Mikael sighed inwardly, understanding her reasoning. 'I wish we could spend more ti together than just the one day a week we have. But if she cos to the Dirarnia world, she'll be in danger—and I can't let that happen.'
"Dear, I'd love for you to accompany to the Dirarnia world, but it's far too dangerous."
Kiara smiled softly. "Dear... I love hearing that," she murmured to herself before speaking louder. "Don't worry, darling. I have the solution!" She paused dramatically, instantly capturing Mikael's attention. If she truly had a plan to join him safely, he would be ecstatic. "All I need to do is beco really, really strong using this book, and then I'll be able to stay with you all the ti. Bonus—I could even keep you all to myself—"
"Cough."
"I an, I could protect you," she quickly corrected herself, masking her slip with a small cough. Mikael wasn't fooled, though. He sighed inwardly. 'She definitely said she wanted to keep all to herself, didn't she?' Still, it wasn't exactly surprising given her personality.
"If you want to beco stronger, I'll support you!" Mikael exclaid, though he couldn't help but notice the dreamy expression on her face, as though she was imagining a future where she was stronger than him.
She snapped out of her thoughts, her face suddenly serious and determined. "Don't worry. I'll work extra hard for our future."
"Yeah..." Mikael said before giving Kiara a gentle kiss goodbye. Ti was moving on, and it was already early in the day. He knew he couldn't stay much longer—he needed to return to the Dirarnia world soon.
Kiara responded to the kiss before watching him leave the apartnt. This ti, though, she wasn't as sad as before. This ti, she had a goal—and she was determined to reach it. With fire in her eyes, she began reading the book.
anwhile, Mikael had just exited the apartnt and arrived at the Hub, dressed in his white and gold academy uniform. Ignoring the lively commotion around him, his thoughts lingered on Kiara. 'As endearing as Kiara's possessive nature is, I need to make sure I stay stronger than her. If I end up weaker... her yandere tendencies could lead to problems. Yeah, that would definitely be an issue.'
Resolute in his decision, Mikael vowed not to slack off in his training. While he appreciated and encouraged Kiara's efforts to grow stronger, he had no intention of being the weaker one in their relationship—especially not when dealing with a yandere.
His thoughts then drifted to ways of becoming stronger quickly when an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning. 'I could search for a world that would dramatically enhance my mind! It would help learn faster and, consequently, beco stronger faster. But if I want to be smart about it, I need to find a world where I can instantly enhance my mind the mont I enter it. Why didn't I think of this before?' he wondered inwardly, facepalming at what he considered a "waste of ti."
Even better, the idea he had wasn't limited to enhancing his mind. He could, for example, enter a world where a serum exists that would infinitely enhance his body's potential, giving him an adaptation factor that grows stronger under stress! Or similar overpowered scenarios.
As he entertained the thought, he felt a strong temptation to act on it imdiately but hesitated. 'Wouldn't that be boring? If I take this path, I'll beco overpowered in no ti, and all the training I'm doing to grow stronger will lose its aning...' He wasn't sure.
'It's not like getting stronger is my only goal. What I actually enjoy is the process itself. Right now, I'm training in the Dirarnia world, growing through effort and struggle. But if I could reach the sa or even greater heights in an instant, wouldn't that render all my efforts aningless?'
'And would that strength even be truly mine? If I gained power without any challenges, I'd only have raw strength but lack the ntality, techniques, battle experience, and everything else that cos with true growth.'
'If my thod of getting stronger is just entering a world, picking up sothing that makes overpowered, and leaving... then what happens when I want to improve again? I'd have no idea how to move forward unless I was spoon-fed my power every ti.'
With these thoughts in mind, he leaned further toward rejecting the idea of entering these overpowered worlds. They would make everything too easy, draining his journey of any real aning. Sure, his strength would skyrocket, but at what cost?
'Yeah, I don't think I'll go into those worlds after all. Still, I should at least take a look... It feels strange that places capable of making soone overpowered instantly would be so easily accessible. Maybe there's a hidden drawback, or they don't even exist?'
Uncertain, he decided to consult the Records to be sure.
"Records, could you find a world where I can enter and, in a short ti, enhance my mind by tens of tis without any negative effects?"
[Suitable world found.]
[Naema World
World Type: Unique world
World Power Levels: Low Tier 1
Description: A futuristic modern world in which every person can be injected with a serum that dramatically enhances ntal function. This serum can only be taken once in a lifeti. It can be requested at any ti, but a test proving you've never taken it before must be passed.]
Seeing this world, Mikael inwardly frowned, feeling like it was too easy. Not only did this world exist, but the difficulty was incredibly low, and there were no negative effects ntioned in the world description!
Even with his previous decision to avoid entering "overpowered worlds," Mikael was tempted to enter this one, knowing it would dramatically enhance his mind. But he controlled himself, taking deep breaths to calm down.
After a while, he regained his composure and wasn't tempted to enter the world anymore. He carefully analyzed the world description again, and honestly, he found the risk-to-reward ratio too disproportionate. It was suspicious.
Curious, he asked the Records, "Records, if I enter this world and use the serum before exiting, would there be any negative effects or problems?"
[Answer available for 1.5K LP]
Seeing that, Mikael raised an eyebrow, now more certain that sothing wasn't right with this world.
He hesitated for a mont deciding whether to pay the 1.5K LP. He hadn't planned on entering this world, and if he paid, he'd essentially be spending 1.5K LP just to satisfy his curiosity.
After a brief mont of hesitation, he paid the required amount.
[Transaction confird]
[Entering this world itself wouldn't be dangerous, but the mont you take the serum and attempt to leave the world, you will face retaliation from the %@& law of the %@&, which will cause your existential erasure.]
"Hiss." Mikael's eyes widened in surprise, and he cursed under his breath. "There really was a trap!" His words caught the attention of a few nearby people, but he ignored them, focusing on the ssage. 'Retaliation from so kind of law? What does that an?' he thought, still trying to make sense of it.
"Can you elaborate?" he asked the Records, speaking to them in his mind.
[Military rank too low to provide a more detailed description.]
'Of course,' he sighed inwardly, feeling a bit frustrated. He then asked, "Can you show a list of words that would have similar results if I enter them?"
At his request, an extensive list appeared before him. The words were divided into two categories. The first was a list of weak worlds with incredible gains to be made, and the second consisted of worlds shrouded in mystery, marked with multiple question marks.
Mikael assud that these unknown worlds were likely extrely powerful. 'So, it's either extrely weak worlds with incredibly fast gains to be made when you enter them, or extrely powerful ones. The common factor is that entering any of these worlds would be extrely dangerous,' he concluded, but he couldn't understand why without more information.
He stopped thinking about it, realizing he wouldn't get answers right away. However, one thing was clear: from now on, he needed to be much more cautious when entering new worlds. If he let his greed guide him and entered one of these seemingly easy worlds, he could end up dead without ever understanding why. It made him more wary than ever before. He imdiately asked, "Records, is it possible for you to avoid showing words like these that could have dangerous consequences for ? And if I do co across one, could you warn ?"
[Modifications possible for 200 LP. Do you want to pay?]
He was about to accept when a thought crossed his mind. 'Kiara...' He knew that if she ever tried to enter a world like these without knowing, she could be in serious danger. He quickly anded his request, adding, "Would it also be possible to add Kiara Dreyfus, my personal AI, to the warning process?"
[Modifications possible for 400 LP. Do you want to pay?]
Mikael didn't hesitate and agreed to pay. Once the modifications were made, he quickly sent a ssage to Kiara through the party system, warning her about the situation, just to be safe. After that, he pushed aside the idea of enhancing his mind for now and decided to enter the Dirarnia world instead. He vanished in a flash, unnoticed by the people around him, his earlier exclamation not attracting more than a customary glance.
As he materialized in his dormitory room, he scanned the surroundings briefly and shook his head. Thinking about the recent events wouldn't help him right now. It was clear that raising his military rank was key, but to do that, he needed to grow stronger. He didn't dwell on the matter any further and walked toward the training room, ready to begin an intensive session.
***
The door to the training room slid open, and a tired-looking figure erged. It was Mikael—his black hair and vibrant green eyes slightly disheveled after his rigorous training. Just as he stepped into the hallway, he used a spell and all the sweat on his body evaporated. Though he still looked fatigued, he appeared far more presentable.
He walked toward the bathroom, and the sound of running water soon filled the air. A few minutes later, Mikael reappeared, his hair damp, so water still dripping from him. He was dressed in a white and gold academy uniform.
He took a seat on the couch and pulled out his phone, sending a few quick ssages. Afterward, he tucked it back into his pocket and stared at the empty space in front of him. "Let's see what this feedback system is made of..." he murmured, his curiosity piqued. At that mont, he recalled a recent purchase he had made.
[Feedback System. Requirent: None
Allows the possessor of this system upgrade to see a resu of their own life in a preplanned period of ti, it is usable even if it's before the purchase of this system upgrade was made. This can help to reflect on what was done right and what errors were made. Price: 200 LP]
Author Note:
If you'd like to support or get access to advanced Chapters, you can find on Patreon—just search for SDASLUMMY.
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Thanks a ton for reading—I truly appreciate it!
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