When his vision returned, Kazuki found himself in a completely different setting. He stood in a desolate plain of barren, cracked earth, dotted with jagged, pitch-black rocks. The overcast sky hung low and oppressive, casting an eerie, shadowless light over the scene. In front of him stood the boy the so-called deity had referred to as Enea. Now without his hood, Enea's face was fully visible—well, almost. A long tuft of dark brown, slightly curly hair obscured nearly the entire right side of his face, leaving only his left eye visible. That eye, a deep shade of brown, was framed by faint dark circles that hinted at exhaustion or sleepless nights. Around his neck hung a pair of headphones, each earcup adorned with a stylized gray dragon, coiled in an intricate design.
Kazuki scrutinized him closely. As he'd suspected, Enea appeared to be around his age—perhaps a year or two older at most. But speculation about Enea's age could wait. There were more pressing questions.
"What does that guy want from me?" Kazuki asked, his voice resigned. "He said you'd be the one to explain it."
Enea sighed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, I'll explain everything, but let's start with introductions since it looks like we'll be working together for the foreseeable future. My name is Enea Draghi. I'm theoretically twenty years old, and I've been working for that bastard for about two years. I come from an Earth that's pretty much identical to yours. From what I've observed, the history, countries, and cultures of my world are the same as yours. The only differences are probably minor, like the presence or absence of insignificant people in history."
"Theoretically twenty?" Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean? Don't you know when you were born?"
"Nope," Enea replied with a shrug. "But there's no point explaining that now. You'll understand after I tell you about your new job."
"Could you at least untie me first? It's hard to take in explanations like this while I'm tied to a chair."
"Sorry, but no can do," Enea said apologetically. "He specifically ordered me to keep you tied up until I finish explaining everything. I get that it's uncomfortable, but bear with me a bit longer. I'll untie you as soon as I'm done."
Kazuki sighed in frustration. "Fine, but hurry up. This is really uncomfortable."
"I'll try, but fair warning—I'm not great at explaining stuff," Enea muttered. He then launched into his explanation. "As that bastard already told you, your job is to complete missions in the universes he sends you to. The missions vary a lot depending on what he finds entertaining. Sometimes it'll be something straightforward, like defeating a demon king, and other times it might be more abstract, like solving the mystery of a town. But here's the catch: most of the time, you'll need to fight to finish your mission. That guy loves watching people fight."
The last part of Enea's explanation sparked a question in Kazuki's mind. "If he's so interested in fights, why pick me? I'm decent at boxing, sure, but I'm just a normal high school student. What's so exciting about watching me fight? He already has superhuman people like you working for him."
Enea chuckled. "That's a fair question, but here's some advice: don't bother trying to figure out his motives. Nine times out of ten, the answer is something like 'because it seemed interesting' or 'because I felt like it.' I'm guessing your case is no different. That said, you're wrong about one thing—you're not a normal high school student anymore."
Kazuki's eyes widened in alarm. "What did you do to me?!" he demanded, his voice rising with anger and unease.
Enea replied immediately, "If you're asking what he did to you, that's a better question. As for me, aside from the kick to the stomach to knock you out—which, by the way, I healed before you woke up—I didn't do anything. No lasting damage, I promise. But to answer your question: did you notice the tiny blue spark that entered your chest right before you were transported here?"
Kazuki frowned, trying to recall. After a moment, the memory surfaced—a faint blue light, small enough to miss if he hadn't been paying attention, shooting out of the old man's scepter and sinking directly into his chest. "Yeah, I remember. What about it?"
"That spark," Enea explained, "was a fragment of the 'energy' that lets that bastard do anything. And by anything, I really mean anything—creating portals, stopping time, even building or destroying entire multiverses. That energy is essentially his omnipotence made physical. He uses it to bestow abilities on people, sometimes randomly, sometimes specifically, so they can 'entertain' him. There's a key difference between abilities given to random people and those given to people he chooses personally. Randomly chosen individuals, like me, gain abilities based on things they've imagined or dreamed of during their lifetime. But here's the catch: it's limited to abilities that belong to the same 'group.' For instance, if someone dreamed of flying as a child but later imagined shooting lasers from their eyes, they'd only get one of those powers, whichever was most recent. But if they dreamed of both at the same time, they'd get both. In contrast, people he selects personally—like you—don't get abilities based on their imagination. Instead, he decides what abilities to give based on whatever he finds most interesting for that person."
Kazuki's unease grew as he processed this. "So, you're saying that spark gave me a power he chose for me? What power is it?"
"You'll find out during training," Enea said with a shrug. "But hold on, I'm not finished yet. The abilities he gives are just part of the package. On top of those, everyone who works for him gets a set of universal enhancements to ensure they can survive in any universe. These include: immunity to toxic air and water, the inability to starve to death, slowed aging, a tougher body with superhuman strength, the ability to move when time is frozen, immunity to changes in gravity, and separation from the time axis."
Kazuki was unsettled by two of the listed enhancements and deeply troubled by a third. If Enea's explanation was true, the slowed aging would mean he would outlive most of the people he knew, creating complications he could hardly begin to fathom. However, he pushed the thought aside—there was no point in worrying about a future he might never even reach, especially when his return to normal life seemed uncertain. Instead, he focused on clarifying the two traits he didn't fully understand.
"The rest I get—they're obviously useful in extreme conditions. But what exactly do immunity to gravity changes and separation from the time axis mean? Just from their names, I can't figure out their exact effects."
Enea nodded, seeming relieved to be asked something specific. "Immunity to gravity changes means that no matter where you are, the gravitational force on your body will always match that of your home planet—Earth, in your case. This doesn't apply to the planet itself; it won't adjust its gravity for you. It's strictly your body that stays unaffected."
Kazuki absorbed the explanation, nodding slowly, before Enea moved on. "As for separation from the time axis, that's a bit trickier to explain, but I'll try. When that spark entered your body, it separated your existence from the timeline of any universe. In simple terms, you now exist only in the present. Your past self and future self are completely disconnected from you. For example, if someone traveled back in time and killed you as a child, you'd be unaffected because your existence doesn't depend on your past. Similarly, if someone tried to look into your future, they'd see nothing—because your future no longer exists. "
Enea paused to let the information sink in before adding, "I hope that's clear. Like I said, I'm not great at explaining this stuff, so if anything's still confusing, let me know."
Kazuki shook his head. "No, I think I understand. But are you finished with all these explanations? I really need to move—being tied to this chair is unbearable. Also, are you sure I'm stronger now? I've been trying to break this rope for a while, and it's not even budging."
Enea smirked. "Oh, you're definitely stronger now, no doubt about that. The problem isn't you—it's the rope. That thing was created by that bastard and is literally indestructible. I doubt even someone who could destroy a planet with a punch could scratch it. Anyway, I'm not quite done yet, but we're almost there."
"Then hurry up," Kazuki said impatiently. "I'd like to at least move around."
"Alright, listen carefully," Enea said, his tone sharpening. "What I'm about to tell you is the most important part."
For the first time, Enea's usually sarcastic and bored demeanor faded, replaced by a grave expression. The sudden shift made Kazuki uneasy, but he nodded, bracing himself for whatever was coming.
"I'm guessing you've already realized you can't refuse these missions, right?" Enea asked.
Kazuki nodded reluctantly.
"Good," Enea continued. "Technically, though, you can refuse any mission or order from that asshole, and nothing will happen to you. But—"
"Really?!" Kazuki interrupted, hope flickering in his voice.
Enea sighed, slightly annoyed but patient. "Technically, yes. But there's a catch—a massive one. You might be unharmed, but if you refuse a mission, disobey his orders, or don't put in enough effort, you'll lose something far more important. He'll erase your entire universe, along with everyone in it. And trust me, that's not an empty threat—I've seen him do it."
Kazuki's stomach churned at the thought. Enea continued, his voice somber. "About two months ago, I was sent with a boy on his first mission. My role was to supervise and help him occasionally. The boy faced an opponent who was far stronger than him, but he was supposed to fight alone to complete the mission. He was badly injured—wounds that would have killed a normal human—but he still had the strength to fight. In the end, he gave up, unable to endure the pain. His opponent spared him, but that bastard took that as a refusal to complete the mission, so at that moment he eliminated the universe the boy came from."
The weight of Enea's words crushed what little hope Kazuki had left of returning to a normal life. He realized that refusing even one mission would endanger everyone he cared about, especially his sister, Yui. His resolve hardened—he swore to himself that he would complete every mission, even if it meant risking his life. He couldn't bear the thought of his sister's death being his fault.
But a pang of regret lingered. "I wish I could see Yui one last time," he thought before making a heartfelt request. "Okay, I'll do the missions. I don't want my universe destroyed, but… can you ask him to let me see my sister Yui one last time?"
Enea's eyes widened in surprise. He stood silent for a few moments, thinking, before he replied. "Sorry. That's my fault for not explaining properly. You don't need to worry about that—you can return home between missions. The time you get to spend there depends on how much he's interested in you, but it usually ranges from a week to a few months. As long as you survive the missions, you'll be able to see your sister again."
Kazuki's face flushed slightly with relief. "I'm glad I can still go home, but this is so embarrassing," he thought, quickly changing the subject. "What happened to the boy who lost his universe?"
Enea's expression darkened. "That boy," he said quietly, "realized too late that his universe and everyone he cared about were gone forever. Overcome by guilt, he took his own life."
Kazuki immediately regretted asking the question, guilt gnawing at him for prying so carelessly.
After a moment of heavy silence, Enea sighed. "I think I've explained everything important. If you don't have any more questions, I'll untie you now."
Kazuki shook his head. "No, I'm good."
"Alright, then…" A katana seemingly made of ice materialized in his right hand, and with a swift, fluid motion, he sliced through the rope binding Kazuki to the chair. The movement was so fast that Kazuki barely registered it before he heard the soft thud of the rope hitting the ground.
Enea's lips curled into a grin of excitement, one that sent a shiver down Kazuki's spine. "…Let the training begin."