Nova slowly sat up.
"Where am I again?" he muttered, surveying the unfamiliar surroundings. It was a vast field surrounded by towering hills on all sides. He wasn't in a lab or hospital he had expected to be in.
Then he stood up and was about to walk when something crossed his mind that made him pause for a moment.
"Why is this hoodie clean?"
He touched his hoodie, then froze. A faint flowery scent of detergent rose from the clean fabric, leaving him astonished. It should have been soaked — drenched — in the blood of the wasp-monkeys and the mutated tiger he had slain earlier. He couldn't wrap his head around how it was suddenly spotless again. Come to think of it, he hadn't even noticed the change until he was no longer in that place. This made him more curious about the enigma surrounding that place.
Nova checked himself and found that the two combat rods were still in his pant pocket. And also the pants were clean. He took off his hoodie and his t-shirt and boots were also clean. It was as if he had never gone to fight those creatures.
"Was it all a dream? Nah, it felt too real"
Nova pondered silently as he headed north. But something crazy happened. When he got close to the hill it seemed as though it was moving further away. He dashed forward and the distance kept increasing. He couldn't tell if his eyes were deceiving him or if the land itself had a mind of its own
"What the hell?"
He stopped and tried another direction which was south and the same thing happened. It felt as if the hills were alive and were mocking him.
"What the hell? Is this some kind of joke?" Nova felt this place definitely was not somewhere ordinary. He then decided to go eastwards. As he was in the middle of sprinting something fell from his pocket.
He halted immediately, picked it up and opened it. It was a piece of paper. "Piece of paper? This is only found in museums or old libraries how is it in my pocket."
The paper was folded in half. Nova slowly opened it and read what was written on it. "Do not let anybody know you are here. Start heading west and you'll see a bag under a tree, take it and begin your journey here. I cleaned you up and put some clean clothes on you as well."
The last part made Nova felt slightly angry and embarrassed as he glanced down at his crotch. He was bathed by someone. He turned the paper back and saw something written. "Make sure no one knows who you are. Nova"
"Who wrote this...? And why does the person not want me revealing my identity. Where even am I?" Nova's mind raced with questions all unanswered. But he knew that the person who wrote this was definitely someone who knew him. And there were only two people it could be was Grey and Noah. Without thinking much of it, he slipped the paper into the pocket of his hoodie and decided to walk west, as said in the paper.
Then, surprisingly, the hill to the west stayed in place, unlike the others that seemed to move further away as he approached. As Nova climbed the hill, it wasn't long before he spotted the tree. But there were more than one.
"How convenient," Nova said sarcastically. He exhaled and walked over to the first tree. To his luck, he immediately caught sight of the bag beneath it.
Nova picked up the bag and couldn't help but be surprised. "Isn't this the C-quest bag?"
It was a worn leather pouch. That every Channeler carried with them into the God's Ruins. They couldn't carry a storage space because it would not function in God's Ruins.
He opened the bag scanning the contents inside. He saw some nutrient packs, a paper and a bottle of water. "Isn't this exactly what Channelers are supposed to bring when they enter the God's Ruins?"
*Growl~*
Nova's stomach screamed in protest before he could wonder off into his thoughts. Only then did he realize he hadn't eaten all day. He took one of the nutrient packs and popped it into his mouth. When the content of the nutrient pack slid onto his tongue he felt a cool sensation with a combination of sweet, bitter, sour, and spicy flavors all at once.
His eyes widened in surprise. This was the highest quality of nutrient pack one could find in the market and was definitely expensive. It wasn't as bitter or tasteless as others and could sustain one for two days without eating.
"Hmmm... amazing." Nova continued to munch on the meal in the pack. After emptying it, he drank the water and when he was no longer hungry.
Only then did he decided to check the paper. He opened it and read aloud. "The things in this bag would sustain you for only a week and I assume by then you would be able to take care of yourself. There are spices in the bag for meat or fish so they won't taste bland. And always remember to train because you would definitely face several danger."
Nova narrowed his brows. He now knew who wrote this. "But what does Uncle Noah mean by sustaining me for one week? Is this some kind of survival training?"
He couldn't put the pieces together. Since there was still more written on the paper, he continued reading. "Continue heading west and also be on guard. Do not let anybody know you are and survive and grow stronger."
Now he was totally bewildered. Why was he constantly warned about not allowing anybody know who he was and what does he mean by survive and grow stronger?
"Is this some kind of cipher?" Nova thought. But after some minutes of checking there weren't any cipher code.
Then a gentle breeze blew past Nova, sending a chill up his spine as he felt a strange sensation that he might not be on any planet in the MPU.
•••
Meanwhile on a planet in the MPU inside a large dome...
Tap Tap Tap
The sound of footsteps slowly echoed in the dark hallway, approaching the door in front. The door opened with a soft hiss and a man entered.
The room was dimly lit and in front the man was a man seated radiating an aura of dominance and control, his gaze was sharp as though it could see through one's soul. Several kowtowed men lined in front at the left and right side of the man seated. They didn't dare lift their heads.
"I didn't think you would be this quick in assembling the Underworld legion," the man that stepped in spoke to the man in front of him.
"What can I say, we need to be prepared." the man on the throne-like chair spread his hands helplessly "So how's he doing?"
"I was lucky to be able to quickly rescue him from an explosion. But don't worry he is fine," the man spoke again as he walked closer.
"That's good to hear. So was he able to go through the portal with you?"
"Yes, just like the tabernacle predicted. And I gave him supplies that would last at most a week, and based on his training, I know he will surely adapt," Noah replied.
"If my guess is right, then the MPDS is busy searching for him. Don't worry, I erased our trace when you went after him. If the MPDS were to find out that the Underworld King and Nexus were harboring such a great advantage for war or 'evolution' of the human race, we would surely be labeled backstabbers. So for now we wait, if this doesn't cool down and the find out, we would have to fight the whole MPU. Which is something we wouldn't back down from," Grey said in one breath.
"So what if he accidentally comes out of the God's Ruins without understanding his power or visiting the tabernacle?" Noah asked, his tone full of worry. He knew if Nova wasn't able to manifest his powers well enough to defend himself and the MPU finds him. It would definitely be a headache.
"Don't worry about that. I have one of my legion members stationed at the God's Ruins. So if he were to come out of the portal, he would be in charge of protecting him," Grey said easing Noah a little.