Somewhere Isolated
The world shifted again for John.
Not with chaos.
Not with noise.
But with silence.
When his vision stabilized, he found himself standing in an empty field. No greenland crowd. No screaming humans. No angel.
Just open land beneath a pale sky.
And the man in the black suit.
Gob Adsnoc.
John adjusted his posture calmly.
"You kidnapped me."
Gob tilted his head slightly. "Transported. The word kidnapped carries emotional implications."
John's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why did you approach me?"
Gob studied him for a long moment.
As if measuring him.
Then he said something that did not belong in a normal conversation.
"I am a regressor."
John blinked.
"…What?"
Gob's expression didn't change.
"I have lived this timeline before."
The wind moved softly between them.
"I have seen the Three-Tailed Fox."
"I have seen Pangaea."
"I have seen what happens after."
John stared at him.
And for the first time since the tutorial began—
John Delgo looked genuinely shocked.
But what puzzled him the most, is why Gob bothers to tell him this.
---
Back to the Greenland
The timer in the sky ticked down silently.
[Timer: 23:12:47]
Ark was seated on the grass, keeping watch while the six teenagers slept close together.
Even in chaos, exhaustion won.
James stood a few meters away, staring at the opposite side of the field.
The other universe.
The other Earth.
Thousands of people stood there too, whispering among themselves.
James glanced back.
Ark was alert.
The teenagers were asleep.
Good.
He began walking toward the invisible midpoint between the two civilizations.
He stopped when he saw someone watching him.
A girl.
Black hoodie.
Short hair.
Sharp eyes.
She looked around his age.
Cautious.
James raised a hand slightly.
"I'm from the other side."
The girl hesitated.
Then stepped forward a little.
"…I'm from this side."
James gave a small smile.
"I'm James."
She paused, then said, "Vinni."
Her accent was slightly different.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
"What's your world like?" James asked.
Vinni shifted her weight slightly.
"It's basically the same as yours. Buildings. Cities. Governments."
She looked at the sky.
"The only difference is the name."
"Odenha."
James nodded.
"So, what's did you do before all this?"
She shrugged.
"I was just a gamer."
James smirked slightly. "Same."
She added, "But I played mostly VR."
James raised a brow.
"Class?"
She didn't hesitate.
"Ultra rare. Shadow Mage."
Interesting.
"What does it do?"
Vinni's lips curved slightly.
"I can enter someone's shadow."
James' eyes sharpened.
"And?"
"And reappear behind them."
"For assassination."
The wind shifted slightly between them.
James' mind ran calculations quickly.
Mobility skill.
Ambush class.
High lethality potential.
"What are your stats?" he asked casually.
Vinni told him.
They were solid.
Not broken.
But strong.
Before James could respond, she reached into her inventory.
She pulled out a small vial.
Red liquid.
She handed it to him.
James accepted it carefully.
---
[Item Name: ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Potion]
[Item Rarity: Unknown]
[Effect: Increase player's ■■■■■■■■ by 1%.]
---
James look at the potion description, he didn't understood any of it, but he stores it in his inventory just in case.
"What is it?" James asked.
"I got it after killing another player." Vinni then said.
Her tone was flat.
Honest.
James' fingers paused slightly.
He activated one of his passive effects quietly.
First Achiever — Title Detection
A faint system overlay appeared in his vision.
Above Vinni's head:
[> Title: The First Killer]
[Effect: Detect killing intent within 100 meters.]
James' eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
So she wasn't just a gamer.
She was someone who adapted fast.
And didn't hesitate.
She could detect killing intent.
Which meant surprise attacks wouldn't work on her easily.
James looked at her again.
Same calm face.
Same neutral expression.
Young.
But already stained.
Useful.
Very useful.
And very dangerous.
He handed the potion back.
"You're strong."
Vinni shrugged. "So are you."
The timer continued ticking above them.
Two worlds.
One field.
A boss in 23 hours.
And somewhere else—
A regressor was rewriting the script.