“Ethan?”

His steps came to a halt and his body shuddered a little as he heard a voice calling out for him.

He turned around to see a woman walking towards him in a black skirt and a floral patterned shirt, gold-rimmed glasses above her nose, and a black handbag hanging from her left shoulder. She was looking at him with a frown on her face.

Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that swung as she walked. Ethan just stood there with a blank expression on his face, but his heart was racing faster.

When he saw the woman approaching him, he imagined two figures merging into one. One had blonde curly hair, was dressed in a green robe, and held a staff in her hand, and the other was the woman in front of him.

“Sylv,” he muttered quietly.

But he knew they were not the same; one was the Holy Daughter of the Temple of Nefetera, and the other was the guest lecturer at this university.

After a while, the woman came to a halt in front of him and stared at him intently.

One could also see a tinge of anger and disappointment on her face, but she took a deep breath and said.

“Why did you run out of the class?”

“I remembered something important,”

She frowned as she heard his answer and shook her head. “I know a lot has changed since your parents passed away, and I also know you have enough money to live your life freely. But don’t give up hope. I remember you being so enthusiastic about the history of our world that you forced the Dean to attend my class. But.” She paused for a moment.

“Anyway, I can forgive you for what you did in class, but you must join my team.”

“Team?” Ethan frowned. But then he remembered that the university was selecting a few students to join the exploration team as interns.

Archeologists from all over the world will gather at the new site where ancient ruins have been discovered.

It was then the image of the ruins flashed through his mind, and he blurted out immediately.

“When?”

When she saw his reaction, she smiled slightly. “A month. The preparations will take at least a month.”

Ethan gave a nod. “Okay. I’ll be joining the team.” Even he was curious as to why those ruins resembled the structures of the Ebeisia. It can’t be a coincidence that he ended up in this world.

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said while waving her hand. But Ethan interrupted.

“Where are you going?”

“My room,” she said, but her eyes were puzzled as she looked at Ethan.

“I will drop you off,”

She hesitated for a moment, looking up to see that the sky had almost darkened, but she eventually nodded.

“Fine,”

“My car is parked in the parking,” Ethan said with a slight smile.

The woman chuckled slightly, and they began walking together without saying anything.

While they were walking, Ethan couldn’t help but think about his time in Ebeisia. The world was so chaotic that peaceful moments were a luxury.

He cast a subconscious glance at the woman next to him. A strand of hair hung in front of her eyes, but she didn’t seem to mind since she appeared to be lost in some thought.

Ethan flinched slightly, but took a deep breath and stared straight ahead. They appeared to be the same, but he knew they were not.

They arrived at the parking after a short walk, with Ethan walking towards a black BMW SUV parked at the corner. And the woman followed him.

He opened the passenger door, allowing the woman to enter the vehicle, and then sat in the driver’s seat.

“Just tell me the route,” he said, looking at the woman, who was fiddling with something in her handbag.

The woman looked surprised for a moment before nodding, “Umm.”

Ethan gave her a quick glance before starting the car and driving out of the university.

.............

Illuminated skyscrapers stood tall on both sides of a brightly lit broad road.

A black BMW zoomed past many vehicles on its way to its destination.

As he drove, he noticed huge electronic and printed billboards advertising the launch of the game Defeat the Overlord.

According to reports, the game’s launch was the biggest of any product in the industry. Arcanum Solutions has spent billions of dollars on promotion.

But the promotion was a success, as it became the talk of the town in every nook and cranny. Since the game was said to revolutionize the way we see the world, the company has sold millions of game pods designed specifically for the game.

They even catered to every segment of society. Traditionally, VR games were thought to be a game for the rich. They did, however, create lower-end pods that the lower classes of society could purchase.

Many large corporations and industries were also anticipating the game’s release. It is claimed that it will generate additional sources of income for everyone.

But even though the game was said to be huge, Ethan’s mind kept returning to the word OVERLORD. The entire world of Ebeisia was engulfed in the war because of the OVERLORD.

He turned around subconsciously to look at the woman beside him, who was fiddling with her phone.

He cast a quick glance at her phone before returning his gaze to her.

She seemed to be chatting with someone. But Ethan asked her abruptly.

“What do you think about this game?”

“Huh?” She looked at him, puzzled, before looking out the car window at the massive billboards.

“Oh, this? I’m not sure, I’m not a fan of games, “ She said as she looked back at him.

“Hmm, you should give it a shot. Maybe you’ll find something interesting.” He smiled and returned his gaze to the road.

Her eyes narrowed as she locked her gaze on Ethan before smirking, “Okay. I’ll try.”

After driving for a while, the car stopped in front of a ten storied apartment.

The woman quickly kept her phone inside her handbag, unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out of the car.

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled as she closed the car door and began walking towards the apartment.

Ethan didn’t move right away; his gaze was fixed on the woman until she entered the apartment.

“Anna Roselyn,” he muttered as he started the car and drove away.