The sun in this alien world didn't seem to understand the concept of a break. Its rays pierced through the gaps in the giant foliage with skin-stinging intensity, causing sweat to pour even heavier down Dayat's body. He was still sitting cross-legged on the damp ground, trapped inside the imaginary two-meter diameter circle the AI claimed was a "safe zone."
Outside that circle, the horned rabbit—which Dayat had now nicknamed 'Spotty' due to the weird patterns on its fur—was still waiting faithfully. The creature wasn't aggressive, but the look in its eyes clearly said: "I'll wait until you come out, Bro."
"Miss... uh, I mean, AI," Dayat called out, breaking the awkward silence. His throat felt itchy. "How long are we going to play a staring contest with that wannabe rabbit? I'm thirsty, hungry, and I think I'm about to get heatstroke."
The silver-haired woman in front of him didn't turn around. Her eyes continued scanning the surroundings, blinking occasionally with a mechanical rhythm. The blue light in her irises spun slowly.
"Environmental analysis indicates toxin fluctuations in the air are decreasing by 0.5% per minute," she replied flatly. "However, the probability of survival if we run out now is still below 12%. That Lagomorpha creature's velocity is three times the maximum sprinting speed of an average human."
Dayat let out a harsh sigh. "So what? We just wait here for a pathetic death?"
The AI suddenly turned her head to face Dayat. Her movement was smooth yet precise, stopping exactly when her eyes met his.
"No, Master. Staying put is a strategy to conserve calories while I complete a secondary analysis of your physiology."
"Physiology? You mean my body?"
"Affirmative. During the consciousness transfer initiation earlier, my sensors detected a massive energy anomaly within your cerebral cortex—your brain. There were wave spikes inconsistent with standard Earth human biology."
Dayat frowned. "You mean I have a brain tumor because I switched worlds?"
"Negative. Not a disease. But a potential resource," the AI answered. She raised her right hand, her slender index finger pointing at Dayat's forehead. "In this world, the atmosphere is saturated with exotic energy particles. Locals might call it 'Mana', 'Ether', or 'Prana'. And your body, whether due to a glitch effect during transfer or forced adaptation, acts as a natural conductor for said energy."
Dayat fell silent. Those words sounded familiar. Very familiar to someone who spent half his life reading fantasy novels and Korean manhwa.
"Wait... you mean... I have Mana? I have magic?" Dayat's eyes went perfectly round, his fear momentarily replaced by pure weeb enthusiasm.
"The term 'magic' holds no concrete scientific definition in my database. However, technically: Yes. You possess the ability to manipulate these energy particles through brain synapses. Based on your brain wave patterns, which are highly active in the visual imagination area, my hypothesis is that your power is 'Constructive' in nature."
"Constructive?"
"Imagination Manifestation," the AI clarified. "You can convert energy into solid matter. You can turn fantasy into reality."
BOOM!
It felt like lightning struck inside Dayat's head in broad daylight. Not painful lightning, but euphoric lightning.
"Seriously?!" Dayat immediately stood up, forgetting the weakness in his legs. He pumped his fist into the air. "That means I can make anything? I can be God here?"
"Correction: The law of conservation of energy still applies. You cannot create something from nothing without cost. The cost is mental stamina and the energy reserves in your body. Furthermore..." The AI seemed to want to continue her explanation, but Dayat didn't care anymore.
"Shhh, quiet! I want to try!" Dayat stared at the horned rabbit with a smirk. His confidence soared sky-high. "Heh, Demon Rabbit! You picked the wrong fight. Now I'm gonna show you the power of an Isekai Protagonist!"
Dayat stretched his hands forward, mimicking the Iron Man pose about to fire a repulsor beam.
"Okay, what's cool... A rifle? No, not big enough. A Bazooka? Yes! Rocket Launcher!"
Dayat closed his eyes. He tried to visualize the tank-destroying weapon. He remembered the shape from the war games he often played. The long green tube, the trigger on the shoulder, and the rocket ready to explode.
"Come out! RPG-7!" Dayat shouted with passion.
The air in front of Dayat's palms began to vibrate. A low humming sound was heard, Vwoooom..., like an overloaded electrical transformer. Purple light particles began to gather, swirling to form the silhouette of a long tube.
"Woah! It's real! Look at this!" Dayat exclaimed without opening his eyes, feeling the heat gathering in his hands. He felt like the greatest mage of all time.
However, the AI's voice cut through his euphoria. Her tone was flat, without a shred of awe.
"Warning: Structure unstable. Molecular integrity below 10%."
"Huh? What?" Dayat opened his eyes.
And what he saw was not a gallant rocket launcher.
Floating in his hands was a dense blob of purple smoke, churning like a failed batch of sticky taffy. The shape somewhat resembled a tube, but the surface was melting, bent, and lacked any metallic texture. The part that was supposed to be the trigger looked like a tumorous lump.
"Eh? Why... why is it squishy?" Dayat was confused.
The "Bazooka" blob vibrated violently.
PFFFTTTT!
With a sound like a loud, wet fart, the purple blob popped, dispersing into sulfur-smelling smoke that stung the nose. No massive explosion. No rocket launching. Just purple smoke that made Dayat cough.
The horned rabbit in the distance tilted its head, as if mocking: "Is that it?"
"Cough! Cough! Why did it fail?!" Dayat waved the smoke away from his face. "You said Imagination Manifestation? I imagined a Bazooka!"
The AI stepped forward, walking through the remnants of the purple smoke undisturbed.
"Failure analysis: Data Corrupted or Incomplete," she said coldly.
"Master Hidayat, do you know the chemical composition of the RPG-7 rocket propellant?" the AI asked.
"Huh? We... well, no. I was a Management major, not Chemical Engineering."
"Do you know the internal mechanism of the explosion trigger? The type of metal alloy used for the launch tube so it doesn't melt upon firing? The precise rifling measurements inside the barrel?"
Dayat went silent. "No..."
"That is the cause of failure," the AI concluded. "Your power manifests 'Imagination', not 'Miracles'. You cannot create an object whose working mechanism you do not understand. Your brain attempted to fill the data gaps with mere visual assumptions, resulting in a fragile and non-functional structure. It is akin to 3D printing a document, but the file is corrupted."
Dayat slumped his shoulders, defeated. His hope of becoming an instant superhero shattered into pieces. "Ugh... so complicated. I thought I just had to say abracadabra and it's done."
"Suggestion: Start with objects of low mechanical complexity. Static objects. Objects whose structure, weight, and texture you understand deeply."
Dayat massaged his forehead. His head started to throb, a side effect of the failed "Mana" usage earlier. He needed a weapon. Something sharp. Something he knew inside out.
What sharp object did he hold most often? A sword? He only ever held a plastic toy sword. A spear? Never.
Then he remembered his part-time job as an online shop warehouse admin before getting fired last month. That object. The object that was always in his pants pocket every day.
A folding knife. Or a box cutter.
He knew the feeling. He knew the weight of the steel handle. He knew the click sound when the blade locked. He knew exactly how sharp the blade was because he had accidentally sliced his own finger once.
"Okay... okay. Small object. Simple object." Dayat took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat. "Let's try again."
He extended his right hand. This time, no dramatic pose. He just focused.
He imagined the matte black tactical folding knife he bought at the flea market. He imagined the coldness of the metal. He imagined the small spring inside holding the blade. He imagined the sharpness of the steel bevel.
Focus. Focus. Metal. Cold. Sharp.
This time, the sensation was different. No wild, hot vibration like before. What he felt was a cool flow streaming from the back of his head, down to his shoulders, then solidifying in his palm. It felt like water slowly freezing.
Purple light appeared again, but this time it wasn't messy. The light was compact, small, and clearly defined. Lines of light formed a geometric frame—a handle, a blade—then slowly filled itself with matter.
Click.
The crisp sound of metal striking metal was heard. The light faded.
Lying in Dayat's palm was a jet-black tactical folding knife. Exactly as he imagined. Even the small scratch on the handle—a factory defect on his old knife—was manifested there.
"It worked..." Dayat whispered in amazement.
He gripped the knife. The weight was real. The cold was real. This wasn't a hologram. This was real steel.
"Object detected: Folding Knife," the AI's voice sounded, this time with a slight tone that could be interpreted as validation. "Structural integrity: 99%. Material density: Stable. Good work, Master. This is a logical first step."
Dayat grinned thinly. The knife was small, the blade only about ten centimeters long. Far from intimidating compared to a Bazooka. But this knife was real. And this knife was his.
"Well, better than empty hands," Dayat mumbled while twirling the knife in his hand. He felt a bit dizzy, like he had just finished a three-hour math exam non-stop, but he could still stand upright.
Dayat looked at the horned rabbit out there. "Hey, Spotty! I got gear now. Even if it's just Level 1."
However, as if answering Dayat's challenge, the rabbit suddenly perked up its ears. Its nose sniffed hard. And without warning, the rabbit jumped back, turned around, and fled into the bushes at high speed.
"Huh? It ran away? Scared of my knife?" Dayat was confused.
"Negative," the AI cut in quickly. Her tone shifted to high alert. "That creature did not flee because of fear towards you. It fled because a larger predator is approaching our direction."
"Huh?"
"My seismic sensors detect heavy footsteps vibrations from 12 o'clock. Estimated weight: 200 kilograms. Distance: 50 meters and closing fast."
Dayat's face went pale instantly. "Two... two hundred kilos?"
He looked at the tiny folding knife in his hand, then at the dark forest in front of him. A folding knife versus a 200-kilo monster?
"Miss AI... do you have any other ideas besides this fruit knife?"
"Suggestion: Run. Now."
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Dayat agreed one hundred percent with the robot's logic.