My Troll System

Chapter 6 : Welcome Home, Litchi

The late afternoon sun dipped low toward the horizon, casting a golden hue over the bustling pavement as Litchi strolled slowly past the steady stream of pedestrians. Around him, the city of Planet Astral hummed with its usual relentless rhythm—cars streamed past without pause, traffic lights cycled through their orderly colors, and towering glass skyscrapers reflected the warm evening light.

Yet, none of that registered. Litchi's mind remained entirely occupied by the avalanche of information the System had just dumped into his lap.

The body he now inhabited belonged to a genuine native of Planet Astral. It had a family, an identity, a history, and as of today... all of it belonged to him to navigate.

Litchi let out a long, heavy sigh.

"This is infinitely more complicated than I ever imagined."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sleek black smartphone belonging to the body's previous owner.

"At least I need to piece this guy's life together, bit by bit."

The moment the screen flickered to life, Litchi's eyes bulged.

99 Missed Calls

"Huh?"

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, making sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Ninety-nine?"

"This is insane! Who on earth calls someone this many times?"

With slightly trembling fingers, he tapped open the call log. Almost every single entry traced back to a single name: Father.

Litchi swallowed hard.

"...Wait."

"If the person calling me is this body's father..."

"That means he assumes I'm his son, completely unaware of what actually happened."

A heavy, suffocating weight settled in his chest. His hands trembled as he stared down at the screen for a long, agonizing moment.

The most recent missed call had occurred just minutes ago. It meant the man was still desperately trying to reach his boy.

"He must be worried sick."

Litchi hovered his thumb over the screen.

One single tap, and he could answer the call. But his finger froze a millimeter away from the glass.

"If I pick this up..."

"...what if he realizes instantly that I'm not his real son?"

Litchi squeezed his eyes shut for a second.

"I might be borrowing this body."

"But... I'm not the real Litchi."

"I don't even know how he used to talk to his own family."

He exhaled softly.

"Dealing with something like this is honestly harder than fighting a goblin."

Suddenly, the blue system panel flickered into existence beside his field of vision.

[The Host appears panicked.]

Litchi grunted.

"Whose fault do you think that is?"

[The highest probability points to the Host himself.]

"Your answers never fail to piss me off."

[The System merely states facts.]

Litchi massaged his temples.

"Ughhh... Whatever!"

"Anyway, I have a question."

"Uhm... question one, what kind of personality did the original owner of this body have?"

The panel blinked a few times.

Then, five lines of text popped up sequentially.

[Cowardly]

[Timid]

[Easily manipulated]

[Overly kind]

[Weak]

Litchi read every single word without blinking.

Slowly, his expression turned into a mask of pure gloom.

"...Well, that's game over for me."

He drew a long breath.

"There is zero chance I can successfully act like that."

"My entire personality is the exact polar opposite of this guy!"

"If I slip up even a tiny bit, they're going to catch on immediately."

The panel blinked again.

[That probability is moderately high.]

Litchi closed his eyes.

"Right, thanks."

"Your commentary really puts my mind at ease."

[You are welcome.]

"........"

"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"

The panel vanished without a reply, leaving Litchi to shake his head with a dry chuckle.

"Useless System! Never misses a chance to drive me crazy."

Before he could slide the phone back into his pocket...

BRRRR...

The display lit up once more. The exact same name flashed across it.

Father

Litchi stared at the screen for several seconds. His index finger inched toward the green accept button, but at the absolute last second, he jerked his hand back.

"I'm sorry... I'm just not ready."

"I don't want to mess with your head."

"At least... not yet."

The ringing finally cut out on its own.

A moment later, a text notification popped up on the screen.

Litchi quickly tapped it open.

Father: "If you're done with your dungeon run, get home quickly. We're having dinner together. Don't keep your sister waiting."

Litchi stared at the words for a long time. It was a brief message, yet heavy with unspoken meaning. No dramatic fluff. Just the quiet, grounded concern of a father.

"He genuinely cares about his son..."

Even though that affection wasn't meant for the soul currently occupying the shell, Litchi could still feel the warmth of a father's love bleeding through the digital text.

He locked the phone screen, then tilted his head up toward the sky as the clouds began to bleed into a brilliant shade of orange.

"System."

The blue panel reappeared.

[Yes.]

"Show me the way home."

Seconds later, a holographic map unfurled before him.

Destination Updated Sky Garden Mansion District Distance: 5 km

A bright blue navigation line extended outward from Litchi's current coordinates, stretching across the city toward an exclusive elite residential zone.

Litchi stared at the route for a long beat.

"Alright..."

He drew a deep, steadying breath.

"Like it or not, I have to face them."

"I just pray they don't realize that the Litchi walking home today isn't the son they used to know."

With a stride noticeably heavier than before, he began following the System's turn-by-turn guidance.

Roughly twenty minutes later, Litchi arrived in front of a sprawling upscale neighborhood enclosed by towering gates and thick, manicured rows of leafy trees. The grand entrance was flanked by a team of security guards dressed in sharp black uniforms.

Above the majestic iron gates hung a polished sign reading:

Sky Garden Mansion District

Litchi gazed up at it with a mix of awe and disbelief.

"So this is my house now..."

"Not bad at all."

The System popped up instantly.

[Correction.]

[The Host's house.]

Litchi clicked his tongue.

"Is there even a difference?"

[Yes.]

[This body belongs to the Host.]

[This house also belongs to the Host.]

[However, phrasing it as 'my house now' sounds considerably more natural than 'my house since birth'.]

"...???"

Litchi gave the panel a flat, deadpan stare.

"Are you deliberately trying to mess with my head?"

[The System is merely exercising the Host's cognitive faculties.]

"I'm starting to suspect your favorite hobby is gaslighting people."

The panel vanished without a word.

"And it runs away again. Unbelievable."

Litchi shook his head with a light sigh and walked toward the gate.

A security guard immediately stepped forward to push the gate open.

"Good evening, Young Master. Master Bruce and the family have been waiting for you."

Litchi offered a stiff, nervous nod.

"Good evening..."

"Everyone in this place knows this face... I can't afford to slip up."

Passing through the gates, he was greeted by a breathtaking landscape of luxurious mansions, immaculate gardens, and pristine, wide roadways.

Moments later, his footsteps brought him to a halt in front of a massive, three-story ivory-white mansion. A majestic grand fountain dominated the front courtyard, and several high-end luxury cars sat parked neatly in the expansive garage.

Litchi couldn't help a low whistle of amazement.

"So... this is home."

He quickly reached up and gave both of his cheeks a sharp pat.

"Focus."

"Don't look like a country bumpkin."

He brushed the dust and grime from his clothes leftovers from his harrowing dungeon skirmish and squared his shoulders.

With his back straight and his chin held high, he walked purposefully toward the front doors. It was a conscious performance, an act of sheer willpower designed to project unshakable confidence.

Beneath the facade, however, his stomach was violently churning.

Stay calm. Don't panic.

Just treat this like an undercover operation.

Please, nobody ask me any trick questions right out of the gate.

He had barely taken a few steps across the porch when the heavy double doors swung open, and a young woman stepped out into the evening air. Her hair was a soft, warm chestnut, falling loosely past her shoulders. Her features were delicate, but the gaze in her eyes carried the sharp, unyielding edge of a seasoned combatant.

Though dressed in casual loungewear, the faint, high-density aura of mana radiating from her body was noticeably more intense than any of the awakeners Litchi had encountered inside the dungeon.

"System, who's this?"

[Alessa Bruce, second daughter of the Bruce family.]

"Bruce is my father's name, right?"

[Family surname.]

"Ah, so she's my older sister?"

[Negative.]

"Younger sister?"

[Correct.]

"Wait, do I have an older sibling too?"

[Correct.]

The young girl's face lit up the moment she laid eyes on him.

"Brother Litchi!"

Litchi scrambled to return a natural smile.

"Hey..."

Alessa closed the distance, her sharp eyes scanning him up and down from head to toe.

A second later, her brow furrowed into a tight knot.

"Hold on, Brother?"

"What's up?"

"Weren't you supposed to be coming straight from the dungeon..."

"Then why... why on earth are you walking?"

Litchi's heart skipped a violent beat.

"Eh?"

Alessa tilted her head, pressing the issue.

"Where's your car?"

His chest tightened.

Damn it... I completely forgot that rich guys like this always drive everywhere.

He forced a thin, unbothered smile.

"I left it behind on purpose."

"Why?"

"To train my stamina. There are no cars inside a dungeon."

Alessa blinked, considering it.

"Hmm... I suppose that makes a weird kind of sense."

Litchi exhaled a massive, silent breath of relief.

Thank god, I somehow survived that.

The blue System panel materialized uninvited.

[Reasoning success rate: 87%.]

Litchi maintained his calm expression while mentally snapping at it.

Why was it only eighty-seven percent?!

[The Host hesitated for 1.8 seconds before replying.]

You were actually counting my reaction time?!

[Yes.]

Do you seriously not have any other work to do?

The panel blinked out of existence without another word.

Litchi let out a long, weary groan.

"Fleeing again, classic."

Alessa’s gaze drifted back down to his clothes, her nose twitching slightly.

"Brother Litchi..."

"Oiii! What now?"

"Hurry up! Go take a shower right this second!"

"What's wrong with how I look? Your handsome older brother just got back, you know."

Alessa wrinkled her nose with a playful grimace.

"Brother Litchi! Do you seriously not realize how bad you smell right now?"

Litchi blinked.

"Huh? Smell?"

He lifted one arm, leaning in to sniff his own jacket.

A second later, his entire body went rigid.

Oh lord... she's right! I smell like stale sweat and goblin viscera.

Alessa burst into a bright, musical laugh.

"Hahaha..."

"You really pushed yourself out there, didn't you?"

Litchi offered a deeply awkward, sheepish grin.

"Hehe... Yeah, I guess you could say that."

If only you knew that the one who actually 'pushed themselves' was a group of four strangers while I was busy swatting a fly.

"Come on inside, Brother!" Alessa said, pushing the mansion doors wide open. "Father and Mother are already waiting inside. If you keep them waiting any longer, Father's going to worry himself sick."

Hearing those words, the lingering amusement vanished entirely from Litchi's face.

The weight settled back into his chest with crushing force.

He had managed to breeze past Alessa. But the real trial the actual gauntlet was waiting on the other side of those massive doors. A mother and a father were sitting inside, eagerly anticipating the return of their beloved son.

Yet... the son they were waiting for no longer existed in this world.