"The Creator becoming the Character?"Omega Prime leaned forward. The solar flares on his face swirled with interest."YOU PROPOSE A REVERSE ISEKAI," he mused. "A GOD STRIPPED OF POWER, FORCED TO RELY ON WITS ALONE. IT IS... A CLASSIC TROPE."He tapped the desk."BUT EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING."He snapped his fingers.SNAP.The office vanished. The desk vanished. The [Infinite Mana Core] vanished.I was falling.My admin powers? Gone. The Void? Silent. My harem? Nowhere to be seen.I was just Renji Amagiri. A twenty-something guy in a ruined tuxedo falling into a white void."WELCOME TO THE SIMULATOR," Omega Prime's voice boomed from the sky. "SCENARIO 1: THE IMPOSSIBLE DUNGEON.""CONDITION: ZERO MANA. ZERO ITEMS. ZERO PLOT ARMOR."I hit the ground.THUD."Ow."I rolled over, groaning. I was lying on cold stone. Torchlight flickered on damp walls. The smell of rot and goblin sweat filled the air.(Okay. Back to basics. No powers. Just charisma and panic.)A door opened ahead of me.A ma

"DELETE THE ANOMALY."Omega Prime slammed his fist onto the desk. A red shockwave rippled through the office, knocking over a stack of paperwork that probably contained the fates of a dozen galaxies."Security!" he roared. "Clean up on Aisle 4!"The golden doors burst open.A dozen figures marched in. They wore impeccable black suits, sunglasses, and earpieces. But floating above their heads were halos made of fluorescent light tubes. And instead of wings, they had jetpacks.[Enemy Identified: Corporate Angels.] [Rank: HR Enforcement.] [Weapon: Termination Slips.]"Sir," the lead Angel said, adjusting his tie. "Please come quietly. You are creating a hostile work environment."He pulled out a baton. It glowed with white, purifying fire."I am the hostile work environment," I snarled.I gripped the [Editor's Pen]—the black sword formed from my will. It felt heavy, solid. It felt like the only real thing in this room of metaphors."Get him," the Angel said calmly.They charged.They mov

"Sit down. We need to talk about the ending."The man who wore my face gestured to the wobbly chair with a plastic fork. He slurped a noodle, chewing thoughtfully.I sat.The chair creaked. It was the exact same creak that used to drive me insane at 3 AM when I couldn't sleep because of the pain in my chest."This isn't a simulation," I said, looking around the peeling wallpaper of my old apartment. "This is a memory.""It's a save point," the Original corrected. He pointed at the cup of noodles. "Spicy Seafood. Your favorite. Or... my favorite."He looked at me. His eyes weren't violet. They were brown. Dull. Dying."You look good," he said. "The tuxedo suits us. Better than this sweat suit.""Who are you?" I asked. "Are you the Playwright? Are you Omega?""I'm you," he smiled. "Before the lie."He leaned back."Three months ago. You remember? The doctor gave us the diagnosis. Mana Void Syndrome. Terminal."I nodded. I remembered the cold stethoscope. The pity in the doctor's eyes."

"At least it's not boring."I stood on the roof of the rebuilt Saionji Villa (now the "Saionji Imperial Palace"), looking out over Neo-Tokyo.It wasn't just Tokyo anymore. It was Pangea Zero.To my left, Mount Fuji had been replaced by a floating mountain range from Server 7, complete with waterfalls that fell into the clouds. Dragons circled the peaks, dogfighting with F-35 jets.To my right, the Shinjuku skyline was merged with the chrome spires of Server 2. Neon advertisements for "Orc Strength Potions" flashed next to holographic billboards for "Cybernetic Kidney Replacements."Down on the street, an Elf was arguing with a vending machine. A Cyborg was walking a three-headed dog. A Demon was buying crepes."Chaos," I whispered, sipping my coffee."It is... vibrant," Ayaka said, standing beside me. She wore a suit made of dragon scales and fiber-optics. "The GDP is up 4000%. We're exporting sushi to the Underworld and importing mithril from the Moon.""And the crime rate?" I asked.

"Don't trust the Gold."The Old Man’s warning echoed in my ears as I walked down the hallway of the Saionji Imperial Palace.I reached the dining hall. The smell of roast duck and truffle oil filled the air. My harem was waiting."Renji!" Ayaka waved a glass of champagne. "You missed the toast! We were celebrating the 5000% rise in Mana Futures!""Futures," I muttered, looking at the golden chandelier above the table.It was swaying.RUMBLE.The floor beneath my feet vibrated. It wasn't the sharp jolt of an earthquake or the heavy footstep of a giant.It was a... growing sound. The sound of roots tearing through bedrock."Master?" Runa stood up, her hand instantly on her dagger. "The earth... it is groaning.""Something is coming," I said.I looked at the center of the table.CRACK.The mahogany table split in two.A sprout emerged from the floor. It wasn't green. It was gold. Solid, blinding gold.It grew.In seconds, it was a sapling. Then a tree. Then a pillar. It smashed through t