The card floated in front of , pulsing with a rhythm that was neither magic nor technology.
Then it began to speak.
[I sense within you… a presence alien to this world… lodged itself in one of my bearers.]
It wasn't asking. It was rely stating a fact.
[That body already had an owner: Suhyeon Kim… who had already been marked by one of my administrators.]
It paused for a few seconds.
[And yet… you appeared. You were not summoned by . Nor chosen. Yet you managed to make your way through… in a way I do not fully understand.]
The light of the card flickered, releasing yellow sparks.
[Who are you? Where do you co from? And what right do you claim to be here?]
The silence that followed was not just empty… it was dense. As if the world itself was holding its breath.
I stopped pretending the mont the room began to vanish.
No more Mr. Right. No more polite smiles or lodramatic inner monologues. I was fed up. And if this "system god" wanted answers, it was going to get them… just not the way it expected.
I just stared. Well… I faced it, even though it was a damn floating card with a godlike voice.
And of course, I couldn't help speaking the way I always did when life spiraled out of control:
"Great. Sure. Because this is exactly what I needed today."
I ran my hand over my face, feeling cold sweat trickle down my neck. Chaerin had vanished, the room had dissolved, and now I was trapped in so cosmic limbo talking to a card with a supre judge complex.
"Look…" I said with that tired tone, the one I used when my boss asked to stay late without paying overti. "I know exactly who you are. I read you. Literally. I've seen you like three tis in the webtoon before everything went to hell. You control the system, speak weirdly, shine bright, and have that endga boss vibe that thinks it owns the board."
I crossed my arms.
"And yes. I'm here. In a body that already had an owner. I know. Believe , it wasn't my idea. I was just reading quietly in my bed when—bam!… I appear in Suhyeon Kim's body, with a system, golden cards, and people trying to kill around every corner."
The card didn't respond.
"Where do I co from? From a damn office. And what right do I have to be here? None. But I'm not going to apologize for it either. I've been through that stage. I've tried to fit in, to be the right guy, the polite one, the one who doesn't get in the way. And you know what that got ? A crap job, accumulated anxiety, and a half-written resignation."
I laughed. Dry… direct.
"So listen: I'm done pretending. No more formalities, no more fake smiles. I'm not going to act like you have all the answers. I don't care if you're a god, a broken AI, or a combination of both. If you're looking for an obedient protagonist who follows the rules, you're late."
I lowered my arms. I wasn't tense anymore.
I was fed up. And for the first ti… free.
"I'm . The ordinary guy. The one who shouldn't be here. But I am. And I'm not going to erase myself because you say I'm a mistake. If I ca as a glitch, then tough luck for you. Because this glitch isn't going to stay silent or still."
Silence.
I felt the whole world holding its breath.
"So now, you speak," I said in the first voice I could muster. "What the hell are you going to do with ?"
The card slowly rotated on itself, releasing a deep hum that seed to scratch the air.
[I've tracked everything. Every line of code, every dinsional node, every summoning protocol. Your existence is nowhere to be found in the system.]
[You are not a simple echo. You are not a projection. And you are definitely not a creation of this world.]
"Thanks… I guess?" I replied, raising an eyebrow. "You know, if you're going to keep listing my oddities, at least invite for coffee. Or a welco tutorial. Sothing."
The light of the card pulsed, as if hesitating for a second.
[You are not funny.]
"Yes, but I'm consistent… don't you think?"
[You were not brought here by . Not by my administrators. Not by any internal anomaly.]
[That leaves only one explanation.]
A heavy silence settled.
[You were brought by another god.]
"Ah… of course. A clandestine god. What's next? A deity war? A rival system with stats on sale?"
I crossed my arms, letting out a tired sigh.
"Listen, ego card: I didn't ask to be here. If I ca, it was by mistake. Or punishnt. Or because the universe finds it funny to screw with . But I'm not part of your show or your bible of perfect lines. I ca with my flaws and my sarcasm."
The card trembled slightly, as if my attitude challenged it more than my words.
[You shouldn't exist.]
"And yet, here I am. Your worst nightmare: an office worker with no filter trapped in a narrative of power. Does it bother you? Upset you? Fine. Because I'm confused too. So we're even."
[You are unstable.]
"And you, obsessive. But I don't judge. Being omniscient sounds exhausting."
Its voice beca more direct, sharp.
[You are mocking.]
"A little."
[I remind you this is not your world.]
"And yet I have to save it, right? Life's ironies."
The card rotated slower… watching .
[I didn't expect this encounter to go off script.]
"Welco to my life."
The silence that followed wasn't awkward. It was… strange. Almost as if we were both, in so way, accepting that nothing made sense, and maybe… that wasn't so bad.
[…I'll have to observe you more closely.]
"Sure. Just don't spy on when I'm in the bathroom peeing or worse…"
Suddenly, sothing buzzed inside my head. A chill that didn't co from the body, but from sowhere else. As if an invisible door opened inside .
[I am entering.]
"What—?"
I couldn't finish. Everything went white.
It wasn't a vision, nor a hallucination. It was sothing more intimate. More invasive. As if soone rummaged through the most hidden drawer of your mory while you could only watch, powerless.
I saw flashes. Snippets. Not full images, but sensations. A desk full of papers. The sound of typing. Cold coffee. A crowded elevator where nobody looked at anyone. An access card with the na… Klaus Eisen.
"Hey!" I protested, stepping back. "That's not part of the deal! My mories aren't public files, do you hear ?"
The card didn't respond imdiately. But the voice returned… different.
Lower and much more thoughtful.
[Klaus Eisen. That's what you were called.]
I swallowed. The tone was no longer that of a judge or authoritarian algorithm.
It was as if… it didn't know exactly what to say.
[This was not what I expected to find…]
I crossed my arms again, more for defense than attitude.
"Well, sorry I wasn't a brilliant chosen one with an epic destiny. So of us were just working for health insurance and a miserable salary."
There was a pause. A very long one.
Then the card spoke.
[I know you better now. And curiously… I like you.]
I looked at it—if one could look at a floating card with golden gears—with a raised eyebrow.
"You? System god? Admitting you like a glitch with chronic sarcasm? Are you telling I have cosmic charisma?"
[Don't exaggerate.]
"Sure, okay."
…
[I have made a decision. This will be the first ti I offer this position to soone, and even stranger… to soone who has not gone through the selection process.]
[But you… fit. In a way that the chosen administrators cannot.]
[I propose a role outside the entire hierarchy of the system. A function only I can grant directly.]
[From this mont, if you accept, you will be my Irregular Observer.]
I frowned, feeling the weight of the latent threat.
"And what if I don't accept?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
The card slowly rotated, its light darkening with gravity.
[If you do not accept, you will die.]
[Your existence will be erased, and everything will return to normal, as it should.]
A chill sank into my chest. There was no escape, no second chances.
It was not an invitation. It was an ultimatum.
My mind spun quickly, processing the price of the freedom offered: losing parts of myself or simply ceasing to exist.
I couldn't say "no," because "no" ant disappearing.
I couldn't give up without fighting, even if it ant becoming sothing different.
The word "ascend" hurt, but it was also the only way out.
I rembered that eting at the office where I wasn't given the position, even though they promised it. I rembered that boss who said, "You're not qualified," as if my effort didn't matter. I rembered failed interviews, rejections with a cold smile, polite disdain.
Feeling lesser. Always lesser.
And now, that damn card, that celestial entity that wasn't even… of this world, was giving what no one else ever had: a chance to be above.
To stop being a cog. To beco sothing more than human. Sothing… higher. Freer.
A weight fell on my chest. Not of doubt. Of reality. Because I also heard the other part.
[Accepting this role will have a price.]
[Not imdiate. Not too harsh. But real.]
[Your human emotions—the deepest ones—will begin to fade slowly.]
[Not as punishnt. It is… adaptation. To operate at the margins of the system, you will need a mind free of emotional burden.]
[You will beco more rational. Colder… less human.]
I swallowed. Deep down, I understood.
It was a kind of evolution. Or slow dehumanization, depending on the angle you looked from.
"So… to be sothing more… I have to stop being ?"
[Not entirely. But yes, parts of you will stop hurting. And others, will stop mattering.]
And yet… I couldn't deny that the idea tempted . Because being , until now, had never gotten anywhere worthwhile.
I sighed. Long… very deep. And finally, lifted my head.
"Alright."
The word ca out firr than I expected.
"I accept. Not because I feel worthy. Nor because I want power. But because I'm tired of being the man who always looks down. If I'm going to blur myself, at least it will be ascending."
The card shone brighter than ever.
[Then, from now on… you are the Irregular Observer.]
[You will have freedom. But you will also lose parts of yourself in the process. I won't hand you everything on a silver platter… you'll have to ascend on your own… from diocre to celestial.]
[Make it count… unpolished human.]
I smiled. A little crooked… a little broken.
"Just promise one thing, a favor I want when I get there."
[What?]
"If I ever beco as cold as you… let rember who I was before. Just a little. Even if it's the last ti, I want to see soone important in my life again…"
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