Ding!
A soft chime echoed through the area
A breath later, a translucent character sheet materialized before the man's eyes, hovering in the empty space like a hologram carved from light.
***
Host: James Smith
Templates Acquired: Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto
***
"Brief and effective. I think you're the best system ever, System!" James complimented, a lazy grin spreading across his face.
Silence.
As usual, the system which possessed a warm, feminine voice did not answer. She never responded to flattery or small talk. James had learned that much already. Still, he didn't mind.
A system that didn't waste words was a system worth keeping. He crossed his arms and thought of a more meaningful question, letting the weight of his situation finally settle into his bones.
"Where am I, System? What is this world?" he asked, his voice steadier than he expected.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the system's voice returned, soft but clear, like silk brushing against glass.
"This place is called Universe Zero, Host. There is nothing and no one here but you alone. It is a blank slate and a waiting room between realities. One of your personal unique skills will be granted shortly, called Reality Flicker. This ability will allow you to choose worlds at will, jumping across fiction and reality without limitation."
James blinked. "A waiting room between realities." The phrase sent a strange shiver down his spine.
Ding!
Another chime. The character sheet flickered and expanded before his eyes.
***
Host: James Smith
Templates Acquired: Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto
Unique Skills: Reality Flicker
***
James stared at the new line.
"Reality Flicker." The name alone made his heart beat faster. He reached out though there was nothing physical to touch and mentally clicked on the skill.
Immediately, a dense block of text unfolded in the air, written in elegant, glowing script:
***
Reality Flicker (Unique Skill) - Allows the Host to jump to different worlds and realities across all known and unknown dimensions. This includes, but is not limited to, fiction, movies, anime, manga, novels, games, and alternate historical timelines. No cooldown.
***
"This…" James whispered, his breath catching in his throat.
He could not believe his eyes. His fingers trembled slightly at his sides.
In his old life, he had been the richest man in the world and a titan of industry, a collector of luxuries, a man who had every material desire fulfilled before breakfast.
He had owned private islands, fleets of supercars, and penthouses that scraped the sky.
He had also enjoyed the company of peak-tier women… models, actresses, heiresses, celebrities and all of them beautiful, all of them willing.
But there was one thing all his money had never bought him. One thing no fortune on Earth could acquire.
The ability to make love to fictional characters!
The women from movies. The heroines from anime. The seductresses from novels he had read late into the night. The goddesses from video games he had played as a younger man.
They had existed only behind screens and between pages that were untouchable, unreal, forever out of reach.
Until now.
James could not help but smile. It started as a small curve of his lips, then widened into something almost wolfish. His heart pounded with a kind of excitement he hadn't felt since childhood.
He closed his eyes and took a dozen slow, deliberate breaths, letting the reality of his situation sink in completely. When he opened his eyes again, his decision was made.
"I want to go to…"