NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
Avatar (1)
[The one who awakens their abilities will be transported to another world and can return to Earth by achieving certain conditions.]
It was a phrase that starkly represented the current era.
A fundamental cause of the chaos in today’s society.
– A large fire has broken out in a commercial building in Jeonnam, and the fire department is currently working to extinguish it.
– The arsonist has fled the scene and gone into hiding, and the Ability Management Bureau has stated that it appears to be a random crime committed by an Awakened One before their dimensional teleportation…
“Things have been particularly intense lately.”
As I turned my head while watching the news blaring on TV, I realized that incidents were happening everywhere I went.
It had nothing to do with me, who was cooped up in my room.
‘Despairing crimes before dimensional teleportation, where the survival rate is low. And the chaos caused by those who have returned…’
Ignoring the doomsday theories that predicted the world would end in the year 2000, it has been over twenty years since then, and the world is still intact.
‘No, saying it’s intact is a bit of a stretch; it’s a total mess.’
Though the world hasn’t ended, humanity had to adapt to new changes.
And I was a victim of that transitional period.
“…”
It has been nearly two years since I lost my family due to an Awakened one’s terror and became a recluse.
Ding dong—
Suddenly, a doorbell rang.
I limped toward the intercom, my leg uncomfortable due to the aftermath of the incident.
‘Is it that day already…?’
A familiar person stood at the door with a professional expression.
“Hello. We’re from the Dimensional Management Bureau’s Transport Investigation Department. Is this Seong-hyun Han?”
As soon as I opened the door to face them, I was greeted with a formal voice.
I had met this person several times, and they always spoke that way each time I saw them.
“Yes… as you can see.”
Unbothered by my curt response, the investigator alternated between my face and a digital pad before immediately bidding farewell.
“Yes, we’ve confirmed. Please notify the Dimensional Management Bureau if you awaken your abilities. Have a nice day.”
Click—
My interaction with the outsider, the first in half a year, ended in less than a minute.
– Since awakening and teleportation happen randomly, isn’t it a problem that we have no way of knowing who awakened and disappeared when?
– While the principle states that one must report after awakening, does the world ever run strictly by principles? We need a more fundamental solution through proper systems!
Ignoring the noise of the panelists arguing on TV, I headed toward the kitchen.
‘Oh, I seem to have run out of food.’
I opened the pantry just in case, but only the empty space greeted me.
I clicked my tongue and picked up my smartphone to order groceries but quickly set it down again.
‘…Forget it. I’ll order delivery later.’
The accident took not only my family and leg but also my courage.
Since that day, I’ve been holed up at home due to trauma from going outside, only communicating with the outside world online with my one remaining friend.
Well, I get a check-in call every month and a visit every six months, but I guess I have to endure it.
– So, the transport investigations are practically useless! Just a product of desk administration…
– But we can’t just sit back and do nothing…
Returning to the living room, I let the TV noise become my radio as I started my routine of two years.
Hoo, huff!
In one corner of the living room lay all kinds of workout equipment.
I had set them up for leg rehabilitation and had used them every single day since.
‘…No matter how much I try, there hasn’t been any effect.’
I had become healthier, but that was all.
There was no sign of recovery for my initially intended goal of healing my leg.
Even knowing it was futile, I couldn’t let go and kept going through the motions out of habit.
If I could overcome this disability, I thought I might be able to conquer my trauma, too.
If I gave up on this, I felt like nothing would be left for me.
Hoo…
Suddenly feeling self-loathing, I set down the dumbbell and stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
How did it come to this?
There must be other unhappy people in the world, so why couldn’t I manage to overcome it?
Why does my whole body shake with fear the moment I take even a step outside?
If I had more courage, would something have changed?
If I… could escape this room and go anywhere…
Lost in that self-pitying abyss, I suddenly noticed a phrase appear before my eyes.
《Dimensional anomaly detected. Connecting to the Akasha system.》
I shot up from my chair.
《Awakening Unique Skill.》
“Uh? All of a sudden? Me?”
Panic took over me.
Ability awakening was akin to dimensional teleportation.
But how could someone like me, unable to even step outside the door, expect to survive in another world with newfound powers?
Yet, as if disregarding my situation, words continued to appear before me.
《Awakening is complete. You have awakened the Unique Skill “Avatar.”》
《24 hours remaining until teleportation.》
With those last words, I lost consciousness.
*
“Ugh… my head…”
My head throbbed painfully.
When I regained consciousness, it was dark outside.
Feeling parched, I staggered to the kitchen and gulped down water, only to suddenly realize.
‘Huh? My leg is better?’
I slowly moved my legs around.
It wasn’t completely healed, but it felt much more comfortable than before.
‘Physical enhancement after awakening? If I keep growing, could I actually heal completely?’
I paused my happy thoughts and faced reality.
Given that I couldn’t even go outside, what were the odds of me dragging an uncomfortable leg to survive and grow in another world?
‘Odds? I’ll probably kick the bucket somewhere before long.’
Many athletes and special forces don’t come back, so what can I possibly do?
Nonetheless, I couldn’t just sit and give up.
“‘Avatar’ huh…”
As I contemplated my abilities, a piece of information engraved into my mind during the awakening resurfaced.
《Unique Skill “Avatar” – Creates a clone.》
“No way that’s all it says…”
Well, I had an inkling, but really.
There wasn’t even an intuitive status screen or detailed skill explanation like in games.
I had to directly gauge my physical capabilities and status through movement, and the only information about the skill was a minimum imprint in my head.
The subsequent path of growth was entirely up to me.
“Should I try using it? I have no clue what a clone can really do.”
Using the ability wasn’t particularly difficult.
As soon as I closed my eyes and activated it based on the engraving in my mind.
I realized that the Unique Skill had properly activated.
I slowly opened my eyes.
There I was.
Wearing shabby training clothes, with messy hair and dazed, half-open eyes.
I examined myself to see if anything was off.
No matter how I looked at it, it was me.
Even the way I pivoted my head to inspect seemed like I was looking into a mirror.
When we shook hands, there was a warm sensation.
A clear sign that it wasn’t an illusion but a tangible existence.
Then I suddenly felt something strange in my vision.
Having focused on each other like looking in a mirror, I hadn’t noticed it, but our fields of vision overlapped.
Standing back to back made it even clearer.
Now, I could see in both directions at the same time!
But realizing I had two separate bodies made moving them even more challenging.
As I tried to coordinate both bodies, my limbs tangled, and the widened field of vision also made me dizzy.
It felt like having distinct body parts while sharing the brain, which was extremely disorienting.
‘The brain doubled, so why is this happening!’
But I had no choice but to get used to it.
This was my only way to survive.
Grrr—
…Speaking of which, I hadn’t eaten anything today and had fainted.
First, I needed to snack on some chicken while thinking. I was just trying to stay alive here!
*
A few hours later.
“Ah, this isn’t going to work.”
It was still rough.
I had gotten somewhat accustomed.
Now, I could summon and dismiss the clone with ease, and one body could move normally while the other was still.
However, when I tried to make both bodies move simultaneously, they would lag, and they could only move slowly at best.
‘Before that, could I even move properly outside…?’
If I’d had enough time, I could’ve practiced using the abilities further, but I didn’t have much time left.
“Time to prepare for the teleportation…”
I took out the items I had at home and the supplies I’d ordered beforehand and began organizing them.
I packed survival gear like fire steel, multitools, portable knives, easy-to-eat preserve food, and water bottles into a large bag.
I couldn’t take real weapons with me.
For some unknown reason, weaponry was restricted during dimensional teleportation.
Some tried to bring firearms abroad but failed, and I found out that a knife was the limit among cold weapons.
I donned safety equipment, including an open-face motorcycle helmet that wouldn’t obstruct my view, shin guards, gloves, and stab-proof vests.
These were items my parents had prepared before they passed.
They were stored in the warehouse, obtained in advance since you never knew when someone might be teleported.
‘Who would have thought I’d actually need to use this…’
Realizing I hadn’t contacted my only friend, I called but got no answer.
Right, they mentioned they’d be busy for a while and wouldn’t be reachable.
It was unfortunate, but I had no choice and sent a thank-you text instead before putting down my phone.
Finally, I reviewed the information I had organized about the other world on a website to calm my nerves.
The world you’d be transported to was random, and we only knew of hundreds that had been revealed so far, so I had no idea where I was going, but at least it was better than knowing nothing.
I felt anxious about my unrefined abilities.
Worries about whether I’d adapt to a dimension that wasn’t just the outside world.
Yet, a desperate intention to somehow survive mixed with my anxiety, stirring my heart.
As I calmed my mind and took a deep breath.
A blue light erupted beneath my feet, signaling the transportation circle.
《10 minutes remaining until transportation.》
I gazed blankly at the dimensional teleportation circle glowing under my feet.
If I stood here for 10 minutes, I would be sent to another world, where I would struggle to survive in an unknown place.
‘During my time in the new world, did they say that my physical aging would follow Earth’s time? As long as I can survive, I guess it’s a definite benefit.’
The flow of time differed in each world, but on average, it was about 1:10.
‘…Typically, returning takes about a year, so they say you need to survive about ten years in the other world. Hah… ten years? This isn’t some joke.’
As I backed away while lost in thought, I accidentally stepped off the teleportation circle.
Instantly, the blue light began to fade and shift to red.
The red teleportation circle was akin to a warning.
In that state, when the time came, they would forcibly send an Awakened One to the other world.
My carefully packed items would be left behind, and I would have to go with nothing.
As the situation drew near, my mind became chaotic again.
Suddenly, I remembered that I hadn’t reported my awakening to the Ability Management Bureau due to my mental state, but what did it matter now?
I immediately erased that thought from my mind.
‘Ah… I wish someone would go in my place…’
Of course, it was just an empty thought.
It had been over twenty years since awakenings and dimensional transfers began, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say people had tried every method imaginable worldwide.
Even if someone stepped in, the teleportation circle would remain red, ignoring them completely and forcibly send the awakened individual.
The teleportation circle only recognized the Awakened one themselves and functioned solely for them.
Then suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
‘What if… no, it can’t be. But maybe?’
I immediately activated the “Avatar.”
The summoned clone was dressed in shabby training clothes, unlike me, who was heavily armed with goods.
Recalling the sensations I had practiced, I moved the clone, and it awkwardly climbed onto the teleportation circle.
And soon, the color of the teleportation circle began to change.
“It’s working! It’s going to… wait?”
It looked like the teleportation circle was about to turn blue, only for it to abruptly halt midway.
I sighed at the sight of the circle glowing purple.
‘Well, I should’ve expected that. It wouldn’t be that easy.’
While I was curious what would happen if time passed in that state, I had no intention of experimenting myself.
If things went wrong, my survival odds—already low—would plunge to zero.
I thought it would be nice if it worked out, and if it didn’t, so be it, but I realized I was oddly hopeful.
Feeling deflated, my legs buckled, and I sat down, glancing at my watch to see only 5 minutes were left.
Time was genuinely running out.
I had to brace myself to go up there now.
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a final deep breath.
And then I focused on my ‘vision.’
With my eyes closed, I saw myself, heavily armed, sitting there.
With one eye limited, my attention naturally shifted to the other side, leading my mental focus toward the clone without even realizing it.
Soon, the teleportation circle began to glow blue.