The air around him was still. The chirping of birds and the rustling of trees faded into the background as Rony sat cross-legged on the warm, sunlit rock. The glasses on his face pulsed faintly with energy, and the faint ringing of static continued in his ears. A faint scent of moss and wildflowers lingered, mixing with the earthy aroma of the forest soil. The green canopy above cast mottled shadows across his small figure, highlighting the growing frown on his youthful face.
He was confused.
The message had come and gone like a cyclone. No transition, no build-up. Just a storm of information, leaving behind more questions than answers.
With a trembling voice and an uncertain heart, he spoke aloud, unsure if anyone—or anything—was listening.
"Was that... the author?"
---
[SYSTEM INTERFACE INITIATED]
> Question recognized... Locating inquiry... Generating response for: Host Query - 'Author Identity'
> Response: Sorry for the confusion. It is a pre-recorded message. No additional information available.
---
Rony blinked.
The glowing text had formed in front of his eyes again, floating in thin air, only visible through the lens of the artifact glasses. The voice in his earbuds sounded mechanical, but it was warm in a strange way—like a machine trying to mimic empathy.
"A system...?" he whispered. "Are you like those in novels? A cheat, maybe? A guide?"
---
[SYSTEM PROCESSING]
> Analyzing Host Context... Generating clarification...
> Response: No. This is not a system. This is an artifact. Created through mana, for the host only.
---
Rony's lips parted. He muttered to himself, half in awe, half in disbelief, "Mana-created artifact... For me?"
His brows furrowed.
This wasn't like the other stories he had read. In most of them, systems just appeared—boundless, godly things that simply existed. But in the novel he remembered, Chronicles of Life, there were no systems, no artifacts like this. No character had ever encountered one.
He gulped. That only made this stranger.
"Then…" he looked down at his small hands—his younger body, one that was far too real to be a dream, yet too impossible to be reality. "Can I go back?" he asked, hesitantly.
A silent pause fell over the forest. The breeze died.
---
[SYSTEM INTERFACE ACTIVE]
> Processing Host Query: 'Can I return to my original world?'
> Searching... Searching... Searching...
> Response: No answer found in system.
---
Rony's throat tightened. The hopeful flicker in his chest dimmed slightly.
He clenched his small fists. The soft chirping of birds resumed somewhere high in the canopy, as though the world moved on regardless of his heartbreak.
Then he asked, quietly this time, "Then... why am I here?"
---
[SYSTEM INTERFACE ACTIVE]
> Processing Host Query: 'Why am I in this world?'
> Searching... Searching... Searching...
> Response: No answer found in system.
---
A sigh escaped him. His chest felt heavier now.
"…Then why didn't the story continue? Why did it stop?"
His voice cracked toward the end.
---
[SYSTEM INTERFACE ACTIVE]
> Processing Host Query: 'Why did the story end?'
> Searching... Searching... Searching...
> Response: No answer found in system.
---
Rony buried his face in his hands.
"This is useless… Just like my old life," he mumbled. "Just confusion and questions again."
But then he looked up, eyes narrowing, gathering strength as he whispered one final question.
"What do you know, then? What am I supposed to do?"
---
[SYSTEM INTERFACE ACTIVE]
> Processing Host Query: 'What is known?'
> Initiating deeper protocol... Retrieving stored objective...
> Response: Information locked. To unlock, Host must grow stronger. Additional features will activate with Host development. The artifact will evolve. This world will respond to your strength.
---
Rony let out a shaky laugh. He leaned back against the warm rock and stared up through the swaying trees.
"Ha... My mental health hasn't changed at all from my last life."
He smiled to himself.
Then again, maybe that was okay.