Kaiser's eyes fluttered open as the warm glow of sunlight gently caressed his skin, making it emit a soft, almost radiant sheen.
Sweeping his gaze across the room to regain awareness, he immediately noticed that he wasn't in his room back on Earth.
"Where am I—"
As if just recalling that he had transmigrated, he jolted from the white bed, enveloped in a matching bedsheet and a soft grey duvet, with four enormous pillows resting against the headboard.
He rubbed his temples lightly, still disoriented from both the fight and the fact that he was in another world. Once he got himself together, he scanned the room, and his eyes widened briefly in disbelief.
The room was big and beautiful, with a bed larger than some apartments in Seoul and an interior design that could probably pass as that of a four-star hotel.
"I know, I was the one who wrote it," he said lazily, relaxing back against the headrest. "But this is beyond my imagination."
And if his memory served him right, he had written it in such a way that Noctis Academy's actual dorms would be even more luxurious.
Somehow, he felt his resolve to pass the entrance exam surge as he clenched his fist with conviction. "Yeah, I can't fail this exam."
At Noctis, the entrance exams were divided into two: the written and the combat. Since he had already passed the combat exam, what remained was the written one.
Kai could still remember exactly what was asked during that exam. After all, many readers had criticized his story because of it, saying he had a tendency to delve into intricate details that disrupted the pacing. Yet that flaw was now going to spare him the hassle of studying all over again.
His gaze shifted to his reflection in the mirror to the right of the bed. It was a simple, large mirror devoid of ornaments or decorative flair, yet it possessed an inexplicable allure, catching the light from the window just enough to make him stare.
Standing directly in front of his new reflection, an intrusive thought snapped him out of his trance of admiring his appearance.
"Wait, how did I look previously?" His eyes widened. He didn't have the answer. The face he had seen every day was no longer etched into his memory, now replaced by an empty void.
[User, it is called distortion from transmigration.]
"So it's normal?"
[More or less.]
"Is that so," he replied lazily, turning away from the mirror toward the bed. He moved his hands through the bedsheet until he found the phone that belonged to the original Kaiser Vanguard.
"Look forward and never back, huh?" he mused, his eyes fixed on the wallpaper on the original Kaiser's phone.
"Sounds cheeky."
His loud sigh echoed through the pristine white room.
He stared intently at the phone clutched tightly in his hand and tried a random password, but it didn't work. After several other failed attempts, he resigned himself to his fate.
"If only I had gone to hacking school."
Stretching his arms and heading toward the bathroom, he quickly freshened up and exited the residence.
There were two things he needed to do now.
First, confirm how the plot was progressing and assess the extent of the butterfly effect caused by his survival.
Second, he had to retrieve that item. Considering the written exam would most likely take place tomorrow morning, with the release of results and the freshmen ceremony scheduled for the following day, time was limited.
His memory wasn't the freshest, but he clearly recalled that the elixir was located at the top of Mount Vernon. Reaching its location while also scaling the mountain might prove too strenuous for his body. But no one ever said he had to do it alone.
All he needed was someone Kaiser knew to accompany him and possibly carry him up the mountain. Otherwise, he might collapse midway.
Kai was dressed in a large white shirt and straight black trousers tucked in and secured with a belt, while black suede shoes covered his feet as he departed from his lodge situated on the seventeenth floor of the eastern skyscraper nearest to the gate.
'It might take a while to reach the third building, but it's not like I'm in any hurry,' he thought as he walked through the skyscraper's automatic doors.
The reason he was going to the third building was to find the person who had been messaging him about his whereabouts and the extent of his injuries. Judging by the tone and the clearly feminine name, it was evident she had a deep connection with the original Kaiser.
So he had about a 60 percent chance of persuading her to assist him.
'If she doesn't agree, I could always exploit, cough cough, I mean ask the main cast for help.'
But Kai wanted to avoid that. Although he was planning on intervening in the plot, he didn't think it was wise to get close to them just yet, not when he was this weak.
After about thirty minutes of walking, he finally reached the third building in the north. He glanced around repeatedly but couldn't find anyone who fit his image of Kaiser's friend.
"Kai!"
Kai quickly turned left and right as he heard a loud voice shout his name. As he scanned the area, he caught sight of a girl just a few meters away, wearing a red waistcoat on top of a white long shirt, with a black and red tie flying out from beneath the waistcoat and a short flowing beige skirt. She was quite a stunning young woman with green eyes and long brown hair.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting," she asked as soon as she reached him, bending over to regulate her breathing.
"Yeah, I'm alri—" Before he could finish, she cupped his face tightly.
"Are you sure those bullies didn't lay a hand on you?" she asked, squeezing his cheeks.
"No, it's all thanks to you."
If there was one thing Kai had learned in his previous life, it was to follow the flow of conversations. It was a defensive tactic to prevent missteps, especially when he was uninformed about a topic.
The young woman pouted, letting go of his face and dropping her hands to her waist. "Even still, all I did was give you a weakened Sequence Nine Drifter." She smiled widely, rising on her toes to ruffle his hair. "You did well, little Kai."
'So she's the one who gave my predecessor his first Shadow Saint,' he thought, suddenly feeling a bit of relief.
"I know I did my own part, but it's because of you that I even made it this far, so it's only right I thank you."
"Hehehe, when did you get so mature? It's like you're not yourself anymore."
Kai nearly coughed at that. "Yeah, I can't let my best friend be the only mature one."
The young woman's eyes widened in surprise, causing Kaiser's heart to drop momentarily.
"Friends?" she asked, clearly skeptical.
'Wait, did I say something wrong? Or are they more than friends?'
He had failed to account for the possibility that she might be the original Kaiser's girlfriend. If he thought about it more, she acted more like a girlfriend than a sister.
'Then is she his girlfriend?'
However, his thoughts came to a halt as the young woman spoke.
"Aww, Kai, you haven't said that in such a long time." She smiled gently. Kai couldn't help but feel guilty for deceiving the innocent girl. But it wasn't like he could just tell her he wasn't her friend and was actually a guy from another world.
Straightening her posture and staring up at him from just below his chest, she asked, "I said I'd treat you to something if you passed. So, do you have any place in mind?"
'Wow, that's convenient.'
Nodding softly, he explained his current situation, though he didn't divulge too many details.
From their brief conversation, it became apparent that his predecessor had relied heavily on this girl, Charlotte Handstime, a name he didn't even remember writing.
She knew what his talent was, except for the part where he could turn humans into shadows by securing their loyalty, but it still explained why she had provided Kaiser with a weakened Drifter.
Charlotte was Kaiser's childhood friend and more of a big-sister figure to him than anything. Since she was already in her third year of Noctis' five-year program, she had told him a lot about the school during holidays, which had made him dream of attending, despite the fact that his bullies were also planning to enroll there.
"Are you sure you want to leave school? You might get into trouble," he asked, feigning concern. It wasn't like he knew her well enough to truly care if she got caught, but it felt polite to ask.
"Don't worry, your big head. Can't you remember my trait?" she said, smiling as she dashed ahead when they approached the gate. "No one can catch me."
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Are you sure you're okay? Your behavior's been a bit off," she asked, placing her hand on his cheek.
He smiled, leaning into her hand like a child would. "No, I'm fine. Maybe I just haven't come to terms with the fact that I passed the combat exam or beat Joshua."
Placing her hand beneath her chin, Charlotte pondered briefly. "Is that so?" She nodded twice. "Okay, let's go to Mount Vernon like you said. If it's to make you stronger, I'll do it."
Charlotte tightened her grip on his hand as they entered a narrow alley. The scent of cherry blossoms began to fade, while foreign mana surged from her body into his.
His skin glowed golden as the world itself seemed to blur. In an instant, no one remained in the alley.
'Is this light speed?'
Out of the many traits Kai had written in Magic Academy's Genius Swordsmaster, Light Speed was one of those broken abilities that grew stronger as the story progressed.
But if he remembered correctly, Light Speed was a trait wielded by a secret agent who started hating the academy after her lover died there.
'Does that mean Charlotte's relationship with Kai goes beyond just friendship?'
He turned slightly to face her, but before he could focus on her face, a large amount of mana surged through his body, breaking it into fragments of light. For someone like him, who hadn't felt mana before today, becoming mere particles of light was a bizarre experience.
Fighting the urge to scream, his gaze shifted from his beautiful companion to the city beyond Noctis' gates.
Massive buildings sprawled below, while race cars and other vehicles bustled through the streets as people carried on with their lives.
Grandiose structures, homes of nobles and other high-ranking individuals, guild halls, and buildings designated for adventurers, were all within sight.
Giant screens projected advertisements and TV shows, while enormous holographic billboards prominently displayed images of different well-known hunters, mercenaries, and adventurers.
Another thing that made him gulp was the sheer enormity of the gate behind the stadium. Even from their current altitude, equivalent to that of a helicopter, its full extent was still unfathomable.
All he had originally written was that the gate resembled an inescapable prison. But never in his wildest imagination had he expected it to be this massive.
"We're almost there," Charlotte said, her voice slightly muffled by the wind pressure, which they diverted with mana.
[User's mana is nearly depleted.]
'I know, just a bit more.'
"I'm increasing the speed now," she said, looking over at him while still holding his left hand. "Close your eyes. Your mana won't be able to protect them from burning."
He shut his eyes before he could even nod. Then his entire body was suddenly propelled forward, his organs shifting slightly, his head spinning in disorientation.
His consciousness blurred, nausea crawling up his throat and threatening to spill. But before that could happen, he landed hard on the cave floor.
Only when the gentle sound of water dripping reached his ears did he finally open his eyes, meeting Charlotte's, who looked completely unfazed.
His breathing was ragged but not dire enough to require assistance. He didn't wait even a second before standing to his feet, wobbling slightly before regaining his footing. "Can you wait here for me?"
Charlotte simply nodded and collapsed to the ground. It seemed she, too, was exhausted.
Kai moved deeper into the cave. Once he was far enough that Charlotte couldn't see him, he rolled up his sleeves. "Time to find the elixir."
He wasn't completely sure where it was, but he was certain it was somewhere in the deepest part of the cave.
The cave was dark, making it difficult to see anything. Even after straining his eyes, all he could make out were a few jagged rocks distorting the terrain. Using the sound of water or some unknown liquid dripping, he guided himself deeper inside.
He traversed the cave carefully, albeit slowly, but after a long walk, he reached the main problem of his treasure hunt.
In front of him lay six paths, and only one led to his destination. The rest were dreadful even to think about.
To make matters worse, he had never recorded which path the original owner of the elixir had taken.
"Damnit, if only I had written an extra line," he whispered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
This was now left to chance. One path was filled with riches, and the others with lions.
As he stared at the six paths, the sound of water droplets grew louder, and a subtle shockwave reverberated through the ground.
[User has encountered Drifter, Raging Bear.]
'Shit!'