Chapter 4 of 10

Chapter 4: Kamijou Touma's Ramen Shop

17 min read4,173 words

Arthur listened intently to Tsuchimikado's explanation. For him, this was his first encounter with the mysterious 'Dimensional World.' As a teenager, he still had a passionate heart.

Nightsaya Tokashiki.

The strongest dimensional apostle.

What kind of person is she?

Fifteen years ago, when the seven kings were in slumber, all anime data on Earth disappeared. This was because these data formed part of the dimensions, serving as the 'skeleton' for the Dimensional Tower. No one knows how many anime worlds exist within it.

If one could know the plot of the anime, it would mean that one could quickly find the key to passing through, thus drastically reducing the probability of death. However—

That is impossible!

No one knows the plot of the anime!

Knowing it would mean invincibility, using the plot to quickly pass through, mastering the most comprehensive situation, the best resources, and the fastest strategy for passing through...

"..."

Time gradually passed, and Tsuchimikado's explanation continued until evening. As night fell, the daytime classes ended, and Arthur's first dimensional journey began.

Ordinary people are prohibited from wandering around the city at night. Here, ordinary people refer to those over thirty years old and high school students who dropped out or were expelled.

The Dimensional Academy's admission age is fifteen. The first batch of students, who were fifteen years old fifteen years ago, are now thirty. Therefore, those over thirty cannot become royal ability users; they are just ordinary people. Of course, they are not powerless ordinary people.

These ordinary people possess superpowers, developed by the Academy City's artificial intelligence, Aleister, ranging from Level 0 to Level 6. It is rumored that Accelerator was the strongest superpower user in Academy City fifteen years ago.

These superpowered ordinary people serve as 'security police,' responsible for maintaining order worldwide.

In addition to superpower users, high school students who dropped out of the Dimensional Academy are also prohibited from going out at night. They are the timid ones who stopped on the path out of fear, despite having the strength to face the stormy journey to becoming the strongest.

These two groups are prohibited from going out at night because, at night, the entire Academy City becomes the domain of the royal ability users.

The flow of time at night is different from that during the day. The streets of Academy City and the Dimensional Tower are inscribed with—

[Hyper Acceleration (BRAINBURST)] boundary spell.

In this boundary, time flows at one-thousandth the normal rate. This means that 1000 seconds at night is equivalent to 1 second in normal time.

This boundary spell was set up when the Dimensional Tower was built, not by the seven kings but by an unknown person. They adapted the BB software from the anime world "Accel World" to create a real-world magic boundary. This boundary has another name—

[Unlimited Neutral Field].

The boundary is active from 6 PM to 6 AM, meaning that one night for the royal ability users is equivalent to 500 days for ordinary people!

However, the average human lifespan is only about 100 years, and diseases can be unpredictable.

So, if time flows like this, the royal ability users will die within a year!

In fact, this is true, and this is why many high school students drop out. Most experience the 'novelty' of the infinite world and then choose to leave.

However, there are measures to compensate for the loss of life. After becoming a royal ability user, each person's information panel shows a 100-year lifespan. This 100-year lifespan is the currency of the dimensional world, and everything of value, such as food, items, and servants, must be purchased with life!

Therefore, after acquiring good items in the dimensional world, one can sell them to gain life.

There are two ways to sell items. One is through private shops, which is essentially 'setting up a stall' to sell items. However, 10% of the sales must be paid to the respective Dimensional Academy as rent, which is essentially protection money. Without protection money, being robbed is a common occurrence, and only those with exceptional abilities would do this.

The second way is through the Dimensional Tower's auction. Items can be consigned for auction, and a 5% commission is charged upon successful transactions. However, not all items can be consigned; only items deemed sufficiently rare by the auction's appraisers will be accepted.

If it's a dimensional fragment, even the most ordinary fragment can grant ten years of life.

However, obtaining dimensional fragments is extremely difficult, so most royal ability users struggle to balance their life values. Those who can balance it are top geniuses. If they have a surplus, then...

"..."

Arthur recalled Tsuchimikado's explanation as he followed her out of the school gate. The moment they stepped outside, he realized that the night in Academy City was not dark but—

A primeval forest state!!

The sky was a light purple, and all buildings had transformed into giant trees. Pterodactyls flew between them, and the vegetation was dense, making visibility poor. There were many small animals!

"This is one of the wood attribute scenes of the Unlimited Neutral Field. The scenes within the boundary are periodically refreshed and changed. Outside the boundary, it looks like a normal night, but inside, it's another space. Time here flows at one-thousandth the rate of the outside world.

You must be careful and follow me. This scene is inhabited by numerous carnivorous animals, dinosaurs, and giant plants. However, as long as you follow the glowing path, you won't encounter any danger. Once you leave the safe path, most creatures will attack upon seeing you. If you destroy their eggs or kill their young, they will pursue you permanently.

To solve the food problem in the Unlimited Neutral Field, you must hunt or gather fruits yourself. However, at the beginning, you won't be able to hunt independently, so you can eat at the restaurants in the safe areas."

Tsuchimikado led Arthur and the others to a small restaurant called 'Kamijou Ramen' in the safe area.

"Hey, Tsuchimikado senpai, are you bringing new students to their deaths again? You should retire..."

A spiky-haired teenager in an apron walked over.

"Touma! Hurry up, I'm hungry!!"

A silver-haired girl, dressed like a nun, was gnawing on the table. She was about fourteen or fifteen years old, around the same age as Arthur and the others. She had very pale skin, long silver hair that reached her waist, and a rather cute appearance, looking like a doll. Her white skin and green eyes made her a lovely and beautiful girl.

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