CHAPTER (7): Racial Bigotry.

"I pray I don't come across another person that knows the ex-Verlice. I'm tired of impersonating him," Verlice muttered with a deep sigh as he walked through the exit door and arrived outside the hotel.

[And you think that's possible? Trust me, some people here already who you are, they are just minding their business. Verlice used to have a life here before you arrived]

When Verlice heard that, he went into deep thought.

'Now I think of it, what really happened to the former Verlice? This world seems to have already been in existence way before my arrival. That Mike guy sounded like he'd been doing that adventurer job for years. If that's the case, then the former Verlice must have some connections here because it's nearly impossible for someone to live in a society without knowing anyone. Maybe he even has a family, who knows.'

[You're right, Verlice. The former Verlice has vast connections in this world. You know, I never planned to tell you anything about him because I wanted you to start life afresh, but it looks like it's inevitable. I'll tell you everything about him; his status, race, job, and everything. No need to say family because he was an orphan. Both of his parents died in a train wreck]

'Wait, did you just say train wreck?' Verlice asked, surprised. That was the same way his parents died. 

He had left the hotel premises. He was presently hanging around a garage across from the hotel building.

[Yes. He was barely 9 when both of his parents died in a train collision. He wasn't the only child of his parents though. He had a younger sister. If you're wondering what happened to Verlice then let me tell you something; he killed himself. He poisoned himself to death.] 

[Last night when he came to lodge in the hotel, he wasn't actually drunk like the hotel guy said. He was under the effect of poison. He didn't want to die outside, so chose to nestle down there. He handed the hotel guy his money card before rushing off to his room to have a peaceful death. Perhaps, he handed the hotel guy his money card so he would send it across to his sister, I'm not sure.]

'Ah, that's awful. Why did he kill himself though?' Verlice asked, feeling somewhat bad for the deceased Verlice, even though he knew all this wasn't real but mere fantasy.

[Depression, I guess. He must have been depressed about how things turned out for him. His sister went missing about a month ago and ever since then, he hasn't gotten any lead on her whereabouts. The worst part of it all was that he was a powerless human]

'Here I'm thinking my life was miserable,' Verlice let out and sighed.

'I don't really understand, why the racial bigotry? Why can't everyone just live in harmony without any form of discrimination?' 

[Go ask those on top or maybe, change it yourself. As I was explaining earlier; after he died, your consciousness drifted into his body. Verlice was an adventurer. Not just any adventurer but a B-rank adventurer. You should know how strong a B-rank adventurer is, right? He works with a popular guild named Phantom]

"Phantom," Verlice repeated. 

The name sounded familiar as if he'd heard it someplace before but he couldn't recollect exactly where.

[Although he was treated as trash, he still pushed hard to get to where he was before his demise. Most human adventurers in his shoes quit before a year runs out due to frustration. Most guilds allow powerless humans to take only easy quests. And easy quests come with only a little pay.]

"I honestly feel bad for that young man. He shouldn't have taken his life, no matter what. I can't imagine who is heartless enough to abduct his sister," Verlice muttered as he looked down at the golden card in his hand. 

'I also feel bad for spending his hard-earned money like that. He must have worked really hard to get this golden card.'

[Yeah, he truly worked hard] Lera seconded.

'I promise, when I get strong, I'll find his sister if she is still alive. I'll pay back all his wealth to her. I'll also make sure to stop the racial bigotry going on in this society. That's the least I could do to appreciate someone that left his entire fortune to me when I needed it the most,' Verlice reckoned with a firm resolution.

[I really adore your resolution. That means you'll get powerful in no time, right?] Lera said, almost excited.

'Of course, I'll work really hard to get powerful. I have a goal in this….' Verlice paused when he realized something. 

'Wait, but wasn't the deceased Verlice supposed to save the world? Why did he die though? The MC in that novel died right after saving the whole world. Even though I don't remember anything about the novel, I very much remember the finish line. Verlice was supposed to save the whole world before dying.'

[You're a lot smarter than I thought. Do you know the reason why you're here? No, right? You are here to replace him. Now you have found out, you ought to work hard so you won't end up like him]

"What?!" Verlice shouted in horror. 

He covered his mouth with his hands when he realized he had let out that scream but it was already too late, the scream was already out. The passers-by gave him a weird look when that happened.

Noticing the piercing stares coming from all corners, Verlice lowered his face in embarrassment and began biting his nails. This was an old habit of his. He normally does it whenever he was caught in the middle of doing something awkward.

When he could no longer feel the stares, he continued with the discussion.

'Are you really serious that I'm here to replace him?' Verlice asked one more time for the sake of clarity.

[I'm sure you heard me the first time]

'C'mon, that's ridiculous! How can I replace someone dead? He wasn't able to complete the assignment, so how certain are you that I won't be like him? Someone as hardworking as him failed, why do you think I'll succeed?' Verlice complained.

[You have a greater chance of survival, Verlice. The previous Verlice was only a human, whereas you're a wizard. Not just any wizard, but the strongest and rarest class. On top of being a wizard, you also have a system that will help you get stronger without delay. With these two, you will surely survive]

'I'm still not confident. Does this mean Verlice wasn't originally from here?'

[I'm sorry, but I can't answer that question right now. You've no business with the previous Verlice. You're the present and the future Verlice, that's all matters] Lera dismissed Verlice's query.

'What's even the point of me being here? This world is obviously not real. I'm inside some damn world that works in alignment with the plot of a random novel, how does that even make sense? I'm sure Verlice came here the same way I did.' 

Lera [.....] 

'But regardless, I'll make a strong effort to survive. I want to save the innocent humans that are suffering in this world. Therefore, I'll accept the mission to change this world. But before that, I have just one request?'

[And what's that?]

'After I'm done completing the mission, I want to return to my former world and spend the rest of my days there,' Verlice requested.

He had a reason for requesting something like that. 

He wishes to spend his last days in the city where his parents died. 

[Give me a few seconds…]

After a brief silence, Lera eventually replied.

[Your request has been accepted]

The next moment, a green screen appeared right in front of Verlice's field vision.

[Host has accepted his mission, consequently activating the magic system fully]

[System activated!]

[Host can now obtain quests and enjoy several benefits from the magic system]

[QUEST ALERT!]

[Unlimited-time quest revived]

[Quest: Save the whole world and transition it]