Overpowers: Life Is Magical

Meanwhile, back at the school, Life exited the school grounds, the weight of a long day evident in his posture. Once he was a good distance away, he allowed himself to relax and let out a heavy sigh. Phew, I'm beat... maintaining this disguise is more tiring than I thought. If I hadn't actually experienced the concept of hard work back then...

His mind wandered back to the teacher's office a few minutes before he left for the day. He was just about ready to depart when a familiar voice called out to him, "Excuse me, Seikatsu-san?"

Turning to face the speaker, he saw his colleague, Manabu Kibishi. She was one of the few teachers who had provided him with more information about Nozomi than he had initially received. "Some of us are going out for drinks at a place not too far from here. Would you like to join us?" she offered, pointing over her shoulder to a group of teachers chatting idly. Her demeanor was far less stressed compared to the previous day, likely because Nozomi hadn't been late to class—a significant improvement, considering Manabu's frequent complaints about her punctuality.

Life glanced at the group of teachers, weighing his options. Hmm... I could use a drink, but...

"Wait just a second," he told Manabu, turning away to face his backpack. Better to be safe than sorry... He closed his eyes, and instantly, his vision was enveloped by the sight of an abandoned lab. A dog with a peculiar star-shaped birthmark was the first thing he noticed. "It's another darkspawn, they somehow found us!" the dog exclaimed.

That was enough for Life to make his decision. He opened his eyes, finding himself back in the teacher's office. Not wanting to linger in awkward silence, he raised a hand to his chin, pretending to consider the invitation seriously. "Hmm..."

After what he deemed an appropriate pause, he turned to Manabu, backpack slung over his shoulder. "Would you mind telling me where it is? I have some… personal matters that require my attention, but if I finish in time, I might be able to join you," he said, offering a polite smile.

"I see... No problem. I can send you the address in our teacher's chat group. Are you already in the group?" She pulled out her red smartphone, waiting for his response.

"Ah, no, I'm not. I would actually appreciate that, thank you," Life replied genuinely. He transformed the black cell phone in his pocket into a smartphone identical to Manabu's before pulling it out.

He fiddled with the device, confirming it replicated the world's comparatively ancient technology perfectly. It even copied the apps from Manabu's phone, in addition to the ones he had, though it generated a random phone number for him. Man, as much as I can get iffy about the guy, I can't deny how convenient some of Tec's inventions are.

"Here, note this down," Life said, providing Manabu with his new number. Moments later, his phone buzzed with a notification from an app called Chat,now!—a message from a group chat featuring a photo of Manabu and the other teachers as its profile picture. The message read: [Hello, text me if you can read this, Shigoto-san.] The number was unfamiliar, but Life didn't need to guess it was from Manabu.

An idea struck him, and he couldn't resist. Typing in all caps, he sent: [WHAT?! SORRY, I CAN'T READ THAT! WOULD YOU MIND TYPING LOUDER?!]

Manabu chuckled upon reading the message and decided to play along. [I SAID, TEXT ME IF YOU CAN READ THIS, SHIGOTO-SAN!]

"Pfft..." Life couldn't help but snort. He hadn't expected her to catch on so quickly and play along with the joke, given her reputation as a strict teacher—something he may or may not have eavesdropped from students while exploring the school to familiarize himself with it. Satisfied with the interaction, he responded normally. [Okay, okay, I can read you.]

"Alright then, let me send you the address..." After a few seconds, his phone buzzed with the location of a place he didn't recognize.

Manabu, having confirmed he received the message, turned back to her colleagues. Before leaving, she glanced back at Life. "Oh, also, I don't know if you'll need it, but good luck with your personal matters."

Life smirked confidently. "I won't, but I appreciate the sentiment." She returned the smirk before joining the other teachers.

After packing his backpack, he exited the teacher's office. As he walked, he thought back on the vision he had glimpsed through his 'Life's Perspective' and a touch of 'Fortunate Life' that had provided perfect timing. Now, how should I approach this situation? He raised a hand to his chin in contemplation. I can't just do what I did yesterday; I might be, for lack of a better word, uncreative. But even I have my limits. Surely I can come up with something different.

He crossed his arms, pondering. Maybe I could just join her? If I'm to be her mentor, that's a no-brainer. But can I really just... do it?

With a shrug, he decided. Y'know what? Whatever. I can wing it if something unforeseen happens. Stopping, he scanned his surroundings to ensure he was alone. Seeing no one, he smirked. Better not keep her waiting. In an instant, he vanished, as if he had never been there.

He reappeared on a grassy plain, in front of an abandoned building. Strange, this is definitely the place... but why would she come here? Sure, the lab looked old, but functional, and with a few days of maintenance, it would be good as new. While this...

He glanced at an old, rusty sign on the ground, its message lost to time. Stepping past it, he moved inside. This, however, would take months to restore. Unless they had access to technology from my world; then rebuilding this place would take half a minute... I might actually do it if this place somehow becomes relevant enough to justify the effort.

Liquid metal enveloped his body, transforming his clothes until he was dressed as his alter ego, the cloaked hero Outsider. There, now they won't recognize me as their teacher!

Venturing deeper into the building, Outsider soon found himself in what appeared to be the remains of a reception area. It was barely recognizable in its dilapidated state, a mere whisper of its former self.

His attention was drawn to a secret passage leading down below, likely to the old lab he had seen through Nozomi's eyes. As he approached, he noticed the darkness blocking the stairs was not merely an absence of light but a solid, impenetrable barrier of dark magic. He chuckled. I can't help but think Magic would spot the almost insignificant difference between this dark magic and yesterday's. He'd probably give a 12-hour lecture on it. One of the few times I'd gladly ask Tec for a job to avoid him.

Lowering himself to one knee, Life closed his eyes again. Immediately, his vision filled with a flight of stairs bathed in light from behind, the path blocked by the same solid darkness.

He watched as the familiar dog passed by him, approaching the dark wall. After a few seconds, the dog twisted the darkness into a spiral, creating an entrance that resembled a cave. "The path is clear. We can enter now," the dog said.

Life felt his vision moving up and down in a nod before following the dog into the cave's depths. Opening his eyes, he found himself back in the reception room, his body unmoved.

Rising from his crouched position, Life approached the dark barrier with a mixture of caution and determination. The air around it was dense, almost palpable, as if the darkness itself was a living entity, waiting to swallow any who dared to breach it. He reached out with a steady hand, his fingers brushing against the inky surface. "Ea-sy... does... it..." he murmured to himself, his voice barely above a whisper, yet filled with concentration.

He poured his will into the barrier, delicately manipulating the dark energies that composed it. The darkness resisted at first, pushing back against his intrusion, but Life's persistence slowly began to prevail. His brow furrowed as he carefully twisted and shaped the barrier, ensuring he didn't apply too much force and risk destroying it outright. It was a delicate balance, a dance of shadows and willpower.

Gradually, the barrier yielded to his touch, folding and parting like a curtain of liquid night. He worked methodically, his focus unbroken, guiding the darkness until a gaping hole materialized in the center. The edges of the hole swirled and undulated as if trying to close back up, but Life's control held firm.

Before him now lay an abyss, a chasm of unrelenting blackness that seemed to swallow the light around it. The darkness within was deep and almost intimidating, an unknown void that beckoned with silent promises of danger and discovery. Life's gaze was steady, undeterred by the eerie sight.

Standing tall, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead. Now... let's make an entrance! A hint of a smirk grew at the corners of his lips. The thrill of the unknown, the challenge of what's to come—all of it ignited a spark within him that he rarely allowed himself to feel.

With a fluid, almost theatrical motion, Life leaped into the void. One moment he was surrounded by the familiar world, the next, he was plunging into an endless darkness. The air around him grew colder, more oppressive.