in cartoons.
Panic reflected on his aged but energetic face, and he immediately fell to his knees with a dull thud. "I deserve death for causing so much inconvenience to the esteemed ascendants! Sembian and Chumorit don't really know what's going on outside this miserable little town, and they didn't mean to offend you, esteemed ascendants. Please have mercy on them, it's my fault for their lack of intelligence."
The big old man turned his head back. "Sembian! Chumorit! Stand up..."
"It's all right," Arthur interjected. "You have no reason to apologize."
Without taking his eyes off the two guards, Arthur smiled slightly. "Chumo and Sembi's pranks were... entertaining, especially after I came out of the relictombs."
I could literally see the elder's body deflate with relief as he knelt. "Thank you for your kindness, esteemed ascendants."
"Please rise," I said, pointing to the sofa in front of me. "Chief Mason, correct?"
"Yes!" he exclaimed.
As he took his seat, it was easy to notice the dirt on his hands.
"Oh! My apologies for my untidy appearance, I was helping with repairs to our coliseum. We are a little behind schedule with the upcoming events," explained the chief, looking at his hands.
"Two of your guards told me about the upcoming performance and dedication in the coming days," Arthur replied.
"Yes! Now it's our town's turn to host the tournament. If the esteemed ascendants wish to attend, we can certainly put up a notice and—"
"That won't be necessary. We plan to leave this place soon," I interjected, taking control of the conversation. "We would leave immediately, but there is something we need here."
"Yes! I will be happy to help in any way I can." The head of the town paused and looked confusedly first at Arthur and then at Lucius. "But I need to check the license and property of the esteemed Ascendants. It's not that I don't believe you are Ascendants, but as the head responsible for overseeing the Descent Hall of this city, I am obliged to check any Ascendant leaving the portal."
Tiredly standing up and turning around, I took off the turquoise cloak worn over my black outfit, unbuttoned the white shirt that was covered in dried blood, and took it off completely, revealing the runes on my back. Arthur simply lifted his shirt so that the runes were barely visible.
I heard the old man inhale sharply as he traced my body with the artifact. "Amazing. I have never seen such complex runes, esteemed ascendants. Three distinct crests and, judging by the complexity of the upper markings, it must be an emblem. Are your runes so similar because you are of the same blood?"
"You can drop the 'esteemed' ascendant," Arthur replied, sitting down.
I sat down on the soft sofa again and replied. "Yes, we are of the same blood, and because of the complementary properties of the runes, we often train together. Unfortunately, we lost our spatial rings, which contained all our belongings, in one of the zones. But I have this."
I took out a white dagger in an embroidered sheath to which was attached the golden insignia of the Highblood Denoir.
"This is..." The chief's eyes widened as he cautiously reached for the dagger as if it were a newborn, his eyes darting from me to Arthur and back to the dagger again and again. "If I am not mistaken, this is the insignia of the Highblood Denoir. Could it be that you are ascendants of their lineage?
"Yes," I lied calmly, watching him examine the dagger.
"That is more than enough to confirm your status, esteemed ascendants," said the chief, handing me the weapon with both hands. "It is a great honor to be in your presence."
"We may not be here long, but please keep this information to yourselves."
"Yes, of course!" The elder nodded vigorously. "My detector shows that you have no relics, so you are clean in every sense!"
"Wait. So this artifact can sense relics?" Arthur asked, leaning forward to get a better look.
"It has a very limited range, but yes," said the city leader, frowning. "Have you never been checked with a detector after your ascents?"
Arthur cleared his throat, feigning embarrassment. "To be honest, it was my first ascent. Due to the difference in strength between my friend and me, I made a serious mistake out of surprise and lost the simulet in the last zone. Fortunately, we ended up in the same place when we came out."
"Oh no," the old man exhaled, clearly interested. "That's terrible. Fortunately, you survived."
The elder's gaze shifted to me. "And your simulet too...?"
"Yes. I had to defend it often, which caused me to sustain quite a lot of damage. Fortunately, we had a lot of elixirs until the moment when a Corallian bit off my finger, which had a spatial ring on it," I said in the laziest tone possible, pointing to my badly torn white and red shirt and torn pants.
Quickly changing the subject, I leaned forward. "But anyway. I know we're in a town called Maerin, but neither I nor my friend have any idea where it is in Alacrya. Do you have a map you're willing to part with so we can get on our way?"
"Maps are quite rare in these parts, but a few weeks ago a traveling merchant came with copies of maps, so I do have some," said the town leader, returning to his desk. "May I ask where you are headed?"
"Aha! Here." The town leader returned and unfolded a large parchment that spread out across the oval tea table. On it was a piece of land that resembled a horned skull with an open mouth and a large curved bulge protruding from the northern edge. Alacrya was divided into five parts by a thick line separating north, east, west, south, and center.
"How far is it to the central domain?" I asked to keep the conversation going, even though I already knew all this.
"Well, since we are at the southernmost point of the eastern domain," he replied, pointing to a small dot on the map. "It will take about five months on foot or about sixty days by carriage."
Studying the map, I pointed to the town marked closest to the town where we were. The town where Arthur and I would have to find the perpetually drunk Uncle Alaric. "And how far is the town of Aramoor from here?"
While I was examining the map in detail, Loreni entered and blushed deeply when she saw my bare chest. "I-I-I'm sorry to disturb you! I-I brought tea and snacks."
"Just in time, Loreni," said the chief. "It seems that our esteemed guests are heading to the city of Aramoor. Prepare a horse and a guide for them. And also new clothes, and for the guest" — he paused for a moment, his gaze resting on my long, tousled hair — "do you need a hairband?"
I nodded, causing my hair, which reached almost to the floor, to sway like a wave.
"It will be done!" Loreni carefully placed the tray on the table and quickly turned away, trying to hide her blushing face, but suddenly stopped. "Ah!"
Arthur and the chief raised their heads.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Loreni whispered. "But perhaps the quickest and most convenient way for the esteemed ascendants to reach Aramoor is to simply wait?"
The chief raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sure you've heard the rumors, Chief Mason, but I only received written confirmation today that a representative from Stormcove Academy will indeed be visiting Maerin to observe and possibly even recruit one of our mage students," Loreni explained.
"Oh!" The town elder snapped his fingers in understanding. "The Stormcove Academy has a temporal warp!"
Just as I was about to explain to Arthur through our mental connection what a temporary warp was, the town leader turned to me excitedly. He had been talking to me most of the time, not ignoring Arthur, but paying more attention to me because I was the one holding the Denoir medallion.
"That's great news! If the esteemed ascendants stay until the representative of the Stormcove Academy arrives, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to take you with them. That way, you can just walk through the temporary gate and immediately find yourself in the city of Aramoor."
Nodding to Arthur, I stood up and looked at Chief Mason. "Thank you for your help. It seems I will have to rely on your hospitality for a few more days."
The city leader jumped to his feet, his wrinkled face radiating excitement. "That's wonderful! There are several houses available for especially esteemed guests! They are probably shabby cottages compared to the estates of the esteemed Ascendants in the Central Domain, but please feel free to use one of them!"
"In that case, I will be under your care," I said, nodding weakly.
"And my name is Lucius, and his," I said, turning my head to Arthur, "his name is Grey."
"Ascendant Lucius of Blood Denoir and Ascendant Grey of Blood Denoir," muttered the town leader as he and Loreni bowed before us. "It is an honor to meet you."
Handing me a map, the town leader asked Loreni to escort us to the villas where we would be staying for the next few days. We walked in relative silence for most of the short walk to the villa, which was on a private driveway near the edge of town. The dirt road led to a secluded spot surrounded by trees, where three single-story houses stood facing each other, each with a lawn separated by a tall white fence.
"You will stay here for the next six days until the exhibition ends. The city leader will notify the representative of the Stormcove Academy of your presence and ask them to take you with them when they travel back to the city of Aramoor on the temporary warp," Loreni said, opening the fence leading to the back house on the left and then opening the fence to the house on the right. "There will be a guard at the gate of the path leading here, and a servant will be sent to you to help you with whatever you need."
"Thank you," Arthur said with a smile. I just nodded, still looking around at this otherworldly place.
"Of course," she replied, handing over the keys. "Do you have any questions for me before I leave you to rest?"
"Just one." I turned, looking past the high brick walls surrounding the city. I saw several hills covered with trees. Beyond those hills lay the southeast coast of Alacria. "You mentioned earlier that mages hunt mana beasts to earn a living. Is it possible to hunt here?"
"Yes! This area is known for its high population of rocavids, which are not native to this part of the country. Their skins are very popular for leatherwork, and their hooves are often used to make tools," she replied, as if reading from a manual. "Why do you ask?"
I rubbed my neck in feigned embarrassment. "We lost most of our belongings during our last ascent, so we need money."
Loreni's eyes widened as she glanced quickly from me to Arthur and back again. "The head of the town can supply you with gold, esteemed ascendants! You don't need to work!"
"Everything's fine," I replied calmly. "I also want to stretch my legs from time to time."
"Ah, as expected of an ascendant. The further north you go into the forest, the stronger the mana beasts become, but please be careful. Most of this area has not yet been explored."
Nodding, I turned to Arthur and nodded again, as if to say that I would find him in a while, and entered the villa, which was modest and minimally furnished, but clean. From an integrated water supply system to even a water pipe, which I did not expect to see in such a magical world, it had everything I needed to relax a little.
After looking around everything from the kitchen to the bedroom, I stepped into the shower, pumping the lever until cold water began to flow from the showerhead.
After washing and changing, I chose brown pants and a black shirt that didn't have a shiny back, and although I wanted to take clothes directly from the system, the feeling of wearing rank fourth clothes was as pleasant as possible, but I didn't have a spatial ring for them, so it would be strange if I appeared in new clothes that weren't from this house. It was also the first time I had the opportunity to take a clear look at myself.
The metal sheet that served as a mirror showed a man in his early twenties, about two meters and five or six centimeters tall, thin but with broad shoulders. Except for the runes running down my back, I had no scars or blemishes on my athletic body. There wasn't a single hair on my body except for my eyebrows, eyelashes, the hair on my head, as if I had just waxed.
Even after more than two weeks, not even a little stubble had appeared on my face, not that I was complaining; I didn't particularly like shaving every day.
The face staring back at me in the mirror was one I still wasn't used to seeing. It was a stern face with sharp, chiseled features. Traces of my old self still remained in me, my eyes were still large, but they seemed colder, and my black hair with a few white strands was so beautiful that any woman would kill for it.
My strange, shiny, long hair was too long, reaching down to my butt.
I put on a black shirt that contrasted sharply with my white skin and walked away, combing my hair back with my hands and gathering it into a neat ponytail.
When I sat down on the sofa facing the window overlooking the fenced yard, I took a breath and a strange thought flashed through my mind. A thought that I already knew but couldn't accept.
"I'm in another world," I sighed quietly.
I knew it even then, when I watched the battle between Arthur Cadell and Nico as if in a bubble, when I woke up with a new body and fought Arthur for training, when we killed the millipede or ran away from the rats.
It was all real, but I still hoped that when I opened my eyes, I would wake up and find myself back in my world, in my bed, and I would get up and stomp to the kitchen where my mom would be diligently preparing breakfast for me and my younger siblings.
But when I came out of the portal and looked around at the area so unlike my former world. Everything here was different, from the people, who were quite short, I think because of the food in these outskirts, to the color of their hair, green, red, blue, yellow—what hair colors I didn't see today.
The buildings, the air, the terrain, the people, the language, even the sky here was different.
And although this world looked beautiful, I am not that kind of person. I had everything: I had a home, a loving mother, two cute younger siblings, I studied well and had a part-time job, and I had two best friends. I didn't want to lose that.
Haaaah..., what a mess.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I slowly stood up, straightening this tall, unfamiliar body. "There's no point in whining. I can't change the fact that I ended up in this world, but I can gather my strength to leave it."
"Even if I curl up into a ball and cry for the rest of my life, it won't help. Only strength will help me return home. Only GodRunes," I finished, looking at the system.
"I need to be braver," I said, taking out a smooth white stone with a rune engraved on it.
The GodRune of Destruction.
All these trials showed that because of the strength of my soul, I am not easily influenced by outside forces. Even a djinn couldn't drag me into the mind space if I didn't want it.
Stroking the white stone, I mentally put it into the system and dragged it into the character slot.
Vivum, also known as the aether of existence, the edict of existence (life), consists of four sub-types or sub-branches of aether: Life, Death, Creation, and Destruction. Immediately, knowledge about the vivium branch, or more precisely, Destruction, appeared in my consciousness, and a familiar feeling flared up in my soul again.
Yes... it was the right decision.
Caution is good, but it should not turn into cowardice. While I have the opportunity, I must be brave enough to do it.
[Body: Four-sided physique (rank seventh), rank eighth]
[Soul: Half-Otherworldly, rank eleventh]
[Intellect: Rank ninth]
[Energy: First layer aether core (rank seventh); rank eighth aether channels]
[Pain Adaptation: Rank ninth]
[Echoes:]
[Rank twelfth GodRune of Destruction x9]
[Rank twelfth keystone]
[Rank eleventh God step x10]
[Rank eleventh fighter talent]
[Rank eighth seed of peace x2]
[Rank eighth aether crystal x9]
[Rank seventh aether core x9]
[Rank seventh aether channels x10]
[Rank seventh four sided physique x9]
[Rank seven mental communication]
[Rank seventh extraspatial storage rune]
[Sixth rank white dagger x13]
[Fifth rank black sword x13]
[Fifth rank aether fruit x13]
[Fourth rank clothing set x13]
[Fourth rank turquoise cloak x13]
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Thirty-five ps -> a new chapter coming tomorrow