Back in High-Tech World

Kael let out a deep sigh, relieved to be back in this world. If he had stayed any longer, he might have completely lost himself in that other life. Thinking back on everything that happened, there were a few things that felt… off.

He had never been in a relationship with a woman before, yet with Kelly, everything felt natural—he'd managed to please her, make her climax, and handle the situation like a pro. That in itself was strange.

And then there was the scene with his wife. He knew his mission was centered around Kelly, so why had he ended up being intimate with Sarah on the very first day?

If he were in control, wouldn't he have gone straight for completing the mission instead of getting sidetracked? And then there was the guilt—real, heavy guilt—toward Sarah. That didn't feel like part of the plan.

He was glad he managed to complete the mission, but a troubling thought crossed his mind.

"What if my mission had been to make Kelly a mother?" he wondered.

That could have taken weeks—or months. Would he have been stuck there indefinitely?

Because by the end of the second day, he could already feel himself fading. If he hadn't finished the mission in time, he could've completely merged with John.

"These missions aren't as simple as they seem…" Kael muttered. "There's a real risk of losing myself."

Moreover, now that he looked back, then he doesn't had any experience, or feelings. He just had memories of it, like watching a movie.

He took a few deep breaths to calm his racing thoughts, then walked to the kitchen, drank two glasses of water, and sat back down. Closing his eyes, he focused inward.

He could feel it—something pulsing inside him. A strange, warm energy flowing through his body. With some concentration, he noticed that this energy was strengthening his muscles, reinforcing his body. A small portion of it was being stored near his heart.

"So this is the energy refinement process…" he whispered.

Curious about the time difference, Kael called Anrika. The moment he connected the call, he noticed something—only seven minutes had passed since he entered the gate. But he had spent one whole day and one half day inside.

Anrika picked up. "Hey! Didn't you go through the gate?"

"Yeah, I did. I was in there for one and half day, but here only seven minutes passed. So, the time ratio is definitely different."

"Oh… interesting. So how was it?" she asked.

"Not bad. It looked like the same Earth I came from, though I didn't get much time to explore. The mission was easy, but I was inside someone else's body. By the end of it, I felt like I was losing my personality. If I hadn't completed the mission, I might've become that person completely."

"That sounds risky. But what if you had died in there? Would you actually die, or just be pulled out and marked as failed?"

Kael shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "Who knows? And honestly, I don't want to find out."

"Fair enough. So what now? What level are you at?"

"Pretty sure I've reached the 1st Level of the Energy Refinement Stage."

"Nice! That makes you the 71st fastest to hit Level 1 after awakening their power."

"71st? So there are a lot of people ahead of me?"

"Yep. Some people completed the entire Energy Refinement Stage in just one second."

"One second?!" Kael blinked in disbelief.

"Yeah. But don't worry, speed in the first five stages doesn't matter much. The real progress starts after that. So, what about your gate? Can you go back in?"

Kael looked over at the gate. "Nope. There's a cooldown. I have to wait seven days before I can enter again."

"Seven days? That's a pretty long break. In that case, how about we go out? I'll show you more of this world. You've seen it through screens, maybe it's time to experience it firsthand."

Kael thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Sure. Let's go."