Balance went back to his apartment to pack up.
Then he looked for the landlady to tell her about his departure.
After he found her room, he knocked on the door. A few moments later, the landlady opened it kindly.
The landlady asked about Nox.
"Hey, Nox, what's going on? Haven't seen you for a month, how are you?"
"I'm fine, Auntie. Last month I went to the Rift. Now I want to move to Agares City to look for Rifts and training."
"That's a shame. You're the only one who always pays rent on time."
The landlady held her chin.
Nox, feeling awkward, just laughed.
"Landlady, I'm leaving now!"
"Eh, right now?!"
Nox waved his hand, slowly disappearing like he was swallowed by the wind.
The landlady was shocked.
"These chosen ones… don't they care about their lives? And he's still so young," she muttered to herself, sighing deeply.
I've got this passive skill called Invisible. It's both helpful and annoying. You know, it's like you can escape danger, but your friends can't find you to help because they can't see you. That's the best way to put it.
Right now I'm at level 100. Crazy, right? Straight from 5 to 100. But the sacrifices were huge. Honestly, I don't even want to be strong. I just want to be heard, to be trusted… that's all.
People are ridiculous. When I disappear, they start looking for me everywhere. Serves them right, haha!
The soldiers definitely know my face. They roam the world, spreading out everywhere just to find me. But the truth is, I'm right in front of them.
Now I've got the guts to wave my hand right in front of them. And boom—I really am like a ghost, dude :D.
My clothes are all messed up, but my body's healthier and growing since I rose again. Well… forget it.
It's fine though, my muscles will shape themselves nicely soon, hum hum 😊.
At a mall across the city, I was picking out clothes even though there was… um, a bit of chaos.
"SIR, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
The shop assistants couldn't see me and ran around looking everywhere.
But I was right in front of them, literally! That's why this skill is such a hassle.
"MISS, I'M RIGHT HERE!"
"Ah, yes."
"We're sorry, sir…" The shop assistants bowed.
"It's… it's okay." I felt a little guilty toward them.
Well, it's not their fault. I just like dark colors, so I picked those. My taste is kinda nerdy, but whatever—I like it, and nobody's stopping me!
Alright, time to pay.
While lining up, another customer walked straight through me. Of course, I tried talking to him.
"Uh, you just walked through me."
He didn't believe me. He yelled and got mad for no reason. Honestly, I'm tired of that.
But when that happened, people around realized I was the one who lined up first. The noisy guy got taken away.
The crowd behind me booed him.
I didn't really care, so I just handed my clothes to the cashier, and she started counting.
"That'll be 700 miral."
I counted my money. Everyone was shocked when I opened my dimensional space. They were relieved I didn't get mad.
Ordinary people are really scared of those chosen by the gods. On one hand, they're grateful because our powers can make dimensions neutral. On the other hand, they're terrified of what we can do.
Payment done, I took my clothes from the cashier. Smiling, I left the mall.
"Thanks, miss."
Step by step, I boarded the train with the weakest security.
Of course, because of that, there were tons of pickpockets here. Luckily, they couldn't see me 😊.
The train came speeding in.
The guards didn't notice me. The car was so empty it looked abandoned.
I sat down, thinking about everything that had happened.
For me, it was truly awful. The smell of blood, the sound of torn flesh, bones clashing—it all stuck in my mind.
I closed my eyes with a tired face, until I finally fell asleep.
It was like continuing a dream that had stopped before. I saw them again.
But this time, I was seeing through the girl's eyes.
The wind blew fallen leaves around them. Suddenly, the girl saw a god dressed like a clown, glitching with errors around him. She called him Loki.
"Hey miss! Want something fun?"
Loki grabbed the girl's hand.
Balance's vision went pitch black.
The dream grew blurry, until he saw fire spreading. The gentle black-haired boy showed his sea-blue eyes, strangely lifeless.
The white-haired boy opened a door. I faintly saw his shocked face, then anger.
His red eyes burned in the hot flames. He grabbed the blue one's collar.
"WHY?! ANSWER ME **##//."
My vision blurred again, showing the red one begging at the gates of a grand palace in the rain.
"PLEASE, PRIMORDIAL DRAGON! WHY ARE YOU SILENT AT A TIME LIKE THIS?! Look at me! Aren't I your ****?! Why?! WHY DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE ME?!"
Do they have a connection?
I was so confused. For a dream, all these feelings were way too real.
The guards pushed us away.
"PRIMORDIAL DRAGON! I CURSE YOU! I CURSE YOU!"
I faintly saw a woman with golden horns and hair, peeking at us with pity, then turning away.
I tried moving my hand, wiping the red one's tears with difficulty. He held my hand, looking at me with disappointment in himself.
"Sorry… sorry, I can't…"
The train jolted as it braked, waking me up.
The wind blew, the door slowly opened, and my feet stepped into the train car heading to Mirage City, ruled by Count Mirage.
A city full of entertainment and red-light districts. Few soldiers here, since no Rift has appeared. Just poor folks and local thugs.
And… lots of good food and cheap apartments.
Sure, safety and cleanliness aren't guaranteed. But hey, it's cheap, and Dad would never think I'd come here, right?
First, I wandered around to find a decent apartment.
After a few rounds, I finally picked one in the deepest part of the city, right as the sun was setting.
I paid for five months. The landlord looked scary, but whatever—I just need a place to sleep. The city's maze-like layout makes it hard for soldiers to find me anyway.
I opened the door to my new apartment. Inside, it smelled rotten, with black mold spots on the ceiling and walls.
"Ah, I'll have to clean this first."
I sprayed anti-mold solution, wiped, scrubbed.
Then I set up a mattress and some furniture from my personal dimension. Done, I curled up on my bed by the window and balcony.
I looked outside.
It took about five hours to clean everything, thanks to my abilities.
I raised my hand toward the bright lamp, thinking.
I don't want them to find me. Now I just hope my parents can feel young love again, so I can have a little sibling.
Honestly, I can't handle all the responsibility of being emperor or leader. And I'll have to expose my parents' identities.
I'm not strong enough for all that pressure. Wouldn't it be nice to have a sibling? I wouldn't be lonely anymore.
I lay down on my new bed, opening my real start panel.
Name: Balance Night Age: 15 Date: September 25 Clan: Night Parents: Pumnkin Night & Selene Shield System: Author Class: Creator (Support/DPS) Level: 100
HP = 10 SPD = 200 Mana = 100000 ATK = 500 DEF = 10
Skills: Crate (L), Munderer (S), Invisible (passive that activates when the user feels fear or threat), Cat's Eye (B), Cooking (C), Manipulate (A), Copy (A), Unlimited Lucky (SS), Healing (B), Shadow Puppet (C), DEF Reduce (F), CDM Supporting (S) (boosts allies' crit depending on user's mana).
Weapon: (cannot be summoned yet, body not ready) Mode: ///?? , ##****, ##**** (names hidden, not fully awakened)
Special Monitor: Can create fake skill data and fake identity. Only given to certain council members.
Mode? What's that?
Whatever. Gods always make things half-baked. As long as I can live chill, it's fine.
I wasn't too surprised about Mana. Dad said I really need it. I can't even move if my Mana runs out.
Krrrruuuuk—my stomach growled with hunger.
"Should I eat noodles first?"
Slurp.
I started eating noodles, then turned on the TV I had bought, watching the news.
A Rift accident ranked E suddenly turned into rank S and was under investigation.
The Jaeger family gave several warnings to be careful when doing expeditions into Rifts.
Other cases:
Several illegal banks were exposed! Identity forgery was rampant.
Looks like they already found out about that illegal bank.
I need to look for another illegal bank. I already destroyed the card before, after pulling all the money out and storing it in my dimension.
Everything that happened before might have already been planned by the hero. And what about what happened in my dream?
So many mysteries I haven't solved yet. If I had stayed at home, maybe I wouldn't have known the truth about this world.
Lightning then struck with a loud sound and a blinding flash.
A blackout happened everywhere right after.
I looked toward the lamp and said:
"Zeus, you bastard!!!!!!!!!!"
"Your people are everywhere here! Why are you making it harder?! Crazy god!"
I said that in a soft tone (maybe).
After that, I fell asleep soundly, without dreaming of those three people from the past.
Then in the morning, I saw the system screen above me with a smiling emoji, and there was a greeting written inside the system panel.
"HELLO! DID YOU SLEEP WELL, DARLING? :3."
I woke up in a confused state.
~To be continued~