Author's note: This chapter ended up longer than planned—hope it doesn't bother you!
Cleaning time.
Ugh, there must be at least a hundred 50-liter trash bags scattered all over the apartment.
At this rate, it will take me a whole week just to get everything out of here...
Maybe I should just call a cleaning company, but that would be way too embarrassing.
Just imagine it—thirty years from now, I'm standing at the top of the world, and then some rumor about my dark past suddenly resurfaces.
Just thinking about it already makes me feel ashamed...
Then again, this world is more advanced than Earth. There must be some kind of advanced AI here that can handle this kind of work.
Oh, right. I'm not on Earth anymore. There should definitely be some kind of spatial equipment...
I opened PortalHub and searched for Spacial.
"I found it. A 1m³ cubic pouch costs 200,000¥, a 3m³ one costs 1 million ¥, and a 5m³ one costs 10 million ¥. From there, the prices only skyrocket... By my calculations, there should be around a hundred 50L trash bags here, which means that, in theory, a single 5m³ spatial pouch should be enough. But with adverse conditions and all, I should probably buy at least one more..."
Time flies fast...
Thirty minutes later.
"The cart's already full? I guess this should be enough for now. Two 5m³ spatial pouches, thick cleaning gloves—three pairs—an N95 mask box, protective goggles, and so on..."
"Seventy-six items. Total: 20,223,997¥. Portal delivery fee: 45,000¥."
Pay.
"Wow. I expected the twenty million, but I wasn't expecting to spend over two hundred thousand on the other stuff. They better live up to the promise."
"The portal will be available in three minutes. I'll leave the anchor on the same table as before. In the meantime, I can plan things out. First, I'll stuff all the trash bags into the spatial pouches. Then I'll pour water over the floor, spray the cleaning product everywhere, and start scrubbing with the broom..."
Vrrr... Vrrr...
"Oh, it's here. This time the box is black, and the material feels a little different. Maybe it's because of the spatial pouches. Anyway, they're not stupid. All the materials are inside both bags. I'll put everything on the balcony for now."
Cleaning time starts now.
Eight minutes later.
"Damn, I'm exhausted. In the end, I needed three 5m³ spatial pouches. Well, it was easier to just dump everything from the third bedroom straight into the bag."
In that room, the trash bags had been stacked almost to the ceiling. It was easier to just throw all the furniture away and buy new things later.
I was so tired that I'd practically run through the apartment trying to gather everything as fast as possible. I decided to stop for a bit and check my phone...
Time flies by.
11:23 AM
"Incredible. You really can't underestimate almost five hundred years of modern history. There are so many novels... so many genres I've never even seen before. I already know how I'm going to spend my days, hehe."
"With money and endless entertainment, I'll be the happiest man in the world..."
Huh?
"Oh fuck. I spent two hours reading and didn't even notice the time passing. I need to get back to cleaning."
....
3:14 PM
"I'm exhausted. I didn't think this would take so long. Luckily I bought that ultra-powerful water vacuum cleaner and a few 1000L IBC containers. Otherwise, it would've taken way longer."
Growl...
Hungry.
"Thank God there's still about forty percent of the food I ordered this morning left. I'll eat first, then finally take a bath."
"Unfortunately, I don't know any YouTubers to watch while I eat, so I'll just put on the news. It should help me understand more about this world."
I turned on the TV.
Just as I switched to a random channel—
Breaking news! Breaking news! Breaking news!
The catastrophic-level dungeon near the Ashen Corridor has just erupted. The Nile and Hejaz Alliance is requesting international assistance. The first waves of monsters are expected to reach their borders within the next few hours...
"Oh my God. Even in another world, that region is still the same..."
…
"Finally, bath time. I've always wanted to take a bath in a bathtub, but I never had one at home. I even bought a plastic duck, hehe."
"Ooh... this feels so good. I feel like I'm melting."
....
4:48 PM
"I feel so refreshed. It's probably better to start the daily missions now. Maybe if I complete at least two types, the punishment won't be that bad. There's no way I can finish the running one, so I won't even bother unless I can complete the other three."
5:03 PM
Okay. Daily quests. I can do this.
Crack.
My knee just... cracked.
I hadn't even started yet.
"System, show quests."
Daily:
100 push-ups — 0/100
100 sit-ups — 0/100
100 squats — 0/100
10 km run — 0/10000
Reward: 600 System Points, Body Recovery, ???
If not completed, you will be punished.
Right. Punishment. Let's start with something easy. Squats. I can do squats.
One.
My thighs screamed.
Two.
My back made a sound I didn't think backs were supposed to make.
Three.
I'm already sweating. This is pathetic. This body is 17 years old, and three squats feel like climbing a mountain.
Four.
Okay. Break time. Just for a minute. I'll check my phone real quick.
5:21 PM
Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirt— nope. Can't. Break.
I collapsed on the floor, chest heaving, and stared up at the ceiling fan spinning lazily above me.
I'd done forty-two squats.
Forty-two.
In almost twenty minutes.
At this rate, I'd finish the squats by midnight. And then I'd still have push-ups, sit-ups, and a ten-kilometer run left.
Run.
With this body.
Ten kilometers.
Yeah.
I'm definitely getting punished.
Phone. Check phone.
5:42 PM
Push-ups are worse.
So much worse.
My arms started shaking after five. My gut touched the floor before my chest did. Did that even count as a real push-up? Probably not. The system definitely knows.
Six... seven... eight...
"System, do half push-ups count?"
Silence.
"Yeah. That's a no, then."
Nine... ten...
My face was burning hot. I could feel the blood pounding in my temples.
This was humiliating.
I was alone in my apartment, embarrassing myself in front of absolutely no one.
Phone. Check phone.
6:23 PM
I found a webnovel about a guy who gets transported to another world and becomes a chef.
He cooks monsters.
It's actually really good. I've already read twelve chapters.
Wait.
Shit.
The quests.
I tossed my phone aside and forced myself back onto the floor.
Push-ups. Now. No breaks.
Eleven... twelve... thir—
Nope.
My arm gave out, and I face-planted straight into the floor.
"Son of a bitch."
6:49 PM
Sit-ups are the devil.
My stomach was a mountain. Every time I tried to curl upward, it felt like I was trying to lift a car.
I got to fifteen and felt like my abs were tearing apart.
"Just fifteen more. Come on, Yan Ye. Fifteen more and you'll be at thirty."
Sixteen... seventeen... eigh—
My phone buzzed.
New chapter alert from that chef novel.
"...Okay. Just one chapter. As a reward for seventeen sit-ups."
7:38 PM
The sun was setting.
Current progress:
Squats: 83Push-ups: 34Sit-ups: 29Run: 0 meters
I hadn't even attempted the run.
Maybe if I did really well on the other three, the punishment wouldn't be so bad.
Maybe the system graded on a curve.
"System, do you grade on a curve?"
Nothing.
"Yeah. That's a no, then."
8:10 PM
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I froze mid-squat.
Number ninety-one.
Who the hell was visiting at eight at night?
I didn't know anyone in this world. The predecessor didn't have friends. The only person who ever came here was—
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Yan? Yan, are you home? It's Ms. Wen. You missed three days of school. I'm worried."
Oh fuck.
The teacher.
I completely forgot I'm a student again, and Big Ye hadn't gone to school for the past three days...
I looked around.
The apartment was clean—thank God for the spatial pouches and my cleaning frenzy—but I was drenched in sweat, my hair was a mess, and I'd been exercising for hours. I couldn't smell anything terrible on myself, but there was no way I smelled good either.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Is anyone home?"
Fuck, what do I do? I can't pretend I'm not here. Definitely not to Mrs. Wen. Besides Grandma, she was the only person who was ever kind to Big Ye. Not to mention she came to see me after Grandma died.
I'll just have to accept that I've already lost this battle.
"I'm coming. I'll open the door in a minute."
Click. Swish.
She is... pretty.
Silver hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Green eyes that seemed to glow under the hallway lights. Young—she couldn't have been more than her early twenties.
She was carrying two bags filled with what looked like fresh vegetables and meat, and there was a soft, worried expression on her face.
"Ms. Wen. I—"
"You look terrible. Are you sick?"
She stepped inside without waiting for an invitation and immediately placed a hand on my forehead.
"Have you been sleeping? Eating? You haven't shown up at school for the last three days, and you didn't tell anyone."
Her brows furrowed.
"You're hot. Do you have a fever?..."
After thirty straight seconds of nonstop questioning, I finally managed to get a word in.
"Well, I haven't been feeling well for the last three days, but I'm better now. I thought it would be best not to go to school. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't think it would make a difference, and I figured no one would even notice. It's not like I had anyone I could tell..."
Before I could finish, she interrupted me.
"You have me."
To be completely honest, my heart skipped a beat.
Even though, deep down, I knew she was only saying that because she was my teacher... my little heart of ice almost melted.
I couldn't help it. She was unbelievably beautiful. Big Ye had dedicated one hundred percent of himself to knowledge so he never really cared about her appearance. But I'm different. There was absolutely no chance I wouldn't feel even slightly moved in the presence of the most beautiful and captivating woman I'd ever seen in my life.
Don't fool yourself. You're just one of her students.
An awkward silence lingered in the air for a few seconds.
Maybe noticing that I was embarrassed, she calmly walked into the living room and placed the two bags she'd been carrying on the table in the middle of the room.
As she looked around, she said, "The apartment looks good. Last time I was here, it was..."
Her voice trailed off, probably because she remembered that it might be a sensitive subject.
Huh? Right. She came here three weeks ago. The mess had already started spreading through the living room, because the guest room was already full.
Feeling a little calmer, I answered, "Oh, yeah. I cleaned the apartment today. I decided to make some changes in my life."
"This morning, I decided to become a new person... I started cleaning everything up, and after that I began doing some exercise, as you can see..."
I glanced down at my sweat-soaked body.
She looked genuinely happy when I said I wanted to change.
Her whole face brightened.
And then, as if to prove it, she bounced slightly on her toes and gave a quick little clap.
Cute.
"Awesome! I'm really glad you want to make some changes," she said, nodding to herself as if she had already made up her mind about something. "I can help you, you know. You should cut down on junk food. I'll cook healthy meals for you whenever I can."
That brief exchange made me feel like I was ascending to heaven...
Only for her next words to slam me right back down to Earth at the speed of light.
"You should go take a shower. I'll cook something in the meantime."
For some reason, it felt like one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
"Okay."
I said it and immediately ran toward my room as if I were fleeing for my life.
I had completely forgotten that I was technically the head of the household. Instead, I felt like some husband obediently following his wife's orders, terrified of being punished.
Tsk.
"Whatever. I had to shower anyway," I muttered as I grabbed a casual outfit: an oversized dark blue shirt, black cotton shorts, and gray boxer briefs.
.....
"Oh... I'm really starting to like taking baths in a tub."
I stretched my legs out in the water and let the heat seep into my muscles.
The tub was ridiculously large.
"I'm glad this thing is huge," I muttered. "Actually, it's basically a small pool."
I shifted slightly, watching the ripples spread through the water.
"It has to be at least seven and a half feet long... maybe more. Yeah. Definitely over two meters."
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
"...I can't stay in too long, though."
The thought came reluctantly.
"I should make this quick."
She'd only been here once, three weeks ago. Just once. She shouldn't know where everything is... I need to help her.
Water lapped softly against the edges of the tub as my thoughts drifted.
"Oh... now that I think about it."
Ms. Wen Jiayi.
The predecessor's homeroom teacher for the past ten months.
Only twenty-two years old.
She had graduated at the top of her class from Tsinghua University with a degree in history, started her master's while teaching, and reached T2 in just four years despite awakening an Irregular Rank Class: Truth Seeker.
I'd heard her awakening had caused quite a stir back then.
An Irregular Rank.
People had high expectations. After all, the awakening phenomenon itself had supposedly been spectacular—a giant ancient grimoire that absorbed magical symbols and elements from all around it. Everyone assumed it would be some sort of mage-type class.
Well... technically it was.
Just not the kind people wanted.
It had later been categorized as a Life-type class—no combat abilities. Pure support. Skills that weren't especially useful in battle.
....
"She's incredible," I murmured.
Reaching T2 in only four years with a class no one fully understood wasn't something an "ordinary" person could do.
If it weren't for the fact that people still didn't really understand how her class worked—leaving her stuck at Tier 2—there was no way someone like me would've had the chance to even meet a woman of her caliber at this stage of my life.
I sank a little deeper into the water.
But that was the fate of roughly 0.000043% of awakeners—those who awakened an Irregular Rank class.
Lucky...
Or unlucky.
In theory, an Irregular Rank meant limitless potential.
The possibility of standing at the very top.
But it also meant walking your own path from the very first step.
Some classes were straightforward. Their evolution paths were clear, almost peaceful. As long as you had enough time, you would eventually grow.
Others...
Others were like being blindfolded and thrown into the middle of the universe with the mission of finding your own galaxy.
Your only guide?
A faint, almost irrational feeling that you were moving in the right direction.
Whether it was truly the optimal path... or a dead end disguised as progress—
That was something you might never know until it was too late.
…
With the system on my side, I probably won't have to worry even if I awaken an Irregular class.
I'm looking forward to whatever the future holds for me…
If possible, maybe one day I'll even be able to help her.
Ever since she arrived at the school, Wen Jiayi had been especially attentive to Big Ye. She often chatted with him about even the most trivial things—more like a friend than a teacher.
From the memory fragments I inherited, I could tell that my predecessor had actually become happier during those months before his grandmother fell ill.
There had been a quiet warmth in those days.
But over the last three months, Big Ye had become increasingly withdrawn.
Ever since his grandmother was admitted to the hospital, his world seemed to lose its color.
The days had turned gray.
Heavy.
Repetitive.
The only time that grayness ever lifted was during his brief interactions with Jiayi.
A few casual words.
A simple smile.
A moment of genuine attention.
And for just a little while...
The world felt bright again.
Over the past month, ever since his grandmother passed away, Jiayi had been the main reason Big Ye managed to hold himself together.
Without her, he might not have lasted this long.
Perhaps...
If my predecessor had truly broken down—if he had lost his mind, been declared mentally unstable, and confined somewhere...
I might never have had the chance to transmigrate here.
The thought lingered longer than it should have.
Then, while I was still lost in thought, her voice suddenly cut through the steam.
"The food's almost ready."
My eyes snapped open.
'Oh shit. How long have I been in here?'
I quickly got out of the tub and dried myself off in a rush.
When I finally managed to put on the clothes I had set aside and grab my cell phone, I froze.
Thirty-two minutes.
"...I almost turned this into a full-on spa session."
Three minutes later, I walked out.
"Sorry about that," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I think I was more tired than I realized. I almost fell asleep in the bath. Good thing you called me."
She frowned slightly, and her tone turned serious.
"You need to be careful. Falling asleep in the bath can be dangerous."
Then, just as quickly, her expression softened again.
"Since you're here, help me set the table. The food will be ready in two minutes."
"Got it."
As I reached for the plates, my stomach let out a loud, unmistakable growl.
Way louder than I would've liked.
She paused.
I froze.
"...Traitor," I muttered under my breath.
A faint warmth crept up my neck.
Trying to cover my embarrassment, I forced out a joke.
"Well," I cleared my throat, "it smells really good."
I glanced at the dishes.
"Good thing you came. Otherwise, I might've starved to death."
She finally let out a small laugh as she carried the food to the table.
"You're so dramatic. Now sit."
It was simple, but surprisingly refined—stir-fried chicken with ginger and scallions, lightly glazed in a glossy sauce, served with steamed vegetables and a bowl of fluffy white rice. There was also a small soup on the side, clear broth with tofu and greens floating gently on the surface.
The aroma was warm and comforting—savory, slightly sweet, with just a hint of spice.
For something she had called "quick," it looked incredible.
I pulled out a chair for her before sitting down myself.
"You made all this in less than an hour?"
"It's not that complicated," she replied. "Try it while it's hot."
I picked up my chopsticks.
The first bite caught me off guard.
The chicken was tender, and the seasoning was balanced—not too salty, not too strong. Clean. Intentional.
"...This is really good."
She didn't answer right away, but I noticed the faint curve at the corner of her lips.
My stomach growled again, softer this time, almost as if it were embarrassed by its earlier outburst.
I started eating a little faster than I meant to.
"Slow down," she said calmly. "No one's going to steal it from you."
"...Right."
I cleared my throat and forced myself to slow down.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Only the soft sound of chopsticks tapping against porcelain filled the quiet room.
It felt...
Peaceful.
I glanced at her briefly.
She was eating at a calm and composed pace. A few loose strands of silver hair had fallen across her face, swaying slightly each time she moved. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the scene.
And yet—
I found myself staring for a few seconds longer than I should have.
I only snapped out of it when she called my name.
"Hm? You're not eating."
That was when I noticed it.
Her cheeks were faintly red.
I froze.
And suddenly, my own face felt warm too.
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
"Thank you... for everything," I said, my voice a little unsteady. "I don't think I've ever properly thanked you. But I really appreciate all the attention you've given me over the past few months. I didn't realize until today how much those little interactions meant to me."
She stopped moving.
I swallowed and kept going.
"The last few years of my life were... monotonous. Gray, I guess. But in just a few months, you changed that. When my grandmother passed away, you came here. At school, you kept talking to me, making me feel like a real person — as if you were the only one who truly saw me as a human being."
My fingers tightened slightly around my chopsticks.
"Without realizing it, I started thinking of you less as a teacher... and more as a friend."
I let out a small, awkward laugh.
"My first and only friend, actually."
The moment the words left my mouth, I felt it.
Idiot.
I'd overthought it. I'd said too much.
And somehow, I might've just put my own teacher in the friend zone.
I looked up again—
Her entire face was red now.
Not just her cheeks.
Her ears.
Even the tips of her neck.
...Cute.
The moment she realized I was looking at her, she quickly lowered her gaze, obviously flustered.
"I— I didn't do anything that special," she said, her voice losing its usual calm. "That's just... what a teacher is supposed to do."
She hesitated.
Then, more quietly:
"But... I'm glad it meant something to you."
Her fingers tightened slightly around her bowl.
"And... I don't mind being your friend."
The last word came out softer than the rest.
The air between us shifted.
Neither of us said anything after that.
But the silence didn't feel gray anymore.
After that, nothing particularly dramatic happened.
Just light conversation.
Twenty minutes later—
"Oh my God... I ate too much. I feel like I'm going to explode."
She smiled faintly.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
We both laughed.
I gathered the plates and loaded them into the dishwasher while she wiped down the table. Once we were done, we went back to the living room and sat on the couch—one at each end.
It was a large sofa, easily big enough for six people, so there was still a noticeable distance between us.
At first, the conversation turned serious again.
"You know the classes you missed were important, right?" she said, crossing her legs slightly as she turned toward me.
"As the laws of the universe dictate," I sighed, "the days you skip are always the most important ones."
She gave me a look that clearly said don't joke about this.
"Tuesday, Wednesday, and today's lessons were about dungeons," she continued. "Intelligent races that have settled on the planet. Dungeon classifications. Structural types. Risk levels."
So...
Nothing minor.
"I couldn't get today's materials for you," she added, "but I'll bring them tomorrow. And if possible, you should definitely attend class. Tomorrow's topic will be classes, tiers and evolution."
That caught my attention immediately.
Classes, tiers and evolution.
We ended up talking about it for nearly thirty minutes—theory, historical cases, and so on.
Then she clapped her hands together softly once.
"Alright. You know tomorrow is important, and we've already covered the serious topics."
She picked up her phone.
"Now it's time for entertainment."
She connected her phone to the TV.
An anime app opened on the screen.
Then a title appeared:
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
"That's my favorite," she said casually. "Watching anime and reading novels are my hobbies."
Hobbies.
Unfortunately, Big Ye didn't really have a concept of those.
His life had been a rigid cycle: study, eat, study, eat, sleep... repeat.
As for me—
The anime and novels I knew were all from Earth. And I'm pretty sure none of them even exist in this world.
Aside from that one novel I'd read earlier today, I really didn't know anything.
I leaned back slightly into the couch.
The opening theme began to play.
She shifted just a little closer—not enough to make it obvious, but enough that the distance between us no longer felt quite so deliberate.
"So," she said, glancing at me, "have you seen it before?"
"...No."
"Good," she said, sounding pleased. "Then you get to experience it properly."
The light from the screen reflected faintly in her silver hair.
Just two people sitting on a couch, watching anime.
I'm not sure if I've ever felt as happy in my entire life as I do now, and that includes both lives.
This was the first time in years that I felt light and free, without a single real worry.
We watched a total of three episodes — though, to be honest, I didn't pay much attention to them. Not that I didn't enjoy them; the story was interesting enough. But there was something far better by my side.
I had learned my lesson after the embarrassment at dinner. Now, whenever I stole little peeks at her, I tried to be as quick and discreet as possible. Somehow, I felt this could become a hobby of mine.
Watching her completely absorbed in the screen — sometimes excited, sometimes emotional enough to cry, and then suddenly laughing again — I couldn't understand how someone could switch emotions so quickly. I decided to forget all my doubts and simply enjoy the moment, interacting with her when she called me over to explain something, or just quietly watching her focus on the screen.
Time flew by. The three episodes ended before I even realized it, and it was time for her to leave.
I went down to the ground floor with her. We talked about anime until the ETT( Easy Travel Transport, currently the largest transportation service in Huanxia) that she called arrive.
It didn't take long for the car to arrive. It was the same model I'd seen flying earlier today, fully controlled by an AI….
We said our goodbyes, and I returned to the apartment.
This was the first time I'd left the apartment since I transmigrated this morning. But… for some reason, I barely noticed my surroundings; my mind was still lingering over the past few hours. It wasn't until the system's voice pulled me back that I realized just how long I'd been lost in thought — back on Earth, I mean, Blue Star.
00:00 AM
Mission completion being calculated.
"Fuck… I completely forgot about the mission. I haven't even completed a single type of exercise."
Result: Failure
'Looks like i can only accept'
You will be teleported to the punishment area in 10, 9, 8...
"Wait wait wait—what do you mean with teleportation, I need to—"
7, 6, 5...
The apartment blurs. My body feels light. Wrong.
4, 3, 2...
The last thing I see is the balcony. The clean floor. The remnants of dinner on the table.
1.
The world vanishes.
00:01 AM
Ruins of Zarathen
Punishment time: 1 hour 59 minutes and 58… 57… 56…
Good Luck!
My first feeling… scorching.
BOOOOM!
I almost fell. The shockwave traveled through the sand, up my legs.
THUUUUD!
What—?
I turned, spinning like an idiot, trying to understand. Trying to see. But there was only sand. Dunes. And far ahead, shad—
SKREEEE!
Suddenly a sharp sound made me put my hands over my ears, but it didn't help. It was inside my head.
"Argh… what the hell is this?!"
Then I saw.
There.
90º West.
Two titans, each over ten meters tall, colliding like gods fighting.
One looks like a sand golem, the other, a deathworm.
Then again—
BOOOOM!
Everything shook.
"They're way too close for my fucking liking."
FWOOOSH.
Sand exploded everywhere.
"It's impossible. It's impossible."
"HOW IS THIS A PLACE THAT AN UNAWAKED HUMAN CAN SURVIVE?"
"SYSTEEM—"
BOOOOM!