Michael was now wearing an Arabic-style outfit that was extremely fitting for the times. He was in a small room with mostly everything necessary, but the problem was that everything was made of bronze. Even the mirror was bronze, reflecting nothing clearly.
"Damn it! How many days has it been? That genie was locked up here all this time and didn't go insane?"
He cursed helplessly, looking at the entire space that had only one color: bronze. The longer he looked, the more tense his nerves became, and with no other sounds, he felt like he was going crazy.
[Ding! The Support System is now present.]
[Have you adapted to your new life over these past few days?]
[Is the magical life and endless adventure satisfying you?]
The system's voice rang out, and a blue screen appeared before him. Fireworks were even shooting across the screen as if to congratulate his new life.
Michael's face darkened, his teeth grinding with a screeching sound. Satisfied? Haha...
"I'm satisfied my ass!" He raised a middle finger filled with 'love' towards the screen.
"Do you know how I've been living these past few days? Damn it, if I stay here any longer, I'm going to go insane."
He had endured enough over the past few days. No food, no water, and his current body had no sensations. The only reason he could tell the time was because there was a clock in the room—a strange thing with no battery, no electricity, made 100% of bronze—yet it kept running nonstop.
Sleeping was even more impossible; he was always in a state of complete alertness no matter how much time passed. He couldn't even distinguish anymore whether he was human or had already become a ghost.
This silent, monochromatic space tortured both his vision and hearing. At least the outfit he wore after becoming a genie was quite colorful; otherwise, he wouldn't know what to look at.
[Hey, sir, don't be upset. Usually, it only takes a few days of waiting here. At most, a month.]
[I wants you to experience and understand that if you die while fulfilling a wish for someone else, you'll have to wait in this place for a thousand years.]
As soon as the system's words ended, Michael felt something was wrong. The bright future he had imagined had, at some point, become a black hole with no escape.
"Is there any way for me to escape from here permanently?" Michael asked. He really didn't want to be a genie for another day.
[Yes, and that is for another person to make a wish similar to yours.]
Feeling a glimmer of hope, Michael didn't believe he was the only one who thought this way. There were plenty of smart people like him in the world; he would surely find one soon.
"When was the person before me?"
[According to archived data, you are the first person to choose this. After all, this kind of genie doesn't have much power; others usually don't want to become one.]
Michael's expression darkened once again. That's right. Deities who can snap their fingers to grant wishes—there are plenty of people who'd want to become one. But who would want to become a genie who has to do everything personally and, if accidentally killed, gets imprisoned in this place for a thousand years?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt the previous genie had extraordinary willpower and resilience.
"What kind of person was the genie before me? Why did he become a genie?"
[He was born together with this lamp; you could consider him the first-generation genie. He wasn't truly human, so it's hard to compare, as his thinking was different.]
Michael now wanted to curse that previous genie to death. Clearly, there were so many dreadful things, yet he didn't warn him.
[You don't need to be so discouraged; it's actually quite hard to die. After all, the genie has decent luck. If you die, it can only be due to stupidity.]
Michael felt the system was mocking him, but he had no proof. But thinking about it, it made sense. After all, a deity, in theory, shouldn't die easily.
"So, when will I leave here?"
[The system has confirmed the next destination – Sun & Moon Continent. A fantastical world where humans can become Contractors to gain power comparable to gods.]
Hearing the system's introduction, Michael's weary eyes lit up. Wasn't this an opportunity for him to truly gain power?
"Wait, so the abilities I obtain from this place—can I keep them? If I lose my power every time I move, what's the point of trying?"
If that were the case, wouldn't it be like leveling up a character in an RPG game to max level with full gear, only to delete it and create a new character each time?
[Don't worry; I won't give you any abilities for free. You can learn and strive for whatever you want. Of course, there are limits: apart from your own strength, you can only take one item each time you switch worlds.]
Michael nodded with satisfaction. Treasures weren't very useful to him right now, but power was a must. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel at all like a deity.
"Are there any precautions for going to another world? I have no experience."
This upcoming trip wasn't a joke; it could actually be deadly. If he died, he'd be locked in this godforsaken place for a thousand years.
[Here are some notes left by the previous generation genie.]
[1. Don't show off to others if you lack real strength.]
[2. As long as you don't actively seek death, you won't die.]
[3. Pray that the wish is simple.]
"Huh???"
Every one of these three sentences sounded unreliable. It all boils down to saying nothing at all, offering no help whatsoever.
"So, in short, it depends on luck?" Michael glared at the system.
[You're not entirely wrong; it heavily depends on luck. If you encounter someone simple who wishes for a meal or something at that difficulty level, it'll be over in a flash. After that, it's a leisurely trip where you can choose to leave at any time.]
"Alright, let's go quickly. I don't believe a genie like me is unlucky." Michael smirked. A person who goes to an antique market and ends up with a genie can't possibly be unlucky.