Adam tapped his foot against the strange, textureless floor of the Timeout Room, which looked like it had been sketched in haste—walls vaguely with red with window rags, shadows just a suggestion. It felt like waiting inside a loading screen that never finished rendering.
"So," he said, his voice echoing slightly, "how do I leave?"
Minori smirked.
That was the only answer he got. Just that smug, sideways grin—a grin that somehow made Adam feel like he was already the punchline of a joke he didn't understand.
Then it happened.
A hand—cold, unfamiliar, and very much not his own—grabbed him from behind.
He jolted forward, adrenaline slamming into his system like a car crash. He barely had time to turn before the world twisted. The ceiling above them rippled, then folded inward like it was made of fabric. Gravity turned traitor. The room inverted in a scream of color and static, and suddenly Adam was flying.
Up.
Up.
At least ten meters high—maybe more. He could see everything shrink beneath him, the warped floor, Minori's speck-sized grin, and the increasingly absurd physics that governed this place.
He screamed—literally fear, exactly. More like, Are you serious right now?
"You fricking MONSTER?!" he yelled mid-air.
Minori just smiled wider.
Adam plummeted back to the floor and crashed—face-first.
Dust puffed up around him, but… nothing hurt. No blood. No broken teeth. Just a mouthful of digital-tasting dirt and an overwhelming sense of what the heck.
He sat up slowly, spitting. "Am I… okay?"
Not even a scratch. His body felt wrong—too light, too flexible. He poked his cheek. It jiggled. Like rubber.
"It feel like a cartoon. Like something of a cartoon character you watch on a holiday"
"That's because you kinda are," Minori called out cheerfully.
I look confused... "How?"
Adam looked up. The guy was now holding a pair of absurdly large scissors—like kindergarten craft scissors, only chrome-plated and humming with energy.
"What are you—"
SNIP.
Minori sliced through the air itself. The space tore open like construction paper, revealing a shimmering, translucent portal. Colors on the other side pulsed in impossible gradients—sky blues melting into lava reds, then fracturing into pixel static.
"Oh yeah," Minori said. "Forgot to mention. I have to fight you."
"…What? Why? What did I even do?"
He shrugged, stretching like a cat. "Introductory battle. Tutorial boss. Y'know, the usual. Plus, you look like someone who needs a hands-on demonstration."
A chime rang out—playful and synthetic.
Floating text appeared before Adam's eyes, overlaying reality like a HUD:
BATTLE START
A cute rhythm of metallic beeps and taps filled the air. Background music. Not intrusive—almost… catchy.
Three glowing boxes hovered in front of him like buttons:
‣ [Profile] ‣ [Items] ‣ [Press Start]
Adam — Level 1 HP: 10 MP: 3
Character: An enigmatic figure from another world.
Skills: None
Stats ATK: 2 DF: 2 AGL: 3 WIL: 4 LCK: 2 INT: 2 STA: 3
Adam stared blankly. "I've played too many games for this to freak me out," he muttered. "But also… what the heck is happening."
Minori's stat window popped up next:
Minori — Level 1HP: 1 MP: 1Background: A strange figure who knows a little about everything. Master of the Timeout Room.
Adam tried accessing his skills, but a red message blocked the screen:
‣ [INT too low to view enemy skill log]
Minori struck a ridiculous pose, one leg up like a flamingo, fingers framing his face.
"C'mon," he said. "Hit me."
Adam blinked. "Are you serious?" This system... I mean his hp is so low, will he die?
Minori nodded eagerly. "Cmon this isnt a death battle, nothing going to happen."
"…Fine." He sighed and poked him in the chest.
Minori wasn't there anymore.
The guy had dodged—gracefully, like he had been expecting the poke.
"If an enemy dodges," he said helpfully, "their Agility is higher than yours. Keep up."
Another poke. Another dodge. Then another.
Minori danced around him like a wind-up toy with cheat codes.
"But here's the twist," he added. "In this system, EXP is earned through attempts of strikes, not just wins. So every failure? Still progress. Encouraging, right?"
White-gloved hands yanked Adam's hair from behind. He cried out and spun with a punch—only to strike a stuffed dummy dressed like Minori. Its head flew off, revealing a rolled-up note in its neck:
[You're doing great, Yay]
Adam groaned.
"Rehan," he muttered to the air. "Is there anything I can do?"
A pause.
Then:
‣ [Rehan: I don't—]‣ [Error]‣ [Limited experience…]‣ {Error: New skill detected.}‣ {Adapting… Configuring… Storing…}
NEW SKILLS UNLOCKED
Advisor – Speak to your AI companion to learn about enemy weaknesses. (MP Cost: 1)
Empower – Temporarily doubles all stats. (MP Cost: 30%)
Adam blinked. "Huh."
Minori raised a brow. "Oh? Getting fancy, are we?"
Adam exhaled slowly. "Let's try this."
He activated Empower. A golden aura surged around him. His body felt dense now—real, powerful. His MP dropped, but not disastrously.
He struck again—this time, a jab.
It connected.
Just a poke.
Minori flinched. He actually flinched.
"…Wait," he said, voice flat. "That's… not possible. I calculated your stats ratio—how...?"
BATTLE ENDEXP Gained: 300 Level up! → Level 4
10 DC Gained
Items found:
Minori's Sock (Misc): Probab: ly useless. Smells faintly like ozone.
Broken Shard of the Timeout Room: Single use — forcibly teleport someone (or yourself) back to the Timeout Room.
Minori dusted off his coat. "Dang. I was gonna teach you more."
He glanced sideways. "Final tip? If you meet something that doesn't follow the battle system—it's either a Phase Guardian… or it's not even a character."
He offered his hand. Adam took it.
"You leaving?" Minori asked casually.
Adam frowned. "I got this gold or dream coin -_- or something... What do I even do with it?"
Minori's grin returned. "You can trade it. Or… give it to me. As a gracious donation."
Adam gave him a blank stare.
"-_-"
He was tired.
"…Why didn't I know I had a system like this?" he asked.
Minori tilted his head. "Because you're weird. Everyone else just thinks about their interface and—bam—there it is."
Adam concentrated. A secondary window blinked into existence. Smaller. Sleeker. He chuckled to himself.
"Figures."
Minori gave a final, whimsical spin, then—without warning—shrunk. His body twisted, puffed, compressed.
He landed with a soft plop onto a tiny stand, now the size of a garden gnome… and very much a mole.
A mole in a scarf, saluting with one paw.
"Goodbye, friend," he said, voice squeaky and echoing slightly in the strange room.
Then he vanished—stand and all...