When Shichen came to his senses, he found himself in an empty room.
Around him were several neatly arranged... dining tables? The room was sealed off, and behind him was a cashier counter, giving him the feeling of being in a restaurant.
Why was he teleported into a room? What if he was mistaken for a burglar?
The mechanical voice in his mind rang out at the opportune moment.
"[Number of fragments found, exceeding single digits!]"
"What did you say?"
Shichen thought he misheard, but the thing in his mind ignored him and continued to prompt.
"[Quest: Obtain at least one Shard of Divinity.]"
"[Upon quest completion, the world coordinates of 'Frieren: Beyond Journey's End' will be unlocked, allowing you to travel there at any time.]"
"[Too many Shards of Divinity in the current world. Locating the main world, you have gained ownership of this coffee shop.]"
"[Quest Privileges: Immunity to firearms, extraordinary reaction capabilities, extraordinary dynamic vision, mastery of firearms and cold weapons, coffee brewing techniques, and a complete dessert compendium.]"
Only then did Shichen realize he was in a coffee shop, no wonder his current attire made him look a bit like a manager.
He wore a white long-sleeved shirt on his upper body and black trousers on his lower body, a somewhat mature look that didn't quite suit him.
He was almost an eighteen-year-old teenager now, and being a manager didn't fit him at all.
However, if he was the manager, then this coffee shop should be his, and he wondered if there was an original owner.
He just hoped he wasn't taking someone else's coffee shop for no reason.
Shichen was more curious if this coffee shop had employees arranged; he hoped he wouldn't have to run it alone.
But none of that mattered. What Shichen cared about most was what this world was like.
He walked to the door, pushed it open, and stepped outside.
Tap, tap, tap~
Whoosh, whoosh~
Footsteps, conversations, and a cacophony of sounds flooded into Shichen's ears. He stared blankly at everything around him.
It wasn't an extraordinary sight, nor was it anything he hadn't seen before. High-rise buildings, an endless stream of pedestrians, and a mix of fashionable and ordinary clothing met his eyes.
Modern architecture, modern clothing—it was entirely a modern world.
Shichen almost thought he had returned to his original world, if not for the varied hair colors of the pedestrians.
The key was that it didn't seem out of place.
The thing in his mind hadn't told him which world he had arrived in, which made it difficult for him to determine if he had entered an anime world again.
Even returning to his own world would be good. He hadn't dealt with his belongings at home yet; now that he didn't need them, smashing and burning that laptop wouldn't matter.
He could even experience the thrill of smashing a laptop.
There was no other way; the files on the laptop really shouldn't be kept. It would be bad if he went missing for too long and someone reported it.
If his home was investigated then, and several terabytes of files on his laptop were discovered, his entire reputation would be ruined.
His kinks would be exposed!
He wanted to maintain his innocence in the world.
Unfortunately, the colorful hair of the passersby made Shichen realize that he couldn't be in his own world right now.
He wondered if he could go back. If he couldn't, it was fine; he'd just live his life never knowing if his home had been searched.
Shichen stopped thinking about the headache-inducing matter and looked up at the crowd on the street, confirming that the time seemed to be similar to his original timeline.
The buildings on the street were ordinary, without any futuristic technological feel. People's phones were touchscreen, some were flip phones, and Shichen even saw brands he recognized.
This further convinced him that it wasn't some high-tech or backward world.
It seemed to be in Japan, as the people around him were speaking Japanese.
Shichen was unsure because most anime worlds were "created" by Japan, and they also spoke Japanese.
Fortunately, he had permanently gained the privileges from Frieren's world, so he didn't have to worry about communication issues.
After observing the passersby for a while, Shichen didn't see anyone familiar, so he decided to first get acquainted with his coffee shop.
He turned around and surveyed his coffee shop; with just one glance, he was quite satisfied.
The coffee shop was a three-story small building, not small at all, suitable for both commercial and residential use, so he wouldn't need to find a place to live.
Shichen was easily satisfied; after all, he had lived alone before, and a single room was enough. With this three-story building, he had already planned how to arrange it.
The first floor would definitely be for the shop, the second floor for living, and the third floor could be a warehouse or a study and game room.
This world had been designated as the main world by the thing in his mind, so it would be his base from now on. He definitely needed to set up his little nest well.
Life wasn't just about quests or becoming a god; the enjoyment in between was also very important.
It would be even better if he could bring Frieren and his master here, so they could also experience modern life.
He wasn't sure why the thing in his mind made him open a coffee shop, but it must be related to the Shards of Divinity. Perhaps people carrying Shards of Divinity would come to his coffee shop for coffee.
If so, it would be easier to interact with them.
He could handle both life and quests.
Shichen nodded, satisfied with his plan, and returned to the shop to prepare to open, but the mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind.
"[Task target found—Tohru!]"
Tohru?
Tohru!
Shichen was a little confused at first, but after muttering the name a couple of times, he immediately remembered who the owner of that name was.
He looked left and right, peering around, trying to find the blonde girl in a maid outfit, with horns on her head, and a large green tail behind her, like a cosplaying dragon girl.
But despite such a conspicuous presence, he saw nothing.
"Where is she? Where is Tohru?" Shichen asked anxiously.
"[Target detected to have accidentally entered this world. Please make active contact.]"
"Accidentally entered?"
Shichen inexplicably looked up and then saw an incredible sight.
A large hole had appeared in the sky, dark and empty inside, with nothing visible. The area around the opening was distorted, like a black hole vortex, as if it was about to swallow its surroundings.
Not far from the opening, a giant green dragon was flying away, but it wasn't flying steadily, swaying as if it might fall at any moment.
With Shichen's vision, he could clearly see a sword stuck in the giant dragon's back, with obvious bloodstains around the wound.
"It really is Tohru..." Shichen murmured, gazing at the giant dragon.
Amazingly, the people on the street continued about their business, as if they didn't notice the astonishing sight in the sky.
As the giant dragon flew further away, the large hole in the sky slowly closed, and then the sky returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
And after the hole closed, the giant dragon seemed to suddenly lose its balance, plummeting down and crashing into a small mountain in the distance in the blink of an eye.
Shichen snapped back to reality and began running towards the small mountain.
Passersby noticed him; although he was running quite fast and wearing a uniform, they didn't pay much attention. However, many women were subtly attracted by his unique aura, but unfortunately, they couldn't see his face.
Shichen ran across the street, through the shopping district, out of the city, and reached the entrance of the mountain path.
Standing at the mountain path entrance, he stopped, panting heavily, and looked at the quiet mountain.
The small mountain wasn't large, it was very quiet, and completely unharmed, not at all like a place where a giant dragon had fallen, as if what he had just seen was fake. If it were the old him, he might have doubted it, but now, he couldn't.
Shichen took a deep breath and walked into the mountain.
The surrounding trees were perfectly intact, nothing out of place. Shichen walked to the center of the small mountain but still didn't find the presence he was yearning for. But just then, as he took one step, the surrounding scenery changed.
The previously intact scene before his eyes vanished completely, and the true scene was revealed.
The surrounding trees were in ruins, thick trees toppled over, a scene of devastation. The ground ahead gradually sank, cracked, and converged at the center.
It was a large pit, and in the middle of the pit, a terrifying green giant dragon lay there.
"Human? Or perhaps not..." The giant dragon suddenly opened its eyes, its golden vertical pupils staring directly at Shichen, and a terrifying pressure washed over him.
"How did you enter this place? If you don't wish to be buried in my maw, depart quickly!"
The terrifying pressure had no effect on Shichen.
Shichen wasn't surprised that the dragon spoke human language. He couldn't suppress the joy in his heart and slowly approached the giant dragon.
"Do not approach me!"
The giant dragon exuded an imposing aura, appearing even more majestic, but it still had no effect on Shichen. He wasn't afraid of it. He slowly walked to the front of the giant dragon's massive head and then reached out to touch its huge jaw.
It was incredibly hard, like marble, yet rough and completely devoid of any fleshiness. But Shichen couldn't help but be fascinated by it.
Touching the terrifying giant dragon's hard lower jaw, he couldn't help but slowly smile, grinning like an idiot.
The giant dragon stared at him blankly, its huge mouth slightly agape, revealing its ferocious fangs, and asked dazedly, "What are you doing?"