Chapter 3: It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Be Lazy
"Again?" Chris muttered, rubbing his eyes.
The floating Eye pulsed gently, casting shadows that shouldn't exist.
"What now? 'Synchronize with host'?"
He squinted at the glowing panel.
"Nah. Sounds like effort."
He flopped back onto his bed, hands behind his head.
"Besides, even if all I've got is [Inspect], that should be enough to figure stuff out... eventually."
The Eye just hovered silently in the corner.
Despite Arcadia's game-like systems — mana, monsters, skills — it wasn't stuck in some medieval fantasy era. Far from it.
Technology was booming.
There were cities with sky-trams, mana-powered appliances, and crystal screens that acted like smartphones. Schools, colleges, governments, guilds — all of it ran like a slightly more dramatic version of Earth's society. A little more magic, a lot more paperwork.
You could take a course on swordplay in the morning, attend a lecture on interdimensional physics in the afternoon, and play mana-chess in a café by evening.
And Chris? He was mostly just trying to stay under the radar.
Still, the Eye was annoying him now.
"Okay, fine. I'll turn it in or whatever."
The next day, Chris made his way to one of the largest buildings in the city — a Governmental Relic Identification & Registration Center.
A shiny crystal-glass structure that reached for the clouds, glowing sigils humming gently across its walls. People in suits and robes walked in and out with briefcases, scrolls, or ancient swords floating behind them.
Chris walked in like he was trying not to be noticed, despite the fact that an invisible eldritch eye was following him.
He walked up to the counter, where a receptionist greeted him with a professional smile.
"Hello! Welcome to the G-R-I-R Center. What can we do for you today?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm here to turn this in," he said, pointing over his shoulder at the floating Eye.
The receptionist blinked.
"I'm sorry... turn what in?"
Chris tilted his head.
"The thing. Right there. Floating, creepy, looks like it wants to eat the soul of mankind."
"...Sir, there's nothing there."
He stared.
She stared.
"You seriously don't see it?"
The receptionist paused, then leaned slightly to one side. "You mean there's actually something? One moment, please. May I use my skill?"
"Oh, yeah. Go for it."
She nodded, and her eyes flickered blue as she activated the basic skill:
[Inspect]
The moment the word left her lips, the air around them shifted.
Everything grew cold. The light dimmed. Sounds in the building warped and bent as if wrapped in thick cloth. The overhead crystal-lamps flickered — and then dimmed completely.
A wave of primordial dread washed through the entire lobby.
Every person within a hundred-foot radius went still.
Faces paled.
Breath caught.
Mana sensors sparked alarms.
People screamed. A man collapsed. Another ran into a wall trying to get away.
The receptionist dropped to her knees, shaking, sweat pouring down her face.
"W-what... is that…?"
Meanwhile, Chris looked around, confused.
"Uh... that's new."
He turned to the Eye. It just hovered there. Calm. Quiet. Familiar.
His panel flickered.
[Eye Of ???]
????????????
Nothing had changed. Still the same four question marks. Still that unreadable presence.
But something inside him stirred.
The receptionist, still shaking, looked up at him with wide, panicked eyes.
"You… You brought that thing in here?"
Chris blinked.
"Well, yeah. I thought it might be worth something?"
A dozen security mages and armored guards burst into the room, weapons drawn.
"SURRENDER THE ENTITY!"
"DROP WHATEVER IS CAUSING THAT PHENOMENON!"
"ON THE GROUND, NOW!"
Chris sighed.
"...Welp."