Assholes

In a dark room, glowing symbols covered the floor. A woman with long, white hair stood in the center of a strange circle. Her eyes were closed, and her fingers twitched slightly. Then, suddenly, she opened her eyes. They glowed a deep opaque color for a moment before fading back to normal.

She took a deep breath and looked around. Her lips curled into a small smile.

"Someone opened a door."

—

Ethan gasped and sat up. His body ached, and his head throbbed. His room was spinning, but he was back. He was back.

The darkness was gone. The screams were gone.

For a moment, he just breathed. He could feel his bed underneath him. The soft fabric of his blanket. The cold air from the window he had left open. He was safe.

Then, the system's voice rang in his head.

[Mission complete.]

Ethan blinked. Right. The mission. He had found the door. He had touched the doorknob. That was all he needed to do.

[You have successfully disassimilated from B+ Character Card: Seth.]

His fingers twitched. He was still shaking. His body still remembered what it felt like to be blind. To be mute. He hadn't even been Seth for that long, but it had felt like a lifetime.

Then, the system spoke again.

[You have received 10,000 Starling Coins.]

Ethan frowned. Starling Coins. That was the system's currency. He had never really thought about what it was worth.

[Calculating value in gold…]

There was a pause.

[10,000 Starling Coins equals 5 gold bars. 1 gold bar is worth approximately $65,000. Converting total to dollars…]

Ethan felt his breath hitch.

[Total: $325,000. Transferring funds to bound account…]

A second later, his phone vibrated on the table beside him. He turned his head and slowly reached for it.

When he clicked the screen, his banking app was already open. The numbers stared back at him.

$325,000.

Ethan's grip tightened on his phone.

Three hundred thousand dollars.

That was more money than he had ever had in his life. It wasn't enough to make him rich forever, but for someone drowning in debt like him… it was everything.

He could pay off the hospital bills. The loans. The rent. He could finally breathe.

And all he had to do… was risk his life.

Ethan swallowed hard.

His chest felt tight. The thought made his stomach turn.

If he did more missions… he could make more money.

But he could also die.

A system mission wasn't an acting role. It wasn't a stage. He had felt it. If he had failed, he wouldn't have just lost a chance at money. He would have been stuck.

He didn't even know what that meant. Trapped forever? Would he have died? Would he have just… stopped existing?

The thought sent chills down his spine.

[You have also received interest from Viewer Member: Babayaga101.]

Ethan frowned.

Babayaga101?

Before he could think too hard about it, his head suddenly pounded.

He groaned and held his forehead. His vision blurred, and when he tried to move his lips, his tongue felt heavy.

"W… W-w…"

He froze.

What was happening?

[Warning: Temporary Drawback Activated.]

The system's voice was calm.

[Your vision is currently blurry. Your speech may be slurred or difficult. These effects are due to the prolonged assimilation with a blind and mute character.]

Ethan clenched his fists.

[Your brain is adjusting. You were not actually blind or mute. But the body remembers what it experiences. These symptoms will fade over time.]

Ethan swallowed hard.

He tried again.

"W-what… th… h-h-hap…"

His tongue twisted. His brain was scrambling for words. He knew what he wanted to say, but it wasn't coming out right.

The system didn't seem to care.

[You have received 10+ new comments.]

Ethan blinked.

Comments?

"What…?" He tried again.

His speech was slow, broken, but he got the word out.

[Displaying comments now.]

A screen popped up in front of him. The text was clear, though his eyes still struggled to focus.

Babayaga101: Insane. I love it.

Thehangingman: Not bad. Could've died though.

Bigbrothersadakobigsisyersayako: We are watching. We are amused. We are waiting.

BottomlessGaze: Interesting.

WeepingLady: …That was terrifying.

Babayaga101: I swear he hesitated for a second there. Almost thought he'd fail.

Thehangingman: Same. He was one step away from being stuck forever. Would've been fun to see.

Bigbrothersadakobigsisyersayako: We think he struggled. We think he suffered. We think it was delightful.

BottomlessGaze: The way he stumbled was poetic. Fear changes people.

WeepingLady: This system is too cruel… he barely got out.

Babayaga101: That's what makes it good.

Thehangingman: Wonder if he'll try again.

Bigbrothersadakobigsisyersayako: We believe he will. He must. He has no choice. He seems to like money.

BottomlessGaze: If he hesitates next time, it won't end well.

WeepingLady: …I don't want to see him break.

Babayaga101: Then don't watch.

Ethan's blood ran cold.

What… was this?

The comments looked like normal internet posts. They had usernames. They had reactions. But—

Up until now he didn't have an audience.

Shit… He really cussed the day he acquired the item the Audience, which was today.

The system had never mentioned anything like this before.

His breathing quickened.

"What…" He struggled to say the words. "W… who…"

[They are your viewers.]

Ethan's heart pounded.

[Your audience. The stars.]

Babayaga101: Lmao, he was about to trip over a rat. Did you see that?

Thehangingman: Imagine getting stuck in a weird ghost dimension for a hundred years. Nah, not for me.

Bigbrothersadakobigsisyersayako: We laugh. We giggle. We find it amusing.

BottomlessGaze: Poor guy. Could've died, could've tripped, could've done a 360 no-scope.

WeepingLady: That's a way to get your cardio in.

Babayaga101: Honestly, I would've freaked out. But hey, Ethan's got guts.

Thehangingman: Too much? Nah. Not for him.

Bigbrothersadakobigsisyersayako: We like him. We like his struggle. We think it will make the show more interesting.

BottomlessGaze: Does anyone else feel like he's just… randomly stumbling through life?

WeepingLady: Same. But it's kind of funny.

The screen flickered, and for a moment, the words seemed to glow.

The stars.

Ethan: "….."

His audience sounded like assholes.