Kai slowly closed the system screen, pondering the words that appeared before him. The idea of instant transportation was tempting, but the system had laid out a series of complex information and equations in front of him, resembling an ancient mathematical puzzle from books of magic. "Ah, my head!" Kai muttered, placing his hand on his forehead, trying to push away the growing pain.
Then, as he sat in the darkness of the forest, far from prying eyes, he remembered something. "Arkan..." he whispered to himself, recalling the remaining wishes he had with the cunning genie. Those two wishes he had kept for emergencies. The idea of asking Arkan to grant him this desire began to creep into his mind, but he quickly reconsidered. "No, this isn't the right time," he told himself out loud. He knew Arkan might use any opportunity to complicate matters more than they already were.
Kai looked around. The surrounding trees exuded a sense of awe with their leaves swaying in the wind and shadows moving as if living among the branches. He was far, far away from the city of Logtown and couldn't return quickly. All he needed was instant transport, a simple, quick solution that would allow him to reach anywhere with the press of a button or a magical gesture. But reality was more complicated.
He sat on the ground, leaning his back against a large tree trunk. "The system..." he muttered as he reconsidered its words. "The system says I can use magical drawings to move myself between places, but what if I can't control this power? What if I end up in a place I don't want to go?"
Kai tried to push those dark thoughts out of his mind. "What now?" He looked at the sky, which was starting to be tinged with the colors of sunset, realizing that time was passing slowly. "Night is approaching, I have to be ready."
Kai knew he had to wait until nightfall to be able to go to his art store and execute his plan. Until then, he had to find a way to occupy himself. He decided to walk a bit in the surrounding forest, enjoying the sound of leaves crunching under his feet and the gentle wind swaying the branches.
Kai was enjoying these peaceful moments, which seemed to give him some inner peace. He walked among the trees, staring at the sky that was gradually darkening. As he walked, he remembered his early days in this world, when he thought everything here would be simple and straightforward. "But it never was..." he thought to himself with a slight smile.
Every moment in this world was filled with surprises, difficulties, and puzzles he hadn't expected. But he had learned a lot, evolved, and grown, and now he was ready to face the challenges ahead, no matter how complex they might be.
He reached the edge of the forest overlooking the sea and saw the dark horizon filled with stars. "Night has finally come," he said to himself and took a deep breath. "It's time to head to the store."
He quickly returned to the path, trying to maintain his calm and focus. Each step brought him closer to the art store, and each step increased his excitement. He felt a surge of anticipation, not just because of what he was about to do, but also because of the mystery surrounding everything in this world.
Kai finally reached the store, which was located in a quiet corner of the island. The place was empty, dark, except for the moonlight creeping in through the large windows. He opened the door and entered slowly, closing it behind him with a faint sound. The atmosphere inside was unusually quiet, as if the whole world was waiting for what Kai would do next.
Kai took a deep breath, then walked to the center of the room. "Okay, let's start," he said softly. He sat on the ground and pulled out a small book he had in his pocket. He opened the book and began drawing magical symbols on the floor, as he had learned from the information provided by the system. He had to be extremely precise because any mistake could cost him dearly.
With each symbol he drew, he felt energy rising from the ground as if the place itself was resonating with his energy. His breath quickened in his chest, but he tried to stay calm and focused. When he finished drawing, he stood up slowly and looked at the glowing symbols on the floor.
"Now, system, show me your power," Kai said confidently.
The time had come.
Kai stood in the middle of the room, contemplating the magical symbols he had carefully drawn. The things around him began to change. The air became heavy, as if the room itself was breathing. Strange sounds started to creep into his ears, whispers, and distant echoes, as if the world around him was singing with voices he had never heard before.
The floor beneath his feet began to tremble gently, as if responding to an ancient call from the depths of time. The lights emanating from the symbols grew brighter, doubling in intensity until they filled the entire room. Kai felt surrounded by magical forces, as if he were at the heart of a storm of pure energy. The colors danced before his eyes, constantly changing and shifting to create a scene that could only be imagined in dreams.
Then, amid this magical chaos, a simple wooden door suddenly appeared before him. The door was old, made of dark wood, fitted with an old, corroded brass handle. It looked like an artifact from a distant past, yet it seemed incredibly out of place amidst this dazzling magical world.
Kai stared at the door in disbelief. "What is this?" he asked himself softly. After all this magic, this light, and these strange sounds, a wooden door appears to him? It seemed like a ridiculous joke, and Kai was not in the mood for it.
"Is that all?" he said with a bitter laugh as he walked toward the door. "All this effort, and in the end, a wooden door appears? What kind of silly joke is this?" He started to mock aloud, chuckled softly, then stood in front of the door, placing his hand on the cold handle.
But before he could do anything, words appeared on the screen before him, as if the system was speaking directly to his consciousness again. *"What do you think about deciding now where you want to go and trying it out?"*
The system's words made Kai stop mocking suddenly. He stared at the screen, then looked back at the door. He hesitated, unsure if he should trust this magical door or not. But he also realized he didn't have many options. He had grown used to such bizarre things that defied logic.
"Alright, let's see where this silly door can take me," Kai said calmly, closing his eyes for a moment, imagining the place he wanted to go. He wanted to return to the city of Logtown, where it all began. Slowly, he opened the door...
Suddenly, he found himself standing in the middle of an island he had never seen before. It was full of dense forests and giant trees that seemed to reach the sky. Kai looked around in astonishment, "Where am I now?" he said to himself. But before he could think clearly, he heard a frightening roar coming from the trees.
He turned quickly to find himself facing a group of predators, their red eyes shining in the darkness, watching him fiercely. "What?! This is not what I asked for!" Kai shouted, then began running as fast as he could, trying to get away from those wild creatures chasing him. He cursed the system loudly as he jumped over tree trunks and avoided natural traps scattered in the forest.
Eventually, panting heavily, Kai found himself in front of another wooden door, similar to the first one. He didn't have time to think, just opened the door quickly and jumped through it, hoping to be in a safer place.
But instead of returning to Logtown, he found himself on another island, this time filled with active volcanoes and smoke rising from everywhere. The heat was unbearable, and Kai started sweating profusely. "Not again!" he shouted as he tried to avoid the flaming rocks falling from the sky.
Kai tried again, opened the magical wooden door, and jumped through it, but this time he ended up on a snowy island, where the snow was falling heavily, and the cold was biting. He felt like he was going to freeze in place and cursed the system again as he searched for the wooden door to escape from this icy place.
Kai repeated the attempt several times, and each time he found himself in a place worse than the previous one. Once, he transferred to an island filled with muddy swamps, where he had to wade through thick mud and escape from strange creatures that emerged from beneath the water. Another time, he found himself on a deserted island, surrounded by shores full of white bones, hearing strange sounds approaching him from everywhere.
Finally, after several exhausting attempts, the wooden door appeared again. He stood before it, exhausted from the multiple journeys he had undertaken. He felt anger and frustration, but he couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Crazy system... Have you been playing with me all along?"
Then the words appeared again on the screen, this time very clearly: *"Now, to control the door, all you have to do is focus on the destination you strongly desire. The power lies in clarity of vision."*
Kai sighed deeply and closed his eyes again. This time, he focused all his thoughts on the city of Logtown, imagining all its details precisely, its streets, buildings, and the people wandering around... Then he opened the wooden door with apprehension and, with one step, jumped through it...
And when he opened his eyes again, he found himself finally in a familiar place—a small art store. But which store was it? And on which island exactly? No one knew.
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