The endless white void remained unchanged.
No sky existed above.
No ground truly existed below.
Only infinite white stretched in every direction — silent, emotionless, eternal.
This was the dimension where the Creators lived.
Four towering black figures stood within the emptiness.
Each was nearly three meters tall, their forms made of pure darkness that devoured light itself. They possessed no faces, no features — only overwhelming presence.
Except one.
One member was missing.
An unnatural tension filled the void.
The remaining three members stood motionless, yet fear silently spread among them.
Before them floated the Leader.
Unlike the others, faint glowing eyes shone within the darkness of his form — the only visible feature in the entire dimension.
The Leader clasped his hands behind his back.
"Well… well," he said calmly. "As you can see, one of our members is not here."
Silence answered him.
"You know why, correct?"
None responded.
The Leader chuckled softly.
"I suppose you do not."
His glowing eyes brightened slightly.
"I killed him."
The words fell gently — yet the dimension itself trembled.
"With my own hands."
The three remaining Creators stiffened.
"I said," the Leader continued, voice still calm, "that I wished to observe the anomalies. Yet one among you chose to ignore my words."
A long silence followed.
Punishment among gods was not something spoken lightly.
"So," the Leader said casually, "I gave him a lesson."
The void grew heavier.
No one moved.
Then suddenly, the Leader clapped once.
The sound echoed endlessly.
"Let us play a game."
The three members slowly raised their heads.
"You may attempt to kill them," he said. "If one of you succeeds… you may take my place as Leader."
The words stunned them.
"And if you fail…"
The Leader's glowing eyes sharpened.
"I will kill you as well."
A pause.
"This time," he added, almost amused, "I will not interfere."
A low laugh escaped him — deep, echoing, unsettling.
"Oh, and one more thing."
He turned slightly.
"Go one by one."
His laughter spread across the white void as the scene shattered like glass.
Null and Leo walked along a dusty road beneath a clear sky.
The world felt normal again.
Almost too normal.
Null glanced sideways at Leo.
"Why did you suddenly start screaming earlier?"
Leo shivered slightly at the memory.
"Because… I was scared."
Null nodded simply.
"…Okay."
After a moment, he added,
"Then why did we leave that town? The clockwork town was nice. I didn't explore it properly."
Leo stopped walking.
He slowly turned toward Null.
"If you forgot what happened there," he said flatly, "you can go back and explore your nice clockwork town alone."
Null blinked.
"…Leo, I was joking."
Leo exhaled deeply, rubbing his forehead.
"In stories," he began dramatically, "isekai characters get overpowered abilities, live tension-free lives, and are surrounded by beautiful girls."
He pointed at himself.
"And my isekai life is the complete opposite."
Leo's phone lit up in his hand.
Chibi Leo appeared, arms crossed and wearing a smug expression.
"So our isekai protagonist is depressed because he doesn't have a one-hit-kill ability and a group of beautiful girls following him?"
Leo brought the phone closer, glaring.
"Whenever I ask serious questions, you say there's no battery. But the moment I'm sad, you start teasing me?"
Chibi Leo didn't change expression.
"I believe sleep would fix your emotional instability."
"Oh shut up."
Leo turned the screen off and shoved the phone into his pocket.
Null looked confused.
"I don't understand what you two are talking about."
"You don't need to," Leo replied instantly.
At that exact moment—
Grrrrrrr.
Leo froze.
Null looked down.
"…Was that you?"
Leo held his stomach.
"I'm starving," he admitted. "Since coming to this world, I barely ate anything."
Null pointed ahead.
A large kingdom city appeared in the distance, walls shining under sunlight.
"Then let's eat," Null said simply.
Inside the kingdom, the streets bustled with life.
Merchants shouted. People laughed. The smell of cooked food filled the air.
Leo's eyes sparkled.
"This place is heaven…"
They entered a small restaurant and ordered food.
Moments later, steaming dishes arrived.
Null took the first bite.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…Amazing."
He nodded seriously.
"It's extremely tasty."
Leo grinned.
"Alright, my turn."
He took a large bite.
His expression froze.
Confusion replaced excitement.
…Sand?
He chewed slowly.
No… maybe imagination.
He swallowed and took another bite.
Nothing changed.
The texture.
The taste.
Dry. Grainy.
Like chewing sand.
Leo forced himself to swallow, standing up immediately.
Null looked up.
"Where are you going?"
"Don't worry," Leo said quickly. "I just remembered something important. You continue eating."
He walked out before Null could respond.
Null watched him leave, confused.
"…I thought you were hungry."
Outside, Leo stood in a quiet corner and pulled out his phone.
The screen lit up.
Chibi Leo appeared, arms crossed, eyes closed.
"So our isekai protagonist finally fell in love with a girl? Unfortunately, I cannot assist with romance—"
"Oh shut up and listen first!" Leo snapped.
Chibi Leo opened one eye.
"…Proceed."
"I'm starving," Leo said. "But when I eat food here, it tastes like sand."
Chibi Leo's eyes opened fully.
"Interesting."
He turned away as if flipping through invisible documents.
Papers appeared in his hands moments later.
He scanned them quickly.
"…Found it."
He turned back, reading seriously.
"The food tastes like sand because you are an isekai individual. Your taste buds are calibrated to your original world. They do not match the biological taste structure of this world's humans."
Leo stared blankly.
"…What?"
"It causes sensory mismatch," Chibi Leo explained. "No harm detected. Adaptation expected."
"How long?"
Chibi Leo checked again.
"…Approximately five years."
Leo's soul nearly left his body.
"So I have to eat sand for FIVE YEARS?!"
Chibi Leo suddenly paused.
"…Wait."
He flipped another page.
His expression changed.
"Oh."
Leo frowned.
"What?"
Chibi Leo slowly looked up.
"I found something… far more interesting."
The screen flickered.
And then—
It went silent.