Still, as far as could tell, his body was more or less the same, stronger even then how he last remembered. He felt his body brimming with a power that would bring Olympic athletes to shame. But that too was par for the course. Thinking back, Leo felt that there was perhaps some truth, after all. to the original tales in his old world that had told of other worlds and the happenings therein.
Thus, the writer wasn't at all surprised by the sudden shift in his environment nor even of the numerous messages that appeared unbidden onto the surface of his mind. It was true that he still felt a thin sense of incongruity when personally experiencing the very things that were once the sole purview of fiction, however, he knew better than to doubt his circumstances now. After all, what was a little fiction when one has already spent a decade living with the Devil?
Therefore, Leo immediately went down the list of messages in his head, in the exact order they had appeared. As a soldier, he knew how vital it was to make use of all his assets and as a writer, he knew that the key to his future living all depended on the things he discovered now.
First off was the title "『Summoned Hero』. That one was apparent; though he grimaced at how he could have acquired the title of hero, he also understood full well how he could be depicted as one. After all, the blood of thousands was on his hands.
Next was 『Quick Learner』. Its usage seemed apparent - a direct increase in the rate he accrued experience. Perhaps it was even helping him now. However, there was surely more to it than that. For just how would it increase his accumulation rate in the first place? Did it accelerate his thought process? Perhaps it even enhanced the areas of his brain that dealt with the retention of knowledge? Or maybe it somehow aided his own attempts at analysis? Regardless, the writer felt no different than usual, but there was no telling what changes were now being made to his over-active mental faculties.
Perhaps there was a help menu in this mysterious system that would help resolve the issue, the writer suddenly hoped. Or perhaps there even existed some other feature that could render him another form of aid. And so, Leo spent the next several moments running through various commands in his mind, hoping for a single hit: 『Help』,『Menu』,『Summoned Hero』,『Quick Learner』,『Mana Sensitivity』,『Translate All』,『Personal Status』,『Summon Food』,『God of Cooking』,『Demon Companion』,『Demon Master』,『Clio』,『The Devil』,『BBQ』,『Wings』,『Level』,『Level Up』,『Experience』,『Character』,『Status』,『Inventory』,『Ability』,『Skills』,『Save』,『Load』,『Brightness』,『Zoom』,『Speed』,『Slow』,『FAQ』,『Troubleshoot』,『Refund』... Leo ran through every keyword he could think of that might apply and some that might not, which to the writer was a whole lot of words, more so for a writer as accomplished as he. And perhaps 『Quick Learner』 was already showing results; For even as he continued listing out keyword after keyword in his mind, he already split his mental processes to continue onward down the list.
『Mana Sensitivity』 was next, making Leo giddy with excitement. Clio had always tried to prevent him in the past from ever touching the subject, most likely to prevent him from some unseen danger or restriction had he begun learning the subject too early. However, it seemed all such restrictions were now lifted and he was free to pursue the subject at his leisure, a fact he was thankful for to no end.
Then there was 『Translate All』, arguably the most powerful ability to be granted to him now and forevermore. Most people when seeing such an ability would merely use it to communicate using any known or unknown language. At best, they might use it to read ancient texts or even aid in the use of their own magic, however that was a thoroughly elementary use of the ability. Such actions would fall under the purview of a simple 『Translate』 ability, however this was 『Translate All』. If the ability truly worked as advertised, then it should theoretically allow him to read the wind, read his opponents to check their future moves and even read their 『Status』. He'd even be able to communicate with rocks and any other object, animate or inanimate, by translating their intent and furthermore, such an ability would allow him to read 『Fate』 itself, long before it has a chance to unfold. There was plenty to be done with an ability with the audacity to go by the name of 『Translate All』and naturally, Leo tried them all.
『Personal Status』 was up next. As stated, it should allow him to see his personal status and therefore not the status of others. However, this was a near worthless ability given the apparent glory of 『Translate All』, which would not only allow him to see his own status, but the status of others as well.
After that was the massive can of worms otherwise known as 『Summon Food』. Was there a limit to the amount of food he can summon? Even then, how much can he summon at once and at what range? Could he summon food past obstacles and therefore fill jars with water without ever having to open them? Did the food he summon come with an appropriate package and utensils or were they strictly just food, leaving him to find cups and platters on his own? Could he perhaps fire out summoned food as a weapon or even use those same cups and platters in such a manner? If so, what was the current maximum velocity and could he increase it by using mana or some other means? Even then, just what kind of foods can he summon? Can he summon anything food-like he can imagine? Then, does he personally have to perceive something as food before he can summon it or can he only summon from a fixed list? Also, can he summon anything he has read about as being a food or must he have eaten everything himself before he can summon it? Furthermore, can he only summon human food or can he summon food meant for other beings in which case, would the rules change to accommodate the new eater?
Finally, was he able to use 『Summon Food』 to perform 『Mana Cooking』? If so, then would all of his mana-dishes made become a guaranteed success, a feat unheard of in any recorded world or iteration found in Clio's library? However, as it was a legendary craft whose only drawback was the unnaturally high degree of difficulty not found even in the crafting of the greatest of mythical swords, then what manner of effects could he apply and would they be limited until he furthered his own strength? After all, there were even recorded instances of flawed mana-dishes bringing back the dead, albeit temporarily, for only a completed mana-dish could permanently overcome death. Then, there were mana-dishes that exploded entire countries, mana-dishes that summoned vast armies, mana-dishes that turned a poor beggar into the greatest swordmaster his world had ever known, mana-dishes that granted eternal life, mana-dishes that could transmute lead into gold, and far, far more. If 『Summon Food』 could really perform 『Mana Cooking』, then even the demonic horde of his old world would have stood no chance against him. Thus, there were simply too many experiments Leo had to run in that brief time between worlds and this single ability alone consumed most of that time.
With that ordeal now past him, Leo moved on to the prestigious title known only as the 『God of Cooking』. The name was shocking and at first Leo thought he misread it. For due to all his time spent reading and writing about fantasy literature, he knew that any skill or ability with "God" in its name was no joke. Though it was about cooking, this skill was no doubt a full tier above the rest and by virtue of having this skill alone he was likely given a means of ascension himself. Could his extended stay in Clio's domain been the cause? Had staying long in that divine library imparted some form of divinity to himself? Perhaps Clio herself had personally intervened to grant him the title or had even shared a portion of her own divinity at no small expense. Leo simply had no way of knowing. Either way, the writer had to suppress his conditioned instinct to find and talk to her about it, for that was impossible now. He smiled bitterly before stopping himself once more. No need to give her more things to worry about. But if he really did ascend to godhood then he really could see her again. Wouldn't that give her a surprise. Leo thought with a grin. Her expression alone might make the goal worth aiming for.
『Demon Companion』 was next and that surprised him. It seemed the system thought merely having a demonic ally by your side was on-par with the many cheat-like abilities he was given or perhaps there really was something special about this particular fox after all. Leo was suddenly excited to think about how the fox would be like all grown-up. Just remembering its awe-inspiring visage on his final battlefield left the soldier with the desire to do whatever it took to help promote its growth. Therefore, despite not being a very religious man himself, Leo prayed nonetheless. "O Lord, bless this Thy Demon Fox that, with it, Thou mayest rip Thine enemies into tiny pieces... in Thy mercy."
His prayer accomplished, Leo moved on to the last primary entry on the list - the title and honor of 『Demon Master』. The soldier within him smiled at the irony. After fighting tooth-and-nail against demon-kind for the better part of his life and slaughtering thousands of the fiends, he was now being given sovereignty over them? Still, because of all that fighting, Leo knew just how fearsome a demonic horde could be. If this title would then later allow him to build his own demon hordes with which to extend his will then it would prove an invaluable asset should the rifts later appear in this world as well. For his old world was caught off-guard and had little to no time to prepare for the threat, ultimately leading to its defeat.
This time, however, Leo won't be making the same mistake.
Then came the levels, the sweet sound of multiple level-ups happening concurrently with one another in perfect, joyous harmony. And though 'fun' isn't something one considers when one brings balance to one's own inner universe but this... did put a smile on his face. However, by virtue of having a system capable of 'level-ups,' then 'experience' had to exist as well. The question then came, did any experience, even those from common mundane tasks, contribute to his overall 'experience,' or did the blood-thirsty system only care about the experience of murder and bloodshed?
The system had also mentioned something about 'unallocated points.' Therefore, if the system was anything like those commonly found in his old world, then he should be able to allocate his points in a status screen of some kind, a feature he had only recently explored. However, no sooner had the writer finished his task then a surge of bright light engulfed him, changing his environment once again.
When his vision cleared, Leo found himself in a vast plain, filled with rolling fields and grass enveloping the land as far as the eye could see. Slightly cloudy skies lay with nimble grace overhead, while the brilliant sun shone down its glorious rays below unto the breathtakingly beautiful landscape.
Leo yawned, and that's when he saw her.
Leo grinned. For that part, perhaps it'd be a good idea to try his other skills as well. First, he tried using 『Translate All』 to read as much data as possible on both the Wolf girl and the robed staff man conversing with her - their 『Status』, their history, their everything. Next, he tried putting his 『Mana Sensitivity』 to use as their conversation continued. Having two live test subjects was certainly great! Leo, himself, was beginning to see why certain people actually enjoyed being a scientist.
He had many questions that needed answering and more experiments that needed to be run, but it seemed the current situation denied him the time for that luxury. For the wolf-eared girl had a question of her own and Leo, being the kind and thankful man that he was, was glad to answer the girl's question.
With an innocent gleam in his eye, Leo used 『Summon Food』 to place a vibrant red apple on the girl's head, all the while staring meaningfully at the apparent magi who was busily counting the coins in the bag. "Yo, summoner guy, can you really take all that guilt-free? Don't you see how a mistake has occurred here and yet you still demand full payment for a flawed service?"
"At the very least, don't you think she deserves a discount for the trouble, or -dare I say it?- a refund?"
