The world rebooted badly.
Like a game that wasn't coded for what just happened.
The fractured sky stitched itself together with visible seams, clouds snapping back into place too quickly, like someone fast-forwarded reality without caring about physics. Floating shards of broken space evaporated one by one, dissolving into pale mist. The scorched battlefield smoothed over unnaturally—craters filled, shattered stone reformed, and demon blood evaporated before it could even soak into the ground.
Even the air reset.
Cool. Clean. Fresh.
Too fresh.
Satoshi stood alone at the center of it all, boots planted on soil that looked untouched, as if the massacre from moments ago had never happened.
"…Yeah nah," he muttered. "That's suspicious."
A familiar blue glow flickered into existence before him.
> [SYSTEM — STABLE CONNECTION REESTABLISHED]
Oh.
It was back.
> [USER DETECTED]
STATUS: ANOMALY (TOLERATED)]
Satoshi squinted at the floating text.
"Tolerated?" he deadpanned. "Crazy wording."
A cheerful jingle played.
Bright, pbeat. Almost cute and cheerful.
After all that.
---
"CONGRATULATIONS!"
You have survived a world-ending inconsistency!
Compensation will now be provided.
Satoshi blinked, eyes narrowing. "…Compensation?"
Light gathered in front of him—threads of glowing mana spiraling together, condensing into a tight sphere that hummed softly. The ground beneath it shimmered.
Then—
POP.
A girl fell out of thin air.
She hit the dirt face-first with a dull thud.
"Ow—! WHAT THE—?!"
Dust puffed up around her.
Satoshi completely froze, his widened mixed with shock and curious.
Long silver hair spilled across the ground like liquid moonlight. Bright gold eyes snapped open in panic. A white-and-blue mage robe—clean, elegant, embroidered with high-tier runes—clearly screamed main heroine energy.
She scrambled to her feet, staff already in hand, spinning around wildly.
"Where am I?! Who are you?! Why is the sky cracked like that?!"
Yuuki stared at her then in the sky with annoyance face.
Then back at her.
"…System."
> [YES?]
Satoshi didn't blink.
"…Did you just spawn me a girl?"
> [CORRECTION: REWARDED.]
The girl looked between Satoshi and the empty air where the system window hovered.
"…Are you… talking to whom?"
"Worse," Yuuki replied flatly. "Tech support."
The system window expanded with unnecessary flair, glowing proudly.
---
"REWARD LIST"
1. COMPANION ACQUIRED
Name: Lyria
Role: Arch Mage ( A Rank Potential)
Loyalty: MAX (UNEXPLAINED)
2. LEVEL UP
Level: 0 → 47
3. BONUS TITLE
Accidental Harem Flag
---
Satoshi's soul left his body.
"…Level forty-seven?"
Lyria gasped, clutching her staff. "F-Forty-seven?! That's impossible! Even court mages cap at—"
Satoshi poked the floating level screen with one finger.
"…I didn't even do anything."
> [You EXISTED SUCCESSFULLY.]
> [EXPERIENCE AWARDED.]
Satoshi pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate this world."
Lyria stared at him, gold eyes wide and shimmering, breath catching like she was witnessing a legend.
"Y-you're… amazing," she said softly.
"You faced that destruction… and you're still calm…"
Yuuki slowly lifted his head.
"Please don't."
It's already too late.
She grabbed his sleeve with both hands, grip tight and earnest.
"I swear myself to you! Please let me follow you!"
> [COMPANION BOND ESTABLISHED]
[AFFECTION: 92%]
Satoshi screamed internally.
"WHY IS IT ALWAYS LIKE THIS?!"
The system chimed again, smug as hell.
---
"ADDITIONAL BONUS"
Because you rejected earlier:
Your companions will justify themselves automatically.
Satoshii stared into the middle distance, eyes dead.
"…So I don't even need to talk."
Lyria nodded enthusiastically, smiling like this was the most natural thing in the world. "I already feel like I've known you forever!"
" THAT'S NOT ROMANTIC!!," Yuuki said flatly.
"That's horrifying."
She smiled anyway.
From far away—
At the edge of perception, where light bent wrong—
The chained entity watched from the shadows, unmoving.
"…Ah," it muttered quietly.
"So this is the phase."
Satoshi sighed, shoulders slumping.
"Great. Overpowered, overleveled, and emotionally kidnapped."
> [NEXT OBJECTIVE GENERATED]
→ Go to the nearest kingdom
→ Enroll in academy
→ Accidentally shock everyone
Satoshi looked at Lyria.
She looked back, eyes shining like she'd just been handed destiny.
"…You hungry?" he asked.
"Yes!" she answered instantly.
> [AFFECTION INCREASED]
Satoshi looked up at the newly repaired sky, where faint cracks still refused to disappear completely.
"…I'm gonna destroy this system someday."
> [SYSTEM RESPONSE] Looking forward to it