Aoi suddenly opened his eyes and realized that he was staring at the familiar light-colored ceiling. He gradually came to his senses in the cramped space of the small bed.
Suddenly, there was a sense of emptiness.
"Melthis" he thought as he remembered where he was now.
Aoi still felt that the difference between Melthis and his hometown was not significant. For at least thirteen years, he felt that life in Melthis and his original world were almost the same.
The situation in this world called "Noah" was actually quite complex.
There were no areas existing in peace for an extended period of time, and the successive layers of natural catastrophes forced each city to reinforce their defenses and seclude themselves from the outside world.
Melthis was a huge independent city with a population of tens of millions and was considered one of the developed area in Aether.
Aoi got off the miniature bed and proceeded to the bathroom to wash his face. For over 13 years, he had always lived on his own. As he contemplated life, destiny, and the future, he grew more and more empty.
Everyone possesses their own means of escaping loneliness, and the game is Aoi's own method of dispelling the sense of emptiness.
He sprayed out the mixture of his toothpaste and saliva and cleared his mouth.
For breakfast, he presented himself with a large serving of steaming hot chicken and corn porridge. If he could smell it from afar, he'd find himself engulfed in a delightful aroma. Aoi had honed his culinary skills while living alone. He set a sizable bowl of porridge down in the living room and began watching videos on his phone as he sipped it slowly.
"Cheap pleasures only increase the emptiness" he thought. After finishing breakfast, he changed his clothes and left his small and compact room.
The sounds of neighbors and children playing ball reverberated from downstairs.
He proceeded to the inn hallway and bent down to observe the family of three downstairs. They seemed quite contented.
If given a choice, Aoi wouldn't want to transmigrate at all.
In a world with only a glamorous exterior, Aoi still lived life as usual, though he had lost some friends who were once meaningful.
"It's better to not transmigrate" he thought.
Aoi proceeded down the hallway to board the bus, located on the opposite side of his dorm route. After settling down, he took out his phone and put on the earpieces, proceeding to listen to music. He also began to comes up with the game "Tower of Babel".
After about three days, Aoi finally managed to guide "Nightblade" through all the Weekly Quest missions. By persevering through several obstacles, the Operator's Mood and Loyalty were now at level 2 and 4. Since "Glory and Vengeance" was a particularly strong Trait, and the "Nightblade" herself was also determined, getting the Mood down to 2 would be a little harder. Nevertheless, if she got into a bath or soaked herself in hot springs, it would still boost her Mood. Aoi, intent on conserving his Source Force, did not use it to brew "Healing Springs" either. On top of that, he also refused to let "Nightblade" have a rest any day. Despite the hardships they've been going through, it seemed like the Operator had yet to reach her breaking point.
The bus stopped at the station and Aoi disembarked, following the throng of students rushing to their classes. Today was a day with magnificent weather, the sky was pristine with no clouds, and the sun shined softly with a small halo.
He walked to the familiar classroom to take seat. The classroom was filled with tranquil morning light and felt relaxing. The elective course he enrolled in for this semester was "World Patterns and History."
The course was paused for a while due to circumstances, but this week, the lectures returned to normal. In the future, they would make up for all the missing classes.
"Isn't the future schedule full with a heap of classes?" Aoi wondered, feeling uneasy upon noticing the increase in course numbers.
Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder, and Aoi spun around to look.
The one smiling pleasantly was none other than his reliable friend and classmate, Enko. Enko was a young man with white hair and a gentle appearance. Unlike Aoi, he was extremely outgoing and had a lot of friends at the university. He could easily engage in conversations with people and get them talking with just two sentences.
Every time he went out to eat with him, Aoi noticed how Enko greeted so many others.
"This guy has loads of girlfriends and is an expert at time management" he thought.
Enko smiled and asked: "Have you been playing games these past few days? No studying?"
Aoi merely nodded, shamelessly and without the intention to deny it, and replied:
"Playing board games is totally fine. It keeps the body and mind sharp, entertains you at a low cost - all for the benefit of your health."
Enko brushed some hair out of his face and gave a bright smile before saying:
"This kind of speech is still going on. Yes, low cost is low cost. But every time I go out and play with my girlfriends, I tend to spend money quickly."
"Aoi. Aoi. You're already 20 years old. Surely you must want to find a girlfriend. Your beauty isn't any less than mine."
Aoi opened his hands and replied with a solemn expression:
"The issue is, I don't have any money. I also can't talk to girls well... to be honest, "I feel really troublesome. I don't mean anything to anyone"
Enko simply chuckled and said:
"If this is how it's going to go, you might end up living alone for the rest of your life. Everyone else in your eyes must be 'weird people' by now. Your handsomeness makes you think there's no need to bring you back."
Aoi could do nothing but laugh in defeat at Enko's blunt advice.
Enko sighed, both joking and speaking the truth:
"Actually, I always feel like the real world in your eyes is just a game or some boring, insignificant matter, causing you to lose interest."
"Ever since getting to know you, from beginning to end, it feels like there's a sense of emptiness in your eyes, as well as a distance from this world."
'I am a transmigrator, and still need to tell you?' Aoi cursed internally, but still refused to give hisopinion on the outside, smiling and saying: "Are you taking in knowledge in your heart now?"
"There's always been studying, and also philosophy to look at. These things are very useful when flirting with girls!"
Enko, standing next to Aoi, suddenly narrowed his eyes and pointed around the classroom, telling him: "Have you noticed that there are a fair number of boys in this class?"
Aoi looked down and quietly nodded, speculating that perhaps boys had more interest in courses like "World Patterns and History."
Enko shook his head and stated:
"No, the primary reason is that there is a new student in class. She has been acknowledged as the latest goddess by Herrendor University, owing to her flawless temperament and appearance. Many men pursue her, to the extent that they wish to throw away countless love letters on a daily basis.
"Goddess?"
Aoi was lost in thought. Since his transmigration, he hadn't had much connection with women for over ten years.
Right now, he felt like he preferred 2D people.
"Why don't you take a look?" Enko asked, narrowing his eyes a bit.
"Never mind. It doesn't concern me, in fact" Aoi replied, opening arms widely and showing no interest at all.
"I realize now that you and I are from different worlds" Enko said.
————
Kaytlyn slowly pushed the classroom door open and walked in. Everyone's eyes immediately focused on her, but Kaytlyn paid no mind to this, as she was used to it since childhood. In just a few months of being in college, she went on to be worshipped as a goddess by everyone, but she herself didn't pay any attention to such things.
"In reality, this world is one huge fake, a mere fiction and mortals are nothing but illusions, not legitimate, living beings" Kaytlyn reflected.
"Their souls are also an illusion and every time they die, they forget all that occurred to them before and are reborn from scratch. There is no way for them to be properly maintained."
"The Beyonder's souls are concrete and cannot be damaged. After death, they don't lose their memories or have to reincarnate. Instead, they wander the world searching for the possibility of resurrection."
"The real world is just a pleasure park for the Beyonders."
Kaytlyn was constantly aware of this.
Just now, she felt as though she was right on the cusp of breaking down.
However, as a result of everything that had happened these past three days, she found it all to be quite exhausting.
The first time she underwent simulation training, Kaytlyn still held a degree of indifference.
But in the new round of training, she didn't anticipate the monsters to be even more quick and powerful.
Every day will undoubtedly display improvement...
Even with her consecutive sessions of simulation training, each session remained just as challenging for Kaytlyn.
'I've been beaten to death countless times already!'
The pain and tiredness Kaytlyn had endured were deeply ingrained within her heart. She had to rush around attempting to wipe out the Evil Cult's hideouts. Although Kaytlyn did not understand how her "Master" discovered the cultist's location, one fact was evident.
The Tower of Babel was without a doubt a grand organization filled with many members lurking in the city's shadows, covertly monitoring it. Kaytlyn let out a long and wearied sigh, locating a seat and settling down.
Kaytlyn was mentally worn out and on the verge of vomiting.
The mention of "Savior" had become her nightmarish reality. Everytime she heard his voice in her mind, it caused her body and mind to tremble.
"How tiring" she sighed.
Aoi also witnessed Kaytlyn walking into the classroom. All five aspects of her beautiful face were like a figure plucked straight from a anime. Her white hair, combined with her purple and red pupils, truly left quite an impression. She possessed an astonishing beauty, with no one refusing to acknowledge this, except for those with a blind vision.
"Is that her? Quite undoubtedly beautiful,"
The sudden emergence of a well-known voice left Kaytlyn feeling startled, with her bodily and mental senses slightly shivering in response. Just moments before, she had almost urinated her pants, after drinking a full cup of milk tea during her commute to school.
If she were to urinate herself in public, her tranquil school life would abruptly come to a close.
The voice she just heard was not an inner voice, as it had been emanating from her "Savior," and was continuously forcing his control over her physique and psyche.
Hesitantly, Kaytlyn lifted her face and cautiously regarded the source of the voice.