When the last feat technically warned me that Schicksal was aware of my existence, I was expecting men in black to come in droves into my house and knock me out before taking me to some secret base.
But the next morning I woke up, until I arrived and stepped into the classroom, and not forgetting to greet Mei, everything from there had been very peaceful and quiet.
I can come up with two reasonings from this as to why Schicksal hadn't made their move just yet.
First and foremost, they are simply gathering information as of now. Maybe making sure I'm actually the correct person before revealing themselves to me. Knowing how Otto acts within the game, then this kind of development is certainly reasonable.
Secondly, and the more likely scenario, they didn't actually know me. They might be aware of my existence, knowing that there is someone out there who could cause a tremor that shakes an entire city and leave behind huge damage at an abandoned warehouse.
However, they didn't know what I actually look like, my name, or anything crucial about me.
After all, I made sure to properly cover up my tracks by utilizing the skill to the limit. Sure, if there's a spy more proficient than me at their job, then they might actually see through it. Even then, I was prepared for that as well.
I didn't immediately head home when I fled from the warehouse. I'm not that stupid.
I went around, leaving mysterious tracks here and there like bait when in reality, it was just fake trails leading to nothing. Then, I spent another half an hour leaving a 'real' and 'definitive' trail that would lead whoever found it to the answer they were looking for.
Only then did I finally fly home.
"Otto Apocalypse, I hope you like my gift."
I murmured softly to myself, a smile forming on my face as I imagined the expression the clown would have when he reached the answer.
Putting that aside, I was thankful that the augmentation surgery didn't affect my appearance much, at least nothing too obvious.
My face and height remained unchanged, but if I were to strip off my shirt, girls would no doubt go crazy when they saw the compressed and well-packed muscles, as if God Himself had sculpted my body.
I was initially afraid the procedure would take too long, possibly days or months in the worst-case scenario. I couldn't be gone that long, or I would've ended up on a missing person poster plastered everywhere in Nagazora.
Heck, it's even possible that by the time I returned, I would be greeted with an active outbreak and surrounded by zombies.
Fortunately however, those robotic doctors and surgeons are really good at their job, insanely so. By the time they were done with the surgery, I was pleasantly surprised at the results.
My assumption that it was similar to a super soldier project is entirely correct. I've become Steve Rogers in his purest and most perfect form.
Well, I'm not as patriotic as him toward my birth country, but I believe my current overall capabilities are no doubt at the height of superhuman. Maybe even slightly eclipsing those of Captain America.
If I were to use Flame Bone of the Starving at my current specs right now, I think I may stand a chance against a Herrscher. At the very least, maybe I could take them by surprise.
It wouldn't be difficult, considering not many Herrschers were actually that committed to their roles, perhaps with the exception of the Fourteenth Herrscher.
Once it reached that point, it may as well signal the end of the world. Just as it did in the Previous Era.
Anyhow, one good example of that would be Sirin. A poor girl who suffered at the hands of Schicksal's inhuman experiments, which resulted in her awakening as a Herrscher, the very same one that took out Siberia almost fourteen years ago.
Despite that, she is the type to underestimate those whom she deems as nothing but 'bugs'.
At the end of the day, she was still a young girl who simply cried out her anger at the world for abandoning her and her friends. The Honkai only took advantage of that vulnerable girl by giving her the power to destroy humanity.
"If possible, I'd like to give her the good ending too. She deserves it."
"Good ending? What are you talking about?"
I looked up from my arms resting on the table and saw Mei leaning forward as our eyes met. It seems that I was too lost in thought to notice the class had come to a brief end, marking the start of lunchtime.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about some old video game."
Yes, an old video game. With my transmigration to this world, I might be late by a few years and couldn't change the fate of Siberia, but I still have my chances.
Those future tragedies... I can stop them and bring about the happy ending I have always wanted for them. The characters I used to cheer for and admire through the digital screen.
I might not have the power to back up my bold claim just yet, but that won't be the case for future me. And it starts... with the person eating lunch beside me.
"The earthquake the night before took me by surprise. Are you alright?"
"Yes. I was having... an enthusiastic walk around town at that time."
"In the middle of the night?"
I understand her skepticism, but even back in my previous life, I loved to walk around at night, look up at the sky, and embrace the peacefulness that is often rare during the day.
It wasn't merely an excuse to cover up my tracks. My alternate self in this world also shared a similar hobby, as to be expected.
"Of course. The vibe at night is different from that during the day. I couldn't explain it in words, but I enjoyed it very much."
Maybe I was originally designed to be a vampire in both lives. Even the creative part of my brain is strangely more active late at night, so I always had a row of coffee cans messing up my workstation.
If the fever didn't take my life, then an overdose from caffeine might have given me a heart attack. I knew back then that I wouldn't live long ever since I shut myself in my apartment and only came out occasionally to throw out the trash.
One might even say I had given up entirely.