This is the second time I've been in this white space today. Honestly, they should switch things up—maybe give me a yellow or green background. Anything but this. I don't want people thinking I'm copying that perverted boy who fucked his redheaded cousin, his childhood friend and his master from that anime back in my world. They could at least make it a vivid landscape instead. A grassy field, the streets of Paris, or even the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia. That'd be cool. Not that I'm a ghoul or anything.

-- This is an empty space. We can make it whatever we want. -- A voice echoed, belonging to a mysterious man.

The white space shifted. Water appeared beneath my feet, mirroring the endless sky above. I recognized the scenery immediately—the Uyuni Salt Flats, just like I imagined. It was breathtaking.

- Oshiete, oshiete yo sono shikumi wo... oh Wait, who are you? How can you read my mind? -

-- We've done this before, Leon. We can change everything here. We can create things. --

The man raised his hand, and a block of soil materialized, floating above his palm. Is this some Minecraft thing?

-- And we can destroy things too. --

The block crumbled into dust, falling into the water below.

-- We are limitless in this space, Leon. -- The man's tone was calm, almost unsettling.

- We? Who are you, anyway? -

-- Look at me closely, Leon. Don't I seem familiar? --

I stared at his face—or rather, where his face should have been. It was nothing but a blur, empty and distorted.

- Well, no… you don't even have a face. Are you the system? -

-- You could call me that. But I'm different. The system? It's just a friend from your imagination. A subconscious thing. Basically, it's like you've been having a form of schizophrenia. But me? I'm real, Leon. --

- If the system's my imagination, why would it ask me to kill Lili? -

-- Ah, that's where things get tricky. You see, imagination is a form of magic in this world, Leon. As you've already figured out. The system grants you unique abilities—like infinite storage, an assistant, guide, status manipulation, an EXP system, and so much more that you haven't yet discovered. --

The man walked slowly, his footsteps sending ripples across the mirrored water. He didn't even bother looking at me as he continued.

-- To put it simply, having the system is like discovering the internet for the first time. It gives you information about things you don't know. and ofcourse power to do much more --

- How did you know about the internet? -

-- Leon, listen carefully. I must say this once. You must trust me. Kill Lili Aislien, or else you will regret it for the rest of your life. Don't make the same mistake... --

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

His words sent a chill down my spine. I could feel the weight of what he was saying, but I refused to accept it. His voice echoed, leaving me in silence. The reflection of the sky now felt like it was pulling me deeper into the water below.

Before I could speak, my body felt paralyzed.

*/System: Rebooting....

Suddenly, I woke up… I could see Stink holding a bloody dagger.

-- Leon!? You're alive? How can this be? Your pulse stopped earlier... --

He immediately checked my pulse and my neck.

-- Your pulse is beating again, and the wound on your neck disappeared. What's happening here? --

Oh shit. How am I going to explain this to Stink? I looked around. It seemed like we were on a roof.

I needed to think fast. Stink looked at me like I was a ghost. I had to use my special ability from my previous world…

A secret ability that allows me to escape situations like this. My specialty—Gaslighting.

First, I had to divert his attention using social proof, also known as herd behavior.

I looked up at the sky as if I saw something. Stink noticed me. In a second, his curiosity would kick in, and he'd mimic my behavior.

Stink looked up. Success. Now I had to cast a small wind blade and cut the outer layer of my neck to make it bleed a little. This would be painful...

I cast the wind blade, slicing my neck just enough to draw blood. Stink looked at me again.

- What do you mean, Brother Stink? -

-- This dagger stabbed you in the neck. Can't you remember? --

- Of course not. The dagger didn't pierce my neck—it just sliced the skin. Look, there's a wound on my neck. See? -

-- Well, that's impossible. I pulled the blade directly out of your neck... -- Stink said, confused.

- Well, that's weird. Maybe you just don't remember clearly. Look how dark it is here. I'd be dead if that long-ass dagger pierced my neck. Do I look dead to you? -

-- I don't know. I'm really confused. You didn't have a pulse earlier... -- Stink pointed out.

- Brother Stink, I think you're just stressed from everything that happened. It's been a long night, and the mind can play tricks on you in the dark. You know that, right? -

I watched his expression carefully, seeing the doubt creep in. The more uncertain he felt, the better my chances of getting out of this.

- Maybe the shock of it all made you see things differently. My pulse stopping? That's impossible. You're tired. When was the last time you even slept? -

I glanced up again, pretending to be distracted by something in the sky, pulling his focus away from the situation.

- I'm fine, see? Alive and breathing. Maybe we both need to take a break. This rooftop, the night... it's getting to you, brother. I mean, if I were dead, would I be talking to you right now? -

I pressed the point, gently but firmly, keeping my voice calm and steady. The blood on my neck from the small cut worked perfectly—just enough to add to the confusion, but not enough to seem fatal.

- Look, let's go back down. You're overthinking it. I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere. You trust me, right? -

I saw Stink's face shift, his resolve weakening as he tried to make sense of what happened. He was starting to question himself more than me.

-- Maybe… I don't know. But that dagger… --

- It's nothing, really. Just a scratch. Now, let's move before something else happens. You can explain everything when we're back inside. For now, let's stay calm, yeah? -

Stink hesitated, but eventually nodded, his grip on the situation slipping as doubt overtook him. My plan worked. Now to move on before he started asking more questions. Luckily, I'd worked as a company representative for years—manipulating someone was as easy as making coffee. Sorry, Stink, but talking to angry customers on a daily basis is way harder than this.

Stink and I went back to the tool shop. They immediately noticed the blood on my clothes, but I explained what had happened—well, not the part where I died, of course.

-- So, you mean you saw the elf fighting the goblins? -- Xhy asked.

- Yes, that's correct. And based on my understanding, maybe the elf isn't the culprit at all. Look at this dagger the goblin threw at me. Doesn't it seem familiar? -

-- Now that you mention it, this dagger looks just like the ones the weapon shop sells. Same design... -- Deo answered.

- And here's another thing. There's a network of tunnels underneath the village. I think the goblins dug these tunnels so they can steal stuff easily. -

-- Those fucking goblins! -- Deo shouted.

-- If the tunnel network is that huge, that means a goblin king has just been born. -- Lili said gravely.

-- A goblin king?! That means we need to exterminate the goblins immediately before they invade the whole village! -- Stink exclaimed.

-- How about the elf? Is she on our side? -- Lian asked.

-- We still don't know. But based on what Leon said, if the elf and the goblins were fighting, maybe the goblins have something the elf wants. Or maybe they stole something from her too. -- Deo explained.

So, what are we going to do? We’re too huge to fit into a goblin tunnel -- Xhy asked.

-- Well, if there’s a goblin king, that means there’s also a hobgoblin and a goblin lord. Those two are larger than humans, and the goblin king is about the size of a human. That means there must be a larger entrance somewhere in the forest. But first, we need to seal all the smaller entrances around the village -- Deo explained.

-- Leon, Lian, Lux, and I will seal the tunnels in the village, but this will take a lot of time. Since we don’t know the exact locations of all the tunnels, we’ll have to rely on my detection magic. The rest of you should head into the forest and find the larger entrance -- Lili added.

Does every mage have to start their name with an L? What a coincidence…

Suddenly, someone pushed the door open.

-- I’m sorry, we’re already closed -- the shop owner said without looking up.

Then the shopkeeper’s voice shifted to one of alarm.

-- The Elf!!! -- he shouted.

Everyone immediately gathered near the front door.

-- My name is Ishla, and I know the location of every goblin tunnel in the village -- the elf declared, stepping forward confidently.