The coziness made him reluctant to open his eyes. It was so comfortable as if he was lying down on clouds, supporting his body softly making him feel that this is all he wants in life.
"Is this what heaven feels like?" A sigh of pure relief escaped him.
After finishing that line of thought, he froze. His thoughts ceased..
"Heaven?!!" He exclaimed while practically jumping out of the bed. He quickly checked his body, confirming he was unharmed… At least physically.
"Thank God I'm alive," he breathed, a fresh wave of relief washing over him.
"Hold on, I'm alive? Where is this… " the words stopped in his mouth as he just noticed that he is in a spacious room.
He is taken aback, adding more questions to his already confused brain. Out of habit, he took a deep breath to gather himself and try to recall his last memory.
"I was sitting on my comfy gaming chair that I had just bought, immersing myself in the open interactive world of Tumultuous Era and the next, this. What is going on?"
While he gained some answers, new questions arose, leaving him no less bewildered.
"Alright. Calm down. Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. The Fundamental."
He took a moment to focus.
"Who? Well, I know who I am, for starters. I'm Ibnor. Who brought me here? I have no idea. Alright, next. Where…?"
His surroundings slowly sharpened into focus.
"Some sort of bedroom. Large. Lavish...."
The huge glass window is decorated with a thick curtain. The bed is large and across the bed, stood a huge display screen hanging on the wall. The food and the door are made from unknown material but all of these things exude luxury.
He tried to calm the frantic beating of his heart, taking a slow, deliberate breath. Questions swirled within him, a chaotic vortex of the unknown.
"But, where am I? Why am I here? Why am I in this bedroom?"
He walked around the room and stopped in front of a tall mirror. His reflection stunned him. Looking back at him is his very own face, but somehow a bit overweight and looks younger.
"What is going on? Is this a dream?" He is still unable to find a proper explanation when there is a knock on the door.
"Excuse me, I'm coming in." A woman's voice can be heard from the outside. It sounds pleasant yet distant at the same time.
The door opened and a beautiful woman in a black suit appeared. Her face is indeed beautiful but she wore a cold expression, especially her eyes. Behind her, a maid is carrying a tray of food. She quickly placed the tray on the bedside table and left the room as if she couldn't stand being in the room.
"I also brought your uniform. We need to leave in one hour, please be ready,"
Unsure of what to do or what to say, he simply stood still and stared blankly at the uniform she placed on the bed. Receiving no response, the woman frowned but it quickly disappeared.
"Well?" she asked.
"Y.. yes, I know.." he stammered. A hint of confusion flashes through her face. She walked towards the window and opened the curtain wide. As the light brightened the room, he moved his head to the side and closed his eyes.
"I'll pick you up in one hour then." She walked out and closed the door. He sat at the edge of the bed, with both of his palms on his face.
"This is a problem. She knew me but I don't remember who she is. But she felt somehow familiar," he thought to himself.
He decides to turn on the display screen in hope it can shed some light to his current situation. It was on the news channel and he decided to eat while watching, realizing that he is in fact, hungry.
"... Fenrir, the affiliated guild of Ezad Group, has successfully cleared the S-Rank Dungeon, last night. The spokesperson…"
"... are getting critical and an overflow will occur within half a month if there is no… "
"... In other news, Awakeners now can undergo promotion tests at…"
"... has arrived in Cyrill, the capital city of Cyrion in order to collaborate…"
Like a malfunction machine, his hand froze and the spoon that he was holding fell back into the bowl as he listened to the news. Suspicion drilled its way into his heart and nested there, festering, multiplying. All the bits that he heard are very familiar and he knows them by heart. But, instead of relief, it just made him more anxious. Putting aside the food, he scrambled to find his phone.
His ex-girlfriend's social media…
Certain international phone company…
Certain famous boy band group…
Famous brands…
Well known online shopping sites…
All his searches came up empty. It was like they never existed. Even the search engine is also not the search engine that he often uses. He is conflicted. He is relieved to know the general situation but fears the situation he is in.
"Not again, dammit!" He roared inwardly.
He took a deep breath.
"Wait.. then.. Who am I?" He muttered.
He fumbled his way to what he thought was his wallet. Upon realizing his identity, he just stood there, absentminded for a while. A terrible end is waiting for him.
"Fuck.. Seriously?" he mumbled.
Ibnor Ezad. A young tyrant. The young master of the Ezad Group, the most well known corporation in the world. A pervert. The scion of the richest family in Pyrion country. A sex offender. And to top it all, an extra who is fated to have bad endings.
Tumultuous Era. A worldwide hit game. It's the largest single player open world rpg game where the player would control a hero and his party, have adventures and ultimately save the world from a Warlord who is hell bent on destroying the world. He was tempted to play the game when he one day saw a trailer of the game. Coincidentally, what sparks his interest is one of the characters in the game is called Ibnor, which shares his name.
Unfortunately, when he plays the game, the character Ibnor Ezad, is just a side character, a typical minor antagonist that most of the time, dies according to the ending unlocked by players. Killed by hero, killed by monsters, betrayed and killed by subordinate, crippled and left to die, killed by lover or the 'best' ending for him, castrated, loses everything and becomes a beggar.
He stood there, not knowing what to do. Again, he took a deep breath to calm himself and sat on the bed.
"With this background, no matter what I do, it's bound to gather attention from the surroundings. How to escape from my predicaments? As of now, whether or not I intervene with the plot, it's still a bad ending for me. Lets just hope I haven't reached the point where everything is irreversible," he sighs.
He looked at the uniform on the bed.
"A student card? Maybe there is hope after all," he muttered. "In the game, Ibnor have a capable personal assistant. Aryssa. She was abused for years until she finally had enough and wanted to quit. He then forced her to stay by threatening her using her family. The woman earlier is most likely her. No wonder her eyes are cold."
Not long after changing his clothes, the beautiful woman walks in.
"Miss Aryssa?"
"Yes, Young Master." The woman answered after a brief hesitation.
"I knew it! I'm so fucked. In one of the endings, she is the one who will kill me. Let's not get involved with her." He thought.
Unknowingly, his hands trembled, clammy with fear. He is scared. Terrified even.
"Do you need anything?"
"No, nothing! Nothing at all," he replied. Aryssa couldn't help but to stare at him.
"Why is he acting weirdly? And he called me Miss? After all he's done? Ah, why should I care? It's best not to agitate him further. Otherwise, who knows what this bastard is going to do next," she thought.
Aryssa stares brought chills down his spine. In his nervousness, he asked.
"Um.. where.. Are we going..?"
"Damn. Of course he is irritated. Why wouldn't he be when I report the incident to the Chairman. Now he is retaliating by not wanting to attend the class." She thought.
"You are still annoyed? Please don't blame me. I did what I had to do." She said.
"Yes, of course." He replied. He doesn't even dare to ask what she is talking about.
"Yes..?"
"Uh, shall we go?"
"We still have a bit of time left, but as you wish, Young Master."
As he was walking, through the hall, up until the front door, he could feel the gaze of people around him. Back on earth, he wouldn't care a bit as he knows he did nothing wrong. But now, he is well aware of his current reputation. If one can kill by just looking, he has undoubtedly died many times by now.
However, having a strong background has its perks. As far as people around him giving him cold stares, that's all they are able to do. Just as he was about to get into the car, a young man spoke to him.
"It's not often to see you this early," said the young man. He looks similar to Ibnor, a more handsome version of him to be exact.
"Khaleed Edaz? My… I mean, Ibnor's older brother. Hmm… Tall athletic body that can make any cloth suit him and a charming personality. He can be considered as perfect. It's obvious why he is one of the companions the player can choose to join the hero's party." Ibnor thought.
"By comparison, he outclassed me... no, the original Ibnor, in every aspect, be it looks, talent or achievement. Often being compared to, Ibnor grew an inferiority complex towards his brother, making him turn towards those who are lower status than him, just so he can feel better about himself. His behavior worsened over time, culminating in all manner of atrocities. Hold on! Why did I say 'original'? I'm Ibnor too god dammit."
"Brother," Ibnor greets him, nodding his head.
Not only Khaleed, even Aryssa and everyone else was also taken aback. Their relationship is not exactly harmonious. Ibnor is rebellious while Khalid is sick of his brother's irresponsible ways. It also worsened along with Ibnor's behaviors overtime.
In the game, it finally escalates and the act of sabotaging each other is normal along with their competition for the inheritance. At one point they truly wanted to kill each other.