[Oh my, I can’t believe you actually did it]

  Ari’s nose fred. “What the hell did you just say?”

  [Hehe. Take a look at your new ability]

  “Tsk.”

  Ari selected the Unique Ability panel.

  [Actualisation: It allows the user to create, or recreate any ability, skill, power, spell or magic they can imagine]

  “What the fuck?”

  [Incredible, isn’t it?]

  Ari stood in silence, trying to process what just happened.

  ‘Reality Bender said not to limit myself, but this is insane.’

  She told him that he was a Modifier at his core, a statement he did not fully understand at the time, but now...

  Ari recalled the times he thought about “Modifying” a story. It often involved using abilities or skills not native to the story, just to see how things would transpire differently.

  A fun little exercise.

  ‘How the hell did she know about that?’

  Ari didn’t know how to feel about his private, and somewhat embarrassing pastime being exposed like this.

  He wondered why it didn’t cross his mind when she asked him the first time, but soon recalled a weekend marathon of Transcender Origins before the events that led to his death.

  ‘She also mentioned my experience as a VR gamer...’

  It then dawned on him that his choice at the time was influenced subconsciously, by his own mind, and her subtle suggestions.

  Reality Bender chose her words carefully, sparking specific images in his mind, all the while, giving Ari the illusion of choice.

  His next question was, why?

  Why go through such lengths to make him select his Transcender Origins character abilities in the first pce?

  It would have been easier to guide him to the right answer if she really wanted to.

  It was obvious from their interactions that she enjoyed being in control.

  He sighed. ‘There’s no point in getting worked up about this. You’ll give her exactly what she wants.’

  He scrolled through his profile and selected the second new addition.

  [Conversion Contract: By forming a contract with a willing participant, when engaging in intimate or lewd acts, a portion of the contractee’s Mana is converted into Ascension Points(AP). The amount of Mana and AP converted is proportional to the act performed]

  Ari couldn’t believe what he was reading. He had seen simir concepts in webcomics and novels before, so it did not surprise him.

  The reason for his disbelief was the realisation that his attributes and Ascension paths were more synergistic than before, giving him the ultimate advantage.

  ‘She really pnned this from the start.’

  Ari smiled bitterly.

  His rank dropped to F-Rank-Third css, and all his stats were reduced to level 1.

  Under different circumstances, he would have mented, but he couldn’t bring himself to be upset.

  With his new ability and Transcender avatar, he was truly living one of his wildest fantasies.

  ‘That damn woman...’

  Despite being strung along by Reality Bender’s antics, Ari was in the optimal starting position, so he couldn’t compin.

  “Thank you for the token, sponsor.”

  [Hehe. Isn’t this more fun?]

  “I’ll need coins to upgrade it, correct?”

  [The main world awaits. Hehe. I can’t wait to see the expression you’ll make]

  [Look forward to the backstory I crafted for you. Oh, your memories will be scrambled, but it won’t st too long]

  [Have fun...Daddy Reese]

  “What did you just-?”

  [System Message]

  [Prepare for transfer to main world]

  [Destination: Train station – Downtown Ambrose City]

  ‘Ambrose?’

  [Backstory Integration Complete]

  “Come on! Why do you always have to blind me with bright lights?”

  Ctter-Ctter

  Ctter-Ctter

  The rhythmic ctter of the train wheels faded into the background as Ari fought against the accumuted fatigue from a full day of lectures.

  Though in truth, ninety percent of his exhaustion stemmed from pulling all-nighters the entire weekend pying Transcender Origins.

  As the train approached a long tunnel, he widened his eyes to keep them from closing. Unfortunately, as soon as the tunnel's darkness reached his compartment, he lost the battle and fell asleep with his head resting against the window.

  When the train came to a stop, the announcement signalling their arrival at the station jolted him awake, and to his surprise, the once-packed and noisy compartment was already empty.

  Ari headed for the door but stopped abruptly when he noticed an odd reflection in the gss. He shook his head, bming severe exhaustion for pying tricks on his eyes and exited through the door.

  “Ari!”

  As he stepped off the ptform, a silky voice called out his name.

  When he gnced in the direction of the voice, a brunette woman of supernatural beauty and curves smiled and waved at him.

  ‘Ah...I really need to get some sleep.’

  He spped his cheeks to shake off any lingering cobwebs in his groggy brain.

  His actions changed nothing except for deepening the smile on the woman’s face.

  She walked towards him.

  ‘No way…’

  When it became clear that he wasn’t hallucinating, he gulped.

  She looked like she was in her early twenties, but Ari knew that wasn’t the case.

  She was a bona fide MILF.

  ‘How is this possible?’

  “You are Ari, correct? Ari Haynes?” she asked, looking somewhat flustered.

  Despite the initial confusion, the moment she spoke to him, his natural instincts kicked in.

  “The one and only.”

  “Oh my, you...look so different from the st time I saw you,” she said with widened eyes.

  ‘The st time?’

  He grinned. “Yeah, I grew my hair out.”

  She giggled, then fixed her amber-coloured eyes on his body and face.

  She smiled and said, “Yes, that must be it.”

  The woman was beautiful beyond words. She had the air of someone used to getting exactly what she wanted.

  If he had any lingering doubts, her mannerisms and pyful nature made it abundantly clear.

  ‘This really is… Maya Reese.’

  He pinched his arm as a final test.

  ‘This is real...’

  “Your aunt told me that you’ve been a bad boy...breaking girls’ hearts all over town,” she said. “But, with such a handsome face, I don’t bme them for falling for you.”

  She winked.

  ‘My aunt?’

  Ari frowned. “That’s not true, you know I only have eyes for you, Maya.”

  “You’ve developed a devilishly silver tongue too... No wonder Chloe called you a headache.”

  “Hey, that’s snder.”

  Maya giggled.

  Ari was stunned by the esticity of her pleated shirt. It shaped her body perfectly despite being stretched to the absolute limit.

  ‘Damn, she’s gorgeous.’

  “Shall we get going then?” she asked, “Where is your luggage?”

  ‘My luggage?’

  Ari stared at her, dumbfounded. He tried searching his memories for some clue as to how he ended up in this situation.

  It was then.

  Ari felt the world around him spin and lost his bance.

  An intense pressure gripped his head as a series of random images fshed in his mind.

  Maya caught him as he stumbled.

  “Ari, what’s wrong?” her concerned voice barely registered in his ears.

  What he initially believed to be random images were, in fact, his memories.

  A backstory crafted for him, setting up his arrival at the station and encounter with Maya.

  When the pressure subsided, it took Ari a moment to sift through the information in his head.

  His death, conversations with Reality Bender, as well as his time in the Upper Garden, came flooding back to him in full.

  “Ari, speak to me,” Maya said, her voice ced with concern.

  “Sorry about that, Maya. I haven’t been getting much sleep tely. I guess my body just gave out.”

  “You should take better care of your health, Chloe would be devastated if something were to happen to you.”

  ‘Right... Aunt Chloe.’

  According to his memories, he was Ari Haynes, 19 years old, a victim and survivor of portal dispcement.

  Portal dispcement is an unpredictable and rare phenomenon in which portals randomly appear and transport anyone in the vicinity to one of the Divine Towers across the world.

  Typically, victims of portal dispcement are considered dead the moment they get caught in this phenomenon.

  They cked basic resources, and their chances at being rescued were practically zero.

  How did Ari survive?

  The trials served a dual purpose.

  What he thought was a simple trial zone turned out to be part of a Divine Tower.

  Clearing the horde of Ashen Ghouls and Orcs became part of his backstory.

  ‘If I failed to clear those trials, I would have become another statistic...’

  Following Ari’s return, he continued living with his aunt, who is his only living retive, but things got messy this past year.

  Ari decided not to attend the local academy despite receiving a recommendation.

  He did however, spend most of the year there, inside the bedrooms of female cadets.

  His aunt didn’t seem to mind his behaviour at first, in light of what he experienced during the portal dispcement incident.

  However, when he started sleeping with her colleagues, she drew the line and sent him away to study in the city.

  And that’s what brought him to the train station. He was supposed to meet an old friend of his aunt’s, who happens to be the Headmistress of the academy.

  ‘What a backstory. Reality Bender went all out.’

  Thump-Thump!

  When he finally grasped his situation, Ari’s pulse raced uncontrolbly.

  ‘Haha! This is insane. I'm actually here... As a Transcender in Ambrose Academy!’