Chapter 253: Between Two Worlds

Almost three days had passed in the alternate Earth.In those seventy-two hours, a single rumor of someone that had awakened two unique abilities had spread like wildfire

At first, it sounded like fantasy. But when the verification came from multiple guild sources, disbelief turned into obsession. Every guild master in the United States wanted the same thing: Liam Scott.

They didn’t know him, not personally. They hadn’t even seen him in combat. But two unique abilities? That was enough to make every guild in the country salivate.

The problem, however, was distance.

Since the collapse of the global air network after the Great Awakening, long-range travel had become a logistical nightmare. Air transportation no longer existed as the skies were unsafe, filled with rogue beasts. Every journey between cities was a ground expedition that could take days, weeks or months.

That meant only guilds within Maryland and the surrounding states had a real shot at reaching him. The others could only dream.

Those lucky few nearby began digging into his background.

Their researchers scoured records, both digital and physical. They traced bank logs, registry files, hospital records and anything that could paint a clearer picture of who Liam Scott really was.

After two days of exhaustive investigation, all they discovered was... ordinary.

He was rich. That much they could confirm. Wealthy enough to buy one of the few remaining properties in Old Bethesda, a city where the world’s only SSS Rank Hunter resides.

According to the information the gathered, his parents, both high-ranking scientists, had died during the chaos of the Great Awakening.

Since then, the boy had been raised by his family’s butler—a man who’d passed away only recently. After that, Liam had quietly moved into the mansion alone.

He had no known affiliations to any guild or organisation. To the investigators, he was a ghost who’d simply appeared on the radar with power that defied logic.

The guilds’ reactions were mixed.

They were satisfied that he wasn’t tied to any other major faction, meaning he was recruitable. But they were equally frustrated that nothing explained how he had managed to awaken two unique abilities.

That secret burned like gold dust in their minds.

Still, greed won over curiosity. Calls were made, as every guild tried to contact him to make their juicy offers known and entice him to join them.

But none of them could reach him. Every call ended in silence. His number rang but never connected. The only response option was a text inbox.

Left with no other choice, they wrote him messages — offers, promises, recruitment pitches, contracts that would make even high-ranking hunters drool.

Still, no reply came but no one gave up.

Some of the top guilds had already begun mobilizing. Convoys were being prepared, armored vehicles fueled. They intended to travel in person—no matter how far—to Old Bethesda.

Because in this new world, whoever controlled a man like Liam Scott could shift the balance of power.

***

Back in the game world of Terra.

Liam and his friends had just finished their second race, and once again, Liam had crossed the finish line first.

Matt still hadn’t gotten over it.

"I hate you," he’d said again.

Now, with only twenty minutes of playtime left before the daily usage limit kicked in, the group decided to make the most of it.

"Let’s go pick up the girls," Harper suggested. "They’re probably still buried under shopping bags."

Kristopher grinned. "Yeah. Let’s see what kind of financial damage they’ve done."

The group laughed, engines roaring to life as their cars rolled out of the Marina district and into the main boulevard.

As they drove, Kristopher’s voice came through the comm. "Hey, Liam, quick question. That traffic during the race, the obstacles, especially that truck, where did it come from? I thought Terra was supposed to be empty unless players were around."

"It was," Liam replied calmly. "But the AI adapted. It detected a street race and switched us into a specialized simulation layer. That version of Terra has active environmental dynamics with obstacles, moving objects, collision mapping. The system basically turned the entire world into a race track."

"You’re saying the game changed the entire simulation because we were driving too fast?" Kristopher muttered in a bit of shock.

"So basically, the game decided to play against us," Matt laughed.

"You could say that," Liam smiled. "All the games learns by observing players. If it detects a consistent pattern of play, it builds new experiences automatically. Think of it like a living world."

"Damn," Alex muttered. "That’s both awesome and terrifying."

"Mostly awesome," Harper said and they all laughed.

By the time they reached the mall, the girls were just about finishing up.

When they spotted the cars pulling into the driveway, the girls’ expressions were priceless.

"Please tell me these aren’t yours," Kristy said, teasingly.

"They’re ours," Matt said proudly. "Fresh out of the dealership."

"So, let me guess — you raced each other, didn’t you?" Lana said, as she folded her arms, feigning disbelief.

"Twice," Harper smirked.

"And who won?" Stacy asked, looking directly at Liam.

The boys turned toward him in unison.

"Luck." Liam gave a small, modest shrug.

"Right," Elise said, rolling her eyes. "Luck and turbo skill."

They all laughed. The girls finished packing their shopping bags, and soon, everyone paired up.

Stacy climbed into Liam’s black hypercar, her arms full of bags. Lana joined Matt, Kristy rode with Kristopher, Elise with Alex, and Harper ended up solo.

"Hey, Harper," Matt called over the comm. "You can follow us. Try not to feel lonely."

"I’ll survive," Harper replied dryly. "My car’s better company than you anyway."

The convoy rolled out smoothly, cruising through the bright streets toward the Burj Khalifa.

The building towered like a spear of glass, piercing the clouds. Its reflection stretched across the water, glowing gold under the sunset.

But as they approached the underground gate, a soft notification sound chimed in their individual view.

[Access Denied — No Property Ownership Detected.]

Another window popped up: {Would you like to purchase a property?}

{Yes} {No}

"Don’t worry guys, I will get us in," Liam said, as he clicked on option {Yes} on his screen, and another window popped up.

{Please choose floor you would want to purchase an apartment from.}

{1st floor}

{2nd floor}

{3rd floor}

...

...

...

{163rd floor}

***

Liam clicked on {163rd floor} and another window popped up.

{Apartment(s) available on the 163rd floor: 1.}

{Top Floor Penthouse – 500,000 Solaris}

Liam nodded to himself when he saw the price. He didn’t have the amount, so he has to exchange an equivalent of $500 for it. He did the exchange immediately and made the purchase.

{Congratulations, you’re now the owner of the 163rd floor. The digital documents has been transferred to you.}

"Alright, we have a home now," he said.

"Nice," Matt muttered.

Moments later, his friends’ screens updated:

[Visitor Access Required — Enter 6-Digit Code]

The visitor’s code is a 6-digit access code that the game’s AI generate at default every 24 hours after one has expired after the same period of time, and it’s given to the owner of the apartment or building. The player would give the code to whoever’s visiting them or wants access, allowing them access into the building.

The system generated a number. Liam read it out, and one by one, his friends entered it. The barriers opened, allowing them into the underground garage.

The cars descended into a wide, pristine space lined with white lights.

"Damn," Kristopher muttered.

They parked side by side and stepped out. The girls lifted their bags, laughing among themselves.

A sleek elevator waited for them at the far end, doors sliding open automatically.

"Top floor," Liam said.

The doors closed, and within a second, the chime rang — ding.

They stepped into the penthouse, and silence fell.

Floor-to-ceiling windows surrounded them, revealing the breathtaking skyline of Dubai. The sun dipped low, casting molten gold across the ocean and cityscape.

"Holy..." Lana whispered. "It’s... perfect."

Elise walked slowly toward the glass wall, her reflection glowing in the fading light.

"This isn’t a game anymore," she said quietly.

For a while, no one spoke as they were simply admiring the view.

Then, the soft voices of their Lucid AI Assistants broke the stillness.

"Daily usage time remaining: 2 minutes. User would be automatically logged out afterwards."

"Two minutes left," Liam said. "Pick your rooms and log out."

They nodded, scattering through the apartment. Laughter echoed through the halls as they peeked into bedrooms and lounges.

One by one, they picked their rooms and logged out, their avatars dissolving into soft light. And Liam did the same too.