"Um…"
An unfamiliar ceiling. Was he in the boss's cabin?
Ravi sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Where am I? The last thing I remember… I was working on my computer."
Right! He had finally finished that project after working thirty days straight in the office.
A grin crept across his face.
"Ah… Tomorrow, I will slap my resignation letter to that damn boss."
A wide smile appeared on his face. "Sweet freedom."
But his smile faded as he looked around.
"But… where am I now?"
He scanned the room.
It was neat and clean, bigger than his apartment but oddly empty. A study table sat beside the bed, books piled haphazardly. In the far corner, there was a door leading to the washroom.
"This… this looks like a student's room."
He stood and cautiously called out:
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
But nobody answered.
"Um… No response." His gaze shifted to the door. "What..?! The door is locked from the inside."
He pondered for a few seconds and decided to go out.
He opened the door and stepped out.
His eyes widened, mouth falling open in shock.
"What is this place?"
He was on the 5th floor of a tall building. In front of it, there was a huge courtyard. He could see a few more similar buildings spaced apart, and a skyscraper stood one or two kilometers away.
The whole place was a blend of greenery and futuristic architecture. Drones hovered all over the place.
He had never seen anything like this in his life. The only thing he could think of was how he ended up there.
"Now I'm really freaking out."
Panicking, he walked to the next door and knocked gently.
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
His knuckles rapped against the door in quick succession, each knock louder than the last. His breath hitched.
"Excuse me! Is anyone there?" He swallowed hard, his voice trembling with urgency. "Please… I need help."
The door creaked open, revealing a teenager with a sleepy, annoyed expression.
"What is it?" the boy asked flatly.
Teenager? Was this a hostel? How the hell had he ended up here…?
"A-Ah, you know what place this is?" he whispered.
The boy gave him a weird look, then sighed.
"You don't know where you are? Did you hit your head last night or something?" His voice was loud and irritated.
"Don't bother me again."
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
"Tsk. Teenagers these days can't even show some respect to their elders," he grumbled.
"Fine. I'll stroll around and figure this out myself."
---
He walked around the dormitory carefully. Groups of teenagers were talking, laughing, and exercising.
It was definitely a hostel. But why the hell would anyone build something like this for kids? Even the top floors were crowded, students crawling around like ants.
He sat on a bench, watching people pass by.
One girl caught his attention.
She looked… familiar.
As she walked away, he narrowed his eyes.
Now that he thought about it, this whole place looked familiar. Where had he seen this before?
Nearby, a group of boys chatted. One of them stood out—
With a height of 178 cm, an athletic build but not bulky, and short, slightly messy black hair that he didn't care to style but always seemed effortlessly cool. His presence commanded attention.
"Hmm… That guy looks familiar too."
He leaned forward.
"What the hell is this place? Everything feels like déjà vu… Did I spend my childhood here?"
Suddenly, someone called out:
"Ren!"
The boy in the group turned and responded.
"Ren…?"
He froze. That name…
He reminded him of a novel protagonist.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Wait. That name… No. It can't be."
He stared at the boy.
"That… That's the name of the novel's protagonist."
He stumbled to his feet, panic rising.
"Don't tell me… This is impossible!"
He bolted back to his room, heart racing.
---
This couldn't be real. This only happened in novels. But this…
He slammed the door behind him and paced the room.
"How this place looks like the same in that novel adaptation." His chest tightened, breath quickening.
"Heh… no it is impossible."
"This is reality. Not some… isekai story."
Suddenly, a ding echoed in his head, and a glowing status window appeared before him.
> [You woke up earlier than expected.]
Welcome to Abyss Hunters Academy
His eyes widened.
"A status window? Hey! Send me back to my world, now!"
"I cannot survive here with this auto generated trash side character."
> [I cannot send you back. It is beyond my authority.]
[I am here to assist you.]
[If you need information, feel free to ask.]
"Enough with the crap! I know exactly how dangerous this world is—Abyssal breaches, sub-space anomalies, monsters that can wipe out cities! Just send me back before I end up dead!"
> [No information available.]
He clenched his fists.
"Calm down. It's not like my life back there was amazing anyway…"
He took a deep breath.
"Fine. How did I end up here?"
> [You have possessed the body of a boy from this world.]
Name: Damien Crestfall
Age: 17
He narrowed his eyes at the name.
"Crestfall… how this nobody has this family name."
Putting a finger to his lips, he whispered,
"Is he a bastard child… no, no, why would someone give the family name?"
"Who is this guy?"
"I've never read about him in the novel. Don't tell me… Is he one of those auto-generated background characters?"
He groaned.
"Of course. No overpowered hero body for me. Just a random nobody."
"Fine. Tell me about his powers and past. I need to figure out how to survive!"
> [Synchronization in progress. Full access to memories and powers will be available in 24 hours.]
"Tsk. Guess I'll sleep. Maybe I'll wake up back at my desk…"
---
A Few Hours Later
He woke up.
"Still here… Was it all a dream?"
He closed his eyes and tried again.
Another few hours passed.
He woke up again.
"When will this damn dream end?" he shouted.
Ding!
> [Synchronization completed.]
[You now have access to this body's memories.]
His head throbbed as flashes of memories overwhelmed him.
He started watching some flashes of weird memories which he never his.
"You're amazing."
"We have great expectations for you."
"Sayuri, you should learn from him."
"He's so talented…"
"How incredible will he be after awakening?"
The voices were warm—proud, almost hopeful. He saw glimpses of a smiling boy excelling in academics and sports. Friends and family cheered him on, and for a moment, there was a familial warmth blooming in his chest.
But then the tone shifted.
"You failed to awaken."
"You're a disgrace to this family."
"Father, please… give me another chance!"
"You are no longer my son."
"Sayuri, thank goodness you didn't end up like him."
"You are trash, brother."
"You're not worthy of being my rival."
All those words hit like a hammer, and a wave of emptiness crashed over him.
Flash Ends
"Wow… An auto-generated character with that much emotional baggage?"
He chuckled bitterly.
"Poor guy."
"But…" His face darkened.
He was more concerned about his own survival here.
"Hey, system! I take it back! Send me back now!"
> [Request denied.]
[As compensation, you have been granted an additional power: Eye of the Observer.]
"Oh joy. What does it do?"
> [You can observe anyone's stats.]
"Great. See stats… and then run. Yep. I'm doomed."
He activated the ability on himself.
> [Status Window]
Name: Damien crestfall
Age: 17
Strength: 5
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 6
Awakened Status: Awakened
Power: Awakening
"Wait… Awakened?
But… from his memories, he was treated as unawakened. System, explain!"
> [He was awakened, but his power is complex and misunderstood.]
"Complex? What kind of power?"
He read the description:
> [Awakening: Cherishing an object for 100 days will unlock a unique power.]
He stared blankly.
"Cherishing objects…? Seriously? While everyone else is out there wielding swords and magic, I'm supposed to babysit a rock for 100 days?"
He sighed.
"Fine. Anything for survival… I guess."