Feeling the changes ripple through my body, I stood still for a moment, listening to the silence inside myself.
‘It’s like I became a complete person—a new person—in just one day.’
Not just physically. Something deeper. Stronger. Stranger.
I gnced over my shoulder at the group behind me. They were watching but not speaking. Their expressions were still painted with a mix of caution and uncertainty. I didn’t care enough to interpret what was behind their stares.
I turned my back to them and walked away.
The supermarket felt like a pce I could cim. My footsteps echoed softly as I moved across the bloodstained tiles. There were smears and spshes in various pces—signs of struggle, maybe desperation—but no bodies. No zombies. No corpses. Just an eerie, desote mess left behind. Like the violence had moved on and only the memory remained.
I wasn’t hungry, but I did need clothes. I dug through the nearest shelves and racks, pulling out whatever I could find. Sizes didn’t matter. Style didn’t matter. It was like being let loose on a free shopping spree, and a little exited.
After finding little of interest, I headed to the mall next door. It was quieter, almost too quiet, like the kind of hush that follows after something terrible has already happened. I didn’t care. I was focused.
More clothes, more options. Even costumes—superheroes and pop culture icons. Turns out the fictional universes of this world weren’t so different from Earth’s.
Out of boredom, I tried on a few. One looked like an armored viginte. Another was a skin-tight suit that made me look like a knock-off comic book character. I even climbed to the second floor and struck a dramatic superhero nding on the ground floor, cracking the tiles slightly.
For a second, I chuckled.
Then I blinked—and time had moved. It was already 5 PM.
With the day slipping away, I made my way back to the supermarket. The upper floors had rooms—storage or maybe office spaces. I found one that was intact, switched on the light, and to my surprise, it worked.
The generator was still running.
‘Guess those guys just liked doing things in the dark.’
---
I rearranged the room. Pulled a table over, set up a bed from a pile of boxes and cushions, then got to cooking. Rice was the core. It grounded the meal, banced the richness of the meat, and made everything taste right. I added seasoning, a bit of spice, and made a proper pte.
I sat down and ate slowly, letting the rhythm of chewing and swallowing calm me. My mind didn’t wander. I didn’t think about anything at all.
When I finished, the clock showed 7 PM.
One step… two steps… three steps… I y down on the makeshift bed. The ceiling above me was pin, cracked in some corners, but it held my gaze.
I wasn’t thinking. Just floating.
10… 9… 8…
My body felt too calm. Too weightless.
7… 6… 5…
My breathing was even, steady, unnaturally so.
4… 3…
Something was off. I felt it in my gut, the kind of wrongness that made your skin crawl even if everything looked normal.
2… 1…
I sat up like I was punched in the stomach.
'Fuck… I just killed people. Why am I so fucking calm?'
My voice echoed in my mind. No one to hear it but me.
'This is wrong. Something’s wrong. System, is there something wrong with my mind?'
> Ding!
Host: None.
'Bullshit,' I muttered, jaw tightening. 'I killed people and I feel nothing, and you say that’s normal? It’s fucking not. Back on Earth, I couldn’t even kick a dog. Now I’m killing people and don’t feel a damn thing?'
> Ding!
System will now scan and locate the problem in 3… 2… 1…
I waited, expecting a straight answer. Or hoping for one.
> Ding!
Based on avaible data: Host stayed indoors for four years, was a shut-in, and had minimal social interaction.
I frowned. 'What do you mean? Be straight with me. Is it because I don’t think any of this is real?'
> Ding!
Correct.
I exhaled harshly. My fingers curled into the sheets. 'Fuck… what kind of answer is that? Expin more, dammit!'
Silence.
I waited.
One minute. Two. Five. Ten.
Still nothing.
My jaw locked, and I whispered, Okay. Give me a solution.'
> Ding!
Host has one option: divide personality like a dolphin. It becomes two perspectives, still one person.
Warning: once created, there are consequences. The system cannot tell host what they are until it is done.
If host proceeds, there is almost no turning back.
I ughed bitterly. 'Fuck. Who even made a system like this? You’re basically telling me there’s treasure—but I have to accept the risk before I even know what it is. This is clearly bait.'
I leaned forward, elbows on knees, hands over my face.
Then I began thinking… what if I saw people the same way I see ability points? What’s the real difference between treating people like data and pretending this whole world is a dream?
That’s dangerous thinking. But maybe it makes sense.
This world rewards cold logic. Treating everything like a system. If I keep going down that path…
What happens when everything is over? When there’s no more threat?
Do I become some kind of final boss? A monster who sees people as tools? Would I start collecting strong allies just to feed my own growth?
---
I sat in that room, in that silence, for… I don’t know how long. My thoughts looped endlessly until I reached one conclusion.
‘Let’s just ask a straight question first.’
‘System, can I die?’
> Ding!
If host doesn’t pn to eliminate the other part or become one again, there is no risk.
‘Wait—fuck, is this the catch, system?’
> Ding!
Correct.
‘Fuck, why didn’t you say that in the first pce? If this is just the cost, then I’ll just have two personalities!’
> Ding!
Host, I was not allowed to tell you. But if the host figures it out, then this response is not initiated by me.
I scowled.
‘Nice try, fucking system. You sound like you’re saying I’m smart, like handing a lollipop to a crying kid to shut them up. Fuck you.’
'System, how much is it?'
> Ding!
Host needs 1 million energy.
'I have 600k, and I haven’t converted yet. If I convert for today, I’ll have 1 million—enough. Okay, system, convert atom to energy and proceed with
the pn.'
> Ding!
Host Converting 600 tons of atoms to 600k energy.
Consuming 1 million energy to create second personality in 3... 2... 1...
