The Battle to Mend the Sky

Since his body had not fully recovered yet, Ye Yousheng rested in bed for another half day.

During this time, he roughly came to understand his current situation.

This was a continent called Piaomiao in another world.

And he was currently located in Xìnshǒu Village, within the Kelu’en Kingdom in the southwest of the continent.

When he first heard the name of the village, he misheard it as “Beginner Village,” and froze on the spot, thinking he had transmigrated into a game.

Only after it was explained did he realize it was “Xìnshǒu Village,” named because the people here valued keeping their promises.

…That said, this world didn’t seem much different from a game world anyway.

There was magic, monsters, dungeons, intelligent non-human races, and… gods.

A classic fantasy setting—something commonly seen in games.

He learned that he had collapsed inside the village’s teleportation magic array, looking extremely weak.

The one who saved him was a mage—the bespectacled loli from earlier—named Lulu.

Despite her cute name and small appearance, Lulu was actually over three hundred years old.

Because she wasn’t human, but a hobbit.

Her naturally small body, pointed ears, and long lifespan explained the strange sense of maturity Ye Yousheng had felt from her.

As for the ponytailed girl, her name was Anqi, an ordinary human child.

Whether they were truly grandmother and granddaughter, Ye Yousheng wasn’t sure—and it didn’t feel appropriate to ask.

It seemed about time to get out of bed.

Ye Yousheng moved his body slightly and found no major issues.

After checking himself, there were no wounds—no scars even.

He had heard that he had been gravely injured before, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles.

But he had no memory of it.

Speak of the devil—Lulu pushed the door open and walked in, holding a bottle of potion, with Anqi following behind.

“It seems you’ve mostly recovered, but just in case, drink this life potion to restore your HP.”

As she spoke, Lulu handed the red potion to Ye Yousheng.

HP?

That term sounded oddly familiar…

But before that, there was something else he needed to ask.

After thanking Lulu for saving him, Ye Yousheng asked directly—

“How did you know I’m from another world?”

Lulu replied calmly—

“Isn’t it obvious? Your strange clothing gives you away.”

“Of course, some otherworlders look similar to us, so they’re harder to identify.”

Ye Yousheng glanced at his outfit and nodded.

“I see… that does make it pretty obvious.”

“Then what about ‘traveler’? What does that mean?”

Lulu looked at him strangely.

“What? Didn’t the goddess tell you?”

“The goddess? What goddess?”

“That’s odd… I heard that travelers always meet the goddess first when they arrive in this world.”

“Didn’t you meet her?”

“…The goddess?”

As he murmured the word, a splitting headache returned.

Ye Yousheng instinctively clutched his head.

Goddess…

He had an impression of that term.

No—more than that.

It was deeply familiar.

Gradually, he remembered.

Eve, the Goddess of Life.

She was the first being he met after arriving in this world.

No… the first god.

Right.

He should have been in that icy palace…

He met that transcendent goddess there, and then—

He couldn’t remember.

Fragments of memory scattered in his mind, refusing to connect.

He was certain he had met her.

And perhaps she had told him something important about this world.

A sense of regret rose within him.

Why couldn’t he remember it?

“Ah! Your head must have suffered a severe impact. That probably caused some memory loss.”

Lulu slapped her palm in realization.

When she had examined his injuries, she discovered that his head had been severely damaged—his skull even fractured.

Normally, such injuries would be fatal.

Yet not only had Ye Yousheng survived, his wounds had gradually healed, leaving no trace behind.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Lulu could tell that he currently knew almost nothing.

Although she had already explained some basic knowledge of the world, he seemed completely unaware of his own origins or purpose.

She sighed.

“Well, I don’t know everything either, but I’ll explain what I can.”

Opening a book she carried, Lulu flipped to a certain page and began—

“I’ll explain why you travelers come to this world.”

“You can ask questions, but I might not be able to answer all of them.”

“Understood. I’ll leave it to you.”

Ye Yousheng nodded.

He didn’t mind her indifferent tone.

He was already grateful for this much help.

“First, you otherworlders are summoned by the goddess.”

“Your mission is to travel across the continent and help the goddess find five legendary sacred artifacts.”

“That’s why you’re called ‘travelers.’”

“As for what those artifacts are, I don’t know.”

“Records say they differ each time, so there’s no way to confirm.”

“You might find out later—from other travelers, or when your memory returns.”

From her words, two questions arose in Ye Yousheng’s mind.

One of them, however, he couldn’t ask.

So he chose the other.

“Other travelers? Are there many people like me?”

“Not many, but not few either.”

“Every two hundred years, the goddess summons around a thousand otherworlders to the Piaomiao Continent.”

“The continent will fall into turmoil… new dungeons will appear… it will become restless again…”

Lulu adjusted her glasses.

Her expression remained calm, but there was a faint trace of gloom.

“Grandma…”

Anqi, sensing her unease, wrapped her arms around Lulu’s neck from behind.

“Don’t worry.”

“If anything happens, I’ll take you back to the royal capital’s magic academy.”

“I used to be a magic instructor there.”

Lulu gently patted Anqi’s head, her tone firm.

Each time people like Ye Yousheng were summoned, it meant disaster would soon befall the continent.

The era of peace would end.

People would act on their own ambitions.

Hidden threats would gradually surface.

Yet Ye Yousheng was completely unaware of all this.

“Let’s continue.”

“Once the five sacred artifacts are gathered, a stairway of light leading to the goddess’s palace will appear.”

“The surviving travelers will duel in front of the palace.”

“The final victor will have one wish granted by the goddess.”

“And the goddess will use the five artifacts to maintain the barrier protecting the continent.”

“This is the ‘Heaven-Mending War’ that occurs every two hundred years.”

“…The Heaven-Mending War…”

“Yes.”

“That’s what the history books say.”

“And two hundred years ago, I personally witnessed that stairway of light reaching the sky…”

At that moment, the sense of unease in Ye Yousheng’s heart grew stronger.

What shocked him wasn’t the idea of having a wish granted.

It was the mission itself.

Everything sounded exactly like the game he had played before coming here.

The protagonist, guided by a goddess.

Searching for five items.

Receiving a wish as a reward.

The resemblance was too perfect.

Was this world real… or a game?

“Also, the goddess grants every traveler two abilities.”

“One is [Tongues], allowing you to understand and speak all languages.”

“The other is a unique talent skill that awakens your potential.”

“You should have both as well.”

“Skills…”

So there really were skills.

Was this truly a game world?

The more he thought about it, the more unreal it felt.

Maybe he was just dreaming.

Maybe his real body was still asleep in his apartment.

But if this really was a game world…

Then there should be something like a status screen, right?

As if responding to his thoughts—

A message appeared before his eyes.

Before he could process it, Lulu continued—

“Anyway, no matter what abilities you have… I suggest you don’t go looking for the sacred artifacts.”

“Hm? Why?”

“Generally, those artifacts are hidden in extremely dangerous places.”

“You’d have to go through immense hardship to obtain them.”

“But you…”

“You don’t have any magic at all.”

“You’d just be throwing your life away.”

Snap.

Lulu closed her book and stood up from her chair.

She walked toward the door without looking back.

At the doorway, she paused.

Then turned her head slightly and delivered a cold verdict—

“I shouldn’t have told you all this.”

“Losing your memory might not be a bad thing.”

“Because in this lifetime… you’re destined to remain nothing more than an ordinary person.”

With that, she left the room.