The tip of the silver blade remained pressed firmly against the hollow of Rangga’s throat. Up close, the woman was even more terrifying. Her eyes weren't just grey; they were the color of a storm cloud about to ruin a weekend picnic."I’m going to ask you one more time, spy," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, silky whisper. "Who sent you? Was it the Dark Lord’s vanguard? Or are you a scout for the Iron Duchy?"Rangga gulped, feeling his Adam’s apple bob against the cold steel. "Look, lady—I mean, Officer? Knight? Ma'am? I’ve already told you. I’m not a spy. I don’t even know where I am. I was at work. In an office. With cubicles and a very subpar coffee machine.""Cubicles?" She narrowed her eyes, the blade shifting slightly. "Is that a province in the Forbidden Lands? Speak clearly!""No, it’s—it’s like a tiny room with no walls where dreams go to die," Rangga groaned, his hands still raised. "Listen, I’m just Rangga Alvero. I work in customer service. My biggest crime is

"Walk faster, Rangga. Don't look back, and for the love of everything holy, do not look at your feet," Sirinya hissed, her hand tight on his elbow as she steered him through the crowded thoroughfare of Iron-Oak."It’s a bit hard to ignore the fact that I’m dragging a literal demon king behind me like a sentient cape, Sirinya! Did you see the horns on that thing? They’re huge! I look like I’m about to announce the end of the world, and I don't even have a PowerPoint prepared!" Rangga whispered back, his voice cracking with a mix of exhaustion and pure, unadulterated terror."It’s just the Aetheric resonance of the Pebble. It’s projecting your 'potential' because you’re a Level 2 nobody holding a Grade-S artifact. The world doesn't know how to render you correctly," she explained, her eyes darting toward a group of armored guards who were currently whispering and pointing their spears in their direction. "In here. Now."She shoved him through a heavy oak door reinforced with iron bands.

"Get your sap-covered fingers out of my hair, Brenda-tree!" Rangga shouted, batting his arms wildly to ward off the gnarled branch."Don't be like that, Rangga," the oak whispered, its bark shifting and folding until it vaguely resembled the puckered, judgmental face of his former HR manager. "You never did finish that 2022 expense report. And everyone knows you’re the one who’s been stealing the almond milk from the communal fridge.""It was for the good of the team! The team needed me caffeinated!" Rangga scrambled backward, nearly tripping over a glowing purple root that hissed like a cat.Sirinya stepped in front of him, her silver blade glowing with a fierce, steady light that pushed the encroaching shadows back. "Rangga, stop engaging with it! It’s a psychological assault. The trees in the Whispering Woods don’t speak truth; they speak insecurity.""I don't know, Sirinya, the almond milk thing was pretty spot on," Rangga muttered, clutching his chest. "This forest is a jerk. It’

Rangga stood on the bridge, the Stapler of Infinite Binding still warm in his hand. He looked down at the receipt in his palm, then at Sirinya, who was gasping for air on the stones. But as he reached out to help her up, the air rippled with a sickeningly cheerful ding-dong sound.A new window, glowing a neon, predatory orange, snapped into existence.[ ATTENTION, VALUED CUSTOMER! ][ YOUR ‘LEGENDARY PREMIUM’ 60-SECOND TRIAL HAS EXPIRED. ][ RESUMING STANDARD AD-SUPPORTED REALITY... ]"Wait, what?" Rangga barked, his eyes widening. "Standard what? I just killed the boss!"Before the words could fully leave his mouth, the grey mist left behind by the Ink Golem suddenly surged. It didn't reform into a monster, but it did coalesce around Sirinya’s slumped form, weaving itself into a translucent, shimmering sphere—a new bubble, identical to the one before, but this one had a giant, glowing padlock icon hovering over it."Rangga!" Sirinya’s voice was a faint, muffled echo from inside the s

The transition through the "False Wall" didn't feel like walking through stone; it felt like being pulled through a straw. Rangga stumbled out onto a shimmering, translucent platform that seemed to hang in a void of pure white light. Behind him, the cliffside he had just jumped through flickered like a dying lightbulb."We’re alive! I think my spleen stayed on the other side, but we’re through!" Rangga gasped, clutching his stomach as he scrambled to his feet.Sirinya was already up, her sword held in a white-knuckled grip. "Rangga, where are we? This isn't a shortcut. This is... there’s nothing here. No air, no smell, no sound.""It’s a loading zone, Sirinya. Or maybe the back-end of the map," Rangga said, his voice echoing strangely. He reached up to adjust the Relic of Common Sense on the bridge of his nose. "Through these glasses, everything looks like it was drawn by a guy who forgot to finish his homework. Look at your feet."Sirinya looked down and let out a sharp, panicked bre