CHAPTER 138: KAREN, AND AZULUS, TALK OVER A SNACK

Karen marked her page and leaned back, curving a thoughtful smile. "It’s not that my former world’s history isn’t complex. It’s just... disconnected from where I am initially, and where I am now

"Back there, in a battlefield of paperworks—dealing with office politics, employee disputes, and human resources. History was something I read in books or saw in documentaries, but it didn’t... feel immediate.

"Here in Fathomi, every piece of history I learn could literally mean life or death. Not only because of the environment, but it is also because it is a new forced environment where I need to keep moving in an attempt to catch up with everyone else’s progress.

"I never felt anything like this back in my world."

Azulus tilted her head, her ears perking. "So it’s about survival? Earth’s history didn’t have stakes high enough for you?"

Karen chuckled, sipping her glowing juice. "Not exactly. Earth had stakes—bills, career ladders, social pressures. But they felt... mundane. Predictable, even.

"Knowing about the history of the current state of this world feels visible, because it is actively interacting with the living breathing world entity that is conversing with you.

"Earth’s wars and incidents? They’re lessons, and maybe bits of reference of motivation, but they don’t help me navigate much in the everyday activity of my life."

Azulus nodded slowly, flipping open her ledger to jot a note. "Fair point. Your so-called Earth knowledge sounds like it’s stuck in the past—static, no practical use here. But isn’t there value in understanding where you came from? Identity, roots, all that?"

Karen’s smile faded slightly, her gaze drifting to the book. "Roots are nice, but they don’t anchor you when the ground’s shifting under your feet.

"Surprisingly, I felt that Earth was stable—too stable. I knew what tomorrow would look like, meetings, emails, maybe a weekend hike.

"Just from hearing what is happening around me, Fathomi’s different. Every day’s a gamble at the slot machine of events—distortions, factions, cosmic threats. Learning about all sorts of beings and even possible spell theory feels like arming myself for what’s coming.

"It’s... thrilling, in a way."

Azulus raised an eyebrow, her deadpan cracking into a smirk. "Thrilling? Most people would call this world terrifying. You’re saying the danger’s what pulls you in?"

"Maybe" Karen’s eyes lit up, leaning forward. "You stop growing when you know the rules too well. Here, I felt like the chaos forces you to keep moving, keep learning.

"It’s like a game where the stakes are real. It’s not just fear; it’s the rush of piecing together a world that’s alive with possibility of events that I might need to deal with. The fact that what should be fiction blends well with reality so much, it makes the entire thing much more meaningful."

"Because back in my world, there is no way in hell that I’m going to relive the scene of the 59th fantasy story I read."

Azulus munched another snack. "Sounds like you’re chasing a high. The novelty of Fathomi—new rules, new dangers—makes you feel alive. But what about meaning? Surely, this Earth had philosophies, religions, ways to make sense of life. You didn’t dig any of that back then?"

Karen paused, tapping her book. "Earth’s philosophies were deep, sure—existentialism, stoicism, all that.

"But they were abstract in the conscience, things you debated over coffee. Here, meaning comes from action. When an entire basic class is powered by the resonance of their belief and philosophy, that alone makes these concepts not abstract; it’s tangible, immediate.

"It’s like... Fathomi’s philosophy is survival itself, and every step forward proves you’re alive."

Azulus scribbled another note, her expression softening. "So you’re saying Earth’s ideas were too detached from common practicality, Fathomi’s chaos makes meaning practical, tied to what you do?

"Sounds like someone didn’t communicate a lot amongst their community."

"Right," Karen chuckled. "Doesn’t change the fact that on Earth, I could spend years chasing ’purpose’ without ever feeling it. Here, purpose is forced on you. You learn, you adapt, or you’re gone.

"Take the Salissic Vein battle for example—knowing about the Aequor’s nature helped the Sallisic Vein endures and eventually erupts victorious.

"Knowledge here isn’t just academic I felt like, it’s a much more visible weapon, a shield, a way to carve your place in a world that’s always shifting."

Azulus leaned back, crossing her arms. "But doesn’t that constant pressure exhaust you? Always racing to keep up, to learn more, to stay ahead of the next threat? Earth’s stability sounds like a luxury in comparison."

Karen laughed, a bright sound that echoed in the quiet library. "Exhausting? Sure, sometimes. But it’s exhilarating too. Earth’s stability felt like a cage after a while—same routines, same limits.

"On Earth, you could work decades and only get a slightly bigger office. Here, every skill, every bit of knowledge, makes you stronger, better, faster, resilient. I like that kind of progressive cycle."

Azulus’s ears twitched, her smirk returning. "So it’s about growth? Fathomi’s chaos forces you to evolve, and that feels more real than Earth’s slow grind?"

"You can say that," Karen said, gesturing animatedly. "On my former world, growth was subtle—maybe you got wiser, maybe you didn’t. Here, it’s in your face, more often than not."

Azulus set her ledger down, her tone growing philosophical. "But what about the cost? Fathomi’s drive to improve, to race ahead—it’s relentless. Doesn’t that erode who you are?

"This Earth’s history, your past—it’s part of your identity. Tossing it aside... doesn’t that make you less ’you’?"

"You’re surprisingly really curious about me."

"I met a lot of fascinating people in my life, only a few of them are as safe and comfortable to talk with."

"Pfft, I’m not surprised." Karen’s expression softened, her voice quieter. "Losing your past can feel like losing yourself. But... I don’t think I’m erasing who I was, even now.

"My history on Earth shaped me—taught me how to read people, solve problems. But Fathomi demands I build on that, not cling to it."

Azulus nodded, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "So you’re reconstructing yourself. Fathomi’s chaos is a forge, and you’re hammering out a brand new individuality.

"But what if you learn too much? This world’s history is heavy—cosmic threats, ancient curses. Are you not intimidated?"

Karen grinned, undeterred. "It’s heavy, cryptic, and maybe ineffable, sure, but it’s also freeing—I felt like mistakes we repeated, grudges we held, matter less in the grand scheme of things.

"Maybe, in the end, it comes down to preference, now that I think about it."

"You only realized that now?"

"Heh, maybe if I’m more of a reserved person, I dreaded the time I lived here and want to go back to my stable and peaceful former world as soon as possible," Karen glanced at Azulus with a smile. "If I start out in the middle of nowhere, I might be filled with fear and dread of trying to survive.

"I’m lucky that I got here through those three Sovereigns of mine. I don’t think that there will be any luckier scenario that I know if after considering every person I met and how they came to this absurd and bizarre world."

"Ah," Azulus realized that she had eaten all of the snacks that Karen brought. "Should I offer you the pastries I saved for a nice occasion?"

"I don’t mind getting free sweets."

"You said as if you worked and paid for everything that the Consortium provided."

"Right, you should be more fearful of me, I’m one of the most pampered and prized individuals in this faction."

"Whatever you say, kiddo~" Azulus said as she grabbed the tray full of desserts that her Tengu delivered to her. "Nepotism is always a great way to climb to the comfortable nest."

"I like that the word ’nepotism’ exists here."

"You’ll be surprised at how many familiar nomenclature of your origin exists, heh."