3. The First Encounter

Nathanial stood in the center of his group’s white tent without saying a word. It was a simple structure, large enough to fit five men, their belongings, and a narrow row of beds. The air still carried the faint scent of sweat and iron, even though the battle had long since ended.

A plain white shirt clinging loosely to his frame replaced the weight of his iron armor, and a pair of worn brown trousers covered his sore legs. It didn’t feel like home, but compared to the days of being out in the spring rain, it was far better.

For the first time in what felt like days, there was finally some space to breathe. His gaze drifted to his bed only a few steps away. He walked over and sat down on the linen fabric while falling deep in thought. Nathanial felt the frame dip beneath his weight as the fatigue settled in his bones.

But right now he couldn’t sleep. There was still something that bothered him. His eyes shifted to the golden, translucent box in confusion. It followed him everywhere, with the same sentence lingering in the air.

[ Greetings, you have been chosen as a champion of █ █ █ █ █. ]

So far, judging from the reactions of Fredrick and the other members of his platoon, he was the only one who could see the screen.

“What exactly are you?” he muttered.

[ I am the messenger tasked with guiding you through your journey. ]

Nathanial’s eyes shot open. “You… you can respond to me?”

[ Indeed, I am the great almighty messenger. It would be odd for a messenger to not be able to communicate. Some would even say contradictory. ]

Nathanial stared at the packed dirt ground and took a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Should I report this to the church?”

[ That would be ill-advised. ]

He raised a brow. ”Ill-advised?”

Nathanial stared at the messenger, waiting for a response, yet none came. He fell deep into thought, wondering why it didn’t want him to report it to the church.

“Are you… a demon?”

[ Fear not, for I am not a vile creature from the underworld. In fact, you could say I do not exist in any world except for your own. ]

Except… my own?

He had never heard of something like this before in his life, yet now he was experiencing it firsthand. Nathanial stared at the screen. He didn’t know what exactly he was dealing with, and the safest option was to report it to the church. Yet as this thought crossed his mind—the screen glowed once more.

[ Are you certain that’s the best course of action? ]

Nathanial didn’t know.

[ Aren’t you tired of being inadequate? Of having a fate placed upon your shoulders without a chance to defy? ]

“What do you know?”

[ I know that you have a desire to grow stronger. I’ve watched you on the battlefield. You could have run but fought for your friend. ]

“There are many others like that.”

[ That was the first of many requirements. ]

Nathanial stared at his trembling hands, remembering the man he killed and the man who almost killed him. “But… even I know my limits. I’m not strong enough to make it through this damn war, and there’s no telling if I’ll even survive the next skirmish.”

[ That’s right, but not everyone will sacrifice themselves to save their family. Few choose to do so when their end is certain, and that is a quality I fancy. ]

“You… you were watching?”

[ Indeed. You are a candidate to be a champion of █ █ █ █ █ and I am a will that was born from the vow you’ve made in accordance with the system. ]

“A will born from the vow I made under the system…?” Nathanial examined the golden screen. There wasn’t anything special about what he saw. Just a simple border and plain words that seemed as if someone had perfectly assembled the characters. “If I consulted the church, what would happen?”

[ Your candidacy would be terminated and I, the messenger born from your vow, would cease to exist. ]

“And then what would happen? Would this so-called… system find someone else?”

[ Correct. My only purpose is to accelerate your growth for the end times. ]

“What exactly are the end times?”

[ I cannot answer that until you’ve accepted your role. ]

Nathanial stared at the screen. His mind was slowly spiraling. He didn’t understand what exactly he was getting himself into, but if there was one thing he was certain about—it was that this was his chance to survive. This so-called system needed him to grow stronger so that he could kill their enemies. It relied on him to survive, and right now their interests aligned.

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“Very well, I accept.”

[ Excellent choice. I will now begin the integration process. ]

[ System initializing… ]

Nathanial didn’t move a muscle as a golden wisp of energy curled around his body. He felt the warmth brush his fingertips before cradling his limbs. Something was binding itself to his single aura star that resided within the depths of his body. It was a force he could no longer reject, and then, in an instant, a new screen appeared.

***

Status

Name: Nathanial Silverlight

Aura Rank: One star

Titles: Champion of █ █ █ █ █, Levy of the Kingdom

Long-term Mission: Save the world.

Current Mission: ???

Vows: Survive the war so none of those I cherish suffer the same fate.

***

He read the last line with a bitter smile before looking at the messenger’s screen. “Will I really live through this war if I complete your missions?”