How to Survive in Another World

3rd POV:

"My name is Sigma. I'm 1* years old."

"My residence is currently based in uptown Tokyo, where all the high class residences are, and I am not married."

"I work as an employee at a 24/7 convenience store, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what."

"After having a glass of warm milk, and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning."

"I was told there were no issues at my last checkup," a voice prattled on.

The sunlight filtering through the interstice between the curtains illuminated the room, revealing numerous books scattered messily throughout the floor, with a thick layer of dust covering their surface. A small, slightly dilapidated bed on the corner situated a young man who was wrapped in a thick blanket.

He had a look of disbelief as he mumbled to himself, "So what in the world..."

『Do you wish to join the Anime Chat Group?』

「Yes」「No」

His eyes blinked upon seeing the peculiar blue screen that was hovering in front of his face, wondering how it suddenly appeared before him.

He began to inspect it, checking every nook and detail that he could find, but nothing revealed to him what it actually was. Granted, it looked verily similar to those holograms that he had seen from a lot of sci-fi fantasies.

It has a small rectangular frame with a rather simple yet sleek user interface, and whereas objects should have been able to pass through it given the translucency, he found out that it provides a bit of resistance when he pressed on the screen lightly using the tip of his finger. Otherwise, his entire hand could pass through normally by applying enough force, albeit he noticed something even more peculiar about the hologram---and that there was no projector.

It simply begged the question, was everything perhaps playing in his head?

He repositioned himself so that he would be sitting at the side of his bed, all the while blocking the sunlight that was glaring at him using his hand, before searching for any lead that could explain what was projecting the hologram.

Yet to his surprise, nothing seemed to be out of place at first glance. His room was the same way as he left it last night, and the same way he had left the room untouched when he moved in a week ago. Besides him no one has entered his room that he was aware of either.

"Did Ayaka perhaps snuck into my room and hid the projector somewhere?" Just as he started to suspect someone, he noticed something in the corner of his eyes. "Huh, what the..."

When his gaze fell on the mirror that was conveniently placed somewhere near, a chilling thought ran down his spine as he looked back and forth between himself and his reflection, a crease beginning to form between his brows. The screen... it had no reflection.

He stood up, followed by the hologram which shot upwards to match his line of sight, as he paced around the room back and forth in an attempt to better organize his thoughts. He then began to ponder what to do next, combing everything he read about science and started piecing them together to form a logical explanation.

Alas, nothing came to mind that made any sense to him. The theories he hypothesized were either farfetched or far too theoretical to even be worth considering.

He let out a sigh before turning to fiction, hoping to find something that could be relevant to his present situation. However, he didn't have a large enough expectation that he would find anything that would actually explain it. After all, these are mere fiction, a genre that as far as anything's concerned, everything goes.

A figment of imagination, if you will. Certainly, it would be short of logical to use the illogical in finding logic to the illogical, not unless it was more illogical to use logic over the illogical...

'Wait.'

As unbelievable as it sounds, once the thought has taken root in his mind, he found it harder to deny the reality of the situation.

"This is... No, it can't be..."

Just as fast as the idea had struck him, the realization dawned on his mind.

Once again, he looked at the string of letters that were being displayed on the screen, reading that one line over and over.

『Do you wish to join the Anime Chat Group?』

Following that train of thought, it certainly made sense.

Indeed, there is also a saying that "reality is stranger than fiction". Looking at the words "Chat Group", he was reminded of a subgenre in fanfiction that has been gaining traction over the past year, used by many as a convenient plot device and an easy-to-use premise to hook online readers; a multiversal messaging app that somehow connects people from different universes.

As for the part about "Anime", he had less to say about it since it was rather straightforward. Normally, that would refer to the nature of a close group or its main interest within the context of a typical chat group, but given the strange circumstance, the meaning might as well be literal.

In another words, it is a chat group where members come from a series of anime. That is, assuming he guessed correctly.

'An anime chat group, huh. It's certainly intriguing, I'll give it that. Still... this feels wrong somehow.'

He gave the message one last look before he proceeded to the next line where the options are, fixating between the two buttons as he meandered with his decision.

「Yes」「No」

Now that he was actually thrust with making the choice, he was suddenly gripped with apprehension.

He had to admit, the idea filled him with both trepidation and awe. It was a chance to meet his favorite characters in the flesh, and it would be a lie to say that he wasn't excited about it. Yet at the same time, he couldn't help but feel mixed about it.

But more than that, he felt... defeated. It was the same feeling as though having achieved a lifelong goal, only to realize that its worth is taken away once the pursuit was over.

Nevertheless, it was also true that he had no valid reason to refuse the invitation.

'Hah... what to do, what to do...'

He sighed as he sat back down on his bed.

In all honesty, this wasn't the first time something supernatural occurred to him. How he was reincarnated into a foreign world he knew next to nothing about, alone, and without anyone to care for.

It was a struggle. When he first came to this world, the body he inhabited was apparently a member of a private mercenary group, who were raising orphans to become disposable pawns for its wanton ambition to rule over the world through a government initiative. Hence, all members had to undergo thorough physical training as well as experimental augmentations to enhance their physical capabilities despite the obvious side effects.

The experience was nothing but hell. Fortunately, the organization was short lived, it was dismantled along with the government in short order during the fallout.

Finally, after acquiring his newfound freedom, he took refuge in Japan and sought to live in peace for the remainder of his life. He thought that there was nothing more to expect after several years had passed. He was content to live ordinarily despite the short amount of time he had left.

Yet, here he was, looking at a hologram which was displaying what seemed to be an invitation from a messaging app.

He looked at the screen, deliberating whether or not to accept the invitation for quite some time. In the end, he deferred to make the choice for later and pushed the screen to the side by concentrating it deeply in his mind.

"I'll just leave it to the future me... I'm starving."

He stood up and made his way for the door with a refreshed mind. He was looking forward to today's dish more than anything else.

When suddenly, he felt a strange premonition, as if there was a threat waiting for him just outside the room. But by then, it was already too late. As soon as his hand turned the knob, a shadow darted from the crack on the door and slammed straight to his body.

"Argh!" He croaked as the unknown figure looked up, giggled, and beamed a toothy grin towards him. "G-goodmorning, Ayaka..."

"Goodmorning, Sigma-nii!"

He straightened up his battered body and patted the young girl's head. A sigh escaped from his lips. He couldn't help but turn soft whenever he saw her smiling like that.

"So, what's up? Do you need anything?"

"Hnnn... no, not really. Onee-chan says breakfast is ready and it's time to eat."

"Huh, that's weird. I thought Manaka would come by herself."

"Well, she seemed happy about something earlier, so she's cooked up a lot." Ayaka pressed her lips as she thought of a reason before tilting her head. "But Sigma-nii, are you okay? You look like you've eaten a green bean."

Once the subject came into question, his expression immediately cramped up, unsure what he should say to her.

He couldn't possibly berate an innocent child out of something she didn't mean to do.

"I-I'm fine... Don't worry. I simply got a stiff neck when I woke up."

'...I think two of my ribs broke.'

The words that came out of his mouth and the thought the came to his mind didn't match up.

Nevertheless, he had to put an amicable smile to avoid her from getting worried. After all, he didn't want to be the one to spoil the mood of a child so early in the morning, but above all the throbbing pain on the side of his chest was killing him. The sooner he could be left alone, the better.

"You can go on without me, I have something else to do inside the bathroom. Okay?"

"...Okay! I'll tell Onee-chan that---"

As soon as he bid her to go first, he left without turning around, leaving the puzzled child by his room's doorstep. The words she said afterwards would fall on deaf ears as he rushed down the hallway.

"...Sigma!"

Just before he disappeared into the corner, a canorous voice rang as it beckoned his name from the corner, revealing the silhouette of a young girl.

"Oh! Ayaka-chan, there you are!"

Ayaka quickly turned around when the figure called out her name, "Manaka Onee-chan!"

Beside the stairs, she saw her older sister approaching with an ephemeral smile plastered on her lips, a ray of sunlight cascading on her beautiful face which served as a way to highlight her perfect features, and was instantly struck dumb. That beauty, whose eyes betrayed a youthful innocence and were pale if not clear, coupled by the sunlight serving as a backdrop, made it seem as if her older sister was a beautiful fairy that has descended upon this world.

Although her features still betrayed childlike qualities, there were already hints of a world-class beauty in the making. It was in no doubt that her older sister was one of the most, if not, the most beautiful person Ayaka has ever seen.

At any rate, that was to the extent of how beautiful Manaka looked.

"Didn't I ask you to call Sir Knight for his breakfast? Why did he look like he was in a hurry just now... You didn't see or do anything strange, did you?"

"I-I don't know... I think he needed to go poo."

"Hmm..." Manaka playfully thought long and hard as she sent a sideway glance where Sigma was headed, a knowing glint briefly shone in her beady eyes unbeknownst to her little sister. "It can't be that, silly. I think there's something else, although I don't know what to make of it... It looked like a hologram of sorts, but---Oh! Forget I said anything, I must be imagining things~"

The look on her face said otherwise, but Ayaka didn't feel it was worth asking her about, so she didn't press on for an answer.

But from a glance, it looked like her sister was completely entranced as her gaze lingered on the hallway. And as they stood there in the middle of a strange atmosphere, she heard her older sister mutter...

"What are you hiding, my dear Knight?"

Meanwhile, Sigma sat on the closed toilet seat with folded arms and eyes closed while he was in the bathroom.

He considered the benefits of joining the chat group once more, weighing the pros and cons, as well as managing his expectations. The reason he was dallying to this extent was to prepare himself mentally. For all he knew, the chat group could send an invite to a malicious individual, although he sincerely hoped that wouldn't be the case.

The last thing he wanted to do was babysit troublesome people, especially considering the number of problems they could bring to the entire group. However, given the types of stereotypes in anime he was aware of, it was too early to say anything definitively. All he could do was hope for the best.

'In any case, it's worth taking the gamble. Although... I'm just as curious what would happen if I decline the invitation.'

After thinking it through over and over, he solemnly closed his eyes and fixed his posture.

And for the first time in his life, he made a silent prayer.

He has decided.

『Do you wish to join the Anime Group Chat?』

「Yes」「No」

Finally, he tapped the「Yes」button.

______________________________________________

『Anime Group Chat』

「Welcome to the Anime Group Chat!」

「Congratulations! You have become the first member of the Anime Group Chat, a messaging app where members can communicate freely across the multiverse, one that connects individuals from multiple realities, and the only one of its kind!」

「Here you can find other useful features, such as the [Shop], [Inventory], and [Daily Check-ins], as well as a point currency which can be used to redeem various other rewards and benefits!」

「For more information, please refer to the beginner manual.」

______________________________________________

『Ding!』「Sage-King has joined the group chat!」

『Ding!』「The Mage of Flowers has joined the group chat!」

『Ding!』「File NO.00000000001 has joined the group chat!」

『Ding!』「Versemonger of the Darkest Alleys has joined the group chat!」

『Ding!』「The Overly Cautious Hero has joined the group chat!」

「The Overly Cautious Hero: ...」

『Ding!』「The Overly Cautious Hero has left the group chat!」

The outpouring messages overwhelmed him for a moment, filling the screen completely.

Some of the names that are being displayed in succession seemed familiar to him, and a lot eluded him as well. But for some strange reason, he was confident that he'd be able to recognize who they were given a short period of time.

Before long, the messages stopped appearing as the notifications fully settled. For a while, the chat was unmoving, even after some time has passed.

"Huh, there's still nothing. Wait... Did someone just leave? Someone would actually do that??"

He had so much he wanted to ask, but it was no use since the person himself has left already.

Left without any further signs of activity in the group, Sigma decided to navigate the system as he passed the time.

===Page Break=== A/N: I got lazy to write this part. I'll go back to this later, but just know he went to look for a hidden reward.

"It should be here... somewhere... if only I could find... it... Aha!"

Sigma scrolled all the way through the long blocks of text detailing a bunch of TOS and miscellaneous specification, spotted what he was searching for, and tapped on a small attachment without a hint of hesitation.

The screen blinked before transitioning into a panorama of a sky with circling clouds. Then, from the hoop, a comet comes shooting down as it leaves a streak in the sky, breaking into the five smaller pieces and losing its momentum...

"...Wow. Can Mihoho sue? Wha- What the---"

Suddenly, a flash of light burst from the screen, enveloping the bathroom as it dyed everything in a brilliant white color.

As the light gradually subsided, which simultaneously began and vanished as soon as it appeared, he saw the results listed in front of him.

______________________________________________

『1x』『Premium Beginner Package』

「Congratulations! You have received the following items...」

『SR』「Great Sage」

『R』「Extremes of a Inch」

『R』「Clairvoyance (Rank C+)」

『C』「Mana Circuit Quality (Rank B-)」

『C』「Mana Circuit Quantity (Rank B+)」

______________________________________________

He looked at the list of items he received and froze entirely.

"What...? Great Sage is only an <SR> item? The Extremes of an a Inch too, and the Rank C+ Clairvoyance as well are ranked so low... Haha..."

Sigma could only muster a dry laugh at the successive revelations. The implications were so massive that he didn't know where to start.

If such an omniscient skill was valued comparatively lower than the rest of the prize pool, then it would mean there are much better items that he could unlock. Just imagining what those could be sent shivers down his spine. This package... was too generous.

"No... That's not important right now. I should prioritize assessing what I have first."

He could certainly indulge himself in winning the gacha, but that wouldn't do him any good in reality.

Seeing the generosity of this chat group from the beginner package alone, there is a huge probability that there would be some "action" involved which would necessitate having these powerful abilities. The possibility also becomes even more likely to happen considering how it mentions points and currencies. And if that were the case, then he would be inevitably put into dangerous situations.

In addition, the other chat group members are what he would consider far from normal, even with regards to their status. Having such strong personalities bundled together will result in a lot of complications in the near future, if not later down the line.

Even though he believes that he could place his full trust in Adam, the same could not be said for Gilgamesh and Merlin, who were likely to cooperate only in the spur of an interest. When it's time to consider whether these two are "human" enough to have compassion, he would rather take it upon himself than to rely on a fickle hope.

Sigma let out a sigh on the toilet and focused back on the rewards he received.

'Great Sage...? Uh, is this working? Can you give me a rundown of your abilities? Pretty please?'

He imagined sending an order to a mental image to see if the skill would work.

「Answer.」

He nearly flinched at the rapid response that came out of nowhere, sending his heart pounding once more.

「The <SR> item <Great Sage> is a copy of a unique skill with the same name from the anime series <Tensura> in Master's previous life. It is capable of thought acceleration, analysis and appraisal known to all of creation (user). The caveat of the copied skill is with the absence of the Voice of the World, there is a lack of support from thereof. Hence, its future growth potential is nonexistent unless prompted by an external catalyst.」

Even after some time has passed since the voice stopped playing in his head, he remained stunned for a moment. He didn't think operating the skill during his first time would be that easy.

Now, the message was clear. Even though it would still be capable of a lot of its original capabilities, the skill loses a lot of its potential and functions without the Voice of the World. But as a silver lining to all the downsides, the most important thing is that he can now "recall" even the minute detail in his memories, courtesy of the Great Sage.

That fact alone provides him ample amount of bargaining chips to leverage with the other chat group members should the need arise.

Although he would prefer to have a smooth collaboration without resorting to mutual transactions, it goes without saying that he wouldn't hesitate to reveal or withhold important information from the chat group members if push comes to shove, and that includes using said information in ways that could benefit him.

'Moving on, I should also take a look on the other skills I acquired.'

「Affirmative.」

「Displaying the item description designated for the <R> item <Extremes of a Inch>.」

「An ability utilized by the returner Yagyuu Juubei. It enhances both the user's visual acuity and perception of the mind, thereby allowing them to see the world in slow motion, and offer varied applications such as precise distance perception, movement prediction, and technique replication.」

His eyes widened in shock once more.

"Wow... Now I get why Rimuru was so reliant on the Great Sage, it's almost scary how I don't need to think on it for it act on what I need..."

But despite his apprehension, Sigma was clearly elated how the skill made the process more convenient for him. He was starting to appreciate it more and more as time passed.

He then turned his sight to the screen and the joy immediately vanished.

"Yagyuu Juubei."

The name was still fresh on his mind. A returner swordswoman from the Forest of the Greats who participated in the war against the sinners, only to be blindsided by Caesar and become incapacitated for the majority of the story, wasting her potential away as she rests on the sidelines before the protagonist "steals" her only talent away for plot-related reasons.

She had a talent that allows her to maximize the use of her senses, but it also comes with the drawback of putting a strain on the user's nervous system. Even a fraction of its use is taxing enough to the point that it results into the nose bleeding and engorged veins around the eye.

"...Doesn't this skill seem redundant then? I don't see how it would be any more helpful than Clairvoyance."

Sigma then began to comb through his memories. If he wasn't mistaken, the skill Clairvoyance and the ranking it was paired with should come from a popular series known as Fate.

It is a visual skill that is furnished on the flesh and a prerequisite to the seat of a Grand Caster, an eye which allows its bearers to acquire abilities outside the normal range of standard eyesight. At higher ranks, this skill bestow abilities that are in the realm of extrasensory perception such as precognition, retrocognition and remote viewing.

Simply put, it is one of the best ocular ability that one could ever hope for. But since his Clairvoyance was only Rank C+, he is only able to see through invisible targets.

He was about to dismiss the skill window away in disappointment when Great Sage corrected him.

「Notice.」

「The effects of <Extremes of a Inch> is separate from <Clairvoyance>. It is possible to stack both skills on top of each other alongside <Thought Acceleration> to reach a higher level of perception than one would typically provide than the other.」

"...In relative terms, using these three abilities at once should be equivalent to like, what, Arash's Rank A Clairvoyance?"

Sigma said in jest, thinking nothing of it.

「Correct.」

Then, the only words he could think of.

'Holy sh*t.'

His body began to tremble ever so slightly as the joy reverberated in every bone in his body.

'I can see (predict) into the future! I'm god!'

Unlike his usual composure, Sigma was being totally swept by his excitement inside the bathroom.

Just as he was about to celebrate his newfound abilities, the chat has finally seen its first activity. The surprise was enough to bring him back to reality.

「Versemonger of the Darkest Alleys: Oya? Oya-ya-ya?」

"Is that... Hu Tao?"

After the period of silence, a certain funeral parlor director entered the first message, albeit it took a few more moments before other messages started pouring in.

「Sage-King: Hoh. A technology that escapes my knowledge... or should I say, perhaps even that of ingenuity of the Age of Gods? An endearing endeavor, but such is an arrogance I would admire! Rejoice! You may now have my full interest!」

「File NO.00000000001: Eh... Gods, you say. Is this a new thing in Valhalla?」

「The Mage of Flowers: Ara? Isn't this all the rage the kids are getting into nowadays? Even the King of Heroes is in the group.」

「Sage-King: Kids!? Those bumbling toddlers who have yet to step into the lion's nest, is that what you speak of? Mind your tongue, mongrel! You best choose your words more wisely in front of your king!」

「The Mage of Flowers: Hai, hai. Forgive the insolence of this lousy retainer of yours, o Great Wise King.」

「Sage-King: Oi! At least show some sincerity! When you put it that way, it makes it sound like your pandering to an actual child!」

「File NO.00000000001: There, there. Why does it matter? No need to get so riled up over simple things.」

「Sage-King: Mongrel, know your place! And who are you to treat me as if I were one!」

「The Mage of Flowers: 'File NO.00000000001' is right, you know? But speaking of which, the Sage-King Gilgamesh-kun here and I appear to know each other, but neither of us seem to be aware of your identity. If you don't mind, can we ask your 'True Name'?」

「Sage-King: Oi, revealing my 'True Name' so flippantly is one thing, but don't expect everyone to be on the same wavelength as you.」

「The Mage of Flowers: It was worth the shot. Tehee~☆」

「File NO.00000000001: Sure, I don't mind. My name is Adam. Everyone calls me the Father of Humanity since I was the first human, and I guess that makes you all my children. But you can call me however you want, it doesn't really matter.」

「Sage-King: Fu-」

「Sage-King: Fuhahahaha! A good joke, if I must say! It is true that all forms of life trace back to a singular point of origin, so every births are connected by the same roots. To state this birthright in the presence of your king is tantamount to professing that your status is equal to mine! I shall make a exception this once in light of your courageous treachery. Oh, but tell me... what is it actually?」

「The Mage of Flowers: ...Gilgamesh-kun, as ridiculous as it may sound, I don't believe Adam was joking. And if there's any truth to our titles, 'NO.00000000001' seems to denote this.」

「Sage-King: ...」

「The Mage of Flowers: Hmm... It's a hard pill to swallow, but I'm starting to believe that this chat group isn't as simple as I thought it'd be. The fact that Adam readily revealed his 'True Name' is evident of this.」

「Sage-King: Even if it pains me so, I must concur. There seems to be more to this chat group than it may seem. When I was organizing the stone tablets inside my chamber, I received the strange invitation to this so-called 'chat group'. I hazard a guess that it was a communication device that was flung from a distant future through an anomaly, and that's how I came upon it.」

「File NO.00000000001: Shouldn't I have revealed my name? And what does this all mean?」

「Sage-King: It means that the welcome message we saw were perhaps saying the truth. In that case, Merlin, the mongrel who I assume, state your present whereabouts.」

「The Mage of Flowers: As for me, I was meandering in the cafeteria inside Chaldea, whiling away an uneventful day as usual... Wait! Hold that thought! Gilgamesh-kun, aren't you supposed to be staying in Chaldea as well?」

「Sage-King「The Mage of Flowers: ...」」

「File NO.00000000001: In my case, I received the invitation before the first match of Ragnarok started. I'm also a representative of humanity in a series of one-on-one fights against the gods. Currently, I'm in the lobby waiting for my match against Shiva.」

「The Mage of Flowers: Shiva? That Shiva??」

「File NO.00000000001: Yeah. They also call him the Strongest God of Destruction or whatever.」

「Sage-King: That settles it then. From our current findings, it is safe to assume that Merlin and I are on the same multiverse where we share a similar foundation, while you, Adam, are perhaps on a different 'reality' entirely. To begin with, a man challenging a god is not unheard of, but by no means is it a simple affair.」

「The Mage of Flowers: At least in our multiverse, that is. In any case, it begs the question. What about the other two members in the chat group?」

As Sigma stared at the screen, he began to type a casual greeting and acted as if it were the natural thing to do.

But in reality, numerous thoughts were running wild within his mind at that moment. Inside, he was practically screaming. Forget his melodramatic stint earlier, it wasn't everyday where he could get to meet a living, breathing character from an anime.

Add the fact that he was watching them chatting firsthand and was about to send his greetings. Or rather, now that they were real, he didn't know exactly how to behave himself. After all, it was like having an impromptu meeting with his favorite idol, except it was even more surreal than that.

Personally, it was amazing enough that he could restrain himself from breaking into a smile like an idiot.

But can you blame him?

For all intents and purposes, fiction is just, that, fiction. Even as an avid fan of anime and its eccentricities, he wouldn't have dreamt of actually being reincarnated into another world, all the more meeting a cast of characters that he was especially fond of.

His smile grew even deeper as he thought of a good way to leave an impression...

『Ding!』

The moment he was about to press enter, his hand froze at the spot following a certain message.

『System Notice』「User 'Versemonger of the Darkest Alleys' has pulled an <SSR> rank item. They acquired the Abolisher of Reason, the demon founder's sword of absolute destruction, <Venuzdonoa>!」

______________________________________________

A/N: I did say I was planning to edit some parts of the now deleted chapter, but I found out shortly after publishing it that there were too many things that I wanted to change so I just decided to write a new one. However, one way lead up to another and things started got hectic this month, which I won't go into too much detail.

Oh, and instead of Kurumi, I decided to go with Adam from Records of Ragnarok to balance the male to female ratio with future members in mind. But don't worry, removing her doesn't mean that she won't make an appearance in the future.

Fun fact: Kurumi was supposed to acquire the Holopsicon in my original draft.

P.S. I just realized that webnovel hides messages that contains an external link smh. Anyway, a song called "Unrequited Love" by Steampianist was what made me pull through this chapter once again. Go show your support to the artist. Thanks!

P.P.S. Romani being replaced by Gilgamesh was a last minute change, cause why the fock not amirite?

P.P.P.S. Venuzdonoa here doesn't come with the Demon King Castle Delsgade.

P.P.P.P.S. This chapter was taking too long to write, so I'll be releasing it early and just edit the parts I don't like later.