The AI's voice sounded like a cat bullied by its owner—whining for them to stop rubbing its belly.
"Shouldn't we be heading to the shelter?!"
"A-am I experiencing an error?"
"Is there a mistake in my logical processing??"
Lam Huy Truong's eye twitched.
Then he sighed.
"No."
"Actually… I have a few ideas."
He glanced around the corridor.
No one.
No sound.
Only the cold glow of the lights.
"Maybe I just need a little more quiet."
He raised a finger and lightly tapped his temple.
"Don't worry."
"In this head of mine…"
A familiar line surfaced in his mind.
"There's a character from a book I like. A man who believes in logic."
"He once said this."
He spoke slowly.
"When you eliminate the impossible…"
"…whatever remains—no matter how unbelievable—must be the truth."
Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.
Then the AI spoke again.
"Professor."
"I sense… something in you has changed."
Lam Huy Truong felt a little uneasy. He swallowed.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes."
The AI answered immediately.
"You are very different from the system data I previously recorded."
Lam Huy Truong scratched his cheek.
"Uh… really."
The AI continued.
"But the quote from the character you admire… does not seem correct in the current situation."
Lam Huy Truong choked on a cough.
"Kh—"
He waved his hand.
"I just wanted to sound cool for a moment. Help you relax a little."
The AI fell silent for a beat.
"I see."
Then it asked,
"Then how do you plan to reach Zone E?"
"And what do you intend to do next?"
"If you explain your plan, I can suggest several useful options."
Lam Huy Truong scratched his head lightly.
"Hmm…"
He spoke.
"Could you step out for a moment?"
"Just five minutes—no, three minutes. After that you can come back."
The AI replied softly,
"Understood. I will wait until the professor calls."
Silence returned.
Lam Huy Trường leaned lightly against the corridor wall.
He began operating the watch.
The inventory interface appeared.
He tapped the icon of the shattered crystal.
A fragment of crystal dropped out of the inventory.
Clack.
It landed on the metal floor at his feet.
Lam Huy Trường bent down.
Picked it up.
Shimmering fragments rested in his palm.
Immediately—
A familiar interface appeared.
Broken crystal detected. Modification possible.
Proceed with modification?
Use reserve energy?
Warning: Low reserve energy → reduced success rate.
Modification time will double.
Reserve energy: 11%
Lam Huy Trường narrowed his eyes slightly.
But this time, something was different.
Reserve Energy.
Before:
12%
Now:
11%
He stayed silent for a few seconds.
So that was it.
Nothing came for free.
If he crafted a few more items…
This energy bar would keep dropping.
And if it reached 0%…
What would happen then?
He lifted his head and rubbed his temple with his right hand.
"Damn it."
"So not every isekai story is a happy one."
"When people get transported to another world…"
"They get some overpowered system."
"Straight to the top."
"But the system I got…"
"…is basically a buggy version."
A dark thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Clearly some bastard threw me in here to die in his place."
He stared up at the ceiling.
As if someone were watching.
"Hey, game admin."
A crooked smile formed on his lips.
"Actually—"
"Goddess of isekai."
"You're the ones who arranged all these impossible missions, right?"
He waited.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Nothing happened.
No miracle.
No response.
Only the cold overhead light shining straight into his eyes.
He stared at it for a few seconds—
as if looking at an invisible observer somewhere above him.
Then slowly—
He raised his hand.
His middle finger stood straight up.
Pointed directly at the ceiling.
A gesture full of sincerity.
Lam Huy Trường sighed.
"Looks like…"
"…I'll have to switch to try-hard mode."