Akira's much-needed, perfect slumber was abruptly shattered by the echoing, resonant voice of the world.
"The Trial has concluded. You are among the successful candidates. Note that approximately 1% of the participants failed to survive the process."
The Voice then delivered a crucial update:
"Because the trial is over, the universal interference has ceased. All electronic devices are now fully functional and can be used again."
Akira's eyes snapped open. He instantly felt the jarring disorientation of having slept for a prolonged period, only to realize he was significantly more rested than he felt he should be.
The realization that he had been sleeping for more than 24 hours was shocking, but it was nothing compared to the sight next to him. Curled comfortably on his side with a look of peaceful serenity, was Yukari.
Seeing the Boundary Goddess asleep beside him was an infinitely greater shock than the loss of an entire day. It was the moment the pragmatic planner was forced to confront the impossible intimacy of his new reality.
While still reeling from the sight of the sleeping goddess, Akira managed to regain his focus. With utmost care, he tiptoed across the floor, successfully navigating around the modest bed a.k.a mattress and the couch where Kurumi slept, careful not to wake either of his new companions.
He reached the bathroom and quickly washed his face with cold water, intending to clear the lingering grogginess of his overlong sleep.
It was when he looked up into the mirror that the residual shock of the trial fully hit him.
His reflection showed a complete and sudden transformation of his obese body had been replaced by a lean, muscular build.
His bad eyesight was completely fixed. His vision was now crystal clear, likely a side effect of his new {Boundary Eyes} ability.
Most surprisingly, he looked significantly younger, possibly back to his early twenties.
Amid Akira's internal shock over his physical transformation, the Voice of the World rang out again, establishing a critical new protocol for the successful trial candidates.
The Voice explained that the world's Root—the fundamental source of its power—was dedicating almost all its energy to shielding Earth from invaders across the omniverse. However, it was also using a fraction of that energy to empower those who going to the trial.
[Foreign invaders would attempt to breach Earth's defenses by using Gates to launch attacks. Random Monster Gates would also appear.]
[By order of the Root, when a Gate forms, the nearby Candidate will be automatically notified. That Candidate must go inside to battle the invader or the monster.]
The trial was not an end, but a true start of everything. Akira, now empowered and fundamentally changed, was designated as one of Earth's primary defenders.
Akira, after heard the explanation from the Voice of the World, immediately tried to construct a concrete plan to his so called duties with the urgent need for cash.
His concentration, however, was sharply interrupted by a sudden, playful call from the bed.
"Oh, no need to think any useless plan, Akira. Just do what you think is right."
Akira shook his head to clear the mental clutter. He ignored the Yukari cryptic advice; his immediate concern was money. Since he disliked high-risk gambling, he was determined to use the Instantaneous Financial Transmuter (HFT Briefcase) to its most stable, fundamental potential.
He reasoned that the world's newly chaotic situation would quickly render paper currency worthless. Gold would become the hard currency everyone sought.
Therefore, his initial instinct was to transmute every mundane things he found later entirely into gold.
But he received another, gentler scolding from Yukari from outside. It seems she could sense the absolute nature of his thought process and the boundary of "paper money is useless."
Akira paused. He recognized the boundary being pointed out and decided to hedge his bets. He immediately pivoted his strategy: the Transmuter would now operate on a 50:50 split—half of the transmuted value would be in gold coins, and the other half would be in Indonesian paper money, specifically the Rupiah, at the highest denomination of Rp 100.000.
This balance will provided the immediate, spendable liquidity of paper money while securing the long-term, stable wealth of physical gold, satisfying both his logical concerns and his goddess's subtle warning.
Akira, fresh from the bathroom quietly walked back into the main area of the penthouse. He immediately froze.
The room was no longer the cramped, 3x5 meter combination living-bedroom he remembered. Both Yukari and Kurumi were now sitting comfortably on the couch, but they were in a far more spacious room than the original apartment could possibly accommodate.
The boundaries of the walls seemed to have been stretched, the ceiling heightened, and the living area expanded into a veritable lounge.
He was momentarily shocked. This was the ultimate realization of Yukari's presence: she hadn't just teleported them to a different penthouse; she had used her power to subtly redefine the boundaries of his own rented space, morphing a mediocre apartment into an executive suite while he thinking more useless things in the bathroom.
Yukari looked up from the couch and met his gaze, giving him a quiet, meaningful look. It was a look that conveyed several things at once: I fixed your living conditions, You should have asked, and Remember the boundary of my power.