Ray ended up standing right in front of the machine again.
He stared at the screen for a second, then pulled the lever.
Cling. Cling. Cling.
The reels spun.
Not numbers.
Not fruits.
Not normal gambling stuff.
They all stopped on brains.
Three brains lined up perfectly—each one crackling with tiny lightning bolts.
Ray frowned.
"…Huh?"
"What is this? A jackpot or some—"
Before he could finish, the machine started shaking hard.
BZZZT—
The screen went crazy, flickering nonstop.
Smoke started leaking out from between the brain symbols.
"…Am I high?"
Ray squinted. This wasn't normal smoke.
Inside the gray haze were tiny brains—glowing, getting zapped, glitching like broken animations.
"Okay… yeah, nope. This is not normal."
The smoke moved.
Slow.
Straight.
Right toward Ray's face.
"What the—"
Before he could step back, the smoke went straight up his nose.
His head felt heavy instantly.
"Gh—!"
His vision spun. A loud ringing filled his ears. The world felt like it got yanked backward, then—
Blackout.
—
Ray woke up gasping.
"Haah… haah…"
He was still on the same sidewalk.
The streetlight was still flickering.
Ray looked up.
No slot machine.
"…Huh?"
Nothing.
Clean sidewalk. No wires. No machine. Like the whole thing never happened.
Ray wobbled on his feet.
"Fuck… what is hap—"
[Ding!]
A transparent screen popped up right in front of his face.
---
[Congratulations!]
You have obtained: Common Sense Altering System
---
Ray froze.
"…What?"
He rubbed his eyes.
The screen stayed.
He swallowed.
"…Okay," he muttered.
"Either I finally lost it…"
He stared at the text again.
"…or this is gonna be really, really bad."
Ray stood there stiff.
Cold sweat crept down his temples.
"…Am I stressed out or what?" he mumbled.
Slowly, cautiously, he poked the transparent screen. His finger went through—but there was a slight feedback, like tapping a touchscreen.
The panel pulsed softly.
---
[Common Sense Altering System]
Status: Activated
Press the brain icon for more info.
Press [X] to close the system.
----
---
Ray swallowed.
"Okay… so it's clickable."
His eyes locked onto the tiny X in the corner.
"…If this is a hallucination, it should disappear."
He tapped [X].
Blink.
The screen vanished instantly.
Ray let out a rough breath.
"Haah… okay. Hallucination. For sure."
But before he could relax—
He noticed something.
Floating in the air, right around his lower chest, was a faint icon. It looked like a fingerprint, thin and transparent, gently pulsing.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
Ray hesitated.
Then, half-giving up, he raised his hand.
"If this still works…"
He pressed it with his thumb.
Tap.
---
[Ding!]
The screen popped back up in front of his face.
Same message. Exactly the same.
Ray stared at it for a long moment.
"…Okay," he said quietly.
"So I'm not tripping."
He lowered his hand, his thumb still shaking a bit.
"…This thing is actually stuck with me."
Ray stared at the panel for a second, then tapped the X again.
Blink.
The system vanished.
"…I'll deal with this later. Don't wanna look like a crazy person over here."
BZZZ—
His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
Ray flinched, pulled it out, and checked the screen.
New message.
Gym Manager
> Ray, you're on double shift tomorrow. Someone called out last minute.
Ray froze.
He read it again.
Once.
Twice.
"…Motherfucker."
He let out a long breath, rubbing his face with one hand.
"Man… gym janitor life is brutal."
With his mood officially tanked, Ray headed back to his apartment.
—
By the time he got home, it was already late.
He cooked something simple. The fingerprint icon was still there, hovering like a smudge stuck on his screen. Ray glanced at it a few times, still unsure, then decided to fill his stomach first.
Even after eating, the transparent button was still there.
He ignored it and chose sleep instead.
Tomorrow was Friday—the day when the iron plates would be everywhere because everyone decided it was leg day.
Ray dropped onto his bed and closed his eyes.
Five seconds.
Then—
"Ahh… mmh…"
Ray's eyes snapped open.
From the next unit came very clear, very loud moaning.
"…Are you serious, man?"
It got worse.
Ray clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Tch… yeah, earphones are mandatory for this."
He grabbed his earphones, put them on, and picked up his phone.
Opened a video platform.
Scroll.
> 2 Hours Disturbing Horror Stories for Sleep
"…Nah."
Scroll again.
> 2 Hours of Philoslophical Wisdom for Sleep
Ray paused, rubbing his chin.
"…Hmm."
Scroll again.
> 2 Hours of Medieval History for Sleep
"…Yep. This one."
He tapped the video, cranked the volume up, and got comfortable on the bed.
The narrator's calm voice flowed in.
Wars. Kingdoms. Dead kings. Long, boring history.
Ray closed his eyes.
"…Perfect."
Not long after—
He fell asleep.