[MICHAEL AROA'S POV]

..

..

Two weeks ago..

Down in the Basement..

"Wha.. is.. goig.. On?" I spoke as I soon lost my consciousness. My eyes closed on their own as the light falling on my eyes vanished and darkness took over them.

"Are you crazy or something?!!!" I heard a voice..

[Force Skill Activation: Seconds Space!!]

Then.. soon my vision returned, and I came back to a familiar place. It was my White room where I usually enter after using the [Second Space] Skill.

Though..

"What is going onaaaAAAAAA!!!!!!" my head started hurting as if hundreds of needles were planted from all directions into it. Shouting as loudly as I can, I couldn't even move my body as I fell down on the ground.

[Force Skill Activation: Advanced Mana Manipulation!!]

Despite going through the insane pain, I heard that message, and soon enough, the pain started lessening. Though the impact was still there as I lost my ability to think properly for the next few seconds.

Everything was confusing for no reason.

"Why am I standing up when I am standing up?" Stupid questions left my mouth as I tried to.. I don't even know what I was trying to do. I mean, I was trying to slap my buttcheeks from the back of my opposite hand.

Though it was only for a few moments before my sanity came back to normal.

"Ah!" Though as the sanity returned, so did the pain. But still.. it was less than what it was before. Much lesser than before.

Holding my head with my hand. I tried to look around to see what was going on.

"What happened.. How did I get here?" I asked myself as I tried to recall the memories. Honestly, things were all jumbled up a lot, and it was hard to concentrate on one thing.

For the next 2 or 3 hours, I just sat there trying to figure out something.. I don't know what I was trying to figure out, but I was really trying.

Then things started connecting slowly and slowly.. I started recalling bits of information. Things before the Apocalypse, the way I got the [System].

Then the thing about what happened after the Apocalypse, the way I survived, the way I saved Caroline.

Soon enough, I ended up recalling everything on how I used [Eyes of the Timekeeper(Multidimensional Vision)] skill to kill that C-Grade Zombie.

-Thud!

I fell on my back as I kind of understood what had happened before..

'But still, how did I end up here?' I questioned as I didn't remember using the [Second Space] ability.

"Rhea?" I questioned as I recalled someone shouting at me a few moments after I lost consciousness. The only one who had the ability to use my skills other than me was probably her.

"Ah! System," finally recalling something, I looked at the System Tab.

[Side Quest: Clear the basement (Completed)!]

[Golden Key to the Dungeon of Libra Received!]

'Good. Now I can finish that quest in one go.' I nodded with a smiling face as I looked at the Main Quest

historical

[Main Quest]

[Clear 3 Silver Ranked Dungeons or 1 Gold Ranked Dungeon

Reward: New Class]

"You look much better now," spoke a feminine voice as I got up and turned around to see a woman.. far more beautiful than I had ever seen. Standing at a distance in front of me.

She wore a black dress that complimented that white hair of hers. Her greenish azure eyes that felt crystal like, only increased her beauty.

"You look like you are dreaming? Is the effect still there?" she spoke as confusion and worry entered her eyes and she pondered with a bit of anxiety.

"Ah! I am fine.. it's just that.. you are too beautiful.." I spoke honestly. I didn't have any intention of flirting with her or anything. In fact, just by looking at her, I could tell that she was leagues away for me.

But still I couldn't help but speak out the truth to her.

"Oh! Is that so?" she smiled at me with a sigh of relief before speaking,"I guess you haven't seen any real beauties in your life, perhaps? Or maybe your world hasn't developed that much?"

I only kept observing her. Wondering who she was.

"Excuse me.. have we met before?" I asked, with a bit of confusion and curiosity.

"Hmmm? What are you talking about? Of course we have met before. I even showed you the whole [Shop], didn't I? Don't tell me you don't remember me?" She asked as worry filled her eyes again however..

"WHAT?!! R-R-Rhea?!!" I questioned as I looked at her and she breathed a sigh in relief,"so you do remember me. But then, why did you fail to recognize me? Should have been easy to connect the dots, no?"

Observing her, I just sighed before asking,"well.. forget about that. Tell me, Rhea. Were you the one who force summoned me here?"

Hearing my words, she nodded as she spoke,"you used a skill beyond your capabilities. If I hadn't brought you here, you would have died within the next few moments. Human mind isn't made to use that skill."

I just looked at her dumbfounded as I could only shut my mouth for a few moments before speaking,"Thank you, I guess."

"You are welcome, I suppose. Though I can't really do that all the time. This time was an exception, so don't go on getting in situations where your life gets in unavoidable dangers," she spoke with a worried look before observing my face as she asked,

"You seem to have a lot of questions.. Well, since it's the first time we are meeting in your room. I guess I can enlighten you a little. Tell me. What is in your mind?"

"A few questions only.. When I fought that zombie. I realized something.. they were evolving too fast. Adapting too fast. It hasn't even been a proper month and there is already a C-Grade Zombie.. At first I thought it was related to them being a failed scientific experiment or something but..

It is something bigger, isn't it?" I asked as I recalled that battle that took place a few hours ago.

"Yeah. It is. Though I can't tell you anything about it. You need to find out about it," she said with a sad expression. Since she didn't want to tell, I too didn't pry much into it.

"The other thing was.. this [System]. What is this? It is too powerful.. too strange.. I don't hate it but the fact that I know nothing about it.. sometime scares me," I spoke as I looked at her and she smiled as she spoke,

"Don't worry about it. The answers will come to you when the time comes. For now, all I can say is that you need not to worry. The one who bestowed the system on you.. he was.. he was one of the kindest souls in the universe."

There was a tinge of sadness in her eyes. There was a tinge of happiness on her lips.

"Was?" I questioned, and she just looked at me with a small smile without answering anything.

"Well.. there is this last thing that I wanted to ask. What is my purpose in all this? There is no free lunch. I-"

"Michael. Everything will be revealed to you in due time. If you get all the answers at once, you might not be able to handle it. Also.. I am not the one who has the answers to that. You are the only one who can find the answers to that," she spoke with a bitter look that never vanished from her face.

I could only look at her for a few moments before asking,

"So.. just answer me this, then. The one who gave me the System.. is he alive.. or is he dead?"

Her eyes turned out wide as she looked at me in stupefaction and disbelief. I could only sigh at her expression before I spoke.

"No wonder you kept saying that I need to find the answers myself.. because the one who was supposed to answer is.."

I trailed off as I sighed.

It was a blind guess, honestly. I mean.. there has to be a purpose for this.. but okay.. I guess I understand a little. A little maybe.

Normally it was the owner of System who needed to answer my questions or help me out.. or at least provide me a path. But here I was, with a system related to time and no fixed pattern.

With no guide or no explanation.

Even Rhea kept repeating that I need to find the answer myself.

"Well.. I guess.. I don't really know why you are not answering my questions or what is stopping you. And.. you know.. if I am the one who needs to find out the answer myself.. I guess I will do it myself then," I spoke with a determined face before I stood up.

Her eyes looked like they wanted to speak about a lot of things. Her face seemed like she didn't have a choice here. She did not know how to tell about it..

"It's fine. You don't have to force yourself here. You saved my life. At the very least, I can trust you a little, can't I?" I spoke with a bright smile, making her eyes wet a little as she nodded before replying,

"Thank you Michael. Thank you very much."

I nodded before speaking,"then.. since we can't go into the Grand topics.. let's start with the minor ones. How did I end up here?"

// The rest of the chapter is continued in the Author's notes//