[ Tuesday, 11:27 AM — Astharist Building Upper Complex ]
After leaving the couch, Kyle eventually made his way toward the study connected to his private residence.
The room itself was large.
Far larger than what most people would consider a study.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked a large portion of Varen City while shelves filled with books lined the surrounding walls.
At the center of the room sat a large desk.
And currently...
That desk was covered with documents.
Kyle stared at them for several seconds.
Then sighed.
"...I should've stayed at Grandma's place."
Unfortunately...
Reality didn't seem to agree.
Ever since entering his third year at university, William had gradually started involving him in various matters related to Mercer Co.
Not anything important.
At least...
That was what his father always claimed.
In reality, Kyle was fairly certain that reviewing dozens of reports every week wasn't exactly a small responsibility.
The strange part was that William never forced him.
If Kyle truly wanted to spend the entire day playing games or sleeping, nobody would stop him.
His father certainly wouldn't.
The old man spoiled him far too much for that.
Which was exactly why Kyle eventually gave up resisting.
Because whenever he complained, William always gave the same answer.
"You don't have to do it."
Then five seconds later—
"But you'll inherit it eventually."
And somehow...
That one sentence always managed to kill every argument Kyle had prepared.
"...Manipulative old man."
Kyle muttered quietly.
His university situation wasn't much different.
Most people his age worried about attendance.
Kyle worried about remembering when exams were happening.
The university itself belonged to a group partially controlled by Mercer Co.
As long as he maintained acceptable grades and appeared for examinations, nobody particularly cared where he spent the rest of his time.
Not that Kyle abused the privilege much.
He still occasionally attended classes.
Mostly because Adam would endlessly complain whenever he disappeared for too long.
And sometimes...
It was simply nice pretending to be normal for a few hours.
Unfortunately...
Today wasn't one of those days.
Today was document day.
Kyle lazily sat down before picking up the first report.
The title alone nearly put him to sleep.
"Regional Logistics Expansion Proposal."
"...Who comes up with these names?"
For several minutes, only silence filled the room.
Pages turned.
Documents moved.
Notes were written.
And surprisingly...
Kyle didn't actually perform badly.
While he often complained about the work, he had spent years learning beside William.
The old man had many flaws.
But teaching wasn't one of them.
Eventually another document found its way into Kyle's hands.
This one involved a technology company Mercer Co. was considering purchasing.
Kyle quietly read through several pages.
Then paused.
"...No."
He immediately grabbed a pen.
A short note appeared beside one section.
< Financial projections appear intentionally inflated. Verify independently. >
After writing it down, Kyle placed the document aside.
Several more reports followed afterward.
At some point, one of the staff members delivered lunch.
At some point, coffee replaced water.
And before Kyle even realized it...
Nearly half the pile had disappeared.
"...Progress."
Kyle muttered quietly.
Outside the window, the city continued moving as usual.
For the first time in several days...
Things almost felt normal again.
Then—
Kyle's hand suddenly stopped moving.
A familiar sensation brushed against his consciousness.
His expression immediately changed.
Asteria.
Almost instantly, Kyle recognized the source.
Ever since increasing synchronization earlier that morning, his connection with Asteria had become far clearer than before.
The sensation only lasted for a brief moment.
Then disappeared.
Kyle frowned slightly.
The feeling itself wasn't unusual.
What felt unusual...
Was how unclear it had been.
Compared to the vivid sensations from earlier, it almost felt as though something was interfering with the connection.
The thought lingered in his mind for a moment.
Then eventually, Kyle returned to his work.
Perhaps it was simply because he thought it wasn't something worth paying attention.
Several more minutes passed.
Another report was finished.
Then another.
And just as Kyle reached for the next document—
The sensation returned.
This time...
Something about it felt wrong.
Kyle slowly lowered the document in his hands.
The feeling only lasted for a moment.
Yet compared to before...
It felt noticeably stronger.
Almost as if something was interfering with the connection itself.
His expression gradually became serious.
Asteria.
Almost immediately, his thoughts drifted toward the device he had left behind in the living room.
The sensation returned once more.
Stronger than before.
And this time...
It refused to disappear.
Without hesitation, Kyle pushed his chair back and stood up.
The unfinished reports were forgotten entirely.
Whatever was happening...
It had something to do with Asteria.
And that alone was enough.
A few moments later, Kyle stepped out of the study and made his way back toward the living room.
The moment he entered—
His footsteps slowed.
The device remained exactly where he had left it.
Resting quietly beside the couch.
Yet a faint silver glow now illuminated the surrounding area.
Far brighter than before.
Kyle immediately approached.
And the moment his gaze landed upon the screen—
A notification appeared.
< Warning >
< Foreign Presence Detected >
Kyle froze.
"...Foreign presence?"
Before he could process the meaning behind those words—
Several additional notifications rapidly followed.
< Warning >
< World Boundary Integrity Decreasing >
< Warning >
< Unknown Entity Approaching >
Kyle's brows slowly furrowed.
This was the first time he had ever seen notifications like these.
The familiar world displayed on the screen continued moving peacefully.
Yet the warnings continued appearing one after another.
Then—
The device suddenly trembled.
Kyle's expression changed instantly.
For the first time since obtaining it...
The device itself had reacted.
The vibration lasted only a second.
Then another notification appeared.
< Emergency Event Triggered >
< Please Choose An Appropriate Response >
Before Kyle could react—
Several options appeared beneath the notification.
< Observe >
< Intervene >
< Ignore >
"...What?"
Kyle instinctively straightened.
This was new.
Never before had the device directly asked him to make a choice.
Not during Yggdrasil's appearance.
Not during the dragon's evolution.
Not even when synchronization increased.
Yet now...
It was asking for his decision.
And for some reason...
Kyle suddenly had a very bad feeling about all of this.
For less than a second, Kyle hesitated.
Then he made his decision.
< Intervene >
The moment the option was selected—
The entire screen erupted with light.
A new notification appeared.
< Intervention Authorized >
Before Kyle could react—
Several unfamiliar options rapidly appeared before him.
< Repel >
< Erase >
< Seal >
< Observe >
Kyle's eyes widened slightly.
Yet before he could select anything—
A violent tremor ran through the device.
The warning notifications immediately turned crimson.
< Warning >
< Intervention Failed >
"...What?"
Kyle froze.
Another notification appeared.
< Authority Insufficient >
For a brief moment...
Silence filled the room.
Then—
The synchronization violently surged.
Far stronger than anything Kyle had experienced before.
The crack expanded.
And something crossed through.
The screen flickered violently.
Warning notifications flooded the display one after another.
< Foreign Presence Confirmed >
< Emergency Event Escalating >
< World Stability Decreasing >
Kyle's expression gradually changed.
Because for the very first time...
The device had failed.
And whatever had entered Asteria...
Was already inside.