Waking from his sleep, Franz was in an extremely dazed state.
He believed he had dreamed of it all. Of course he did. What sane individual would really believe that they had been transmigrated to the world of some random Donghua?
No, I guess it's real. Look at all of those weapons. And the secretary desk! I really am in the Lord of Mysteries world…
Groaning, Franz rubbed his eyes and sat up. One of the first things he noticed was that he was not sore from the day before. Guessing that the stamina and muscle recovery came from the Warrior pathway, he brushed the thought aside and got up from the bed.
Looking around one more time he realized that there was no place to use the restroom. Sighing loudly, Franz left the sanctuary of the cave to go take a piss outside.
After a couple of minutes he came back in and put on some new clothes from the pile in the corner. The clothes looked like they had seen their fair share of use, but comparing them to the rags Franz was currently wearing meant that they were way better.
Franz had put on a dark brown asymmetrical tunic, its seams reinforced and its shoulder layered with rugged cloth strips that gave a slight armor-like feel without the weight. His forearms were wrapped in tight, striped bracers—black over near-black—that resembled both bandages and tribal markings, ending in flared cuffs stitched from coarse leather. A wide belt-corset, ribbed like old bark and secured with rope loops, cinched the tunic to his waist, where a tattered half-skirt draped down in a sharp angle, revealing tightly fitted pants and worn boots built for silence. There was no flourish or unnecessary ornamentation on the clothes, just a brutal feeling of practicality.
Once he had finished sorting out all of his morning troubles, Franz went to the secretary desk once again and flipped open the Book of Beginning and End. He had already read through most of the book and was now just trying to get to a blank page to write some things down. Once he had done so, he leaned back in the chair, "pressed" on his eyes, and called out to the spirits around him.
"Are you guys still around?"
A pause just like usual before one of the spirits responded.
"We are here. What is required of us?"
"I would like to know how long you will remain in this world before going back to my father."
"...Human Greus has perished so we will not be returning to him. We will return back to the spirit world after 2 weeks in human time. Before that, we have agreed to a contract of helping human Peus."
Huh, I guess that guy's dead. I do feel a little sad since the memories of "Peus" and my own memories have fused, but what can I do? 2 weeks though… I can work with that.
"Will you be able to help me with knowledge and mastering of the weapons in this room?" It was obvious to Franz that this world was unforgiving. To survive he would need to raise his strength as much as possible. To do that, it was obvious he had to master fighting techniques.
"…We have been tasked to help human Peus, so we can do that. Human Greus has loaded knowledge of many martial arts, cold weapon knowledge, smelting, weaponsmith, and magical weapon information into us. We can pass that knowledge onto you."
Wow that's like… pretty bad grammar. What language are we even speaking? Actually scratch that, what languages even exist in this world currently? Well that's for later, right now I guess I should figure out what specifically I need to learn.
"Give me a little time before I tell you my decision."
"…We shall give as much time as needed."
Nodding, Franz stopped "pressing" on his eyes and the noises of the spirits faded immediately. Seemingly, it seemed like he was too weak to perceive any spirits naturally.
On the secretary desk in front of Franz lay the infinite long book with a blank page open. It was, if the book was accurate, page number 3816.
Franz had decided that, since he was the owner now, he had to start writing things down in the book. This book was going to be his diary, notes, and research. He will first write about his days. Then what he has discovered about the world. And finally his notes on all the pathways in this world.
The second Leader wrote that, by the village's knowledge, there are 22 pathways in the world. They know that the pathways go up to sequence 0, a true god form. Sequence 1 Beyonders are called Archangels, whilst sequence 2 are Subsidiary gods. Sequence 3 is Saint, and sequence 4 is Demigod.
Whilst Kaiya has notes up to sequence 7 or 6 of many of the pathways, they are missing everything else. The apparent rituals for above sequence 5, formulas, and detailed notes on the abilities are clearly lacking. I will write that instead! If the pathways lead to becoming a god, then this book shall eventually be known as the Book of Blasphemy, the only collection of all the pathways in the world! But first, I have to make my introduction. What language do I use though…
Scratching his chin a little, Franz decided on a language and pulled out one of the pencils from a drawer. He had decided on the ultimate complex language that he knew: Arabic.
'The great Book of Beginning and End has been passed down through generations, finally ending up in my hands. I am not Peus of Kaiya though. I am Franz Jager, a great being from another world! Since this book is in my hands now, I shall give an introduction of myself for anyone else who will read this.
I, Franz Jager, am from Berlin Germany. I was born on July 12th, 1980 and was 39 years old when I was taken to this world. I was a graduate from the Technical University of Munich, having a Masters in Chemistry, Masters in Bioengineering, Bachelors in Food Science and Bachelors in Mythology. But I was not just a student. I was a soldier too! I served 7 years in the Kommando Spezialkräfte as a sniper, getting an honorable discharge after obtaining the Bundeswehr Cross of Honour for Valour.
Once that was done, I went to the US. It's the land of opportunity, where any man can build an empire if they so wished, and I wanted an empire. By the time I was transported here in late 2019, my business of designing exoskeletons for the US military had grown so large my net worth exceeded 300 million dollars!
Hmm, I guess since this is a diary introduction I need to talk about more than just my history. Um… I'm what is called a "savant", someone who can learn something extremely quickly. My savant is in language and memorization, meaning I can learn any language and I have a perfect memory! By the time I arrived here, in LoM, my language repertoire had grown to over 223 languages. What else can I write…?
I mean my hobbies are mythology, tea, cooking, strategy video games, empire building games, trying pastries, and making things in general. I got no wife but I did have a fiancee. The reason I was transported here was probably because I was researching an ancient book from Mongolia, and it made me feel weird and now I'm here… I guess that's it.
Ok, introductions over diary so lets get a move on. I got a lot of shit to learn, and I want to get good at it. Franz 'Clack' Jager signing off.'