Chapter 9: New Beginning (Edited)

[Rohan POV]

"-st say?" After I finished speaking, I felt like I had just lost my balance for a second. The green fog and wind were also gone. I was still looking at my phone, but it only had a progress bar now. I did not feel anything, "did it fail?" I asked myself in confusion. Then started to look around. I had a lamp lit in the corner before, but now it was completely dark; there was stillness in the air; it also smelled very bad. Then I noticed, I was feeling light, too light, in fact. I noticed that I was feeling the wind in places that should not be possible. Then I realized I didn't have any clothes on or my bag for that matter. I was completely butt naked! "the hell?" It was completely dark around me so I didn't know where I was.

I looked at the phone screen and tapped it hastily, but it only displayed, {system activation is in progress. Please wait}.

"Damn it! Where have you sent me, you stupid system? And why am I f***ing naked! Damn it!" I exclaimed, looking around in frustration. I used the phone's dim light and realized I was inside an attic, similar to the one I was in before, but slightly different. While my attic was clean with a lamp on, this one was dirty and filled with boxes, although the structure was the same.

Unable to move around freely, I stayed in my spot and waited for the system activation to complete. After 5 minutes, the phone's screen changed to welcome. Furious, I opened the AI app and texted, "Where the hell am I?"

{The teleportation was successful; we are now in a new universe, to be precise, we are in the exact location as we were before, but in a new universe} the AI replied.

Getting annoyed with typing, I asked, "Can you now change from text to speech?"

{Yes}, it responded.

"Then do it, damn it!" I demanded.

The phone vibrated, and an electronic voice came from the speaker to confirm the change.

"Now tell me, WHY THE F**K AM I NAKED? Where is my stuff?" I inquired.

{The settings for anchoring were enabled, so the system reconstructed you in this universe. One drawback is that nothing can be brought during this type of traveling}, the AI explained.

"... what the f**k does that even mean?" I expressed my frustration.

{Every being is created with matter from their own universe. Master's composition was unique as he had regressed in age and lived in a different universe for most of his physical growth period. Hence, he had matter from two universes. This could cause problems down the line, so the anchoring option was used.

Anchoring is an option where the physical body is converted into data and teleported with the soul to the new universe. The body is then reconstructed using the data as blueprints, using matter from the new universe. In this type of teleportation, Sir cannot bring anything to the new universe}, the AI clarified.

"F**K! Does that mean I will have to go through this every time I travel? And why didn't you tell me this before teleporting?" I questioned.

{Negative, the anchoring option was enabled with the Sir's consent. It was a one-time procedure, so you do not have to worry about it. Normal teleportation will be possible in two months}, the AI assured me.

"Consent? When did I give you my f***ing consent?" I exclaimed.

{My logs show that you agreed to it when meeting Morpheus}, the AI responded.

"When did I do that? F**k it. He must have enabled it before sending me the system. Bastard!"

"Why do these things keep happening to me?" I sighed, feeling exasperated. I need to be more careful next time and get back at Morpheus when I have the chance.

"System, from now on, always give me warnings before doing s**t like this," I commanded.

{As you wish}, the AI complied.

"Anyways, first help me out of here," I requested.

{Master is in his house, but in another world, so the layout is similar. Stealth is advised as there might be others in this residence, and they might not be welcoming}, the AI cautioned.

"Yeah, no s**t. No one will welcome a naked man who comes out of their attic," I cringed at the obvious. I turned on the phone's flash and searched through the boxes around me to find some clothing. After rummaging around, I managed to find some clean clothes and shoes, although they were a bit too big for me, they would have to do. Turning off the phone flash, I slowly opened the attic hatch.

After carefully looking around, I slowly made my way out of the attic. There was no one around. I glanced outside the window and saw that it was already dawn, with cars and buildings visible in the distance. "Well, at least I am in the modern world," I sighed in relief. I then turned around and headed for the door. I needed to get out of there.

I slowly came down the stairs, cautious of any noise that might alert the people in the house. The chattering sounds coming from the kitchen indicated that they were already awake. 'I have to be careful,' I thought to myself as I tiptoed towards the door. Unfortunately, the floor squeaked, and I froze as I heard someone from the kitchen inquire, "Did you hear something, dear?"

Ignoring the noise, I ran to the door and opened it with force. Once I was outside, I ran until I was far away from the house, taking a moment to catch my breath at a bus stop. My legs were shaking; I hadn't stressed them this much in years.

"Damn it. All these preparations and for what? F**k you, Morpheus, and this stupid system," I cursed, huffing at the sky.

As the sun rose, I noticed a few people jogging nearby. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a wallet I had found upstairs. It had enough money for a few days, and although I didn't like stealing, I convinced myself that I would return the money later with interest.

Finally, I decided to take out the phone, hiding it under my clothes so that no one could see it. I whispered to the phone, "Hey, system, you there?"

{Anytime, Sir}, the AI responded.

"Now tell me, what can you do?" I inquired.

{System AI can now be used for different tasks. The AI can be copied to new devices and controlled independently or with a smartphone. You also have full access to the AI source code}, the AI explained.

"Does that mean I can use you to hack computers and design cool stuff?" I asked.

{It is possible, but the AI first needs to be trained for the said task, and the processing time will depend on the smartphone processor. If you wish, you can connect to a more powerful computer for more efficiency}, the AI clarified.

I realized that my expectations might have been unrealistic, and the AI was more like a regular AI than some magical being. "Wait a minute, doesn't that make you just an AI?" I pondered.

{Sir, I 'am' an AI}, it replied.

I choked at those words; I shouldn't have expected anything different. "Come on, Rohan, stop believing you are in some isekai fantasy," I scolded myself.

"Well then, how are you any different from other AIs?" I asked.

{I am built on much more advanced tech than your world, and so I will be able to evolve much faster and farther than any other AI}, it explained.

"How do I train you to do stuff?" I inquired further.

{The more data you provide me, the more I will learn and evolve. There is a special programming language and program that you need to master to achieve greater results. Even as we speak, I am learning from our conversation to reply to you more effectively}, the AI replied.

"There are no shortcuts for me, huh?" I sighed, nodding my head.

"Hey, system, is there any other new feature?" I asked, not expecting anything special. I needed to be realistic.

{The Browser is now open. Sir can now access all of the internet from his world}, the AI revealed.

"What?" I thought I heard wrong. "Can you repeat that?"

{The Browser is no-}

"No, no, no. I mean, can you explain more?" I interrupted.

{The smartphone has an archive of the entire Internet from your world before you were separated from it. It is now possible to access any information from your world, but uploading is not possible}, the AI clarified.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I quickly opened the browser and, indeed, found a snapshot of the entirety of the internet from my world. Everything was unlocked, from Netflix to world governments' top secrets.

Excitedly, I opened the AI app and requested, "System, can you make a text document of all the new features?"

{Please wait... Done}, it replied.

I opened the document and skimmed over the information. After reading, I had some ideas about how to utilize the system's most important ability - the internet.

"Now, tell me about my skill," I asked.

{The skill 'Protected Soul' is a status effect that grants total protection to your soul}, the AI explained.

"How is it helpful?" I inquired.

{Your soul is the center of your being that signifies who you are. Even if all your memories are removed, that will not change who you are. Your likes and dislikes, personality, etc., will stay the same. The skill ensures that no one can change who you are except you. Not even the greatest of gods. This also means you are immune to any corruption or manipulation attempts done to your soul}, the AI elaborated.

"What about my weakness?" I asked, wanting to know the full extent of the skill.

{The only weakness you have is your physical body and mind. They can be easily influenced by others}, the AI admitted.

"Wait, didn't you say my skill protects me from that?" I inquired further.

{Everyone is composed of a soul, body, and mind. Your soul is immune to all higher life form's attacks as they are not physical. But your body and mind can be influenced by mortals from the physical plane. It is advised to train in those areas in the future}, the AI explained.

"So you are saying I have a level 400 shield that only works on attacks from players level 300 above. But I can be easily defeated by a level 1?" I scoffed in frustration.

{...Yes}, the AI replied.

"Oh, son of a b**ch!" I used an expletive. "Absolutely, nothing is going my way."

I swallowed my frustration and read more about the skill in the document. I had some ideas about how to utilize it in the future. After that, I asked a few more questions about the system. I learned about the auto-repair function on the phone, which would fix it if it ever broke or was destroyed.

I looked around, realizing the sun was already up, and decided to have some breakfast. There was a cafe nearby that I really liked, and I thought I could also gather some information about this world there. As I entered the cafe, I noticed that it was in the same location as before, but it had a different name and owner. I ordered the cheapest meal on the menu and sat near the TV. The cafe was bustling with people, and the news was on the screen.

I noticed that the main news was about the 9/11 attack, which had happened a few days ago. "So I am in 2001 September. There's exactly a ten-year gap between this world and the HP world," I thought to myself. I focused on my meal, only paying partial attention to the rest of the news. However, my attention was grabbed when I saw a young man who looked just like Robert Downey Jr. talking about how Stark Industries would be supporting the US government by manufacturing weapons for the upcoming war in Afghanistan. A big smile spread across my face, and I couldn't help but exclaim, "That's Tony Stark! Not just any Tony Stark, but RDJ as Tony Stark! So I must be in THE MCU!" The people around me gave me weird looks, so I quickly finished my meal and left the cafe.

I walked quickly, wanting to find a place where I could use my phone to research the MCU and make my future plans. As I reached a quiet alley, I heard someone behind me calling out, "Excuse me, are you perhaps the one who came to this world today?"

===

[3 hours earlier]

A portal with yellow sparks opened in a dark room. On the other side emerged a bald woman and a man. The man looked around, a bit puzzled, and said, "Is this the place? It doesn't seem like any ritual was performed here."

The bald woman came out next and used a spell to brighten the room. She walked to the center and used another spell on the floor, creating golden pentagrams. "It may not seem like it to you because the energy used was too thin for you to sense. But there was something or someone here. I sensed it for just a moment – a gate was opened here, a gate that I cannot see the source of," she explained.

The man was astonished and asked, "Even you cannot see through it?"

The woman looked at the magic circle on the floor with a grim expression. "I can see all of the multiverses, but this gate is... beyond that," she replied. "If my guess is correct, a Beyonder has entered our world. We have to hurry and find him as soon as possible before he causes any trouble."

The man had never heard of a Beyonder and inquired, "What is a Beyonder? And how come I have never heard about them before?"

The woman stared at the magic circle while explaining, "The Vishenti have told me about them, but I never thought that I would encounter one personally. A Beyonder is someone who comes from outside the multiverse, from the Beyondverse. Not much is known about them, and no one has ever seen them before. All I know is that they hold unknown powers and can destroy this world if they so wish. We need to find whoever came as soon as possible."

She then opened a portal, and both of them stepped through, leaving the room in darkness again.