The door opened.
Slow. Controlled.
My father stood there, eyes sharp, jaw tight.
"You are still here."
I did not answer.
The screen floated in front of me.
Edit outcome?
Target selected.
This time, it did not disappear.
"You think silence will save you?" he said.
He stepped inside.
Heavy steps. No hesitation.
"I told you to leave."
I looked at him.
Then at the screen.
Test.
This was a test.
"If I am the system," I thought, "then I decide outcomes."
He reached for my collar.
Fast.
Angry.
The moment his hand moved, time slowed again.
Edit outcome?
My mind raced.
Small change.
Do not push too far.
"Yes," I said.
"Miss."
Time snapped back.
His hand slipped.
Barely.
But enough.
He frowned.
"I misjudged?" he muttered.
No.
I changed it.
My chest tightened.
That felt heavier than the coin.
"You will not ignore me," he said.
This time, his grip was firmer.
Too fast.
No time to edit.
His hand grabbed my shirt.
Pulled.
Pain shot through my shoulder as I was dragged forward.
"So this is your plan?" he said. "Pretend to be useless and avoid responsibility?"
I met his eyes.
"No."
"Then what?"
I paused.
Think.
Do not reveal everything.
"I just started understanding it," I said.
His grip tightened.
"Understanding what?"
"The system."
Silence.
For a second, something shifted in his expression.
Doubt.
Then it vanished.
"Prove it," he said.
The words landed hard.
Good.
I needed that.
"Let go," I said.
He did not.
"Let go," I repeated.
Time slowed again.
Edit outcome?
Yes.
"Release."
Time snapped.
His hand loosened.
Just slightly.
Enough for me to step back.
His eyes widened.
"What did you do?"
I did not answer.
Because I did not fully know.
But I knew one thing.
I was no longer powerless.
Before he could speak again, a voice came from outside.
"Is this the house?"
Another voice answered.
"Yes. He lives here."
My father turned.
The door opened wider.
Two figures stepped in.
The first was a girl.
Short hair. Sharp eyes. Worn clothes.
She looked around like she expected trouble.
The second was a boy.
Tall. Clean. Calm.
Everything about him felt… precise.
His eyes landed on me.
And stayed there.
"Name?" he asked.
"Why?"
He ignored the question.
A translucent screen appeared in front of him.
Filled.
Moving.
Numbers shifting rapidly.
His gaze sharpened.
"Interesting," he said.
My chest tightened.
"What is?" I asked.
He stepped closer.
Slow.
Measured.
"My system cannot read you," he said.
Silence filled the room.
My father frowned.
"What nonsense is this?"
The boy did not look at him.
Only me.
"It shows probabilities for everything," he continued.
"Every action. Every outcome."
He tilted his head slightly.
"But you…"
A pause.
"You return errors."
The word hit differently.
Error.
The screen flickered.
For a brief second.
Warning: External Observation Detected
Then it vanished.
My heart skipped.
He saw something.
And my system reacted.
Danger.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Kade," he said.
"Kade Virex."
The name felt heavy.
Like it mattered.
"And you?" he asked.
I hesitated.
Names have weight.
But hiding now would not help.
"…Ren."
He nodded.
"Ren," he repeated.
The girl beside him crossed her arms.
"This is boring," she said.
"Are we recruiting him or not?"
Recruiting?
"For what?" I asked.
She smirked.
"Dungeon run," she said.
"Low rank. Easy money."
My father scoffed.
"He is a civilian."
Kade spoke without looking away from me.
"He is not."
Silence.
My father's expression darkened.
"You think I do not know my own son?"
"I trust data," Kade said.
"Not assumptions."
The tension in the room shifted.
Kade stepped closer.
Now only a few steps away.
"Come with us," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I want to understand you."
Honest.
Direct.
Dangerous.
I looked at the screen.
Nothing new.
Then back at him.
"Fine," I said.
My father grabbed my arm.
"You are not going anywhere," he snapped.
Time slowed.
Edit outcome?
Yes.
"Let go."
Time snapped.
His grip loosened again.
This time, fully.
I stepped away.
Kade watched everything.
Every detail.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Confirmed," he said quietly.
"Confirmed what?" I asked.
"You interfere with outcomes."
The words landed like a verdict.
The girl whistled.
"Okay," she said. "Now I am interested."
Dungeon Entry
The dungeon gate pulsed with faint blue light.
Low rank.
Safe.
That is what they said.
We stood at the entrance.
Three of us.
Kade. Calm.
The girl. Relaxed.
Me.
Focused.
"Name's Mira," the girl said.
"Mira Hale."
"Stay behind me if you cannot fight," she added.
"I can manage," I said.
She smirked.
"We will see."
Kade raised his hand.
"Formation," he said.
A screen appeared in front of him.
Numbers moved.
Paths calculated.
"Three enemies ahead," he said.
"Win rate 94%."
"Good enough," Mira said.
We stepped inside.
The air changed instantly.
Heavier.
Colder.
Footsteps echoed.
Then—
Movement.
Three figures rushed out.
Beasts.
Fast.
Sharp claws.
Mira moved first.
She dashed forward.
Clean. Efficient.
One strike.
One kill.
Kade moved next.
He sidestepped before the second beast attacked.
Perfect timing.
His blade cut clean.
Two down.
The third came at me.
Fast.
Too fast.
I stepped back.
Too slow.
Claws came down.
Time slowed.
Edit outcome?
My heart pounded.
Think.
Small change.
"Yes."
"Miss."
Time snapped.
The claw struck—
Air.
It passed inches from my face.
I moved.
Picked up a broken blade from the ground.
The beast turned again.
Too fast.
Time slowed again.
Edit outcome?
"Yes."
"Trip."
Time snapped.
The beast stumbled.
Just enough.
I struck.
The blade pierced its neck.
Silence.
The body dropped.
My breath came fast.
Not from fear.
From control.
I did that.
Mira stared.
"…You said you could manage," she said.
Kade said nothing.
He walked closer.
Slow.
Careful.
His eyes locked on me again.
His screen flickered.
Then froze.
"Win rate recalculating," he murmured.
A pause.
"Unknown variable detected."
He looked up.
At me.
For the first time, his calm cracked.
"Interesting," he said again.
This time, it sounded different.
Like a warning.