Chương 19: 19

19 Putting on my best impression of shock, I shook my head and choked out, "You want me to fight some kind of evil? I'm just a normal guy!" Yes. A normal guy who'd now been asked, twice, to become a hero in a magical universe that wasn't his own. Perfectly average. Silas nodded, sympathy creasing his brow.

"I know this must be overwhelming," he said gently.

"But Nexus needs you. An undead army stands at our gates, and if they breach the city…" His voice faltered. He looked away, swallowing hard.

"They will slaughter everyone. The cursed generals have already spread disease and death across the rest of the world. You are our only hope." Desperation bled through every word. For all appearances, he was sincere, and an undead army certainly qualified as apocalyptic. And yet. Something deep in my gut recoiled. The instinct to run scraped down my spine like claws. There was nothing overtly wrong with him, nothing I could point to, but the unease refused to fade.

And for that matter, why hadn't Karma mentioned that zombies were a thing in Nexus?! If I'd known undead armies were on the table, I might've reconsidered the whole nature affinity choice. Light suddenly seemed a lot more appealing. Wasn't there a Spirit of Death, too? Someone whose entire job was keeping track of that sort of thing? Raising an army of the dead wasn't exactly subtle. Or was that spirit the one behind this mess? I shoved the growing pile of questions aside and lifted my hands in a placating gesture.

"If you needed someone capable, someone strong, why summon a stranger from another world? Where I'm from, people don't fight great evils. I'd die if I went up against an army." Instead of discouraging him, my words seemed to steel his resolve. He seized my hand before I could react, his grip iron-strong.

"The summoning spell only draws the best," he said fervently.

"Every time it's been used, heroes of immense power answered the call. You are no exception. Tell me, what special ability were you granted?" I bit back a grimace and tugged, unsuccessfully. For an older man, he had an alarming amount of strength.

"I don't know," I said, giving up on freeing myself.

"I don't even know how to check." Silas blinked, then gestured toward one of the tall windows lining the hall.

"Ah. Of course. My apologies. Focus on your reflection and concentrate. Your menu will appear. Stats, skills, quests, all of it." Keeping him in the corner of my eye, I did as instructed. The menu flickered into view. Nikolas Level 2 Hit Points: 20/20 Mana 20/20 Status: Healthy Well. At least I wasn't level one. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I wasn't sure what difference that made, but it felt marginally better.

I made a mental note to ask Karma later and glanced at the minimized list hovering beside my stats. When I focused on it, the categories expanded. Quests Reputation Skills Spells Stats I'd explore it later. Right now, only spells mattered. I selected the category, and nearly choked. Fast Forward, Level Ten Spell When cast, all enemies within the area of effect rapidly age, crumbling to dust. Area scales with mana expenditure. Mana Cost: Variable. My stomach dropped. That was…

that was what I'd used on the thug back on Earth. And now this man wanted me to face an undead army, with a spell I'd cast once? Alone? Cold nausea rolled through me.

"I can't." The words slipped out before I could stop them. I closed the menus and yanked my hand free as Silas's face twisted in panic.

"You must!" He lunged again, hands grasping, and I backed away fast.

"I'd die against more than a handful–stop trying to grab me!" My back hit the wall. The hall was massive, cavernous, but with every step he took toward me, it felt like it was shrinking. I dodged sideways just in time to avoid his fingers clutching my shirt. He stopped then, but the wild desperation in his eyes remained.

"You're our only hope. You have to stop that army!" Even if I wanted to use that spell again, I didn't have the mana to wipe out an entire force. I needed help. I needed Karma…or Time. If this army was truly the catalyst, then surely they had a plan. They hadn't sent me here to be a one-man apocalypse stopper. This was supposed to be reconnaissance. Right? Swallowing down the panic clawing at my throat, I forced myself to slow my breathing and met Silas's gaze.

"Just…give me time. You dragged me into another world and asked me to fight an army alone. That's a lot." Silas sagged with visible relief.

"Of course. I'll have a guard escort you to a room. Take whatever time you need, though…" His gaze flicked toward the distant windows.

"We have very little." He turned, lifting a hand to summon a guard. He never finished the motion. A furious shout echoed down the hall.

"You pieces of shit, let me go!" I winced. Oh. What fresh hell was this now?