4: Not his day
With this, Jiro realised that they were seeing two totally different horizons and worlds as if they were in the same spot but their vision was different.
"Big brother, Can you...can you see this dead body floating in this muddy water? It's here, just before my eyes on the 90-degree angle", Jiro pointed his hand towards his dead body which was visible to him.
Piano's pupil dialect where Jiro's hand was navigating, but Piano gave out no reaction as there was nothing on the floor. What's worse, to him, Jiro was standing where the snake had made his nest.
"Kiddo! You are stepping on the snake's nest, come here".
Just when Piano said it, he recalled that he just got Jiro out of that next a moment ago. Things are becoming clear now.
"Kiddo! What more do you see? What are your surroundings?", He asked Jiro in a serious tone.
"It's wet and muddy on the ground, more like we are standing in the muddy water but are not sinking. It's a forest around us with the trees having unique red and yellow color leaves, it has just rained in this area".
It was the moment when their worlds clashed.
"Thus makes sense now. We are getting affected by the magic that's cast in this dungeon, no wonder it's called illusionary Dungeon", Piano admitted that they were trapped in this place.
"What to do next? How are we going to leave?", Jiro is getting anxious now.
"Don't panic and eat something to regain your strength for now. There must be a way to leave this way", Said Piano as he once again lifted Jiro from the ground and put him to his side.
Piano could see that this kid was hungry and had nothing to eat for the last three days. He was even wondering how this kid survived for so long in such a wilderness.
Since Piano was chasing after that secret messenger, he was carrying necessary stuff on him. He had enough food to last him for the next one week. He brought out the food from his black leather bag.
He bent down before Jiro and gave him the food with that bright and heartfelt smile on his face.
Seeing him acting so warm to Jiro, Jiro felt like he was betraying this big guy and cheating him...and that he was even robbing off his food.
"Thank you".
It felt wrong to lie to Piano. But...
It's nothing.
After all, once they escape from this risky place, they will go their separate ways. And will never see each other's faces for the whole lifetime.
If that is the case, there is nothing to feel guilty about lying to him.
We met thousands of people in our lifetime, and it's not necessary, to be honest with every person. It's okay to lie, it's human nature.
As long as that person is not hurt by that lie, it's okay, it's not serious.
When Piano passed him some food, Jiro was beyond shocked. It was flat-dried bread, and when he ate it, it tasted the same as how it used to be in his original world.
"Looks like this world is not so much different from the original world. But again, what is this place? And why am I brought here?".
He thought to himself and finished the food. Now that he has eaten something and his stomach was full, he was feeling much better.
When Jiro was eating that dried flatbread, he was disgusted when those old memories were surfing through his mind.
The memories of how Jiro survived in that dangerous place for the last three days were surfing in his mind on and off.
Jiro was never given sufficient food, his stomach was never properly full, and he would always be given a small portion as his meal or either dinner.
So every day after his meal or dinner, when he would go extra hungry, he used to eat the earthly worms.
The crunch while eating those filthy worms, and the dirt on his mouth was still fresh to him, he felt both pity and sad when remembering all that.
Beep...
The sound sounded in the background and soon that voice appeared.
(The host has unlocked a new feature. You can now see the affection points)
Jiro Froze was on the spot for some time before he recovered from that state and saw some words floating on Piano's head.
Not just words but there were some numbers too, more like percentages.
"Affection...50 percent".
Jiro was confused for a moment but then he remembered that one video game where the main character needed to win the affection of other mail leads.
And right now...it was the same.
"Hey! Who are you? Do you have a name or you are just a voice? Answer me please", Jiro thought in his mind.
[Finally! The master has gained some consciousness. You have asked the right question. I am not called Voice. I am the greatest system in this world. And your companion for a better life. Heaven felt pity and sympathy for you for dying so unfairly. Thus, you are given a second chance at life. You are grateful, right?]
"So you are that so-called legendary system huh", Jiro was not shocked at all after hearing what that system said.
[Yeah! I am that legendary system]
This system was quite bashful. It was really flexing how legendary it was and how lucky he was to get this system.
"Stop flexing yourself. Since you are my system and you have given me a second chance, why don't you just pull me back to my original world?", Jiro thought in his mind.
[Hehe! That...I don't know how to, I don't have such a feature to send you back into your original world. You are now sent to this world, which means you have to live your life here. And if you don't want to lose this precious last chance at life, you have to listen to me]
As expected, it was only flexing. In reality, it has no such features as to help him.
"What a useless system. Anyway! Since you can't help me to return to my original world, at least tell me how should I escape from this dungeon?", Jiro was desperate to know the way now.
Since it was his second chance at life, he can't waste it. Even though he was still in denial that he was dead and can't return to his original world, he was trying hard to adapt.
And the first step toward that was to leave this place somehow.
He has never played a virtual game where he was thrown into a situation to play and slay the creatures in a fake world and win rewards.
So he has no experience. All he can do now is to rely on the knowledge he had gained from reading books and online novels.
[Stop blaming me and listen to me carefully. The way to escape this illusionary dungeon lies in your head. This place has magic installed everywhere, it's playing with your mind. If you want to get out, find a way yourself]
Well! It's a magical place, all types of creature resides in this world. And dungeons are a normal part of this world.
If Jiro wants to defeat this magic, he needs to think hard and find a way by himself.
"Can you be a little normal? You are my system, you just admitted it. And so you have to help me. At least give me some clues...".
[You are seriously an idiot, I just gave you a clue. It's on you now about how to escape this place, I won't help. You are weak and so I am. Increase your strength and you will get full support from me]
The system just gave out a clue a moment ago when it was speaking some nonsense to him. It's now his problem if he doesn't get it.
The affection points and affection percentage were still visible on Piano's head.
"Looks like I have really gained a system. But what's the use of it when I have to work hard in the end? Isn't the system supposed to help its sole owner? Why am I so unlucky then?", Jiro thought.
He was in the middle of immense thinking when suddenly the land beneath his feat started disappearing.
No...
When he looked at the land beneath him, he saw that his connection with the earth was breaking.
It was not that the land beneath him was disappearing or churning into a hole. But it was him which was floating in the air.
Yes, he was flying...
And when He lifted his head and turned around, he saw Piano was holding him in his large hands and walking ahead, Jiro was getting carried by him.
"Big brother! Can you put me down? I can walk on my own".
"Shush! We have to leave now. You see that thin shield over there? It's breaking. If we stay here at the same place, there are high chances that we will be buried under it".