## **Chapter 9: Mysterious Phone**
*(From the novel "I Became the Gamer Who Controls Reality")*
"Cellphone?" **Raj Sharma** looked puzzled. Only after a moment did he suddenly ask,
"Is the phone you're talking about one with a completely white metal case and a black screen without any buttons? About five to six inches in size?"
"That's right. Is that phone yours?" **Vivaan Sharma** asked in surprise.
"No, it's your grandfather's. I'd have already forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it," Raj said with a laugh. "That phone was your grandfather's favorite possession."
"Grandfather's favorite? Where did he get it from?" Vivaan asked curiously, noticing something strange in his father's tone.
Raj recounted the story of the phone's origin, leaving Vivaan quite stunned.
Years ago, Vivaan's grandfather had been a **woodworker**, though not one who made tables and chairs. He could do that, but his specialty lay in constructing **wooden buildings modeled after ancient Indian architecture**.
Back when **Guide Ancient City** was being rebuilt, the government wanted to preserve the city's original design, so they commissioned craftsmen to recreate its old-style wooden structures. Vivaan's grandfather had taken part in the project and spent more than a year working in the city.
During that period, workers excavated an **ancient dried well** while restoring the old city's ruins. It was during the night shift, so there were no outsiders around—only Vivaan's grandfather and a few workers.
When they dug out the well, a faint glow emerged from below. Thinking they had struck treasure, the workers eagerly went down to investigate, hoping to find something valuable.
At the bottom, they discovered an **ancient, rotting wooden box**. The box was nearly disintegrated, full of holes—light was leaking out through those cracks.
The group brought the box up, excited that it might contain treasure. They thought if they split the find among themselves, they could all live comfortably for life.
To their surprise, inside was a **cellphone**. At the time, mobile phones had just started becoming common, so it wasn't something unheard of.
The strange part was, the phone **glowed faintly at first**, but once they pulled it out of the box, the screen turned black as if it had lost all power. It had **no buttons, no charging port, and no branding**.
Vivaan's grandfather and the others were greatly disappointed, thinking it was some kind of joke. Since it looked broken and worthless, they quickly lost interest. Eventually, Vivaan's grandfather tossed it into a tool bag.
Later, it was brought back home. For some reason, he didn't throw it away and just kept it in the storeroom. When Rajesh was a kid, his father had even told him the story—though in a spooky, horror-story style—so it stuck in his memory.
"That useless phone can't even be switched on. When I was young, I took it to a repair shop, hoping to sell it for a few packs of cigarettes, but the shopkeeper said it was junk. So, I just tossed it into that biscuit tin. Don't tell me you're planning to sell it for money? Old phones aren't antiques—they're worthless," Raj said dismissively.
Vivaan thought silently, *Good thing you didn't manage to trade it for cigarettes; otherwise, I'd be crying right now.*
"The phone has never turned on before?" Vivaan asked.
"How could it? It's been lying around for years. Even if it wasn't broken, it'd be long out of charge," Raj replied, cutting him off. "Alright, I've got plenty to handle here. Since I've informed you, it's your choice whether to come to the wedding or not."
With that, Raj hung up.
*Something dug up from Varuna Ancient City?* Vivaan mused. *Too bad that place has become a dimensional zone now. Ordinary people can't even get close. But the Varuna City combat test takes place inside the Ancient City… I wonder if that old well still exists. Maybe I'll get a chance to look someday.*
Still, as his father had said, cellphones were a modern invention—something made in the last few decades. It was impossible for them to be antiques, let alone hold mystical powers.
"Damn it, I forgot to ask Dad whether he'd offended anyone," Vivaan muttered. He considered calling back but then dismissed the thought.
Since **Reva Rathore** was gone and hadn't really harmed him, there was no point in bringing it up now.
Taking out the mysterious phone, Vivaan opened the **Ant Nest** app and resumed grinding.
Inside the game, the **blood-colored avatar** killed ants continuously, moving with the same reflexes and instincts as Vivaan himself. Every bit of combat experience the avatar gained was directly transferred to him.
By now, Vivaan had grown much better at killing **Vigor Ants**. He lasted longer each time—able to slay four to five hundred ants in one life. Previously, he could barely handle a hundred.
Unfortunately, his luck that day was terrible. He only got **two Strength Crystals** and **one Constitution Crystal**, all of low value—only good for energy recovery, not for upgrading himself.
Just as he was getting into rhythm, a **red Mutated Vigor Ant** appeared. Excited, Vivaan immediately controlled his avatar to charge at it.
Before mastering the **Vigor Divine Fist**, these red ants had been tough opponents. But this time, he threw a perfect punch—**one strike to the head, one to the body**—and killed it instantly.
*Ding!*
A crisp sound rang out as a **dimensional crystal** dropped to the ground.
"Killed Mutated Vigor Ant. Discovered Constitution Crystal."
Vivaan examined it—it had a **value of 9**. He grinned.
His current Constitution was 8, so this was enough to enhance it further.
Constitution determined a person's **endurance and resilience**—the ability to fight longer and withstand more damage. The **Ascetic Meditation** technique he practiced mainly boosted his Strength and Constitution.
When his avatar picked up the crystal, a **strange energy** surged from the mysterious phone into Vivaan's body, spreading through every vein and cell. He felt his entire body come alive.
As his Constitution stat in-game changed from 8 to **9**, Vivaan felt physically tougher. The Vigor Ant bites now barely scratched his avatar's health bar.
He kept grinding, noticing that **Mutated Vigor Ants** spawned occasionally but in random spots, and they didn't always drop crystals.
Later, he killed two more, but no crystals appeared.
Time slipped by in the same routine—sleeping through classes, gaming afterward. Only during **cultivation sessions** did he train alongside **Riya Malhotra** and the others.
However, over the next few days, Vivaan noticed that **Arvind Rao** often looked at him strangely—smiling with narrowed eyes in a way that made Vivaan uneasy.
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