A Surprise

The moment Thor leaped onto the tree stump, he realized he had been forcibly transported to another space.

He looked around. Tall buildings stood on every side, and people hurried past.

Everyone looked utterly exhausted.

The blazing sun overhead was so bright that it was hard to keep one's eyes open.

The noise all around was chaotic and irritating.

"An illusion?" That was Thor's first thought.

"No, this must be the Inverted Tree."

Benches lined both sides of the road, but not a single person was sitting down to rest. Everyone hurried about as if wound up by a spring.

Thor glanced around as he walked over to a bench and sat down. He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them.

"The Inverted Tree can copy the world within a certain area. The only difference is that it's upside down compared to the normal world."

Thor closed his eyes. His spirit body trembled faintly, and he immediately sensed the strange pull of gravity acting on him.

But he didn't correct the imbalance right away. Instead, he let himself remain in this inverted city.

"The last time I came here, it was completely empty. Now it's this crowded. Looks like everyone from the Inner City has been gathered here."

Everyone on the street hurried along. Only Thor sat still, a stark contrast between motion and stillness.

Though he seemed to be sitting idle, he was actually observing every passerby.

They looked no different from ordinary people. Even their expressions were vivid.

Some looked worried, others anxious, and still others cheerful.

It was like a real world.

But after watching for a while, Thor realized that the scene before him was repeating.

For example, a brown-haired man who had hurried past him ten minutes ago walked past him again,