Exhausted, the group continued persevering, pushing forward as they struggled to maintain their initial pace.
Having trekked for several hours now, the group struggled to catch their breath, relying more on willpower to keep moving.
Noticing the group was barely able to continue, and realising they still had a long way to go, Hans sighed lightly.
“Alright everyone. It’s best we rest here for a while before we keep going.”
Before he even completed his sentence, most had already collapsed onto the ground, taking in huge gulps of air to satiate their burning lungs.
Since their group was made up of low Ranks, it was understandable that they couldn’t keep moving for extended periods of time.
Not to mention, they all came from a more technologically advanced world where they didn’t need to trek long distances to reach their destination, simply taking a bus or boarding a cab instead.
Already aware of this, Hans had been maintaining a manageable pace to keep them from tiring too quickly. But as they drew closer to their destination, the dangers in the area increased substantially, resulting in his decision to hasten their pace for longer than he initially intended, so they could cover more ground before dark.
In an even worse state than the rest, Felix greedily gulped down air, utterly exhausted from the life-draining distance they had covered.
Being the weakest Rank in the group, it was understandable that he was in a far worse condition than the others, as even his Stamina was pathetically low.
As he lay on the grass, Felix could practically feel multiple hostile gazes directed at him.
Already familiar with this, he didn’t bother checking who they belonged to.
Ever since he joined the group, he had received a variety of reactions from the others. Most viewed him as dead weight, wishing someone with a higher Rank had joined instead. That way, they would at least stand a better chance of surviving if they were suddenly attacked, rather than worrying about making sure he didn’t accidentally get killed in the process.
Some, however, treated him kindly, most likely due to him being younger in this world, making them assume he was still a kid. While the rest remained rather neutral toward his addition, having better things to worry about than glaring at some child.
Overall, they mostly avoided him. Which, honestly, Felix preferred, as he wasn’t particularly keen on mingling with people he wasn’t familiar with either, even back in his own world.
Much less in this one, where danger lurked around every corner, waiting to catch them off guard.
Feeling less exhausted after resting for a while, Felix was finally able to appreciate the scenery around him.
The cool breeze gently brushed against his skin as it played with the strands of his mildly dishevelled short blonde hair.
His hair colour here also differed from the short black hair he had in his own world.
The open field stretched for miles from where they rested. The sunlight, mildly obscured by gentle clouds, shielded them from its scorching heat as the soothing breeze continued to blow.
Experiencing all this, as though for the first time every time he did, Felix was unsure whether it was due to being in a younger body that made everything feel so new and refreshing, or if there was another reason entirely.
As whenever he was out like this, he felt like he was a part of nature itself. Like he was finally where he belonged.
Like he was...
“Free.”
Exhaling softly as he revelled in the feeling, Felix sprawled across the ground, relaxing himself as he gazed aimlessly at the clouds above.
Staring at the sky, his mind wandered slightly.
Despite it being around nighttime when he wore the Astral Helmet, it was only approaching dawn when he arrived here.
From his recollection, he had deduced that the flow of time in this world compared to his own was roughly seven to one.
Meaning, seven days here equaled one day, or sometimes even less, in his own world.
Though on rare occasions time would flow faster or slower between the two worlds, it generally followed this pattern, most of the time.
Feeling fully rejuvenated, Felix decided to check his stats, a habit he had recently developed to pass the time.
******
[Personal Profile]
{Name: Fex (» Felix)}
{Age: 17 (» 21)}
{Race: Human}
{Class: Faymancer}
{Rank: F-}
{Zenith Sponsor: None}
{Crest: None}
.....
[Personal Stats]
{Strength: Lv.1}
{Agility: Lv.3}
{Stamina: Lv.1}
{Mana: Lv.4 (100/100)}
.....
[Personal Attributes]
{Spirit Pulse: Lv.0}
{Golden Touch: Lv.1}
{Hollow Wing: Lv.0}
{Nectar Drain: Lv.0}
{Flora Echo: Lv.0}
{Hallow Pods: Lv.0}
{Mirage Mist: Lv.0}
{Grain Gemini: Lv.0}
******
Checking the translucent screen visible only to him, his eyes drifted toward the Personal Profile.
His name in this world was Fex.
Other than close friends or relatives from their original world, most didn’t reveal their real names to anyone. Felix was no exception.
As such, everyone in the group addressed him as Fex, kid, or brat.
Either way, one’s true identity was meant to remain anonymous at all costs.
A major reason being that just as death in this world was equivalent to death in theirs, the same applied in reverse as well.
As such, if one accidentally divulged their real name to the wrong person, their defenceless body could easily be killed in their own world while they were occupied in this one.
As a result, it was advised to keep one’s personal information hidden from anyone they didn’t trust.
Shifting his attention to his Age, the body he inhabited was that of a seventeen-year-old, while his actual age was twenty-one.
Disregarding his Class and Rank information, Felix didn’t bother checking them. The sight always left a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he was reminded of just how weak he was.
Glancing at the Zenith Sponsor section, which remained empty, Felix became somewhat puzzled.
There wasn’t really much publicly known about the Zeniths, other than the fact that they were mostly behind the astronomical growth of Streamers, rewarding them with gifts and Gems which Streamers used to increase their strength.
At one point, Felix believed he would be able to attain enough power without the support of a Zenith. The thought of being completely at the mercy of another simply didn’t sit right with him, and he would’ve rather attained power on his own than grovel at someone else’s feet for it.
A naive dream.
Now, he wasn’t even strong enough to pique the interest of a Zenith, much less receive a contract from one.
“Heh! I guess that’s why they say be careful what you wish for.”
A dry laugh escaping his lips as he muttered this, Felix couldn’t help but feel self-reproach at his former naivety.
Shaking off the thought, he checked the last piece of information on his Personal Profile, which was the Crest.
In simple terms, it was more of a mark that bestowed one with powers unique to their Zenith Sponsor, which was why he didn’t have one.
Not bothering to linger on his Personal Stats, since the only noteworthy aspects were his Mana and Agility while the rest were too weak to matter, Felix skipped toward his Personal Attributes instead.
This section was probably the one Felix felt the most conflicted about.
Upon being Projected into this world, most people only possessed around two or three Personal Attributes. Exceptional individuals had four, while on extremely rare occasions, some possessed five.
Felix, however, had arrived with a total of eight Personal Attributes. An amount that had never before been heard of.
Despite his attempt to avoid drawing attention to himself by reducing the amount during guild registration and claiming he only possessed five, it still ended up causing a considerable uproar at the time.
But upon seeing his Class Rank, they immediately lost all interest, coining him with the title- The Strongest Weakling.