Chapter 2 — The First Opportunity
Anshul stood on the subway platform for nearly five minutes before finally accepting the truth.
This was not a dream.
At first he had assumed everything was some kind of hallucination or strange virtual reality experience.
But the longer he stayed here, the more obvious it became.
The environment was far too real.
The faint vibration beneath his feet whenever a train passed.
The smell of metal and oil lingering in the underground station.
The countless strangers walking past him without even glancing in his direction.
None of this felt artificial.
More importantly, the phone in his hand still displayed the same website.
World Theater.
The title glowed faintly on the screen.
Under it was a line of text.
World Entered
World: Limitless Mind
Level: 1
Anshul exhaled slowly.
"So it's real…"
He leaned against a pillar near the edge of the platform and forced himself to calm down.
Panic would not help him.
If anything, this situation was an opportunity.
And opportunities required a clear mind.
Anshul had watched enough movies to understand that the first rule in any unfamiliar situation was simple.
Observe.
Think.
Then act.
He opened the website interface again.
The list of worlds was still there, but only one world was glowing.
Limitless Mind.
The other worlds were dimmed.
The Princess Diary
Princess Diary: Royal Engagement
Ella the Enchanted
Monte Carlo Journey
The Fashion Intern
Catch Me If You Dare
Money Game
Social Network Era
Elysium Station (Abnormal)
Anshul paused when he saw the last title.
"Elysium Station…"
He recognized that one immediately.
A futuristic orbital space habitat filled with advanced technology.
But that world should be far more dangerous than the others.
Yet the system listed it as Level 1.
That was strange.
But he quickly pushed that thought aside.
Right now, only one world mattered.
Limitless Mind.
And within this world existed the most valuable resource Anshul could obtain at the beginning of his journey.
NZT.
A small transparent pill capable of unlocking the full potential of the human brain.
In the original story, the drug allowed the protagonist to become a financial genius within a short time.
Languages.
Mathematics.
Music.
Strategy.
Everything became easier with NZT.
If Anshul could obtain the pills before anyone else…
Then his advantage in future worlds would become enormous.
But to do that, he needed to move quickly.
Anshul pulled out his phone and checked the time displayed on a nearby electronic advertisement board.
8:12 PM.
He frowned slightly.
In the story timeline, the owner of the drug — Vernon — would soon be killed by criminals searching for NZT.
If Anshul arrived too late, the pills might disappear.
"Alright."
He pushed himself away from the pillar and walked toward the subway exit.
As he climbed the stairs, he continued organizing the information he remembered from the movie.
Vernon lived in an apartment somewhere in New York.
And the pills were hidden inside the apartment.
More specifically…
Inside the kitchen.
Anshul stepped out onto the street.
The city lights of New York stretched in every direction.
Tall skyscrapers towered above the road.
Cars moved through the streets while pedestrians hurried along the sidewalks.
Even though Anshul had never visited this city before, it felt strangely familiar.
After all, he had seen it countless times in movies.
He began walking down the sidewalk.
At the same time, he opened the map application on his phone.
Surprisingly, it worked perfectly.
"Good," he muttered.
That meant the system had not disabled basic functions.
After searching for the address he remembered, a location appeared on the screen.
Not too far away.
Perhaps twenty minutes by subway.
Or forty minutes by walking.
Anshul considered the options for a moment.
Taking the subway would be faster.
But if he arrived too early, he might run into Vernon himself.
That would complicate things.
In the movie, Vernon was already paranoid and suspicious.
Meeting him directly could ruin everything.
"Better to arrive later."
So Anshul decided to walk.
While moving through the busy streets, he continued thinking about his situation.
If the system truly allowed him to travel between worlds, then the possibilities were endless.
Money.
Technology.
Influence.
Even abilities beyond normal human limits.
But before dreaming too far ahead, he needed to confirm something important.
Could he bring items back to his original world?
If NZT worked there as well…
Then his future would change completely.
Anshul stopped briefly at a street corner and looked up at the night sky.
The rain had already stopped.
Clouds drifted slowly across the dark sky above the city.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like my life just became very interesting."
Then he continued walking toward the apartment where the future of his journey awaited.
Somewhere inside that building…
A bag filled with NZT pills was waiting to be discovered.
And if everything went according to plan—
Anshul Giri would be the one to claim it.