The heavy wooden door groaned as it creaked open, a gust of stale air rushing out. Dust spiraled upward, mixing with the faint stench of age. Cobwebs dangled in every corner, swaying as if alive.
"Damn it," Aoyama muttered, waving his hand through the haze. "Dust and cobwebs, the two things I hate the most. Figures this place hasn't been cleaned in centuries. I can't sleep in here like this. I better clean it all first before tomorrow's trip. Last thing I need is sneezing my way to the nearest kingdom."
[Cleaning Spree: Activated]
He grabbed a rag and broom, whistling as he worked. The sound echoed strangely in the chamber, bouncing against runed walls as if the ancient house itself was humming along.
One hour later, the transformation was shocking. The walls gleamed. The floor reflected faint glimmers of moonlight. Every cobweb had been banished. Yet, the rocks Jade had warned him not to touch remained undisturbed, blocking certain corners from being fully scrubbed.
"Finally done," Aoyama exhaled, leaning on the broom. "Those damned rocks made it hard to clean properly, but I promised not to touch them. Still, good enough."
His eyes turned toward the door again. Intricate engravings glowed faintly, carved deep into the wood like veins of silver fire.
[System Alert]
Type of Rune: Rune of the Ancient CalypsoMessage:"Thee shall pass, with a pure heart.Thee shall seek, with a pure mind."
Aoyama frowned, tilting his head. "Pure heart, pure mind, huh? What the hell does that even mean?"
He sat cross-legged, pondering. Minutes passed before his expression lit up.
"Alright, I get it now. Pure heart means stay calm and true. Pure mind means focus and don't get distracted. Easy. Like that movie I watched where Dr. Derange climbed Khamir Paj and got teleported by the Ancient Two. Maybe not that easy, but close enough. Let's test it."
He placed his hand on the door and closed his eyes, imagining the one place that mattered most to him—his home.
The runes flickered weakly. Then, nothing.
"…Not working?" He pressed harder. "Come on, don't tell me this thing needs Wi-Fi."
[Somewhere in the Unknown]
A shadowy figure snorted."Hah! That idiot thinks he can open the door by thinking of home? That's not how it works."
Back at the door, Aoyama sneezed. "Damn it, someone must be talking about me."
Still, the door suddenly shimmered. A vision of his home rippled on its surface.
"Oh? It's working!" Aoyama grinned.
[Unknown Realm]
The shadowy figure panicked. "Wait, what?! How is it activating? That's impossible!"
Aoyama reached for the door, but slammed into an invisible wall. The impact rattled the chamber.
"A barrier? Why now?"
From the Unknown Realm, the figure snarled. "He cannot return yet. His destiny isn't fulfilled. Deploying Dimensional Barrier ×100."
The walls of reality thickened, sealing him out.
Aoyama's expression hardened. "So that's how it is? You think you can lock me away from my own world?"
[Skill Creation]
Create Skill: Dimensional CutGenerated: Dimensional Slash (Low-tier)
"Only low-tier? No matter. I'll force it open."
Aoyama raised his hand, energy gathering around his palm in jagged arcs.
"Dimensional Slash!"
The strike carved reality itself. The barrier screamed and shattered, shards of dimensional plates scattering like broken glass.
[System Alert]
Dimensional plate has been pierced.Multiverse Portal: Unlocked.
"Finally." He stepped through the glowing gateway.
[System Alerts Flooding]
Entering World 204.
Energy fluctuation detected. Divine Sapling suppressed to Mortal Base.
Suppression applied: Cultivation reset to Mortal Base.
Generated Skill: [Fake Suppression – Epic].
Generated Skill: [Release Suppression – Epic].
Skills fused → [Three Paths of the Origin – Unknown Level].
"Three Paths of the Origin… lets me toggle between mortal, immortal, and godly aura?" Aoyama smirked. "Good. I'll keep it on Mortal for now. No need to scare anyone."
Ten minutes later, he stumbled into familiar streets. His home stood there, unchanged. Yet something gnawed at him.
He rushed inside, straight to the pod where his body rested. What he found made his blood run cold.
"No… no, no, no!" His body was withered, dried, as though decades had passed. "Did I forget to activate it properly?" Relief washed through him when he realized it wasn't dead—merely preserved. Time hadn't flowed the same here.
Still trembling, he left the pod chamber and walked outside. The air was stale compared to Evergrandia. Yet people were here. Normal people. He wandered to a nearby park, sitting down to think.
"Wow," he murmured. "I'm really back. In my own world, but with this physique from the game."
[System Alert]
Perception +1 [Mortal Level].
"Mama, look! That man looks so cool! Like a cultivator!" a child shouted.
A woman nearby blushed. "So handsome… No, I have a husband."
Aoyama scratched his head, grinning awkwardly. "Well, at least the kids think I'm cool."
Yawning, he stretched. "I haven't slept since the transmigration. Bed first, destiny later."
[System Skill Generated]
Passive: Sleepless – High Level
"…Are you kidding me?" He growled. "No. I will sleep. Don't you dare stop me, system."
Another ding.
Fused → [The True Path of the Immortal King – Legendary].
Effect: You never feel fatigue. You cannot be put to sleep by status effects. Sleep becomes unnecessary.
"…You've got to be joking." He glared at the sky. "I just want to nap. Just once."
Finally, by sheer stubbornness—counting sheep up to 300,000—the system relented, allowing him to drift into real, blissful sleep.
But peace was short-lived.
When Aoyama finally awoke in his cottage, he rose slowly, the memory of the rift still gnawing at his mind. He pushed open the wooden door and called softly into the field of blossoms.
"I'm home… my daughter."
Only silence greeted him.
His chest tightened. He tried again, louder this time, voice cracking.
"My… Crystal?"
Still nothing. The vibrant flowers swayed in the breeze, yet the world felt unbearably empty.
A sudden chime echoed.
[ System Alert ]
You have received a new message.
His hands trembled as he opened it.
[ Unknown Message ]
"If thou seekest what is lost, thou must cast thy fate into the world. What you desire lies not in slumber, but in struggle. Return to the world where destiny calls, and only there shall the answer bloom."
Aoyama's vision blurred as tears welled. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Crystal… If you're out there… if you've been taken by this world…" His voice shook, but his resolve hardened. "Then I'll find you. No matter what it takes."
Unseen by him, in the far horizon where the sky bent against the rift's residue, a shadowy figure observed. Its gaze lingered, ancient and knowing, as the strands of fate began to weave anew.
Thus, the true battle of destiny quietly began.