Chapter 5: Chapter 04

Michael never considered himself a quick thinker.

It's not that he was particularly slow, his brain just took longer than normal to process certain information.

He liked to take his own time to think things through, which often led to him being reprimanded at work. Although, once he got used to a new routine he could easily pick up the pace, it was just a matter of adaptability.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this characteristic of his that Michael liked Honkai: Star Rail.

It was a turn-based game, so he could take as much time as he wanted to think, the characters were attractive and the story was engaging too, which served as a bonus.

Still, he could never have imagined that he would experience this turn-based game firsthand... Except there was no turn!

Michael narrowly dodged the attack of a Voidranger that was hot on his tail, the monster's sharp blade passing so close to the back of his neck that some of his hair was cut in the process.

Michael barely managed to land a kick in the monster's chest, pushing it away for a short moment as he dragged Arlan by his arm.

Arlan: "Mr. Michael, you can leave me here! Your safety is more important..."

"Nonsense, you can't even walk! If I leave you here, it'll be like throwing food into the mouth of a hungry tiger: he'll eat you, and then, unsatisfied, he'll come after me!"

Michael retorted, backing away as far as possible. His speed was pitiful, however, and the Voidranger was already right on his tail again.

How exactly had he ended up in this situation? Of course, Michael knew that an ambush from the Antimatter Legion was waiting for them at the elevator passage due to his prior knowledge, but he didn't think much of it since in the game the Astral Express group had easily dealt with everything while protecting Arlan.

He had greatly underestimated the situation, however. Whatever change his presence might have caused, the number of enemies was far greater than he vaguely remembered, leaving Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle too busy to protect him and the injured Arlan.

With some of the Voidrangers turning their attention to them, who were obviously the dead weight of the group, Michael had no other option but to flee back into the corridors with Arlan in tow.

Luckily, he had managed to lose most of his pursuers after some time, but one of the monsters was still persistently chasing him, and Michael had no idea where he was anymore.

As he fled from the Voidranger, Michael turned a corner into a hallway and came across a tightly closed steel door. There was no other way out, so he quickly approached it and frantically knocked on the screen, but the door would not open at all.

Arlan: "Wait! Let me..."

Arlan intervened, reaching out and deftly manipulating the control panel screen as Michael repeatedly glanced back, afraid that the monster might reach them.

The speed at which Arlan handled the panel seemed agonizingly slow to Michael, within moments he could already see the figure of the Voidranger at the turn of the corridor behind them, his attention easily fixed on the two again and, in a few steps, he had already crossed half way to them.

At that moment, however, the steel door opened and Michael did not hesitate to pull Arlan inside in a hurry, leaving behind the Antimatter Legion soldier who was blocked by the steel door that closed right after Michael and Arlan entered.

"Uf..."

Michael sighed in relief, looking around.

It was a storage room, apparently, these types of spaces were not uncommon on the Space Station, which was a large warehouse for Herta to begin with.

There were many boxes, cabinets, and tables scattered everywhere, Michael deftly circled them all and dragged Arlan to a corner of the storage room, leaning him against the wall as he caught his breath.

After running desperately for so long, his chest was burning, it felt like his lungs were about to explode, and his heart was beating frantically with anxiety.

Arlan: "Mr. Michael, sit down for a moment, you're going to start hyperventilating at this rate..."

Arlan advised him and Michael just nodded, his back touching the cold, metallic wall as he slid to the floor.

Although he hadn't noticed before, his legs were shaking, though he didn't know exactly whether it was from fear or exertion.

For someone who until just a few hours ago lived in a completely normal world, being chased by humanoid monsters with blades that could easily tear him in two pieces without effort was quite an evolution.

Arlan: "It looks like we're in a storage room, unfortunately these rooms usually don't have communicators and the surveillance system was compromised by the Legion's invasion, so we can only hope someone finds us soon."

"It's okay... I don't feel like I can move again for a while anyway..."

Michael replied with a tired expression. After a few minutes, his breathing finally calmed down a bit and he was free to look around in more detail.

Although it was called a storage room, there seemed to be more documents than anything else, so it could very well be an archive room.

"It's strangely cold here..."

Arlan: "Now that you mention it, it seems to be the case..."

It was cold, even by the standards of the Space Station, which was a massive ship made of metal floating in space.

The more he thought about it, the colder it seemed to get. At some point, Michael could even see his breath escaping from his mouth.

"There's something wrong..."

He was feeling drowsy. His eyelids drooped heavily and his consciousness seemed to be slowly fading away.

'Sleep... So sleepy...'

[Ding!]

[Attempted possession of Host's body detected!]

[Applying the necessary protection measures!]

Suddenly, Michael felt completely awake again. It was a disconcerting sensation, like getting out of bed too quickly and feeling dizzy when standing up.

???: "Wubba!!!"

Lifting his head, Michael saw...

A floating white ball with eyes and a mouth.

Arlan: "... A Wubbaboo?"

Arlan, at the side, revealed a puzzled expression as he rubbed the corner of his eye. He also seemed to have felt sleepy, but not as much as Michael.

Michael couldn't help but curl his lips, reaching out and taking that little thing between his fingers, squeezing it firmly.

???: "Wubba!!"

The Wubbaboo tried to escape from his captor's clutches, but failed miserably and could only accept being cruelly crushed by Michael's hands.

"This little thing was trying to possess my body, I think..."

Arlan: "And you managed to resist? Your mental strength is commendable for an ordinary human."

Arlan revealed a subtle expression of surprise, and Michael couldn't help but ask if this was something impressive.

Arlan: "Wubbaboos are mischievous astral spirits that possess peoples body and play pranks on them for fun. Although they are not mortal, it is very difficult for an ordinary human to free themselves from their influence on their own after being possessed... Or rather, it is unheard of, at least I have never seen it happen before."

Arlan explained with an expression of admiration, seemingly mistaking the situation and thinking that Michael had a firm mental fortitude.

"Well, I guess I'm a little bit amazing..."

Michael scratched the back of his neck, not feeling the least bit embarrassed by his own words.

He was a transmigrator, he had a system and knowledge of the future. Thinking about it, he had the qualifications to be considered "amazing"!

Turning his attention back to the Wubbaboo in his hands, Michael thought about what he should do with it.

"... Well, since you're a naughty spirit, let's call you Loki. I'll let you off the hook this time, but don't you try such tricks again in the future, okay?"

Loki: "Wubba!"

Michael didn't know if the little creature could understand him, but when he saw the Wubbaboo nod repeatedly, he let it go.

The Wubbaboo didn't leave immediately, however, instead it remained circling Michael, and then began tugging at his clothes as if telling him to follow it.

"Huh? This little one seems to want to show me something. Arlan, do you mind if I leave you here for a little while?"

Arlan: "It's no problem at all, anyway it's not like there's much to do now."

Arlan nodded and Michael thanked him, getting up from the wall. He felt like his legs were good enough now, at least they weren't shaking anymore.

Soon, Michael began to circle the storage room behind Loki. The Wubbaboo moved a little confusedly, as if trying to remember the way, but soon stopped in front of a cabinet full of closed boxes, pointing to one of them that was discreetly hidden on the last shelf.

Loki: "Wubba! Boo!"

"Is this what you wanted to show me?"

Michael asked confused, but decided to check first. Although reaching the bottom shelf of the cabinet was difficult, it wasn't impossible, he just had to drag one of the warehouse tables to the front of the cabinet and climb on top, picking up the box and bringing it to the floor.

"Let's see what's inside..."

Although Michael didn't have many expectations, he was still curious about whatever Loki wanted to show him.

Opening the lid of the box, Michael was met with a sheaf of documents, envelopes, and an access card. He removed them one by one, but none of them seemed to be of any use.

Taking the access card and putting it in his pocket, Michael was about to put the things back in the locker when he noticed a subtle glow at the bottom of the box.

Something resembling a round pink brooch was playing at the bottom of the sash, and stamped on it was a chalice filled with some unknown liquid that spilled down the rest of the brooch like waves.

The Sealing Wax of Elation.