Day two in this world began with... a chicken. Yes, a chicken that crowed loudly right outside the guild dormitory window.
"Ugh… doesn't this world have digital alarms?" I groaned, pulling a pillow over my head.
Lilith had been flying around since dawn, doing whatever fairies do in the morning drinking dew or singing weird forest tunes. She zipped in through the window and began circling over my head.
"Wake up! New day, new adventure!"
"Just five more minutes…"
"If you're late, the good quests will be taken."
"You sound like my homeroom teacher…"
After a quick bath and a warm bread breakfast handed out by the guild, I returned to the mission board.
Several other adventurers were already scanning it with focused eyes. Some wore leather armor, others carried staffs or bows. They looked experienced… or at least serious. I instinctively avoided eye contact and stood to the side, pretending to read the quests.
"Hey, look, there's a new guy again."
"You mean the kid who joined yesterday?"
"Yeah, the one who took the cat-finding quest, right?"
"Heh, kinda cute. But surviving a day here is already impressive."
I pretended not to hear and stared at the board, trying to look occupied. But before I could make a decision, a gentle tap landed on my shoulder.
"Excuse me, are you Sato Kenji?"
I turned around. A girl stood there with long jet-black hair tied with a crimson ribbon, wearing a pale green dress and a thin cape. Her eyes were calm black, deep but carried a mystery I couldn't quite place.
"Uh… yeah. I'm Kenji."
She bowed politely. "My name is Liana. I heard you managed to repel a Forest Fang yesterday… is that true?"
"U-uh, yeah… it was more like a lucky fluke though."
She smiled slightly. "I have a request."
We sat at the guild terrace, facing the town square. Lilith had claimed my juice glass as her seat.
"Here's the thing," Liana said, gripping her cloak tightly, "I need someone to accompany me to the old ruins south of the village. I can't go alone, and the locals are too afraid."
"Ruins? Like ancient temple stuff?"
"Yes. According to legend, a magical artifact lies hidden there… but many claim the place is haunted."
Lilith's wings fluttered with excitement. "Haunted? Now that sounds like a real quest!"
I raised a hand. "Wait, why me? I mean, there are way stronger adventurers in the guild."
"Because you helped Granny Mira without expecting anything in return, and you also repelled a Forest Fang," Liana replied calmly.
I fell silent, "So… this is a personal mission?" I asked.
She nodded. "I'll pay you five silver coins. And… I'll also share information about this world. Perhaps it will help you understand why you were summoned to Arselia."
My back straightened. "Wait you know about that!?"
Lilith hovered closer, her expression sharpening. "You're not an ordinary person, are you?"
Liana only offered a faint, knowing smile.
°°°°
The journey south took half a day. We rented a donkey cart to the base of a hill, then continued on foot.
The southern forest felt different quieter, colder.
"Kenji," Lilith whispered, "I feel like something's watching us."
I glanced at Liana, who walked ahead without hesitation.
"Why are you really going to these ruins?" I asked.
She paused for a moment, then said softly, "I'm searching for something important. A truth long hidden from this world."
Lilith muttered under her breath, "This really isn't just a regular quest…"
We arrived at the ruins by afternoon. The broken stone structures were half-swallowed by moss and tree roots. Tall pillars still stood, leaning like ancient sentinels. Strange carvings covered the stone walls.
The central hall was dark and vast. Liana lit a small flame with her magic, casting eerie shadows.
"Have you been here before?" I asked.
"No… but I've dreamed of this place since I was a child."
"And you're sure that's not because you read too many books?"
She chuckled. "If you can end up in another world because of a book, I can believe in dreams too."
As we stepped deeper inside, the air grew colder. Our footsteps echoed on the stone floor. Then whispers. Faint, like voices brushing against the walls.
Lilith hovered closer to me. "I hear it too… there's a spirit here."
Liana stopped in front of an ancient altar.
"This is it." she said. "The artifact is hidden inside."
But before we could do anything, something began to form in the shadows. Black mist gathered in the air, shaping itself into a humanoid figure.
The creature had no face only two glowing red lights where its eyes should be.
"You… shall not take it…"
"What is that?!" I shouted, backing away.
"A guardian spirit," Liana answered. "I'll hold it off. Kenji, help me!"
"Wait! I don't even know how to use magic yet!"
"Use your feelings!" Lilith cried. "Focus on your desire to protect!"
I raised my guild card. Light sparked again. This time, I imagined fire and a small flame formed in my hand.
"Whoa! Fire magic!?"
"Now! Attack while I distract it!" Liana shouted, forming a wall of light between us and the spirit.
I hurled the fireball toward the guardian. It hit, creating a small explosion that scattered the mist. Liana focused her energy into the altar, and a glowing pendant rose from within a floating silver locket pulsing with light.
The guardian howled softly before dissolving into thin mist, vanishing into the walls.
We stood there, panting. "This is it," Liana whispered. "The Soulmark Pendant…"
[Nighttime - On the way home]
The stars above Arselia shimmered brighter than anything I'd seen on Earth. It all felt unreal… and yet, real enough to leave soot on my hands and weariness in my legs.
"Kenji." Liana said quietly. "Thank you. You're more than just a beginner adventurer."
I nodded slowly. "Is that pendant important? Like… is it going to help save the world or something?"
She looked at the sky, her eyes reflecting the stars. "It might. But for now, we take one step at a time."
Lilith yawned. "Maybe tomorrow we'll fight a dragon, huh?"
I lowered my head. "Let's hope not. And if we do… please don't make me go first."
We all laughed. For a moment, this strange new world didn't feel so strange anymore.