Kai stared at Princess Iris, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest and start tap-dancing.
The situation was beyond ridiculous: there he was, an average guy who, just moments ago, had been on a bus headed to university, now shrunk to the size of an action figure in a gigantic medieval bedroom, arguing with a noble girl who eyed him like he was some weird mix of a circus freak and a public enemy.
But the craziest part? Despite it all, a tiny corner of his brain was still convinced this had to be a dream.
‘Come on, Kai, no bus crash teleports you to a castle with a giant princess. This is just my brain pulling a fast one,’ he thought, trying to steady himself.
Clinging to that idea, Kai rexed a bit, shrugging as a crooked grin crept onto his face. He gnced at Iris, who was still watching him with those bzing purple eyes, and said in a breezy tone:
“Well, you know what? I don’t care. If this is a dream, whatever. Do what you want.”
Iris blinked, visibly thrown off. She tilted her head, golden locks sliding across her face, and furrowed her brow like he’d just said the dumbest thing imaginable.
“What? Seriously? You’re telling me you don’t care?”
Her voice came out sharp, ced with disbelief.
“Are you nuts or something? Because I swear I’m calling the guards right now!”
Kai chuckled under his breath, raising his hands in mock surrender, though his id-back vibe made it seem like he was teasing her.
“Go for it, princess. Call ‘em with gusto. Come on, hit me with your best shot.” His tone edged on defiant, a smirk tugging at his lips as he locked eyes with her.
Iris froze for a second, mouth slightly agape, like she couldn’t believe her ears.
Then her eyes narrowed, lips pressing into a tight line, clearly ticked off.
She crossed her arms, wrinkling her white nightgown a little at the chest, and jabbed a finger at him—a finger that, to Kai, was the size of a baseball bat.
“So you’re that confident, huh? That can only mean one thing!” she decred, her voice rising with accusation. “You’re obviously working for my idiot older brother!”
Kai couldn’t hold it in—he burst out ughing, doubling over and bracing his hands on his knees. Tears pricked his eyes as he wheezed, managing to gasp out:
“Your brother? Ha! No clue what you’re on about, but… hey, could be a gig, right?” He straightened up, still snickering, and plopped down cross-legged on the rug like he was chilling at home with the TV on. He shot Iris a calm look and added, “By the way, could you grab me a gss of water? All this drama’s got me parched.”
The silence that followed was so thick you could’ve sliced it with a butter knife.
Iris stared at him, wide-eyed, cheeks flushing red with sheer disbelief.
She slowly turned her head left, then right, like she was hunting for a hidden camera or someone to expin this madness.
Finally, she snapped her gaze back to him and hissed in a low, dangerous tone:
“Wait… are you giving me an order? Me?”
Kai nodded with infuriating calm, resting his chin in his hand like they were just chatting over coffee.
“Yeah, sure. A gss of water, pretty please. Not rocket science, is it?”
Iris went rigid, mouth hanging open, hands trembling slightly.
Then her expression shifted: her eyes narrowed, and a tight smile stretched across her face, like she’d just cracked a code.
She leaned toward him again, a sly glint in her eyes, and whispered:
“I get it now. You’re so cocky because you’re some big-shot wizard, aren’t you? That’s why you’re so chill in front of me!”
Kai blinked, startled, then let out another belly ugh, spping his thigh.
“A wizard? Ha! That’s a good one.” He was about to fire back with something snarky when Iris cut him off.
“Don’t get too full of yourself, though! Because soon I’ll be a great wizard too! The best! Everyone’s gonna be groveling at my feet, quaking in awe of my power!” Her voice was a wild mix of fury and glee, her arms filing like she was conducting an invisible symphony.
Kai raised an eyebrow, propping his head on his hand as he thought, ‘Wow, this girl’s writing her own blockbuster in her head. What an imagination.’
But as Iris rambled on about ruling the kingdom with her magic, something weird happened.
A holographic window popped up in front of Kai’s eyes, floating there like it was no big deal.
He blinked, stunned, and muttered under his breath as he read:
Name: Iris Valderia
Level: 1
Css: None
HP: 100/100
MP: 100/100
[Attributes]
Strength: 10
Endurance: 20
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 15
[Skills]
None.
Kai gawked at the screen, jaw sck.
‘What the hell? Is the system handing me her character sheet?’ he thought, scratching the back of his neck.
He compared her stats to his own: his endurance of 300 was ughably higher than her measly 20, which made him smirk with a flicker of pride.
But then he saw the intelligence—his 10 versus her 15. He scowled, annoyed.
‘Seriously? It’s saying this nutcase is smarter than me? Rude!’ he huffed internally, crossing his arms.
That sparked another question: if this was a fantasy world, could he use magic too?
He decided to test it. Jumping to his feet, he thrust his hands out like he’d seen in a thousand anime episodes, wiggling his fingers like he was about to unleash an epic spell.
Iris, mid-rant about her future as a supreme sorceress, stopped dead and leapt back on the bed, throwing her hands up like she expected a fireball.
“Hey! What are you doing?” she yelped, eyes wide as saucers.
But nothing happened. Kai stood there, arms outstretched in a goofy pose, then dropped them with a sigh.
“Well, guess I’m not a wizard after all,” he mumbled, shrugging.
Iris gred at him, frowning hard, clearly miffed.
“Don’t do that again! You scared me, you jerk!” she snapped, pointing that giant finger at him once more.
But just then, another window popped up in front of Kai:
[You’ve successfully startled Princess Iris. You’ve earned 100 achievement points.]
Kai blinked, baffled.
‘Achievement points? What the heck is this now?’ he wondered.
Before he could wrap his head around it, the window shifted, unfolding into a menu packed with options.
There were skills like “Infernal Bze” (150,000 pts), “Dragon Summoning” (200,000 pts), and other over-the-top, wallet-busting abilities.
Kai whistled low.
‘Damn, these are pricey. What is this, premium DLC?’ he thought, rubbing his chin.
Then the menu refreshed, showing cheaper skills:
“Sharper Vision” (20 pts), “Hold Breath Underwater” (40 pts), and “Lift Objects” (80 pts).
Without overthinking it, he picked “Lift Objects.”
‘Let’s see what happens,’ he thought, feeling a tingle in his fingertips. He stretched his hand toward a small bronze candlestick lying on the rug—probably forgotten by some sloppy servant.
With a flick of his wrist, the candlestick wobbled, then lifted a few inches off the ground, floating clumsily in the air.
Iris let out a choked gasp, cpping her hands over her mouth.
“W-what! How are you doing that without a chant?” she stammered, eyes bugging out.
Kai sighed, letting the candlestick drop with a dull thud.
“Such a cliché reaction, princess,” he said with a mocking grin.
But before he could toss out another quip, a sharp knock echoed from the door, followed by a woman’s voice:
“Princess Iris? Are you awake?”
It was a maid, her tone polite but firm.
Iris paled, her gaze darting between Kai and the door.
“Y-yes! But don’t come in yet, okay?” she shouted, her voice wobbling despite her attempt to sound in charge.
She whipped back to Kai, leaning in with a nervous look.
“Hey, nice trick, but get out of here already! Come back ter with your jokes, alright?”
Kai ughed, lounging back on the rug like he was at a picnic.
“Princess, I’ve been asking you for the exit since I got here. Didn’t catch that, huh?”
She frowned, confused.
“Quit messing around! Just go back the way you came! If they catch you here—a guy in my room—I’m toast,” she hissed, dropping her voice to an anxious whisper.
Kai scratched his neck, eyeing her with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
‘And earlier she was threatening to sic the guards on me… this chick’s a total weirdo,’ he thought. Then he grinned and said:
“Well, that’s your problem, not mine.”
Iris’s jaw dropped, her cheeks fring red again.
‘What kind of shameless wizard is this guy? So cheeky!’ she fumed silently, clenching her fists.
But before she could snap back, the maid’s voice cut in again:
“Pardon, princess, but it’s getting te. You’re due to breakfast with the family. Please let us in to tidy up.”
Iris gnced at Kai, still lounging like he owned the pce, then at the door.
Her breathing quickened, and suddenly, without warning, she lunged forward and grabbed him.
Kai felt giant fingers wrap around him, hoisting him off the ground like a toy.
It was… weird.
Her skin was warm and soft, but the grip was firm, and her hand’s sheer size made him feel tiny and helpless.
“Hey! What’s the deal?” he yelped, filing in the air.
Iris stared at him, eyes gleaming with panic.
“Use your teleportation magic and get out already!” she whispered urgently.
“Teleportation? If I could do that, I’d have bailed ages ago!” he said, ughing as he dangled from her grasp like a ragdoll.
She gave him a puzzled look.
“What? Did you run out of mana or something?”
“Uh… yeah, let’s go with that,” he replied, shrugging as best he could midair.
The knocking grew more insistent, and the maid called out:
“Princess Iris!”
Iris gasped, her eyes darting around in desperation.
“Sorry, wizard,” she muttered, lifting her nightgown with her free hand to reveal a pale stomach and white panties that were… slightly damp.
Before Kai could even process it, she yanked him toward her waist.
“Wait, wait! What are you doing?” he shouted, eyes popping wide.
Her face burned red with embarrassment as she stammered:
“I’ve got to protect my status! I can’t let them disown me over this!”
‘Disown? What the heck is this lunatic rambling about?’ Kai thought, totally lost.
The maid spoke again from outside:
“Are you talking to someone, princess?”
