Selene looked at the time as she lay on the couch, digging absent-mindedly into her tub of ice cream. "Four weeks," she said to herself. "It's been four weeks since I woke up in this world and I'm already Level 35. Not bad, Selene. Not bad at all.
Dark Magic was at 28, Swordsmanship at 31, Dominance had capped at 25 and now lasted a full 45 minutes, and Intimidation sat at 27. Her physical attributes weren't bad either: Strength-93, Defense-77, Speed-107, and Agility-105. But the crowning jewel of all of her stats, hands down, was her Knowledge stat, which sat astronomically high at 245. She was still somewhat restless, though.
She licked her spoon clean and let out a contented sigh before savoring the last bit of the ice cream. Across from her, Magnus groaned, tossing his book onto the coffee table. "I swear, if I read another word, my brain will turn to mush," he said dramatically, rubbing his temples.
Alaric was sipping his tea; he gave Magnus a bit of a smirk. "Might I suggest a game of chess, my lord? I'd be more than happy to—"
"Absolutely not," Magnus interrupted, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You stink at it, Alaric. I'd rather read another book than sit through your miserable attempts at strategy."
Alaric flinched but remained quiet, stirring his tea with forced composure.
Selene, sitting cross-legged on the couch, chuckled. "You two are hopeless. This mansion has everything, and you're still bored?"
Magnus turned to her, his eyes imploring. "If you have anything from your world-anything-that could keep us entertained, now's the time to share it. Please."
Alaric raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind something that doesn't involve Magnus criticising me, for once."
Selene let out a deep sigh, placing the now-empty tub of ice cream on the table. She looked at the two grown men before her-apparently both on the brink of a breakdown from boredom. They really do act like overgrown children sometimes, she thought with a wry smile.
"Well," she began, opening her store interface, "there's one thing I could try. It's not guaranteed to work, but… let's experiment."
Immediately the men brightened. "Experiment?" Magnus asked, interested.
Selene nodded.
She opened her store interface, went to the tools section, and then to entertainment. Her eyes lit up as many options appeared before her: TVs, DVDs, gaming consoles, board games, and more. Her fingers hovered over the video game category. "It'd be fun to introduce them to gaming," she thought, smirking at the image of Magnus raging over a boss fight. But then, she hesitated. "Nope. They look like the type to get addicted.
Instead, her gaze landed on the TV and cable equipment. A grin spread across her face. "Perfect."
"Alright, I'll need your help," Selene announced, standing up. "We're going to set up a TV with cable."
"A what with what?" Alaric asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just trust me," she replied, conjuring up a flat-screen TV, a cable disc, and tools: a power drill, stud finder, wallboard saw, and more. She added a cord to connect the cable disc and turned to Magnus. "I need you to attach this disc to the highest point on the mansion using your flight magic."
Magnus took the disc, inspecting it curiously. "This is… interesting. Alright, I'll play along." With a burst of magic, he took off, soaring to the roof.
While Magnus worked, Selene and Alaric prepped the living room. Using the stud finder and tape measure, they marked the spot on the wall to mount the TV.
"You're surprisingly handy," Alaric commented, watching her expertly handle the tools.
"Years of DIY projects," Selene replied unconcernedly.
After a flurry of scrambling, Selene stepped back, and admired the newly mounted flat-screen TV. Magnus hovered outside the mansion, attaching the cable disc to a high point as instructed by Selene.
"Done!" Magnus called out, landing in the room with a fluid motion. "Now what?"
"Now," Selene said, holding up the weird machine, "we power it."
It was a device she'd bought that didn't exist in either her world or this one. It was designed to extract energy from mana stones and convert it into electricity.
She placed the mana stones into the energy conversion machine.
As soon as she turned it on, the machine started humming—then rattling—and finally gave off a series of unsettling clanking noises.
Alaric stepped back, his eyes narrowing. "Selene, is it supposed to sound like that? it sounds like a monster"
"Yes," Selene said flatly, though her frown betrayed her irritation. "We won't be able to watch TV with this noise."
She looked at Magnus and understanding what she wanted, he cast a silencing spell over the machine. Instantly, the room fell silent.
Selene plugged in the extension cord, clicked on the remote turning the TV on, and the screen lit up. After fiddling with the remote for a while, a display menu with various channels from Earth popped up.
"It worked," Selene breathed, a mix of relief and excitement in her voice. Turning to the two men-their eyes fixed wide in stares at the glowing screen-she said, "Gentlemen, welcome to wonders of Earth entertainment."
Alaric leaned forward, fascinated. "This… this is incredible. What kind of magic is this?"
"It's not magic," Selene replied, grinning. "It's technology. Now sit down, and let me show you how it works."
Alaric sank into his seat as she flipped through the channels, watching in awe. "This might just be better than chess," he said.
Selene stared at the glowing screen, her face neutral, but her mind was a whirlwind of questions. As Magnus and Alaric were enthralled by the wonders of Earth entertainment, her thoughts spiraled toward the mysterious store interface. Where had it come from? Why did it have the capability to connect her to Earth in this way?
She recalled an anime where the protagonist's smartphone was similarly connected to Earth, granted to him by a god as an apology for accidentally killing him. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Was her truck accident also a mistake? If so, why hadn't she encountered a god or goddess who explained her situation?
No answers came to her, only more confusion. Finally, she sighed and tried to accept the interface as a blessing in disguise. After all, being able to connect to Earth—even just for entertainment—was something she couldn't have imagined possible before.
Then, another thought struck her. What's been happening on Earth since I've been gone? She glanced at the time in the corner of the screen—10:12 AM, matching the time in this world. She scrolled through the channel menu until she landed on a news channel. Her thumb hovered over the button before she pressed it, and the screen flickered to a live news broadcast.
Her heart stopped.
The screen showed footage of a devastating accident, the headline stark and unyielding: TRUCK DRIVER CHARGED AFTER FATAL HIT-AND-RUN KILLS UNIVERSITY STUDENT AND INJURES 16.
The reporter's voice was clear and emotionless, recounting the events. "Four weeks ago, a drunk truck driver lost control of his vehicle, crashing into pedestrians and a nearby building. Among the casualties was a 21-year-old university student, Kim Eun-ji, who was pronounced dead on the scene. Fifteen others were severely injured, with another woman injured in the building collapse. The driver fled the scene but was apprehended yesterday while intoxicated. He has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and driving under the influence."
Selene's breath hitched as the name pierced through her defenses. Kim Eun-ji. My name. My life.
The screen shifted to an image of a candlelit memorial on her university campus. Flowers and photographs surrounded a central display of her smiling face. The broadcast then cut to footage of her funeral. Her best friend held her urn tightly, sobbing, as others around her wept openly.
A professor was interviewed, speaking with tear-filled eyes about her achievements—awards in business and literature, a series of acclaimed poems, and her aspirations to become a published author and business leader.
"She was one of the most brilliant students I've had the honor of teaching," the professor said. "A rare talent. Her potential was limitless. It's an unspeakable tragedy that her life was stolen."
The remote slipped from Selene's trembling hand, hitting the floor with a clatter that startled Magnus and Alaric. They turned to her, their attention drawn by the sound.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as her lips trembled. "It wasn't my fault…" she whispered, her voice shaky. For weeks, she had carried the guilt of the accident, believing that if she had just paid more attention to the road, she could have avoided it. Now, the truth was laid bare: she was killed by a reckless, drunk idiot.
Her vision swam, dizziness overtaking her. "No… no…" she murmured, her knees buckling beneath her. Her pale complexion caught Magnus's attention, and he rushed to her side, catching her just before she hit the floor.
"Selene!" Magnus called, his voice sharp with concern. He gently lowered her to the ground, holding her shoulders. "What's wrong? Selene!"
But Selene couldn't speak. Her eyes flickered back to the screen, where the broadcast played on. The sight of her friends and her best friend holding her urn blurred as tears welled up, distorting her vision. Her chest heaved as she tried to breathe. She felt like she was suffocating.
I had dreams… I had plans… I worked so hard for my future… Her thoughts spiraled. I made a promise to Grandma to live my life to the fullest… but now I can't. I'll never see them again. I'll never...
Magnus's voice became a distant echo as her body gave out, her consciousness slipping away. "Selene!" he called again, but it barely reached her ears. She fainted in his arms, her face wet with tears.
Magnus's jaw tightened as he picked her up carefully. "Alaric, get a physician immediately!" he barked, then he ran out off the room with her in his arms.
Alaric bolting out of the room. He paused only to lock the door behind him before disappearing in the opposite direction.
Magnus ran while holding Selene tightly, his eyes dark with worry.