Chapter 12

Christian's eyelids began to gently flicker open as he regained awareness. The first thing he saw were the towering trees above him. The hazy sky made it difficult to determine whether it was going to become night or whether it would soon be day again. As he lifted his body, he observed a rustling sound, which turned out to be from the many leaves beneath him.

"Am I in the wilderness?" Christian belief. He surveyed his surroundings and saw nothing but woods, with no indication of a roadway or road. "Why have I traveled here? Wasn't I jus-'

"Argh!" His head began to ring with agony. When he lifted his shirt, he could see that the sleeves were half ripped. He attempted to recall the most recent occurrence, but all that came to memory was the throbbing ache in his lower back.

"That person... she stabbed me!" He lifted his shirt to see over his shoulder. Christian attempted to examine the alleged wound, but he found nothing, even after running his fingers over it. Momentarily, he questioned himself. "Could it be that everything was simply a nightmare?"

Unfortunately, he shortly realized something that convinced him it was all genuine. His pants were stained with dried blood that appeared to have spilled from his own wound. Earlier, something had certainly occurred.

He ought to have felt anguish. There ought to have been a wound, yet none was present! In actuality, his body felt better than it ever had before.

"What the heck occurred after I was stabbed?" How did I even get here? Where in the devil is 'here' in the first place?

"I saved you, Master," replied the wolf as he reclined on a tree.

Christian recoiled in shock, afraid why such a beast was standing next to him and why it was calling him master.

Wolf: "Oops, it appears you're still confused about what occurred."

"I don't comprehend what's going on," stated a perplexed Christian.

The wolf responded, "You don't recall."

Christian began his next sentence with "I-", but then he stopped himself.

He had no recollection of the events that transpired between the storage facility and his current location, and in all his contemplation he had overlooked something glaringly evident that had been in front of him the entire time. His vision had been somewhat affected in many ways.

Christian, observing the wolf, responded, "No, I don't recall."

Christian gazed upward towards the sky. Even though it was fairly dark, he was able to discern features in the night that he should not have been able to. The groves on the trees in the distance, the ants climbing the branches and distributing food to one another, and then the moon. The fact that it was still out indicated that it was still the middle of the night.

"What the heck... are those spiders?" Christian eventually observed the disparity with his eyes. "How could that be? How was he able to see so well while he worn glasses his entire life? What is happening? I'm sure Jordan would know; I'll only need to contact him.

In the midst of his illogical thoughts, he became aware of a hand approaching to touch his shoulder. Christian closed his eyes because he could not understand what was happening; all he could feel was terror. Christian recognized the wolf as his companion.

"Master, please don't suffer a heart attack right now. I'm here to assist you ", replied the wolf.

Christina's anxiety has subsided, allowing him to breathe. Christian then touched his face to determine whether he was wearing anything, but nothing was there.

"I'm sorry, I'm just anxious. I am unsure of my whereabouts, disoriented, and naked in the bush with a wild animal "Christian remarked as he turned to face the wolf.

"Don't worry, master, your bloodlust will subside," the wolf said.

"What do you mean?" Christian asked.

"You are no longer angry," the wolf remarked.

Christian, peering up at the wolf, remarked, "I don't get it."

The wolf retreated and bowed before Christian. "I am your Christian Celestial Beast."

"That is impossible, Celestial Beast! I was not selected as a Celestial Summoner. Nobody warned me about this, so you cannot simply throw it in my face now "Christian replied while glancing at the wolf.

"I was not the one who picked you, Master," the wolf murmured as he continued to bow.

Then who was it, Christian asked?

I was it "A peculiar voice emanating from the wolf's collar said.

The collar of the wolf was emitting Data Energy in the form of a digital figure. The floating computerized figure was peering down at Christian. Christian retreated since he had never saw such a strong entity.

"I'm Microsoft X, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Christian.

"You are Microsoft X," Christian said.

"Yes, that's me!" said Microsoft X with enthusiasm.

"He selected you," replied the wolf as he stood up from his bow.

"I don't understand why you chose me," Christian remarked as he put his palm to his head.

"There are several reasons for this, my buddy. I require a new generation of individuals to assist preserve the world produced by digital beings in order to safeguard our people and users ", Microsoft X stated.

The wolf answered, "And your will is strong enough to help us build a powerful group of people to protect our home."

Christian, observing Microsoft X, has always desired to be a hero. A hero who would battle for the guy he has always admired. Christian grinned at him while seeing the wolf.

"Is anything wrong, master?" the wolf said.

"No, you need not address me as master. We are allies, and I am prepared to become one with you. You saved my life; therefore I will do all in my power to keep the planet and all of you safe "Christian stated while grinning at the wolf.

The wolf grinned at him and nodded.

"I am named Fenrir. I shall be the wolf that devours not only our foes, but all the evil behind the digital wall as well ", declared Fenrir.

Christian scrutinized Microsoft X. "I desire to accomplish this. Permit me to assist you ".

Microsoft X nodded and then regarded Fenrir. Fenrir closed his eyes and transformed into digital energy. His energy encircled Christian's neck and fashioned a dog chain collar with his name inscribed on it. Fenrir was the name.

A notice appeared before him.

[Status has changed to Celestial Summoner]

Christian has already played several games with a similar UI. However, he was uncertain about his own ability to comprehend everything. This would have been ideal for his friend Jordan, but despite his scant expertise, Christian was able to traverse it somewhat.

The notifications appeared to be deletable, and his overall interface appeared to provide further choices.

After eliminating these alerts, Christian decided to investigate the system further. The first thing he saw was a picture of himself staring back at him, along with his name and a few stats.

[Name: Christian Walker]

[Warrior Fighter 1]

[Skill 0/100]

[Health is perfect]

[Efficiency: 100/100]

[Heart rate of 65 beats per minute]

[Mental Condition: Normal]

[Physical Condition: Regular]

Examining the material in front of him, he attempted to decipher their significance. Christian appeared unable to open any type of description for them, and he received no information from anybody or anything.

"Health" seemed fairly self-explanatory, but "Data Energy"? It could be comparable to Power was the best he could do. Regarding the 'Heart rate', he thought it was odd that it appeared in the first place. He was concerned since his resting heart rate had never been that low. This was the maximum heart rate that athletes could obtain, and while Christian was fit, he was not an athlete.

Regarding "State," he could only associate it with the message he had already received from Fenrir. His bloodlust has subsided. What attracted him the most was the level next to his name.

On the screen itself, the tab at the top stated 'Status,' but there was another one titled 'Quests' immediately next to it. It had a red dot, which indicated that there was something new that he had never seen before. At least, that would be the case if it functioned like the alerts on his phone.

Several additional displays re-appeared in front of him as he was concealing himself under this cover.

[New request obtained]

[Recognize your new power]

You may now accomplish incredible feats that you were previously incapable of, yet you are constrained by your prior, lesser self. You must be in peak physical condition to exhibit your full potential!]

[Daily chores (Monday-Sunday)]

[Exp will be acquired for every action taken to level up]

While attentively reading this, he reached a particular conclusion. Returning to the alerts, he scrolled up and examined the very first notice he had gotten. Because it wasn't a fresh one, he had previously missed it, but now he recalled seeing it before passing asleep.

He read the message numerous times, which was the very first system message to ever display.

"Examine and imitate all you observe, my buddy; if you want my assistance, you can reach me through Fenrir.

"I'll try my best," Christian stated ".

"Good", remarked Microsoft X.

Microsoft X became Data Energy again and fused with the collar. Christian looked down at his collar and stroked it.

"I can now do what I believe to be correct. Fenrir, I'm ready to be a hero "Christian stated while clutching the collar's nameplate in his fingers.