{16} - Evans Smith: Collapsed Veins
Evans took a bite from the burger.
He sighed happily. The taste wasn't all that amazing, but it was leagues above the canned foods his School constantly restocked on. He'd eat this any day.
He wouldn't, of course. He had unrestricted access to MHA's world now. He could come in and out for the food any time he wanted.
He took another bite as he glanced around. The local restaurant he was in was empty. The owner was sitting on another table, his expression bored as he stared at the droning television. The streets outside were similarly empty. There weren't even any cars.
It couldn't be helped.
It was a week after All for One perished. Japan had fallen into a tense silence, haggard in the aftermath. Tokyo was completely in ruins, destroyed by All for One's final attack. The rest of Japan still stood, of course. But the news had caught the last moments of that conflict, of that giant mushroom cloud rising into the sky.
Hundreds of thousands of people died. Most within the first several minutes of the attack. The horde of expanding Villains and Nomus had caused the highest casualty Japan had seen in decades.
All for One, ironically, killed no one himself.
No one really knew what happened. Most of them, at least. The government knew that it was All for One, but they knew little else. They knew that he'd been the one to kill most of the Villains, but they couldn't find who he was.
Beyond that, they just didn't have the time. They were still trying to pick themselves back up after Tokyo's destruction.
And besides, even if they did somehow catch him, all he needed to do was teleport back to his School. This world had no way of stopping interdimensional travelers.
Which was why he was all the way down in Okinawa, using the money Izumi had lent him to eat as much as he wanted.
He took another bite. Or at least tried to. He blinked to find that he'd already finished his burger. Feeling a little silly, he turned his attention to the salad that came along with the combo he bought.
He took a moment to think.
There was nothing he had left to do for MHA. The [End] had been reached, and Izumi was no longer his Student. She could visit any time she wanted, but he could no longer Lecture her. And though she could help him as an assistant, the world of Solo Leveling wouldn't work well with her. At least not until he somehow helped her awaken Magic or something.
And Jin Woo was doing well. He hadn't taken a Ranking Test yet—he still wanted to keep himself anonymous it seemed, but he promised he would do it soon. Though he at least dove into Dungeons with Lee-Joohee. She could heal him if he got hurt.
Which left him with nothing to do.
…well, no. That's a lie.
[Mentor Exp: 23,559]
He had more than enough Mentor Exp to finally jump into the world of Code Vein. 20,000 Mentor Exp was expensive, but he could gain that back with enough time.
But he hadn't taken the plunge. Not yet. Because the moment he tried it, something came up.
[Warning! -Code Vein- is an Anomaly. Travel in and out is difficult due to Cosmic Interference.]
[In return, the Scorned One will be able to hold Lectures without needing direct access to the School. The [Infinite Library] will be able to be accessed through the System directly. A Special Event will be held the moment the Scorned One enters the world. Time outside of the Scorned One's world will be frozen.]
If he traveled there, he'd lose most of his access to his School. He could Lectures, but he wouldn't be able to get bonuses from his Classroom or his Gymnasium. And if he read right, he assumed that he'd need another 20,000 Mentor Exp to go back to his School.
The other worlds he'd come into contact with would be fine. MHA and Solo Leveling would be frozen in time as long as he remained in Code Vein. And from what he remembered from the game's story, the [End] wouldn't be initiated until the characters reach the final boss.
But it didn't change the truth.
If he traveled, it would be a while before he came back.
…
He finished the last of his salad, and he smiled. That was a filling meal, and one he'd dearly miss once he jumped into Code Vein. He supposed he'd come here to motivate himself to survive—so that he could eventually come back to this world and eat something that wasn't canned food.
He paid the owner in cash and left. He walked down the empty streets for a good minute. Then, he abruptly turned and walked into an alleyway.
And hidden in the shadows, he brought up his System once more.
[Travel to -Code Vein-?]
He took a deep breath, and pressed 'Yes'.
[20,000 Mentor Exp has been spent. Beginning transfer to -Code Vein-...]
The world went white around him, and he closed his eyes as the world faded around him.
.......................................
The next thing he knew, he stood in the middle of a ruined city. The buildings around him were decrepit, the roads were filled with wrecked cars and piles of dust, and the air tasted of ash.
But he found his attention pulled to the clothes he wore. Instead of the casual clothes he'd been wearing just moments before, he was now dressed in rags and shorts. They were dirty, and only kept together by the pieces of armor strapped across his chest and around his waist. A gas mask was worn over his face. The lens over his eyes were covered in dust.
It seemed his System had changed his clothes during the transfer. Which was a good thing really—he doubted he could explain where he got such clean clothes to the people of this world.
[A Special Event has occurred!]
[You have entered into the world of -Code Vein-. It is unknown why this world has deviated from its true Path, but it matters not. This world is headed for destruction. Discover the Divergence, and save this world!]
[Completion Reward: 3x [School Expansion Units], Unrestricted Access to Code Vein]
He nodded. In truth, he already suspected what was wrong. Because days ago, he'd spent a good several hours scrolling through his Potential Students, just to see if there was anyone from Code Vein that he could Lecture.
There wasn't.
Which could mean a few things. But the end result remained the same—he was the only one fit to help this world reach its true [End].
Well, he'd do his best, he supposed.
But before that,
He heard steps echoing behind him, and he turned to see a group of monsters shuffling his way. Humanoid in shape, but with dark gray skin and their heads contorted in strange and bizarre ways. Rusted weapons hung from their fingers, and a red haze followed just behind them as they walked towards him.
He frowned. They were the Lost—monsters that were once humans; Revenants corrupted by the miasma that seemed to permeate the air.
He leapt forward. He clenched his fist, and with all his strength, he punched.
And then blinked as his fist smashed right through the Lost's head. He'd barely felt any resistance. But he didn't let it distract him. He quickly spun on his heel, smashing the other two Lost with the back of his palm. They too died, their heads exploding into a cloud of black and red.
"...huh." He said eventually, giving his hands a quick shake to dust them off. "That was easy."
Which wasn't a surprise, really. If he was right, he was standing in the Ruined City Center—the second 'Dungeon' the Main Character would have access to. The monsters he'd find here would be weak. At least compared to the current him.
He looked down. The three Losts had left behind a small gem on their death. A cube of yellow, glowing with a soft light. He stared at them for a moment, not quite understanding the feeling in his chest. It felt like something would happen if he picked it up.
He bent down and reached for it. He pinched his fingers, and-
"-ust run! Get away from here! I-I'll try and-"
-he flinched back as the cube suddenly shattered into motes of light.
[Haze consumed. 13 Mentor Exp gained]
He held his head and winced. Right, he remembered now. That thing was a concentrated gem of Haze—a Remnant's will to survive, turned corporeal by the miasma. In game, the Main Character could use it to purchase items and level themselves up.
It seemed he could do the same. He hadn't received much from that one Lost, but the ones he just fought were weak.
[Unexpected Synchrony detected. Stop Synchrony for non-important Haze?]
"Please." He said. The System panel glowed for a moment, and he felt something in his head shift. The feeling was odd, and he gave his head a shake as he grabbed the other two cubes. Thankfully, the cubes shattered into sparks without causing voices to ring in his head.
He stood back up. There weren't any Lost around. It seemed his System had brought him to a particularly empty street of the Ruined City.
He frowned. He didn't know where this was exactly, but he needed to find the entrance to the city's Undergrounds. He needed to see at what point he'd entered this world. How was the Main Character doing? What about their companion, Io? What about Louis?
Did those characters even exist in this Alternate World?
He hoped they did. He really did.
And so, with those worries floating in the back of his mind, he began walking.