Evie stood atop the rooftop, her gaze fixed upon the sprawling cityscape stretched out before her, devoid of emotion.
She had reached her destination — an Earth parallel to her own, a Rank-D world destined for imminent apocalypse.
According to her intel, this world would succumb to a deadly virus outbreak, ultimately leading to the downfall of humanity.
Yet, such matters did not concern her; her evolved body was immune to viruses and all forms of biochemical warfare. Extreme temperatures held no power over her either.
In a Rank-D world, mutated creatures were relatively weaker, making it the perfect hunting ground for accumulating Credit Points.
But there was another reason she had chosen this world — the possibility of finding HIM here.
Under the shroud of night, with the moon casting its ethereal glow, Evie leaped from rooftop to rooftop, moving swiftly and silently until she reached a balcony, where she stole a robe.
After all, her attire seemed a bit out of place in this world.
Without a sound, Evie landed gracefully and soundlessly on the ground in a deserted alley between two buildings, seamlessly blending into the bustling crowds around her.
Zone A was where she needed to find him, a piece of information she had paid a hefty sum to obtain.
The streets were alive with activity, oblivious to the impending calamity that would soon befall this world.
As she navigated her way toward her destination, Evie wondered if she would encounter her alternate self, living in this world.
If that were to happen, the universe would ensure their merger, a means to correct itself and maintain balance.
They wouldn't perish; instead, they would merge, sharing the same memories and body. And if they were both evolved, they would gain each other's abilities, becoming stronger.
It was what happened in Nexus. The place was teeming with your other selves, copies from parallel worlds.
However, such encounters were rare in this world. Meeting your other self in here was a one in a million chance, as they could be living far away, have an accident, or even be deceased.
Anyway, Evie wouldn't have to worry about that if the virus struck. She could only hope that her other-self living in this world would evolve soon. Then maybe they could merge and grow stronger together.
Evie entered a building named "Sleeping Dragon."
According to her information, it was a guild stronghold. This world she was in was heavily influenced by a community of gamers, and large clan guilds like this dominated the landscape.
But she didn't dwell on that since she wasn't interested in games.
Quickly, she made her way to the elevator and stepped out onto her floor, when someone bumped into her in the hallway.
A lot of things crashed and scattered — papers, desks, USBs, keycards.
"Hey, watch where you're going," Evie grumbled, but she stopped when she laid eyes on the person she bumped into.
Ren!
"Ren!" Evie's face brightened, but Ren ignored her, as if he didn't see her. He quickly gathered the scattered items from the floor and ran toward the fire exit.
What? Evie was confused.
Did she turn into a ghost? Didn't she arrive here with her full body? Evie thought and feeling her own form.
Within seconds, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
"He went that way!"
"After him!"
"Don't let him escape! He had our files!"
A group of men with guns went after Ren through the fire exit, while some paused and addressed Evie.
"Hey, you. What are you doing here? This is a restricted floor."
"Show us your ID."
"My ID . . ." Evie didn't think twice, swiftly attacking the men in black by striking the back of their heads to render them unconscious.
She reached for her weapon in her sling bag, only to find it missing.
"What the?" Evie noticed her bag was half-empty, with half of its contents scattered on the floor.
It must have happened when she bumped into Ren; the impact must have thrown some of her things out of her bag.
Great.
This was the consequence of not investing in one of those pricey Storage Accessories.
What could she do? She didn't have enough CP for it yet.
She definitely needed a new bag.
"Capture her!"
"She could be a spy!"
The guards yelled. Evie quickly somersaulted near a round pebble. She pressed the item and activated it before throwing it towards the guards.
Electrical bolts burst forth from the pebble, electrifying the guards and rendering them unconscious on the ground.
With that taken care of, Evie hurriedly picked up her scattered belongings one by one. These men were after Ren, and it couldn't be good.
She needed to save him, fast!
In her haste, Evie didn't notice that she was missing some things from her bag, but she quickly bolted off to where Ren was.
On the rooftop, the sight that greeted Evie was Ren jumping off the roof while the men with guns surrounded him.
"NOooO!"
Those were the last words Ren heard as he plummeted from the forty-story building, along with a lifetime's work of papers and files.
He didn't know where that voice came from, though it felt oddly familiar.
Right now, however, his mind was consumed with anger and regret.
After all he had given to Sleeping Dragon, it all came to this. All his hard work and dedication resulted in this tragic end.
Ren gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with revenge. It was then he noticed that he was clutching something in his hand.
It was a strange green card that he thought was the keycard to the private elevators. He was planning to escape the building using it, but he got the wrong one.
Anyway . . . was there a keycard with a strange appearance like this?
He didn't have the chance to know the answer when he felt the impact of the ground, the sickening breaking of bones, and splattering of flesh.
Death took him instantly.
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|| A/N ||
Hey everyone,
I wanted to let you know that "Rebirth as an Alchemist" has officially come to an end.
I understand that the second half of the story may not have been as strong, and I apologize for that. My creative energy has been depleted, and I feel like I've explored every aspect of the gaming world I could think of. I didn't want the story to become repetitive or lose its momentum, so I made the decision to conclude it.
However, don't worry! The story will continue in "Rebirth in Other Dimensions." I just need to take a break from writing to recharge and find some new 'inspiration.'
RE: in Other Dimensions, you can expect to meet some new characters, but Ren and the others will still play significant roles.
This time, we won't be limited by the mechanics of the game, as the characters will be navigating real-life scenarios with game like systems.
And don't worry, you'll still encounter familiar faces from the game like a few major NPCs.
Currently, it has like over 40 chapters and lean on the themes of Apocalypse, Sci-fi, magic, action, romance, tragedy, drama, overpowered MC, system, game mechanics, and multiverse.
If you're up for it, come and give it a read 🙏
Thank you for all your support, and I hope to see you all in "Rebirth in Other Dimensions."