RADS 2. Sorcerer System

Sam opened his heavy eyes. His body felt so stiff. He massages his dizzy head while observing the surreal panorama around him. Twisting dark tree with even darker foliage. Another tree had shiny stones that seemed to be coming out of its trunk. Big mushroom in the size of a cow. Coiling vines that seem to move on their own.

Even the air seems to have color in it. It moves like colored smoke and it's everywhere. The weird tree exudes greenish color and the shiny stone has a more vibrant version of purple.

Of all this peculiar flora and weirdness, only the green grass seemed familiar to Sam.

Sam moved his hand and tried to get up. A strange sensation surged through his body, leaving him simultaneously invigorated and pained.

Amidst this mystical ambiance, a distinct 'ding' echoed through the air. At the same time, suddenly a bluish transparent screen appeared in front of him.

[Congratulations, your body and soul transportation has succeeded.]

He heard a voice of an old man speaking directly in his head. "What?" Sam's voice quivered with disbelief.

[You have been reborn.]

The words echoed in Sam's mind while concurrently displaying the same word on the translucent screen.

[Do you have any questions?]

"Yes! What is happening to me?" Sam demanded answers.

[The system has gauged your intention for more explanation]

[Sam Wyndham, your body and soul have been transported to this world through a forbidden summoning ritual performed by the former soul of the system]

[Your body has been remade, and your soul is now linked to the system]

[You have been reborn in this world of Iskelgard]

Sam, still processing the information, touched his face and body, sensing the tangible difference from his previous form. In examining his transformed appearance, Sam noted a more pronounced jawline, higher cheekbones, and thicker eyebrows.

To confirm his reality, he snapped a strand of his hair. He felt both the pull and the tickling pain. Sam rubbed his head immediately. He stared at the hair strand, checking its color. He is no longer blonde. This hair is brunette with a reddish hue. “Is this real?”

Memories, especially the blinding light before his death, lingered vividly. Despite those traumatic experiences, the fresh air that he breathed, the touch of grass on his bare feet, and the coursing energy within him felt undeniably authentic. “This is real.”

[Sam Wyndham, do you want to change your name?]

"No. Why would I change my name?"

[Understood]

[This is your current stat

Name: Sam Wyndham

Race: Human

Class: Sorcerer

Rank: Novice

Magic Energy: 3750

Natural Elemental Affinity: Fire, Wind

Skill: Unregistered

Reclaimed Spell: 0/33

Binding Vow: None

You can access this information by command ‘self check’]

Sam's curiosity was piqued at the statistical breakdown, resembling attributes from a game. As he stares into the enigmatic system, attempting to comprehend its intricacies, he couldn't shake the uncanny familiarity reminiscent of his experiences in Primal Phantasm.

“Am I transported into a game?”

[No. This is a real world, albeit different from the one you know.]

[The system is created specifically based on your memory of something called 'game' to ease your learning and adaptation of this world]

“Interesting,” Sam said. He is about to delve into the system when a sudden pain piercing his head.

The pain pierces through Sam's consciousness, a sharp jolt that cuts through the calm of the mystical forest. As the throbbing in his head intensifies, Sam is plunged into a recollection of memory, but not of his own.

In these memories, Sam is an unwitting spectator to the final moments of the old wizard. It's in the same forest, but not exactly in the exact place where he woke up. This part of the forest in the old wizard's memory has been destroyed and ravaged. Trees burn, icicles towering into the sky, a giant snake looming around, a giant horned monster with wings flying around in a circle like a vulture waiting for a corpse.

The aged wizard lies prone on the ground, bathed in an eerie glow. He is surrounded by enigmatic figures suspended in the sky. Each figure wields a unique and radiant magic, casting a terrifying luminescence upon the scene.

A disconcerting sensation gripped Sam. He feels an intangible force being ruthlessly extracted from the very core of the old wizard. The air crackles with an ominous energy as the figures in the sky wield their powers, orchestrating what seems to be a cruel ritual. Glowing orbs of energy seemed to be bouncing around from one mysterious figure to the other. In this spectral tug-of-war, Sam feels the clear impending doom of the wizard.

The memory faded away, leaving Sam in a state of bewildered contemplation. Sweat dropped from his face and his breath was ragged.

“That must be the old wizard that transported me,” Sam said.

[Correct. What you just witness is the memory of the system’s former soul.]

“You mean you are the wizard that summoned me?”

[The system is created from the wizard's soul as his last effort to stay alive. But, doing the forbidden magic in critical condition, his soul is dispersed, leaving only a portion of it to form the system in an emergency. So, no, the system has no identity anymore.]

“Wait … so the wizard forcefully transported me, just to stay alive?”

[You are correct.]

“Damned wizard!” Sam cursed. “But I guess, it's not that bad. Well, now I have a second chance and this life as a wizard seems a lot more interesting.”

[You are wrong. You are not a wizard, but a sorcerer.]

“What the hell is even the difference?”