CHAPTER 84: ASHAMED!

Waking up with a headache was definitely not in Leon’s plan, but it happened. The morning sun welcomed him with bright sunlight pouring through the windows.

As he sat up in a half-sleepy state, clarity returned to him and he finally realized something. His eyes snapped open as he turned to look at the time and date.

[07:23 AM, 17th January]

"What the hell!!?" A shocked shout left his mouth as he hurriedly turned to look at his tablet, in which he saw the same time and date.

"I actually managed to get back earlier?" Leon muttered, his voice carrying a mix of surprise and happiness.

The first time could have been just a one-off fluke, and he had almost started to believe that considering all his experiments had failed. But now that it happened again, it was clear he just needed to follow specific conditions to get back.

His sleep vanished completely as his mind locked onto one single thing. He tried to recall every single detail that could have triggered his early return and compared it with the previous time.

’It can’t be exhaustion, since last time I was relaxed and just went to rest. I also rested this time and fell asleep. So sleeping is definitely the clue here. But how can I actually sleep?’

That was the main question.

’What made me sleep last time and also last night?’

He remembered both events clearly and noticed something. "In both cases, I lost track of time and didn’t even realize when I fell asleep. Is that the clue? To relax my mind completely? But I already tried that too."

Yes, he had tried even that. He genuinely tried to sleep when he was exhausted. At that moment, his mind was empty and relaxed, but he didn’t fall asleep.

Leon picked up his tablet and began to write down his hypotheses along with the details. With every hypothesis, he tried to find a counterpoint and began to cross them out.

It was then he chanced upon one important part and realized something he had been ignoring.

’While Earth has completely transformed into reality, the dungeon still exists on the boundary of being both fiction and reality. That’s why I can die and still revive... because it’s a game and reality at the same time. I feel pain because of the reality part, and I revive because of the game part. It’s both.’

His eyes widened at that realization as he erased all the previous notes and began to write again.

’If that’s the case, then when I’m inside, it can be said that it isn’t me who goes there but my avatar. But due to the reality part, it’s realistic yet at its core, still an avatar. If that’s the case, then how does an avatar get kicked out of a game...’

Dots began to connect in his mind, and he finally realized the common factor in both cases when he was kicked out earlier than expected.

’My avatar was AFK...’

AFK. Away From Keyboard.

It was a term used when players were away from the keyboard and couldn’t play the game, but the game still remained active. In that case, their avatar would be immobile, which was similar to his case.

In both instances, Leon hadn’t moved an inch for more than an hour, perhaps even longer. That would flag him as AFK, which meant the game system kicked him out for being inactive.

Normally, it wasn’t a feature for gacha games but more for competitive games where being AFK harmed other players.

If the game detected the avatar going AFK, the player would be kicked out and sometimes penalized too. But in his case, the "reality" aspect saved him from penalties.

"Hahaha!!"

Leon dropped back onto his bed and began to laugh loudly like a madman.

"Seriously! Of all things, it had to be something so simple! Why am I so dumb?"

He laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. He had tried countless methods, but the answer was so obvious and right in front of him all this time.

"I should be ashamed as a game developer. How could I not think of such a basic mechanic?" Leon muttered after calming down.

Just then, the room’s door slid open, and Amber walked inside with an annoyed look etched on her beautiful face. "Why are you laughing like a lunatic this early in the morning? I was sleeping so peacefully!"

She fell onto a chair and then asked, "Didn’t you say you’d be busy the whole day? What happened?"

Leon instantly smiled widely, more than happy to share the good news with someone. "I found a way to bypass the torment brought on by my secret."

Amber froze for a second before asking in a deep voice, "You won’t have to suffer like that again?"

"I’m not saying that. But you can say the experience of pain will now be my choice. If I want to, I can escape it entirely," Leon said with a smile.

This was the thing he had wanted all along, the freedom to choose. He knew he would still have to experience that pain if he wanted to become stronger, but at least he now had the option to rest if he wished to give up for a while.

It was his choice.

Amber understood his words roughly and grinned. "No wonder you’ve been so busy these last few days and finally found the solution. Tell me more about it."

"Unlike the previous time, I don’t have to wait long to come out of that strange state. But I still need to confirm the exact time and details." Leon’s eyes sparked with determination. "With this, I can grow stronger properly."

"I’d also suggest you find every possible detail about that solution. Sometimes there are hidden mechanisms we miss, and we regret it later," Amber said before adding with a grin, "Wanna hit a bar tonight? I’m the best drinking buddy."

"Why do I feel like you only came to me after being rejected by everyone else?" Leon narrowed his eyes, and Amber instantly looked away.

As always, Amber didn’t bother covering it up or lying. "It still doesn’t change the fact that I’m happy for you and want to throw a party."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I already have plans with others," Leon said. "But there’s something important I want to talk to you about. It’s related to Silver’s case."

Amber’s body straightened as a serious expression formed on her face. "Did you find any clues?"

"No, but I think I can guess their next moves," Leon said.

"That’ll be very helpful. So, what is it?" Amber asked.

"You know how there have been many disasters ever since the Primordial Expanse set its sight on Earth. They’re so supernatural that even Ascended like you dread them," Leon said.

"I don’t." Amber shrugged. "Others might though."

"Will you let me finish?"

"Please!"

Leon shook his head and then looked directly into her eyes. "All I’m saying is that these disasters look unholy and out of our reach, as if they’re divine. But there are cases where humans manipulated them for their own benefits. The situation with Silver is one such example."

"Where are you getting with this?" Amber asked with a frown.

"All I’m saying is... what if our enemies found a way to manipulate the Rifts, just like how they manipulated the Call of the Primordial Expanse?"