1 Prologue

My name is Miyamoto Kei. I'm 18, a normal highschool guy. Or at least that was what I used to believe until one day, my whole life was turned upside down. Just like many other high schooler out there with different tastes like me—I love anime, manga, and games. If I had to decide between my hobby and having a girlfriend, I would without a doubt choose the former.

Let's be honest here, having a girlfriend can be quite a pain, right? Especially when you lives in a country where most of the girls would think it's creepy to have a hobby like mine. Where is the fairness in the world? None, I know.

Anyway, let's put that unwanted topic aside, I was talking about my life-changing day. It was just like any other days, I got back from highschool and decided to play mobile game the whole day. And I sure as hell did, that was until I caught something different in my room.

It was a black cube-shaped box. I don't remember bringing strange box like that into my room. My parents are still out of the house working, so it shouldn't be them. My demonic little sister is also hanging out at her friends house. Then the only one remaining is me...but I don't remember bringing this eerily box home!

Unsure of what to do with the black box, I decided to stop thinking about it and resume playing mobile game. Rather than wasting my time to think about unwanted troubles, I preferred using it for my hobby instead.

When my parents came home, I asked them about it. But neither of them know anything about the black box. I wanted to question my demonic little sister, but she seemed to be in bad mood so I refrained.

And so, there I was, staring intently at the black box while hoping nothing abnormal will happen when I go to sleep. There's no way I can fall asleep with that black box in my room! Will Sadako-chan came out of the box if I touched it? Will it?

Slowly, although my legs were trembling, I gritted my teeth and stepped forward. I didn't know where did all the courages came from, but I did it. I stood right in front of the black box with my forehead full of sweats due to nervousness.

Then what, what should I do next? Do I just touch it or do I open the box and see the inside of it? I don't know about you but both options is kind of scary to me. Can I just put this aside and sleep? No, there's no way I can sleep peacefully with this eerily box close to bed.

Left with no choice, my hand slowly approach the box, reaching out my finger toward it. My breathing grows heavier the closer my hand to it. And then, the distance between my hand and the black box is just 5cm. After taking a couple of deep breaths, I finally gathered the last remaining courage inside of me as I reached out my pointy finger toward it.

The moment my finger touched the mysterious black box, my eyes were forced shut as a sudden blinding lights assaulted my vision. The lights didn't came from the window nor the monitor of my computer, it was from the black box. When I opened my eyes afterward, the black box had already disappeared out of my sight. No matter how much I searched throughout my room and even the house, I couldn't find it anymore. It was as though I was simply imagining it, it isn't real.

But onto the next day, something unimaginable happens. It was the day I awakened my first ability.

I had already forgotten about the whole black box thing. I already did everything I could to find it, but it was nowhere in sight. It happened when I was reading a manga when suddenly a thought crossed my mind. How I wished I can enter the manga world, it was a simply thought yet it completely changed my entire life from then onwards. Yes, my ability is—

『 World Traveler 』

With my ability, I can travel to any fictional world I dream of. It wasn't that hard to come to such conclusion—no, I was forced to accept the reality. Before I knew it, I was already there in the manga world. It happened in the blink of an eye. There were no sudden pain, no system hologram appearing in my sight, nothing. When I wished to return, I was back in my room and upon further investigation, I realized that time have not passed at all despite staying on the other side of the world for around five minutes.

It was as if the real world were frozen upon my departure to another world. I don't even know where to begin to retort, maybe starting from the time I recklessly touched the black box? Speaking of which, the power I have gained must have something to do with the black box. Yesterday was the only unexplainable event I ever had in my entire life. It wasn't my imagination after all.

I have wished to enter many kinds of fictional worlds before, yet nothing happen. So I concluded the black box is the culprit! Though I said that, I don't even know what to do. The black box was nowhere in sight. I want to look for information on the internet, but I'm too afraid that I might catch the government's attention. Yes, I'm paranoid. But it can't be helped, right?

While I was wrecking my brains inside out, my eyes wandered around my room until it stopped at the anime wallpaper on my wall.

'Instead of thinking of complicated stuff, why not experience the magical world firsthand?' When the thought appeared inside my mind, I couldn't completely disregard it no matter how much I tried. It had always been my dream—traveling into my favorite fictional world that is.

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