CHAPTER 88: REAL TRUTH

"Let’s stop for a while."

Pausing the training session, Nash stepped back to take the call.

Not wanting to pry into Nash’s private matter, William stepped aside, focusing on processing the sparring match they had just had.

"What is it, Camilla?"

"What? Can’t I call you without needing something?"

"You can call me anytime you want. I’m just curious why you’re calling me now."

"Whatever. Meet me in the virtual world. I’m at Velvet Café. I’ll send you the coordinates."

"Alright, I’ll come as soon as I can," Nash sighed.

Camilla was as bossy as ever. But thinking about the tier 1 sniper rifle and perfect armor she’d given him, Nash couldn’t bring himself to complain.

Ending the call, he walked over to William.

"Shall we continue sparring, boss?" William asked excitedly.

Just a little more, and he might finally defeat Nash’s simulation of the Silver King Wolf.

By then, he could finally start conquering the battle zones around Lantern Shelter.

"No, let’s stop for now. I’ve got something to do."

"Was it that call? Are you meeting your girlfriend, boss?" William asked curiously.

He hadn’t heard their conversation, but based on the voice, he knew it was a girl.

"No, just a friend."

"A friend?" William said sarcastically, not believing a word of it.

From what he knew about Nash, unless something was important or against his principles, he wouldn’t turn down free void crystals.

With still an hour on the clock, Nash would be losing 10,000 of them.

"It’s just a friend. No need to overthink it," Nash said with a frown, noticing William’s sarcasm.

"Oh~, then good luck, boss! I hope you and this friend succeed! I’ll definitely show up to your wedding!" William said excitedly, thinking he was being clever.

When Nash and this supposed girl ’friend’ got married, the food would definitely not be simple.

Thinking about all the dishes his boss still hadn’t cooked for him, William nearly drooled.

"Alright, alright. I’m going. Focus on your training, not on gossip. In a week, I need you at Black Willow Shelter. Make sure you get there in time."

"No problem! I’ll conquer Lantern Shelter in just a few days!"

"Good. I’m looking forward to it..."

---

Virtual World – Velvet Café

Arriving at the coordinates Camilla sent, Nash scanned the area until he saw her.

"Here~" Camilla called, sitting beside a flowered fountain.

Seeing her in a white dress, playing with the water and fish as she waved him over, Nash couldn’t help but freeze.

Normally, she looked like an evil queen ready to burn him at the stake. But now, dressed like an angel, Nash felt like he was in an illusion.

"How’s my outfit?" Camilla stood up, twirling around as she showed it off.

"It’s good."

"Just good? Are you blind?" Camilla snapped, rolling her eyes.

"Ahem... I mean beautiful," Nash corrected himself.

"Hmph. So, you do have some aesthetic sense in you. Come on, let’s go in. I already ordered our food."

"Hmm."

Snapping out of his daze, Nash followed her inside.

Once they had their drinks, Camilla started talking about life at the academy, her training, friends, the Dark Plane, and more.

She also mentioned her grandfather, who was too busy with his research, hoping to be certified as soon as possible to be a Tier 1 scientist.

Camilla also brought up Charlotte and Elijah. Because of their age, they were in a separate class, learning basic combat skills and solidifying their understanding of the world.

Listening to her speak, Nash couldn’t help but fall into a daze.

From his transmigration to the present, it seemed like Camilla was constantly present in his life.

Although their first encounter was rough, everything now seemed to have happened for a reason.

Nash even started to believe he hadn’t just transmigrated into a dead body, but had merely regained his memories.

The trigger for this change, he suspected, was his body being so starved that it activated a self-preservation mechanism.

Outrageous as the idea sounded, it felt more believable than being transmigrated into a new world.

With the power and authority he now held, Nash had tracked down every piece of information he could about his predecessor—but found nothing.

Aside from an orphanage that was later destroyed, his supposed past self had no record, no trail, like he had just popped into existence.

This is what made him question whether he was truly a transmigrator or a reincarnated one.

And then there was Camilla, who seemed like a puppet of fate.

From awakening his memories to guiding him until he could stand on his own, she had been there at every crucial moment.

Even Arthur, their grandfather, felt like divine intervention. The man had given him a legal identity solid enough to stand up to any scrutiny on Earth.

Everything seemed too coincidental that Nash even began to doubt his own existence.

Even his memories of his previous life were starting to blur.

Aside from the skills and knowledge he acquired, the familiar faces of his family, friends, and lovers all turned blank.

"Just who am I?" Nash wondered, dazed.

Was his past life even real? Had he actually lived it?

Closing his senses to the outside world, Nash began to analyze everything.

As he’d always said, his greatest strength wasn’t his runic space or memories—it was his ability to see patterns, make connections, and break down information to the smallest and biggest entry.

As memory after memory flashed through his mind, from birth to every life event. He began sorting through them, splicing each pattern, and connecting every clue.

Eventually, one truth became clear: His "past life" was fake, a fabricated set of memories designed solely to develop his skills.

That meant his earlier theory was partly right.

He had always existed in this reality. The so-called transmigration was just a trigger that reactivated the false memories.

As for who or what orchestrated this?

Nash narrowed it down to three possibilities:

An unknown power in the dark,

The will of the universe,

And... his parents.

Yes, his parents. Despite the rest of his memories feeling artificial, the memories of them were the clearest.

Although their faces were blurred, the love, the warmth, and the happiness he felt were too real to be a mere illusion.

Although they had vanished from this dream once he began pursuing his path, the emotions they left behind were engraved deep in his soul.

"Mom... Dad... Who are you really? Why did you put me here?"

While Nash couldn’t prove any of it, deep down, something in his heart told him he was right.