I had a very special dream. It was as long as it was beautiful. In it, people actually paid attention to what I had to say. In it, no one bumped into me even when I sincerely tried to avoid them. In it, people respected and looked up to me. Why should I awake from such a wonderful world just so I could return to a bleak reality where I was merely a background character?

I had always known that my role in life wasn’t that of a protagonist. But it hurt so much to realize that even the role of a side character was too good for someone like me. Instead, I spent my life as a prop, unnoticed. Some would say that I, Lex Lurker, was more than that, though—the one outside the scene.

Lisa Brightwood had always been the complete opposite of me. She always attracted people's attention wherever she went. People adored her, and everyone wanted to become her friend. Men wanted to steal her heart, and some even worshipped her. Me? I just observed her. That was my role—the observer.

But sometimes, your conscience just screams at you to act. To enter the scene. To take the leading role. And listening to this feeling was my greatest mistake… A mistake that killed me… Or did it?

With a shock, I realized that thinking any of those thoughts would be impossible if I had really died. As a wise man once said, "I think, therefore I am".

I tried to feel something that could prove my existence. Anything.

Ding!

I heard a strange melodic sound.

Genesis System initialization… The Outer Universe Zeta, x46638itas741 coordinate, code name [Mirror Earth Type Y]… Activating Delta Seals…

Those words didn't make any sense to me. I wondered if they were just a part of my dream.

Dimensional Fusion with [Heliron Type S] detected… 7.946 Billion [Human] subjects discovered… Activating Evacuation Protocol…

Analyzing the body’s state…

The body's condition isn't suited for the Tutorial…

Initiating transfer to the Safe Zone Realm…

As the genderless monotonic voice played inside my head, I truly realized that, for whatever reason, the truck hadn't killed me. It meant that there was still a chance for me to keep on living. To be noticed…Maybe, just maybe, Lisa hadn’t forgotten about my sacrifice. Maybe she had even learned my name.

Did it matter, though? I hadn’t saved Lisa to gain attention for myself. I did it because I wanted her to continue to shine and to bring smiles to other people. Or did I? I couldn't remember such details. In fact, it wasn't like me at all—risking my everything for someone else. It directly contradicted my mother's teachings. "The only person who truly matters in your life is you"—she loved to repeat. I wondered if she was okay right now.

I mustered all of my willpower in an attempt to sense my body. And I succeeded. I could sense my fingertips, even if barely. After a while, I started to notice my own breathing. Then, I tried to move my eyelids. For a moment, I also felt an invisible warm something enveloping me like balmy morning sunlight. But this sensation disappeared before I could enjoy it.

A change in the body's condition has been detected…

Initiating re-evaluation…

Canceling current transfer…

Whatever this voice was, I guessed that it was responsible for the warm feeling. I couldn't think deeper about it, as a bright light blinded me as soon as I opened my eyes.

Honestly, it hurt more than I had expected. But the pain merely proved that I was alive.

ERROR…

Conflicting body evaluation results detected…

ERROR…

Analyzing the subject's Essence Code… Analysis Failed…

Higher Authority required… Awaiting Main Core response…

I wasn't sure what those gibberish words meant, but it didn't sound like something good. Still, I had more important matters at hand. Like, for example, rousing my body and gaining proper control of it.

Main Core failed to analyze the subject's Essence Code… High-level interference detected…

ER#%R#%#OR

A response from the Administrators has been requested…

At my second attempt, I managed to force my eyes to stay open. With some effort, I moved my head to look around. It wasn't easy nor pleasant, and my neck made an icky, but not painful, crunching noise.

At least, nothing seems to be broken… I hope.

I found myself in a hospital room, lying in a bed surrounded by machinery.

Various tubes were connected to me, and I could vaguely sense that my lower body was naked under the blanket. When I thought about it, I could remember hearing voices—some vaguely familiar—while I had been sleeping.

I guess getting hit by that truck put me into a coma. Should I consider that lucky, or unlucky?

I wondered how much time had passed since my hospitalization.

Also, it was strange, but I couldn't see anyone else in the room.

Transfer to the Safe Zone Realm… [DENIED]

Transfer to the Tutorial… [DENIED]

Awaiting a response from the next available Administrator…

What the Hell?! I’m still hearing voices even after waking up properly? I thought. In fact, I wanted to curse out loud, but my vocal cords weren't in any condition to do so.

The voice sounded right inside my head. I would have written it off as nothing but a hallucination, if not for the fact that the same words that were spoken by this invisible being floated right before me on a transparent screen.

Transfer process completed successfully…

All Humans have been relocated from [Mirror Earth Type Y]…

Delta Seals removed… Fusion will commence in 10…

9…

8…

This is too stupid even for a drug trip… I thought in frustration.

7…

6…

Did I end up going crazy after being stuck in a coma for too long?

5…

4…

I wanted to patiently wait until some doctor noticed my awakening—something that could take a long time, considering how often people completely missed my presence—but things were about to become even stranger.

3…

2…

And even more frightening.

1…

FUSION COMMENCING

The whole room—and probably the whole building, if not the whole world—started to shake violently. Thankfully, this didn't last for more than a few seconds.

The life-support system beeped loudly, and then it turned off completely. The same thing happened to the lights that illuminated the room. Suddenly, the window a few meters from me became my only source of light. It was a good thing that it was still bright outside.

By instinct, I turned my gaze towards the window. What I saw there almost made me shit my non-existing pants.

Holy mackerel! I cursed internally.

I wanted to scream so much but just couldn't. I had a hunch that if I tried to strain my esophagus too much, I'd end up losing my voice forever. It was frustrating, to say the least. Staying silent after seeing such an unbelievable sight just felt wrong—even for someone as taciturn as me.

Apparently, my hospital room was on a rather high floor, so other buildings didn't cover my line of sight. High above in the blue sky, a large crack appeared as if space itself had been broken by some invisible force. This abnormality seemed to be hundreds of miles in size, but that wasn't the most shocking part.

What made me doubt the reality of all of everything I was seeing were the dozens of enormous dragons that flew through this dimensional fissure. Just like doves that appeared from a magician's hat, they rapidly left the rift, each in a different direction.

As I recalled the words said by the robotic voice, I felt a sudden surge of frustration mixed with despair. As I remembered one of the messages, the translucent words reappeared before me like some sort of a magic trick.

All Humans have been relocated from [Mirror Earth Type Y]… The Fusion will be completed in one orbital period.

Did you just say that all humans were relocated? I thought instead of yelling out loud, even if I really wanted to shout at this invisible jokester. But what about me? I'm a human, too! Right?!

Just like this, I was left out by the System.