"Are you Nox?" A sharp female voice pierced through Nox's blissful sleep, jolting him awake.
Nox groaned, his thoughts sluggish. "Who's calling me?" he wondered.
"Ugh, damn it... My head feels like it's being split open."
The memories of last night's office party began to surface. He had indulged in far too much alcohol during the celebration, eventually blacking out. The last thing he remembered was losing his balance and crashing to the ground in a drunken stupor. What happened after that?
The voice interrupted his thoughts again, cold and emotionless. "I tried reaching you through the intercom, but you weren't responding," she said briskly. "So I took it upon myself to bypass your door's laughably outdated security protocols."
"By the way, I'm Lyra Winterbourne," the voice continued, "I'm here for your Virginity Clearance. Elysium recommended you to me."
There was a pause, and Lyra said, "On another note, do you require neutering services? I can do it for free. Although I'm still an intern, I'm confident in my surgical abilities."
"Then shall we proceed with the clearance?" There was a hint of impatience in Lyra's voice as she continued. "I have a cybernetics lecture to attend promptly after this, so let's be quick."
Virginity Clearance? Elysium? Neutering services? Cybernetics lecture?
As Nox tried to make sense of her words, the confusion in his mind only deepened. The voice was cold, devoid of warmth or emotion, making it difficult for him to process what she was saying.
He could grasp the individual words well enough, but when strung together in sentences, it was as if his brain short-circuited.
Nox forced his bleary eyes open, immediately regretting it as harsh light flooded in. A blurred figure stood hunched over nearby. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, the figure sharpened into focus—a woman standing not far from him.
Her jet-black hair was pulled back into a slick, tight ponytail that coiled neatly at the nape of her neck. A few rebellious strands framed her face, while the rest was tucked neatly behind her ears. The polished ponytail contrasted with her smooth, pale skin and delicate facial features—high cheekbones, an aquiline nose, and a defined jawline.
Under the harsh clinical lights, her slick black hair absorbed the white glare, but it was her eyes that drew Nox in the most—they were an icy, piercing shade of blue-grey that glinted like polished stones under the bright lights.
And right now she was… Removing her clothes?
'Oh crap!'
Yes, the woman who had introduced herself as Lyra was currently disrobing.
She wore a sleek, form-fitting sheath dress in a dark charcoal shade that hugged her slender curves. Over it was a tailored jacket in the same dark tone.
Expressionless, the woman reached up and slid the jacket off her shoulders, letting it fall in a heap on the floor. Her fingers trailed down her side as she took hold of the metal zipper that ran down the front of her dress. Slowly, she dragged it down, revealing more smooth, pale skin with each inch.
Nox's gaze inadvertently drifted downward as the zipper parted, exposing the black lace edge of her bra-cupping full breasts.
"What in God's name are you doing?" Nox shouted, hastily averting his eyes as a deep flush spread across his face. He fumbled to grab something to shield his vision while trying to make sense of the bizarre situation.
Last night, he had passed out from excessive drinking, and now, after waking up, a woman was standing before him, saying incomprehensible things and then stripping down.
This had to be some kind of setup or scam. As a veteran businessman, Nox was no stranger to blackmail schemes designed to manufacture scandal—including covertly filming compromising footage for extortion.
"Miss, stop. I think you've got the wrong person. I need to leave, so please let me go." Nox tried to sound calm, but his voice wavered slightly. Keeping his eyes covered seemed the safest bet; get out, then call for help.
He attempted to stand, but his legs gave out instantly as weakness overwhelmed him.
'Am I drugged?'
Feeling powerless, Nox's heart sank. The situation had taken a turn for the worse.
Lyra merely said impatiently. "I was informed you were a scholar at Orbital University. Yet clearly that is not the case, as you fail to grasp the meaning of a simple sentence. Like I said, I am here for Virginity Clearance, You were recommended to me by Elysium."
Her matter-of-fact words echoed with the soft rustle of more clothing shed.
"Now do please disrobe so we may start with Clearance?"
Hurry? Hurry to do what exactly?
Strip poker? Skinny dipping? A nude marathon?
And for some reason, hearing her emotionless reply, Nox felt a surge of anger, as if he were being treated like an object. Does she think I'm some kind of drive-thru where you can order and be done in a flash? I'm not that cheap.
As Nox's frustration and confusion peaked, a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him. Unfamiliar symbols and texts began to materialize in his vision.
"What... what is this?" Nox muttered, blinking hard. The mysterious script was giving him a headache as it continued to spread across his sight.
[Host Detected….]
[...Connection Established…]
[Neural pathways synchronized]
[Core Protocols Activated]
[Synaptic resonance achieved]
[System assimilation complete….]
With that, Nox felt a surge of warmth coursing through his veins, starting from his legs and finally reaching his head. It was accompanied by a sharp pain slicing through his consciousness like a jagged knife. Unfamiliar memories flooded his mind—a chaotic jumble of images and sensations swirling before his eyes.
He didn't know how long it took, but eventually, Nox's jumbled mind began to calm down as another message appeared before him.
[Welcome, Host! Congratulations on Binding with the Omnidrive system.]
After sifting through the unfamiliar memories in his mind and reading the new message, Nox grew even more bewildered.
"Nox Everhart?... That's not my name…"
"... And what's with these seemingly familiar and unfamiliar memories…"
"Humans… enhancements... gene technology? And what's an Omnidrive system? Did I… transmigrate? Like in those web novels?"
Nox's mind reeled at the revelation that he had transmigrated. Disbelief washed over him, followed by a wave of confusion as he struggled to comprehend this newfound reality.
[Yes, Host! You have been transmigrated to a different world.]
The text flickered ominously before Nox's eyes. "So I have a system now?" he muttered. "Does that mean... Did I die? Who the hell killed me?"
[Insufficient Authority for information]
Rage boiled up in Nox. Useless, cryptic messages were the last thing he needed right now. He opened his mouth to curse the unhelpful system, but a delicate fragrance gave him pause.
Nox's eyes fluttered open. To his surprise, he found himself staring right at Lyra—the woman who had been so impatient to "get naked" earlier. In his confusion over the strange system messages, he had almost forgotten about her.
Right now, she stood in front of him, her sleek figure now wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe. Her hair was tucked into a towel turban, with a few loose dark strands framing her flushed face. Wisps of steam rose from her skin, which glowed pink from the heat of her recent bath. Beads of moisture still clung to her graceful neck and collarbones.
Lyra tilted her head slightly, her blue-grey eyes staring at Nox with an expressionless face, though her cheeks retained a hint of pink from the heat of her bath.
"Oh, I just remembered a while ago—I didn't get a chance to freshen up properly before heading over here. And that shuttle ride left me feeling kinda gross and sweaty too."
She delicately wrinkled her nose, demonstrating her distaste for the sweat.
"And yes, although I consider intercourse a waste of time and pointless, my mother said it's an important event for both males and females. So it shouldn't be taken lightly without proper preparations."
"Therefore I went ahead and used your shower. I trust you find this acceptable despite the unscheduled nature of my usage."
"And can we hurry up? I have a lecture to attend after this." She tilted her head, urging Nox once again.