Chapter 181: A New World Shrouded in Red

  Why… why did it turn out like this?

  Even by the next morning, Alex still had an expression of utter despair. Staring at the awakening mission before him, he felt like his whole world had crumbled.

  Coming to a new world and, for the first time, drawing a fantasy-grade soul stone—two joyful events overpping should have brought him even greater happiness. This should have been a dreamlike experience. But why? Why did it turn out like this?

  "Sigh… no choice, it is what it is."

  Alex let out a long sigh, then pushed the frustrating matter to the back of his mind. For him, this wasn’t an insurmountable problem. As a prophet mage, he could rely on divination to gain insight and clues, so he didn’t have to worry about running around blindly like a headless chicken.

  For now, though…

  It was time for work.

  Gncing at his phone, Alex turned and left his room, heading toward his “workpce.”

  Yuchi High School.

  It was a completely ordinary high school, a pce that looked no different from the schools often seen in games and anime. Uniform-cd students, wide and clean campuses—just walking through the school, seeing the lively students chatting and ughing, made Alex reminisce about his own school days.

  It wasn’t the best time, nor was it the worst, but youth… sometimes, it vanishes like a bird, never to return.

  Still, being able to relive the atmosphere of a school wasn’t such a bad perk.

  Back then, as a student, he had only looked forward to graduation—excited about finishing school and stepping into the workforce. No more csses, no more homework. He had imagined earning lots of money, being free to spend however he pleased.

  But after truly stepping into the working world, he realized how exhausting repetitive bor could be. Long, grueling overtime, financial burdens like car loans and mortgages, and far more complex interpersonal retionships. Social interactions were no longer as simple as they had been in school—everything was tinted with ulterior motives.

  It was only when life’s pressures weighed him down completely that he truly understood how precious those carefree school days had been. The simple routine of school life—home, school, and after-school activities—was a luxury he could never get back.

  Unfortunately, time never moves backward. No matter how much one longs for it, all they can do is continue living as a working adult. Those carefree school days exist only as fragments of memory, mere illusions of the past.

  Alex was responsible for teaching mathematics and also served as the homeroom teacher for Css 1-2. Teaching wasn’t difficult for him—there were lesson pns, and he had already gotten used to it during his time in the Higurashi world. Even if he wasn’t entirely accustomed to it, it wouldn’t matter. His assigned identity was that of a newly recruited teacher, so even if he made a few mistakes, no one would nitpick.

  More importantly, Alex was handsome.

  In a world where appearances mattered, good looks were a valuable asset, weren’t they?

  "Alright, that’s it for today. Be careful on your way home."

  Gncing at his students, who were already eager to leave, Alex shrugged and spoke the words they had been longing to hear.

  "YEAH—!"

  As expected, the students cheered in excitement, jumping up from their seats, packing their bags at lightning speed, and rushing out the door.

  "...Seems like students are the same no matter where you go."

  Watching the scene unfold, Alex smiled calmly. He had assumed that this school might be different from the ones he knew, but after taking over, he realized that it wasn’t much different at all.

  As a homeroom teacher, his responsibilities included teaching his subject, checking in on the css during morning self-study, and delivering school announcements before dismissal. Honestly, it felt just like when he had been a student himself. If there was any noticeable difference…

  "Goodbye, teacher."

  "See you tomorrow."

  "Take care on your way home."

  A group of girls in sailor uniforms smiled and waved as they left. Alex nodded in return, his eyes unconsciously drifting to their short skirts…

  Hmm, compared to the sportswear back in his world, these uniforms were definitely more aesthetically pleasing.

  As nice as it was to relive student life, Alex hadn’t yet found the “protagonist” he was searching for in this school. Using his teacher’s access, he had gone through the entire student roster, but not a single familiar name appeared. Even in his own css, he had yet to find a recognizable “character.”

  There were two possibilities: either his "identity" was too far removed from the protagonist, or the protagonist was right in front of him, but since he had never seen this work before, he simply didn’t recognize them.

  Well… whatever. It didn’t really matter anyway.

  By the time Alex left the school, the sun was already setting.

  The deep red sunset bathed the streets, where people and cars moved about in the fading light. Alex walked aimlessly down the road, watching the world around him.

  "I should find a pce for dinner first. I wonder how the ramen here tastes… Actually, I still prefer beef noodles. Too bad there's no beef noodles in the main world… Hmm?"

  Muttering to himself, Alex scanned his surroundings. However, he soon froze in pce, his gaze shifting toward a nearby shopping district. Just now, his prophecy talent had once again provided him with a clue—heading in that direction would lead him to what he was looking for.

  "That way?"

  Looking at the seemingly unchanged street, Alex hesitated for a moment before turning toward the shopping district.

  The moment he stepped into the area, everything suddenly changed.

  "Shua—!"

  Before Alex's eyes, a silver-white pattern, resembling a magic array, suddenly materialized out of thin air. It rapidly expanded, spreading in all directions. However, the people around him continued walking as if nothing had happened, completely unaware. Then, in the next instant, the world in front of Alex transformed.

  The sky turned into a murky red, with no sign of sunlight—everything was dyed in crimson. Under this eerie red hue, all the people in the area suddenly froze in pce, standing like statues. Their bodies appeared covered in a yer of dust, losing their previous vibrancy.

  "What is this?"

  Faced with this abrupt and bizarre change, Alex immediately became alert. Judging by the surroundings, this seemed to be a time-stopping barrier. However, he himself remained unaffected. That alone was enough to put him on edge—this abnormality clearly signified… something had gone wrong!

  "Boom!!"

  Just then, an explosion suddenly erupted from a nearby store. Debris scattered everywhere, and Alex saw a figure, engulfed in blue-white fmes, being hurled out of the bst before crashing heavily onto the ground nearby.

  "Ahhhhhh!!"

  The moment the person hit the ground, they let out a piercing scream. The eerie fmes immediately consumed their body, and before Alex's eyes, their form began to swell unnaturally like an infting balloon. Then, with a loud "pop," the figure exploded like a firework, vanishing completely.

  However, Alex’s attention was drawn to something else.

  At the moment of the person's destruction, he caught sight of a small, silver-white glowing orb emerging from within their body. The instant Alex saw it, a "premonition" fshed through his mind—

  that’s it! that’s one of the key items needed to unlock my soul stone!

  mage’s hand!

  Without hesitation, Alex stretched out his hand. His magic surged, forming a transparent hand that swiftly grabbed the floating orb and brought it to him. But upon getting a closer look at the object, Alex was momentarily stunned.

  "What is this?"

  In his palm was a strange mechanical device, composed of several interlocking gears. At its center was a small, white glowing sphere, surrounded by constantly rotating gears and bearings.

  Alex was certain he had never seen anything like this before. However… it didn’t matter. It was definitely an important quest item!

  With that thought, Alex quickly opened his map of myriad dimensions. The moment he did, radiant chains emerged from it, binding the strange object.

  And then…

  "Ughhh!!"

  A sudden, pained cry rang out.

  The next moment, a golden-haired man’s phantom abruptly burst out from the strange object, tumbling onto the ground as if he had been violently kicked.

  "W-What is this…?"

  The golden-haired man turned his head in shock, first toward Alex, then toward the now-restrained artifact, his expression shifting rapidly. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. Instead, his figure turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the sky.

  "…Huh? What the hell?"

  Watching the golden-haired man vanish without a trace, Alex was left momentarily baffled. He had no idea what had just happened.

  At least, for now, everything that had unfolded was beyond his comprehension.

  But… whatever.

  At the very least, he had secured his key item!

  "Snap!"

  As the strange artifact was absorbed into the map of myriad dimensions, a system notification appeared before Alex’s eyes.

  [acquired key awakening item: 1/3]

  "That was easier than I expected."

  Alex couldn't help but sigh. He had worried that he’d have to search the entire city, but it turned out to be this simple. A casual stroll, and he had already found one.

  so, next—

  "Boom!!"

  Before Alex could even finish his thought, a massive white creature descended from the sky, nding with a loud crash not far in front of him.

  It resembled an oversized toy baby, but with an unsettlingly ugly face. The giant baby creature gnced around in confusion before furrowing its brow.

  "Strange… where did that mystes go? I was pnning to eat him!"

  "Forget about the mystes! He’s already gone!"

  At that moment, a grotesque sphere—composed of fused mannequin-like figures—emerged from behind the giant baby. Its numerous eyes rotated before locking onto Alex with a piercing gaze.

  "I can sense it. This man possesses a treasure! He must have taken the artifact from the mystes!"

  "Huh?"

  Hearing this, the giant baby turned to look at Alex with curiosity.

  "A human? Strange, why can a human move inside the fuzetsu?"

  "That doesn’t matter! Kill him and take back the artifact!"

  "Sigh…"

  Looking at the two monstrous entities ready to attack, Alex let out a resigned sigh before reaching into the void, pulling out his void severing sword.

  of course… it was never going to be that easy.

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