Min-ji's finger tapped the red holographic command wheel without a word.
Suddenly, Lavitomo spun like a cyclone—his sleek frame blurring in a storm of violet and steel.
"WOAH!" Jenken flinched. "What's he—?!"
Then—CLANG!—Lavitomo hurled his glowing spear straight at Gothet like a missile.
"Gothet!" Jenken shouted.
In a blink, she tilted her body sideways, and the spear whistled past her cheek by mere inches. It impaled the brick wall behind her with a thud, deep enough to crack the stone.
Min-ji clicked his tongue. "Tch."
Jenken pumped his fist. "NICE dodge, Gothet!"
Gothet flicked her hair, calm as ever. "Thank you, Master."
Min-ji adjusted his tie. "Don't get cocky, fool. You haven't won the battle yet."
"Yeah yeah," Jenken waved a hand dismissively. "Shut your pie hole."
He slammed the Air Slash command.
Gothet raised her black sword overhead, energy building along the blade—then with a sharp horizontal motion, she unleashed a translucent purple wave of force that ripped through the air like a sonic blade.
> Lavitomo takes 30 damage!
HP: 96 → 66
The impact sent Lavitomo skidding back, his heels scraping sparks from the concrete.
"GOD DAMN IT!" Min-ji hissed. "I didn't expect her to do that much damage."
Jenken leaned back smugly, grinning. "HAHAHA! I guess this turn-based stuff's not so bad after all. Who knew you just had to not suck?"
Min-ji's calm expression cracked. "Tch. I'll just have to end this now… with his ultimate."
Jenken's smile faltered. "…Ultimate?"
Min-ji pressed the far-right icon glowing crimson.
Gothet's brows tensed. "Master… it might be over for us."
Lavitomo stood tall, raising both arms to the sky. Energy surged violently through his veins, glowing lines racing across his limbs like circuits lighting up.
Behind him, six phantom spears shimmered into existence—floating and humming with energy.
Jenken swallowed. "Wait wait wait—is that legal?!"
Lavitomo's red eyes flashed as he shouted:
"Sen-ko-mateoni!"
The six spears shot forward, followed by the original—seven total. They pierced the air like lightning, all aimed straight at Gothet.
The moment they connected—
KRAKOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted. Shockwaves threw Jenken off his feet. Min-ji was knocked back too, sliding a few feet with his arms raised to shield his glasses.
When the smoke finally cleared… Jenken scrambled up, coughing.
"G-Gothet!?" he yelled. "Gothet! Say something!"
From within the fading mist, a figure stood firm.
Gothet was alive—still standing, sword down at her side, one knee lowered. Her armor was scorched, and her breathing labored.
> Gothet's HP: 11 / 90
She turned her head toward him. "Master… I think it's time you used my ultimate move."
Jenken's eyes widened, then slowly narrowed into a determined grin.
"Oh, we're doing this now?"
He stood tall, pointed dramatically at Min-ji, and said with fire in his voice:
"Get ready… you son of a bitch. We're about to humble you."
The holographic interface flared blue—Gothet's ultimate was now unlocked.
But just as Jenken's finger hovered over the icon—Min-ji, still dusting soot off his jacket, calmly raised a hand.
"…I quit."
The entire battlefield seemed to pause.
Jenken blinked. "HUH!?"
Min-ji adjusted his glasses again, cool and precise.
"I said—I quit. I've gathered enough data. There's no need to waste time finishing a simulation I've already solved."
"You—what?! No no no! Don't you DARE walk away after all that!"
But Min-ji turned around, already stepping into a shimmer of light.
"This was sufficient for analysis. Next time, I'll use someone stronger."
As the light enveloped him and Lavitomo, Min-ji looked back over his shoulder—expression unreadable.
"I'll see you again, Janken Dory."
And just like that—he vanished.
Jenken stood there, hand still raised.
"…Man, what the hell is up with this place."
Gothet stepped beside him, silent but smiling faintly beneath her bangs.
The wind blew gently down the ruined alleyway.
Battle Ended
EXP Gained: 48
Level Up: 1 → 2
Gothet unlocked passive: "Dark Instinct"
Janken flopped down on a cracked step, one hand in his hair, the other dangling limply off his knee.
"Man, man, man I hate this place."
Gothet, still glowing faintly from her battle cooldown, stood beside him—her gothic dress fluttering slightly in the breeze. "Well… at least we won, Master."
He snorted. "Yeah, yeah. I win the battle—he wins the war."
Gothet tilted her head. "I… have no idea what that means."
Janken groaned and looked around. The alley smelled like rotting meat and wet socks, and every building seemed like it had PTSD. "I literally have nowhere to sleep. No money. No phone. No butler. No friends. Nothing."
He sniffed himself, recoiled, and gagged. "I have no food, no water, and I already stink like a skunk in summer. I mean, sure, I'm in a new part of the world, and I guess I'm in a video game or something, which sounds cool on paper but—"
He paused.
"…Wait. That actually seems kinda cool."
Gothet folded her arms. "Master… would you like me to explain things to you now?"
Janken wiped sweat off his brow. "Yeah, okay. So first off—who and what are you? Like, for real."
"I am a manifestation of spirit will. I was born in battle, forged to protect my people during the Gothenfall Wars. But when that ended… I became yours."
"Wait… So I created you?"
Gothet shook her head. "No. You summoned me. There's a difference. I've existed long before this encounter. But our bond… it binds us across worlds."
"Whoa whoa whoa—worlds?"
"Yes. Alternate universes. We always end up together. This time, we're in the Game Universe."
Janken blinked. "The what?"
"The Game Universe," Gothet said calmly. "Everything here runs on coded rules. Stats. EXP. Battles. Dialogue branches. You're inside a turn-based system, Master. A simulated reality."
"I was literally on my way into my mansion," he said, holding his hands up, "about to grab snacks, maybe watch some anime… and then a wormhole or something yanks me into a Korean alley with glowing menus and sword girls?!"
"For some reason," Gothet said, kneeling beside him, "you were fated to arrive here when you turned nineteen… which was last month, correct?"
"…Yeah. End of January."
She nodded. "Then this is your tether point. Why you came here… I do not know. That information wasn't included in my spiritual matrix."
Janken sat in silence, letting the weight of everything sink in. The lights, the system screens, the battles, the voices in his head. All of it.
"Okay…" he whispered. "This is… a lot to take in."
Gothet gently sat beside him. "I know, Master. It's overwhelming. But I meant what I said earlier… I'll always be by your side. No matter what."
He glanced at her.
"…Thanks, dude. You're the only one here I got right now."
Gothet smiled faintly. "You're welcome."
He looked around the dim, flickering street. "So wait… can other people see you?"
Gothet nodded. "Yes. I'm not invisible, just… unusual."
Janken nodded slowly. "Alright. Cool. So… what are you, exactly? Like are there more of you somewhere? Where did you even come from?"
Gothet answered without hesitation. "I come from the Otherworld—an in-between realm of spirits. There are… approximately 300 million like me. Including minor spirits, the total reaches 890 million."
"…Holy sh—That's a lot."
"Indeed."
"So what, do people in your world just… turn into spirits?"
"We're not sure," Gothet admitted. "We only know that when a spirit bonds with a Master, their fates become linked. If the Master dies… so does the spirit."
"…Huh," Janken muttered. "That's kinda heavy."
Gothet only nodded.
A long silence fell between them. The wind whistled gently through the broken windows above. A cat knocked over a can in the distance.
Janken yawned and leaned back. "Okay… How about we pause the deep existential stuff until tomorrow? First priority: find me a place to sleep."
Gothet turned her head slightly. "You can sleep on the ground."
He stared at her.
"…Gee. Thanks."
"Anytime, Master," she said with a slight bow—and with a faint shimmer of light, her form faded away like mist under moonlight.
Janken looked up at the sky, cracked and cold above the tall buildings. His thoughts spun like loose screws.
Man… I have so many questions. Like, literally so much, my head could explode. And that nerd Min-ji… I'm not done with him. I'll find him eventually. I'll humble him, just like I said.
He sighed and laid down against the bricks, arms behind his head, smirking just a little.
One thing's for sure… this ain't gonna be boring.