The Summoner And Contractor System 3 Awakening; Krose Village

'Big Bro, what about you?' Rentaro spoke, worried that he might not be able to talk with Wilhelm again.

[Remember, I've been binded to your soul. Anytime you need me, just do what you're doing now. Remember, think inside of your mind and don't ask me questions by speaking aloud. You're look rather crazy if you go around mumbling questions when no one is talking to you.] Laughed Wilhelm, as if imagining Rentaro doing such a thing.

[Well, here it comes. Make sure you adjust to your body first, then we'll talk.]

Suddenly, Rentaro felt a nauseous feeling, as if he was being grabbed and tossed around repeatedly.

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Opening his eyes, Rentaro immediately squinted as a blinding light flashed across his pupils.

"Ugh, Why is it so bright?" Rentaro's voice sounded out unconsciously as he lifted his right arm to cover his eyes, only then did he realize he had regained the ability to speak.

"Eh? I can speak once again, huh? Never thought I'd get so excited just from being able to speak. My first step will be to adjust my eyes to the lighting here." Ready to sit down under a nearby tree and give time to allow his eyes to adjust to the surrounding light, Rentaro suddenly heard a voice.

"Hey! Mister! Your appearance is really strange... What are you doing here?" A rather young, male voice questioned.

"Huh? Oh, uh.... Well, I don't know. I really have no clue about my current location." Rentaro, momentarily surprised and still blinded by the shining light, turned towards the voice's location, hands still covering his eyes. Deciding to brush off the part about his appearance, he responded in as casual of a manner as he could muster.

"Hehe, You... don't know where you are? Who stumbles into a forest without knowing where they are going? That's kind of stupid, mister." The child giggled as he spoke. "Well, you can follow me back to the village, our elders are really smart!" The child mocked as he grabbed Rentaro's left arm, guiding him to the village.

"Oh, okay. My name is Rentaro, what's your name?" Rentaro asked, not knowing how to refer to the young voice.

"Oh, just call me Icrin!" The boy laughed, continuing to guide Rentaro. "The village isn't too far in the forest, as strong beasts inhabit the deepest parts of the forest." After what seemed to be five-or-so minutes, "Uh-huh! There's the village!" Icrin sped up in excitement, the boy's casual speed was already pushing Rentaro's body to its limits.

"O-okay, slow down a little, will you? Uh-Ahh!" Rentaro cursed out, only to almost trip and stumble on a small branch.

"Wow mister, you're really clumsy. Your coordination and physical body are rather weak as well. Why would you ever enter a forest filled with beasts at such a level?" Catching Rentaro, the boy voiced out with a tone of suspicion. "Whatever, we've finally arrived. Elders! I'm back and I found a stranger! He's really weak." Icrin voiced out in a playful manner, one which was expected of a child.

"Icrin," a warm old voice sounded, "I've told you to quiet down today. You know that our village's hunters are trying to rest after their last hunt in the third Forest Zone." Footsteps followed soon after the old voice, slowly closing in towards Rentaro's position as an old man in grey-colored robes was revealed.

"Oh... sorry Gramps." The boy spoke apologetically, admitting his wrongdoings while looking at the ground and fumbling his hands together.

"Hah, no harm done. Now, who's this stranger you're talking about." Suddenly, the old man's eyes widened, "Icrin, you misfit, you didn't steal the man's clothing, did you?!" The old man rebuked Icrin.

'Huh, Big Bro, what's going on?" Shocked by the current conversation, Rentaro realized something wasn't right.

[Lil' Bro... I forgot to mention that while your body has reconstructed, it was only your body. Naturally, no clothing was reformed or brought with you while you transmigrated into this realm.] Coughing, Wilhelm gave an answer to Rentaro's confusion, leaving him in an even stranger situation.

"Wait, Gramps, I found him like this in the 1st Forest Zone. I swear I didn't do anything wrong, I'm innocent!" Icrin screamed, his facing portraying an expression of being wronged.

"You... whatever, I'll find out what happened," the old man moved closer to Rentaro. "Still covering your eyes, they hurt or something? As long as it's a simple problem, I can handle it." The old man questioned as he moved his hands towards Rentaro's eyes.

'Huh, Big Bro, what-' Before Rentaro could even consider his current situation of not wearing any clothing, he fell into panic once again, immediately calling to Wilhelm only to be interrupted.

[Don't worry, the old man is gathering a qi with the healing attribute, just let him finish.] Wilhelm spoke in a relaxed manner.

Rentaro moved his hands from over his eyes, allowing the elder to easily finish his treatment. A strange warmth flowed into Rentaro's eyes, closing his eyes and enjoying the strange feeling, while time around him continued to pa.s.s on.

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"Huh, what is this place?" Opening his eyes, Rentaro found himself in an unrecognizable room, laying on a small bed and covered in white sheets. Looking his right, Rentaro saw a small wooden desk, atop of it lay a set of rather simple, red-colored clothing. Clearly, someone had taken the initiative to prepare a room and clothing for him.

Standing up and stretching, Rentaro put on the old set of clothing before walking across the old wooden floor, hearing an occasional creak from the old floor boards. He opened the door only to be greeted by the sight of an old stone pavement that connected to a dozens of old and new, wooden homes. The wooden homes were surrounded by a lush forest. Wilhelm a.n.a.lyzed that the average tree was 56 meters tall and each one was covered in an array of colors, having leaves varying in green, yellow, red, and orange colors.

Looking towards the far end where the path led to stood a building that was significantly larger than the rest. In front of the building were five beautifully carved life-like statues. The statues were exquisitely detailed, clearly representing a bird, fox, serpent, wolf, and bear in that order. The statues seemed to be lined up in a specific order, each having a reason for their placement.

'Big Bro, is there any meaning behind the statues?' Rentaro asked in wonder.

[Well, the village we're in seems to be located in the first Forest Zone. I infer that each statue represents a different tier of the forest zones. The bird, being the first in line, seems to represent the first and safest forest zone. While the bear, being the fifth in a line, seems to represent the fifth and most dangerous forest zone.] Wilhelm voiced out his inference based on their current situation.

'Ah, I see. Let's find out about the current situation before I plan any further.' Rentaro made up his mind while Wilhelm silently agreed with Rentaro's decision.

Continuing down the stone path, Rentaro noticed several figures that seemed to be training in a small field. Some of the smaller figures held wooden weapons, such as swords and rods, practicing different stances. The taller figures were training with one another, also using wooden weapons, but any clashes they had were done slowly and without any power.

[In case you're curious, Lil' Bro, the reason behind their clashes being done slowly with one another is to strengthen their control and proficiency in their techniques. This manner of training is rather common among cultivators who need to slowly shape their skills. Only after their skill is shaped will they put more power into their duel to pressure one another and hone their skills.] Wilhelm advised as Rentaro briefly watched the duel.

Continuing his walk, Rentaro saw what appeared to be a crystal-clear lake accompanied by a flourishing garden, the plants growing inside were really strange however. None of the plants growing there were reminiscent of plants grown in a garden on Earth.

"There you are. Rentaro, right?" A voice suddenly appeared behind Rentaro, startling him. "Oh, didn't mean to make you jump. Hahaha, young ones these days." Laughter soon followed as the grey-robed elder once again made an appearance.

The old man's face was wrinkled with a ruddy tint, his eyes sunken, paired with ice-blue pupils and a deep gaze showing the acc.u.mulated wisdom throughout his life. His grey hair was untamed with a long and unkempt, whiskered beard, giving him an easy-going appearance.

"Huh, oh yeah. Uh, Senior... where is this place?" Getting his bearings together, Rentaro spoke the question that had been bothering him.

"Ohoho, This village is known as the Krose Village. Named after Nento Krose, who set this village up eight hundred fifty-two years ago."

"Oh, alright, but who's the ruler of this land...?" Rentaro didn't care enough to delve deeply into the topic on the village's origins, desiring to learn more about the broader location in which he was located in.

"Hehe, seems like Icrin is right about you suffering from amnesia. In short, we're currently located in the Argent Plateau, a location under the direct control of the Argent Kingdom, which in turn is under the Silver Moon Empire. Many locations under the Silver Moon Empire are dense in qi. During the night, one's view would be blocked by ma.s.ses of mist, an acc.u.mulation of the qi in the atmosphere, hence the name."

"Oh, thanks a lot, Senior."

"No problem kid, you can just call me Elder Astrona in the future. The building you woke up in is one of our guest houses by the way, so feel free to stick around in the village if you need." The old man said as he walked towards the field where the kids trained.

"Alright, I'll have to take you up on that, Elder Astrona." Rentaro smiled, heading back towards the building he woke up in.

[Lil' Bro, once you get back, check out my system functions for yourself. Don't forget, the inventory function has a system welcome gift inside it. I also added a personal gift as well, but it's not as grand, I only have so much control over the system interface as I was created to be more of a guide, while the creator set up automatic functions and processes.] Wilhelm spoke in an impatient and somewhat displeased voice over not being able to help Rentaro as much as he'd like to.

"Even if it's not as grand, it's still a personal gift and holds more value as it comes from you of your own volition, Big Bro." Rentaro smiled and felt warm from Wilhelm's gesture, not even realizing he had spoken aloud in his happiness.