By the time I finally left the Great Hall, I was dazed, wandering aimlessly in search of my hostel.
Finding it turned out to be an adventure on its own. The campus was massive. People kept staring as I passed.
"Is that… Argemenes?"
"No way he's in the House Wing."
"He's supposed to be staying off-campus…"
I grit my teeth, shoved my hands into my pockets and pretended not to care. By the time I found the right building, my patience was hanging by a thread.
The hostel was ridiculous. I expected cramped dorm rooms with paper-thin walls, creaky floors, and fluorescent nightmares for lighting. Instead, I walked into what looked like a luxury apartment complex. There was a wide marble lobby, chandeliers glowing with steady Flux light and the faint scent of lavender floating through the air. The walls gleamed with polished stone and deep red carpets swallowed the sound of my footsteps.
"Is this really a hostel?"
It took another twenty minutes before I found my assigned room located on the third floor, Room 300. When I stopped in front of it, the door swung open with a faint chime.
This wasn't a room. It was a damn penthouse pretending to be student housing.
The living room alone was bigger than my entire apartment back on Earth with plush cream couches, low glass tables, warm lighting humming from Flux bulbs and a balcony with silver railings overlooking the university grounds. A wide rug spread across the floor.
"This is a… hostel," I repeated, still in disbelief. My old landlord would have fainted on the spot if he saw this. I was so caught up in the absurdity that I didn't notice I wasn't alone.
Someone else stood in the living room. He's a guy about my age with messy dark brown hair, nervous posture, and clothes that screamed "budget emergency shopping." His head was swiveling around the place like he couldn't believe the luxury either. When he noticed me, his eyes went wide.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, uh—! I'm sorry! My name's Caelith Eugene! I'm just… a Commoner Fluxer!"
"Okay?"
He bowed so fast I thought he woud snap his spine. "I-I must've gotten the wrong room! I was told to go to Room 300!"
"This is Room 300."
"Wait—what? Are... you sure?"
"Pretty sure. You weren't placed here?"
Caelith fumbled with a folded slip of parchment, the university seal stamped across it. He held it out to me like it was evidence in a trial.
"It says right here. Room 300, third floor."
One glance confirmed it. Great, a clerical error. He wasn't supposed to be in the House Wing. That's when the shimmer appeared.
---
[Three Questions: Passive Activation]
[Result: Caelith Eugene is NOT an Outer.]
---
Good. If this guy had been another Earth player and got assigned as my roommate, I would have been screwed. But Caelith was clean. He's just a nervous, over-polite Commoner who looked like he might melt if I stared too long.
"Well, if you were meant to be here, you might as well stay."
He blinked, like I'd just told him the sky was purple.
"But I'm a common Fluxer! You're… you're Phasnovterich Argemenes! The Houses don't live with—"
I raised a hand to shut him up.
"If you leave, where are you going to go? Sleep under a table in the dining hall? This place is massive. There's plenty of room for two people. And if the system messed up, that's on them. So relax."
He hesitated, face turning red.
"Th-thank you! Really, thank you, Lord Argemenes—"
"Phaser. Just Phaser, please "
He blinked again, then nodded so hard his hair flopped.
"Right. Phaser."
I brushed past him, heading deeper into the apartment. The hallway was lined two bedrooms, each with private bathrooms, plus a study and laundry room. When I stepped into mine, I stopped dead again.
Holy shit.
The place was already curated. Heavy curtains embroidered with the Argemenes crest were already set. A massive bed draped in silk sheets and velvet pillows, a desk stacked neatly with stationery, and a wardrobe already filled with clothes tailored to my measurements were here. The Argemenes staff must have prepared everything.
I ran my hand along the polished desk. Guilt prickled faintly. Caelith probably lived his entire life without even seeing something like this. Sharing a fraction of it was like handing him a golden ticket.
When I walked back into the living room, he was still standing awkwardly near the couch, too scared to sit.
"You know how to cook?"
"Uh... yeah? I helped my mom a lot back home. So… I guess I'm decent?"
I flopped onto the couch, stretching my legs out.
"Good. You're cooking from now on."
"W-wait, what? Like every day?"
"Yup. Don't worry, I'll cover ingredients, but I'm not touching the stove. If you're here, you might as well earn your keep."
Caelith's jaw dropped. Then, slowly, he laughed nervously and nodded.
"I… guess that's fair."
"Exactly. So relax, Caelith. You're not getting kicked out, and you're not going to get hurt. This place is big enough for both of us. Treat it like home."
For the first time, his shoulders loosened.
"Thank you, Phaser. Really. I'll do my best."
"Good. Start by making breakfast tomorrow. I'll skip lunch and dinner today. I'll just grab some snacks if I get hungry."
I sank deeper into the couch, staring up at the ceiling until the light blurred. When I blinked, it felt softer, like the room itself was coaxing me to calm down.
Weird.
It was already late afternoon. Somehow, the whole day had slipped away. Last night, I'd been on Earth. I was just another student reviewing internship notes. Now I was sitting on a couch worth more than everything I'd ever owned, in the body of Phasnovterich Argemenes.
It's a transmigration cliché. But real. Why am I not panicking?
Seriously, should've I have been curled in a corner, screaming about being trapped in a game world and terrified of dying for real? But I wasn't. I just felt… still.
My life on Earth hadn't been terrible . It was just painfully average. My foster parents were alive but distant. Doing business management as a course wasn't a dream. I had no purpose in life, honestly. If it hadn't been for Rina, I probably wouldn't have known what happiness even felt like. She was my childhood friend, next-door neighbor, and fellow MoDS addict. We spent hours gaming, arguing over routes and laughing about the dumbest dialogue choices. She was light in a gray, flat life.
And now, I'd never even visit her grave again like I did every year.
No tears came, only acceptance. If I couldn't go back, then I shouldn't waste time wishing for it. I should live.
Because here, I was younger. Phaser was two years younger than I'd been back home. He's stronger, wealthier and more powerful. He had status, influence and a path I could rewrite. The game gave him tragedy but I knew the mechanics. I knew how the arcs played out and I could change them.
I stretched my arms until my joints popped. The air smelled faintly of lavender and polished wood. It didn't feel foreign anymore. It felt… mine.
"Alright. Enough moping."
If I was going to survive, I needed to do more than sit around. I needed to know the campus, train and get stronger. Wasting a head start would be suicide. Caelith was still rummaging in the kitchen when I passed him.
"I'm heading out. Try not to burn the place down."
He sputtered something about not even knowing how the stove worked, but I was already gone.
The corridors were quiet. Afternoon sunlight spilled through tall windows, painting the floors in gold. Outside, the university grounds stretched endlessly with gardens, fountains and trees swaying in the wind. The paths were pale stone, branching toward lecture halls, libraries, and training fields. Students milled about, laughter and chatter in the air.
And, of course, the whispers followed.
"That's Argemenes."
"Don't look him in the eye."
"They say he only cares about his sister…"
I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets.
Xaessiarerich Vecria Argemenes is the infamous villainess. In the game, Phaser's entire existence revolved around her. He had a brother complex so intense it bordered on obsession.
No thanks.
I wasn't going to be her twisted lapdog like game-Phaser. If I saw her, I'd be civil, nothing more. I have my own story to write because the truth was, the University Arc was just the preparation stage before the bloodbath. It's a place to train, grind and grow stronger before the real chaos began.
I stopped by a fountain, watching the sunlight scatter through the spray. My reflection rippled back. Phaser's face was staring at me and somehow, it already felt like mine.
"I have to get stronger."
For the first time since waking up here, a spark of excitement stirred in my chest. Game or not, this was my life now and I wasn't going to waste it.