The lead boy, who presumably killed the beast, looked around and finally noticed the duo. "We didn't steal your kill, did we? It looked like you were hesitant to kill the Elehorse. Oh, by the way, my name is Natael, head of the Draconics. We're adventurers. I'll tell you about the others later, but for now, we have to get out of here before more of them come. Sasha, care to help with the beast?"
He said this to a red-haired girl who looked like she hated what she was doing. "What a bother," she grumbled, walking over to the beast and touching it. A blue magic circle appeared over the creature, sucking it inside. "Now, let's get out of here."
The seven of them ran up to a cliff and hid behind it as they heard the thudding of approaching hooves. Another member of the party conjured a tent to block the sun. "We can stay here for a while until the Elehorses finish their parade. It would be a terror if we were ambushed by them. But before that, let's introduce ourselves. As you already know, my name is Natael Feirysky. I possess two magical attributes: fire and light, and I'm the leader of this party. This is the only female of our team. Her name is Sasha Grey; she's a very important member of our party. Her power might not be as strong for attacking, but it's great. She uses Storage magic."
Sasha winked at Tsuoma, and he hastily looked away, his cheeks reddening.
"That's Zoro Stref," Natael said, pointing to a yellow-haired boy slurping from a cup. "He uses summoning magic; he can summon animals, spirits, and weapons." Zoro grinned. "He is a weapon mage. He has proficiency in using any weapon, especially the sword. His nickname is The Sword Mage." He said, pointing to another boy who was holding a sword masterfully and was on high alert. The boy looked at Tsuoma's sword and chuckled. "And last of all is our trump card, Miles Sora. He uses two kinds of magic: Spatial and Gravity magic."
Tsuoma and Teruki looked at each other, wondering what they should say. Teruki stared hard at Tsuoma, and he groaned.
"We are Tsuoma and Teruki," he said. "Don't worry about our family names. Anyway, we are from Bultock."
Teruki looked like she wanted to vomit but held it in. "That's a city not under the Empress yet, though it's a bit far from where we come from. Our city, Luby, has been taken over by the evil Empress Lizabetha."
Tsuoma sighed. The name of the city had only just appeared in his head. "Your people must be well off, you know, being under the protection of the summoning princess." Tsuoma chuckled nervously.
Suddenly, a blue light began to flash intermittently in his eyes as he saw many of the beasts assembling and heading toward them. "Damn it, they've sensed us! I should have sensed them earlier," Tsuoma said as Sasha hastily stored everything.
Natael was surprised. "It's an ocular ability of mine. I can see things from far away before they appear, as long as they don't cloak themselves or are within a 360-degree radius." Tsuoma replied to the unasked question.
"That's why you didn't see us," Natael replied. "We were hiding using spatial magic to distort our presence."
"Just what we needed," Tsuoma muttered.
An Elehorse used its trunk to destroy their hiding spot, and they all jumped away hastily. They all drew their weapons. Sasha had two new-looking daggers. Natael brought out a pure white sword pulsating with energy. Zoro held a long sword. Miles stood there without a weapon, while Tsuoma and Teruki brought out their swords. An Elehorse dashed at Tsuoma, who sped so fast, raising dust in his wake. The next thing they all saw was three of the Elehorses down.
"Wow, that was fast," Sasha said, surprised and admiringly.
The rest of the team was able to defeat the Elehorses without much trouble. None of the Elehorses could come near Miles; they were weighed down by a heavy gravitational pressure. They were squealing in pain as the gravitational force holding them down was too strong. Suddenly, a roar sounded, and they all had to cover their ears. Tsuoma saw the same light and spotted a giant Elehorse, a leader of the pack.
Standing at twenty feet, the Elehorse crushed the ground underneath it, revealing craters as it walked. Sasha whistled. "Now, that will cost us a lot of money in the guild market once we get its large tusks. A thousand dalfs should help our poor life."
Tsuoma looked at her in horror. "You're not seriously going to attack that beast, right, Sasha?"
"Of course, I will," she said. "For the money, you know."
Natael patted Tsuoma's shoulder. "Don't worry, she can handle it. Just watch. She is feared as the Money Goddess, meaning she can do anything for money. No one, not even an experienced thief, can steal from her. Once money is involved, she becomes a fierce jaguar. If anything goes wrong, we'll save her. But first, we'll let her have all the fun."
Sasha grinned and made a magic circle. From it, a rope with a spike attached appeared. She ran to the beast and struck it underneath. The screaming was too much for Teruki to bear. She fell to the ground, clutching her head. "I feel its pain and agony. I don't know how I can, but the pain is unbearable. Please, put it out of its misery immediately."
Tsuoma was shocked. Were her powers already manifesting?
Sasha was also surprised and nodded. "With pleasure," she said, and she conjured a spiked net that went through the Elehorse, keeping it down. It began to dry up.
"Wait, what's the net doing?" Tsuoma asked.
"It's slowly draining its life force, but without pain. Anyway, we need the tusks." She walked over to the Elehorse and conjured a sword, which she used to cut off the tusks. "Now we'll gain a lot and get recognized."
Tsuoma sighed and looked at Teruki. "Did she just use empathy?" he wondered. A voice responded in his mind.
[Just like your geographical eyes, she also gained a unique ability, and you also have another ability: the Eye of Truth. It allows you to see everything about others, including their underwear.]
Tsuoma jerked, looking around. Who was the speaker?
[I am your System. The goddess put me inside you so you can keep track of your abilities and cultivate them. This means the more powerful enemies you defeat, the more you will upgrade.]
Tsuoma smiled inwardly. He had heard of systems in novels from his friends, and now he had one. He found himself in a white mental space. The goddess appeared to him.
"I will continue to watch over you, Tsuoma. You won't regret your second life, and I'll make sure that no friend you make here will ever betray you."
"Whatever, Goddess. By the way, what can I call you? I can't keep saying 'goddess,' you know."
"Why don't you give me a name, Tsuoma? Besides, once you name me, you claim me."
He facepalmed and groaned. "Are you okay, man?" Natael asked in concern.
"Yes, sure. Let's go on."
The goddess laughed in Tsuoma's mind. "That shocked you, huh? Come on, it's good having a goddess at your beck and call. Besides, I'm sure the Demon Lord is possessing someone. The demons and I have been at war for many centuries, and I, the summoning goddess, have been summoning heroes to help us. It wasn't easy to get your soul because I feared you would be filled with rage after your best friend killed you, and your soul would return as a vengeful spirit. Instead, your soul was calm and even wished for your friend not to blame himself. Your soul was so pure I had to take it before it got corrupted. And since your soul was interwoven with Teruki's, she had to come with you. Now, both of you have gained more powers than most people in this world. You have to develop your powers and abilities through the system I have granted you. Any questions?"
"That's amazing. Okay, I will call you Sigrid."
"Nice, a Viking name, huh? That's thoughtful, but I'm not a Viking goddess, but it's okay by me. My name is Sigrid. It's a pleasure to serve you, Master."
Tsuoma chuckled nervously and ruffled his curly hair. His new life had just begun, and he had also made new friends.