"What was that... Dolly... Do superpowers really exist!?" Max asked in shock.
He was still trying to process everything. Until now, he believed he was special because of the system he possessed, thinking no one could match him with its help. But that wisp-like dream had completely shattered his assumptions.
In the dream, young Max was sitting in a car, heading towards an unknown destination. Suddenly, the car passed through a portal and stopped in front of a humongous gate. Old Max, witnessing the scene as an observer, was startled. Many other portals opened, and children started arriving—some by car, others simply walking through the portals.
The scene grew even more bizarre when talent testing began for the children. Each child displayed superhuman abilities—talents like healing, water manipulation, fire control (with various subtypes), and more. All these talents, however, appeared locked for now.
Max's shock deepened when he noticed the races of the children and their guardians. Angels, devils, royal vampires, elves, superhumans, witches—they all came to drop off their children, often accompanied by butlers or nannies. Despite their diverse origins, all the children appeared in human form. Perhaps that's why old Max initially couldn't distinguish their non-human features.
As Max observed, he couldn't help but think back to his own life. He had always imagined this "trash world" as a dull place where he could shine by creating great movies and leaving a legacy. But seeing this spectacle forced him to reevaluate everything.
It all started to make sense now—why his servants addressed him as "Master" despite living in a modern world. He realized he had been living under a delusion, believing this was a powerless world. But the truth? It was far greater than he could have ever imagined—something he barely understood, not even 1% of it.
In just five hours of fragmented memory, Max had gained an overwhelming amount of knowledge. Yet, he still had questions. There was only one person who could confirm the truth and clear his doubts: Dolly.
"Yes, they exist," Dolly said with a mysterious smile.
"What... So all this time, I've been wasting my life? Why are you making me focus on making movies then? Why not missions like conquering worlds or establishing my sect? And here I am stuck with this ridiculous task," Max muttered, feeling like a fool.
He couldn't believe it. Even after being transported to another world filled with supernatural possibilities, he was tasked with something as mundane as making movies. It felt absurd.
"Don't stress about it now. Just focus on directing movies. And you have one year to make that happen," Dolly replied, completely ignoring Max's frustration and laying out the next mission.
Max felt a wave of anger and disappointment wash over him. What kind of system is this? he thought. Why does it keep assigning pointless missions that have nothing to do with this world's reality? He couldn't understand why he was being forced into filmmaking.
"How long am I supposed to keep making movies?" he asked, trying to suppress his frustration.
""Well, I don't know the answer to that." Dolly replied instantly, grinning playfully.
"Fu*k you, damn doll!" Max finally lost his temper, shouting in anger.
---
[Punishment confirmed...]
| Reason: Insulting my angelic, sweet Dolly.
| Punishment: "Fuck you." ( discription.....)
| Duration: 4 hours.
---
"Fuck!!!" Max exclaimed, his jaw dropping in shock. His eyes widened as he realized he had just landed himself in trouble. Though he didn't yet know what the punishment entailed, he had a sinking feeling it wasn't going to be pleasant.
When Max checked the time, it was 8 AM. He had fallen asleep in the party hall the previous night after a late celebration. Dylan, being thoughtful, had moved Max to the bed in the studio's restroom before heading home to the Warriors' quarters.
Waking up, Max got out of bed and freshened up, but his morning was far from cheerful. His usual happy demeanor and morning smile were missing. Why?
Because of that damn punishment. Max had tried so hard to control himself and avoid triggering it, but today, he had failed spectacularly. Knowing that supernatural powers existed while being assigned such a meaningless task by the system pushed him over the edge.
It was like being served a table full of five-star meals but being handed a plate of plain grass. Anyone would get angry, right? That's exactly how Max felt. He lost his temper and blurted out those words to Dolly, but now there was nothing he could do. What's done is done.
After freshening up, Max stepped out of the studio and headed to T-Café, hoping a cup of coffee would lift his spirits.
After a while...
at the café, he found a chair and sat down, signaling for a waiter.
"Waiter..."
As soon as Max called out, he noticed people in the café turning to look at him. Their stares felt odd, but he brushed it off and called out again.
"Waiter..."
This time, the patrons' faces showed clear annoyance as they glared at him. Confused, Max didn't understand what was happening. A café staff member approached him, trying to mask their irritation but failing completely.
"Sir, may I take your order?" the staff member asked, forcing a polite tone.
Max found the situation strange but ignored the tension. "A hot coffee, please," he replied.
The staff member leaned in slightly and whispered, "Sir, this is a public place. You can't just say things like that to anyone."
Max blinked in confusion. What did I say wrong? He was sure he had just ordered coffee. The staff's response baffled him.
Still puzzled, he noticed the menu on the table. He pointed at it to clarify his order.
"Understood, sir. I'll bring it right away," the staff member replied before quickly leaving. Gradually, the other patrons stopped glaring at Max and returned to their conversations.
Max, however, was left wondering. What's going on? Is this part of the punishment? Did I say something strange?
Moments later, the staff returned with a steaming cup of coffee and placed it on his table. Max picked it up and took a sip, still deep in thought.
Slurp...
Dolly was laughing uncontrollably in front of Max, as if she were watching a comedy show. Her laughter only fueled Max's anger, and seeing her enjoy his predicament made him even more frustrated. Despite his efforts, he still couldn't figure out the exact nature of the punishment the system had given him.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Jameson, informing him that he would pick Max up in the evening. Max replied with a simple "OK," finished his coffee, and headed back to his studio.
As he was walking, a lady suddenly stopped him.
"Sir, could you help me find this address?" she asked, Showing him the screen of a phone.
Max, being new to the area and unfamiliar with the roads and house numbers, felt a bit awkward. In an apologetic tone, he replied, "Sorry, I don't know," and started to walk away.
Before he could take another step, a man placed a hand firmly on Max's shoulder and said,
"Hey! Is that how you talk to beautiful ladies? Apologize right now, and maybe I'll let you go!"
Max was utterly confused. What's going on? All he had done was tell the lady he didn't know the address. Why was this man angry?
Thinking it might be a misunderstanding, Max calmly tried to explain, "Mr. Hero, I'm new to this area, and I genuinely don't know the address she's asking about. If you know it, why don't you help.....? "
But before he could finish, the man punched him square in the face with full force.
"You bastard! Who do you think you are? I spoke to you politely, and you're insulting me with your words?" the man yelled, hitting Max repeatedly.
Max was in shock. What is he even talking about? He didn't get a chance to explain further; the man kept attacking him relentlessly, and Max, unable to fight back, screamed in pain. His body wasn't ready for a fight, let alone one-sided aggression like this.
The lady intervened. "Brother, stop! Leave him alone. He's probably just crazy," she said, pitying Max.
Max's eyes widened. Did she just call me crazy?
The man finally stopped, grinning smugly. "You're lucky this time, kid," he said before walking away with the lady, laughing as he led her to the address.
Max stood there, seething. "What the hell is happening to me?" he muttered, his voice trembling with anger and confusion. Then it hit him—this had to be related to the punishment.
He quickly opened the punishment panel and read it carefully.
[Punishment Confirmed...]
| Reason: Insulting my angelic, sweet Dolly.
| Punishment: "Fuck you ( Description ... )
| Duration: 4 hours.
There was a small bracketed description. Curious, Max tapped on it.
[ Description: Whenever you try to speak or write, the only words that will come out of your mouth are "Fuck you." ]
Max froze in place, feeling as if he had turned to stone. Slowly, he opened his mouth, only to have the words escape on their own:
"FUCK..."