Time: Night, 8th Era, Year 431, Fifth Month
Location: Calderra Village, Adventurer Village Apartment Room.
A young man with a robust build, short black hair, deep brown eyes, and a handsome face looked at himself in a mirror. He was clad in black leather armor.
Gabriel's eyes still held a trace of disbelief.
It had only been barely a day since he had been isekai'd to this world, and he was still very much unaccustomed to his new reality.
Originally, he was a freshly graduated college student and an aspiring light novel author.
One day, as he was drinking coffee on his apartment's balcony after drafting a few chapters of his upcoming novel, he noticed a shooting star. He made a wish for his success.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he made his wish, the shooting star veered off course, redirecting towards him. It crushed him to death along with the entire apartment complex he was staying at.
Fortunately for him, Gabriel "survived" as he was isekai'd to another world under the same name.
According to the memories he received, the previous Gabriel had met an unfortunate end. After taking a bath, he slipped on some water, and his neck landed straight on a piece of wood, killing him instantly.
Now, Gabriel was an F-rank Adventurer of the Adventurer's Guild Calderra Branch. The previous Gabriel had been an orphan who grew up working as a porter for Adventurers.
When he had saved enough money, he quit his porter job, bought basic adventurer's equipment, and rented a room in the village's adventurer apartment complex before going to the Adventurer's Guild and signing up as an Adventurer.
"I'm going to have to adapt to this new environment fast if I want to live a long life in this world," Gabriel told himself.
This world was called Alderran, similar to typical anime isekai worlds. Alderran was a world of magic and monsters.
Once, uncivilized and rampant monsters used to be the dominant force in Alderran, but thanks to the rapid progress of humanity and other races, humanity quickly became a powerhouse among the other races in Alderran such as the Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, and so on.
Like most people, Gabriel did not have the ability to use Mana. The chances of being born with the ability to use Mana were very small, making Mana Users highly valued. Though Gabriel could not use Mana, he could use the next best thing: Aura.
First...
What is Mana?
Mana is a magical energy that is present everywhere and in everybody. It is the building block of matter and, with it, everything.
With the use of spells invented by the pioneers of ancient times, Mana is manipulated to form anything according to the caster's intent.
Though Mana is present in everybody, most individuals cannot use it. The reason is that to use Mana, one has to be naturally connected or attuned to Mana, a connection called "Mana Affinity."
Unlike most races, Humans have a small chance of being born with Mana Affinity. Therefore, Mana Users are among humanity's most valuable assets.
What is Aura?
Aura, on the other hand, is a form of Mana. Because most individuals cannot use Mana, the pioneers of ancient times developed a solution: Aura Techniques.
Aura Techniques are meditative techniques that connect with the surroundings, specifically the energy within them.
This energy is then absorbed into the body, which strengthens the physical body and allows one to use Aura for defensive and/or offensive purposes, potentially making them almost untouchable and granting them various abilities or attacks.
Some advanced auras are even capable of causing intimidation and fear with their mere presence, or potentially bringing the target to incapacitation or even death.
The best thing about Aura is that everyone can use it. However, Aura Techniques are nowadays either expensive or kept hidden by noble families, leaving only basic techniques for general use.
Gabriel, who worked as a porter to fund his basic necessities for becoming an Adventurer, did not have enough money to buy one.
He knew he must work hard and endure hardship to buy these techniques, become stronger, and earn more money, making life a little more comfortable.
After taking a few deep breaths, Gabriel grabbed his sword and adventurer's bag before heading to the Adventurer's Guild Calderra Branch building.
Gabriel entered the building and noticed a few glances towards him, which quickly retracted.
He headed towards the mission board and checked for easy missions he could take on as a newbie.
"Escorting a merchant to Birchwood Village... maybe I could do that—oh, it says in the requirements that one must be experienced... well, unfortunately, I don't have enough experience for that one."
"Obtaining 10 stalks of Daybloom Flowers... I don't know what that is... I guess I'll try to read a few books about that when I have the chance, but... I'm afraid that isn't the one for me."
"Killing a Hobgoblin?! If I try that, I am certainly dead."
"Hmmmm... Hunting a few wild goblins in the nearby Elderwood Forest?... You know what, maybe I can try that one."
Gabriel took off the mission notice and headed to the reception to talk with the Guild's receptionist, Alina.
"Good morning, Adventurer, what can I do for you today?" Alina asked.
"I'm here to accept this mission," Gabriel said as he handed over the mission notice.
"Hunting wild goblins in Elderwood Forest... this is a mission usually done by a small party... are you in a party?" Alina asked.
Gabriel thought for a moment before confirming his decision. "No... but I'll take my chances."
"Are you sure?" Alina asked. "If I remember, aren't you the newbie who joined like a day ago?"
"Well... yes, that was me, but... I'm not really acquainted with anyone here, so I can't find a suitable party for me, so... I guess I can only take my chances and go solo for the meantime," Gabriel said.
Alina looked at Gabriel, analyzing him for a brief moment before handing the mission notice back to him.
"Very well... I'll note this mission as taken."
"The reward for this mission will be based on how many goblins you kill. There is also a three-day time limit for this mission. So if the three days pass without the mission being completed, then the rewards will either be halved or canceled... Do you understand?"
"Yes, thank you very much," Gabriel said before leaving the building.
Outside, Gabriel took a deep breath and looked at the horizon. "My adventure begins..."
End of Chapter