Chapter 3: Interrogation and Revelation

Alright, let's give this a try. Great Sage, are you there?

[Notice: Yes]

Hearing the response from that familiar female voice, Rozen felt a surge of excitement. He knew now that he could truly access the Great Sage skill.

Okay, let's calm down for a moment.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, then immediately began thinking about how to make Great Sage his permanent ability.

I see! So that's how I make it permanent!

Somehow, as soon as he thinking about it, an instinctive understanding of the process came to him.

First, I need to relax my entire being and imagine the power I want to make permanent merging completely with my existence.

He put this thought into action, and sure enough, he felt the effects immediately—a wonderful and strange sensation swept through him, as if his very existence was transforming and evolving into something stronger.

After what seemed like an eternity in this timeless, meaningless space, the sensation finally faded. Rozen realized that something about him had changed.

It worked! Let's try it again. Great Sage?

[Notice: Yes, is there any instruction?]

Rozen felt a wave of joy hearing this. With that, Great Sage had truly become his own permanent ability.

Alright then, Great Sage! Detect my current state. What's happening to me right now?

[Notice: It has been detected that Master is currently in a state of unconsciousness and is most likely awake in the subconscious realm.]

I see, so I'm not dead—I'm just unconscious. That's good to know.

Rozen let out a sigh of relief, glad he wasn't trapped in the despair he had initially feared.

Great Sage, can you get me out of this state right now?

[Notice: Yes. Would Master like to initiate the Consciousness Recovery procedure now? YES/NO]

YES!

Without a second thought, he chose 'YES.' Instantly, a bright light blinded him, and at the same time, his body in the real world began to stir, his face twitching as if he was about to wake up any moment now.

"Ah! Senior! It looks like the young man is waking up," said a bespectacled officer, staring at Rozen in surprise.

"Really? I'm on my way," a voice replied from a distance, followed by hurried footsteps approaching.

Rozen slowly opened his eyes, lifting his head, which had been resting on a table. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, taking in his surroundings.

I presume I'm in a police station?

He thought, scanning the area. It looked exactly like a police station from his memories—lots of desks cluttered with items and people in uniforms milling about.

"Hey kid, have you come to your senses?" asked one of the officers, who had just arrived and sat down in front of him, accompanied by his colleague.

"Huh?" Rozen tilted his head in confusion. Unfortunately, he couldn't understand a word the officer was saying; it was all in a foreign language unfamiliar to him.

Seeing Rozen's reaction, the two officers exchanged glances. "Senior, it seems this guy really doesn't understand our language," the junior officer commented.

"Is that so? This is going to be a hassle," the senior officer sighed, massaging his forehead with a troubled expression.

While the two officers conversed, Rozen began communicating with Great Sage in his mind.

Great Sage, is there any way for me to communicate with them?

[Notice: Positive. By analyzing the vibration of their sound waves and the meaning behind them, we can translate and understand what they're saying.]

Great! Then do it now!

[Notice: Initiating procedure...]

A strange sensation spread throughout Rozen's body, and he knew it was proof that Great Sage was at work.

Little by little, he started to comprehend the officers' conversation. At first, he understood just a word or two, then phrases, and soon entire sentences. Before long, he could grasp everything they were saying.

Rozen's eyes sparkled with excitement. He sighed in admiration, impressed once again by how useful Great Sage was.

[Hmph!]

Did she just...?

Rozen's lips twitched, but he decided to ignore it and refocused on the situation at hand.

"Ahem, sorry, do you understand what I'm saying now?" The two officers, who had been chatting casually, froze upon hearing Rozen speak. They both turned to stare at him, completely shocked.

"How come you, brat, suddenly understand our language?! Wait a minute! I clearly saw your lips didn't match the words I was speaking, yet somehow I could understand you," the senior officer remarked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Rozen.

"Aha... Ahaha... T-that's because..." Rozen scratched his head, turning his gaze away nervously. His back was now drenched in sweat.

Damn it! Great Sage! Why didn't you warn me about this?! Now I look suspicious to them!

[Notice: Master didn't ask.]

Rozen's lips twitched at the response. He knew it wasn't entirely Great Sage's fault; it was his own oversight.

Now I need to come up with a believable excuse to fool them!

But, as luck would have it, the goddess of fortune was on Rozen's side. The junior officer suddenly spoke up, "Senior, maybe this guy is using that new technology called Lingua Beacon. I heard it's supposed to let people communicate with foreigners in their own language."

"Is that so? So this brat can talk to us thanks to that technology. What an impressive piece of tech," the senior officer sighed in admiration, dropping his suspicious look.

Rozen wiped the sweat from his forehead in relief. He had narrowly avoided having his supernatural power exposed.

"Sorry, sir, but why did I wake up here? I didn't do anything wrong, right?" Rozen asked with a hint of doubt. He couldn't understand how he, who had just arrived in this world, ended up unconscious and brought to a police station without doing anything.

"Well, let me explain. Your behavior looked like someone who'd lost their mind. It made someone call us, and we had no choice but to knock you out to prevent you from attacking others," the senior officer replied, addressing Rozen's confusion. Rozen nodded in understanding, feeling embarrassed.

"Also, kid, I found out that you don't have any official identification in this country. Are you an illegal immigrant?" The senior officer gave Rozen a sharp, piercing look, making him stiffen instantly.

"Well... Yes. I'm an illegal immigrant," Rozen admitted honestly, a defeated expression on his face. He knew that any kind of excuse wouldn't fool the police, especially in a technologically advanced cyberpunk era like this.

Of course, if he had powerful hacking skills to crack the technology in this world, he could fabricate a fake identity for himself. But he didn't have the time for that, especially since he had only just realized his cheat power after waking up in a police station.

"As expected!" Both officers nodded knowingly. Rozen, feeling a bit nervous, asked, "So, what are you going to do with me?"

"What will we do? Hmm... Relax. We're not sending you to jail. We'll just keep you in a holding cell for a few days, then arrange to send you back to your country." Hearing that he would be "sent back," Rozen's lips twitched slightly.

If you can actually send me back, I'd be grateful! But my country is from another world, you know!

He complained inwardly but kept his face composed.

The senior officer pulled out a pen and a notebook, clicked the pen, and gave Rozen a focused look. "I need to ask you a few questions. Please answer truthfully. Name?"

"Rozen Itsuki."

"Age?"

"Seventeen."

"Sex?"

"Sex?!" he slapped his own thigh hard, "No way! I'm still a virgin, do you understand?! So, no sex!" Rozen retorted, sounding both serious and embarrassed.

"You..." The senior officer's eyebrow twitched visibly.

"Hahaha! Ahahaha! Did he think we actually ask him how many times he's had sex?! Hahaha, kid, you're killing me!" The junior officer burst out laughing, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"Shut up, Clark! Listen, kid! I was asking for your gender, not how many times you've had sex!" Bruce snapped, slapping the table, making everyone else in the room glance over.

"Ahem, ahem, sorry. Of course, I'm male! Isn't that obvious?" Rozen responded, giving the senior officer a look as if to say, 'Can't you tell?'

"You brat!!!" Bruce clenched his pen so tightly it creaked, while Clark next to him laughed even harder.

"Hahahaha!!!"

"Calm down, Bruce! He's just a kid. No need to get so worked up," Bruce muttered to himself, patting his chest and taking a deep breath.

Bruce and Clark? Batman and Superman? Did these two heroes reincarnate in this world as police officers? What a strange world.

Rozen exclaimed internally, his gaze turning a bit strange as he looked at the two officers in front of him.

After calming himself down, Bruce continued the interrogation, but this time his gaze was sharper and more serious than before. Rozen knew he'd be in trouble if he didn't take it seriously now. "Origin?"

"Origin? Umm..." Rozen scratched his head with a troubled expression, which only made Bruce's stare grow sharper and more piercing.

"I guess... East?" Rozen quickly answered, noticing that Bruce was starting to lose his patience.

"What do you mean by 'East'?!" Bruce slammed his hand on the poor table once again, drawing the attention of the other officers in the room. "There are many countries in what you call 'East'! Answer seriously! Which country are you from?"

This is a troublesome situation... How am I supposed to say I'm from a country called Japan if Japan doesn't even exist in this world?

He was in a tricky and troublesome predicament. Even if he answered truthfully, no one would believe him.

Suddenly, a good idea struck him, and Rozen quickly acted on it. "Do you have a world map? Let me see it, and I'll show you where I'm from."

"Clark! Go get him a map," Bruce ordered, and Clark promptly left to retrieve it. Seeing that his idea had worked, a smile spread across Rozen's face.

As for his actual plan, it was quite simple. Rozen intended to point to a random country on the map as his origin. Of course, aside from that, he also wanted to confirm which world he had arrived in—whether it was a different world that resembled his previous one or perhaps a parallel version of Earth.

Of course, if he discovered that this world was a parallel Earth, he would point to Japan as his place of origin. However, if it wasn't a parallel Earth, he would simply choose a random country located in the East region of the map.

Thinking about his plan, Rozen couldn't help but admire himself.

What a genius I am!

[...]

Great Sage, upon hearing this, remained speechless, unable to complain about her master who was shamelessly claiming credit for an idea that wasn't entirely his own.

How shameless he is!

Ahem! Back to Rozen's perspective. He and Bruce were now sitting in silence, making the atmosphere awkward between them.

Luckily, Clark soon returned with the world map in his hands. He quickly unfolded it and handed it over to Rozen.

This...?!

Upon seeing the world map unfold, Rozen's eyes widened in shock. How could he not be surprised? The map in front of him was exactly the same as the one from his previous world—a map of planet Earth!

I can't believe it. I'm actually on a parallel Earth. But if that's true, why can't I understand anything they're saying? This is so strange...

"So, kid, where is your country now?" Bruce asked, waiting for Rozen's response.

"Well... This is my country." Rozen pointed to the island of Japan. The map showed some writing over the island in a language he couldn't read, making him curious about its meaning.

"You're from the Far East?" Bruce asked with a hint of doubt.

"Far East?" Rozen raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Japan to be called the Far East in this world.

"You're really from the Far East? You're not just picking a random place, are you?" Bruce pressed, clearly suspicious.

"Of course not! I'm not lying! You can see the honesty in my eyes and tell if I'm lying or not!" Rozen declared, opening his eyes wide and letting Bruce inspect them closely.

"You brat..." Once again, Bruce was left speechless by Rozen's antics, sighing in exhaustion. He decided to accept the explanation, eager to wrap up the interrogation and avoid dealing with Rozen any longer.

But suddenly, Bruce's eyes narrowed as he noticed something unusual on the map. He glared at the unfamiliar feature.

What the heck is this?! I clearly remember there wasn't any island or continent like this on the world map before!

"Excuse me, sir, may I ask what this continent is?" Rozen raised his hand and pointed to a large landmass on the map.

"Huh? That? That's the MU Continent, where we are right now. You didn't even know that? You're a very strange kid," Bruce replied, though he raised an eyebrow at the shock on Rozen's face.

FUCK! The MU Continent! It's the freaking MU Continent! Where the hell am I right now? Is this a parallel Earth? Or... could it be that I've somehow arrived on a parallel Earth from a time far before my own world's history?!

Upon this realization, Rozen was filled with disbelief. Stories about time travelers rarely ever depict an advanced civilization existing before modern humans.

But the MU Continent... It feels so familiar. The only fictional story I know of that features the MU Continent is Honk— don't tell me...

He gulped at the terrifying thought. If his guess was correct, then he was now in the world of Honkai Impact 3, during the Previous Era, long before the main storyline took place!

He started to panic, realizing that this civilization faced a doomed future. But then he remembered his cheat power and instantly calmed down.

To be sure, he decided to ask Bruce a specific question. "Sir, is there a famous scientist named Dr. Mobius in this world?"

The two officers exchanged glances, and it was Clark who nodded and replied, "Of course there is. Dr. Mobius is a renowned genius in the field of biology. She's made groundbreaking discoveries that have advanced biological technology by several decades in recent years."

Rozen facepalmed and muttered quietly, "As expected, I'm definitely in the world of Honkai Impact 3 now."

"What's the matter? Why did you suddenly ask about Dr. Mobius?" Clark asked curiously.

"It's nothing, I was just curious," Rozen replied casually.

The interrogation continued, with Bruce asking several more questions, and Rozen answering truthfully and straightforwardly.

Finally, after some time, the interrogation ended. Bruce had written down all the information about Rozen in his notebook. He stood up and instructed Rozen, "Get up. I'm taking you to our holding cell. You'll stay there for a while as we contact the authorities in the Far East about you before sending you back."

Rozen felt a subtle hearing this. After all, he knew he wasn't actually from this world, let alone from the Far East

He couldn't predict what would happen if they discovered the truth—that he wasn't from the Far East at all. But one thing was certain: it wouldn't end well for him.

Of course, with his cheat power, he could easily escape from the cell without anyone noticing. That's why he remained calm and obediently entered the cell.

Upon reaching the cell, Bruce unlocked it and swung the door wide open, gesturing for Rozen to step inside.

Rozen shrugged and casually walked in. Once he was inside, Bruce immediately locked the door before he and Clark walked away, leaving him behind and alone in the cell.

Now I'm all alone...

He sighed before lying down on the narrow bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Memories of the day flashed through his mind: falling into the black hole, waking up in a strange new world, and now being detained in a temporary cell at the police station.

"What an extraordinary day this has been," he muttered with a sigh, still in disbelief at everything he'd gone through. It felt like he had been on a roller coaster ride, leaving his emotions unstable and chaotic.

Thankfully, his mental state was relatively strong. Coupled with the presence of his cheat ability, which guaranteed both his future and his well-being, Rozen didn't collapse under the pressure.

Shaking his head to put aside those thoughts, he shifted his focus to the current issue of his new world.

Great Sage, can you detect any malicious energy spread throughout the area?

[Notice: Scanning... Detection complete.]

[Answer: Yes, faint malicious energy has been detected throughout the area. Based on the archives from Master's memory, this energy is identified as Honkai Energy.]

Just as I suspected, Honkai Energy is everywhere. That might be why my body has been feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Let's check—Great Sage, what's my current level of Honkai Energy radiation?

[Notice: Checking Master's body parameters... Scan complete.]

[Answer: Honkai Energy radiation detected at 5%. It is recommended that Master access a power capable of counteracting this radiation.]