LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 4: Dilapidated Shrine
The light rain pattered on the crumbling roof.
It was by no means a loud sound. But to Zayne, who had just descended, it was like a whole crowd of people beating on the massive drums. He might have heard all sorts of sounds as a god watching the world from above, but when it was filtered through the eyes of a human, the experience was completely different. More intense.
The same could be said about other sensations.
The few drops that fell down on Zayne through the holes between the rotten boards were unbelievably cold and caused him pain as they hit his skin.
The floor underneath him was disgustingly mushy and clammy.
The faint light passing through the windows covered up with dirty cloth was barely able to lighten the place enough so that he could take a look around, and yet it stung his eyes.
Even breathing in and out caused a weird sensation, something akin to both burning and freezing in his chest, spreading all over his body.
Still, it felt kind of good. To breathe.
Zayne lay on the wooden floor, collecting his thoughts as he waited for his senses to adjust.
Although it was an accidental, unplanned descent, since he was already here, he might as well stay for a few days. After all, he already paid for it, so it would be a waste not to take advantage of it. The initial cost was always the highest. Extensions were more reasonably priced.
At least he ended up as a human. Once in the past, the system tricked him into descending as a goblin, tempting him with a cheap price… Back then, Zayne had only been in Erithen for a few days, and wasn't fully familiar with the world - or the system - yet, so he didn't know how much of a scam it was…
A chuckle escaped his mouth at the recollection, and he immediately started coughing. His throat was on fire.
His head was also pounding.
In short, everything caused him pain.
It took a good moment before he finally adjusted. He slowly raised his arm above his head, and he stared it, as he opened and closed it. One by one, he started moving different parts of his body, trying to get a feel. Remind himself how it was to move.
Once he felt ready, he lifted himself up, taking care not to make any abrupt moves, still a bit unsure, and looked around.
He was in some sort of dilapidated building. A wooden shack, damaged by time, in dire need of repairs. Judging by the altar in the back, a shrine?
It didn't seem abandoned though, despite its wretched state. The floor was swept, there were no cobwebs in the corners, and the two pieces of fruit on the altar were not rotten.
Speaking of fruit… Zayne was kinda hungry.
Probably.
At least that's what Zayne assumed based on the grumbling of his stomach. It was so long since he last had a physical body, that he wasn't quite sure how exactly 'being hungry' felt like.
He stumbled over and picked up an apple. Its red skin was mate and a bit wrinkled, but it was still edible. Too ripe to give a nice crunch as Zayne bit in, but very sweet. It tasted good.
Probably.
It was hard to tell, as Zayne's memory of 'taste' was too vague to make any comparisons.
One small apple wasn't quite enough to fill his stomach, so he reached for the second one. Just as he was about to bite into it though, he paused.
The second apple was visibly older. Although it didn't look all that bad on the outside, just a bit worse than the first one, the smell it gave off was suspicious. If it turned out to be rotten, Zayne could end up getting sick from it. Then, he would have to endure it… or spend points to heal himself.
"System. Is it edible?"
[Cost of making the apple safe to consume: 2 points.]
…As expected.
Without hesitation, Zayne put the apple down.
Two points wasn't much, but it was still a waste. Taking the risk and eating it wasn't worth it either. He could just try to find other food later.
Speaking of points…
"How many points for some clothes?"
[Cost of clothing: starting at 10 points, depending on material, size, and style.]
"Forget it then," Zayne sighed.
There was a linen cloth covering the altar, enough for Zayne to cover himself up. It was damp and dusty, but it would do for now. There was no reason for him to waste points on things he might be able to obtain in a different way later on.
There were plenty of ways to do so.
There were plenty of ways… but what would he do that for, actually?
He may have decided to stay for a while, but he didn't have any plans. This whole thing was just a mistake on his part, after all.
There were many inconveniences about the descent, such as for example having to satisfy all of his physiological needs, or difficulties of traveling between faraway places, which was why he didn't really use this option. Any potential gains in terms of spreading his faith weren't worth the points, a simple manifestation had about the same effects.
Without investing any extra points, his body was exactly the same as the one he had back on Earth. Only around average in terms of strength. With no ability to perform any miraculous feats - unless he spent points of course.
If there was an advantage, it was that having a physical world, he could interact with the world. He could move a stone just by pushing it - without using any extra points! - or topple a tree by cutting it with an axe… Or kill a person by stabbing them with a sword.
The corners of Zayne's mouth slowly lifted in a smile, as an idea blossomed in his head.
"System. What swords with magical properties can I get for… Let's say, somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 points."
A long list of options immediately appeared in front of his eyes. As he started browsing through them, his brows progressively furrowed, until he couldn't help but click his tongue with annoyance.
"Remove all the elven-made swords."
The list instantly shortened, with only a few positions left.
It was to be expected. In Erithen, the world he was currently in, elves were the dominant race when it came to magic, and pretty much everything else. Although some humans were capable of using magic and crafting magical items, they were very rare. Only around one in 10,000 people had any magical talent. Therefore, magical swords crafted by humans were hard to come by.
Still, it was much better than touching anything made by the elves, at least as far as Zayne was concerned.
He read carefully through all the options - his precious points were being spent, so he had to make sure to choose well - and after long considerations, finally picked a slim longsword made from Sephyrite, a rare black metal with a bluish sheen, with lightning properties, for a relatively cheap price of 2,630 points. It wasn't the most powerful, but at least its design and the type of magic imbued in it seemed suitable for a god.
A bright light flashed, and the sword materialized right in front of Zayne, slowly descending onto his extended hands. It looked rather majestic, although perhaps not as good as on the picture the system had shown Zayne…
"Ah!"
Before Zayne even had a chance to test it, he was interrupted by a gasp coming from behind him, accompanied by a loud thud. He quickly turned around, grasping the sword tightly in his hand.
There was a woman by the entrance, sprawled on the ground, staring at Zayne with wide eyes.