I slowly opened my eyes.
This world still felt strange… and yet familiar.
The plastic scent of the city bus seat, the jarring thud each time a wheel hit a pothole, and… dust. So much dust.
The meditation earlier lasted only a few minutes, but the effects were incredible.
All the bruises and pain from the beatings were gone. No more sting when I took a deep breath, no more sharp pain when I leaned back against the seat.
This human body is fragile—but with the "Great Sage Lotus" technique, it won't stay that way for long. In time, it'll surpass even the ideal state of ancient cultivators.
A middle-aged man sitting in front of me glanced back, confused.
I gave a small smile, bowed my head, and pretended to fall asleep again.
No need to draw attention—not yet.
But one thing was clear:
This world still held spiritual energy.
Faint… nearly undetectable unless you've once absorbed the essence of the 99th dimension like I have.
But it's there.
And where there's energy…
"There will be hidden cultivators. Power-hungry parasites, or cowards too afraid to act."
It's only a matter of time before I find them—or they find me.
The bus stopped.
I stepped out, walking on cracked asphalt and inhaling the thick, dusty air of the evening.
Home was just two blocks from here, tucked in a narrow alley behind an old electronics shop.
Zen Zayn. Seventeen.
Once seen as a loser.
I could still feel the scars—deep in this body's memory. The echoes of past fear, trauma, humiliation.
"Heh… damn. This body remembers pain well." I muttered.
I stopped walking.
A scooter rolled to a stop at the end of the alley.
Two people hopped off.
Their school uniforms… same school as mine.
One was built like a refrigerator, buzz cut and all.
The other—smaller, but with rat-like eyes that darted like they were always plotting something.
"Yo, isn't that Zen?" the smaller one pointed.
I stared blankly.
Them again?
Ah... I remember now.
Two of the many "insects" that made my past life miserable.
If I was once a god... they were dust under my feet.
"Wait here, Bajra. Let me handle this loser." said the bigger one.
He started walking toward me, rolling up his sleeves with a smirk.
How… amusing.
He really thought he could lay a finger on me again?
His hand lunged forward, aiming for my collar.
I didn't even flinch.
CRACK!
His body flew back nearly two meters, crashing onto the street like a sack of rice dumped off a truck.
"U-ughghhh! I-IT HURTS!"
He screamed, clutching his chest in agony.
I barely moved.
Just a subtle manipulation of air structure and surrounding aura.
A basic reflex move—Silent Vein Palm.
The smaller one froze. Mouth open. No sound.
Then finally, his voice broke.
"H-how… how can you do that?!"
Instinct.
Even among humans—fear always rises when prey realizes it's met a predator.
I walked forward slowly.
Each step brought with it a pressure that pierced the soul.
"Tell the others," I said quietly.
"Zen Zayn… is dead."
I passed by them without turning back.
Zen Aether had returned.
---
Night came.
House lights flickered on one by one.
I sat on my bedroom balcony, gazing into the dark, starless sky.
In the quiet… I could sense something.
Far west.
Like a pair of eyes—watching.
"A presence… but not a human one."
I smirked slightly.
"Looks like this world… isn't as normal as it pretends to be."
~~Continued~~