30. Mystic Realm

"F*ck! A great mystic realm?"

[Yes, indeed. You're quite lucky to encounter a great mystic realm that most people could only dream of, not to mention it's from one of the epics.]

"Hmm... it does sound badass! But... ahem... say, system, what's a mystic realm anyway?"

[Ah yes, a mystic realm, huh?... you don't know what a mystic realm is?]

"Cough, cough... guess not?"

[Last time I mentioned mystic realm, you didn't ask, so I thought you knew about it already. Guess, I thought too highly of you...]

"...Well, I forgot to ask last time, is all. Whatever, just shut up and say what it is."

[Uhm, sure, a mystic realm is an embodiment of the events of the past, created using the scattered fragments of memories of the world.]

"Ugh... and what's that?"

[In simpler terms, a mystic realm is like a reenactment of a historical event, brought to life with intense realism.]

"You're saying we're in the past right now?"

[Yes and no. We're reliving the past, but it's just a realistic illusion, nothing more.]

"Huh, that's a bummer! Whatever, so what event are we in from the past right now?"

[It's from the epic of Ramayana, and from the looks of it, it's just after the recruitment of the vanar sena, most likely a mobilization for their regular training.]

"Huh? Just regular training? You're saying something so insignificant can also become a mystic realm?"

[Sometimes, yes, if it affects the story to some extent. But the phenomenon before you entered here was rather big for something so small. Maybe there will be other missions; we can only find out by progressing in the story.]

"Huh? Wouldn't that, like, take quite a lot of time?"

[And? You have somewhere to go? Wait, do you even have a place to go anymore?]

"Ugh... shut up! Let's just have a bit of fun here before going out."

Yawn...

Sid stood up and stretched his body to drive all the laziness away, then he started walking towards the crowd.

"Now that I know they're not alive, I feel much more at ease around them. Hehehe, maybe I'll rob... ahem... take away a few things from here."

"Say, system, what are these monkeys anywa—"

Bump... as Sid walked, mumbling to himself, his words came to a halt with a collision. He looked up; it was one of the monkey-like creatures, looking at him with disdain.

"Hey, watch it! Why are you walking and talking to yourself like an idiot?"

'Huh? Who's this guy? Hey system, how come we can understand each other? Weren't ancient people supposed to use some other—ancient language? And not to mention language, he's even speaking in our accent?'

[That's (translation)—a convenient ability provided to you by, yours truly.]

"It's so convenient! Well, it would've been much more awesome to have it in that hell! Come to think of it, was that a mystic realm too?"

[Yes, it too...]

"Hey! I am talking to you. Are you alright, bud?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks anyway." Sid hurriedly replied to the person he had bumped into, as his figure slipped into the crowd.

"Hey, system, what's up with this? You said they are just illusions. Why the hell do they seem so real?"

[As I said, it's a REALISTIC illusion. What part of the word 'realistic' do you not understand? It means as close to reality as possible. It's natural for creatures here to behave like they did when they were alive. So, while they aren't living beings, they behave and appear exactly as they would have in real life.]

"Ugh... I... understood all that already. I was just messing with you... ahem... whatever. What are these creatures anyway? They look almost human, but with monkey-like features. What's up with that?"

[Hmm... to answer that, they are indeed not one of the creatures found in the modern era. These creatures are called vanaras, and were once a species that ruled the majority of Indian forests.]

[Vanaras have traits of both humans and monkeys. Gifted with immense strength, they could be thought of as another evolution line branched from monkeys, that was quite close to humans. Now, due to extinction, they have been reduced to mythological species.]

"Mythological species! So they are mythological species... say system, won't I be unable to mix in with them, looking like thi... huh? What the f*ck, what is this? System, what happened to my slick body? Why am I so muscular all of a sudden?"

[It won't be a problem. Anyone entering the realm is assigned a minor role within the events.]

"I see! So, what exactly do I have to do to clear this realm?"

[There are no proper clearing standards; it all depends on individual choices. After entering the realm, there will usually be a rest time with no activity going on whatsoever. It's for the participants to get used to the realm. After which, these people will decide on their own what to do.]

[You can choose to leave the realm, if that's what you want. Or you could even join the opposing faction to disrupt the flow of events. As I said, it's quite realistic—so, anything goes.]

"I... guess, I get it. So basically, this is just like a play with no proper script, and the actors are supposed to write their own.... huh? Wait, doesn't that mean there are a lot of people that can enter? Hey, system!"

[It's indeed as you suspect. This being a great mystic realm, there are a lot of people who can participate at the same time.]

"F*ck! What would I do if the guys from the black market catch me?"

[Worry not. Unless you take it upon yourself to expose your identity, with your new appearance, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to recognize you at first glance.]

"Huh... well, that's a relief. So, let's get started, shall we... uhm, how long will it take to start anyway?"

[When the minimum number of participants enter. By my count, there should be around 50 or so vacancies still left.]

"Fi...fifty? That's so many!"

.....

Meanwhile, in the outside world.

A substantial crowd had gathered around the tornado. Both parties—from the Underground Black Market as well as from the Main City of Mumbai.

After initial investigations from both sides, it was found out that this was indeed a mystic realm entrance. Though, the only ones who can enter were people below level 10, this seemed like quite a predicament for both sides.

Soon, the most trusted members were called in, causing this crowd to gather around the entrance.

"Hyehehe, look—look Aarav, there are sparks flying in the air already, and to think we haven't even entered the mystic realm yet..."

Anaya looked at the still smiling face of Aarav and nudged him slightly, playfulness clear in her tone. "Indeed." But in response, there were only emotionless stoic words, making her lose interest.

Standing on the opposite side, Black Mummy observed the situation ahead without saying a single word. The man assigned by President Morgan stood beside him respectfully.

"Sir Black Mummy, the men are all ready. We are just waiting for your orders, sir."

"Send them in." A dry, coarse voice sounded, sending chills down the spine of the man. "Yes, sir!" he said, slipping away.

"Send our men in!" Here on the Black Market's side, Aarav too issued an order.

About 30 men from each side entered the tornado without even blinking an eye. As their figures disappeared from the real world, the count on the system counter before Sid decreased at a fast pace.

"Son of a... so many people entering together. Guess both the Black Market and the Main City took action at the same time. I wonder what the most powerful person entering the realm is? Say system, can you see?..."

[Hmm... let me check if my authority allows it....]

[...I can only check their levels, any information aside from that is strictly out of my authority.]

"Sure, that would do. So, what's the highest level that has entered?"

[How to put it? Almost everyone entering is level 8 or 9. So it should be level 9? Hmm... Maybe it's a mystic realm with level restrictions over it, let me check...]

"Huh? There are level restrictions to enter a mystic realm?"

[Yes, though only on a few of them, mostly it's on a trial-type mystic realm. A public mystic realm like this with level restrictions is quite rare.]

[Results are out. There is indeed a level restriction on this one, and it's only level 9. I wonder why?]

"Whatever the reason, we can only find out as we progress, right? It should start soon anyway..."

"Besides, system, doesn't this sound something like a protagonist template. It sure does to me with all this level cap and all, now I can kill indiscriminately in this mystic realm hahahaha..."

[Huh? What are you talking about? You are still only level 3.]

"Haha... cough... cough... What? Still only level 3? How come? I killed 4 people back then!"

[Well, did you forget? You need double the experience points to level up than a normal person.]

Sid: (-_-)!!!! F*ck that useless skill! Ahh... so annoying!...