Alex looked at his new acquaintance, Gloria, who had fainted after discovering that the man she had helped was actually a wizard. He found it interesting to watch her reaction—back in the DanMachi world, people had long grown accustomed to his magical tricks and would merely frown.
But here, in this new world for him, everything was different. Although his mana reserves were depleted and the rainbow show in his hands was the only thing he could currently manage, Gloria's reaction was far more dramatic.
"Maybe I shouldn't have surprised her so abruptly," Alex thought as he watched the unconscious girl. "Though it was pretty amusing," he added with a slight smile.
Getting up, Alex carefully adjusted Gloria's position to make her more comfortable and covered her with a blanket. He then returned to his seat, deciding to wait until she woke up to continue their conversation.
Diving into his subspace, he began searching for useful items that might come in handy in this new world. As he rummaged through various objects, he realized he had almost no useful materials with him, except for his "idiot stick," which he wasn't even sure would be useful here.
He continued to dig through his inventory, mostly finding snacks he had prepared for Hestia and a strange girl he sometimes met on the streets of Orario and treated with candy. In his hands, he found a phone he had created to communicate with friends in the dungeon. At that moment, an idea came to him:
"What if…" Alex muttered, pulling out his phone from the subspace and examining it closely. He thought about trying to merge it with the local phone given to him by the old man.
As the two phones were brought together, they began to synchronize and fuse into one.
"Whoa, it worked! I'll have to thank the old man," Alex noted with surprise and satisfaction, watching his phone successfully merge with the new one.
Now he had the ability to contact his family and find out what had happened after his disappearance. Hearing the familiar rings, he felt his heart beat faster. He remembered the times when you had to wait for someone to pick up. And luckily, he didn't have to wait long.
"Alex, where are you? Are you okay? What happened?" the voices of many people shouted from the other side, so loudly that he almost went deaf in one ear.
"Hey, quiet down, I almost went deaf!" Alex laughed, moving the phone away from his ear.
When the shouting subsided, Alex heard Hestia's sad voice, who seemed to be crying.
"Alex, where are you?" she asked, her voice full of tears.
"It's complicated," Alex replied, with a crooked smile.
"What do you mean, complicated?" asked Hephaestus, who had snatched the phone from Hestia.
"Hold on, I'll show you. Good thing I set up the new projection system," Alex praised himself for his foresight with a smile.
"What's this projection function? I don't understand anything," Hestia's voice sounded, clearly frustrated as she tried to figure out the phone.
"Give it here," Loki interjected, snatching the phone from Hestia.
Alex rubbed his forehead, hearing those two bicker again, completely forgetting their worry about him. But then, a gentle voice calmed him.
"Darling, explain to me how this works. These two have started fighting again," Freya's voice sounded, and Alex smiled, realizing that at least Freya remained relatively calm and responsible.
Alex began slowly guiding Freya through the steps to activate the necessary function. After several minutes of trying, Freya finally managed to turn on the projection, and Alex saw her face, which was so close to the screen that he could even see the delicate skin of her cheek.
"Freya, you're too close. Hold the phone at arm's length," Alex said with a laugh.
Freya heard him and moved the phone back, revealing everyone in front of him, including Hestia and Loki, who were still fighting. Alex smiled, understanding that they were all okay, though their faces looked a bit concerned.
"Darling, am I holding it correctly?" Freya asked, holding the phone at arm's length.
"Yes, that's perfect, don't worry," Alex replied with a smile, watching Freya.
"But why can't I see you?" Freya asked doubtfully.
"Oh, sorry, I'll turn on my camera now. Then you'll need to flip the phone so it's facing up when I activate the projection on my side," Alex explained, noticing her puzzled expression.
After waiting for Freya to flip the phone, Alex turned on his camera, anticipating their reaction. Freya frowned, and Hephaestus seemed no less concerned. Alex didn't immediately understand the reason for their reaction until Freya spoke in an icy tone that sent chills down his spine. All their attention was focused on the fact that Alex was sitting shirtless.
"Darling, why are you sitting without a shirt on?" Freya asked, her voice cold as ice.
Alex looked down and realized he was still bare-chested. He took a deep breath, understanding he had slightly messed up.
"Well, it's a bit of a situation, you wouldn't believe it..." Alex began, trying to explain.
Freya narrowed her eyes, her gaze still cold and focused.
"Well, I'm listening," she said, her eyes darkening like black holes.
Alex swallowed hard, feeling a lump in his throat from Freya's gaze. He now understood that a wife could be a very formidable being, capable of intimidating even from a distance.
"Do you want the short version or the long one?" Alex asked cautiously, hoping to lighten the tense atmosphere.
Freya looked at him as if she was ready to pull him through the projection and obliterate him. Her eyes were so dark that it seemed they were about to swallow him whole.
"First explain why you're half-naked, and then everything else. Judging by your appearance, you're fine. In very good shape, actually," Freya said, narrowing her eyes.
Alex sighed, realizing that Freya trusted him and wasn't too worried about his condition.
"After the battle, I was thrown into another world. The woman who found me took me to her home and removed my shirt to wipe the blood," Alex explained, and the sounds of the struggle between Hestia and Loki immediately ceased.
Hestia and Loki's faces appeared so close to the screen that Alex could count their eyelashes.
"What do you mean, she wiped the blood from your body?" they both asked simultaneously.
Alex wanted to light a cigarette but realized that smoking in someone else's home, even if he was allowed, would be rude. He didn't want to take advantage of Gloria's kindness, who had already helped him enough.
"That's why I was asking: do you want the short version or the long one?" Alex said in a tired tone.
He noticed how the girls began exchanging glances before collectively turning to Freya, who didn't seem at all embarrassed by their stares. She hadn't taken her eyes off Alex the entire time.
"Then go ahead, tell us everything from the beginning, from when you got sucked into the portal," Hephaestus finally broke the silence.
"Well, as Freya already mentioned, this creature wanted to absorb my powers to become stronger," Alex began, and Freya nodded in understanding while the others started exchanging glances again.
"By the way, how long have I been gone?" Alex asked, trying to gauge how much time had passed, noticing that the girls were still near Babylon.
"About ten minutes since you were pulled into the portal," Hestia replied, placing a finger on her chin.
Hearing this, Alex pondered, trying to understand the time difference between the worlds. If he was correct, when Gloria found him, it was late at night and raining. But when he stepped out of the window to smoke, the puddles had almost dried up. This meant he had been unconscious for about ten hours at most.
"Why are you asking?" Hephaestus inquired, noticing that Alex had become lost in thought.
"I'm just comparing the time difference between the worlds," Alex explained upon hearing her question.
"But why?" Hestia asked, puzzled as she looked at him.
"Because, apparently, time moves faster in the world I'm in right now," Freya answered for him, and Hestia's face lit up with understanding.
"Yes, that's right. From my observations, I've been here for about ten hours," Alex confirmed, causing the girls to give him surprised looks.
They started exchanging glances again, occasionally glancing at Alex, who was calmly sitting and smiling.
"So, what exactly happened to you, and why did you end up in another world? You weren't planning on traveling alone, were you?" Loki asked, partially opening one eye. Her words resonated with the group, and everyone began looking at Alex with suspicion.
"No, I ended up here because someone decided to play a joke," Alex said with a crooked smile.
"What do you mean, a joke? Who jokes like that?" Hestia asked indignantly.
"Well, it went like this: after I was 'kidnapped' and pulled into the portal..." Alex began, deciding to explain what had happened to him.
Alex described in detail how he encountered the avatar of an outer god. He described the place where he found himself: surrounded by lifeless planets and a nearly extinguished sun. He said that the place was horrifyingly unpleasant, as if everything around had been dead for a long time.
The girls wanted to ask questions about that place but decided to remain silent and wait for Alex to continue. Some of them clenched their fists, realizing that these planets were completely dead.
Alex noticed their distressed faces, understanding that the situation with the planets upset them. But there was nothing he could do. Perhaps the planets would recover in the future, but most likely, they would simply become cosmic dust, and no one would remember that such planets ever existed.
Alex asked if the girls had any questions, seeing their furrowed brows and realizing that they were even more worried about him. After all, a creature capable of draining the life from a planet and a sun wasn't just an enemy you could easily defeat and forget about.
They all shook their heads and asked him to continue the story of how he encountered this enemy.
Alex decided not to describe or show what the creature he killed looked like because it was truly disgusting, and forgetting it would be difficult. He also doubted that madness could be triggered just by showing the appearance of this monster. After all, there are creatures that start hunting you if you see their face, no matter how that happens.
He continued to recount how they clashed in battle and why the creature wanted to absorb him. Freya, who had proposed this theory herself, nodded, understanding that it was possible. After all, even the gods of this world are quite vengeful and willing to go to great lengths for revenge, although they've become more peaceful over the past millennia.
Alex wasn't sure if he should tell them that they tried to turn him into a doughnut. He had already mentioned that he was covered in blood and that the woman who saved him had cleaned him up. Pausing, he started to wonder if he should reveal this detail or just continue the story as usual.
"Why did you go silent? What happened after you wounded it?" Loki asked, watching Alex closely, noticing his internal struggle.
With a crooked smile, Alex made his decision and continued, "Well, after that..."
He described how he severed the avatar's leg, after which it became much more serious and angrier, as if it had remembered something from the past.
"Why did the avatar's behavior change so suddenly?" Hestia asked, not understanding why it initially looked down on Alex and then became so enraged.
"Maybe it reminded him of something, and he decided to stop wasting time and tried to absorb Alex quickly," Freya suggested, listening carefully and piecing together the details of the story.
"Maybe, but it didn't share any details with me," Alex replied with a slight smirk.
Alex watched as the girls discussed possible reasons for the avatar's mood change. He could only shake his head, seeing how quickly they calmed down, even though they had just been worried about him.
"Can I continue, or are you all going to keep chatting?" Alex asked tiredly, causing everyone to fall silent and look at him sheepishly.
"Sorry, dear, go on," Freya said apologetically, and the other girls also looked guilty for interrupting him.
Alex took a deep breath and continued, "When the avatar got serious, it summoned some black miasma to limit my vision. It wanted to turn me into a doughnut."
The girls' eyes widened at this revelation, and they began frantically examining Alex's body through the projection.
"Don't worry, I'm fine, I've already healed my body. That bastard just touched my core and damaged it a little. Although I'm not sure how that's even possible," Alex said, pondering how the avatar managed to damage his core.
"It'll take some time for me to fully recover, but don't worry, I'm okay," he added with a smile.
Alex showed the spot where the wound should have been, but there were no marks or scars. The girls tried to see it, but since they were only looking at a projection, they decided to take his word for it.
He continued to explain how he summoned his fortress to boost his strength and used a full-scale spell to erase the avatar's body. At this point, Alex decided to stop, not wanting to mention the woman who "joked" with him, or as she put it, gave him the incentive to come to her.
"You're holding something back, dear," Freya said, narrowing her eyes, noticing that Alex had fallen silent.
"It's not so much that I'm holding back… I just don't fully understand what's going on myself. In the end, the one who controls the avatar showed up," Alex admitted, sighing heavily, realizing that he would have to deal with Nyan-Nyan and her desire to bring him to Azathoth's throne.
"She?" Hephaestus asked.
"Yeah, her. Her avatar wanted to become independent and was hiding. Eventually, when it decided to have some fun destroying our world, it noticed me and changed its plans," Alex explained, rubbing his forehead.
"And then what?" Aria suddenly asked, stepping forward. Alex looked at her in surprise, not knowing how to react to her sudden outburst.
The goddesses watched in astonishment as Aria suddenly leaped forward and stared at Alex, who grimaced.
"I'm not going to go into detail to avoid causing you any unnecessary trouble. She blew up her avatar to give me 'incentive,' as she calls it, and to force me to come to a certain place," Alex sighed.
"We made a bet on who would surrender first—me or her. If I lose, I'll have to go there," Alex continued, noticing that the girls were looking at him with confusion but chose not to ask further questions for now.
"What kind of place is it?" Loki asked, peeking her face so only her eyes were visible.
"You don't need to know what that place is or who resides there. Even mentioning the names of beings from that place could have unpleasant consequences. So it's better not to talk about it," Alex said, not wanting to discuss the Primordial Chaos and its inhabitants.
The girls exchanged glances but decided to trust Alex on this matter, since nothing seemed to be threatening him at the moment, which was a relief.
"Alex, when will you return?" Hestia asked, pushing Loki aside.
"Well, how should I put this..." Alex summoned Yamato and showed its condition.
He held the broken sword in his hands and could only sigh, realizing that he currently had no way out.
"As you can see, Yamato is broken, and I'm currently stuck in this world. But don't worry, nothing threatens me here, and due to the time difference, it will be only a short while before I return," Alex said with a smile, putting Yamato away.
"Then how long will it take for you to come back?" Freya asked calmly, understanding that Alex was fine, even if he was far away.
"I'll return when Yamato is repaired and my core is healed," Alex answered with a smile.
He was smiling while looking at the girls, but suddenly he was struck by a realization that upset him.
"What's wrong? Are you in pain? Were you badly hurt after all?" Hestia began to ask, noticing the change in Alex's expression.
"No, I just realized that in this world I have nothing. No money for lodging, no workshop... Basically, I'm starting from scratch again," Alex said, putting his hand on his face, wanting to scream but holding back because Gloria was either resting or unconscious.
"Oh, dear, you're acting like a child again," Freya said, tiredly putting a hand to her forehead, realizing that her husband was still the same. Hearing his words, the others just shook their heads, understanding that Alex hadn't changed since he started interfering in matters of those who wanted to destroy the world.
Alex removed his hand from his face upon hearing Freya's words, and his face twisted. What was childish about his behavior? He was thinking like an adult who found himself in an unfamiliar place and now needed to find lodging and work to earn money. Most likely, he'd have to take on jobs that didn't require documentation, as he didn't even have an identity in this world to register.
"Alright, never mind," Alex said, waving his hand, not wanting to continue the conversation. "Anyway, I'll call from time to time to show that I'm okay and that you shouldn't worry. For now, we should say goodbye because I need to gather information about this world," Alex said with a serious face, knowing that he knew nothing about the world.
"When you gather the information, don't forget to share it. We're all interested in what kind of world you visited," Loki said, expressing the general opinion.
"Of course. And, Hestia, before I forget: if you happen to meet a sweet little girl in a black dress with white hair and yellow eyes, give her these candies. She loves them," Alex said, pulling out a pack of candies he always carried with him to give to the girl whenever he encountered her.
"What girl? When did you get to know any child?" Hestia asked, not understanding when Alex had managed to do that.
"Ask Freya; she'll tell you," Alex said, not wanting to explain that he was involved in charity work with Freya and helped poor children in Orario.
Hestia turned to Freya and looked at her intently.
"Then don't forget to bring back souvenirs when you come home. And alcohol would be best," Loki interjected, revealing her true desire in that statement.
"I'll see what I can find. But first, I need money," Alex said with a crooked smile, looking at Loki, who was already drooling at the thought of alcohol from another world. It seemed like Loki had married him just for that.
He couldn't refuse Loki, recalling how she had attacked him when she got drunk. It happened that night when she burst into his room and attacked him.
"Alright then, ladies, I'll call about once a week in this world's time. For you, it will be roughly every seven to eight hours," Alex said with a smile.
"Take care, Alex/Dear/Husband!" the girls shouted simultaneously, causing a smile to appear on Alex's face.
"You be careful too," Alex said, disconnecting.
Alex leaned back on the couch with a smile, staring at the ceiling. He covered his face with his hand, but the smile remained. However, it quickly faded as he imagined what might await him in this city.
The more modern and brightly lit the city is at night, the darker its streets tend to be. Alex knew full well that in a modern world, there are all kinds of dregs—drug addicts, criminals, and other outcasts.
"This city is probably a real dump, where all kinds of societal outcasts gather," Alex thought, keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Lost in his thoughts, he considered how terrible this world might be, where cyber implants are common and corporations have taken over the entire market. He understood that such technology could be used for criminal purposes, meaning that this world would be rife with gangs and other criminal organizations.
"What a mess... It looks like I'll have to put in a lot of effort not to destroy everything around me," Alex thought, tiredly rubbing his forehead, realizing that if he accidentally got into trouble, it wouldn't be easy to get out of it.
He rubbed his forehead, understanding that it was better not to use magic in this world. The more technologically advanced a world is, the more eyes are watching. Alex clearly didn't want to become a subject of study for some corporation that might place a bounty on his head.
"I'll have to manage without magic and my magical arsenal for now, just use guns until I find a place for a workshop where I can create something useful," Alex said aloud, mentally weighing his options.
"Or I'll create something with magic when my mana is restored," he added, with a crooked smile.
As Alex pondered how to navigate this world, Gloria, who had lost consciousness, began to regain her senses. Her eyes flickered slightly, indicating that she was about to wake up. Suddenly, she sat up abruptly, breathing heavily.
"Ugh, I had such a strange dream," Gloria said, pressing her hand to her forehead.
Alex heard Gloria mumbling to herself and lowered his head, watching her sit on the couch, holding her head.
"And what was your dream about?" Alex asked, looking at her.
"I dreamt that I brought a strange guy home who was all covered in blood, and then it turned out he was a wizard," Gloria said, realizing the absurdity of the situation, thinking it was just a dream. She didn't immediately realize that someone was talking to her.
"Yeah, lucky you," Alex smirked.
Gloria finally realized that someone was speaking to her. Like a robot, she slowly turned her head and saw Alex at the other end of the couch, waving at her.
Her eyes widened in shock—everything she thought was a dream turned out to be real. She threw off the blanket Alex had covered her with and quickly got up from the couch.
"YOU! YOU'RE REAL!" Gloria shouted, pointing at Alex.
"Yeah, real," Alex replied, making a heart shape with his fingers.
"But how? How is this possible?" Gloria started asking questions again, speaking so quickly that she began to breathe heavily.
"Calm down, and I'll explain everything. But not everything, of course, you understand why," Alex said, trying to calm her down.
"Okay," Gloria replied, gradually calming down.
She sat back on the couch, deciding to listen to Alex's story about how he ended up in the alley. She was curious about magic, but with everything that had piled up on her lately, she couldn't handle the shock and had lost consciousness.
Gloria noticed the unfamiliar blanket and looked at Alex, who had been smiling gently all this time. She realized that he had covered her when she lost consciousness. Gloria felt a warmth in her heart—she remembered her son, who used to do the same thing as Alex. He would cover her with a blanket when she fell asleep on the couch, exhausted after work, without having time to change or eat.
Alex noticed that Gloria's face had become sad. He wanted to ask what happened, but he knew it wasn't the right time for such personal questions since they weren't that close yet.
If Gloria wanted to, she would tell him when the time was right. For now, it was best to tell her only the minimum he could, as walls have ears. And since he didn't have his own place yet, some things were better kept secret.
To be continued...