Chapter 4
After a brief moment, Ray finally regained his composure.
"Ahhhh, is this the copier I brought from Earth?" Ray asked, perplexed.
"But what use does a photocopier have in such an advanced world?"
he continued to ponder. Eventually, Ray gave up and said, "Ahh, never mind. I've been overthinking today. Let's just go with the flow... but it doesn't make sense to call it a copier anymore. How about we name it the Tesseract from now on?"
Nodding with newfound confidence, Ray decided to stop his musings and return to his physical body. Taking a glance at the familiar room, he let out another sigh.
"Phew, I'm full! Let's rest!" he declared resolutely, even though he still had various thoughts he needed to confirm. With that, Ray comfortably drifted off to sleep on his new but familiar mattress.
...
The following morning, Ray lazily awakened in the familiar room.
"Phew, this all seems so real!" he complained, still feeling a bit helpless. Despite accepting the reality of his displacement the previous night, the fact that he could no longer return to Earth was a tad frustrating.
Ray, whose real name was Reymond Koto, used to work at a copy shop. He was an orphan and didn't want to dwell on how he ended up in that situation, as it brought him a sense of sadness. He lived with the support of his uncle, who owned a copy shop business. As his uncle's business grew, Raymond was entrusted with managing one of his uncle's copy branches.
Thinking about this, Ray could only hope that his uncle wouldn't be too devastated. He also regretted not being able to repay his uncle's kindness.
After setting aside his melancholy thoughts, Ray proceeded to take a shower. Having breakfast with his new family, Ray couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. With that, he left, leaving deep concerns in his mother's mind.
Ray still walked to school, as his house was conveniently located near the school. Upon arriving at the school gate, he experienced mixed emotions.
Stepping into the classroom, Ray spotted several familiar faces.
"Hey Ray, feeling better now?"
"Yeah, you should skip class if you're still not well." Two comforting voices came from the corner of the classroom. The voices belonged to Agni Rosiana and Clara Moon, two close friends of the old Ray.
They had been friends since elementary school, although they weren't always in the same class.
Agni had a serious expression and long black hair with a blood-red sheen. She had the physique of an average high school student who frequently engaged in physical activities.
Meanwhile, Clara had a rounder face and a cool demeanor. Her shoulder-length black hair complemented her overall appearance.
She looked like an ordinary young beauty, except for her eyes that resembled the moon, emitting a majestic light.
Ray felt a bit confused when trying to define his friends. Just as he was about to respond to the two girls' concerns, a straightforward voice interrupted.
"Hey, Ray! You better stay at home if you're not feeling well. Last night, you got beat up by that upperclassman!"
Upon hearing this, Ray instinctively replied, "Hey, hey, hey! Who said I was knocked unconscious? I just stumbled because of the encouragement from that upperclassman. And when I fell, I realized our school mattress was of good quality, so I didn't want to waste it and decided to sleep on it!"
Upon hearing Ray's nonsensical response, the three of them couldn't help but roll their eyes.
"Tch! How can you always keep a straight face when you say such nonsense, Ray?" Agni exclaimed.
"Yes, sometimes I'm embarrassed to be your friend!" Clara chimed in.
Ray, unfazed by their reactions, would even feel bothered if his friends could see his change in attitude. After all, the old Ray's shamelessness was a facade for his interests. And the new Ray had no intention of shedding that image anytime soon.
In contrast to the two girls, who were slightly disgusted with Ray, Hamar laughed with satisfaction.
"Hehehe, turns out you're still my friend! I thought you became dumb from that beating last night, or maybe your soul got replaced by an old evil soul lurking in the void like in those novels!" Hamar blurted out without thinking.
Ray, hearing his friend's random speculation, couldn't help but feel offended.
'Hey, who are you calling an old evil soul, you green teenager who barely has any hair!' Ray grumbled in his mind.
With that, the four noisy individuals moved to a corner of the room and took a seat to continue their conversation.
The other students in the class had various reactions—some were disgusted, some disliked it, and others remained indifferent.
...
The class quickly passed by. Initially, Ray was excited to join the class, but who would have thought that the teacher would keep assigning introduction activities to the students?
"Tch, it's been 4 days since our talents awakened. When are we going to learn something important?" Hamar complained in a hushed voice.
Ray, sitting next to Hamar, couldn't help but share his internal frustrations. However, as someone not born in this world, he wanted to witness super abilities firsthand.
Last night, he had fantasized about seeing people flying, a group of youths breathing fire, a child effortlessly destroying a boulder, and many more extraordinary sights. But his expectations were too high.
"Kring!!!"
The bell rang, indicating that it was three o'clock in the afternoon, and the tedious lessons were finally over. Despite the students feeling like they hadn't learned anything substantial, they were constantly engaged in self-introductions and showcasing their abilities.
"Hey, Ray, do you want to come with us after this?" Hamar asked while packing his belongings.
"Sorry, Hamar. I'm going to the central market to buy something."
"Ah, okay then."
In a magnificent place, a young man could be seen walking curiously in one direction.
"Huuuuu, this world truly deserves to be called an advanced world!" Ray exclaimed as he took in his surroundings.
There were many things in this place that Ray had never seen before—weapons, arrays, food, martial arts manuals, technology, and much more.
Initially, Ray didn't think that the technological differences on this green planet were too significant compared to Earth, where he had lived in the past. This was because the areas he had visited so far didn't appear as extravagant as the ones depicted in science fiction stories on Earth.
However, it was only at this moment that Ray realized the existence of these differences, which were so vast that they seemed like a stark contrast.
After satisfying his eyes by feasting on various intriguing trinkets for the first time, Ray finally proceeded in one direction to purchase the things he needed.
Last night, Ray couldn't fall asleep as expected. His mind was overwhelmed with thoughts as he grappled with the reality of crossing over to this new world.
While lost in his thoughts, Ray stumbled upon some ideas that seemed worthy of investing his body, soul, and time into.
With a clearer understanding of the big picture, Ray decided to head to the downtown shopping center to indulge himself, using his savings and the small portion of inheritance left to him by his deceased parents.
Ray spent his time in the central market until seven in the evening. Holding a beautiful ring in his hand, he began muttering with anticipation.
"I hope the money I've invested doesn't go to waste and turn to dust!"
Ray couldn't help but gaze at the ring in his hand, his smile brimming with anticipation.
Onlookers could only assume that Ray was a young boy in love, ready to surprise his girlfriend.
Once the excitement in Ray's heart subsided, he hurried home, fearing that his mother would worry about his lateness.
Ray arrived home safely, greeted by a few concerned questions from his mother. The young man carried on with his usual activities, having dinner with his family, and then delving into detailed plans for his future.
After thoroughly indulging in his fantasies, Ray decided it was time to sleep, wanting to avoid overthinking his plans.
The young man recalled the words he often encountered while reading novels featuring characters in suspended states.
The words were "One step at a time."
"Yes! We will take it one step at a time!" Ray muttered determinedly beneath his covers.
...