[Title: Goblin Slayer]
[Humans are inherently weak. They do not have the strength of orcs, the innate magic aptitude of elves, the regeneration of trolls, or even the reproductive abilities of goblins. What they have is their creativity and ingenuity, and you have proven as much.
[Effect 1: Peak human physiques. Your body's condition is now on par with the best athletes or Navy SEAL soldiers, and you only need to eat 5000 calories a day to maintain this physique permanently.
[Special Reward: Steady Hands (even the best surgeon would be jealous of your motor skills)
[Next Title Improvement: 62/100]
Since goblins and magic already appeared, Zane was not too surprised by the mention of the others. However, he was curious about the effects. "If I only need to eat 5000 calories a day without caring about how they come from and working out, this title is remarkable," he analyzed. Top athletes need to consider numerous factors — their protein intake, calorie intake, fiber, carbs, etc. — to preserve their peak condition, not to mention the intense conditioning required. But this title skipped all these complicated processes and reduced it to just the amount of calories.
"But what's with that special reward?" Zane contemplated. "Is it even useful? And what makes it special?" There was no one to give him answers, so he focused on something else: the second title.
[Title: Hobgoblin Killer]
'Hmm? Why is this one blue?' He immediately noticed the difference, and when he checked the other one, he realized the evolved title had a blueish tint in the white, while this new one was a light blue with no white. "Let's see what it says. Maybe I can get answers from the context."
[You've done something incredible. Without formal training, extraordinary powers, or effective weaponry, you've successfully slain a Goblin Priestess, armed with only your wisdom. Although just an Apprentice Shaman, she was still one who was blessed by mana.
[Effect: 10% increase to meditation or breathing method.]
"Hobgoblin? Is that an evolved form of these goblins? Well, she did appear more intelligent," Zane thought. "And what's meditation and breathing method?" Questions after questions piled up in Zane's mind, but sadly, there was no one to give him the answers or even point him in the right direction.
Zane looked at the burning flame in the distance and frowned. He realized he may have done something stupid. While the camp was a reasonable distance from the forest, the wind could still blow it and cause a disastrous forest fire. "Let's keep an eye out." After retrieving his survival kit, he returned to the cave.
With food, boiled water, and warm clothes, Zane had everything he needed to spend the night. However, he couldn't sleep as he needed to keep an eye out in case the fire spread. The worst part is that he had to turn off his cellphone to preserve the battery. Luckily for him, the night passed quietly, and as soon as the first light loomed over the cave, his crest activated, and he suddenly disappeared.
"Have I returned home?" Zane thought without restraining his excitement. However, as his vision returned, he realized he was in a large, white room with no visible ceiling, sky, or sun. He stood in a well-cut green grass, and hundreds — if not thousands — of people of different skin colors around, each showing the same level of confusion. With a glance, Zane gleaned two vital pieces of information: everybody dressed differently — from luxurious clothes to being half-naked — but everybody present was also dirty or haggard, and secondly, everybody had a unique crest on the back of their left hand.
"So, I'm not the only one?" Zane thought. More people meant this was not a unique opportunity for him; it also meant possible competition. "I wonder what title they have?" Unfortunately for him, no matter how much he stared, he couldn't see anything besides the mark, which seemed to be different for everybody.
The panic settled in as everybody realized their situation. Some people began forming groups to share information; others cried and yelled; and the rest remained quiet — either out of fear or just observing their surroundings. Someone tried to approach Zane, but after giving them a nasty glare, they backed up. How can he trust these people? Especially what they might have done to get titles.
While Zane was still observing his surroundings, golden lasers materialized more than five meters above everyone's heads before slowly condensing into a humanoid creature dressed in a red long coat, with two horns and lizard eyes. 'Hologram Technology?' Zane thought. The crowd murmured at this strange occurrence.
"Silence." A booming voice filled every corner of the room, scaring the attendees.
"Fellow Citizens of Earth Dimension, I am Grand Archmage Drakken Ignasol, a High-Level Strategist from the Dimension Tower; it's always an honor and pleasure to acquaint myself with life in other dimensions. However, while I would love to build a relationship slowly, time is of the essence, so I will be direct and explain your current predicament.
"The Astral Cosmos is the home to countless dimensions — including Earth. You can imagine them as endless stars, each with its own unique race, lifeform, and civilization. Typically, they can't make contact, but some civilizations have developed Interdimensional Travel, facilitating communication and exchange."
Drakken paused to give these people time to process his words before continuing.
"As you can imagine, morality is not a determining factor for the development of a civilization. Just as there are worlds that want to exchange ideas and technology, others want to invade and plunder. Unfortunately for Earth, a being from such a civilization has discovered Earth's coordinates.
"In about 5 to 10 years, a powerful entity with its own army called Demon Lord Shakurri will invade your world." Drakken once again let his words simmer for a few seconds, even though he understood these people did not have the knowledge or context to truly process what he was saying. Luckily, Earth had a high literacy rate compared to other dimensions, meaning they should still be able to understand the gist of things after a while.
"Shakurri will kill most life in your realm and absorb their souls to fuel his ascension to a higher dimension of existence. As for the rest of you? Well, if you're lucky, you might be turned into demon spawns and serve as cannon fodder in his army. That is the fate that awaits this beautiful world."
Drakken glanced at the group and saw primarily confusion and shock, not fear. So, he snapped his fingers to condense a video screen next to him, and unfortunately, the theme was horror. Demonic creatures so numerous that they blocked the sky descended on a world through a portal, and they immediately started killing, pillaging, and destroying. They showed no remorse and no mercy, whether to women, children, or the elderly.
The invaded populace tried to resist by deploying the army. But sadly, no guns, rockets, or any modern weapons were as effective as they should have been. The last image of this video even showed a dozen missiles dropping on these five-meter-tall creatures with wings, but the demon walked out of the mushroom cloud without a scratch on its body. Nuclear weapons had failed.
"This recording was from a dimension called Lumens, and their technology was roughly around the same level as Earth, maybe even a bit more advanced," Drakken continued. The weight of the situation finally dawned on everyone, eliciting panic, cries, and even disbelief.
"Do not despair, earthlings, as fate has not abandoned you," Drakken uttered. His voice carried a natural power that immediately quieted the room and soothed everyone's minds. "There is a rule woven into the very fabric of the Astral Universe itself called Dimension Law 9ZP3: the Law of Fair Resistance. It states that any invaded dimension has the right to be notified and to prepare for the invasion, and if they cannot prepare on their own, a neutral party will be hired to assist.
"Lucky for you, an anonymous individual activated this law, and the Dimension Tower was chosen for this request."
Zane stared at the sky with his mouth agape. All instincts in his body screamed, "This must be some kind of joke," but the evidence proved otherwise. The world, as he understood it, had collapsed entirely in a matter of minutes. However, he was now accustomed to sudden shifts in his life trajectory, so he regained his bearings and began thinking logically.
He had many questions: What is the Astral Cosmos? Is interdimensional travel truly possible? Who was Demon Lord Shakurri? Why does he need souls for his ascension? What does a higher dimension of existence mean? What is the source of Dimension Law 9ZP3? Why does it need someone to activate it to operate? Were there any other Dimension Laws? What about the Dimension Tower? What are their deals? Who chose them to help Earth? Those were the tips of the icebergs of the questions he wanted answered.
"As part of the preparation, earthlings between the ages of 20 and 30 will be randomly selected and placed through rigorous training that pushes their bodies, minds, and spirits to the limit," Drakken stated. "Mass casualties are expected during the process. I know many of you might feel this is unfair, wondering why we have the power to determine Earth's fate."
An eerie calmness washed over Drakken's body. "Unfortunately for you, the Astral Universe is a ruthless place. The weak have no say in their destiny."
The room was so quiet that Zane felt he could hear his heartbeat. For a brief moment, he could not tell whether that was true or the result of the overwhelming stress he felt from all the information he had just received in this 30-second window.
"I know this is a lot to process, but this is all the information I will reveal for now. I promise that in time, you will find the answers you seek — if you survive the training program," Drakken continued. "And before I leave, I will give you a bit of hope. The Dimension Tower has the right to recruit individuals from any dimension under its service. If you meet our requirements, you can take your family and leave for a safer realm.
"But don't get too excited too soon. The rules limit our requirements to only five spots. In other words, out of all 7 billion people in this dimension, only five of you and your families can be saved."
"Only five can be saved? This man doesn't appear to be too confident of our chances," Zane immediately noticed. Regardless, one of these spots must belong to him and his family.
"Next, we will be testing your mana affinity," Drakken continued. "Good luck to you all."
Drakken's hologram projection dissipated, and less than five seconds later, a handsome elf stepped out of a portal in the sky. His skin was as pale as snow, with ears as long as five inches, and he wore a blue mage robe with six glowing stars embroidered on a pin on the left side of his chest, while holding a white staff in his left hand. He glanced at everybody with coldness and indifference:
"I am Grand Mage Keldithas Silvercloud, the North America Director — meaning your group is under my direct care. I will now begin the Mana Affinity Test. My advice for you is to hold on for as long as possible, since one second could be the difference between a bright future and a fate of mediocrity."
Keldithas slowly raised his staff, and a blue magic circle with numerous geometric shapes and strange symbols manifested in the sky, covering the entire room. A pressure spread to every corner, but it was not obvious; most of the people present could not feel it physically, but they had a sense that it was there. Such a feeling was both strange and wonderful.