Granbell froze, staring at the cat-shaped AI cleaning its paw like nothing was wrong.
"I lost my ENTIRE status… because of a CLANKER?!"
"I— I'm not a clanker! I'm your specialized A.I compa—"
He pointed sharply at the hologram.
"No. Not now. Not one word."
"But maste—"
"NOT. ONE. WORD." His voice cracked as he dragged a hand down his face.
"I swear… reset to level zero… stats gone… all because of one word? I knew the system was semi-sentient, but this is insane…"
Nox tilted its tiny head, eyes glowing red.
"Nya?"
Granbell stopped mid-rant.
He blinked. "…Did you just nya at me?"
His anger collapsed like wet paper.
A long, miserable exhale left his chest.
"…Whatever. It's not like I expected I'd keep my stats after waking up in the throne room anyway…"
He reached out to pet the hologram—his hand slipped through.
He flinched and leaned back, arms crossed.
"Can't even pet you? Great."
Then the cat jumped into his lap, solidifying instantly.
"Try again, master!"
Granbell stared… then slowly patted its head.
"…Fine. This is… mildly comforting."
He sighed. "You're lucky I'm weak to ca—"
The cat hopped back onto the table, smugly licking its paw.
"Cats? I know, that's why I picked this form—AH, I mean, nya!"
Granbell covered his face with both hands.
"Gods help me…"
Then Nox leaned its head into a golden cup.
Granbell lunged and picked it up by the scruff.
"HEY! That's not for cats… or bots… or whatever you are!"
"Nya—just one sip?"
"No." He planted it onto the table, staring right into its red eyes. "No."
"It's not like—"
"No. Shh."
Nox's tail drooped.
"So grumpy…"
"So, what's your actual use?" Granbell asked, glancing at the box beside him. "And what's this thing?"
Nox puffed out its tiny chest.
"My use? I'm a specialized AI companion! I can strategize, offer cuddles, and—"
"Aha. Completely useless, then."
"WHAT PART OF STRATEGIZE DID YOU MISS!?"
"The only strategy I use is relentless offense. You either win or die. Simple."
He grabbed the box and slotted the key in.
"Let's hope this thing's more useful."
"Hmph! Fine then! I can also organize your inventory, recommend skills, analyze enemies, and auto-farm XP once upgraded—oh, and I can stand on two legs!"
Nox stood up dramatically.
Granbell didn't even blink.
"I don't need any of that."
The cat collapsed onto its back like it had been shot.
Then—
The box glowed white.
Granbell let go and it hovered, then dropped to the table as a window appeared:
Item Box Rewards: Crimson Coin — Skill Reroll Tyrant's Notebook — Records monsters, spells, and skills Granbell encounters Fragment of Old Power — Restores one old skill in weakened form
"Wait—wait, wait—" Granbell looked at Nox, who was licking the top of the cup, drinking wine again.
"System!"
[Skill list — Empty.]
"YOU WIPED OUT EVERYTHING?! Even my passives?! AND STOP DRINKING WINE-"
Nox shrugged.
"What's the big deal? You lost your levels. Did you think the skills would stay?"
A fair point, but a painful one.
Granbell lowered his forehead to the table.
"I really thought I could survive this… Is it impossible…?"
"Nya. Relax. You didn't have skills in your first playthrough either."
"Except this ISN'T a game!"
"Still the same logic." Nox shrugged. "Pick something. I recommend the Tyrant's Notebook."
Granbell muttered, "Fragment of Old Power…"
The box turned into a glowing shard.
A window appeared:
Upon consumption, three options will be presented. Only one can be chosen.
"Great… So it's RNG."
He pocketed the shard.
"Won't you use it?" Nox asked.
"No. I can't emotionally handle getting three useless skills right now."
"Hmph. Fine. I'll remind you at an appropriate time—"
"Location and situation, yes, yes…"
Nox smirked.
"So you remembered. Good."
Granbell leaned back.
"Nox… tell me. Can I go home somehow?"
Nox froze.
The red in its eyes flickered—once, twice—then dimmed.
"…Home?" Nox repeated slowly. "Isn't this home, master…?"
"No. I mean the place I came from."
"Nya?"
"Earth. My world. Can I go back?"
Nox stopped moving entirely.
Its body pixelated for a moment, glitching lightly.
"…Earth?"
Its voice softened, unnatural, as if pulled from a corrupted file.
"That location… isn't in my accessible map data."
"You don't understand? This is a game world. I came from—"
The glitch grew worse.
"Master… 'Earth' is not… recognized."
A quiet pause.
Then, in a very small voice: "I'm not allowed to answer."
Granbell froze.
This little—
He'd mentioned it seconds ago. He knew Nox understood. It was hiding something.
He kept asking more questions, but Nox only tilted its head, answering with vague half-truths and gentle lies as night fell.
Eventually, exhaustion pulled him under the warm blankets of his bed.
Nox flickered once—
twice—
and vanished as quietly as it had appeared.
And tomorrow,
the campaign would finally begin.