"Pink hair and blue eyes? What the hell is this supposed to be?!"
My reaction was completely justified. I stood there, staring into the mirror, trying to make sense of the person looking back. How can a guy have pink hair and look this... beautiful? Am I even a guy?
"It's really pink," I muttered, reaching up to grab a few strands. It wasn't just a tint; it was vibrant. And it was long, too—long enough to reach my waist. I ran my fingers through it, still half-convinced it was a wig, but it felt real.
I won't lie, the pink was a shock. It's not the kind of thing you see every day, unless you're a K-pop idol or living in an anime. But as I kept looking, I couldn't help but smirk. "I look fire, though."
Pink hair aside, this guy's looks were unreal. He was pretty—too pretty. He looked more like a girl than any guy I'd ever met. A cold pit formed in my stomach as a sudden, terrifying thought struck me.
Panic flared. My next move was pure instinct. I reached down and dragged my pants to the floor, bracing myself to confirm my worst fears.
"My God," I breathed.
The fear vanished instantly. What I saw down there made me rethink everything I knew about anatomy. "Is this a porno?"
I stared, blinkly. I thought I had it big back in my old life, but this was something else. This guy had a slender, almost delicate frame, but he was carrying... well, a massive trunk. It was so thick I could barely wrap my hand around it.
"I have to take this back with me at all costs," I vowed. If I ever found a way home to Earth, this was coming with me. Comparing this to my previous equipment was like comparing a massive, sturdy branch to a tiny twig on the same tree. Now that I'd seen what I was working with, there was no way I could go back to my old life without it.
I paused, the thought of "going back" finally triggering a bit of logic. Come to think of it... is this even Earth? I'd been so distracted by my reflection and my new "assets" that I hadn't looked at the bigger picture. If this was one of those fantasy worlds from the novels I used to read, then maybe pink hair wasn't that weird after all.
"That's a real possibility," I said, rubbing my chin. I found myself subconsciously swaying from side to side, watching my reflection and the magnificent weapon between my legs.
Whoosh!
The sound was so swift I almost missed it. I couldn't tell where it came from, but a bad feeling washed over me. Suddenly, my vision was obscured. A translucent golden screen, decorated with a luxurious, intricate design, popped up right in front of my face.
[WELCOME]
That was all it said. I didn't need to be a genius to know what I was looking at.
"My golden finger," I gasped. Or a system, or whatever those books called it. It didn't matter what the name was; it was my ticket. It was my advantage and likely the only way I was ever getting out of here. If those stories were as real as I now suspected, this thing would have all the answers.
I waited. And waited.
About thirty minutes passed, and the screen hadn't changed. It just sat there, hovering in the air.
"Is it a dud?" I reached out to touch it, but my hand just phased through the light.
I clicked my tongue in frustration. "Way to get my hopes up."
Maybe it was a slow starter.
[WELCOME]
Still nothing. I tried swiping it, talking to it, even poking it again, but nothing worked. Eventually, I gave up and went back to staring at my reflection.
The girly look was still a bit jarring, but I figured it was just the combination of the long pink hair and the flawless skin. I'd seen some beautiful people back on Earth, but this was a whole new level of perfection. I stepped back to get a better look at my torso. I had a well-chiseled chest and abs—not huge, bulky muscles, but lean and defined. Even my arms were relatively thin. It was a perfect, athletic build for this body.
But I kept glancing back down. I couldn't help it. Having a build that slender paired with something that substantial gave me a massive, unprecedented surge of confidence.
"Ahem. Enough of that."
I forced myself to look around the bathroom. "Premium" was the only word for it. Everything felt elegant. The toilet was a standard white, but it looked more expensive than any high-end model I'd seen before. The sink, the bathtub, the glass-walled shower—it was all top-tier.
I walked over to the tub and noticed a crystal—it looked like a large diamond—set into the wall. I reached out and tapped it.
Whoom!
The crystal glowed a faint red, followed by a soft swoosh. I spun around to see the tub starting to fill with water.
"The controls," I muttered. I tapped the crystal again, and the glow deepened to a darker red.
I experimented, sliding my finger around the edge of the crystal. The red faded, transitioning through the spectrum until it turned a deep, dark night-blue.
"This can't be science. It has to be magic." It was the only thing that made sense. Unless this world had technology so advanced it looked like sorcery, I was definitely in a fantasy setting.
I pressed the crystal one last time to set the temperature, and the color disappeared. By the time I turned back, the tub was filled to the brim. I dipped a finger in to check the heat. It was perfect—any hotter and it would have been painful.
I stepped in, feeling the warm water wrap around my left leg, then my right. I sank into the heat and let out a long, relieved sigh, closing my eyes.
Whoosh!
That sound again. My eyes snapped open, but I wasn't looking at the bathroom anymore. Another interface had appeared, glowing bright against the steam.
[MEMORY SYNC COMMENCING]
"Oh no," was all I managed to choke out before the agony hit.