No hero stays a hero. When growing up, everyone would like to think of their parents as superheroes, but that hypnosis is dispelled soon after we are plunged into the world.

Everyone realizes at some point, definitely, at some point of their lives— “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

And at that moment, it would dawn on them. They didn't know what they were doing; neither did their parents, grandparents, and many generations of parents before them. Was everything a lie? Well, most people chose to stay content with the illusion, after all, if everyone does the normal, it may as well be correct.

But I don’t think I’ve ever met a hero. Maybe the closest one to that description would be him, but beneath that layer, all that bastard had was a desire I could only express as naive.

Still, I admit. He was an interesting person. His existence was a paradox I suppose. He was as otherworldly as it got without succumbing to the likes of a label. The best description of him was no description at all. Anything else would be a disservice rather than an homage to what he could have been able to do.

But If I were to specify something, it would be that stubborn naivety.

Most people grew up as they got wiser. Some didn’t grow up but grew down in terms of brain matter. And then there were people with child-like minds, the opposite of wisdom. But he was a mess of a person. He knew well of the repercussions, impossibilities, and consequences yet still chose to be naive up to his death. What can describe a person so wise and so stupid at the same time?

Like a skeptical theist who after enduring so many tribulations that questioned his belief, he stood his ground regardless, still choosing to believe in the existence that many others tried disproving with a more “logical” science. Through that unfaithfulness by entertaining critique, he showed me a faith I could respect. I could for once sympathize—and perhaps empathize—with that pathetic nihilism. It was an absurd claim, but I think it was true. The fact that his ideas and perverse beliefs have latched on and continue to live in my mind to this day was a testament.

Those ideals were a parasite.

But the scariest thing wasn’t that, but rather the fact I might actually agree with them. Those faint notions of “freedom.”

It was the singular concept that motivated me to live in my past life and still in this new life: I can do whatever I want; I could be free; I could live properly. But all that reward came at the cost of strength. I had some before, but that wasn’t enough to be free. Yet, the hope that came bundled up with those ideas of strength was doing anything other than crippling me. I had a feeling I was going to attain an answer in this life.

‘Void severing scripture.’

[Ejecting the book, Void Severing Scripture.]

[Will return to inventory after 5 seconds of no contact with the Host.]

I couldn’t exactly recall when I got this book, but I found it in the inventory. Like a game, there were transparent boxes on a screen that could store items. The system was a weird existence now that I thought about it. It was a being that could render things invisible to others and at the same time, exchange the intangible for the tangible.

This book manifesting itself in the palm of my hand was proof. It would seem to contradict physical phenomena and rules like the law of conservation of mass, but I doubt that. There was probably some underlying reasoning that required a deep comprehension of the essence of magic if I wanted to understand it.

The topic of magic wasn’t anything I was familiar with in the first place. Physics, mathematics, biomechanics, psychology, and whatnot were all things I excelled at. But magic was something I had just recently discovered sprouting from the depths of my ass crack. No one would have thought to peer into those crevices so it made sense why I was only uncovering the valuable cancer now.

The book with the ominous name, “Void Severing Scripture” held the darkest tone of black possible, making it look like a black void dancing about my hand. It was a black bible with textiles that were too rich to be manufactured in this world. Its cover was the simplest of all. No design or typography; only the eye-catching color.

Its pages, unlike normal books, were also dyed black.

In bloody words, the first page read, “TO MY ESTRANGED FRIEND”.

I was intending to read it before, when realizing I didn’t need to buy a book from the system. As for why I had this book in the inventory, who knows. Maybe it was a gift from the system or something of a darker origin.

Flipping the page once more, I was met with a blood-filled mess of red letters, all handwritten in script. And moreover, it was in an otherworldly language that only I could read. For how garbage of a language it was, the answer was English, the supremacist's mother tongue.

I read on and on, only thinking of the book and myself. At this time, I was isolated from my thoughts of the world. Maybe the world didn’t even exist. Either way, I could hang my mind off a cliff to feel the cold spring breeze passing, relieving me of my usual duties. What came would go, and what went would be forgotten.

This book was written very informally, like a letter to an old friend. A letter that recorded the wonders of a Fantasy. Magic, architecture, geography, species, and much more. It was all ceaseless exposition with occasional well-thought-out opinions on subjects. Whoever wrote this book was quite the ecstatic person. Like a child guiding a newly-made friend around the playground, it was that same explosion of wonder and curiosity that made the adventure bearable.

Dragons apparently did not exist in this world despite clear indicators of medieval fantasy. Elves technically did exist, but they went by another name: Niks.

This humanoid species had long ears. As for the purpose of this characteristic, it is said to improve hearing in muffled areas like thick forests or through walls per se. Their skin tones varied just like humans, but those of their species held no qualms over color, unlike the barbaric humans of this land who executed all those with pitch-black skin upon birth. Those newborns were said to have corrupted souls.

The humans of this world were no different from the general concept of the human in my mind excluding the exotic hair and eye colors. It did make me wonder if the world being described was also the world I was in.

Other than those two, there was one more intelligible species that was briefly glossed over.

“Daniel! It’s dinner time!”

‘Sam?’

I closed the book and slid it underneath the bed.

‘How did she get in?’

I made mandatory eye contact with the opened door.

‘Oh yeah, the doors don’t have locks.’

[Retrieving the book, Void Severing Scripture.]

Squatting up from the desk, I went to Sam trying to confront her as soon as possible so she couldn’t venture deep into my room. While I hadn’t had the chance to sleep in the room yet, the instinct of guarding territory kicked in. In essence, the dorm rooms were each reserved individually and were great enough to compete against high-end hotels if judging from my old world’s standards.

The place was empty and fresh, showing no signs of deterioration or habitation. If someone told me this establishment was built just yesterday, I may even believe it. The housing was luxurious for a student if you asked me. There was even a kitchen with a stovetop and a box, which I took as a refrigerator. I didn’t feel like wracking my brains to question why such things existed, but from what I can tell, the refrigerator had no electrical power cord meaning its source of energy was coming from somewhere else. The same was likely true for the stovetop.

“Come on, let’s go!” Sam said, leading me by the arm.

When we got out to the hallway, we saw a couple other guys heading out for the canteen. It was only with them as a reminder that I remembered that this was the male dormitory.

I looked at her who was facing away from me and then at her hand that was gripping mine.

Tugging it a bit, I noted once again that her strength was indeed ridiculous. That alongside some other reason I didn’t know about would probably explain how she could access the male dormitory. I probably shouldn’t think too hard about it.

After a decent walk to the main building with me acting like a yes-man along the way, we arrived at the cafeteria.

We ate a bit, I listened to her talk, and then that heterochromia girl came along whom I also just listened to conversing with Sam. From the gist of things, it sounded like the two were friends even though they had just met today. That was good.

I didn’t want the subtle reminders of my sociopathic potential every now and then since it was ugly. And the first step to solving the issue was for Sam to get a new pair of friendships and ditch me. Why? Because I frankly don’t want to give a shit about her. It’s like how some people couldn’t help but talk lightly with a cuter tone to babies and similar creatures. This pretense was tiring to keep up. I’d rather not talk at all if I had to be conscious of every little sound my mouth made.

Think about it.

How would you feel if an alien abducted and took your friend’s place as a human?—the obvious answer is that you’d fucking kill the alien; rat it out to the FBI or something. And after that, you’d feel ridiculous for not having realized it sooner. The guilt that came from not being able to tell the difference between your lifelong friend and a complete stranger was something that could wound anyone.

Of course, I didn’t give a damn about that part in particular. She could go to hell for all I care. What I was concerned about was being ratted out to the FBI. Not literally, but figuratively. I don’t think the FBI could touch me in this world, but there was bound to be a similar organization or danger.

All that hickory meant that I had to train, meaning I needed to train efficiently from now on.

I need to get in the right mindset as well as in the proper shape. The first step is strength, and if possible, information. After that, I’ll figure out the other steps.

So starting from today, I shall fast for the entire month to cleanse my body and sharpen my focus.