In the Known World, Section 2 stood as the sole territory entirely under humanity's control. Humanity had invested immense resources into ensuring Section 2 remained a completely free and safe haven for its inhabitants.
Ivan finally returned to his apartment. He collapsed onto the bed, a wave of immense relief washing over him as he savoured the comfort of his home. When the cab had dropped him off, he couldn't shake an unsettling feeling, a sense that the conspicuous load he carried had attracted some unwanted attention.
Ivan hadn't checked his phone while the streets were submerged and under attack. He was genuinely glad to see that the device hadn't suffered any damage.
"It's crazy that you survived all that," he murmured to his phone, his fingers busy navigating its interface.
Following any attack on the area, Section 2's government would meticulously conduct an investigation to ascertain who had perished, who remained alive, and who was missing. They also provided comprehensive relief packages and financial compensation to citizens who had lost properties during any such devastating assault.
Ivan dutifully reported that his taxi vehicle had been caught in the street's flood. He also confirmed that he was still alive and well. He performed his civic duty, doing what a responsible citizen needed to do to simplify the arduous work for government officials. If his taxi vehicle was found to be in good condition, the government workers would reach out to Ivan and invite him to reclaim his property.
Should Ivan's vehicle be deemed irreparably damaged, he would be generously compensated with another vehicle. Ivan then dropped his phone, allowing himself to truly relax. His mind was utterly devoid of any thought; he focused solely on resting, which was precisely what his exhausted body craved. He soon drifted into a deep sleep.
Two hours into his much-needed rest, an information bar abruptly popped up in his dark vision, sharply snapping him awake.
>>>>
You have 2504 mana points.
You have 10 green mana rocks.
You have enough resources to upgrade your power rank.
>>>>
New Mission.
Upgrade your power rank to Base rank.
"That's a very rude way to wake someone from their sleep," Ivan lamented, a groan escaping his lips.
Ivan was the type of character who meticulously thought through his actions before committing to them. This cautious approach was a habit cultivated from past, often harsh, experiences. This cultivated character stemmed from his instinctive aptitude as a spy before transmigration. He sat upright on the edge of the bed and reflected deeply on his past decisions and potential future actions.
After a moment of intense contemplation, he had a clear list of tasks to accomplish for the upcoming week. It was the last weekday of the current week. Today, he absolutely had to find a secure location where he could safely level up. Most individuals who upgraded their power rank from a regular character to a special character unintentionally released a tremendous, catastrophic burst of energy.
Anyone wishing to level up had to locate a safe, isolated space to do so, or risk becoming a hunted fugitive. Ivan had already identified precisely where he would visit to undergo this crucial levelling process. The chosen place was an AR gaming hub. AR was short for Alternate Reality. An AR gaming hub was typically owned by a special character capable of bending space and creating distinct pockets of alternate realities. In Section 2, these gaming hubs were heavily regulated; consequently, the number of alternate realities a single gaming hub could form was strictly limited to fifty, and all these realities had to remain under constant surveillance.
This stringent regulation was implemented to prevent criminal activities from taking place within these spaces and to ensure the paramount safety of the users. People who frequented these gaming hubs came with the explicit intention of training and enhancing their combat experience.
Another crucial point on Ivan's list was to rigorously train his physique. The third objective was to significantly boost his combat strength. However, he was deeply concerned that he wouldn't be able to meet the second and third lines of action due to his demanding occupation as a taxi driver. He virtually worked twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; this relentless dedication was because he was diligently saving money from his work to finance his cherished dream of starting his own animation studio.
The dream of owning an animation was born after he gave up on pursuing power.
The fourth line of action was to find a compassionate therapist who would help him stabilise his turbulent emotions. He faced a significant dilemma: should he continue working as a taxi driver to actualise his dream of owning an animation studio, or should he abandon everything and embrace the perilous path of a clue seeker like Merlin_13?
When he had declared that he was going to be better than Merlin_13, he had been under the powerful influence of stirred emotions, having just witnessed a child he had rescued die tragically before his very eyes. At this moment, he had relaxed, and his emotions were somewhat settled; he now fully understood the grave implication of his impulsive promise.
Ivan shook his head, a touch disappointed in his momentary lack of self-control. He genuinely disliked making a promise and then failing to achieve it. Deep within him, there was a persistent feeling that he could indeed strike a balance between being a humble taxi driver and a daring clue-seeker.
He picked up his phone and swiftly searched for an AR gaming hub close to his location. He found one establishment that was less than two kilometres away. He booked and paid for a single user slot. He then took a refreshing shower to wash off the lingering stench he had accumulated from the intense battle mere moments ago.
Minutes later, Ivan was comfortably seated in a taxi, headed for the AR gaming hub where he had secured his slot.
Ivan arrived at the gaming hub. The place looked like a standard, modern game house. There was a welcoming reception area which had a spacious lobby attached to it. To the right, a solid wall and a closed door separated the reception lobby from the main gaming section. Ivan walked straight to the reception counter. He noticed that there was only one person seated in the lobby on the left. The individual paid no attention to Ivan, engrossed as they were in playing a mobile game on their phone.
"I came here to train," Ivan stated, presenting his ticket to the receptionist.
The receptionist used a QR scanner to verify the authenticity of the ticket. Ivan was cleared to proceed into the gaming section. He was assigned to booth 2.
Ivan entered the gaming section. It was a long, expansive hall that featured twenty-five individual doors on each side. He opened the door to booth 2, and what met his eyes was a gentle, silent, swirling vortex. Ivan confidently walked into the vortex and emerged into another dimension entirely.