Chapter 280: Trial



Веер! Beep!

The blaring horns of cars jolted my senses, filling the air with a cacophony of city life.

“Ah, what should we get today?”

“Huh? We need to get them ready then.”

“Mom? Yeah, I’ll be home late tonight.”

“Hey! Stop the bus!”

Everywhere I turned, voices of people busily going about their lives filled the atmosphere. Lively chatter echoed from all corners of the street.

It was… a busy street?

The traffic lights flickered between green and red, dictating the flow of pedestrians and vehicles.

People crossed the road in waves, a constant ebb and flow of movement.

The sight was almost overwhelming.

My eyes squinted as a strange sense of disorientation washed over me.

This is…

-PUCK!

Something small and solid struck the side of my left leg.

“Ah, I’m sorry, mister!”

I looked down to see a young boy, holding a ball in his hands, bowing in apology. His friend stood beside him, mirroring the gesture.

“Hey, I told you not to throw it too hard, right?” his friend scolded.

Before I could respond, they darted off toward a nearby park, their laughter fading into the distance.

-Bark! Bark!

A familiar sound reached my ears, pulling me further out of my daze. I turned toward the source, my heart skipping a beat.

Below me stood a young German Shepherd, wagging its tail excitedly.

“Bear?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

-Bark!

The dog barked again, confirming my suspicion.

I raised my head, scanning my surroundings in growing confusion.

What greeted me was a forest of towering skyscrapers stretching toward a bright, cloudless sky.

Glass windows glinted in the sunlight, reflecting the bustling energy of the city.

This is…

‘My previous world?’

….

“As always, thank you…”

“No, it’s fine. Walking Bear was fun.”

“Hoho, you really are a kind young man,” the elderly woman chuckled warmly, her wrinkled face glowing with gratitude. “Why don’t you join us for dinner? My husband is quite the cook, you know.”

I scratched the back of my head, smiling politely. “No, no, it’s fine. I actually have some other plans, you see…”

“Is that so? That’s too bad…” Her smile faltered briefly, but she quickly masked her disappointment. She leaned down to pet Bear, “Let’s get inside now, shall we, Bear?”

-Bark! Bark!

The dog wagged its tail and barked enthusiastically, clearly ready to follow her.

I waved goodbye as they disappeared into their modest home.

My gaze lingered for a moment before turning toward my own destination-the door to my apartment.

It wasn’t much to look at, a place that could only be described as “functional.”

Situated on the fourth floor of an aging apartment complex, the exterior bore the scars of time-peeling paint and rusted railings.

The view from up here wasn’t what anyone would call breathtaking, but it served its purpose.

The city stretched out below me, a maze of bustling streets and neon lights.

The distant hum of life carried through the cool evening air, punctuated by the occasional laughter or honking horn.

Above, the stars peeked through a thin veil of clouds, their faint glow competing with the artificial lights of the city.

It was dark now.

People were retreating into their homes, ending their day as the night began to settle in.

‘This really was my old world…’

Everything I’d seen today confirmed it.

The familiar streets, the faces of my neighbors, even the mundane daily routines-it was all exactly as I remembered.

Walking through this city during the day had stirred a strange mix of nostalgia and unease.

But as I stood here, staring at the faint glow of my apartment’s window, a nagging question weighed heavily on my mind.

Why am I here?

“System…?”

[…]

“Other Me?”

[…]

No answers, huh? I sighed, shaking my head.

Well, it wasn’t like I expected much to begin with, but it wouldn’t kill them to at least inform

me what the hell I was supposed to be doing here, right?

A little heads-up would’ve been nice.

Letting out another sigh, I headed to the fridge.

Inside, I found the usual-a few cans of energy drinks, a carton of fresh milk, and some

leftovers from the last meal I apparently cooked.

I stared at the food, a wave of self-reproach washing over me as I remembered just how

terrible I was at cooking.

Most of what I made was edible-barely-but the presentation?

A disaster every single time.

The chicken curry sitting in its container didn’t smell bad, but… well, let’s just say it looked

like something that shouldn’t be served to humans.

-Grumble-

Not that I had any room to complain.

My stomach didn’t care about appearances, and I wasn’t exactly in the mood to whip up

something new.

I grabbed the container and tossed it into my almost-dying microwave, setting the timer with

a resigned sigh.

“This might take a while…”

While the microwave buzzed faintly, I made my way to the small couch in the center of the

room.

It was worn down, with a suspicious stain on one of the armrests, but it was mine. Grabbing

the remote, I turned on the TV, hoping to kill some time.

“Oh my, oh my! Kevin just won-“

-Beep!

“The city of 1-“

-Beep!

“Would you look at this-“

-Beep!

“Luminous stars discovered near-“

-Beep!

“For today’s trending news: King Dumen of Mars has now publicly announced his ruling heir

-Beep!

I turned the damn thing off.

As always, nothing but convoluted nonsense spewed from that screen.

Politics, celebrity drama, sensationalist headlines-it was all noise.

The kind of noise that made you feel more tired than entertained.

Leaning back into the couch, I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts drifting. This mundane scene

-this life-felt so… disconnected. Like I was here, but not really.

Let’s set the facts straight for now.

One thing was clear-this was a trial. The initial system notification was proof enough of that.

While the exact mission remained unclear, the very nature of a trial meant there was an objective, something to achieve in order to proceed.

In the game, trials like this were structured as challenges presented by legendary figures or

beings from the world’s past.

Each challenge served as a test of your abilities, a gauntlet to be overcome.

Winning meant reaching the end of the road-a path that symbolized not only your

perseverance but your worthiness.

And at the end of that road?

A wish granted by the goddess herself.

Of course, in the game’s lore, these so-called “wishes” were more of a narrative device, with

the actual rewards implemented as predetermined options within the gameplay. Players could choose from over a hundred potential rewards, ranging from legendary

weapons to massive stat boosts, or even unlocking cheat-like abilities that perfectly complemented your build.

For anyone playing, it was a guaranteed way to power up.

Even if the rewards varied, the road ahead always resulted in some kind of significant improvement-whether it was a critical item, an ability, or a stat upgrade.

That was why I had chosen to cross the road that led to the [Tempest Sword].

A cheat-like item, the Tempest Sword was a no-brainer for me.

It guaranteed a solid stat boost without compromising my current build and, more importantly, was a weapon capable of dealing damage to most of the epilogue bosses. Given its utility and power, it was the best option available.

Besides, I was expecting to face the trial of the world’s first ascended being right off the bat.

But… looking around now, that clearly wasn’t the case.

The surroundings were nothing like what I had envisioned for the Tempest Sword’s trial.

No ominous arena, no overwhelming divine presence—just an eerie, misplaced normalcy.

It was also becoming more obvious that the other Riley might have something to do with this

divergence.

His cryptic remarks and the system’s silence only confirmed that theory.

Still, I doubted I’d get a clear answer from him, even if I asked.

His tendency to withhold information was becoming a frustrating habit. Which meant one thing: I’d have to figure this out on my own.

That said, there was still the possibility that the goddess herself was involved in all this.

After all, she had briefly made contact with me before, and considering the peculiarities of my

situation, it wasn’t out of the question that she had a hand in this deviation from the expected trial.

“Haaah…”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I scratched the back of my head as the microwave dinged in the background, signaling that my “dinner” was ready.

Walking over, I retrieved the somewhat edible dish I’d heated up. It wasn’t gourmet cuisine by any stretch of the imagination, but right now, I’d take what I could get.

But then, as I absentmindedly glanced around, my gaze fell upon my reflection in the broken,

large mirror.

A jagged web of cracks ran across its surface, remnants of a punch that had left its mark long

ago.

The shattered glass distorted the room around me, scattering fragments of my tiny

apartment in chaotic patterns.

Yet, despite the cracks, my face was reflected with unnerving clarity-almost as if the mirror

was mocking me by preserving just that part intact.

I stood there, wearing the same black jacket I always wore, with a plain white shirt

underneath and black pants to complete the look.

My eyes widened in surprise as I really looked at myself.

“Ah…”

I muttered softly, the sound barely leaving my lips.

Having lived in the other world for more than ten years now, I’d completely forgotten about

this.

The man staring back at me had long, black hair cascading down to the nape of his neck, disheveled but somehow neatly framing a face that told a thousand stories of exhaustion.

His blue eyes were dull, lifeless-devoid of the spark of ambition or hope.

Dark circles beneath them stood out, bruised and heavy, each one a silent testament to the

stress and depression that had long since claimed him.

This was the original me.

A man who looked like he was on the brink of collapse-desperate to die, yet still somehow

clinging to life.

“Haah…”

I was once again reminded of who I really was…

I exhaled shakily, staring into the reflection of a life I thought I’d left behind.

It was strange, almost surreal, seeing this version of myself after so long.

“Han…”

The name escaped my lips like a forgotten relic of another time.

This was me.

The original me.

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