As Adam pushed open the doors, that strange, familiar sensation washed over him again—just like the first time he had stepped through a Gate. His body warped and twisted unnaturally, stretched like liquid rubber, as the very laws of reality bent around him.
But this time… something was different.
A strange echo lingered in the air.
The haunting sound of an instrument drifted through the void, playing from nowhere and everywhere.
Adam closed his eyes.
Silence.
He had to hurry.
But then, a thought flickered across his mind—Is time the same in every world? What if it isn't? What if… I'm already too late?
His mind instinctively reached for the system panel as if he had it already all his life—an entity so integrated into his consciousness, it felt as natural as breathing. With a practiced mental tug, the interface bloomed to life.
[Time inside each Gate freezes when the player leaves.]
"Player…?" Adam echoed softly. Is that what I am?
But this wasn't some MMORPG filled with knights and demon lords. There were no inventories packed with shiny loot or combat stats on display.
This was something... Atleast he watch manga, manhwaz, and manhuas to know all this type of things.
Were there other players out there? And what even was this system?
{System Name: The Multiversal Gatekeeper}
{System Upgrade: Locked. Two more Gates required to unlock:}
– Status Panel
– Multiversal Teleportation
– Communication Hub
– System Customization
– Etc.
Though it had been thrust upon him without warning, a strange gratitude welled up in his chest.
Finally… he had a system of his own.
And then, without warning, he fell.
There was no time to react as he plummeted and struck a smooth white surface. Cold and sterile like untouched concrete, it knocked the breath out of him. He groaned, coughing, his palms scraping the floor as he pushed himself upright.
Unlike the soft landing he'd had in the last crumbling world, this one hurt.
He rose slowly, blinking at his new surroundings.
A liminal, dreamlike space stretched before him—an endless maze of white staircases that led in all directions, some upside-down, some sideways, and some vanishing into nowhere. Everything was pale, quiet, and endless.
To his right stood a small table and a bookshelf.
Below him, on the floor: a strange rose-like plant rooted in a pot on a crimson carpet, pixelated with monster-like designs.
In the distance: a single bed, covered in a thick white blanket.
Beside it: a violin. A piano. And—
A white rabbit, curled up, breathing softly in its sleep.
And lying atop the bed was a girl—peaceful, unmoving, wrapped in comfort like this space belonged to her.
Adam froze, instinctively taking a step back. He wasn't the type to bother others. Quietly, he crept toward one of the many staircases.
But something was wrong.
Every staircase led back to the same room. No matter which path he took, it always circled back. The same bed. The same girl. The same rose. The same monster-carpet. Again and again and again.
Some stairs were illuminated by strange white lamps. Others descended into pitch-blackness where the glow couldn't follow.
Time stretched as he wandered. Minutes, hours—maybe more. It was impossible to tell.
The loop continued.
Until it didn't.
Adam was lost...
Figures began to appear—small humanoid beings draped in violet-black robes. Their rubbery skin gleamed faintly, and jewel-colored eyes stared through him like glass. They dangled from staircases, climbed up walls, even pushed one another down the endless steps.
They laughed as they fell—only to climb back up again.
His chest tightened. His breaths grew short. The space around him repeated itself like a dream stuck on a glitching loop.
"This is pointless," he muttered under his breath. "I'm getting tired of this."
One figure. Small. It had amber eyes and a tail lined with razor-like edges. It approached him directly—slowly, silently—and held out a hand.
Adam hesitated.
But something in the silence between them felt… safe.
He reached out, holding with the creature.
It turned and led him back—to the room. Again.
Still reluctant to disturb the girl, Adam looked around. He grabbed a long stick, wrapped its end in cloth, and extended it toward the bed, gently nudging her from a distance.
Nothing.
He sighed, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Then, with mounting frustration:
"HEY! WAKE THE HECK UP?!"
His voice boomed through the white space like a trumpet blast. The entire room quaked from the force.
The girl stirred. Eyes fluttered open, her expression still drowsy. She sat up slowly, yawning, rubbing at her face.
Her gaze met his—half-lidded and unimpressed.
"…Why are you an unknown dream character in my safe space?" she muttered. "Ugh. I'm getting rusty."
She stretched her arms wide. In an instant, Adam's body floated upward—weightless—caught in something glowing yellow orbs float like mana around him.
Wait. Dream character?
"Hold on! I'm not a dream character!" he cried, limbs flailing.
She tilted her head, considering. "Hmm… you're right. I dont know you.. Maybe you're a new dream character."
He groaned, his body twisting in the air. "Am I screwed…?"
"I just wanna leave…"
With a lazy snap of her fingers, the floating orbs vanished. Adam crashed to the ground.
She stood beside the bed now, brushing down her shirt down. "I'm Manori. You're intruding in my safe space."
Black slippers. Loose white shirt. Long black hair that framed her cold tired, unreadable expression.
"I didn't invite you," she said flatly. "No one is supposed to get in here."
Adam scrambled to his feet, brushing off invisible dust. He didn't have time for this.
There was a mission. Finding Monoliths. And the mechanical world waiting for him.
He turned toward the little creature.
"Hey, little guy. What's this place called?"
Its voice came as a mechanical rumble—gritty and deep despite its small frame.
"You mean this? This is Monoe Space. It's a pun. 'Mono'—as in she wants to be alone. Only one in the room. But you… you got in. That's not supposed to happen."
Adam blinked.
He didn't care.
He stepped toward a door that had suddenly appeared, its surface glowing faintly.
His hand gripped the knob.
The air warped.
Reality twisted once more.
He stepped through—
—into darkness. A forest. Cold and still.
A pinecone dropped from above, thunking against his head.
There were no lights that can be seen...
Only silence.