["...Wait. Wait. No. Shit."]
The System had just realized that it screwed up.
And Zar?
He was smiling.
Not just any smile—a victorious, knowing smirk.
The kind that screamed:
"I just won, and you can't do anything about it."
Leaning back against his throne, he stretched his arms lazily, like a king who had just conquered a kingdom without lifting a finger.
Then, in an almost theatrical voice, he said:
"Ha ha ha... System, this time, you've done me a great service—without even taking anything in return."
He let his words sink in, savoring the moment.
Then, as if to add salt to the wound, he continued:
"And you know what? I'll be generous. I'll let this whole thing go. In fact, I'm even grateful that you didn't hijack my words in front of the gods. That would've been a disaster."
The System, however, did not seem amused.
["Think what you want."]
It responded in a flat, deadpan tone.
Zar frowned.
Something about that lifeless, indifferent tone bugged him.
"…Oh, come on, System. It wasn't that bad."
["Ahh… now what?"]
Zar squinted.
"Then why are you talking to me like that?"
[...]
["…Oi, Zar, are you losing your mind? Who the hell enjoys being talked to the way I talk to you?"]
Zar blinked.
Then again.
His brain stalled.
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
Then—
"You know… I don't have any real friends who understand me, so—"
["Hey, hey, man. Stop right there."]
The System cut him off immediately.
["Just so you know—I'm straight."]
"…"
For a second, Zar's brain completely short-circuited.
Then—
With genuine outrage, he shouted:
"YOU B*STARD! I WAS JUST SHARING MY PAINFUL PAST AND YOU—!!!"
["Moving on!"]
The System swiftly changed the topic, acting like Zar had said absolutely nothing of importance.
["Aren't you forgetting something important?"]
Zar, still fuming, clicked his tongue.
Then, after a brief moment of thought—
"Oh, right. System, can you PLEASE tell me why I wasn't invited to Kairos Eternis?"
He emphasized the word "please."
Trying to sound polite.
Trying to make it clear: This is serious. Answer properly.
The System, however—
Did not answer properly.
["I'm NOT gonna say anything."]
Zar's mind whirred, piecing together the suspicious nature of the System's words.
It was so blatantly evasive that his instincts immediately screamed:
"I've been scammed."
And just like that—
A very specific thought formed in his mind.
A mental image so clear that it felt almost too real.
---
Scene: A Run-Down Marketplace in a Shady District
The streets were crowded, noisy, and chaotic—a labyrinth of scam artists, desperate traders, and naive customers just waiting to be robbed.
And in the middle of this crooked, grimy hellhole—
Sat a man.
Not just any man.
A fraudster.
The fraudster.
He sat behind a rickety wooden stall, the kind that looked like it would collapse at the first gust of wind.
His attire?
An over-the-top robe, so luxurious-looking that it screamed:
"I am 100% fake, but I want you to think I'm important."
His stall?
Decorated with questionable merchandise—
Glowing trinkets, mysterious scrolls, and "potions" with labels like:
"Drink This and Become a God!"
"Elixir of Ultimate Immortality!"
"1000-Year-Old Wisdom for Only 5 Gold Coins!"
It was a masterpiece of deception.
For days, the fraudster had been waiting.
Watching.
Hoping for the perfect idiot to walk in.
And then—
One day—
A dream customer appeared.
A man dressed in expensive clothes, carrying a fat pouch of gold.
The fraudster immediately perked up.
His eyes sparkled with fake kindness.
His lips stretched into a gracious, knowing smile.
"Ahhh, a wealthy fool! How rare! How precious! A customer sent by the gods themselves!"
He rubbed his hands together, already imagining the gold in his pocket.
At first, the fraudster sweet-talked the customer.
"Ah, my good sir! You have an aura of greatness! A man of your stature should not be wandering these lowly streets. But fear not! You are in the presence of a grand master of the arcane arts!"
The customer blinked, intrigued.
The fraudster continued, his voice dripping with fake sincerity.
"I see a destiny unlike any other! A fate so grand, so extraordinary—ah, but wait! There is something… something missing!"
The customer leaned in, whispering.
"W-What is it? What's missing?"
The fraudster sighed deeply, shaking his head as if burdened with divine wisdom.
Then, in a low, dramatic voice, he said:
"Power. True power. The kind that only I can grant you!"
The customer gulped.
He was hooked.
And the fraudster knew it.
Now came the final move.
With an exaggerated wave of his hands, the fraudster pulled out a glowing vial.
Inside?
Just water with some crushed glow-in-the-dark mushrooms.
But he held it up like it was the elixir of the gods themselves.
Then, in a hushed whisper, he said:
"This… is the legendary Essence of Omnipotence! One sip… and you shall transcend mortality itself!"
The customer's eyes widened.
His hands shook.
His breath hitched.
Then, he threw a massive pouch of gold onto the counter.
"I'LL TAKE IT!"
The fraudster grinned.
He casually took the gold, pretending not to be excited.
Then—
As the customer drank the glowing water, expecting instant godhood—
…Nothing happened.
Absolutely nothing.
For a long, awkward moment—
The customer just stood there.
Waiting.
Then—
Slowly—
He looked back at the fraudster.
His expression?
Dawning horror.
"W-Wait… I don't feel any different…"
The fraudster, already counting his gold, looked up and smiled.
"Ah, yes! That is the beauty of it! The power is growing inside you! Slowly! Give it time! Maybe a hundred years!"
The customer froze.
Then, with sudden realization—
"WAIT. WAIT. NO. SHIT."
The fraudster?
He was already gone.
-----
Zar's mind snapped back to the present.
His entire body stiffened.
His expression darkened.
And then—
His blood pressure spiked.
Because he had just realized something horrifying.
That fool in his imagination?
That was him.
And the fraudster?
The System.
This was his damn situation.
"...You… Shameless SCAMMER."
The System immediately responded:
["Oi, stop."]
Its voice was irritated.
["Don't disrespect me by comparing me to some scam artist."]
Zar squinted.
The System clearly didn't like the comparison.
But that only confirmed it in Zar's mind.
It knew he was right.
He clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
The System sighed.
Then, before Zar could argue further—
["Whatever. Instead of wasting time arguing, let me just give you a live broadcast of Kairos Eternis."]
Zar paused.
His irritation faded slightly.
And then—
His expression shifted.
From confusion—
To realization.
And then, guilt.
Slowly, awkwardly, he muttered:
"…Sorry."
The System?
["Whatever."]
And with that—
The broadcast began.
Silently, both Zar and the System turned their attention to Kairos Eternis, watching as the gods made their way toward their destination.