The Third Path Pilot

(A/N: Here's a little something I've been working on during my free time to keep my skills from becoming too rusty. Once again, I plan to begin mass-releasing chapters of EPIC and BOOBA once I return. But since it's difficult to maintain a story's pace and narrative when I only have a single day off per week, I wanted to try putting out a story that I've been thinking about for a while. For those of you who have played Radiata Stories on the PS2, this should be a treat. For those of you who haven't, it may just inspire you to do so.)

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Jack didn't consider himself obsessive.

Sure, twenty annual playthroughs of Radiata Stories sounded bad when said out loud, but tradition was different from obsession. Tradition had weight. History. Meaning.

The first time Jack had played Radiata Stories, he was thirteen and furious at the world for reasons he could no longer recall. He distinctly remembered retreating to his room and booting up his PS2 to try out the game his friend had insisted he play, but what had led him to do so was drowned out by what came after.

Following a cutscene, a title card, and a surprisingly intense cutscene of the main character's father defeating a Water Dragon, the game opened to a woman reminiscing before the man's photo. Moments later, a sleepy youth wearing his pajamas backward appeared, questioning if breakfast was ready. Then...

"Jack Russell...!"

Jack nearly dropped his controller.

Same name. Same spelling. Even the messy hair felt like an insultingly accurate caricature. Then, for the first time in weeks, Jack remembered laughing—really laughing...

And that was how it started...

Every summer after that, Jack came back. Not for 100% completion anymore. Not even for the branching routes. He just liked stepping into that other Jack's shoes; the one who was braver, louder, and reckless in ways that felt heroic instead of stupid...

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..

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Twenty years later...

Jack carefully slid the disc of Radiata Stories into the tray of his ancient PS2 with a familiar click. He was in a sullen mood after celebrating yet another birthday alone, but as the timeless JRPG booted and the opening cinematic began, he felt lighter.

After watching the cinematic to its end, Jack habitually selected Continue and booted up his save. He noticed that it took longer than usual, but just as he was about to become concerned, the file loaded, revealing multiple checkmarked save states, with the file in the first slot having a maxed-out play time. This was the file he used when starting his annual playthrough, but this time around, something was different...

- Continue

- Strong from Start

- Convergence of Fates

- Cancel

Jack's thumb froze over the controller.

"That's new..." Jack muttered, leaning forward and squinting at the screen as if proximity might explain the anomaly he was seeing. Radiata Stories had finished development twenty years ago, and unlike modern games, it didn't receive updates. Yet, despite that, there was very evidently a fourth option among those he was used to—shimmering faintly, as if submerged in luminous golden water.

"Convergence of Fates..."

It sat there between Strong from Start and Cancel, as if it had always belonged—as if Jack had somehow overlooked it for twenty consecutive years. There was no way that was the case, so after looking around as if to find the person pranking him, Jack leaned forward, adopted a serious expression, and muttered, "Alright, Radiata Stories... let's see what you've been hiding..."

Jack confirmed his selection. At that exact moment, the music stopped. The screen turned black. There was no loading icon. No comforting hum of nostalgia. Just a heavy, disconcerting darkness that appeared to grow beyond the confines of his computer monitor.

FWOOM

Shattering the momentary lull, something tore through Jack's skull—white-hot and blinding, like someone had grabbed the back of his mind and yanked. Then, icy cold. Followed by a feeling of being crushed at the bottom of an unfathomably deep sea—a pressure so great it suppressed thought itself...

...

..

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Light returned slowly.

Not screen light. Not the artificial glow of a television in a dim room.

Sunlight.

It pressed warmly against Jack's eyelids.

Jack groaned and rolled slightly—his bed creaking beneath him.

Bed?

That wasn't right.

Jack forced his eyes open.

Wooden beams. Rough plaster walls. A small, circular, glassless window with morning light pouring through it. A dresser that looked hand-carved. A practice sword propped in the corner. Disc-like weights chiseled from dense stone littered about, affixed to metal bars.

Jack's heart began to pound.

"This isn't possible..." Jack whispered.

Rising quickly, Jack felt the room tilt sideways. His heart pounded like a drum in both his chest and his ears, but as if they had a mind of their own, his right hand reached out to brace against the wall before he fell.

His hand...

Glancing at his hand, Jack noticed it looked younger, leaner, lightly calloused, and tanned. It wasn't the hand of someone who spent most of their time indoors, slaving away at a desk, and drowning himself in JRPGs for nostalgia and comfort.

Drawn to a cloudy, barely reflective mirror, Jack's eyes widened to their limits. Within the reflection, a young and handsome boy stared back at him—brown hair that refused to lie flat, earnest brown eyes, and a jawline that hadn't finished deciding whether it wanted to be sharp or soft.

Jack knew the face better than his own. It had infinitely more polygons and had lost most of its cartoonish flair, but it was unmistakably a face he knew.

"Jack Russell..." Jack muttered, his stomach dropping, and a sensation akin to an icy chill permeating his body.

"Okay..." Jack breathed, touching his chest with his right hand as he muttered to himself, "This has to be a dream..."

tok tok

A knock came at the door.

"Jack? Are you awake?" questioned a female voice.

The voice hit Jack harder than the reflection in the mirror had. And before he could collect himself, the door opened without mercy, followed by the entrance of the voice's owner.

Adele Russell.

Jack's sister.

For a moment, Jack couldn't speak.

Adele simultaneously looked exactly as Jack expected and far beyond—with brown hair pulled back in a practical braid, an apron dusted in flour, and brown eyes, bright with a mix of affection and exasperation.

'She's gorgeous...' Jack thought, experiencing a wave of guilt, as, even if he was dreaming, the person before him was his sister.

"You're quiet," Adele noted, tilting her head.

"Sorry. I'm just…thinking..." Jack responded, returning his gaze to the mirror and the reflection staring back at him.

Adele studied Jack for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly as she asked, "Nervous about the Selection Trials?"

The words landed like a hammer.

Right.

The Radiata Knight Selection Trials.

The first event the player was forced into before gaining the ability to explore and make decisions for themselves.

Jack had replayed the current moment more times than he could count. In the game, this was the day his game counterpart left his village and headed to Radiata City to become a Knight—following in the footsteps of his legendary father.

Cairn Russell—the Dragonslayer...

"You're behaving strangely. Don't tell me you're feeling sick, today of all days..." Adele commented, approaching and cupping the sides of Jack's face before inspecting him like a Doctor.

Heat crawled up Jack's neck.

"Strange how?" Jack asked, a fluttery feeling permeating his chest as he couldn't help but take note of Adele's smell. Alongside an aroma of freshly baked bread, a faint, floral scent tickled his nose.

"You seem panicked but more...present?" Adele noted, a sisterly smile adorning her face as she teased, "It's like you've finally realized you're about to leave home. Once you do, you won't have me to clean up after and cook for you."

Jack let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He was sure he was dreaming, but that didn't prevent him from feeling relieved that Adele hadn't seen through him.

"Yeah..." Jack responded cautiously. "Something like that..."

"You'll be fine, Jack. You've been dreaming about and preparing for this day since before you could walk. Now, hurry up, wash your face, and get changed. You don't want to set out on an empty stomach," Adele stated, punctuating her words with a playful pinch to Jack's cheek.

"Right... I'll be out in a moment..." Jack responded, feeling embarrassed and more than a little anxious. The more time that passed, the harder it was to convince himself he was dreaming. Thus, the moment Adele left him be...

SMACK

Pain. Heat. Tenderness...

Touching his cheek, which began to swell slightly after he gave it a firm smack, Jack's head emptied.

Silence.

Tension.

"This isn't a dream..." Jack realized. He wasn't sure how it was possible, especially with the world around him seeming to have a cel-shaded filter applied, but what he was experiencing was real.

THMP

As if to reward him for accepting reality, a leather-bound book fell onto the bed next to Jack. He was certain it hadn't been there before, so after a moment's hesitation, he picked it up and inspected it.

A worn, red-brown leather cover. A familiar symbol of three triangular A's on the front. Faded yellow pages that seemed to have been purposefully stained with coffee. A frayed, golden-quilled pen that looked as though it had seen better days.

Opening the book, Jack paused, the muscles in his jaw going slack as he immediately recognized what he was looking at.

"It's a menu..." Jack muttered. He didn't understand how, but the first page he turned to was the same menu he had seen thousands of times while playing Radiata Stories.

A rudimentary clock in the top left corner.

Icons that resembled a trio of people standing in a descending queue, a box for storage, a book, a map, and three sheets of paper stacked on top of one another.

"There's no Memory Card icon..." Jack noted—his stomach feeling heavy all over again.

With nothing happening as he tried touching the icons with his index and middle fingers, Jack tried turning the page. There was a slight resistance, but the moment he got the corner to turn, the page flipped the rest of the way on its own.

"So these are my stats..." Jack muttered. On the second page were his name, a tiny profile picture of his face, and, most importantly, a list of values indicating his current Level, his Experience, and the amount he needed to reach the next Level. Below that was a pale red bar denoting his HP, four values for his Strength, Defense, Evasion, and Luck, and his presently equipped Skill.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Jack Russell

Lvl: 1

Exp: 0

Left: 70

HP: 132/132

STR: 87 EVA: 65

DEF: 89 LCK: 85

[Equipped Skill]

Tri-Emblem: ☆☆☆☆☆

--------------------------------------------------------------

Seeing Tri-Emblem listed as his Skill, providing him +50 to all of his stats, Jack's eyes flashed. In a typical playthrough, you started the game with Luck Plus at a single star, granting +3 Luck. Tri-Emblem was a post-game reward received for defeating the game's most formidable Boss, the fairy-like Ethereal Queen.

'If I have Tri-Emblem, I should have other things that carry over when I choose the Strong from Start option...' Jack determined. Unfortunately, his efforts to select his Equipment slots, listed on the third page above his current Attack pattern, were unsuccessful.

Returning to the first page, Jack's eyes lit up when he looked to where his current Dagol total was listed. Dagol, the currency of Radiata Stories, was one of a handful of values that were preserved when starting a new game with the Strong from Start option. And since he possessed a master save with a maxed-out time clock...

9,999,999D.

'At least I won't have to worry about money...' Jack thought—a broad, increasingly excited smile adorning his face. 9,999,999 Dagols was the maximum amount that players of Radiata Stories could amass. And with the most expensive item he could think of costing a comparably meager 51,000D, he might be set for life.

"Set for life..." Jack muttered, his pupils contracting in realization. Radiata Stories had been his retreat—his comfort zone for nearly two-thirds of his life. But did he really want to live within it? And, if not, what choices did he have?

Aphelion...

Quasar...

Genius...

Dragon Lair Cave...

The Ethereal Queen...

Though exposing himself to them could be perilous, Jack made a quick mental list of figures who might be able to aid him if he chose to return to his original world and life. The Ethereal Queen, in particular, was basically a God. If he could survive and grow strong enough to meet her, she might be able to send him back—or possibly even to other worlds.

"In other words, I need to become strong..." Jack determined, his eyes flashing and an irrepressible smile blooming across his face as he held up and clenched his right hand into a fist. He already felt more powerful than he had ever been. But with 98 Levels to obtain and stats that could reach as high as 999 within the game, Jack knew he was barely at the starting line.

It felt...exhilarating...

...

..

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After locating his clothes, stored in a large wooden chest, Jack emerged from his room and instinctively looked around.

The home Jack shared with his sister was small, worn down, and entirely comprised of wooden planks that smelled of mildew. All the furniture was similarly made of wood, including a bed covered in hide blankets, several crates, and a wash basin with a grated metal rack used for hand-washing clothes. And to his right was a cooking station with two wood-fed stoves and a brick-formed hearth and chimney.

"I was beginning to think you had gone back to bed. Come, sit down, and eat. You'll need your strength if you're going to perform well in the Knight Selection Trials," Adele remarked, seated at a slab of split tree trunk that functioned as their dining table, its legs little more than rough cylindrical wedges hammered into place.

'First chance I get, I'm hiring a group of carpenters to give this place an extreme makeover,' Jack thought, outwardly smiling as he replied, "Sorry if I worried you. And thanks for breakfast."

"Are you really my Jack? Since when were you so polite...?" Adele asked incredulously.

"I can't stay a kid forever," Jack responded, taking his seat and glancing down at his would-be breakfast. It looked like oatmeal, but it had an egg on top of it and tiny cubes of lightly charred, bright red meat.

"You're behaving really strangely," Adele asserted, her sharp brown eyes narrowing as if she were attempting to see through her younger brother's flesh to the Jack inhabiting it.

"That's because, after today, I'm no longer Jack Russell of Solieu Village," Jack stated, scooping up a wooden spoonful of the savory-smelling gruel before him and declaring, "I'm Jack Russell, noble Knight of the Kingdom of Radiata!"

"That's assuming you don't get beaten in your first match," Adele quipped, leaning forward with her elbows on the table and her chin resting atop her folded hands.

"You're not the only one who's been training to become a Knight," Adele reminded. "And since there are no rules prohibiting people from trying out multiple times, a lot of the people who show up for the selection trials are veterans of past trials."

"Yeah, veterans who lost," Jack countered, doing his best to convey the smugness of a boy in his mid-teens. The body he was inhabiting was only sixteen. And the personality of the original Jack was honest, naive, a little slow, and exceedingly self-confident. It was a good thing he was leaving that morning, or else Adele would have unquestionably noticed he was a different person.

"Mhmmm. Just make sure you don't lose and come crawling back to the village in tears. We're counting on you to earn money in the city and send it back to us, Jack. Don't forget that..." Adele reminded, exhaling from her nose in faint exasperation.

'That's news to me...' Jack thought. He had played Radiata Stories dozens of times and read both versions of the manga. None of those mentioned Jack earning money to send back to his village. But instead of questioning it, he offered a curt, "I know..." before raising his hand-carved bowl to his lips and gulping down its contents.

The flavor was unlike anything Jack had experienced. It wasn't oatmeal. It wasn't eggs. It wasn't anything he could put a name to.

But his body knew it.

Past the smokiness and salt, there was something warm beneath it. And after a moment, the tension that had been coiling in Jack's chest since he awoke finally loosened. Then he realized what it was...

It was the taste of home...

...

..

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'She's stronger than she looks...' Jack noted, his heart racing in his chest and his pupils dilating slightly as Adele picked up and presented to him a broad-bladed, one-handed sword. It had a brass hue, a shimmering silver edge, and was nearly as thick as his thumb, but Adele was able to hold it as if it were as light as a feather.

"This is your father's legendary sword, the Arbitrator. From today on, it will be your responsibility to care for and keep it safe..." Adele stated, her expression and tone serious.

"I understand..." Jack responded, his hand trembling as he ran his right index finger along the Arbitrator's smooth, almost stony surface.

"You're definitely behaving strangely..." Adele noted, her clear brown eyes narrowing.

Shaking his head, Jack accepted the Arbitrator and contended, "I can't be a kid forever..." with a solemn expression and tone.

"Oh, please. Grow some hair on your chest or chin. Then you can act like an adult..." Adele retorted, exhaling from her nose and ruffling Jack's hair with her right hand.

'Speaking of chests...' Jack thought, his gaze fixing on the slight gap in Adele's medieval-esque blouse. The Adele before him was markedly more well-endowed than her video game counterpart. He felt guilty for stealing a glance, but the sight was too tempting to ignore.

"You should get going if you don't want to miss the wagon into the city. It won't wait for you," Adele stated, removing her hand from Jack's head and cupping the sides of his face as if to get one final look at him.

Noticing Adele's concern, Jack couldn't help but smile, his expression and tone sincere as he grabbed her left wrist and remarked, "I'll be okay, Sis. Just wait and see."

"I'm more concerned that you'll get into trouble or offend someone you shouldn't..." Adele sighed, pinching Jack's left cheek before releasing his face and turning away from him. In the game, her presenting Jack with his father's sword was their final interaction before the two parted ways. As a result, the current Jack was confused to see her transition over to a large wooden crate.

'Oh, wow...' thought Jack, his gaze instinctively drawn to Adele's backside as the mature beauty bent over to fish around for something in the crate's bottom. Adele was modeling a full-length brown dress with a hand-sewn white hem and ruffle, but the corset-like structure of her blouse made the heart-shaped contours of her bottom impossible to disregard.

"Here it is. I can't imagine you needing it anytime soon. But if you're going out of your way to play the part of a proper adult, you should be prepared for anything..." Adele remarked, rising to her full height and turning to face Jack with what appeared to be an old jewelry box in hand.

"What's this...?" Jack asked, accepting the box with a curious, confused look.

"It's a jewelry box that used to belong to our mother..." Adele answered plainly, a faint, nostalgic smile adorning her face as she met Jack's gaze and added, "If you encounter a girl that you're willing to risk your life to protect, present this to her. The jewelry within may be a little plain. But if they genuinely care for you, they won't care about its value..."

"Sis..." Jack muttered, a wave of shame washing over him as he looked down at the small but heavy box of jewelry. As he did, he couldn't help but think of Ridley, the main heroine of Radiata Stories. He couldn't see himself following the same path as the original Jack. But, if nothing else, he wouldn't allow her to suffer.

"Alright. It's time for you to go," Adele asserted, positioning herself behind Jack and forcing him toward the door. Jack was a little taken aback by her actions, but he didn't resist. Instead, his eyes widened as he was rather unceremoniously shoved into a clearing lined by compacted, yellow-hued dirt.

'This is Solieu Village...?' Jack asked himself, his head and eyes scanning from left to right. In the game, Solieu Village consisted of maybe four or five houses, closely packed together. In reality, his and his sister's home was at the end of a long dirt road, lined by patches of farmland. He could see many other houses and farms in the distance, but the nearest was at least a football-field-sized pasture away...

"What are you waiting for!? Hurry and go...!" Adele shouted, giving Jack a firm shove between his shoulders.

'Go where...?' Jack asked himself, staring back at the stern-faced, hands-on-hips Adele with feelings of aggrievement. He knew he was supposed to ride a wagon into the city, but he had no idea where he was meant to meet its owner.

"What? Don't tell me you need me to walk with you...?" Adele questioned, crossing her arms.

Reacting quickly, Jack grinned and retorted, "Is there something wrong with me wanting to spend just a few more moments with my beautiful big sister before I leave for the city?"

"Beautiful big sister? Me...?" Adele questioned, her stern frown replaced by a clearly befuddled look. Her Jack regularly teased her about the fact that she hadn't met a man despite her age, so she was completely caught off Guard by the ostensibly playful retort.

"Just walk with me for a bit, okay...?" Jack asked, his expression relaxing into an earnest, slightly pleading look.

"..."

Though she couldn't help but think that Jack was behaving strangely, Adele ultimately stepped out of their shared, notably rundown cottage and locked the door behind her. Then, facing Jack, she hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to walk alongside him.

"There's definitely something different about you..." Adele remarked, her voice low and her gaze fixed forward, avoiding Jack's gaze as he peered at her from the side.

"Mmn...it's like I'm a completely different person..." Jack affirmed, looking ahead as Adele turned her head to stare at him with narrowed, perceptive eyes. The look on her face gave the impression she had much to say. But instead of pressing him, her gaze shifted to the sword and worn rucksack on his back. Then, without saying anything, she walked with him until they reached a surprisingly large brick-and-mortar wall that ostensibly circled the village—where multiple wagons of grain and produce were waiting to depart as a convoy...

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Though he had to share his wagon with several spotted pigs that were being transported for slaughter, Jack couldn't help sporting a broad smile as he watched the scenery pass—vast forests and farmland that spanned the horizon. There were people he felt beholden to in his previous life, but rather than pondering how he might return, he found himself considering how he could make the most of his current situation...

crunch

While biting into the sour flesh of a Life Berry, which resembled a large, slightly green apple, Jack quietly weighed the pros and cons of sticking to the story he knew and deviating from it. If he adhered to the story he was familiar with, he would theoretically be able to ensure the most favorable outcome for himself. On the other hand, both story paths he was familiar with involved imperiling the main heroine, Ridley, and having her fuse with the spirit of an Elf...

As much as Ridley had grated on him during his first playthrough, Jack had a soft spot for Radiata Stories' spoiled, princess-like heroine. He had no intention of pursuing her, but if he simply stood back and allowed her to become a sacrifice in some grand scheme of the Gods, he wouldn't be worthy of the opportunity he had been given.

'With my current stats, I should be able to triumph in the Knight Selection Trials with ease...' Jack thought, glancing down at the leather-bound book that served as his system interface. He had no frame of reference for how powerful the denizens and monsters of the world of Radiata Stories were in a realistic setting. But three things he did know were the Levels, base stats, and growth rates of virtually every character that could be recruited in the game.

'Right now, I'm not far behind Ridley when she rejoins the Party after the timeskip. That means I'm about as strong as a Level 25 with a medium to high rate of growth...' Jack noted, his gaze shifting to the fruit in his hand. His Health had yet to increase, so he had yet to confirm if consuming the Berries in his Inventory would bolster his stats. He was also getting fuller as he ate, so even if they did boost his stats, it would realistically require weeks to consume his current stock.

+1

Just as Jack was beginning to have doubts, his HP total increased from 132 to 133. On the other hand, his current HP had dropped from 132 down to 129, implying that it was tied to his stamina, not just his vitality. In other words, his HP would decrease throughout the day and would likely require regular rest and nourishment to remain full.

'Not ideal, but I can definitely work with it...' Jack thought, the edges of his lips curling upward. His greatest advantage at present, aside from his capped-out Dagols, Berries, and Skills, was that he was Level 1. This gave him tremendous room for improvement. Sure, he might not have the talent or aptitude of the original Jack. But so long as he made an effort, he could theoretically reach the pinnacle of the verse with pure stats.

'Assuming I survive that long...' Jack mused, taking another bite out of his Life Berry. Radiata Stories was silly, charming, and full of slapstick humor as a game, but he wasn't so naive as to believe that would be the case in a realistic setting. More than a few characters died in Radiata Stories, and if he overestimated himself or made an error in judgment, he could easily become one of them.

With such thoughts vying for position in his mind, Jack continued to snack on Berries while pondering his future and marveling at the sheer scope of his new setting. The world before him was much bigger than it was in the game. And along the road, there were what appeared to be power lines of some sort, periodically crackling with electricity. There was very clearly a lot he had to learn about his new environment, but that didn't discourage him in the slightest. Rather, knowing there was more for him to experience and learn about his favorite setting filled him with anticipation...

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..

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"In the birth cry of the cosmos, the twin eyes awake. Above us they shine, the world made safe for our sake. The forests, they flourish. The towers grow high. The four lights shine down. Chaos withers and dies. But imbalance grows. Forests grow dark. This is our doom. The towers break the sky. Here come the Dragons to bring it down..."

Though he had never been particularly poetic, Jack couldn't help but recite the words that appeared during the opening of Radiata Stories. As for the reason, it was due to the massive, mountain-like city that loomed in the distance.

In the game, Radiata City had approximately 300 unique NPCs. Its central fortification, Radiata Castle, towered over the rest of the city, but it wasn't particularly grand.

In reality, Radiata City was a multi-tiered metropolis that reminded Jack of modern cityscapes, albeit with buildings of wood and stone in place of metal. He didn't know its exact population, but he imagined it numbered in the hundreds of thousands. And at its heart, piercing the sky like the head of a spear, stood Radiata Castle—red-brown and white-trimmed against a backdrop of cerulean blue.

"It's a lot more intimidating in person..." Jack muttered, his excitement from earlier in the day having settled from a nearly seven-hour wagon ride. He knew this because his ornate, leather-bound tome had a built-in clock.

While wondering how he was supposed to navigate his way to the castle, Jack took stock of the hundreds of power lines feeding into the city from all directions like the threading of a spider's web. And as the wagon he was in drew closer, he got his first view of the vast chasm that encircled the city.

'This feels more steampunky than fantastical...' Jack noted, focusing his gaze on the many pipes and massive drains that lined the chasm and fed wastewater into murky, polluted waters. The game didn't make it obvious, but Radiata City appeared to be situated on an island, encircled by a river that fed into the sea. The chasm that surrounded it was easily fifty meters deep and hundreds of meters wide—forcing travelers to cross one of four well-fortified bridges to enter and exit the city.

"Wagon check...!"

Unlike in the games, where the player character was able to enter and exit the city freely, Jack wasn't particularly surprised when the convoy he was traveling with was forced to stop before crossing what he assumed to be the Echidna Gate. There, dozens of well-armed, heavily armored guards in full, rose-tinted plate carefully checked everyone attempting to enter the city.

"Just in case..." Jack muttered to himself, tapping the icon denoting his Dagols. Doing so caused a two-dimensional, ostensibly hand-drawn keypad to appear, allowing him to enter the number of Dagols he wished to withdraw.

Though Adele hadn't mentioned it, Jack assumed there would be a tax or fee levied on anyone trying to enter the city. He didn't know how much it was, but he presumed that 1,000 Dagols—appearing as a faded green bill with the face of a mustachioed man on the face—would be enough.

With such thoughts in mind, Jack dismounted his wagon, set his rucksack on the ground, and patiently waited for the guards to approach him with a relaxed smile. His wagon was the eighth in a convoy of nine, but he didn't have to wait too long as a group of six halberd-wielding guardsmen made a beeline for the back and final wagon.

"You there, boy. For what reason have you traveled to the Royal Capital?" asked one of the guards, a tall and markedly burly man whose face was concealed behind a grill-like faceplate. He approached Jack with another, much shorter Guard—who notably made his way around to Jack's back as if to block his escape.

"My name is Jack Russell, Sir. And I'm here to take part in the Radiata Knight Selection Trials," Jack answered, adopting a broad smile and doing his best to appear as unassuming as possible.

"The Selection Trials? A wet-behind-the-ears brat like you...?" asked the Guard, his tone suffused with doubt as he tilted his head to the side and slowly scanned Jack from top to bottom.

"I know, right...?" Jack asked, exhaling a soft chuckle before contending, "I doubt I'll make it into the Knights on my first try, but I figured there was no harm in giving it a go. If nothing else, it will help me know what level I need to be at before I try again."

"That's surprisingly well-reasoned for a peasant," remarked the Guard, a hint of humor tinging his tone before he commanded Jack to empty his pockets and open his rucksack for inspection. During this, Jack couldn't help but notice that neither Guard paid attention to his tome—as if it were completely invisible to their eyes...

...

..

.

Though the sky had started to darken by the time he entered the city, Jack had no trouble navigating its snaking, cobblestone-lined streets. Every few meters, an antiquated-looking street lamp cast warm yellow light that seemed to hold back the evening's chill. And though the sun had started to set, the streets were busy, lined with people of various shapes and sizes moving from place to place or purchasing goods from the many stores he passed.

'This feels more and more surreal by the moment...' Jack thought, unable to prevent a smile from gracing his face as he scanned his surroundings with wide, glistening eyes. So much of the city was familiar to him, but the number of people and the scale were on a completely different level from what he experienced playing the game.

do do do de do

da da dah do de do

As Jack continued making his way down one of Radiata's main streets, a winding road that took him past a massive, walled-off, spire-lined castle, a familiar sound pricked his ears. He recognized the former as the Vareth Magic Institute, a place where the magically inclined gathered to study all manner of Magic, including the creation of flesh golems and Necromancy. As for the sound, it originated from a gaunt man with a pallid complexion, a skull-like face, and dull grey hair in a spiky mohawk. Silver blueblocker glasses concealed his eyes, and though most passersby ignored him, the man was fully immersed in the guitar he was playing.

'I know that guy...' Jack noted, recognizing the skeletal man as one of Radiata Stories' 176 recruitable characters, Ernest. As one of the earliest characters that could be recruited, he wasn't particularly useful. But the sight of him caused Jack's heart to quicken and the smile on his face to broaden.

'This is really happening. All the characters I've come to know over the years—they're actually real, living people now...' Jack mused, feeling like a child in a toy store. He doubted it would be as easy to recruit living people as he did NPCs in the game, but that didn't stop his mind from racing with possibilities.

With such thoughts in mind, Jack stopped to listen to Ernest's upbeat music for a few minutes before tipping the man with a large golden coin. He briefly considered sticking around to speak with the man after he was finished playing, but he really needed to find a place to stay before it got too dark.

Unlike the game, where the playable version of Jack was shown entering the city and then immediately arriving at the venue of the Knight Selection Trials, the current Jack had to procure lodgings and wait two days for the event to begin. This gave Jack more time to consume his stat-enhancing foods and familiarize himself with both his book-based system and body, but it was considerably less convenient.

'At least I have plenty of money on hand...' Jack thought, choosing to venture into the fairly affluent district known as the Blue Town of Water and Wisdom. As the district closest to the Vareth Magic Institute, it was where most of the city's Mages, Alchemists, and Merchants lived. This made it rife with storefronts and, most importantly, a multitude of inns, hostels, and highly secure dormitories.

'Mmn...I'll need to purchase some better clothes and equipment...' Jack noted, maintaining his smile despite the numerous frowns and looks of suspicion he received while making his way through the district. With few exceptions, everyone he passed was attired in robes or expensive-looking clothing that wouldn't have looked out of place at a Renaissance Fair. His clothes, on the other hand, were noticeably worn.

"Ugh...what a dreadful stench..."

Hearing the comment of a middle-aged woman with purple, almost heart-shaped hair, her body attired in a dark purple dress and several pieces of jewelry, Jack's brows perked. It hadn't occurred to him, as the aroma had been strangely tolerable as he rode alongside them, but he had just spent the past several hours riding in a wagon with livestock. His nose appeared to filter out the smell, likely because the original Jack grew up alongside pigs and cattle. But to the average person, he probably smelled like a mix of feces and moist, moldy hay.

'Alright, so, lodgings first. And then a bath...' Jack determined, giving the aforementioned woman a friendly smile and wave. She visibly recoiled in response, but, rather than feeling ashamed or self-conscious, Jack found himself chuckling in amusement. If he had received such a reaction in his previous world, it would have bothered him for the remainder of the day—if not much longer. Now, alongside his body feeling lighter, stronger, and packed to the brim with energy, he felt that nothing could ruin his mood or break his spirit...

...

..

.

After locating an innkeeper who didn't immediately refuse his patronage due to his smell, Jack paid the man handsomely for the use of one of his rooms and a shower. It was a little awkward, as the showers were in one shared space—with thin wooden doors for privacy. But the water was hot, and the stench from the attached toilets was mostly obscured by incense and cleaning agents.

"Haaaaaaaaaa..."

With his body cleaned and attired in brown-and-white patchwork-lined pajamas, Jack fell backward onto his surprisingly comfortable bed with an audible parumph. The room was somewhat stuffy when he first entered it, lacking central heating and cooling. But once he opened a window and let some of the cool evening air in, the temperature dropped to a comfortable level within minutes.

"I'm not even a little tired..." Jack noted aloud, his gaze fixed on the web-adorned rafters overhead. The inn he was staying in wasn't the best in the area, so there were quite a few cobwebs and, within the darkest corner of the ceiling, a black and gold spider the size of a child's fist could be seen staring back at him.

sft

After lying motionlessly for several minutes, Jack sat up and extended his right hand toward his antiquated-looking tome. He had previously set it on the wooden nightstand next to the bed. And in response to him extending his hand, it came flying toward him.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Jack Russell

Lvl: 1

Exp: 0

Left: 70

HP: 132/132->108/162

STR: 87->89 EVA: 65->67

DEF: 89->91 LCK: 85->87

[Equipped Skill]

Tri-Emblem: ☆☆☆☆☆

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Mmn...my Experience hasn't increased since this morning. That must mean I have to actively battle things to increase my Level..." Jack noted aloud, his expression turning serious and thoughtful. Back in his previous world, he wasn't exactly a fighter. Now, presuming he followed the path of the original Jack, he would soon find himself having to face attacks from a variety of weapons—wielded by people who seriously intended to harm or kill him.

"But it's not like I can avoid fighting entirely...not if I want to have control over my fate..." Jack muttered somberly. At the same time, he pressed on his Tri-Emblem Skill, causing a list of many more Skills to appear.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Strength Plus: Increases STR by 20.

Defense Plus: Increases DEF by 20.

Evasion Plus: Increases EVA by 20.

Luck Plus: Increases LCK by 20.

Max HP Plus: Raises HP by 300.

Prevent Poison: Prevents Poison.

Prevent Paralyze: Prevents Paralysis.

Prevent Blind: Prevents Blind.

Prevent Freeze: Prevents Freeze.

Prevent Blaze: Prevents Blaze.

Prevent Petrify: Prevents Petrify.

Prevent Curse: Prevents Curse.

Prevent Confuse: Prevents Confusion.

Prevent Bind: Prevents Blinding.

Prevent Steal: Prevents Stealing.

Stop Afflictions: Increase resistance to all afflictions based on LCK.

Fire Defense: Decrease damage from Fire Attacks by 50%.

Water Defense: Decrease damage from Water Attacks by 50%.

Wind Defense: Decrease damage from Wind Attacks by 50%.

Earth Defense: Decrease damage from Earth Attacks by 50%.

Status Cure: Automatically recover from afflictions.

Auto Cure: Restores 10 HP at regular intervals.

Fighting Spirit: Increases Volty gain by 100%

Nine Lives: Resists death in a pinch. 10% chance to survive fatal damage.

100t Body: Resists knockdowns and counterattacks.

Complete Defense: Zero damage during Guard.

Fierce Defense: Resists guard breaks.

Colossal Power: Improves ability to knock foes down, bypassing their defenses.

Iron Link: Decreases the chance of Link Breaks occurring.

Absorb HP: Recover 10% of the damage you deal as HP.

Full Power - Increases the strength of Volty Blasts. 50% damage bonus to Volty Blasts.

Berserker: Increases strength, but attacks can damage allies as well. +40 to STR.

Bad Carrier: Gives afflictions to foes when attacking. 1.5x based on LCK.

Sharp Edge: Increases the chance of critical hits by 50%.

King of Day: Increases all parameters during the day. +25 STR, DEF, EVA, LCK, and HP.

King of Night: Increases all parameters at night. +25 STR, DEF, EVA, LCK, and HP.

Save Volty: Decreases the amount of VP use. 30% less VP used.

Tri-emblem: Increases all parameters. +50 STR, DEF, EVA, LCK, and HP.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"I'll need to do some testing, but some of these have the potential to be outright broken in the context of the real world..." Jack muttered, focusing on Skills such as Auto-Cure, Status Cure, Absorb HP, Complete Defense, and, of course, Tri-Emblem. The latter was objectively the best in terms of pure stats, but given how HP appeared to be linked to stamina, Auto-Cure had the potential to make him inexhaustible.

"Ugh..."

Deciding to put its effect to the test, Jack made Auto-Cure his active Skill. The moment he did, he felt like all the blood and warmth had drained from his body, leaving him feeling cold and numb. He could still move, but even raising his hand to flex his fingers felt like it required great effort.

"So this is what it feels like to have my parameters and HP abruptly cut by two-thirds. I'll need to be cautious of when and where I swap Skills in the future..." Jack muttered. Fortunately, the icy numbness that had pervaded his body didn't last. And, as he checked his status, he noticed that his HP, which had temporarily dropped to 58/112, was recovering ten points every five or so seconds.

"Yeah, this is ridiculous..." Jack muttered, unable to prevent a broad smile from gracing his face. The loss of Tri-Emblem's stats left him considerably weakened. But since the healing of Auto-Cure occurred on a fixed cycle, it meant that, so long as he had life in him, he could theoretically make a full recovery within minutes.

"Only one way to find out..." Jack mused aloud, shifting his gaze to the Arbitrator's silver edge. His body immediately filled with tension, but since he needed to know for sure how his Skills and stats work, he stood up and made his way over to it.

shhhnk

Taking care not to apply too much pressure, Jack braced the now heavy Arbitrator with his right hand and ran the back of his left forearm along its length. The ease with which it cut through his flesh was disturbing, but he surprisingly felt little pain—mostly heat.

"Forget ridiculous. This is insane..." Jack muttered, watching with awe as his flesh mended itself nearly as quickly as he formed a cut. The blood he shed didn't magically disappear, but when he wiped it away, all that could be seen of the original wound was a pale, nearly imperceptible scar.

"So it doesn't fully repair the damage. That's significant..." Jack muttered thoughtfully. The presence of the scar suggested that Auto-Cure boosted his natural healing to an absurd degree. But as humans weren't capable of healing missing limbs and the like, Auro-Cure could actually work against him if it caused his wound to close—precluding any possibility of surgical or magical reattachment.

"I guess that means it will be most useful as a training aid or outlasting my opponents..." Jack mused, flexing the fingers of both hands open and closed. He was slowly getting used to the feeling of his weakened body, and with his HP full, he felt as refreshed as if he had just awoken from a long, revitalizing nap.

Deciding to put his theory regarding HP being linked to stamina to the test, Jack lowered himself onto his stomach and began doing push-ups. He could feel his biceps strain slightly from the exertion, but no matter how many he performed, he never felt like he was nearing his limit. This remained true even after he exceeded one hundred, so, with his theory all but proven, Jack opted to spend the evening exercising and familiarizing himself with his new, powerful, and young body...

...

..

.

"Oh? It's morning already...?"

Noticing that the view outside his window had started to illuminate, Jack, shirtless and covered in sweat, made his way over to look out from it with a satisfied smile. His stamina replenished faster than he could use it, but the prolonged exertion left him sweating to the point it appeared he had just stepped out of a shower.

"Oh, man...that feels good..." Jack mused aloud, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of the cool morning breeze against his warm, slightly ruddy flesh. He had never enjoyed exercising in his previous life, but now that he had functionally limitless stamina and a body that moved like a well-oiled machine, he felt incredible.

grrrrrrngh

"Time to eat," Jack hummed, drawing his tome to his hand before pulling out an apple-shaped Life Berry from his Inventory. The fragrant aroma of nearby pubs, restaurants, and food stalls tempted him to investigate. But it would be negligent of him to fill his belly with traditional foods when he had a stockpile of stat-enhancing berries to burn through.

Sure of his decision, Jack made himself comfortable atop a worn-down wooden rocking chair and began chowing down. His top priority at that moment was increasing his HP, so he finished off two Life Berries before ending his meal with a berry that resembled an unripe mango. The latter, a Mystery Berry, was incredibly bitter. But since he wasn't sure which of his parameters he should focus on, sans HP, he decided to leave things to chance.

"Now to wait," Jack remarked to himself, closing his eyes and relaxing. It took him about an hour to metabolize a berry. So, while he waited to see which of his parameters the Mystery Berry had boosted, he listened to the sounds of the city outside and allowed his thoughts to wander to the future.

'If I'm going to make a home for myself in this world, I'll need more than just strength. I'll need knowledge, allies I can rely on, and a backer who can get me out of a pinch if things get political...' Jack thought, the image of Radiata's King appearing in his mind. The man had virtually no role in the games, but he was still the King of the most powerful human country in the world.

Though there was no guarantee that events would play out the way he expected them to, Jack knew of at least one that would set him on a path to gaining the King's recognition and trust. The latter's daughter, Princess Belflower, had a penchant for exploring the city while in disguise. If, like in canon, he was able to be on the squad assigned to guard her, he might be able to earn the King's favor—possibly even a peerage.

'If nothing else, I need to get Adele away from that rundown farm...' Jack thought, imagining the surprise on Adele's face when he informed her that he had become a noble. She would almost certainly notice the differences in his character if they started living together, but he felt he owed it to the original Jack to ensure his sister's well-being.

'It's too bad this body is related to her by blood...' Jack sighed, exhaling through his nose. The image of Adele's backside and bust was engraved into his memory. But as much as he appreciated her appearance, he knew they could never be in a relationship. Radiata's laws might very well allow such a relationship, but as someone with modern morals and knowledge of congenital disabilities, he knew better.

'But I will need to find a wife, sooner or later...' Jack thought, leaning to his right and resting his cheek on his knuckles. He hadn't had much success with romance in his previous world, but he blamed that on the prevalence of social media and dating apps. He had been on dates, but they felt more like interviews than genuine connection.

'It would be awesome if I could woo someone like Rynka, but with my current age and appearance, I doubt she would give me the time of day...' Jack considered—the image of a particularly buxom woman with bronze skin and long purple hair appearing in his mind. Rynka already had a kid, Cody. But Jack didn't mind the boy calling him father if he could have the buxom thief call him daddy at night...

"Man, the internet has seriously rotted my brain..." Jack sighed aloud. After all, as enticing as the thought of a mature woman calling him daddy was, he would more than likely die from shame if one actually did.

"Alright, it's time to go touch grass," Jack said to himself, rising from the rocking chair with a start and making his way over to where he had placed his neatly folded clothes. They still had a lingering aroma of livestock, but he only had two sets of clothing—his pajamas and the handmade tunic his sister had stayed up all night to complete for him.

"Wait...I recall the flavor text from the game saying something similar, but this isn't that..." Jack muttered, a wave of panic abruptly washing over him as he could vividly recall peeking through the crack of his door the night before his departure. He had stayed up for hours watching Adele at work, which, with the benefit of meta knowledge, was probably the reason Jack was late to awaken in the game.

"I have the original Jack's memories..." Jack realized, staring down at his hands and body with a mix of incongruence and familiarity. At that exact moment, the only thing he could recall was the night before his departure. But as he spent more time within Jack's body, he got the impression that the rest were sure to follow.

"Could this be...Transpiritation..." Jack postulated, referring to the process of two souls becoming one. Ridley having her soul merged with an Elf was the catalyst for nearly the entire plot of Radiata Stories. So, while it was just a guess at the moment, Jack couldn't help but conclude that his and the original Jack's souls were becoming one. It was the only explanation that made sense—given what little he knew of the circumstances behind his current situation.

"Okay...calm down, Jack. Even if this is Transpiritation, the fact that I'm in control now suggests that I'm the dominant personality. We may not know how or why this is occurring, but we—I chose to be here..." Jack reminded himself. He had no doubt been chosen by some mysterious force or entity to enter the world of Radiata Stories, but the decision to load up the game and select the never-before-seen option had been his.

"But it would still be better to know why I was chosen..." Jack concluded, his gaze fixing on his reflection, staring back at him from a foggy, possibly lead-backed mirror. The face and eyes that were reflected were definitely the original Jack's, but the more he stared into them, the more they felt as if they had always been his own.

Shaking his head violently, Jack did his best to clear the feeling from his mind. Then, giving his cheeks a firm smack with both hands, turning them an almost luminous shade of red, he decided, "Just forget it. You're in the world you've been fantasizing about for twenty years. The reason doesn't matter as much as what you choose to do now..."

Having formed his resolve, Jack donned his sister-made tunic and packed up his rucksack, his tome, and the Arbitrator. He had only rented his room for a single night. And though he still had several hours before he needed to check out, he wanted to scout out the castle and ascertain the location of the Selection Trials before thinking about or deciding anything further...

...

..

.

"Halt! Past this point lies the Royal Radiata Castle! State your name and purpose...!" shouted one of several guards in matching, rose-tinted plate armor.

Stopping midway across the bridge that connected Radiata Castle to the rest of the city, Jack tentatively raised his hands and answered, "My name is Jack Russell! I've journeyed here from Soliel Village to participate in the Knight Selection Trials!"

Hearing Jack's response, several of the guards exchanged glances and began talking amongst themselves. It was clear they had doubts about Jack's claim, but it wasn't because they found him suspicious. It was due to his age. The Knight Selection Trials had no official age requirement, but as the majority of entrants were in their mid to late twenties, entering at a younger age placed one at a tremendous disadvantage.

Seeing one of the guards abruptly remove their helmet to reveal an aged face with a large scar running across the bridge of his nose, Jack's brows shot up. In the game, the guards of Radiata Castle were copy-and-pasted NPCs with no unique traits. Seeing one remove their helmet and approach him was odd, to say the least.

Reaching Jack's position, the Guard, sporting a surprisingly gentle look, asked, "Why do you want to be a Knight, kid? Don't you know that most Knights dream of retiring to the peaceful countryside? You should return home and help your folks..."

"My parents are dead," Jack stated honestly, causing the Guard's brows to crease—his jaw visibly tightening.

Preempting the Guard's response, Jack smiled and added, "But I do have people I care about—a big sister. She's sacrificed everything to take care of me, even though she was just a kid herself when our parents died. Now that I'm sixteen, I intend to do everything in my power to repay her. And I can't give her the life she deserves if I'm stuck tending pigs and livestock every day."

"I see..." the Guard muttered, looking at Jack with a mix of appreciation and pity. Then, seemingly having determined that Jack's convictions were strong enough, he half-turned and added, "Come along. I'll escort you to the registration area. If you don't know how to read or write, I'll lend you a hand in filling out your forms."

"Thank you, Sir. It would be greatly appreciated..." Jack stated, closing his eyes and bowing deeply. He obviously knew how to read and write in the language of his previous world, but while the written language of Radiata used Latin characters, the words were utter gibberish to him. Thus, while the realization left him feeling like he had a smooth stone where his brain should be, he was presently illiterate...

...

..

.

"That guy was awesome. Once I become properly established, I should definitely return his kindness..." Jack thought aloud, feeling a mix of relief and warmth. He didn't like leaving things incomplete or uncertain, so now that he was registered and knew where the venue for the Selection Trials was located, he felt as if a weight had been removed from his heart. And the fact that he had encountered a guard who was willing to lend him a hand, rather than looking down on him for being a country bumpkin—he now had a newfound respect for guards as the people they were, not the NPCs he remembered.

"But still, this city feels massive..." Jack remarked, taking stock of his surroundings as he zipped past the average pedestrian, courtesy of the blue feather dangling from his left ear—a Feather Earring. It was one of two non-berry items preserved between successive playthroughs, along with an accessory known as a Training Device. And though it didn't work in combat, it boosted the speed of both running and walking while in the overworld.

Fortunately for Jack, the size of the city just meant there was more for him to see and explore. And though he didn't encounter anyone that he recognized along the way, he was certain to spot familiar faces once he reached his destination, the Warrior's Guild, Theater Vancoor...

...

..

.

"Oh, wow...this is way bigger than I remember..." Jack muttered to himself, his head tilted back considerably to stare up at the building before him. In the game, Theater Vancoor was an L-shaped, four-story structure with an underground dungeon and an open-air training area—located at the heart of the aptly named Vancoor Square.

Though the building before him also had only four visible levels, its scale was massive compared to the one in Jack's memory. It was easily larger than most college football stadiums. And rather than appearing rundown, it stood out nearly as much as the Royal Castle—especially with the giant sword pommel that stuck out from the top of its entrance. It appeared to be made of pure, meticulously polished silver, practically daring someone to try and steal it.

"Hey, kid. You here to post a job, or what...?"

Hearing an uncannily familiar voice call out to him from behind, Jack turned his head to find a middle-aged man with sharp, angular brows, striking blue eyes, and a scar along his left cheek. His brown hair was short on top, spiked backward above his ears, and sporting a prominent widow's peak. And though he wasn't particularly muscular, Jack could tell at a glance that the man's balance was firm and that the curved sword at his hip wasn't for decoration.

'Thanos...'

Recognizing the man as Theater Vancoor's tired receptionist—though he looked a lot more realistic—Jack couldn't help but smile as he responded, "Good morning, Sir. I was actually hoping to get a tour of your facility. I'm going to be participating in tomorrow's Knight Selection Trials, but I have always harbored a profound respect for the warriors of Theater Vancoor. If things don't work out with the Knights, I would be honored to become a member of your storied Guild."

"What the hell? You look like a shitstain from the boonies, but you ramble like a noble-born brat..." Thanos remarked, his gaze full of suspicion as he looked Jack up and down.

"I am just being respectful where it is due," Jack countered, shaking his head before meeting Thanos's skeptical grimace with a genuine, excited smile.

"Let him in."

Hearing yet another familiar, distinctly female voice, every nerve in Jack's body suddenly tensed. The voice's owner was nowhere to be seen, but he had definitely heard their words clearly.

"Chief? Are you sure...?" Thanos asked, raising his gaze to stare up at the highest level of the building. When Jack did the same, he immediately felt as if the blood in his veins had turned to ice.

'What is this pressure...?' Jack asked himself, sweat beading across the surface of his body. He couldn't see anyone beyond the tinted windows at the highest level, but he could feel someone staring—someone analyzing him to his core.

"Yes. This boy is my guest..." stated the voice, which Jack was certain belonged to Elwen, Theater Vancoor's Chief and the greatest warrior in the Kingdom.

"Seriously? You know the Chief...?" Thanos questioned, staring at Jack with an almost comical expression of disbelief.

"In a sense..." Jack responded, his gaze remaining fixed on the windows, as if he could see Elwen staring back at him.

"I'm too old for this..." Thanos sighed to himself, shaking his head. Then, as he had been instructed, he groused, "Well, come on. I'll show you the way..." before walking ahead.

"Mmn..."

Though his heart was beating like a startled rabbit's, Jack did his best to appear composed as he trailed Thanos into Theater Vancoor's spacious reception area. There, he immediately took note of several familiar faces seated around circular, tavern-style tables. There were many more he had never seen before, but the sight of those he did brought a broad smile to Jack's face...

...

..

.

After following Thanos up four lengthy flights of stairs, Jack was taken aback when the man turned to him and warned, "Listen, kid...I don't know who you are or what hole you crawled out from. But if you end up causing problems for the Chief, don't be surprised when you have every warrior of Theater Vancoor breathing down your neck..."

"I would never do that," Jack asserted, shaking his head before meeting Thanos's gaze and confessing, "Not intentionally, at least."

"Mmn...well, just remember—I warned you..." Thanos reiterated gruffly, turning his back on Jack and leading the way into a long, dimly-lit corridor that had two sets of doors. The closest was a set of thick wooden doors with an intricate relief depicting multiple warriors battling a giant Dragon. Said Dragon wasn't one that Jack recognized, so he assumed it was just an artistic representation of what someone thought a Dragon looked like.

"Thank you for bringing him. You can go now."

As Jack was admiring the doors' relief, Thanos's attempt to knock upon them was interrupted by Elwen's firm, deep, almost synthetic-sounding voice.

"Mmn...understood..." Thanos responded, retracting his frozen hand from the door and giving Jack one final look before departing.

"You may enter," Elwen stated, matching the timing of Thanos's departure down the stairs perfectly.

"Thank you..." Jack responded, feeling nervous but equal parts excited as he extended his hands and pushed against the exceptionally heavy set of doors. The doors were nearly half a meter thick and had multiple layers of metal reinforcement. Jack didn't know their exact weight, but he imagined that each was at least a hundred kilograms.

fwoom

As a space opened between the two doors, Jack felt a surge of pressure akin to opening a walk-in oven. Instead of heat, however, the sensation that washed over him was ice-cold—which was rather strange, given that he was sweating buckets.

Staring into the room, Jack met the gaze of the person who sent chills throughout his body—a surprisingly short yet imposing figure attired in bronze-hued, gold-trimmed armor with sizeable pauldrons. He couldn't see the emerald-green eyes behind the T-shaped gap in her horned, stag-beetle-like helmet, but he could feel them boring into him with a mix of suspicion and hostility.

'Did I do something to piss her off...?' Jack asked himself, frozen in place by Elwen's stare. His excitement at meeting one of his favorite characters from Radiata Stories had completely disappeared. In its place, he felt like a mouse that had willfully walked itself before a hungry viper...

"Curious...I don't recognize you..." Elwen stated calmly, a stark contrast to the pressure she was exerting.

"This...it's our first time meeting..." Jack muttered, his voice feeling small, almost inaudible to his own ears.

"And? Why have you come here? What message do you bring me from your masters...?" Elwen questioned, her tone sharpening but the pressure she was exerting diminishing. It didn't disappear completely, but she had evidently determined that Jack wasn't a threat.

Shaking his head, Jack answered, "I didn't come here with a message. And as far as I'm aware, I have no master..."

"No master...?" Elwen repeated, her head tilting slightly to the side in obvious confusion. She had clearly assumed that Jack was there to meet her. But while that wasn't an incorrect assumption, it was only one of the reasons he had traveled to Theater Vancoor.

"I think there might be a misunderstanding here..." Jack stated, forcing a smile and placing his right hand over his heart as he added, "My name is Jack Russell, son of the late Cairn Russell. It's a genuine pleasure to make the acquaintance of the Kingdom's most powerful warrior..."

"You're Cairn's son...?" Elwen questioned, sounding genuinely surprised by the revelation. Then, as if she had only noticed it then, her gaze shifted to the Arbitrator on Jack's back.

"..."

Retracting the pressure she was exerting entirely, Elwen sat in her high-backed, throne-like chair and stated, "Strange. I don't get the impression that you're lying. But I also feel that you're not telling me the full truth. So I will give you one opportunity..."

Leaning forward with her elbows on her massive desk and her gauntleted fingers bridged, Elwen's voice turned cold as she asked, "Tell me, by what method were you able to acquire two souls?"

Shaking his head a second time, Jack confessed, "I know what you're talking about. But at the same time, I don't know how I came to be like this. My name really is Jack Russell. But two days ago, I was living in a completely different world. I can recall the events that brought me here, but I have no idea who or what set them in motion..."

"..."

Sensing no falsehoods in Jack's statement, Elwen remained silent for several seconds before asking, "When you say another world...do you mean you're from another planet, or another dimension?"

Though he was a little surprised by Elwen's response, Jack, adopting a broad smile, answered, "I'm pretty sure it's another dimension. But since I've never experienced anything like this before, I can't be certain. To be perfectly honest—I'm still not convinced this isn't a dream..."

"A dream, is it...?" Elwen muttered, more to herself than as a response to Jack. At the same time, she turned her chair sideways and reclined back, seemingly falling into a state of introspection.

'I guess I should stand here and wait for her to continue...' Jack thought, feeling increasingly awkward as the silence dragged on for what felt like several minutes. Elwen's reactions had seeded countless questions in his mind. But each time he thought to speak out, the words failed to rise past his throat.

"Hmm. Alright. I have determined that you are not an enemy. Though, as you are unaware of who or how you were brought here, we can't dismiss the possibility that you could become a threat..." Elwen stated, turning her head to stare at Jack from over her left shoulder.

Raising his hands instinctively, Jack shook his head and argued, "All I want to do is live my new life to the fullest. I do plan to become much stronger, but it isn't to stand above or rule over others. I just want to be strong enough to protect my livelihood and those I come to cherish."

"You have no interest in returning to your previous world...?" Elwen asked, her tone softening into a curious hum.

"There are those I would like to know I'm alive. But, even though I have only been here for two days, I have already come to prefer this world over my own..." Jack answered, his smile morphing into a look of solemnity that made it apparent he wasn't satisfied with his previous world and the cards he had been dealt.

"I see..." Elwen muttered, rhythmically tapping the top of her desk with her left index finger. Then, rising to her feet, she made her way over to a large, vault-like door and said, "Wait here..." before opening and passing through it.

"...?"

Though he was confused by Elwen's actions, Jack obediently waited for the armored woman to return, carrying with her a large pouch.

"This should be enough funds to support you for at least a few months as you acclimate to our world..." Elwen stated plainly, presenting the pouch to Jack as she added, "Be careful not to lose or have it stolen. And if you encounter any problems, return here. I'm not guaranteeing that I will help. But as long as you don't give me a reason to view you as an enemy or cut you down, I will at least hear you out."

Taken aback by Elwen's compassion and generosity, Jack's jaw slackened into a look of befuddlement. He was honestly just happy to have someone he could explain his situation to. The last thing he expected was to gain a sponsor, even if Elwen's intention was ultimately to keep tabs on a foreign entity...

"Take it..." Elwen said, extending her gaunleted left hand to supportively squeeze Jack's shoulder as she remarked, "Consider it a reward for your honesty."

"Thank you..." Jack responded, genuinely touched. He had always held the character of Elwen in high regard, but now that he had met the actual person, his valuation of her had skyrocketed.

'If only I could see her face without her helmet...' Jack thought, peering into the gap in Elwen's helmet. He should have been able to at least see her eyes, but all he could make out was darkness—presumably the result of the helmet having some kind of enchantment.

Recognizing the hopeful look in Jack's eyes, Elwen tilted her head almost imperceptible to the side. She could tell that Jack wanted to see her face, presumably to better channel his gratitude. But, since he was a man, even if he was a boy, she couldn't reveal it to him.

"Alright. I have other matters to attend..." Elwen said, removing her hand from Jack's shoulder and returning to her desk as she added, "You should return to the reception area and have Thanos give you that tour you were hoping for. If you intend to join us thereafter, you should steel your heart and mind. We're not called the Warrior's Guild for nothing."

"Yes! Thank you...!" Jack responded, a broad smile adorning his face as he offered Elwen a steep bow. He had never bowed to anyone in his previous life, but now that he was in a fantastical setting with Knights and Magic, it felt like the natural way to pay his respects.

"You may leave..." Elwen stated plainly, making a dismissive gesture with her right hand. Unlike when Jack first arrived, however, there was no bite to her words. If anything, she sounded amused, and, though it could have been Jack's imagination, exhausted...

...

..

.

"And this is our training facility..." Thanos stated, his expression and tone utterly devoid of enthusiasm as he droned, "Members of the Guild come here to hone their skills and train their bodies. If you become a member, expect to spend a lot of hours here..."

'I already have...' Jack thought to himself, smiling as he approached one of the many wooden mannequins present. The facility was much bigger than he remembered, roughly the size of a basketball court, but it was an area he had spent hundreds of hours across multiple playthroughs raising his Level and weapon proficiencies.

buwaa

As Jack nostalgically placed his hand against the mannequin's scarred surface, his thought process abruptly froze. In the game, interacting with the mannequins opened a menu that allowed the player to tackle various challenges for Experience, Dagols, and items. And since he didn't have a typical system interface, he wasn't anticipating a parchment-like menu to appear the moment his hand grazed the mannequin's surface...

--------------------------------------------------------------

[Practice Menu for Combat Fundamentals]

01: Defeat the Enemy.

02: ?????????????????

03: ????????????????????

04: ???????????????

05: ?????????????????????????

06: ??????????????????

07: ???????

08: ????????????????????????

09: ?????????????????????

10: ??????????

11: ?????????????

12: ????????????????????

13: ????????????????

14: ?????????

15: ??????????????????????

16: ?????????????

17: ???????

18: ???????????????

19: ????????????????????

20: ?????????????????????????

--------------------------------------------------------------

"..."

"Hmm? Did something happen? You look like you've just seen a ghost..." Thanos noted, clocking the change in Jack's expression and demeanor.

Recovering from his brief stupor, Jack met Thanos's suspicious glower and asked, "Can I use this facility, just for today? It would help me a lot with preparing for tomorrow's Selection Trials..."

"Didn't you just hear me, kid? I said this was a place for members of the Guild to train, not snot-nosed kids who wandered here from who-knows-where..." Thanos countered, crossing his arms as if to say he wouldn't be convinced otherwise.

"Then, some other time..." Jack sighed, glancing back at the mannequin before reluctantly retracting his hand. He had no idea what would happen when he selected the option to 'Defeat an Enemy,' but if it functioned as it did in the game, he might be able to use the inconspicuous mannequin to become as strong as he pleased.

'Maybe I should try to assemble one of my own in secret...' Jack thought to himself, simultaneously following Thanos back into the Guild's interior. The training facility was located on the roof of the building's first floor, so they needed to head back inside to continue the tour. From there, Thanos showed him the rooms reserved for each of the Guild's squadrons, which, unlike in the game—where there were only six original squads—numbered in the dozens...

...

..

.

"This is actually happening..." Jack mused aloud, sitting on the end of his inn bed and taking a moment to remove his leather boots. His socks had a new hole, allowing his right big toe to poke through. But he had two more pairs in his rucksack.

Free from the constraints of his steamy boots, Jack fell backward onto his bed, spread his arms, and relaxed his body. His tome showed that it was only 2:11 PM. But despite his HP being full, his mind felt tired from staying up all night and walking around for close to nine hours.

'I guess having unlimited stamina doesn't mean my mental fortitude is infinite...' Jack noted, closing his eyes. He hadn't planned to sleep, but as he reflected on everything he had experienced since arriving in the world of Tottaus, unconsciousness claimed him of its own accord...

...

..

.

"Hmmmn? Where am I...?" Jack asked himself, rousing in a bed that was both familiar and foreign to him. When he looked around, he noticed that he was back in his room at Soliel Village. But attached to it was a second, far more modern room. There, sitting in a worn-down computer chair, his original self could be seen, actively playing Radiata Stories.

"I must be dreaming..." Jack muttered, rising to his feet with the intention of approaching his original self. Instead, he found his body moving of its own accord to the wooden door separating his room from the kitchen and living area that served as Adele's room.

"What's going on? I can't control my body..." Jack noted, his mind feeling heavy but his heart racing within his chest. He felt like a passenger within his own body, but before his fear could reach its zenith, the scene visible through the crack in his door stunned him. It was the scene of Adele, his annoying, strict, and cherished sister comforting herself with the front of her vanilla-colored nightgown pulled up.

"Holy fuck...what a view..." Jack muttered, his heart quickening to the point he could feel it pounding in his ears and throat. He had thought that Adele was beautiful the moment he laid eyes on her, but her nearly naked figure left him completely entranced.

fwp fwp fwp fwp

"Hmmn...?"

Breaking free of his stupor, Jack was both stunned and horrified to find that his right hand was moving vigorously below his waistband. He had no control over his actions, but he could feel a mix of pleasure and panic, as, even though he was looking down, the image of Adele remained fixed at the center of his gaze.

"Could this be...a memory...?" Jack asked aloud, his voice echoing in his ears but evidently inaudible to the Jack he was possessing and the Adele in his view. He tried several times to make his presence known, but all he could do was endure until the scene reached a crescendo—suffusing him with a mix of satisfaction, shame, and desire...

...

..

.

"...!"

Rousing with a start, Jack rose to a seated position and began feeling at his body to confirm he was both present and in control. The sky outside had darkened, suggesting that several hours had passed, but he felt like it had only been a few minutes since he lay down.

"What the fuck did I just witness...?" Jack asked himself, staring down at the tent he was pitching. The dream he had just had was far too detailed and graphic to be a figment of his imagination, so that could only mean that, at some point, the original Jack had spied on his sister masturbating when she thought he was sleeping. And based on the images that came rushing to the forefront of his mind, it wasn't just once...

Touching his right hand to his chest, Jack noticed that his heart was pounding like a drum. He felt ashamed and excited all at once, but he didn't know which of the feelings were his and which belonged to the original Jack. To make matters worse, he remembered being the one to peek at his sister, not just a passenger along for the ride...

"So this is what it means to become one with another...it's no wonder Ridley could barely function when she was undergoing Transpiritation..." Jack muttered, closing his eyes. He desperately needed to calm down, so while he couldn't prevent his mind from racing, he could at least regulate his breathing—in and out...slow and steady...

"Alright, so, the original Jack was a pervert who pined after his own sister. Can you blame him...?" Jack asked himself, not because he found Adele to be hot, but because the latter had been Jack's primary caretaker for most of his life. Adele was practically Jack's world. And as he grew older, it felt only natural that he would notice his sister's beauty and needs, especially given their cramped living arrangements...

"But is this my rationale or Jack's...?" Jack asked himself, spontaneously recalling several times where he had convinced himself using the same logic. The original Jack clearly understood that pining after his sister was wrong. But whenever Adele's voice reached his room, he couldn't help but seek out its source...

"I need to get a girlfriend..." Jack told himself, burying his scalding hot face into his hands. He could honestly empathize with Jack's yearning. But since they both understood that his feelings were wrong, they needed a healthier outlet for their desires.

'There's always the red light district...' Jack reminded himself, a notion that gave him pause. After all, while such a district was implied to exist within the game, he didn't know it to exist. Despite that, the thought had come to him as if it were a conclusion he had reached long ago.

Recalling the memory of a former hostess visiting his village along with a group of merchants, Jack's complexion paled. He remembered asking the woman all kinds of shameful questions, and because she found him cute and didn't want him to get eaten up when he entered the city, she readily assuaged his and several children's curiosities.

"I had friends back in the village..." Jack realized, the faces of four boys and a freckle-faced girl appearing in his mind. They were supposed to see him off when he departed the village, but he had intentionally given them the wrong date—fearing that he might not be able to leave if they showed up and asked him to stay.

"Did going to sleep accelerate the Transpiritation process?" Jack asked himself, his skin having turned pallid and clammy. He still felt like himself, with his memories from his previous life and world remaining his dominant frame of reference. But at the same time, he could recall Jack's as if they were his own, washing over him as unrelenting swells of sight, sound, and emotion...

Returning his face to his hands, Jack did his best to convince himself that what he was undergoing was actually a good thing. The original Jack may not have been an intellectual, but he was still a native. There was a lot he could learn from the original Jack's memories. And, more importantly, he may be able to inherit the original's aptitude for combat...

Feeling markedly calmer, Jack lowered his hands from his face and stood up. The fact that he was still pitching a tent caused him to stare down for several seconds, but what he saw actually helped to comfort him. He was fairly well endowed in his previous world, but his present self had a good two inches on his past.

"I can work with this..." Jack muttered to himself, ignoring the feeling of disharmony that arose within him as he unfastened his leather belt. What followed was both awkward and illuminating, as the sensation was both familiar and foreign to him. More importantly, by the time he was finished, he felt much, much better...

...

..

.

"Alright, let's do this..." Jack muttered to himself, staring determinedly up at the windmilled peaks of Radiata Castle from atop the same bridge he had crossed the previous day. He had spent the past ten hours thinking of the path he wanted to take in his new life, and it all began with the trial he was scheduled to participate in that morning.

With such thoughts in his mind, Jack greeted and presented the guards posted across the bridge with some skewers he had picked up along the way. Some might interpret his actions as a bribe, but since there were a few guards who recognized him among those on duty, everyone thanked him, complimented his manners, and wished him luck...

...

..

.

'This is more nerve-wracking than expected...' Jack thought, sitting on one of several wooden benches in a cramped underground waiting room. The stone walls, floor, and ceiling made him feel like he was in a dungeon, and, contrasting his tolerance to livestock, his nose burned with the smell of sweat, blood, and what he assumed was feces.

Unlike in the game, where there weren't even ten participants, the real-world version of the Radiata Knight Selection Trials had more than two hundred people competing for positions in the final selection—scheduled for later that day. Only the top eight would make it there. That meant that Jack would need to defeat at least four opponents to move on.

'Just look at these guys...do they eat nothing but liver for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...?' Jack asked himself, stealing glances at his competition from the periphery of his gaze. Most were burly men attired in cheap, custom-made leather armor. But a handful wore highly polished plate armor with a variety of crests adorning their chests and shoulders...

'Those must be nobles...or at least the vassals of nobles...' Jack thought, focusing on one particular man with windswept blonde hair and striking blue eyes. The man looked like a prince out of a fairy tale. And affixed to his back was a silvery longsword nearly as wide as his torso, reinforcing that many of those present possessed superhuman strength...

'Oh, fuck...'

As Jack continued sweeping the room, he unexpectedly met a pair of eyes that were staring directly at him. His heart skipped a beat, but it wasn't because the person in question was among the most naturally attractive people he had ever laid eyes on. It was because he recognized them.

'Ridley Silverlake...' Jack noted internally, his throat tightening and a slight shuddering permeating in his chest. In the game, Ridley was presented as a doll-like beauty with intelligent green eyes and golden-blonde hair fixed into red-ribboned pigtails. The girl before him possessed similar traits, but they were enhanced tremendously. And since she was presently wearing form-fitting brown trousers, Jack couldn't help but question the claim that she was only fifteen years old...

'Those hips and thighs...she looks like she's been training her entire life for the Olympics...' Jack noted, his body tensing further as Ridley, for one reason or another, separated from the wall she had been leaning against and started walking toward him with poised, confident steps.

Stopping before the still-seated Jack, Ridley recrossed her arms, shifted her weight slightly, and asked, rather abruptly, "How old are you...?" in a tone that made it clear she expected an answer.

"Sixteen...?" Jack responded, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Mmn...that's good..." Ridley said, nodding her head as if approving of what Jack had said.

"Do you mind me asking why you asked for my age...?" Jack questioned, rising to his feet. To his surprise, Ridley was a fair bit shorter than he was. While she walked over and initially positioned herself before him, she had given off an imposing but not overtly hostile aura.

"It's because I'm aiming to become the youngest official Knight in Radiata history," Ridley stated, her chin rising and her chest puffing out faintly but noticeably.

"Oh? That's an incredible goal," Jack affirmed, nodding approvingly with a genuine smile adorning his face.

"..."

Seemingly not expecting Jack's approval, Ridley stared at him for several seconds before asking, "You don't find it odd that a girl younger than you is aiming to become a Knight? You do understand that if I succeed, you'll be returning home having failed, do you not?"

Shaking his head, Jack calmly asserted, "There is no shame in losing to someone in a fair competition, irrespective of their gender. If you win, it simply means you were stronger, better prepared, or both. I'm not going to begrudge someone for putting in more effort."

"..."

Shifting her weight to her other foot, causing her hips to sway in a way that nearly compelled Jack to look down, Ridley adopted a slight frown and remarked, "You're an odd one. I don't believe you lack pride, but you certainly don't exude it..."

"Maybe it's because I was raised by my sister?" Jack proffered, his smile broadening as he revealed, "She's the one who taught me how to wield a sword. And, even to this day, I've never once beaten her."

"Ah...having a strong woman as your mentor would certainly explain your lack of vigilance..." Ridley remarked, her green eyes openly scanning Jack from top to bottom.

"Vigilance...?" Jack repeated, tilting his head even further to the side.

"Forget it..." Ridley said, closing her eyes and shaking her head before meeting Jack's gaze and stating, "Due to my participation, you will not be able to join the Knights this year. Return in six months, and I may have a spot for you in my brigade. Until then."

Evidently finished with what she had to say, Ridley abruptly turned and began walking away with the same confidence and grace she had on her approach. As she did, Jack experienced an almost overwhelming urge to lower his gaze. Instead, he focused his attention on Ridley's neck and shoulder muscles, noticing that they were considerably more developed than her video game counterpart.

'Well, she does wield a massive axe as a weapon...' Jack recalled, the smile on his face broadening when Ridley glanced back at him over her shoulder. He briefly raised his hand to wave, but before he could finish the action, Ridley very obviously rolled her eyes before returning to her original position on the wall across from him...

'She's not nearly as antagonistic as I expected her to be...' Jack noted, lowering his hand and reclaiming his seat. In the game, Ridley actively avoided speaking with and even looking at the original Jack for much of the first act. It was only after they fought together numerous times and she nearly died that her behavior toward him began to soften.

'I guess first impressions really do matter...' Jack concluded, seeing no other reason for Ridley to approach and be friendly to him. Saying they had become friends would be a gross overstatement. But her saying that she might have a spot for him in her brigade was an indication that she, at the very least, approved of his manners...

...

..

.

"What the hell is this? My opponent is a kid...?"

Though he wasn't exactly expecting his opponents to respect him, Jack couldn't help frowning as he entered the Selection Trials' spacious, open-air, sandstone-hued arena. Said man was easily over six feet tall, and his weapon, a two-bladed steel axe, looked like it weighed more than Jack's entire body. Still, it didn't hurt to be courteous.

"Give 'em hell, kid...!"

Before Jack could offer his opponent a retort, a familiar voice reached his ears, stemming from the Knights and Guards who had gathered to watch the preliminaries and presumably evaluate future brigade members. To his surprise, the scar-faced Guard from the previous day, Greg, was pumping his fists and cheering for him as if they were family.

'Well, damn...guess I'll actually have to try...' Jack mused, returning his gaze to his opponent, leaning forward slightly, and readying the blunted metal shortsword in his right hand. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. But as memories of his near-daily training sessions with Adele surfaced from his subconsciousness, his shaking gradually settled, replaced by a familiar yet foreign state of focus.

Seeing his opponent's expression abruptly change from frustration to a fierce state of focus, Jack couldn't help but smile. At the same time, his body moved forward with speed he didn't know he possessed, his heart rate more than doubling in an instant.

"Fuck! I'm not going to lose to a brat that still smells of milk...!" shouted Jack's opponent, swinging his axe in a broad, horizontal arc. The sound it made as it cut through the air was horrifying, but despite the tingling that ran up his spine, Jack felt incredible as he dodged and slid under it using the momentum of his charge.

"This is amazing...!" Jack exclaimed aloud, intentionally waiting for his opponent to spin and swing at him before backstepping out of his range. He felt like all the blood in his body had been replaced by adrenaline. And though it wasn't like the bullet time shown in various media, he felt like his opponent was genuinely moving in slow motion.

Taking advantage of the tremendous opening created by his opponent's desperate backswing, Jack Spartan kicked the man in the chest, sending him sliding backward on his heels. He didn't think he put much force into the act, so he was surprised when the man abruptly dropped his weapon and doubled over, his forehead pressed to the dirt and his muscular arms cradling his stomach.

'It can't be over with just that, can it...?' Jack asked himself, his stupefied expression making his disbelief apparent. He had re-equipped Tri-Emblem to ensure he wouldn't completely embarrass himself, but he didn't think it had placed him on a level where he could effortlessly take out a man who looked like he ate rocks and shat out bricks.

"The winner! Jack Russell...!" shouted the referee, an aging man with grey hair, narrowed eyes, and a deceptively muscular build.

"I won? With just that...?" Jack asked, pointing to himself as he met the referee's, Junzaburo's, seemingly close-eyed gaze. To his surprise, the latter frowned at his question, causing a wave of guilt to wash over Jack at the realization that his words and actions could easily be misconstrued as arrogance.

Not wanting to exacerbate the situation, Jack lowered and rubbed the back of his head while hastily retreating from the arena. His ears picked up on several people calling out his name and cheering for him, but other than a fleeting glance in the direction of Greg, he didn't acknowledge any other praise...

...

..

.

While Jack was busy retreating from the arena, Ridley, who had secretly been watching his match, couldn't help but frown. She had thought that Jack was abnormal the moment she laid eyes on him, but seeing him send a man twice his size and three times his weight flying with a forward kick had drastically exceeded her expectations.

"I can't let him catch me past my guard..." Ridley muttered to herself, her expression hardening into a look of steely resolution as she retreated into the corridor she had been watching the match from. She personally didn't mind losing to someone stronger than her. But as heiress to the Great and Noble House of Silverlake, her father and many others would make a fuss if she lost. To avoid that annoyance, and for Jack's own sake, she had no choice but to impede his aspirations of becoming a Knight—at least in the current Selection Trials...

...

..

.

'That was way too easy...' Jack thought, staring down at the palms of his hands after returning to the waiting room. He knew that the average Level of most characters in the game, including various Knights, was lower than twenty. But he didn't think that having stats on par with a Level 25 would give him such an extreme advantage...

'More importantly...'

--------------------------------------------------------------

Jack Russell

Lvl: 1

Exp: 0->24

Left: 70->46

HP: 162/162->219/222

STR: 89->91 EVA: 67

DEF: 91 LCK: 87->91

[Equipped Skill]

Tri-Emblem: ☆☆☆☆☆

--------------------------------------------------------------

'I finally obtained Experience...' Jack noted, feeling relieved. He had been worried that the only way to increase his Level was by killing things. Now that he knew it could be earned by fighting, he had the option of growing stronger without needlessly killing hundreds, possibly even thousands, of monsters.

'I'll keep using Tri-Emblem for the time being. Experimenting with my other Skills can wait until I have the stats to compensate for any mistakes I happen to make,' Jack decided, clenching his hands into fists. He felt a little bad for his opponents. But since the Selection Trials were originally fated to be won by Ridley, his eliminating them changed very little in the grand scheme of things...

At the very least, that's what Jack chose to believe...

...

..

.

After winning three additional matches with similar ease to his first, Jack was surprised to find himself before his first female opponent—a young woman with angular brown eyes, short brown hair in a pixie cut style, and a tiny beauty mark under her left eye. Her shapely but athletic figure was nothing short of breathtaking, especially in tight brown pants and a loose-fit white blouse that hung off her shoulders, revealing leather straps.

"I watched your previous matches," said the woman, her lips curling into an overtly seductive grin as she added, "You're definitely strong for your age. But you can't solve all your problems with brute strength..."

Seeing the woman turn her body to the side and level her lengthy, silver-hued rapier at his face, Jack suddenly felt pressured. For half a beat, he had nearly been distracted by the woman's side profile. But the moment she took her stance, his senses sharpened, and he instinctively adopted a stance of his own.

"Begin...!" shouted Junzaburo, making a cutting gesture with the folding fan he used to referee the matches.

shft

Though Jack had taken a stance and focused his mind to the limit, he nearly took the blunted tip of his opponent's rapier to the face as she lunged forward, covering the ten meters separating them in what felt like an instant. He managed to turn his head and twist the upper half of his body at the last moment, but the rapier's tip still grazed his cheek, leaving a shallow but bloody abrasion.

"Oh, wow. You actually dodged that...?" hummed the woman, retracting her rapier and performing a swift, backstepping pirouette to avoid Jack's sweeping counter. Her movements bore the grace of a ballerina, and her swordsmanship was just as elegant as she made a series of swift, nimble slashes and thrusts that kept Jack on the defensive.

'She's got to be at least Level 20...' Jack thought, his brow beading with sweat as he found himself continuously stepping backward to evade the tip of his opponent's rapier.

bmf

Feeling his back bump against something hard, a prickling sensation permeated Jack's body. At the same time, his opponent committed to a thrust aimed at the center of his throat, her seductive smile broadening and her brown eyes flashing a faint gold.

FWMP

Holding both the handle and blade of his sword, Jack jerked it upward, narrowly parrying his opponent's thrust. In the same motion, a wave of shame washed over him as he found himself kicking from low to high in desperation. He had aimed to kick the woman away from him, but due to their proximity, his foot ended up rising between the latter's thighs and connecting hard against her pelvis...

"You mother fuck—"

Before she could finish cursing Jack, the short-haired brunette crumpled to her knees and fell onto her side with her hands grasping between her thighs.

"Uwoooooooooh—!!!!"

As the crowd erupted into a fit of cheering and laughter, Jack, feeling his face burning up to his ears, beat a hasty retreat from the arena. He really hadn't intended to kick the woman in her lady bits, but that didn't change the fact that he had. And with his next opponent almost certainly Ridley, he could only hope she hadn't been watching the match from somewhere out of view...

...

..

.

"That...looked like it hurt..." Ridley muttered to herself, subconsciously closing her thighs. She knew Jack was strong, but she didn't expect him to take out a famous sports duelist with a single blow, even if some might consider it a cheap shot.

'His reaction at the end, though...he seemed genuinely ashamed of his actions...' Ridley noted, a faint and extraordinarily rare smile gracing her face. Besides his strength, she couldn't help but notice that Jack was a polite and honest boy. He didn't present himself as the type who would resort to underhanded tactics to achieve victory, so his perfectly timed, immensely effective counter was almost assuredly an accident.

'He's surprisingly cute...' Ridley mused to herself, turning her back on the arena and retreating to the waiting room. Some might misunderstand her words if she spoke them aloud, but she wasn't saying that Jack was cute as a boy. Rather, she regarded him as someone might a stray but adorable puppy. As long as he didn't piddle or bark excessively, she wouldn't mind having him around or teaching him a few tricks...

...

..

.

'This is a way different lineup from the game...' Jack noted, looking around the waiting room, where only seven other contenders remained. One was, unsurprisingly, Ridley. The remaining six, however, were a group of people he had never seen—most of whom appeared to be nobles based on how they were boldly attempting to chat Ridley up.

'Do their eyes not work...?' Jack wondered, a slight frown marring his face as, even though she was standing with crossed arms and her eyes closed, very obviously ignoring them, the six men had her surrounded and kept trying to speak to her.

Though it might have been better for him to mind his own business, Jack, feeling annoyed on Ridley's behalf, exhaled an exasperated sigh and rose to his feet. If there was a single positive thing he could say about his past self, it was that he never turned a blind eye to someone being harassed—even if it got him into trouble.

"Hey. Can't you people see that you're bothering her...?" Jack asked, his tone sharp and his brows creased into a determined look as the would-be nobles turned to stare at him with a mix of surprise and offense. Ridley, on the other hand, appeared pleasantly surprised—her eyes opening and her right brow rising ever so slightly.

"Who are—ah...you're that peasant boy who used that unscrupulous move to defeat Lady Fianella..." remarked a man with wave-like brown hair and a nasally manner of speaking. He also had a disturbingly rigid and angular face, making it seem like he had been undergoing plastic surgery since he was a child.

"At least mine was a mistake. You're here willfully bothering a lady, even though she clearly doesn't want to talk to you. Have some self-respect," Jack retorted, causing the brows of everyone present—Ridley included—to shoot up.

"You discourteous knave. Just who is it you think you're talking to? Do you have a death wish...?" asked another of the men, a skinny, blonde-haired fellow with front teeth that were remarkably similar to a rat's.

"Someone with more ego than manners, apparently," Jack countered, his expression flattening into a deadpan.

"Why you—!!!"

"Ignorant child! Do you know who my father is...!?"

"A peasant dares to speak of manners to a noble...?"

"This is—"

"That's enough. Your incessant barking is giving me a headache," Ridley interjected, her flat and icy tone silencing the men and leaving them at a loss. From there, Jack was prepared to return to his seat, giving Ridley a curt nod that was intended to communicate, 'Seems like you have things under control.'

"I didn't dismiss you," Ridley stated flatly, causing Jack to pause mid-turn and look back at her in confusion.

"You six, begone," Ridley added, making a shooing gesture with her right hand. Several of the men looked like they wanted to protest, their mouths opening but no words coming out. Then, as if they had rehearsed the act in advance, they all turned to direct withering stares at Jack.

'It would appear that I have made some enemies...' Jack noted, meeting each of the men's gazes as they passed him. Fortunately for him, each of the men had rather distinct faces and characteristics. As long as he was careful, he should be able to avoid them in the future.

Waiting until the men had relocated to the opposite side of the waiting room, Ridley, leaving Jack at a complete loss, adopted a faint smile and asked, "Is that something you learned from your older sister—leaping to the defense of women in need?"

Recovering from his shock at seeing Ridley smile, Jack adopted one of his own, affirming, "That's right. Though the lesson was about lending a hand to anyone, not just women in need."

"Oh? Wouldn't that get exhausting...?" Ridley questioned, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"I mean, yeah," Jack confirmed, his smile broadening as he argued, "But the more people you help, the more there are that are willing to help you. That's just common sense."

Ostensibly surprised by Jack's words, something they had in common, Ridley raised her brows and blinked several times. Meanwhile, Jack was having a slight existential crisis, as the phrase he had just uttered wasn't something he had come up with. It had just come out of him, as if it were a principle he had lived by his entire life.

"You continue to surprise me," Ridley remarked, leaving Jack speechless with another faint but impactful smile. Then, moving away from the wall she was leaning against, she extended her right hand and said, "We have yet to introduce ourselves formally. I am Ridley Silverlake. And yes, I'm a member of those Silverlakes..."

"Oh...uh..."

Not expecting Ridley to extend her hand and introduce herself, Jack briefly fumbled his words before accepting her handshake and stating, "I'm Jack Russell. It's nice to meet you formally, Ridley."

"Just Ridley...?" Ridley asked, her smile gaining a hint of playfulness that gave Jack goosebumps. Before he could correct himself and call Ridley a Lady, however, he was interrupted.

"Very well, Jack," Ridley hummed, nodding approvingly before appending, "I shall permit you to address me without honorifics. But only when we're speaking in private. Once I become your Captain, you will have to address me as such."

"Captain...?" Jack repeated, his mouth moving before his brain could catch up with the situation.

"That's right," Ridley affirmed, squeezing Jack's hand tightly, seemingly as if to say she wouldn't be letting him go, as she revealed, "Once I move on from being a Trainee, I plan to form my own Knight Brigade. The current you is a little rough around the edges, but I believe you have the potential to become a capable and loyal Knight. Will you join me?"

"..."

Stunned by Ridley's proposal, Jack found himself staring at the golden-haired girl with a slack-jawed, utterly befuddled look. The former's offer was so far outside his expectations that every plan he had constructed up until that point felt like it came crashing down like a tower of Jenga.

"What? Are you unwilling to have a woman as your Captain? Or is it that you already had another Brigade in mind...?" Ridley questioned, thawing Jack's stupor enough for him to respond, "It's nothing like that...I just...I wasn't expecting such an offer..."

'Not from you, of all people...' Jack added in his mind. In response, his mental defenses took another heavy blow as Ridley beamed, gave his hand a firm squeeze, and declared, "I want you on my team, Jack. Give me your trust, and I guarantee you won't regret it."

'How the hell is her smile so bright...?' Jack wondered, feeling as though Ridley's face and eyes were emitting intense light—especially as she bore into him with her hopeful gaze...

"Fine...I'll join you..." Jack muttered, his cheeks and ears burning as he turned his head to avoid Ridley's gaze.

"Hey...where are you looking...?" Ridley asked, her tone gaining a hint of playfulness that Jack didn't know was possible. Then, as he looked back at her, his psyche sustained critical damage as she smiled and repeated a famous phrase from the game, "Knights of the same brigade are as family. You're one of my people now, so don't be intimidated and look me in the eye when we're talking. Understood?"

"Understood..." Jack responded mechanically—his mind struggling to process the ramifications of what he had just agreed to. It didn't help that, ostensibly in an effort to loosen him up, Ridley strode past him and gave his bottom a firm smack, stating, "Pull yourself together, Jack. It's time for our match."

"Wait—what...?" Jack asked, his back briefly straightening from Ridley's smack before he turned to find every uncovered pair of eyes in the room staring daggers at him. The noblemen from before clearly weren't happy to witness him getting along with Ridley, but before Jack could meet their respective gazes, his would-be Captain glanced back at him and said, "Do not keep me waiting," in a curt, authoritative tone.

'What the hell did I just get myself into...?' Jack asked himself, his mind as jumbled as a forty-nine-sided Rubik's Cube. At the same time, he couldn't help but lower his gaze—an action he had narrowly avoided previously. As a result, he was left in an even greater state of befuddlement as he noted, 'Oh, wow...' in response to the bubbly, toned, almost heart-shaped bottom swaying before him...

...

..

.

With his gaze lowered for much of the time he was trailing Ridley, Jack was surprised when he eventually looked up and noticed that the arena had emptied. Before, there was a crowd of at least a few hundred people. Now, the only person visible was Junzaburo, the Referee.

'Is the final selection meant to be private...?' Jack wondered, glancing to his left and right. He noticed at least two more people present, but before he could focus on them, Ridley, positioned a few meters away from where he had stopped, stated, "Alright, Jack. I know I already invited you to join my Brigade, but whether I actually permit it depends on how you perform in this match. I won't abide you holding back."

"Holding back? Why would I do that...?" Jack asked, the words leaving his mouth before his brain could catch up.

"That is the correct answer," Ridley affirmed, a gratified smile adorning her face as she made her way over to a weapons rack lined with blunted weapons. This included one-handed swords, two-handed swords, spears, maces, flails, and, near the very end of the rack, a series of one and two-handed axes.

Picking up an axe whose blade looked like it weighed at least a few dozen kilograms, Ridley effortlessly hefted it with both hands before glancing at Jack and practically ordering, "Grab your weapon and take your position. I have other matters to attend to, so let's not dawdle."

'Well, at least she's talking to me...' Jack thought, exhaling from his nose and making his way over to the weapons rack to retrieve a one-handed sword. In the game, Ridley basically treated the original Jack like a living fart until she nearly died, and they were forced to separate. He wasn't too fond of being bossed around, but it was strangely tolerable when the one doing the bossing was attractive.

With their respective weapons in hand, Jack and Ridley made their way to their starting positions, separated by ten meters. Jack's stance was loose, with relaxed shoulders, firm footing, his sword partially hidden behind his right leg, and his left hand raised. Ridley's was comparably wide, her feet spaced wider than her shoulders, her knees bent, and her expression one of unbridled focus as she gripped her axe with both hands.

'I can feel it...she's strong...' Jack noted, a prickling sensation spreading across his body like tiny bands of electricity. In the game, Ridley was a mere Level 4 when you first acquired her as a party member. In reality, he imagined she was closer to Level 20—the result of having spent much of her life training to become a Knight.

'But I should still be stronger...' Jack thought, his body briefly tensing as Junzaburo announced the match's start. As he did, Ridley burst forward, the muscles in her thighs visibly bulging and her body angled low to the ground as she spanned the ten meters separating them using three swift steps.

WHM

Though he was able to evade it without difficulty, Jack felt his ears fill with pressure as Ridley's axe sailed past his face, tearing at the air in its wake. Then, spinning her heel and dropping her body, she followed her initial attack with a cleave aimed at his left flank.

'She's fast...!' Jack exclaimed internally, leaping back nearly three full meters. Ridley bounded forward with the same timing, but instead of committing to an attack, she hastily arrested her forward momentum to avoid running headlong into his raised foot.

"You have a good grasp of interrupting your opponent's flow," Ridley remarked, adopting a smile that sent shivers down Jack's spine as she added, "But if you continue raising your foot like that, you'll be at risk of losing it in actual combat."

"..."

Instead of responding to Ridley's words, Jack focused his mind and attempted to go on the offensive. That thought alone was enough to get his body to press forward on reflex, the joints in his right shoulder, elbow, and wrist twisting in an almost whip-like motion as he executed a heavy diagonal slash with his full weight behind it.

KLNK

Surprised by Jack's sudden acceleration, Ridley's eyes widened as she raised her axe and instinctively blocked with its thick metallic haft. She managed to endure the blow, but a twinge of pain shot up her back and through her knees as a burst of wind pressure spread out from her and Jack's position.

'He's strong...!' Ridley noted excitedly, the smile on her face broadening as she used Jack's own weight and momentum to redirect the tip of his sword to the ground. In the same motion, she slammed her left shoulder into his face, hoping to disorient him.

Though his vision briefly flashed and he felt pain spread throughout his nose, Jack grit his teeth and endured Ridley's shoulder check, allowing him to evade her axe's follow-up to his stomach. Alarm bells sounded in his mind when she abruptly leaped into the air with her axe overhead, but it was a large, telegraphed, and easily avoidable move.

Seeing Jack roll to the side and deftly bounce back to his feet, Ridley's green eyes flashed with an almost possessive light. She knew from his matches that Jack had excellent instincts. But experiencing them herself made it apparent to her just how much of a diamond in the rough he was.

'He just needs a bit of polishing...' Ridley thought, pressing her attack with a persistent, battle-hungry smile. Jack was able to dodge and deflect everything she threw at him, but she didn't feel frustrated in the slightest. Rather, seeing how focused Jack was as he deflected yet another of her blows with a happy, wide-eyed, and surprised smile, she couldn't help but exhale a faint, snorting chuckle.

"Alright! Let's see how you deal with this—!" Ridley shouted, her smile widening as she slid forward and into Jack's space with her left foot, her left arm twisted across her body, and her right hefting her axe, concealed behind her. For a fleeting moment, her and Jack's faces came within a few centimeters of one another before the latter made the mistake of leaping back to try and escape Ridley's range.

Matching Jack's timing, Ridley slid her right hand down the length of her axe's handle, taking hold of it like a baseball bat. Then, twisting her hips and flaring her right heel, she swung her axe full force into Jack's hastily raised guard.

KRASHK

Accompanied by the sound of glass shattering, Jack's guard was broken through as if he had attempted to defend himself with a twig. The force of the blow sent him flying in the direction of Ridley's swing, but he didn't fall over. Instead, his right foot briefly connected with the ground, producing a rotational movement that allowed him to tuck in his limbs and perform a feat of acrobatics he didn't know he was capable of.

'Holy fuck...how can she pack so much power into such a tiny body..?' Jack asked himself, his brows and body beading with sweat as he stared at Ridley, well over ten meters from his position, in shock. He didn't know the exact force generated by the attack, but it gave him flashbacks to the time he had been hit by a car as a teen.

"You managed to recover from that position? Color me impressed..." Ridley remarked, her expression and tone matching her statement as she looked between her weapon and Jack. Her attack had smashed through his guard, but due to how sturdy it was, there was a visible indentation in the axe's edge. Had she not infused her attack with Volty, she might not have been able to hold onto her weapon...

drip

Though it wasn't obvious from where Jack was standing, a drop of blood fell from Ridley's right hand, spattering on the arena floor. Her palms had been split by the rebound of bashing against Jack's guard, so if she didn't close out the match soon, there was a non-zero possibility that she would lose.

Unaware of Ridley's thoughts, Jack, having gotten his breathing under control, took the initiative and charged forward—unaware that his sword was bent in the shape of a boomerang. As a result, his attempt to slash at Ridley's upper torso was met with a look of amusement as she barely had to step back to evade it.

"Bzzt. Big mistake~" Ridley teased, catching Jack off guard with a heavy, jaw-straining left hook that caused him to bounce as he slammed into the ground. The blow was like getting hit in the face with a crowbar, but Jack rebounded quickly, catching himself in a low position as he attempted to sweep Ridley's legs.

'Oh? He's tenacious...' Ridley noted, smiling appreciatively as she hopped back and shifted her axe across her body, prepared to raise it high for an overhead chop. To her surprise—and considerable embarrassment—she transitioned into the move too early, causing the weight of her axe to pull her back as she raised it past her head.

'There's no way...' Jack thought, recognizing the 'animation' that Ridley had fallen into. During his first few playthroughs of Radiata Stories, his younger self hadn't been able to resist sneaking a peek at Ridley's pure white panties whenever she would raise her axe and invariably fall onto her butt. He considered it a fairly iconic aspect of her character, showing that she still had room to improve. But seeing it in person...Jack was both relieved and strangely annoyed that Ridley was wearing pants...

umpf

After falling onto her bottom, hard, Ridley quickly snapped her thighs shut and stared up at Jack with upturned green eyes and a severe glower. She was practically daring Jack to laugh at her. Instead, he promptly directed his eyes to his sword, commenting, "Man...you really did a number on this thing..." while making a show of inspecting it.

"..."

pat pat pat pat

Rising to her feet, Ridley gave her butt a few crisp-sounding smacks in an effort to brush off the dust. Then, spinning on her heel, she proceeded to walk over to the weapon's rack, retrieving both a sword and an axe before silently flinging the latter at the awaiting Jack.

"..."

"..."

Without the need for a second starting signal, Jack and Ridley resumed their match as if it had never stopped. Due to their respective lifelong training regimens, combined with Jack's life of farmwork, neither lacked stamina. Ridley had the advantage in striking power due to the weight of her axe, but it came at the expense of her speed. Jack, on the other hand, was able to swing his weapon faster. But Ridley managed to consistently parry and make use of his own momentum to strike his body with her fist, elbow, shoulder, and even her forehead.

shnkk

"Huh...?"

Seeing Ridley's axe slip and spin wildly out of her grasp as he smacked it away, the cogs in Jack's mind ground to a stop. He hadn't been trying to disarm her, so with Ridley suddenly being bereft of her axe, he genuinely had no idea what to do next.

"You're wide open...!" Ridley shouted, awakening Jack from his stupor and knocking the wind out of him with a sudden, full-force tackle. Her forward momentum sent him crashing heavily to the ground—where he skidded to a stop. Then, before his mind could make sense of what was happening, a firm pressure sealed Jack's windpipe.

"It's over..." Ridley panted, her long twin tails framing Jack's face as she leaned over him with her forearm to his neck. For several seconds, Jack found himself lost in her smiling, gratified expression—his mind effectively having blue-screened. Then, to make matters exponentially worse, Ridley sat back, settling her weight against his abdomen as she exhaled a weary sigh and remarked, "That was the best match I've had in years..." with her head back and eyes closed.

"..."

Completely stunned by Ridley's actions, Jack simply stared at the golden-haired heroine for what felt like minutes. His mind didn't even register that Junzaburo had called the match in Ridley's favor. Instead, spurred by his presently teenage hormones, his body heated and his heart pounded like a drum in his chest...

"Hmmn? Oh, right..." Ridley muttered, her cheeks tinging a faint shade of red as she looked down and took notice of the position that she and Jack were in. Then, in a single smooth motion, she rose to her feet and stepped off to the side, remarking, "For now, follow the guards to the infirmary and wait for me there. We will speak once the Selection Trials have concluded with my victory."

Though his mind was a mess and he had a lot he wanted to say, Jack sat up and calmly responded, "Sure..." while stealing a glance at Ridely out of the corner of his eye. This time, however, his gaze didn't deviate—even if he noticed that her backside was covered in dust. Instead, he focused on her back, thinking, 'She's amazing...' without any pretense or comparisons to Ridley's counterpart in the game...

...

..

.

(A/N: You made it to the end of this massive block of text. Here are some AI generated images of some of the characters that will be making an appearance in the future.)