Elvie frowned, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she stared at me from across the sacred clearing. The lingering glow from the divine tree still shimmered faintly around me like a halo. The golden fruit pulsed with warm light inside my enchanted backpack, hidden but undeniably powerful. She took a step closer, her voice low but sharp.
"Dirk," she said, narrowing her violet eyes, "do you even know how high your status is?"
I blinked, caught off guard. I scratched my head, then pulled up my Guardian Screen casually. As always, the familiar blue square floated before me, showing the same bland numbers.
NAME: Dirk Robinson Jr.
RACE: ???
LEVEL: 10
VITALITY: 10
MAGIC: 10
MANA: 10
I gave Elvie a rolling eyes. "Uh... it's still the same. All tens. Not really impressive." High my ass!
*****
Elvie's eyes twitched. She had seen it—his real status. Just moments ago, when the divine light enveloped him, her third eye involuntarily activated, drawn to the ancient power coursing through him. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat.
LEVEL: 999999 / 99999
MANA: 999999
MAGIC TYPE: PURPLE—TRANSCENDENT CLASS
It was unheard of, Elvie thought to herself. In the entire Magixah Kingdom, the most powerful being been King Ernest, whose level hovered at a legendary 20,000. Dirk's power eclipsed that by hundreds of times—he was not just stronger, he was off the charts. If the king was a storm, Dirk would be a cataclysm. Yet here he stood, shrugging awkwardly, looking like a guy who had just misplaced his favorite knife. Elvie watched him quietly, considering her next words. But instead of questioning him further, she let out a soft sigh and shook her head with a smirk. He's hiding it on purpose, she thought. Maybe he wants a quiet life... or maybe he doesn't know. Either way, I'll protect this idiot until the end. Beside her, Felix stood in awe, polishing his blade absentmindedly as he stared at Dirk like he was looking at a living myth. Ella was more discreet, but her wide eyes and the firm way she gripped her staff said enough.
*****
"I don't care what you are," Felix said finally, stepping forward and offering his fist to me. "You saved us. You shared your food. And now, you led us to the Divine Tree. I swear my sword to you, brother."
Ella nodded, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I swear too. Wherever you go, I'll follow. You've got a kind heart, and that matters more than power."
I blinked at them both, utterly confused. "Guys... I'm just a guy with a lucky backpack and a few seasoning packets..."
Elvie rolled her eyes but smiled. "Then you're the luckiest guy in the entire realm, Dirk. And we're lucky to have met you."
My group stood under the fading twilight of the forbidden forest, surrounded by the sacred presence of the Divine Tree. Unknown to me, a ripple of power was sent across realms the moment I touched that fruit—something ancient had awoken.
King Ernest's Castle – The War Chamber
Saintess Athena stood before the large, obsidian-inlaid table where the war council gathered. Flickering candlelight cast soft shadows over her pale features as she addressed the noble people and generals seated around her.
A loud creak echoed in the chamber doors as Sir Kaelion Auroch, the famed Silver Knight, stepped inside and dropped to one knee before her.
"Your Holiness," Kaelion said respectfully, head bowed. "I've returned from the border town under Baron Weslin."
"Speak," Athena commanded gently.
Kaelion's voice was low but clear. "The man—Dirk Robinson Jr.—is just as he claims. An ordinary human with laughably low stats. Magic barely detectable. However..."
"However?" Athena leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"His items... they defy logic," Kaelion said, pulling out a folded parchment. "He possesses tools and materials we have no means to replicate. His deodorant alone increased my mana output by fifteen percent. And his food items contain inexplicable enchantments. Water, magical meat, sugar, even ordinary sweets—they all hold residual magic."
Athena took a breath, processing. "And his origin?"
"He says he is not from another world, only from another land. But his equipment suggests that he was not an ordinary human."
*****
Later that evening, Saintess Athena knelt in front of King Ernest, her white robes pooling around her like moonlight. "Your Majesty, the magical surge we detected several nights ago—it matches ancient records of the Divine Tree's awakening."
King Ernest's brows furrowed deeply. "Then the tree has been found... and its power has already been claimed." His tone darkened.
He stood and walked toward the large stained-glass window overlooking the capital. Memories of the last war, the screams of innocents and the blood-soaked soil in the boundary town, echoed in his mind. Thousands had died. Entire families vanished. The pain of those lost lives still weighed heavily on his heart.
"We cannot allow that power to fall into the demon lord's hands," he murmured, clenching his fists. "Not again."
"Who had the fruit?" he asked, turning back to Athena.
She shook her head with a sigh. "No news yet, Your Majesty."
"So what do you suggest we do? Our knights are not powerful enough to fight the demon lord," he said, his voice tired, almost breaking.
"We can ask the merchant for help," Athena replied thoughtfully. "His products enhance mana—powerfully. If we can purchase his supplies, we may have a chance to empower our forces."
"And in return?"
"We give him a reward he cannot refuse," she said, a sharp gleam in her eyes. "Land. We named him Baron. Give him title and territory in the Elven lands. That way, we bring him under our influence... and closer to our eyes."
King Ernest turned, considering her words. "A Baron... a merchant rising to the nobility. That has never been done."
"Desperate times, Your Majesty," Athena said calmly. "And he may be more than just a merchant."
After a long pause, the King finally nodded. "Send the letter. Summon him to the capital. We cannot afford to wait."
Meanwhile, at Baron Weslin's Mansion
The Baron knocked gently on the door to Dirk's study, where Dirk was tinkering with a magically-glowing pen and writing his journal.
"Dirk, a letter arrived." The Baron handed me the royal-sealed scroll. "From the capital."
I blinked. "The capital?"
"It bears the king's seal. You and your companions are summoned... officially."
Ella, who had been lounging with a cup of tea, sat upright. "Is it the Saintess?"
Felix, sharpening his blade nearby, grunted. "Bet they want to steal your stuff."
I chuckled, then unfolded the letter. My eyes skimmed over the elegant script.
"Looks like the kingdom wants to 'purchase' my items to equip their army."
Elvie folded her arms, giving him a sharp look. "They must know something... Did they find out about the Divine Tree?"
I didn't answer right away. I glanced at his Guardian Screen—still showing only "10" across all stats. But in my gut, I felt things were only just beginning.
"Time to meet a king," I said, with a wry smile. "Hope he's a good tipper."
*****
After weeks of rattling carriage wheels, bumpy dirt paths, and far too many camp meals cooked over twig fires, I finally saw it.
The border of the mainland.
Aurareth—capital of the Magixah Kingdom—rose like something out of a fever dream. Spires touched the clouds, glittering with polished crystal. Floating lights bobbed lazily above streets paved smoother than any road I'd ever seen. I leaned forward from the carriage window, blinking at the magic train humming past us—fast, silent, sleek, and glowing with mana crystals embedded in its undercarriage.
"Holy crap," I muttered.
Elvie arched an eyebrow. "You act like you've never seen a city before."
"Not one like that," I said, nodding toward the towering silver mage's tower that floated. It was literally spinning in the air, surrounded by runes that shimmered in the daylight.
"I still don't get why we needed six people," I heard myself mutter, mostly just to ground myself.
But of course, I knew why.
Before we entered the capital, we stopped by a quiet merchant town nestled against the hills. I asked Felix to pull over and made a beeline for a modest shop with a crooked sign and a smell of fresh bread wafting from inside.
Igor and Miss Agnes were exactly where I told them via the merchant guild's orb.
"I need you two to keep the shop running," I told them, handing Igor a bundle of magical huge pouches. Each was stuffed with stuff from stuff with an addition of Snickers chocolate as a new product to sell and the lighter, "Label these right. I don't want another 'fire sprite' panic over matches."
Miss Agnes cackled, sliding the lighter into her satchel after I taught them how to use it. "You mean when that one farmer lit one and screamed like his beard caught fire?"
"Exactly that," I said with a dry smile.
"Don't forget us when you're made noble, dear," she said, patting my arm.
"More like making a king," Felix joked, strapping down our supplies onto the back of the carriage. "When they find out what that backpack of yours can do—"
"King of seasoning packets," I muttered. They all laughed. And just like that, the group was six—me, Elvie, Ella, Felix, Igor, and Miss Agnes—stuffed into a reinforced royal carriage, bound for a city I wasn't ready for.