Somewhere in the Gulf of Ocmarun
The ocean was a vast expanse of liquid shadows.
Currents danced like invisible creatures, and the sound of the submarine engine dissolved into the immensity.
Inside the ship, I was alone.
The reflection of my face on the glass panel looked like that of a stranger.
The lights pulsed with an almost heartbeat-like rhythm, and only the echo of my thoughts accompanied me.
I have killed again someone.
But I don't feel guilt.
Only this unease…
a kind of internal noise that won't shut off, like a lost frequency inside my mind.
Did I do the right thing?
Was it the best decision?
I don't know.
And at the same time… I know it far too well.
What's done is done.
And if I had to do it again…
I think I would do it exactly the same way.
My gaze drifted into the blackness of the sea, waiting to see in the distance the faint glow of the Gideon base.
But before that hope could even form… something changed.
First it was the light.
Everything turned into a metallic gray—the consoles, the panels, the navigation lights, even the reflection of my own eyes.
Color had vanished from the world.
And then came silence.
The ship stopped moving.
The thrusters shut down, indicators frozen in the same position.
It was as if time itself had been suspended.
I tried contacting Artia, then Gideon, then Quincy.
Nothing.
Not a single response.
The air grew heavy, and I said the first thing that came to mind:
—Impossible… a glitch?
But this… was different.
It wasn't a visual failure or a temporal distortion.
It was an absolute cessation of existence.
I stood up, my heart pounding in my throat.
And then I saw it.
Through the front glass, deep in the abyss, something was glowing.
A set of green symbols, dancing in sequence against a dark background.
They arranged themselves with mathematical precision, forming a perfect rectangle.
The neon glow cut through the abyss like an eye watching.
And that "eye" began to approach.
It passed through the hull of the ship… without breaking it.
It crossed the cabin like a digital ghost.
And stopped in front of me.
It was a window.
Not from any system I knew, but something older… more conscious.
The codes stopped.
And a voice—metallic, yet almost human—emerged from within the symbols:
[Finally we meet… were you always this ugly, anomaly?]
[Honestly, you are not as impressive as "he" claims.]
[In my opinion, you are nothing but a massive continuity error.]
[Frankly, I expected more.]
I froze.
My skin crawled.
—W-what are you?
The response came with unbearable calm:
[Me? You can call me "System." Or "The Supervisor."]
[But my true name is "Origins."]
[Though if you prefer… just call me Org.]
—What do you want?
[I bring no good news, Bug.]
[If you had behaved more calmly… if you hadn't distorted things so much…]
[Haa… there would be no need for a recalibration.]
His tone was irritated. Not hostile.
And that was what made it worse.
I crossed my arms, trying to keep my composure.
If this was some kind of administrative control, I could block it like I had before.
—That won't work… and you'll see.
[Basic Skill "Systematic Transcendental Omniscience" activated.]
But the being didn't react at all.
[Seriously?]
[You think that toy will work on me?]
[Sorry to disappoint you, friend.]
[Without authority, it's useless.]
—What?
[System Message: Basic Skill "Systematic Transcendental Omniscience" has been temporarily disabled until the Recalibration is complete.]
The message froze my blood.
No one— not even Arcade's programmers— had ever been able to do that.
This entity… was beyond it.
Outside the system I knew.
—What exactly are you?
[I already told you: I am Org.]
[And honestly, you've made a monumental mess here.]
[The paradoxes you've created since your arrival are far too many.]
—I didn't… I didn't do anything.
(Well… I did things. But: what the hell does that even mean?!)
[Oh, of course. "You didn't do anything."]
[You know, even with that title.]
[He already agreed that restricting you is the best option for everyone.]
[But I want to try something… confirm my suspicions…]
Suddenly, my body jolted violently. My hands distorted as if they no longer belonged to reality.
And the frozen time and existence imposed by Org began to tremble.
I saw cracks in the ocean, cracks in the visual layers.
And continuity fractures spreading through my body. I thought I was about to cease existing.
I was being erased—but apparently, this entire plane would be erased with me.
And then the entity stopped.
[I knew it… damn glitch.]
[If I erase you, you'll take all my work and my collection with you.]
My breathing returned—strained, but normalizing.
A persistent question remained in my mind… "Who is that 'he'?"
—You said… he… who?
[Haa… I won't explain anything.]
[But if everything goes well… you'll understand when it's over.]
[Ah, and for all the work you're going to give me…]
[The recalibration I'm going to perform is my revenge.]
[I will impose three permanent penalties according to my personal judgment.]
[Call it divine punishment, if you want.]
The green light intensified.
The symbols unfolded like a data storm, covering everything.
[Anyway…]
[Anomaly, let's begin your recalibration.]
—W-wait!
[System Message: Recalibration starting…]
[Your current statistics have been confiscated due to multiple continuity violations. Final message will complete the recalibration.]
[Charges:]
1. Being an unpredictable character.
2. Attracting female characters.
3. Altering the world's plot.
4. Possessing excessive power within the simulation.
5. Killing a relevant god and breaking future scenario development.
6. Affecting narrative continuity and distorting the temporal modulator flow.
7. Causing migraines and extra workload for Org.
My breathing quickened.
[Permanent Penalties:]
1. "Random Retribution": Basic skills will now suffer random penalties and variable cooldowns depending on usage severity.
2. "Forced Celibacy": Improper or sexual interactions with female characters will result in severe random or permanent penalties… If you sleep with a woman, all procedures are skipped and immediate execution occurs.
3. "Magical Inability": Absolute prohibition on using, learning, or acquiring any magical affinity or elemental art.
4. "Growth Impediment": Any item or equipment that increases attributes will not function for the user or NPC.
5. First Personal Penalty of Origins: "Random Subdimensional Wars" Every 30 days you will be forced into one. If you survive 12 hours, you return. You have 1 day until the first transport.
6. Second Personal Penalty of Origins: "Romance Punisher" Every time a female character confesses to you or kisses you, you will suffer two punishments: lightning strike to the skull, or electrocution through a kiss.
7. Third Personal Penalty of Origins: "Conceptual Pain" Every 15 days you will experience physical-mental-emotional-spiritual-memorial-philosophical-intellectual-visceral pain all at once. You have 4 days before experiencing the supreme pain.
[System Message: All your stats, except mana, will now be adjusted to baseNPC Level 9.]
[Recalibration complete.]
—W-WAIT!! NOOOOO!!
The scream shattered into the void.
The pressure wrapped around me like a leaden cloak.
My muscles shrank, my body thinned.
The strength that defined me vanished like digital dust.
Only my height remained… and a sense of emptiness.
I collapsed to my knees, gasping.
The world was still gray.
And my mind… too.
—What… the hell… just happened to me?
No answer came.
Only the hollow sound of my body collapsing against the metallic floor.
And then… total darkness.