Monolith World 30

*Guess I wasn't out for very long.*

It was the same ceiling I had lost consciousness under.

I groaned and clutched my head as I attempted to stand up.

*Hmm. That was surprisingly easy...*

If I had been forcibly knocked out, it would usually take me a couple minutes at the very least to return to a normal cognitive state. However, I was feeling fine almost immediately.

*Subject of humiliation again... It's indeed exciting, but I may have to be a tad more careful around here.*

There were a few reasons for this.

1. a.s.sault was lightly reprimanded, if not legal. The guy didn't hesitate for a second to throw me down, and his demeanor was peaceful. In fact, the difference between his expression and actions was almost eerie. He either knew he could get away with whatever he was up to, or would be lightly punished for it. His lack of hesitancy also revealed that this likely wasn't his first rodeo; he was a repeat offender.

2. Superhumans existed. Yijun's speed and strength was unprecedented. It would by physically impossible to move that quickly and with that much force with a body that small.

3. Cla.s.sism was rampant. Even a moron would be able to tell that my actions were taboo. I was a n.o.body. They were established. Our chemistry was oil in water. But the biggest giveaway was the crowd's reaction. They group I had picked a fight with... was *very* established. So much so that everyone recognized them and knew not to mess with them.

*If that's the case, I may have gained a bit of infamy immediately...*

As I observed my surroundings, I noticed that the commotion had mostly died down, aside from one or two people shooting glances my way.

*I should be okay... hopefully information doesn't spread too quickly here.*

I looked over to my table and noticed there was still some food left on my plate, so I decided to sit down and finish my breakfast... which was met by the dissent of more people around me. I ignored it, as I was still slightly hungry.

As for the people, they were the most diverse group I had ever seen. Although a race of slightly tanned skin and dirty blonde hair was most prominent, there were a variety of combinations of skin, hair, and eye colors that would normally not be possible on Earth.

*More confirmation that I really am in another world.*

This statement brought about many questions that I didn't want to think about, such as the 5 W's of who, what, when, where, and why, as well as how.

Who - The Nines. An unknown group.

What - Just me. No one else was brought along with me, unless they were in different locations.

When - Unknown.

Where - An inn of a sci-fi world.

Why - To survive and win. Apparently.

How - Cracks in the atmosphere, as well as a bluish white light.

I knew next to nothing. Since I couldn't know of more details just by thinking harder, there was no point in dwelling on the topic any further. However, that wouldn't stop me from being vigilant of my surroundings to try to find clues.

One such location would be the very room I started in. If I were lucky, I would find some more information and a kick start to my adventures, such as a pile of cash.

*If this Isaac from the so-called Nines truly favors me, he must have left a gift of some sort.*

And so I headed back the way I came. However, a quip from a pair of girls caught my attention. Not wanting to draw attention, I only slowed my pace down slightly and strained my ears to hear what they were saying.

"Oh my gos.h.!.+ Was that the former Aster party? Did you *see* those sleek EIM uniforms? The guy in the s.h.i.+rt... It must have been Yijun Starr, right?"

"Although he didn't look as flashy as he deserves to, it was definitely him."

"Come on, girl, you definitely know he's never liked to dress fancy, but why does that matter? You don't need to look super decorated to be strong and charming, you know?"

"He should dress up to the standards of his skills. He's not even very handsome, why are you head over heels for him? He's way out of your league. His affinities are off the charts. He was already level 17 by the time he graduated from Akth, not to mention his background..."

"I know, I know! But he was here today, wasn't he? Maybe he's not as far out as we think?"

"Dream on. Why don't we talk about that idiot who sat next to them? He's lucky he only got knocked out for a few seconds."

*Here we go... just as I may have predicted...*

"Hahaha! That was something! Do you want to see the video I got? It's already going viral on the AmthLess VOD site, and- wait! Yovline Accel commented! It really was Aster! Haha I'm gonna be famous~!"

"WHAT? Give me that-"

I sighed and picked up the pace.

*... a variation of the Internet exists here. I need a device to browse it as quickly as possible.*

But there were other contents of that conversation I couldn't ignore.

*Akth must be a school... but affinity and level? Is it that this world... has similar mechanics to that of a game? Should I have paid attention to Jon when he recommended me those amateurish j.a.panese books?*

The themes of those books often revolved around a video game-style, especially RPG-style, world. Characters would have levels, skills, and stats nearly identical to that of games.

A web browser was more crucial than ever, especially since I didn't have a clue of how ignorant I was regarding the fundamentals of the world.

*Looks like someone already has an advantage over me. I hope there's a public library nearby.*

A key to advancing civilization is the ease of access to information. The more people are educated, the more fields can be expanded upon. And since this civilization was more advanced than Earth's, information-gathering devices of any kind would probably be easier to find.

But first, I came back to my hotel room to see if there was anything of value.

I opened the door to find the housekeeper from earlier changing the sheets.

The sound of the door alerting her, she turned to look at me. Then, recognizing my face, she squinted and returned to work abruptly.

I was about to start my search when she suddenly spoke up.

"Did you leave something in here?"

Her voice held a tinge of animosity.

"Yes. Did you find it?"

"What was it?"

I recalled the wristbands the stuck-up college kids were wearing.

"A wristband."

"What color?"

*She actually something while searching the room.*

I a.s.sumed saying the word "wristband" would arouse suspicion, but fortunately, that wasn't the case. Obviously, I had no idea what color this wristband-looking item was. But if I were to rely on a hunch...

"Gold."

"... What color was it *really*?"

"It was gold. If you don't have it, that's fine."

I turned to leave the room, when she exclaimed behind me.

"Wait! ... Here. Take it."

She tossed me a shoddily-painted wristband-like item which I caught in midair.

*Score.*

"Thanks."

As I turned around to leave again, she spoke to me again.

"Before you leave, can you at least apologize?"

Without turning around, I responded.

"For what?"

"For... you know."

"I didn't do anything."

"You...!"

"If you don't have anything else to say, I really am leaving."

I strode towards the door, wristband in hand.

*This Isaac fellow apparently knows me well enough to know my favorite color. I wonder who he is...*

Clearly, the Nines were looking out for me, and they knew me well. Having the support of a mysterious faction wasn't negative in the least.

*That is, unless they start demanding unreasonable things...*

Being controlled by someone with higher power was one of my least favorite activities.

Just as I was about to open the door, the housekeeper yelled at me.

"Apologize for calling me a piece of tras.h.!.+"

Hearing this, I obviously couldn't go on. I couldn't let myself be slandered. I turned to face her for the sheer importance of this statement.

"I never called you a piece of trash. So, I won't apologize."

*Will she let me leave without yelling at me, I wonder?*

"You really have the gall to claim that?"

"You really have the gall to slander a customer? What if I report this incident to your higher-ups?"

This unprecedented attack unsurprisingly shut her up. She stared at the floor and sucked in a deep breath, turned around, and started rubbing her eyes.

"... You already found what you were looking for, right? Why don't you just leave?"

*...Is she about to cry? Perhaps the second remark was a bit excessive...*

"You slandered me, so I obviously had to defend myself. I don't enjoy being falsely accused."

"Slandered? Why don't you think about how *I* feel being called a piece of trash?"

"It wasn't me who called you that."

"But you agreed with them when they accused me of such!"

"That's true."

"What?"

Awkward silence resounded.

*Seems like I've confused her.*

Even though we both knew what she was saying was basically true, she didn't expect me to be so straightforward. She turned back around to face with a face of mild surprise.

"Looks like you're still confused. I will repeat myself; it's indeed true I agreed with them."

"What? Why would you admit to it? Weren't you just accusing me of slander?"

"You *did* slander me. I never called you a piece of trash. They were the ones who prompted that discussion."

"Are you kidding me? You held the sentiment of me being trash and explicitly agreed with someone who held that sentiment. How is that not different from you calling me trash?"

"Of course it's different. For example, there's a huge difference between someone wanting to kill you, agreeing to kill you, and someone actually killing you, isn't there?"

"That's a separate issue..."

"Is it, though? It's obviously an exaggeration, but isn't it similar in concept?"

"Of course it isn't... listen, why are you still here? Does hara.s.sing me bring you joy?"

This was a good question that even I couldn't completely answer.

"Hmm... you could say indulging in schadenfreude is one of my hobbies, but let me ask you... why are *you* still here? Do you enjoy being 'hara.s.sed' by me?"

Sadism was a variable in the equation, but it wasn't the only one. Her ability to remain engaged in conversation may have more meaning to it than she initially let on.

*This is it. If she can still talk to me after this question... she may be a worthy investment."

But a few seconds pa.s.sed, and she didn't say anything. Instead, she stared at the ground and twiddled her thumbs.
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*Ordinarily, I would disengage at this point...*

Others' misfortune was occasionally my joy, but making women cry was a step too far. The finest schadenfreude stems from stupidity, not incitement. However, this was a special case. She obviously wasn't staying around for no reason. There was only one possibility for this.

She was exhausted after being called trash for so long by so many folks and wanted to challenge the notion. Basically, she wanted to prove she wasn't trash.

*But proving it will be difficult for her.*

After a few more seconds of silence, she finally spoke up.

"I'm not..." she mumbled.

*Bingo.*

"What was that? Couldn't hear you."

"I'm not tras.h.!.+"

*Easier to read than fish in a barrel.*

Although that idiom was incoherent, I had nothing better at the moment.

"And how are you going to prove that? You work as an underpaid maid in a cheap-a.s.s hotel. Although it's better than scrubbing toilets, you will never amount to anything in society."

*On second thought, hotel housekeepers most likely scrub toilets...*

"... What a meaningless sentiment. Without people like me, who would clean these sheets and make sure the next customer has an acceptable experience? Even the people you look down on as the dregs of society are cogs in a greater machine to keep it running."

This is something I obviously knew.

*But...*

"That's it? Do you have no drive? No ambition? No desire to climb higher and raise your standing in the world?"

I had to grill her on this point.

Of course, the so-called "dregs" of society are a necessity. They are, in fact, a foundation. Without them, a society would collapse. They truly deserve a certain amount of respect. However, this is all they can do. If society was solely comprised of these types of people, a world like this one (or Earth) wouldn't exist.

A world built by humans for humans; a never-ending task to make our lives simpler and expand on endless frontiers. If all we can do is maintain a society, we can never advance.

Cogs deserve a certain amount of respect, but the engineers and developers who update the machine deserve praise.

Advancement bears risk. Those who bear risk gain prestige. Those who bear risk and succeed become glorified. Although cogs bear risk, the degree of such is much smaller. Thus, they are looked down upon.

*This is why you are trash. So, what will you do?*

... More silence.

*Is she a dud? Oh, well. I've taken my shot and missed. Nothing I can do about that.*

A famous athlete once said you would miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Now that I had, there was no point in staying any longer. In all honesty, another shot would most likely kill her.

"If that's truly what you believe, I'm sorry for troubling you and sincerely apologize. I'll be on my way," I reluctantly told her.

With a sigh, I turned around and approached the door once again to set foot into the outside world, when...

"Wait! Please don't leave..."

At this point, I was slightly agitated.

"Are you kidding me? If you have something to say, why didn't you say it already?"

Before she could say anything, I added another comment to hopefully kindle her spirits.

"And if you stay quiet for more than three seconds, I'm actually leaving."

"Wait! You think I actually *wanted* to be in this position?"

*Jeez, finally...*

"For someone who doesn't want to be in this position, you defend yourself quite well."

"I didn't have a choice! I was a failure! My family... you know what, forget it. I don't need to explain my circ.u.mstances to the likes of you."

*So she's someone who fell from prestige? I may have caught a bigger fish than I expected, although it's not clear how great her prestige was...*

She was clearly either abandoned or disowned for a "lack of talent", and her present circ.u.mstance was undesirable.

*Let's see how great this 'prestige' was.*

"The likes of me? You don't seem to have the qualifications to look down on someone like me. You are an employee of this establishment. I am a customer. You should normally be wors.h.i.+ping me! Or did somebody forget who they work for?"

Currently, since I was attempting to provoke her, I had to play the role of the s.h.i.+tty customer. No one would respond kindly to someone like me, especially someone who knew how the system worked. Yet, they would have no choice but to comply if they depended on their job and wanted to preserve their image. However, this would only be the case if they really did depend on their job and wish to save face. But in this case, I had a hunch...

"Your att.i.tude is appalling! Wors.h.i.+p? Why would I bow down to a rat like you in this place? You should be wors.h.i.+ping *me*! If we were speaking anywhere but here, your fate would be out of your hands. I would- The council would mock you as you were execu- exiled!"

*What the heck.*

At this statement, I involuntarily s.p.a.ced out. My eyes were probably glazed over, too. It was my turn to be stumped for a response.

*What the heck is this? She's utterly delusional.*

This girl seriously had a mouth on her, and her ego was off the charts. She was either a schizophrenic or a chuunibyou. In the unlikely third scenario, her previous prominence was most likely so great that she was blissfully ignorant of the world around her.

*But if so, I've caught a big fish - one far bigger than I would've ever expected.*

If she really was an heiress or princess or something, it raised a bigger question. Why was she here?

*And why has she not attempted to maintain a healthy weight... Wait, no. It can't be-!*

"Did you get kicked out of your family for being fat?"

"GET THE f.u.c.k OUT OF THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW!"

And so, I was kicked out just like that.