The following day, at 8:45 AM, Adrian Kzumias began to open his eyes, his gaze drifting toward his nearby phone.
He saw that it was Tuesday, August 18th—meaning only one day remained until the start of the "Crimson Cat's Eye" auction. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep.
In a calm tone, he said, "Task list, activate."
Adrian stared into empty space for a few seconds before a bright white system screen appeared, displaying the following:
[Game Title: Absolute Zero -Part One-
Age Rating: 16+
Genre: Romance (Dating Sim) - Combat - Dark - Shonen
Game Stages: Season One
Stage 1: Joining the Hero Academy -Completed-
Stage 2: The Weapon Selection Ceremony -Completed-
Stage 3: Midterm Exam in the Virtual World -Completed-
Stage 4: Saving the Academy from a Demon Attack -Completed-
Stage 5: Rescuing the Character 'Silvarnia' -In Progress-
Mission Details: Rescue the supporting character, Silvarnia, from the clutches of the "Crimson Cat's Eye" auction and return her to her original world.
Mission Duration: Until the conclusion of the "Crimson Cat's Eye" auction.] Mission Requirements:
Presence of the arc's heroine, Anastasia McGillforn — [Fulfilled]
Presence of a major character from the original world — [Fulfilled]
Participation in the auction as a registered attendee, with at least one item purchased.
Destruction of the "Crimson Cat's Eye" auction.
Rescue of Silfarnia, to take place on the third day of the festival — Round 2.
Note: Bypassing any of the following scenarios is strictly prohibited; failure to comply will result in a penalty from the Host.
Adrian stared at the system interface for several seconds before speaking in a calm, steady tone—ignoring the note, as such warnings had been a standard feature since the game began.
"It seems the person responsible for my presence inside this mansion is a major character in this world. Only one day left."
"Having played *Absolute Zero* multiple times, locating the holding area for the slaves shouldn't be difficult. That leaves four days until the main mission begins." Adrian's voice carried a mix of relief and lingering doubt—who exactly was this individual? Were they one of the story's heroes, or perhaps one of its primary antagonists?
He rose from his seat to splash some water on his face, intending to seek out information about the "Crimson Cat's Eye" auction—details not explicitly covered by the game. After all, the game couldn't possibly account for every minute detail, and there was always the chance that events might deviate from the original storyline.
He headed out of his bedroom toward the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, only to discover that a meal had already been prepared by Anastasia—who, by then, had long since left the house. He let out a mocking laugh as he removed the cover from his food. While he ate, he pondered where he should head next—either to gather sufficient information regarding the "Crimson Cat's Eye" auction, or to track down the key figure whose assistance he would need to uncover the truth behind the auction and complete his mission.
"I have enough information about the 'Crimson Cat's Eye' auction, but someone has clearly made changes—evolving the auction's security to better protect its items. But who could this person be?" Adrian mused, his tone cautious as he continued to eat.
The presence of others who, like him, knew about future events could lead to complex problems—especially if they turned out to be his enemies. After all, the game *Absolute Zero* had been well-known in his previous world; it stood to reason that others from his world might also be present. If someone else had managed to orchestrate all of this, they would be an incredibly dangerous adversary, even if they had reincarnated into the body of a major character.
Deciding to finish his meal, he set his next objective: to locate that key figure and gather enough information to carry out the mission assigned to him by the System.
Some time later, he left the area, heading toward the bustling districts of Yosaki City—a place teeming with merchants, goods, and passersby from various cities and kingdoms.
This made gathering information about the "Crimson Cat's Eye" auction quite feasible, as people were bound to mention a thing or two about the latest developments surrounding the event.
He was struck, however, by how frequently a certain name kept coming up: Yuta Caseral. The mention of his name—and the various feats he had accomplished over the past few months—made the name feel hauntingly familiar to Adrian. He mused to himself while listening to the chatter of passersby. Although he recognized Yuta Casiral as one of the key figures who would emerge once the game's events unfolded in this world, he was baffled: "He defeated Gother McTire's elite of the elite?! Who is this guy? He never appeared in the game *Absolute Zero*, nor was he ever mentioned as being powerful—in fact, he was the disgrace of the McTire family, destined to die at the hands of his own older brother a year after taking power!"
"Grey de Moliar, Ruichi de Moliar, Tom, Jian Yi, Armin, Seok, Beatrice... This is strange. None of them ever appeared in the game, yet they are incredibly famous—regarded as the absolute best across every season of *Absolute Zero*!"
"Their names never came up even once, and yet I hear they are scions of great dukedoms, renowned for their exceptional talents. Are there many other 'reincarnators' inside the game, or is something else entirely going on here?"
"No, something is off. They act entirely in character, perfectly consistent with the information that exists about them. If they were merely players or outsiders within the game, they would surely have let something slip—at least one or two suspicious actions—by now."
Adrian Xomias was in a state of shock; he had never expected the original course of events in this world to shift so drastically. Characters were appearing in the spotlight—or vanishing from it—and even the Versalkin Academy, which he had known in his past life only as the most prestigious and ancient of all academies, seemed to be part of this altered reality. Many events unfolded over those six months: the Jeju Island catastrophe, a battle against the Beast Sovereign in the city of Yusbikers, and a festival held at Ghens Magic Academy to celebrate the millennium of the Demon Realm—at least, according to the game's lore.
Even so, there was nothing he could do; even if someone else had been transported into the game before him, they wouldn't have been able to alter the course of events to such an extent.
He decided to continue wandering through the city Adrian was searching for Yuta Kaseral, viewing him as the key protagonist currently needed; if his intuition was correct, Yuta might also be someone who had transmigrated into this game, just like him.
Looking on, Adrian asked internally in a calm tone, "System, is there anyone else who has transmigrated into this world, just like me?"
A system interface appeared before his eyes, providing an answer—though it was a strange and entirely unexpected one:
[Yes, there is someone else who has transmigrated like you—not into the game "Absolute Zero," but into a novel titled *The Angel Dragon in a World of Fantasy*.]
[Name in previous life: Nobara Tauri. Current name: Aron Tebliar. Role: Plagiarizing novelist. Current occupation: First-year student at the Ghens Academy of Magic. Character type: Extra.]
Adrian stared at the system interface for several seconds, his voice calm yet tinged with bewilderment. He had assumed Yuta Kaseral was the one who had transmigrated, but this "Aron" character was something else entirely.
"Very well. I want information on the current Yuta Kaseral—specifically, whether or not someone has taken over his body."
Adrian waited patiently for the system interface to respond as he continued his information-gathering task. He watched as Yuta Kaseral wandered about, surrounded by the prominent merchants of Yusaki City.
"That's Yuta Kaseral—the 'Star of the Cold Sky'—one of the most powerful and wealthiest figures in the world, despite his young age. If only I were like him... Life is truly unfair!" "It seems the rumors about him participating in the 'Crimson Cat's Eye' auction are true. He'll likely snap up all the best items, leaving nothing but scraps for everyone else—he's truly a force to be reckoned with."
Adrian listened to the chatter in silence, then noticed Seong-hoon standing beside him, grinning from ear to ear. It dawned on him that Yuta must have been the one responsible for providing them with the 'Demon's Jewel' mansion.
But why that mansion, specifically? The name "Demon's Jewel" felt hauntingly familiar—as if he had heard of something with a similar name before, though he couldn't quite place it.
He chose to continue on his way, pretending not to notice Yuta, who watched him with a faint, knowing smile. This piqued the curiosity of the prominent merchants in Yusaki City—Seong-hoon among them—regarding Adrian Kzumias.
After all, Yuta was a figure of immense power and influence; the fact that he treated Adrian with such respect—even securing the finest mansion in Yusaki City for him—made Adrian an object of intense intrigue. They were now eager to win him over to their side, by any means necessary.
Consequently, both Adrian and Anastasia received invitations to the 'Crimson Cat's Eye' auction as guests of honor, despite being complete unknowns.
After spending hours wandering through Yusaki City, the clock struck 8:56 PM. Adrian headed back to the 'Demon's Jewel' mansion, letting out a sigh of deep frustration—the security measures for the 'Crimson Cat's Eye' auction were at least 34 times more formidable than they had been in the game. Yuta's unexpected intervention—and his sale of specialized technological gadgets—made the second mission difficult for Adrian, and potentially for Yuta himself, should he choose not to get directly involved in the unfolding events.
Two hours of walking passed before Adrian reached the Palace of the Devil's Gem with steady, purposeful strides. His tranquility, however, was short-lived; a system notification suddenly appeared before his eyes, bearing news that was pleasantly shocking:
[An extremely rare, legendary treasure has been detected nearby—26 paces to your left, beside a statue of a blindfolded woman with her arms outstretched, as if inviting you to take whatever you desire.]
Adrian stared at the system interface for several seconds, his expression shifting as he tried to recall what the item might be—though he couldn't quite pin down exactly what it was.
He headed straight toward the location indicated by the system, remarking in a calm tone, "If my intuition is correct, this treasure is a gem linked to the demons."
A few minutes later, he arrived at the statue of the woman, her arms raised as if offering something. A broad smile spread across his face as he began searching for a clue that would lead him to the treasure itself.
Given its extreme rarity, the treasure would surely be well-guarded—not merely tucked away in some hole in the ground. After several minutes of sharp-eyed, meticulous searching, he spotted a subtle, nearly invisible symbol shaped like the letter 'G'.
Pressing the symbol, he exclaimed with excitement, "Aha! Found you! Why did you have to be so hard to track down?" As soon as Adrian pressed the symbol, he vanished from his spot, reappearing before an expansive hall. Floating in the air—hovering just 0.3 centimeters above the ground—was a black gem, roughly the size of an infant's palm.
He fixed his gaze upon it, his focus sharpened to the absolute limit, ready to parry any counterattack; after all, it was inconceivable for such a rare treasure to exist without some form of protection.
"So, that's what it is! The 'Gem of the Fantasy World Demon'—one of the rarest items in the game. There was virtually no information on it; in fact, it was scrapped before it could even be implemented, which is why I didn't recall it. It seems it still exists within this game—or perhaps this novel? I'm not even sure where I am anymore!" Adrian remarked, his tone calm as he drew closer to the gem.
A system interface materialized before his eyes, prompting a wide grin to spread across his face: [Would you like to obtain information regarding the 'Gem of the Fantasy World Demon'?] [Yes] / [No]
Adrian tapped "Yes," a faint smile lingering on his lips. Information about this item had been non-existent, as it had never been officially included in the game—the very game that served as his primary frame of reference, alongside the knowledge he had gathered himself.
[Gem of the Fantasy World Demon]
[Description: The 'Gem of the Fantasy World Demon' is forged from the remnants of a 'Fantasy World.' As this mortal fantasy realm undergoes a series of evolutions, it transforms into a 'Fantasy World Demon'—a malevolent entity capable of consuming other fantasy worlds. However, if the gem is refined before this transformation is complete, the one who refines it gains the power of every single entity that ever inhabited that world—from the very first to the very last.] Rank: Beyond-Existence
Rarity: One of the rarest treasures in the story *I'm Inside My Novel*
Adrian did not utter a word to express the extent of his shock; this gem was It was powerful enough to make the game "Absolute Zero" trivial—so potent, in fact, that its pursuit would lead to the destruction of countless worlds.
Yet, this brought him no comfort. If anyone were to discover its true function, he would find himself in grave danger, becoming a target for others—both within his own world and beyond—who would covet such a terrifying power.
He decided to store it within the system's inventory; it was the safest place possible. No one could access it unless they possessed power that surpassed the system's own defenses—a scenario for which he would have no solution.
He immediately teleported away, reappearing in an alleyway about 34 minutes' distance from the mansion—a precaution intended to deflect suspicion—and set out to find Yuta Caseral to discuss the "Crimson Cat's Eye" auction.
As Adrian Kzumias wandered through the city of Yusaki, he sensed that someone was watching him from afar, though he could not discern who—or what—it might be.
This persisted for 45 minutes, during which Adrian deliberately avoided heading toward the "Demon's Jewel" mansion, where they were currently staying.
He braced himself for a potential battle. It was entirely plausible that enemies from his former world had tracked him down, intending to kill him—or perhaps they had already succeeded, leaving his body undiscovered. After all, he had made a great many enemies over the past few months at the Hero Academy.
Without a moment's hesitation, he thrust his sword backward—only to be met with a surprise: Yuta stood there, his expression calm, blocking the blade with nothing more than his little finger, as if it were of no consequence at all! This caused Adrian to take several steps back, gripping his sword, while he thought to himself with a tense tone: "Information on the current Yuta Kaseral."
However, the system interface did not appear as it usually would, leaving him deeply unsettled as he stared at Yuta.
"How are you doing, Adrian Kzumias—from the world of the game 'Absolute Zero'? Strange... what is a character from an ordinary world doing in the 'Prime Origin' world? I'm quite curious to find out," Yuta said, his tone calm as he observed Adrian, who maintained a composed and steady expression.
Yuta offered a faint smile as he looked at him—or perhaps at his own system interface, which was displaying information about Adrian. Adrian, meanwhile, perceived Yuta as a threat—one he could not eliminate, as the system's strict laws forbade it, threatening him with severe penalties should he attempt to do so.
[Sufficient information regarding Yuta Kaseral has been gathered from the 'Prime Origin' world narrative. We apologize for the delay.]
[Notes:
The information provided is drawn from the 'Jeju Island' arc [Kill and Evolve - Part 2]; therefore, the details presented here correspond to what appeared in that specific chapter. Thank you.] [Some information is obscured and inaccessible to the System]
[Name: Yuto | Surname: None | Title: @#€#€@#@€@#@#@#@#@#€#€@#@€@#@#@#@#@#€#€@#@€@#@#@#@#€#€@#@€@#@#@#@# | Age: 70,000 years | Race: Absolute Entity | Gender: Transcendent (Beyond Gender) | Profession: Master and Ruler of the 'Ruler' Path | Talent: ???? | Manifestations: Perfect Sacred Void Emperor Body; Ideal Celestial Body; Divine Elemental Body]
Adrian stared at Yuto, unable to utter a single word. He realized he was standing before an entity of terrifying magnitude—even though almost all information about him remained hidden.
As he watched Yuto—who still wore a confident, unwavering smile—Adrian thought to himself: "Who exactly is he? Did he hijack the body of one of the main characters? And what became of the original soul—the true Yuto Caseral? A 'Master and Ruler of the Ruler Path'—I don't know exactly what that entails, but it clearly signifies immense power and a dangerous adversary. I must remain on my guard."
Realizing that Yuto could actually see the System interface—given the way his gaze was fixed precisely upon it—Adrian decided to take his leave.
"Adrian Kazumias... you intend to destroy the 'Crimson Cat's Eye' auction, and you need my help? Do not worry—we are not enemies. My previous gift is proof enough of that." "I know you're quite bewildered, but mark my words: my death would be of no benefit to me at all—I need you for when the right moment arrives."
"And since you know who I am—Yuta, or the 'Revered Great Creator Yuto,' Emperor of the Sovereign Path—you'll eventually learn the rest regarding the consumption of the 'World-Fantasy Demon Gem.' I've said what I came to say; you may leave now—take that as a piece of advice." Yuta's tone remained calm as he looked toward Adrian, who stared back for a few seconds before vanishing from sight in a fraction of a second.
Yuta spoke with a mocking edge, glancing behind him—where several individuals had been lying in wait to kill Adrian Kzumias—and remarked, "A wise choice, Master Adrian Kzumias—wiser than you might even realize."
Yuta then turned his gaze toward the group—forty-five individuals, heavily armed and equipped—who stared back at him, visibly tense.
"How about we have a little fun, my friends? I'm feeling rather hungry, and it would be delightful if you were to become my dinner tonight! Hahahahahaha!" Yuta's tone remained laced with mockery as he looked at them. With a sharp snap of his fingers, both he and the would-be assassins vanished from the scene, leaving silence to descend once more.
Meanwhile, at the Demon Gem Palace, Adrian stepped inside to find Anastasia sitting on a sofa, waiting impatiently while snacking on some local confections. She spoke in a tone dripping with sarcasm, eyeing Adrian—who looked deathly pale and utterly exhausted—and asked, "What happened to Mr. Adrian Kzumias to leave him looking so pathetic?"
Adrian didn't say a word; he simply headed toward the sofa to rest. Annoyed, Anastasia tossed a piece of candy his way, hoping it might help.
Adrian swallowed it, then fixed his gaze on Anastasia with a calm, steady look for several seconds before speaking: "There's good news and bad news. The good news is that I've secured an ally—Yuta Kasiral (you likely know him well from your time wandering around Yusaki City). The bad news is that the Scorpion organization tracked us, and Yuta has led them away from Yusaki City."
Anastasia remained silent, studying Adrian for a few moments before saying, in a quiet, measured tone, "From what I've heard, Yuta Kasiral..."