Walking through the bustling market, Cain found himself engaged in a lively conversation with Leah. It was evident that she had started to trust him more, as she opened up and talked freely. They spent the entire day buying everything Leah would need, from clothes and groceries to women's products. Cain even got her a Z-Watch to stay in contact.
At the gym, Cain signed Leah up for a membership and hired an instructor to teach her the basics of fighting. He did all this with the sole purpose of making her stronger, so she could protect herself.
After paying for everything, Cain realized he had used up all the money he had saved and was back to being broke. Despite the financial setback, he enjoyed the day immensely. It was the first normal day he had experienced since coming to this world, without having to stress about the plot or survival.
'Although this day was uneventful, I really enjoyed it. The last time I could go out like this and just enjoy myself was in my previous world. Since getting here, all I have had to do is stress about the plot and how to survive. Yet, today was my first normal day. Too bad it won't last; I mean, I am returning to the academy tomorrow.'
The next morning, Cain woke up early, got ready, ate breakfast with Leah, and took a shower.
"Goodbye, big brother," Leah said, giving Cain a hug. They had become very close in just a day, and now Cain considered Leah his family.
Leah had a cute and endearing little sister vibe, and anyone who saw her would want to protect her. Although she was 14 years old and only a year younger than Cain, she seemed like someone he had known for a long time.
"Bye, Leah. Make sure you go to the gym and train, and message me if you need anything. I will send you money when I can," Cain said as he left the house.
Taking a train to the academy, Cain went to his room and noticed that William wasn't there.
'He must be out training. I should also probably go and train. I mean, I have finally found something to fight for. I will get stronger so I can protect Leah and give her a better life.'
Just as he was about to leave the room, something happened.
[Trait: The Anomaly acquired]
'What!?'
Cain looked at the screen in front of him, but that wasn't all. Multiple more screens popped up.
[The universe has noticed your existence]
[You have majorly changed the natural order of fate]
[The universe deems you its enemy]
[You, who are both from and not from this universe, are the anomaly]
[The universe is now against you]
'What is going on? I have changed the natural order of fate? I am the universe's enemy? Too many things are happening. "The universe's enemy"? Nothing like this was mentioned in the novel. And since when can you acquire a trait? This is something that you are born with. It seems there are things the novel didn't even know about.'
Somewhere else, Leo was in his training room with others when he suddenly received a quest.
[Main Quest received]
Kill The Anomaly
Difficulty: XXX
Description: The Anomaly, a being who is both from and not from this universe, a being which is the natural enemy of this universe, a being that changes the flow of fate and defies the universe's laws. Kill the Anomaly.
Reward: ????
'What's the anomaly? What's that? Difficulty XXX? Even my quest to kill the demon lord is an SSS rank quest. What is happening?'
In two different places, two different people were both trying to figure out what the Anomaly was.
As Cain sat on his bed looking at his status, he was very confused with all the changes.
'First of all, what is Aether? Second, what does it mean that I exist to defy the universe? Too many things are changing, secret benefactor?'
"Huuuhhhh... Well, there's nothing I can do about these. I might as well go train. I will figure out all these mysteries with time. I thought I just got transmigrated here normally, yet it seems there are greater forces at work."
As Cain went to the public training grounds, he tried to forget about everything that was happening. However, it was hard to concentrate on anything else until he picked up a sword. As soon as he did, all his worries left him, and he trained for six hours.
He set an alarm on his watch to make sure he didn't train all night. When he returned to his room, William was already asleep. Cain quickly made himself some burnt food, ate it, took a shower, and went to sleep.
Waking up, Cain put on his uniform and went to class. He was the first to arrive and didn't know what to do, so he decided to take a quick nap. By the time he opened his eyes again, the whole class was full, and the Crimson Witch had just arrived.
"Okay, class, school had been closed down for a week after the demon attack. To make up for the lost time and to ensure you students know how to react in emergency situations, the school will be having group battles. The positions you come in can help increase your rank. Your group will only be announced on the day so that students don't have time to prepare beforehand. You will be put into random groups, and..."
'Random groups my ass. They say you will be put into random groups, yet in the novel, all the main characters were put in the same group.'
During their lessons, Sarah, seated next to Cain, kept trying to talk to him, but it seemed like he was ignoring her.
'Can she not talk to me after the royal guard appeared? It made me realize how dangerous it would be for me to be around the main characters. I don't have any plot armor. If it weren't for my mysterious benefactor, I would be dead. It's better for me to end my friendship with them.'
And just like that, Cain spent the whole day ignoring the main characters.
"Hey, did we do something wrong?" Kayla asked, staring at Cain, who was training alone.
"I don't remember doing anything to offend him," Leo said.
"I tried talking to him in class, yet he acted like I wasn't even there," Sarah replied. They all looked at Cain.
"First, he disappears for a few days, and then when he returns, he starts ignoring us," Amy said, looking at Cain.
"He didn't even tell us where he went, but I'm pretty sure whatever happened to him is the reason he is acting like this," Leo replied.
"Why do you guys care so much? It is clear he does not want to be friends with us," Ray said, annoyed.
"Why do you even want to be friends with him, in the first place? You guys have also noticed that he acts strange. He is definitely keeping secrets. What's the point of a friend who lies and keeps secrets from you?" Ray asked.
'With the anomaly out there, I need to become friends with Cain so that I can acquire the reward. If I don't, it will be harder to protect them,' Leo thought as he looked at Cain.
"Let's leave him for now. We can all try and talk to him tomorrow to see if anything