Seven days.
That was all the system gave me.
If my existence stability reached zero, I wouldn't die again.
I would be erased.
Completely.
---
I floated beside the hospital bed, staring at the blue screen in front of me.
> Existence Stability: 12%
"…That's low."
> [Clarification: This value is considered dangerously low.]
"Good to know."
---
I tried to sit on the chair beside the bed.
My body passed through it.
I dropped straight to the floor.
"…Right."
> [Notice: Physical objects cannot support your current form.]
"I was just checking."
> [Result: Check failed.]
I decided not to argue with the system.
---
Movement itself felt natural.
With a thought, my body drifted forward.
I passed through the door without resistance.
No sound.
No effort.
The hallway outside was dimly lit.
Late night.
A nurse walked by, yawning.
She slowed down.
Her eyes lingered on the empty space where I floated.
For a brief moment, her breathing faltered.
> [Passive Skill Activated: Emotional Perception.]
Fear.
Just a faint trace.
The nurse shivered, rubbed her arms, and hurried away.
"…I didn't do anything."
> [Your presence alone can affect emotionally sensitive individuals.]
"That sounds like a future problem."
> [Assessment: Correct.]
---
I drifted back into the room.
The system screen flickered.
> [Existence Stability Decreasing.]
My vision blurred for a second.
So standing around wasn't enough.
I needed to maintain myself.
---
> [Hint: Remaining near areas with strong emotional residue can slow spiritual decay.]
Emotional residue…
Hospitals were full of it.
Pain.
Fear.
Hope.
Regret.
"I died in the right place, didn't I?"
The system remained silent.
---
I floated near the window, looking down at the city below.
Lights stretched endlessly into the distance.
People were still living.
Laughing.
Arguing.
Crying.
And I was here.
Dead.
Watching.
---
I clenched my transparent hand.
"Seven days," I murmured.
"I'll survive."
After all—
"I already died once."
---
> [Beginner Task: Ongoing.]
---