Zane didn't know what to expect in the realms, so he had to make adequate preparations. He could purchase items like sleeping bags and other essential objects through the online shop.
However, Zane realized he couldn't purchase food from the shop since complex items, especially good food, were beyond the system's capabilities. He could buy water and simple compounds like glucose, but when it came to things like pizza and other proper food, Zane couldn't purchase them due to their complex composition.
Zane had tried to imagine a bowl of ramen, but he only got something that appeared like ramen yet wasn't ramen. Zane doubted if it was even food.
This experience made Zane realize that his imagination was different from reality. He was lucky to have created the painting successfully, the materials the system used were based only on how he thought they were, not how they really were. Good thing it had worked out.
He decided to use the Inventory grimoire instead. He removed the clothes from the grimoire, clothes could be bought from the shop.
As Zane threw the mask on his bed, a smile emerged from his face.
No more gang lackey, no more gigs. No more masked devil.
Zane thought as he contemplated of the false legend that never was.
Still this mask made my life as a gang lackey infinitely better. Maybe I should take it with me.
Zane stood still for about a minute then took the mask and placed it into the Inventory Grimoire. Zane didn't know why, but he thought it would come useful at some point.
He then moved to his small kitchen and opened a fridge that had stayed in their family for generations.
He took out some items and placed them in the Inventory grimoire. He then went to the cabinet and pulled out some noodle then unwrapped them. He then stored them in the Inventory Grimoire.
He needed to make adequate preparation for food. After all he didn't know what sort of predicament he'd find himself in.
『Inventory』
• Skill orbs [2], Oni mask,Noodles [8], Instant ramen seasoning packets [8], dagger
✦ Slots: 20/20
Zane now understood more than ever that he needed to learn chemistry. Fortunately, apart from food, most things were as they appeared.
He quickly downloaded documents on chemistry. Zane was shocked at how much his memory had improved, he now only needed to read something once to master everything in the documents. Within an hour, he already had extensive knowledge of chemistry.
Zane also realized he needed knowledge on electronics. He downloaded documents on electronics from his laptop.
What if I end up in realm in stone age era with abundant resources? I'll definitely need some modern equipments.
Zane thought, he could create a house with electricity in the realms, but a phone wasn't considered essential to the house. He couldn't construct anything not related to the structure. Though the craftsman skill wasn't all bad, at the very least, he wouldn't be homeless.
I can build a house in ashburn, but there is no space in town. also people would be surprised by the sudden occurance of a house out of the blue.
Zane thought as he looked at the old apartment room he was in.
I can build it in the forest, but also, lumbers will find it when they came to log.
Zane thought as he summoned his attributes tab. There was something he needed to confirm.
『Attributes』
• Strength: 5 |Agility: 4| Stamina: 7| Mentality: 21
Zane noticed that his Mentality attribute had taken another considerable leap from 17 to 21. Using the skill orb seemed to train his brain to receive high amounts of information, which was somehow connected to his Mentality stat and memory. Although it only rose by 4, unlike previously when it had increased by 8.
Zane was now ready to travel to the realms. He had decided to go to a random realm since the system couldn't help him choose a destination.
Zane reached his mind into the space and felt the plane he occupied. He could also feel other small pocketed worlds inside this plane, but strangely, none of them had any connection with his plane. They just existed within the plane without any connection.
Then Zane felt the realms that lay suspended in the void beyond his plane. He could feel the connection strands linking the realms to his plane.
Some of the strands couldn't be grasped by his mind, they had a stronger, overbearing strength. Zane remembered the system saying he could only access level 1 minor realms. He presumed the stronger strands led to higher level realms.
Zane reached his mind into a strand that was weaker than the others and wasn't emitting strong energy. He then established the connection between his plane and the realm on the other side and willed his body to disappear.
The apartment room now stood empty.
***
Zane found himself in a world different from what he had expected. Luckily, this time there was ground underneath his feet. The ground wasn't exactly earth, stone, pavement, or tarmac asphalt.
It was like a multicolored ocean, very much like the cover page of the Inventory Grimoire. Though it wasn't solid and appeared liquid, Zane stood on its surface without sinking.
Zane was being pulled toward the ground, not by gravity, but by a natural feeling. It was exactly like gravity, yet not gravity.
He could see a sun high up in the sky that emitted a warm glow. It wasn't a sun like the one back home, but it felt similar. It was bright yellow in color.
Bubbles of different colors were floating in the space. Zane was breathing naturally; the air felt like air back on Earth, though Zane was sure this wasn't air.
Below the bubbles, there were mountains, trees, and rivers, together with buildings of all kinds in the far-away horizon.
They looked real, but Zane was sure they weren't real. The moment that thought crossed his mind, the buildings, trees, and mountains disappeared.
The sun in the sky suddenly vanished, and the ground beneath his feet disappeared. The false gravity vanished. All air disappeared from Zane's lungs as he began to suffocate. Then he lost consciousness.
***
What is Mia doing here?
Zane thought as he looked at the girl sitting on a zero-gravity recliner before him. She had binoculars and was observing what appeared to be something in the distance.
What am I doing in Ashburn?
Zane asked himself as he scanned the view. Beyond what appeared to be a balcony where he was standing, Zane could see the old abandoned mine, the medieval church, fire station, and police station. He was definitely in Ashburn.
Zane could tell he was in the Monroe family mansion in eastern Ashburn. How in the world had he reached Ashburn? He remembered going to a realm where everything was not real. The moment he understood that everything wasn't real, they had all disappeared.
He had then fainted due to suffocation, it turned out the spring of vitality didn't prevent suffocation.
Now Zane had woken up standing in the Monroe family mansion, and Mia was sitting before him.
Zane pinched his arm to confirm he wasn't dreaming. He felt pain, he wasn't dreaming.
Zane could also tell that this place he was in wasn't actually Ashburn. It was real but somehow felt dreamy, like he was in someone else's dream. The only thing that felt out of place in this dreamlike world was himself.
Understanding dawned upon Zane as he realized he was still in the realm he had traveled to. It appeared to be a simulation. There was only one way to find out.
Fortunately, Zane had the realm traveler skill.
Simulations only take place inside the brain. If my skill works and I feel the space, then this might not be a simulation, but then I should be able to go back home.
Zane reached his consciousness into the space and felt the space he was in. This was definitely not a simulation.
However, Zane could feel 2 connection strands leading to this world, but the strands' strength was too much for Zane to grasp them.
He couldn't feel any other strands apart from the 2 strands that were too strong for him to hold.
How is this possible?
Zane searched again, but he could only feel the space he was in, the 2 strands, and the empty void that lay beyond.
Zane retracted his mind. He was trapped in this space.
Questions raced through Zane's mind as he contemplated what could have happened.
He had initially entered this space through a level 1 connection strand. Now he could only feel higher level strands. How could that be?
Zane thought, but no answer came to his mind. He finally decided to ask Nyx.
"Nyx, why can't I feel the connection strand I used?"
Zane asked hopefully.
He couldn't ask questions about his whereabouts, the system had mentioned not being aware of anything beyond his body and the system. But since the strands were somehow connected to his skill, maybe Nyx would know.
[ Sorry Zane, I don't have any answer for the reason as to why the level of the connection strand has increased. ]
Zane did not get the answer he wanted, but at the very least, he was now aware that the connection strand hadn't disappeared but had just increased its level. Zane also wondered why he could suddenly feel 2 connection strands.
The connection strands were in opposite directions, so Zane presumed that he hadn't felt the other one before entering the realm.
Zane could only conclude that he had entered the realm through one connection strand, and the other led to another plane or realm. Zane wasn't sure if it was a realm or plane since he couldn't currently detect anything beyond level 1 connection strands.
He was now trapped in this strange world.