The moment the ambush lines were set, the last orders passed through the group like ripples in water. Ari and Riley were already moving toward the creek bed to adjust the snare placement. The sky was paling. The forest felt like a held breath—every branch tense, every shadow coiled.
Ethan checked the perimeter one last time, fingers brushing the rough bark of a pine.
Then the tap.
That familiar, invisible vibration at the center of his palm.
[Dimensional Thread Reached Limit]
Host Cycle Complete
Returning to Original World in 10… 9… 8…
He exhaled slowly.
He always knew the limit would come. The panel didn't ask for permission—it simply enforced its rules.
Riley jogged toward him. "Ethan—hey. You good? You looked like you spaced for a second."
He forced a smile. "Just tired."
If she reached for him even a second longer, she might have noticed the faint light crawling under his sleeve.
The world began dissolving—edges softening, color smudging like wet ink.
Sound folded inward.
Gravity loosened its fingers.
Riley took one step toward him.
"Ethan—?"
3… 2… 1…
He vanished.
But not with a flash.
Not with a sound.
Just gone.
And only he knew why.
---
The Interspace Chamber
Light returned all at once.
Hard, clean, sterile.
Ethan stood inside a vast circular hall—his "home world," though it never felt like home. Smooth marble floors stretched outward, etched with faint blue circuitry. The ceiling was a dome of shifting constellations, stars swimming like fish beneath glass.
The panel unfurled before him, enormous, crystalline, and impossibly silent.
Not a hologram.
A presence.
WELCOME BACK, HOST.
WORLD CYCLE: TEEN WOLF
STATUS: SUCCESSFUL
PP GAINED: +4,120
MULTIPLIER: x10 APPLIED → 41,200 PP
The numbers hit him like a punch.
"What—? I didn't even do anything insane this time."
The panel disagreed.
WORLD PERFORMANCE SCORING:
– Assisted pack in crisis: +800
– Preserved life of key ally (Riley): +500
– Identified hostile faction: +900
– Led successful resource relocation: +720
– Strategic influence on world-line: +600
– Navigation of danger while maintaining cover: +600
Ethan blinked.
"So basically… I get graded for not dying and not being stupid."
CORRECTION:
You get graded for surviving in hostile worlds while exerting optimal influence without violating local logic.
He snorted. "Could've just said 'good job.'"
The panel ignored him, as always.
---
System Review Window
A new section appeared—sleek, obsidian black trimmed in silver.
HOST VITALITY SCAN…
HOST MENTAL STATE… STABLE.
HOST INTEGRITY… 100%.
He rotated his shoulders, wind still in his muscles from the Teen Wolf forests.
Being home between worlds always made him feel strangely weightless—like his body was here, but his instincts were still hunting something in the shadows.
Another window pulsed open.
---
Available Upgrades
1. Enhanced Combat Instinct (Lv1 → Lv2)
Cost: 28,000 PP
Effect: Reaction time and reading opponent intent increase ×10 (stackable with temporary boosts)
2. Terrain Awareness Module
Cost: 12,000 PP
Effect: Automatically maps hostile environments; shows hidden threats
3. Dimensional Storage (Unlocked)
Cost: 20,000 PP
Effect: Store physical items across worlds (limit: 2 items per world cycle)
4. Passive Regeneration (Basic)
Cost: 15,000 PP
Effect: x10 healing speed
5. Talent Upgrade — Income x10 → Income x20
Cost: 50,000 PP
Effect: Doubles current talent effect
(Your income, revenue, gains, and worldly rewards multiply x20)
Ethan stared.
"…Why is the income upgrade so damn expensive?"
BECAUSE HOST REQUESTED IT TO BE OP.
He squinted. "I did not—okay, fine. That tracks."
---
Ethan sat on the edge of the circular platform.
The room dimmed automatically to a soft glow.
It always felt like the eye of a storm—quiet, but not peaceful.
Like he was meant to move again soon.
He leaned back on his palms.
Teen Wolf world was… intense.
Riley's voice still echoed in his head.
You sure you want to be there?
His chest tightened.
He wasn't sure what he felt.
He wasn't sure what he should feel.
But the panel didn't care about his confusion or attachment.
It only cared about the cycle.
---
A New Window Appeared
NEXT WORLD SELECTION WILL BEGIN IN: 30 MINUTES
Ethan lifted an eyebrow. "That fast?"
THE HOST SHALL NOT REMAIN WORLDLESS FOR LONG.
IDLE HOST ACCUMULATES NOTHING.
"So I'm a CPU that can't take a break?"
YES.
"…That wasn't rhetorical."
Silence.
He rubbed his face.
"Fine. Show me my backpack."
A small ripple of energy dropped a physical pack onto the floor—his real-world items untouched, preserved exactly as he left them before the Teen Wolf cycle.
Inside:
– His actual wallet
– Portable charger
– Spare clothes
– A half-eaten snack bar he didn't remember packing
– A small carving Riley gave him as a "good luck charm"
He froze.
He had forgotten she slipped it into his pocket before they separated.
A wolf head carved from river stone.
His fingers tightened around it.
"…Damn."
This world-hopping thing wasn't supposed to get emotional.
And yet—
He placed the stone gently back into the pack, shut it, and leaned back against the cold platform.
Thirty minutes until the next world.
Thirty minutes of being alone with nothing but his thoughts and a panel that refused to let him rest too long.
He closed his eyes.
The stone warmed in his pocket.
And the panel hummed.
Waiting.
Preparing.
Counting down.