Chapter 3 Re-Check

June 28, 2033

In a room with not-so-bright lights, a boy changed his clothes as he was listening to the doctor who seemed to be talking seriously to him.

"Please avoid going to that dangerous place again, if you go there again you will threaten not only yourself but the city's border guard troops."

The boy seemed to nod his head.

"Thank you so much, doctor."

The boy kept on buttoning his clothes. Beside the boy was a woman who incidentally was his mother, who thanked the doctor.

While they were talking, the boy looked out the window at the sight of the city from his house which looked like a flat. With the clouds moving and the sun shining quite hot, everything looked peaceful, even though the world he knew now was not that peaceful.

"This sight — I could never imagine being able to see such a different distant sight like this."

2033.

Every time he checked an object that looked like a digital watch that was coiled on his left hand, he was surprised by the year and date.

Appears in the future, in a different person's body.

His death from the battle with the knights may have been hundreds of years ago and might not have happened in this world. He even thought that if he entered into a world that he never thought existed before.

Now, there were only mutants and infected, and the remaining humans had to survive or do something so they wouldn't become extinct.

"I've been in the future where humanity is on the edge. I'm also not in Arnold Weige's body, a forty-year-old Archmage but in Gyan Zane's body who is still nineteen years old.

He looked at his mother seriously after her mother escorted the doctor out of the house.

"Mom, can I take a walk to town? I promise to be careful"

Her mother's face looked worried, but she seemed to know that she couldn't hold back a stubborn Zane.

"Mom, please?"

"Okay. However, you must obey your mother's advice this time. You will no longer go down that hole. Before that, you have to give these two provisions to your brother and sister."

Zane stared at the two large packages his mother had given him.

"Surely they will mock me again this time"

The complaint in Zane's heart is not without reason. Several years ago, when he was ten years old. A mysterious explosion ravages the earth. Make half the inhabitants of the earth die, including humans. However, all that remains is hell on earth. Humans are forced to survive by other living creatures that mutate.

On the other hand, the remaining humans who are still alive are divided into two groups. Awaken with combatant abilities or not at all.

Zane's father did not survive the explosion. Zane's mother had to struggle hard to support her three children until she found out that two of her three children became awakened.

Zane's sixteen-year-old sister and twenty-four-year-old older brother were even the people on the frontline to fight infected and mutants.

"I want nothing but for you to stay healthy."

Zane heard his mother's soft voice when he opened the door of his house—

"I understood after seeing you when you stared at the package. I know you don't have abilities like them, but one thing is for sure you are still special in your mother's heart."

The words that appeared suddenly from his mother's mouth made him smile bitterly until he closed the door of his house.

His previous mother in the magic world was too cold and too strict. But when he was in this world, he felt something different from the woman that he now considered his mother. A feeling of comfort and warmth enveloped him when he was around her.

"I'm not going to make her worry anymore," said Zane while calling someone with a digital watch in his left hand.

…

Zane enters a building which incidentally is where the city protection organization gathers. The townspeople call it Legion. It is similar to a guild hall. there are many legions inside this legion hall. Zane seemed to be looking for someone familiar to him. Several eyes looked at him sharply.

"I must have heard when I accidentally entered the hole that it had reached their ears," he complained.

"Don't think about it anymore"

Someone seemed to pat Zane's back. She is a man named Glenn, Zane's brother. Together with Lila, their youngest sister, Gleen is also one of the famous city guardians.

Zane handed the two parcels to him, "Mom wants you guys to enjoy this. Eat it while it's warm"

Now Glenn was glaring at his younger brother." Lila's words were true. Zane, I feel that you've changed."

"How?"

"You speak differently these days. More politely, I suppose."

[Right, that must be why Lila seemed a little taken aback when I first spoke to her when she found me in that hole].

"You're like a totally different person."

"Well." He wondered what he should say. "I've just decided to change."

"Changes?"

"Yeah." He whatever was said popped into his mind, but it was partly true because he was still Arnold, not Zane. It was not possible to be like Zane completely, as he didn't know what Zane was like, to begin with.

His Brother hugged him all of a sudden.

"W-what?" he asked, quite surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Zane?" he continued, "No matter how you change, you know we always love you."

"OK…"

"Good. That's all we need to know as long as you don't do anything bad and we stay close to each other."

"I understand."

"Good. You're the only one we care about." he released him after he heard his answers.

"Actually, I need to go somewhere," Zane said as he checked his digital watch.

"Where? Don't you dare to go to that hole again!"

"Of course not. Don't worry. I'll be right back before dinner. You can go back to your work." As he said this, he walked away.

"Then don't be late." Glenn waved at him.

With Glenn's voice far behind him, he shook his head sideways.

"That always gives me goosebumps."

He was still not used to his new family's affectionate expressions that sometimes came so suddenly. He wasn't sure how to react to it.

Of course, he didn't dislike it. Rather, it made him feel good.

"Rights! I don't have much time before dinner." He planned to go back home before Lila, her mom, and his old brother came back from work; he didn't want to make them worry.

Using his digital watch app, he navigated toward his destination, although it took him a long time. The place he arrived at turned out to be an alley inside a small residential area.

"Ah, finally you came."

"That was so fast."

Some guys in a shaded spot beckoned him to come near. All five of them were around Zane's age.

"Are you guys the people I've been looking for?" Zane asked as he checked his digital watch.

"What are you saying?"

"I guess I'm right."

As Zane approached him the five people began to approach him. Some of them started pushing Zane down an alley and one of them started grabbing his collars

"I heard you've been found unconscious. What a shame"

"We want to see you badly"

"We are a little strapped for cash these days. Can you help today?"

"Are you fucking ignoring us, asshole?"

"Come right away, otherwise we'll make you unconscious this time.

They were all so mean. They didn't seem to care if he called the city guardians.

It wasn't the first time, anyway. He could see how they bullied Zane.

He had learned from his mom that Zane dropped out of high school for non-awaken. Perhaps those guys were the main reason for that.

"Did you bring my money or were those mana stones?"

[So Zane was supposed to bring some money or these something called mana stones to them.]

"Sure. I should also get rid of all the scumbags like you."

"What the fuck?"

"I can't believe this."

"Have you gone crazy?"

One of the guys nearest to Zane swung his fist.

Then, all of a sudden, "AHH!"

Zane snatched his fist and twisted it. The man screamed, looking at his broken wrist.

"What the—?"

While the rest of them were caught off guard, Zane had already become aware of his surroundings. There were no passersby who could witness anything and no surveillance cameras. That was probably why they had called him here in the first place.

"Don't worry. I'll make it quick." He walked toward the now frightened boys.

***

Ah…

Ahhhh…

It felt nice to beat up all the bullies who were now squirming in pain like worms.

That was easy.

It was nothing to him. He had been through much harder fights countless times before, as it was important for a magician to practice fighting in order to defeat knights without magic. Comparing this to those occasions, those five bullies did not have any special fighting skills; they were absolutely nothing.

Of course, Zane must have been the same as them, helpless and weak, but after that Arnold's reincarnation happened; basic experience and insight made a huge difference.

He could tell how ruthlessly they must have tormented Zane, judging by all those words of evil from them.

Just from those guys.

All he needed was a little bit of courage. Zane could also get help from law enforcement, but what appeared to work best for the bullies was a little bit of a lesson from Zane himself.

Zane threw the clubs and metal pipes right beside Gilbert, their leader. Those weapons are all theirs.

"Hey."

"Yes…. Yes…. sir." Gilbert was obviously terrified.

What a dumbass! You'd been bullied by those cowards for years during school?

"Tell me. Why did you bring all these pipes and weapons?"

"Well, that was just…." Zane could tell he was trying to give him an answer that would save himself.

"You were trying to kill me, right?"

Gilbert went pale at his question.

"Then I suppose I can kill you too. Self-defense, you know. "

As he said this, he picked up one of the metal pipes that was thrown beside him. He swung it toward Gilbert's head. As it almost landed on him. "Ahh, please save me!"

"tap—!"

It just lightly tapped his head. At that moment, Gilbert wet himself.

He was such a coward.

Zane leaned toward him. "If you do this again…"

"Bump—!"

Zane said this as he beat him on his forehead. He gave all of the others the same warning. He didn't know how it would turn out, but surely, they had learned their lesson.

So, this little problem is finished.

As he walked out of the alley, he checked his watch again.

He realized where to go next. Before he went back home, he needed to check that hole again.