The sun hung bright in the sky.
Zayne grumbled as a ray of sunlight hit his face, forcing him awake.
"Uhn…" he groaned as he pushed himself upright.
With blurry eyes, Zayne looked around the room, trying to figure out where he was. Minutes passed as he sat on the edge of the bed, constantly massaging his eyes until he became fully conscious. Then—
"Shit!" Zayne cursed, his eyes widening. "How did I wake up so late?"
His words were filled with surprise as he noticed it was already very late in the morning. In fact, ever since he became a teenager—whether in this life or the past—Zayne almost never woke up late. He had trained his body and mind to wake at a specific time every single day without fail. So for something like this to happen now felt abnormal.
Then, as thoughts flashed through his mind, he figured out the reason.
"My mind and body must have been overdrained and exhausted these past few days," he murmured. "Transforming into a Ranger consumes both Omni-energy and my personal endurance. So it's not strange for my body to force itself to rest. I'll just have to adjust my schedule."
He understood that this was no longer his former world, where he worked mostly with his mind and rarely strained his body. This was a supernatural world—one he was tasked with protecting. As someone who started out as a normal human, his body and mind had no choice but to adapt to the circumstances before him.
Moreover, as he grew stronger, the drain would lessen significantly.
So he wasn't overly worried.
Getting out of bed, Zayne stretched, his joints popping softly under the pressure. He hummed as he opened the window, letting the sunlight fully illuminate the room. A smile bloomed on his face as a thought crossed his mind.
"I have a feeling today is going to be great."
He didn't know why he felt this way, but Zayne chose to trust that vague sense of reassurance.
Maybe his luck was unusually high today.
Wasting no time, he finished his chores quickly. Since he planned to go to school, Zayne naturally prepared himself. It took him no more than ten minutes to finish.
He was a man, after all.
(A/N: No offense to the ladies, but you use more time on everything.)
Zayne didn't forget to ask Kara about updates on the stocks he owned. He was, frankly, broke. The only reason he could sustain himself was because of the natural resources in the base. There were all kinds of exotic and rare dishes available there—some of them rare even across multiple galaxies.
Zayne couldn't sell them, as it would be asking for trouble or telling the world that he basically had a great secret. He didn't want complications from governmental and private forces on the planet. It would be extremely stressful.
After locking his door and making his way toward school, Zayne took a deep breath, a smile lingering on his face. Then, as if remembering something, his smile widened.
"Yes… the rewards," he thought happily. "Haha, how could I have forgotten?"
He had ignored them yesterday due to exhaustion, but now that he was feeling better, he couldn't just leave them hanging.
Without hesitating further, he commanded the Grid panel to appear before him.
[Inventory: Mission rewards (including battle records), Dragon Armor, Heart Herb… etc.]
Thankfully, both the records and rewards had been neatly stored in his inventory, making them easy to access. If the Grid simply handed out rewards without evaluation, it would feel lackluster. The evaluation process allowed him to identify his shortcomings and improve rapidly—whether in strength, leadership, or judgment.
It was virtually omnipotent.
As he mentally selected the reward section, a subsection panel appeared before him.
[Mission: Secure the Black Dino Gem and make Sensei Watanabe submit (Completed)]
[Time Limit: 7 hours]
[Evaluation:
Mission completed in 3 hours, far ahead of the time limit (S)
Negotiation failed due to the mental instability of the target. Purchasing a calming Zeo Crystal is advised to prevent future complications (B)
Target was subdued with force, resulting in a faster and more efficient solution (A+)
Dino Gem was successfully secured, but due to its weakened state, its full potential cannot be displayed. Nourishing the gem with a similar power source is advised (A)
Master successfully generated goodwill from Kanoi Watanabe, further elevating the mission's success (S)]
[Final Rating: A+
(Grid's Comment: Master completed this mission almost perfectly)]
Zayne was somewhat bewildered as he read through the evaluation. It felt extremely official.
"I always feel like the Grid evaluates me in such an exam-like way," he muttered, carefully reviewing each point and the final rating.
Still, he was very satisfied. The evaluation clearly reflected his growth, and having his efforts validated by a supreme force like the Omniversal Grid made him even happier.
Then his eyes shifted to the reward—no, the reward.
[Mission Reward:
Prehistoric Totem (SS-tier): A totem originating from the very source of the prehistoric era of the universe. It contains the souls of all creatures that once existed during that era. The totem can summon these souls in corporeal form to aid in battle. The stronger the power infused into the totem, the stronger the prehistoric creature summoned. Automatically soul-bound. Other uses may be explored by the Master.]
Zayne's mind went silent for a moment.
"W–What?!" his thoughts buzzed wildly. "This is absurd. Doesn't this mean the coming invasion is basically a guaranteed win?"
To be honest, Zayne had been deeply worried about the impending invasion by multiple forces. It was far more outrageous than the New York incident from the original Marvel timeline. Alien factions would be attacking Earth from all sides simultaneously. And with only the Avengers, the Rangers, and himself standing in opposition, victory was possible—but the cost would be catastrophic. Entire cities could fall. Countless lives could be lost.
Now, however, it seemed his luck had finally taken a dramatic turn for the better.
To him, this was the best reward he could have possibly asked for. Summoning creatures from various prehistoric eras to overwhelm and crush invading alien armies was nothing short of a dimensional reduction strike—an overwhelming force applied against enemies that relied on numbers and technology.
As he accepted the reward, a golden rune manifested within his mind.
It radiated an ancient chill and an oppressive presence that transcended anything Zayne had ever encountered. Staring at it for too long gave the unsettling illusion that the rune was constantly changing—one moment forming the silhouette of dinosaurs, the next morphing into dragons, then creatures even more alien and primal.
The pressure it emitted was overwhelming. Yet, because it now belonged to him, it remained docile within his consciousness. The only reason he could feel its weight at all was because the totem was revealing its true nature—just a fraction of its vast existence.
"Great. Today really is different," Zayne thought as a surge of heroic strength flowed through him.
The lingering worries in his heart finally dissipated as he continued on his way to school.
Twenty minutes later.
Zayne arrived at his classroom. Since he had come later than his usual schedule, most of the students were already present, seated and waiting for classes to begin.
His eyes quickly found his team. They were smiling, chatting casually among themselves. Zayne couldn't help but smile in return. They had all been training nonstop at the base for days, burdened by the same looming sense of incoming chaos. He had been worried about how to ease their minds, but now it seemed they had matured more than he had expected.
Still, he greeted them like any other normal classmate. Acting too familiar would feel out of place—and worse, it might draw attention from the hidden eyes within the school.
After that, he took his seat and pulled out his learning materials.
Minutes passed.
Ring!
The school bell rang, signaling the start of the day's classes.
The classroom door opened, and a female teacher walked in.
The room instantly went silent as all eyes turned toward her. Excitement and curiosity filled the air—everyone was eager to see their new teacher.
Everyone except Zayne.
"Uhh… not again," he muttered under his breath as he stared at the figure before him.
--- ✦ ---
These chapters are filler chapters, so they are short. Please bear with me for now, readers.