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Central Plaza
Yuri was currently sitting on a bench, drinking a "smoothie" he bought from a nearby stall. Having nothing to do, he decided to just roam the city to pass time. He went to countless places, some reminiscent of that from Earth. After emptying the drink, he threw the cup accurately into the trash bin on the other side of the path.
He yawned. "What should I fucking do? The most interesting thing I've experienced so far was that strange antagonistic group that I fought... Well, I didn't fight them all at once, but I think the one that I fought was their leader? He's really overpowered as hell."
"Got seriously hit with a reality check that no matter how good your shit is, it all comes down to how you'll use it..." he clicked his tongue. "Shame on me."
"Looks like I need to improve myself more. Since I've already got good senses and knowledge about my powers, I'll might be able to improve in just a short amount of time," he stood up from the bench and stretched himself. "I think I need to do this right now also, since I might encounter... those guys again, maybe even an incredibly overpowered isekai protagonist..."
"I hope that the powers they receive aren't that OP, since I'll be dead if I fought them," he inspected his right hand as he thought about his plans. "I must not encounter one of their species..."
Suddenly, an idea popped out of his mind.
"Wait a second..." he paused for a moment. "An isekai protagonist, when transported, start off weak as always, right?"
"Why didn't I consider that? I only thought about fighting them in their overpowered forms, not their beginner ones... I'm quite stupid at times..." he then pinched his forehead.
"They always get some sort of skill from the gods right--"
Ding.
Only realizing this after weeks, he punched himself in the face out of anger, alerting the nearby bystanders. He then covered his face and screamed out of frustration.
"I'm fucking stupid as hell, why didn't I think of that the moment I got transported here?! I might not have to train at all, I'll just consume enemies and gain their stats and strengths! That's why I felt better when I consumed that mysterious hooded guy back at that alleyway!"
"Consume! It's literally--" he paused and took a deep breath. "Fucking hell. Why did I forgot? - Why did I forget?"
"I just thought about the consume ability as to regain your health and stats when they're depleted, I forgot that it also gives you the abilities of the thing you ate, I'm such a fucking idiot. If I did that earlier, I would've clapped that guy's ass and sent their group to the shadow realm."
He sighed again. "Alright, now I got to think about who I should consume. Problem is, who or what though? I can't just eat someone powerful enough, I want to hold back and not just one shot every single opponent I come across..."
"I should start with monsters from the dungeon or something, or maybe those thugs from the underworld?" he said as he rubbed his chin.
"So many choices, so little time..."
"Alright, I'll choose the dungeons first," he then walked at the direction of the nearby guild, planning to take on a quest.
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Hangar's Apartment
67th Street, District 2
3:38 AFTN
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Krass and his assistant Jerry got off the elevator and looked around the place. After searching the floor, they find the number "303" hanging on a door, indicating that it's Sertino's room. As Krass took a deep breath, he knocks on the door 3 times before backing away.
"Hello? Anybody home?" he called out to him.
It looked like the place was empty, until they heard a loud thud inside the room, presumably from an heavy object falling onto the floor. Krass knocks on the door again to confirm whether or not someone was in there.
"That was loud," his assistant Jerry remarked. "I guess someone's inside?"
Seconds later, the sounds of metal locks opening can be heard outside by them both. The door opened, but still bound by a chain lock from the inside. The man inside the room peeked out and saw the visitors.
"Sertino Valon? We're here to talk," Krass said with a serious face.
"W-Who are you? If you came here to bribe me, I won't speak!" Sertino exclaimed with eyes of suspicion.
Krass stood firmly and spoke. "I'm Krass Vectian, a member of the Magical Investigations Bureau, and this is my assistant, Jerry. We came here today to ask you about your knowledge about the Crest of Griffonvale. It's reported that you conducted research on this artifact years ago, right?"
"Do you have evidence to support these claims?"
Silence filled the area for a moment as Sertino thought about his response. Eventually, he admitted.
"Yes, I did some experiments or research on that item."
Satisfied with his confirmation, Krass urged him to let them inside so they could further discuss the matter. After a brief moment of thinking, he made the decision to unfasten the chain lock, allowing Krass and Jerry to step inside the apartment room.
Entering, they were surprised to find the surroundings unusually tidy and clean. An extreme difference from their previous experiences when entering a room for raids or interrogations.
"It's quite clean," Krass remarked. "I'm sorry about this, but I previously thought that your place might've been like a dump. I'm just used to seeing rooms filled up with useless documents or trash."
Sertino chuckled. "Hah, I guess that's an experience you'll never forget when you work for the agency."
Reaching the living room, Sertino gestured for them to take a seat on the couches in front of them. They settled down, making themselves comfortable while the man goes to the kitchen to make some drinks for them both.
Minutes later, Sertino returns to them while carefully balancing a tray with cups of steaming tea and a pot on top. Alongside, he also carried cubes of sugar on a small circular plate on the other hand.
Sertino placed the tray on the table and spoke, "Please, help yourselves."
Krass became a bit suspicious about the offering the man gave to them. Aware of the risks, he decides to activate his ability called "Inspect", which scans the things in front of him for any sign of danger; like poisonous chemicals, concealed weapons, or curses implanted on an object. Fortunately, he didn't find anything that can threaten their lives, so he blows out a sighs in relief.
"Something's bothering you, Agent?" Sertino remarked.
"Oh- sorry, don't mind that," Krass replied with a slightly nervous tone in his voice. "I just love... the design of your room!"
"Okay...?"
...
A few minutes have passed, and Krass finished his drink, setting the empty cup back on the tray. Clearing his throat, he leaned forward and spoke to Sertino.
"Now, let's discuss what we're here for."
He paused and gazed into Sertino's eyes.
"Based on our sources, you've found vital information when you tried to open the artifact; but you never told your superiors about this. That's been the cause of your expulsion from the Royal Research Academy. May I ask why you did that?"
Sertino went silent for a moment. He then spoke, "I've already forgotten about that knowledge years ago. But if you want to know, I remember writing down everything I saw when I opened that artifact for the first time... It's probably in the safe inside my bedroom maybe."
...
'How did you literally forget crucial things about that crest?! Are you sick in the head or something?!' Krass thought.
...
"Perhaps I need to clarify some things," Sertino continued. "Mysteriously, after I wrote on that notebook, my mind gradually began to forget everything I experienced."
"After a few minutes, it was like I returned to when I started that operation."
"I don't know why, but perhaps it's due to me not being able to handle that newfound knowledge in my head."
"I remember reading the--"
"Hey hey hey, wait a second," Krass interjected. "Why do you keep saying, "remember"? Did you forget everything that happened at that point of time?"
"Oh, confused about that? Well, I enchanted myself with memory deletion due to those academy scholars using lie detection when they tried to interrogate me," Sertino explained. "That's why I almost can't remember the things I wrote down on that notebook. I activated that magic after I placed the book in the safe, and I never touched it until now."
...
'How did you even remember it if you deleted your memory? Is it perhaps...'
...
"Mhm," Krass was writing down everything he heard from the man on his notepad. "So, let me get this straight."
"You successfully accessed the artifact and gained it's knowledge."
"A little bit, yes," Sertino responded.
"After you wrote down everything you saw, it disappeared from your memory."
"Correct." -
"After reading what you wrote because you forgot it in just a moment, you placed it inside a safe and enchanted yourself with memory deletion magic to forget everything?..." Krass became confused at the end.
"Why didn't you just tell your superiors that you found something in that artifact?"
...
"It might've caused chaos in the kingdom if I did."
Silence engulfed the room until Krass spoke.
"Could you elaborate that? What do you mean chaos?"
"See for yourself. I wrote that on a notepad after I forgot everything. It confused me for a bit, but I reached a conclusion."
"This world's not ready for it."
...
Krass stood up from his seat and approached Sertino with a serious face.
"Show me the book."
"Are you sure? The past me would've probably shoved you out of the room due to that."
"It's for the sake of saving that girl."
...
"Fine."
Sertino stood up from his seat and walked towards his bedroom. Krass and Jerry followed him.
Inside the room, Sertino walked towards the side of his bed and ducked. He dragged out something heavy from under and placed it on top of his bed. It was the safe that the notebook was inside of.
Sertino opened the safe and saw the notebook covered in dust and cobwebs. He grabbed it and showed it to Krass. He grabbed it and backed away from his assistant, who was trying to peek into the contents of it.
"Alright, I'm opening it."
Krass flipped the cover and saw the first texts written on it.
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{Magic circles equivalent to that created by 9th tier magicians. A circular "path" opened at the center.
Next, the person which held the crest, entered that path.
The scene on the other side was strange. Tall like structures stood from the ground looking like they were made of glass. Some were made of concrete.
Suddenly, it cuts off.
The next scene showed the path getting fuzzy, probably indicating that it's about to disappear? The person who held the crest rushed over to it and entered.
It then showed the person walking on a street. The surroundings were reminiscent of a parking lot, though the vehicles that were stationary looked ground based, unlike ours.
Then, he saw a store? It looked too fancy and white. Perhaps it's for the royals? He went inside and suddenly shivered out of nowhere. He looked up and saw a machine which blows air onto him? Did it generate cold air out of nowhere?
It got cut off again.
The next scene shows the person running for reasons unknown until he turned his back. He saw men dressed in black chasing after him with what seemed to be guns, though they looked more sophisticated than ours.
The men shout at the person, probably telling him to stop.
The scene got more and more vague, as it shifted to parts that required a connection from other scenes, like a puzzle.
First, it showed the person in an alleyway. Then, back to his starting place where he entered the path. Next, he was eating strange food from a restaurant. Now, he's laying on the ground, staring into the sky. I can't explain the other scenes since I literally don't know what it is or what it meant, but I do know one explanation for all of this.
This is an entirely different world from ours.}
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"Your writing kind of feels rushed here," Krass remarked.
"I probably wrote it in a hurry, since I had a bad memory at that time," Sertino responded. "Eh, it might be worse now, but what matters is that I was able to transfer that knowledge to this notebook."
"Looks like those rumors exist after all," Jerry said. "An entirely different world... Maybe Aeros has something to do with this!"
"Them summoning beings from another world? We don't have any proof of that. First, we don't even operate at that place. Second, when I went to their palace a year ago, I felt like I was on death's door.... It's more like a dungeon than a royal palace."
"For decades, Aeros has been considered to be the most well-off country in the continent. Their geography, wealth, manpower and strength, everything; even though their territory's pretty small!"
"Probably the most outstanding part of that country would be their Intelligence Agency, which rivals our organization."
"For unknown reasons, they completely filter or block out information of even the most basic of things from leaving the country. For example: Recipes of newly made dishes, or more convenient ways on how to clean your bathroom."
...
'???'
'What?'
...
"They want to keep everything for themselves, I guess," Jerry muttered. "Aeros is more like a military district than a country. Only few things get leaked outside, but those are deemed to be useless when you're trying to find anything inside the state."
"They've also recently adopted a policy which bans refugees from entering and exiting the country due to... population reasons. If you ask me why they did that, it's probably because they're trying to find someone."
"Why did you think of that?" Krass asked him.
"Well, if there's a ton of people--" Jerry gets cut off.
"Alright alright," Krass interjected. "So Aeros might have something extreme that we don't know of. That's pretty valuable, I must say."
"Might? I'm sure that's going to be an understatement," Sertino remarked.
"By the way, where did the rumors of another world existing started? Did it came from us, or?" Krass asked Jerry.
"No, but recent reports say that it came from an unknown person which bypassed the tough security of Aeros. It's been theorized that the person came from Luminous," Jerry answered.
"I doubt it," Krass said while crossing his arms.
...
[RingRingRing]
Suddenly, Jerry's wristwatch ringed, indicating that their shift's almost over.
"Woah, finally!" Krass exclaimed. "Looks like we've definitely taken your time here, Sir Sertino."
"It doesn't matter, I didn't have anything to do here other than listening to the broadcasts from the orb center until you came. Who knows, I might consider joining this investigation just for the sake of satisfying my boredom," Sertino said.
"We'll be pleased if you did."
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Aquamarine Guild
Near Central Plaza
4:32 PM
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[B: 3-Headed Scorpions
A+: Griffon Nest Raid
C+: Red-Eyed Sea Snake]
...
'I can't pick a single fucking one. They're all too good or too bad for me!' Yuri exclaimed in his thoughts as he stared into the questboard of the guild, trying to find a suitable task for him. 'Goddammit...'
Yuri closed his eyes and moved his finger in a random way.
"Eeny meeny miny moe--" He stops his finger.
"Unknown quest, I pick you!"
When he opened his eyes, the quest he randomly picked was about hunting down and collecting the horns of a B+ ranked monster named, "Black-Horned Shark."
"..." Yuri stared at the paper and sighed.
"I literally cannot swim for god's sake."
...