Nova’s second morning in Etheria began early, or at least it felt that way when a knock came at his bedroom door. As he opened his eyes, he noticed the room was still dark due to the absence of sunlight.

"Today you start, rookie," Angelo's voice called from outside the door, signaling that it was time to wake up.

Without protest, Nova got up from the floor, put on his shoes, and opened the door. "Good morning," he said, more out of habit than politeness.

"Looks like you rested well. Follow me; I'll take you to your new workplace," Angelo replied with his usual smile. He seemed not to have slept, with dark circles under his eyes and wearing the same suit as the day before.

The two of them went down to the seventh floor, where, due to time constraints the previous day, Nova had not been informed about the work.

Angelo opened the door to the main room on the seventh floor.

Inside, Nova saw an extensive production line operating around a conveyor belt, with several workers wearing white latex gloves, face masks, and aprons.

The room was filled with the noise of machines, hammering, and what sounded like a polisher, and it was warmer than outside.

"This is the candy room. We don’t usually assign rookies to this floor, but a big order came in yesterday, so we need the extra help," Angelo explained as they walked deeper into the room.

Nova observed the production stations, noting how they turned strange translucent stones of various colors into perfect little spheres, about the size of marbles, which were then packaged in sets of three.

"This production line has six stations. The work is relatively simple depending on your station," Angelo said, stopping in front of one of the workstations. It appeared to be the second station, where workers used large demolition hammers to break the stones into smaller pieces.

The section of the conveyor belt here was reinforced, and three people managed this task.

Two workers forcefully broke the stones, and the other quickly removed those that hadn’t been broken yet. The intact rocks were then returned to the start of the conveyor.

Angelo gestured to the man responsible for handling the stones.

The man approached promptly. "Mr. Angelo!" he exclaimed, his voice the same high-pitched one Nova had heard the day before at his door.

"This is the new boy, Nova. Give him the outfit, a hammer, and pick up the pace. We need to prepare a shipment for tonight," Angelo instructed.

"Okay," Nathaniel replied with a worried look but without protest. He seemed to accept the orders as if he were familiar with such absurd requests from a past boss.

"Well, this man is Nathaniel. He’ll be your supervisor, so do a good job or we’ll put you back on the street," Angelo said, raising his thumbs in a sign of encouragement, though his words sounded more threatening than supportive.

"Just kidding. Don’t mess up because candy is irreplaceable," he added with a mischievous laugh, as if to underscore that mistakes were not an option.

Nova forced a smile, finding little humor in the remark but knowing it was best to avoid drawing attention from someone who seemed like an authority figure.

Angelo then left the large room.

Nathaniel sighed once Angelo was gone. "That guy is scary. You never know what he's thinking."

"And his smile is unsettling. Why does he always look so happy? Do you think he uses drugs?" Nova asked candidly, feeling more at ease now that Angelo wasn’t around. It reminded him of complaining about his boss to office mates.

Nathaniel’s smile widened, and he started to laugh. The man had a fair complexion, blue eyes, a paunch, and gray hair surrounding a perfect bald spot. He looked to be about 45 years old, shorter than Nova at around 5'5".

image [https://i.imgur.com/1QxDkOo.jpeg]

“Haha, who knows? But it must be fun to be one of the boss’s favorites and give orders,” Nathaniel said, finally managing to control his laughter.

“Anyway, we’d better get to work or we won’t get any sleep tonight,” he added, wrapping up their joking. “Come on, I’ll get you set up with your gear to work.”

Nathaniel, who seemed kind and amusing, quickly led Nova to a corner of the spacious room and provided him with an apron, gloves, face shield, and a hammer for breaking rocks.

They wasted no time and soon found themselves back in front of the conveyor belt.

“Watch how your colleagues do it. This is Memphis, and this is Scott,” the old man said, introducing Nova to the other two workers. Both men were muscular and about six feet tall.

“The idea is to break the larger rocks into smaller, uniform pieces so that the polishing station can shape them into spheres without much trouble. Got it?”

Nova nodded in understanding. It was his first time doing such demanding physical work.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Although he had spent most of his life behind a desk, he was determined to give it a try. His new body seemed to be in excellent shape.

At Nathaniel’s signal, Nova gripped the heavy hammer, positioned himself alongside Memphis and Scott, and began skillfully breaking the larger stones that came his way.

His movements closely mirrored those of his more experienced colleagues, impressing both the supervisor and his co-workers.

“We’re not going to be outdone by a rookie!” Memphis and Scott thought, increasing their pace to make it difficult for the rookie, who, despite his slimmer physique, was holding his own well.

That day, Nathaniel didn’t have to pick up any rocks that weren’t broken on the production line.

When break time came, Memphis, Scott, Nathaniel, and Nova had nearly finished breaking the stones for shipment, with only a few rocks left to pile up at stations that lagged behind.

The four men then headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

“Hahaha, what are you made of, boy? It’s your first day and you’re already keeping up with these muscle heads,” Nathaniel laughed in the seventh-floor cafeteria, where a few tables and chairs were set up for employees to enjoy their lunch.

Memphis and Scott were half-dead, with their heads thrown back on one of the tables from exhaustion. Nova sipped tea from his plastic cup, feeling a bit embarrassed by Nathaniel’s praise.

"No, it’s not that big a deal..." Nova said, uncomfortable with the attention. Though he enjoyed it, he felt it was inappropriate to appear arrogant.

“By the way, what are these rocks?” he asked, setting down his tea and unwrapping the sandwich Nathaniel had bought him from a vending machine as a reward for his hard work.

Nathaniel’s cheerful expression shifted to confusion. “You really don’t know?” he asked.

“I understand what Angelo means by candy, but I don’t see how these rocks turn into drugs. They look like normal rocks,” Nova said, taking a bite of his sandwich and waiting for Nathaniel’s explanation.

“That’s because they’re not ordinary rocks; they’re B-Synchro crystals,” Nathaniel said, his tone changing as if discussing a sensitive subject.

“B-Synchro? The ones from the commercial?” Nova asked, recalling the commercial he had seen when he first arrived in this world.

“What? Oh, I see,” Nathaniel replied, understanding. “You’re talking about the platinum balls? Hahaha, yeah, those,” he chuckled.

“So, do they take them from people in disguise, or how does that work?” Nova asked, showing his complete ignorance on the subject.

“Haha, you’re quite a comedian.” Nathaniel continued to laugh but soon stopped when he realized Nova wasn’t laughing with him.

“Wait, you really don’t know what B-Synchros are?” Nathaniel’s confusion was evident.

“Nope, I really have no idea,” Nova replied, continuing to eat.

“You must be the only person in the world who doesn’t know about B-Synchros… I can’t believe you don’t know what they are,” Nathaniel said, suspicion crossing his face. “Are you trying to make fun of me?”

The old man looked like he might get angry, and Nova realized that his ignorance might be seen as sarcasm.

“I woke up in a downtown alley two days ago. I don’t remember anything about my life before that. I’m not kidding you; I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nova explained, hoping to avoid upsetting Nathaniel.

“Are you serious? Have you lost all your memories?” Nathaniel asked, trying to confirm the revelation.

“Everything but reading, speaking, and numbers. I remember nothing about this world. I’ve learned that the city is Etheria, Anavasis is the continent, and Angelo is a jerk,” Nova joked.

“Haha, well, there are things I’d like to forget too. I’m sorry for thinking you were mocking me,” Nathaniel said, returning to his more relaxed and friendly tone.

“B-Synchros are terrifying beasts whose sole intention is to destroy the human race. They usually attack villages far from cities and anyone who ventures overland,” Nathaniel explained calmly.

“The gems that sprout from their bodies are powerful hallucinogens when processed. Not only their gems, but various parts of their bodies are harnessed when they perish.”

Nova’s expression turned skeptical. “Terrible beasts?” he asked, clearly having trouble believing it.

“Yes, they come in many shapes and sizes, but most are dangerous. The only way to deal with them is with a large military arsenal or if you’re a synchro user,” Nathaniel said with a shrug. “But they don’t reach the cities, so they’re not considered a threat to Etheria’s inhabitants.”

This information took Nova by surprise. Not only was he in a new world just as messed up as his own, but there were also monsters outside the city.

He even imagined escaping the city only to be devoured by monsters.

From that perspective, the mobsters, classist population, and trigger-happy cops didn’t seem so bad.

“Good thing they don’t come to the cities,” Nova sighed in relief, realizing he was almost resigned to dealing with the city’s problems rather than facing monsters.

“I guess no one leaves the cities, right? What kind of crazy person would want to go out there knowing that?” he said, finishing his sandwich.

“I want,” Nathaniel said with a smile.

Nova was stunned and swallowed his bite of food quickly. “Wait, you just told me there are terrible monsters outside the city, and you still want to go out there?” he asked, incredulous.

“Is it senile dementia already? No, it’s still early,” he thought.

“I’ve lived all my life in Etheria. I was an important businessman. Believe it or not, I had a lot of money, but eventually, I went bankrupt…” Nathaniel’s gaze grew melancholic.

“My wife and children despised me when I could no longer meet their demands. She asked for a divorce and started a new life with another millionaire. I became a vagabond until I ended up here,” he said, his past visibly troubling him.

“Here, I had time to think. I spent my life chasing money, status, and possessions… I thought that was everything, but in the end, I lost it all, including my youth,” he said, his tone filled with melancholy.

“At 45, with my memories intact, I’ve never seen a B-Synchro in all its splendor. I haven’t even explored nature beyond a plane ride.” He met Nova’s eyes again.

“I wasted my time instead of making the most of it and living a great story,” Nathaniel said.

“That’s why I decided that when I leave here, I’ll see the world with my own eyes and cherish those adventures as my true treasure.” Nathaniel’s eyes sparkled with a fervent longing to be free of his debts and experience the world.

“Sure, you might think I’m just an old man having a midlife crisis, haha. But when the end is near, you realize the importance of living fully.”

Nathaniel’s words resonated with Nova. Could he criticize someone for pursuing their desires when, on his last day, he wished for the same?

“No, I don’t think so,” Nova said with a smile.

“But I do think you’re a bit crazy for wanting to see scary monsters, haha.” He laughed, joined by Nathaniel, who found the joke just as amusing.

At that moment, Nova felt a pang of envy. Nathaniel seemed to know what he wanted to do once he left this place, but Nova had no idea what he would do in a few days.

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From that day on, Nova and Nathaniel were inseparable. They talked about everything—life, work, and their struggles, every day.

What had once felt like a prison in the factory was now filled with their laughter and shared stories. Time flew by so quickly that Nova hardly noticed. The dreary place had become a cozy refuge where the days seemed to slip away.

As the fourteenth night approached, Nova felt divided. He was excited about his impending freedom but couldn’t shake a lingering hesitation. Nathaniel's words from earlier echoed in his mind.

“Don’t get too comfortable here, Nova. You need to find what truly makes you happy. If you don’t figure it out in two months, let’s hit the world together. We’ll have all kinds of adventures, no regrets, no debts, just us and this beautiful world.”

Lying on his old cot, Nova felt the weight of Nathaniel’s offer. For the first time, someone genuinely cared about his future, encouraging him to face the unknown with determination.

“Could I really become some kind of adventurer?” With that thought swirling in his mind, he fell asleep.

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15 days later... in the morning...

"Leave? Didn’t I tell you? Anyone who’s seen our candy section never leaves this factory, Nova. Besides, you're a brilliant employee, the boss doesn’t want to lose you. Trust me, no one wants you out there." Angelo’s voice floated from his office, his tone as always disgustingly polite, accompanied by that condescending smile.

"But Nathaniel… he'll be out in two months." Nova’s face was blank as he stood before Angelo’s desk, more concerned about his friend's dreams than his own inability to escape.

"Nathaniel… he was a big deal once, did you know that?" Angelo's disdain seeped into his words.

"I had no idea. He came to see me last night, asking for a reduction in his debt." Angelo raised his brows in mock surprise. "Said maybe his kids could pay it off, which would let him leave. Maybe he didn’t want to leave you alone in this filthy city. What a good friend."

Nova felt uneasy. He hadn’t seen Nathaniel since the night before, and even after waking early for the meeting, it was strange not to spot him on the seventh floor.

"I told him it didn’t matter, none of you are getting out anyway. He got mad, can you believe it?" Angelo laughed, leaning back in his elegant chair.

"He even asked me to let you go, no matter what happened to him, said you were too young, and other nonsense. When I refused, he tried to attack me."

"What did you do to him?" Nova asked, his gaze darkening as an unsettling feeling gnawed at him.

"He’s dead. Buried in some ditch now, so don’t worry. It's unfortunate, but he broke the rules." Angelo’s voice carried no trace of remorse.

The first time Nova hit someone with all his strength was in second grade, when an older boy tried to steal his action figure. The punch didn’t even faze the boy, who broke the figure in retaliation.

The second time he hit someone with all his might was at that time. Originating a loud bang that echoed throughout the entire floor of that office.