Haruto found himself drifting in that familiar, liminal void. Before him stood the two pillars of his existence: the God of Creation, radiating an blinding, eternal brilliance, and the God of Nothingness, absorbing all light into an infinite, hollow dark.
He stared at them, confused. "Am I... dead?"
"You're alive," one of them replied, their voice echoing with the weight of stars. "But you took an unnecessary risk. That wasn't a calculated move; it was a reckless gamble."
"I was bored!" Haruto shot back, his voice sounding small against the vastness of the void.
Sirehtea, the embodiment of Nothingness, drifted closer. Her dark aura pulsed. "Fair enough. But do you know how long you've been under, Haruto? You've been unconscious for an entire month."
Haruto's eyes widened. "A month?"
"Don't worry," Aetheris, the God of Creation, interjected, his golden light warm and steady. "We used that time to stabilize your core. Your mana circuits are fully restored. You can use your power freely now."
Haruto grinned, a surge of energy sparking through his fingertips. "Finally! This is where the game actually starts."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Sirehtea warned, her voice stern. "Just because you can use your power doesn't mean you should announce it. A Reincarnator's life is meant to be a shadow. No one—especially the most powerful beings in existence—must know the truth about what you are."
"Understood," Haruto said. He hesitated, then tilted his head. "I have a question, though. You're Nothingness, and you're Creation. You're emitting and absorbing light, but... why is the aura of Creation black, and the aura of Nothingness white? And why are you two always acting like you're on the same side, despite being opposites?"
The two entities looked at each other and broke into a soft, melodic laugh that vibrated through the fabric of the void.
"Haruto," Aetheris said, smiling. "We decide who is an enemy and who is a friend. We don't follow the clichés of your mortal stories. The truth is simple: Creation cannot function without the canvas of Nothingness, and Nothingness is meaningless without something to be created within it. We are two sides of the same coin."
Sirehtea drifted forward, her form beginning to fade. "Enough philosophy. My constant mental presence in your head ends here, Haruto. Now that your full potential is unlocked and your emotions are stabilized, you are... well, normal. Go out there and actually live your life."
"Wait, what about—"
Before he could finish, a powerful tug pulled at his soul. The void shattered like glass.
Haruto gasped, his eyes snapping open. He wasn't in the Layer 5 crater anymore. The sharp, sterile smell of antiseptic hit his nose. He sat up, his body feeling stronger than it ever had. He looked around; he was in a private ward that looked more like a command center than a hospital. Every piece of equipment was sleek, metallic, and pulsating with high-tech blue light.
He was in a city that looked centuries ahead of anything he had seen in allesta. He swung his legs off the bed, his feet hitting the cold, polished floor. He was back, he was healthy.
Haruto stood up, his legs feeling surprisingly steady, and walked toward the massive floor-to-ceiling glass panel. His breath caught in his throat.
Outside, the horizon wasn't defined by the familiar stone walls of the Academy or the shifting mists of the Tower. Instead, a sprawling, neon-drenched metropolis stretched out as far as the eye could see. Massive, gravity-defying skyscrapers—some shaped like crystalline spires, others floating independently—hummed with blue and violet energy currents. Vehicles flowed between the buildings like liquid light, moving in perfect, silent synchronicity.
Where the hell am I? he wondered. This isn't the academy. This isn't even the same dimension.
"Oh, you're finally awake," a soft, professional voice interrupted his thoughts.
Haruto spun around. Standing by the door was a nurse dressed in a uniform that seemed woven from fiber-optic threads. She held a sleek, translucent tablet in her hand.
Haruto cleared his throat, testing his voice. It felt natural—no system blocks, no Sirehtea cutting him off. "Hello. I'm... I'm okay, I think."
The nurse smiled, though her eyes remained observant and clinical. "You've had a traumatic shock, but your vitals are stabilizing nicely. Please, lie back down for a moment. We need to run a few final diagnostic scans before we can clear you."
Haruto climbed back onto the high-tech medical bed. It felt like it was contouring to his body, adjusting its temperature and support automatically. He looked at her, his curiosity winning over his caution. "Where am I exactly? The last thing I remember was... a crater in Layer 5."
The nurse chuckled softly as she moved a handheld scanner over his chest, a soft hum filling the room. "You're in the Gampid City district. We know you're likely overwhelmed—this sector is technologically advanced, and it's not part of the standard mapping protocols you're used to."
She pulled a small vial of iridescent fluid from a port in the wall, looking at the data shifting across her tablet. "I know none of this makes sense to you right now. Just rest. I need to take this sample to the lab for a quick analysis. I'll be back in two minutes."
She turned and glided out of the room, the door sliding shut with a silent, pressurized hiss.
Haruto lay back, staring at the ceiling, which was currently displaying a real-time feed of the city's complex power grid. Gampid City, he thought, his mind racing. If this place is as advanced as it looks, and they're studying my "sample"... I need to figure out if they're keeping me here as a patient, or if I'm officially a lab rat.
He clenched his fist, feeling the hum of his restored mana circuits. Well, if they try anything, at least I'm not a level-one civilian anymore.
Haruto's eyes narrowed as the sliding door hissed open. Standing there was the girl with the golden hair—the one who had erased that system-tier boss with a single shot.
Behind her, two other girls stepped into the room. They were dressed in the same sleek, high-tech tactical gear, and Haruto's eyes immediately went to their chests. Each of them was adorned with a row of intricate, glowing medals—four to six on each uniform—marking them as high-ranking operatives in whatever organization this was.
They glanced at Haruto, then at the girl with the golden hair. "Captain," one of them said, her voice crisp and disciplined, "is this the boy? He's finally awake."
The golden-haired girl raised a hand, silencing them instantly. She walked toward Haruto, her movements precise and predatory. She stopped at the edge of his bed, her blue eyes scanning him with a mix of curiosity and authority.
"Hello," she said, her voice cool and steady. "My name is Daisy. And you... you're?"
Haruto sat up slowly. He recognized her immediately. She was the one who had materialized from nowhere in Layer 5, the one who had shattered the barrier and ended the boss with that railgun. He looked at her, noting the cold efficiency in her posture.
He didn't rush. He kept his expression neutral, remembering Sirehtea's advice to observe.
"Haruto," he said, meeting her gaze directly. " And I suppose I owe you one. You were the one who finished off that... thing in the crater, weren't you?"
Daisy didn't smile, but her eyes softened just a fraction.
"You could say that. But you shouldn't have been in that crater to begin with. Layer 5 is restricted territory for a reason for solo runs, Haruto. Especially for someone who, according to our sensors, was operating with zero mana at the time."
Haruto felt a chill run down his spine. They had scanned him. They knew he was powerless when he entered the sector. He looked at the two armed soldiers standing behind her, then back to Daisy.
"I'm full of surprises," Haruto replied, his voice calm. "Now, why don't you tell me why I'm in a high-tech medical wing in the middle of a city I've never heard of.
Daisy paced slowly around the medical bed, her boots clicking rhythmically against the polished floor. Her expression remained unreadable, but her blue eyes were sharp, dissecting Haruto's every movement.
"Let's start from the beginning," Daisy said, her voice cutting through the sterile air. "You were in Layer 5, alone, in a boss-spawn zone, with absolutely zero magical output. We ran the diagnostics; there wasn't a trace of combat training or physical augmentation in your biometrics. And yet, you survived long enough for us to reach you."
Haruto kept his face calm, though his heart was racing. "Everything you've analyzed is correct."
Daisy leaned over him, her gaze intensifying. "If it's correct, then give me an answer. How did you get there?"
Haruto took a steadying breath. "I went to Layer 1 at midnight. Just wanted to wander, maybe grind a bit. I found a camel-like creature—the one with the metallic string on its shoulder. I pulled it, it went berserk, something hit my head, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in Layer 5, still on the beast. Then it vanished, I hit the dirt, and the boss was there."
Daisy stared at him in silence for a long beat. "Wow. That is quite the story." She turned to her subordinates, her voice dripping with skepticism. "For your information, those beasts are native to Layer 25 and above. They can jump to higher layers, but they never jump down. You wouldn't find one on Layer 24, let alone Layer 1."
She turned back to Haruto. "Let's play along. Let's say you found one. What about your magic? Where did it go?"
"It just... drained," Haruto lied, his voice steady. "Like something absorbed it."
Daisy's eyebrow arched. "Magic absorption like that is a trait of monsters found above Layer 70. You're telling me you found a creature from Layer 25 and an absorption effect from Layer 70, all on Layer 1? And you went there alone?" She shook her head.
"Not one word of this makes sense. You're a terrible liar, Haruto."
Haruto felt a prickle of sweat. She knows Layer 70? This woman isn't just a captain; she's an elite among elites. She's likely seen things that would delete a normal student's sanity.
"I'm not lying," Haruto insisted, holding her gaze.
"You've been here for thirty days," Daisy said suddenly, her tone shifting. "You've been in a coma, stable but unconscious."
One of the soldiers behind her chimed in, "Captain Daisy came to check on your vitals every single day—"
"Quiet," Daisy snapped, not looking back.
Haruto watched the exchange, his mind reeling. The two subordinates had medals that suggested they were high-ranking, yet they deferred to Daisy as if she were a god among them. And she was—she had erased that entity with a single shot.
She's high-level, Haruto thought. Terrifyingly high.
"Thirty days," Haruto repeated slowly.
"I see. Since you already know my story is 'impossible,' what are you planning to do with me?"
Daisy crossed her arms, the movement making the metallic plating on her suit shimmer under the clinic's lights. "What am I going to do with you? You aren't a threat, and you clearly didn't intend to end up in a restricted zone. You're just a headache."
She tapped her wrist-mounted console, and a holographic display flickered to life. "We can take you back to your sector, but there's a logistical issue. The transport ships between these zones don't run daily. The next scheduled departure isn't for forty days."
Haruto's jaw dropped. "Forty days? My team, my family—they'll think I'm dead! That's way too long."
"It's the schedule," Daisy said coldly. "Until then, you're our guest."
"Where am I even from?" Haruto played dumb, his mind racing. "I'm from a place called Allesta."
The room went deathly quiet. The two soldiers behind Daisy exchanged confused glances. "Allesta? That's not on any sector map," one of them murmured.
"I don't know the coordinates exactly," Haruto added, feigning ignorance. "I just... I've always lived there."
Before Daisy could press him further, the nurse returned, looking at Daisy with a sharp, respectful nod. "Commander, the final vitals are in. He's healthy. Ready for discharge."
Commander? Haruto's eyes flicked to Daisy. She's not just a Captain; she's in charge of this entire district.
"Good," the nurse continued. "He's cleared, but where is he going to stay?"
One of the soldiers stepped forward, her expression rigid. "Are we forgetting the protocol? 'Those who save a life are responsible for the guest.' It's the law of this city. Since Commander Daisy was the one who pulled him out of the crater, he stays with her."
The nurse nodded approvingly. "That sounds perfect. He'll be under the best security."
Haruto felt a pit in his stomach. Stay with her? The woman who can delete a boss-level entity in one shot? That's not a 'guest stay,' that's house arrest.
Daisy looked at Haruto, her gaze cold and unyielding. "It's decided. You're a guest of this city, and my guest. You're safe with me, Haruto."
"Wait, I didn't—" Haruto started, but he was already being ushered out. The medical team and the soldiers moved with terrifying efficiency. Before he could even protest or formulate a counter-argument, they had him escorted out of the ward.
They led him down a sterile, white corridor and into a high-speed lift. The doors slid shut, and Haruto felt the stomach-dropping sensation of the lift descending at high velocity. He looked at the reflective metal walls of the elevator—Daisy standing perfectly still, the two armed guards flanking him—and realized he had just gone from being a 'lost student' to a 'person of interest' in a place that didn't even exist on his maps.
Forty days, he thought
Haruto stepped out of the high-tech changing room, now fitted in a sleek, reinforced bodysuit that felt light yet durable. Daisy was waiting, her gaze sharp as she looked at her two subordinates. "You two are dismissed. I'll handle him from here."
The soldiers offered a crisp salute, their movements perfectly synchronized, before turning and vanishing down the corridor. Daisy didn't look back; she simply gestured for Haruto to follow. "Come on."
As they stepped out of the facility, Haruto stopped in his tracks, his jaw tightening. The view outside was nothing like the world he knew. Buildings reached toward the clouds like jagged needles of steel, connected by bridges of solid light. Flying cars zipped through invisible lanes, and sleek, silent bikes darted between skyscrapers like metallic fish in a neon sea.
"Where is the mana flow?" Haruto muttered, searching for the familiar hum of magic in the air. "It's... it's completely absent."
Daisy watched him, her expression softening just a fraction. "You won't find magic here, Haruto. We operate on something else. Technology does the heavy lifting; magic is just a tool we use for hunting monsters, nothing more."
Haruto looked at her, stunned. "All of this... is it just technology?"
"Every bit of it," she said, tapping a small interface on her wrist.
Seconds later, a low hum vibrated from the street level. A sleek, neon-pink bike hovered up from the traffic, pulsing with an internal power core that glowed like a dying star. It hovered effortlessly in front of them, its engine emitting a soft, musical chime.
Daisy swung a leg over the bike, looking back at him. "Well? I'm taking you to my base. You coming, or do you want to spend the next forty days standing on this sidewalk?"
Haruto glanced at the bustling, chaotic beauty of the city, then back at the bike. "Is this actually safe?"
"Safer than the crater I found you in," she retorted. "Get on."
Haruto hesitated, then climbed onto the back of the bike. As soon as he settled into place, the machine reacted. A seamless, metallic shell hissed as it wrapped around his head, forming a sophisticated, panoramic HUD helmet. Daisy donned her own, and the bike roared to life.
With a surge of invisible force, they shot forward, leaving the ground behind. The wind roared, but the helmet's stabilizer held firm, displaying a stream of navigational data directly into Haruto's eyes. As they wove through the high-altitude traffic, Haruto felt the rush of the city—a world built on circuits and cold steel instead of spells and mana.
This isn't a game, he thought as they banked hard around a floating skyscraper. This is an entirely different system.