What Are You Talking About?

Leonar let out a frustrated growl as the screen in front of him filled with fire and explosions. 

The spaceship he was shooting at had blown up completely, and the scoreboard in the top right corner of the video game reflected his defeat. 

"Damn it! This stupid game isn't as easy as I thought," muttered Leonar, leaning back into the comfortable couch of the mental world where he found himself. 

His fingers relaxed around the controller as his mind wandered. Running a hand through his hair, he tilted his head back and let out a sigh. 

The space he was in had changed significantly since the first time he visited it. 

Back then, it was a black void, an intangible space where his thoughts floated aimlessly. Now, it felt almost real: the textures of the couch, the vivid colors of the screen, even the immersive sound of the explosions. 

Leonar stretched his arms and yawned before looking at the ceiling of his mental surroundings. 

"How long is Eleonora taking to deal with those monsters? She's definitely taking longer than last time," Leonar said aloud, recalling the time she had pulled him out of this place while he was interacting with... that girl. 

'That girl was definitely pretty. I wonder how she's doing…' 

Suddenly, the thought of the girl froze Leonar in his tracks. 

There was something odd, something curious. The face of that female figure he had imagined before… now that he thought about it, didn't she bear a certain resemblance to Eleonora? 

Leonar frowned, trying to recall every detail of the girl he had visualized earlier in this space. As if his mind responded to his curiosity, a figure began to materialize before him. 

At first, it was just a faint outline, but then the details came into focus: short white hair, intense red eyes, skin pale as porcelain… 

Leonar instinctively recoiled, his eyes wide as saucers. 

"Wait, wait, wait! This can't be real. Is she… breathing?" 

The figure of the girl seemed too alive to be a mere illusion. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, and although she remained still like a doll, it was clear she was entirely present. 

Swallowing hard, Leonar tried to regain his composure. 

"Can you speak?" Leonar finally asked, his voice trembling slightly. 

Despite his doubts, he had to try! 

The figure remained silent for a few seconds, her red eyes staring at him emotionlessly. Finally, in a dry, monotone voice, she responded: 

"Yes." 

Leonar's jaw dropped. 

"That voice! It's the same as… It's Eleonora! Is that you, Eleonora?" 

The figure tilted her head slightly but answered with the same coldness: 

"No." 

"Don't lie to me! It's obvious you're her. How do you explain that you look and sound exactly like Eleonora?" Leonar argued, pointing a finger at her. 

The figure stayed silent for a moment before replying: 

"I am the system." 

Leonar blinked, confused. 

For a moment, he almost laughed, thinking it was a joke, but something in the girl's tone stopped him. 

"The system? That doesn't make any sense! How can a system have a form like this or speak the way you do?" 

The figure, entirely indifferent to his reaction, replied with the same calm: 

"I behave this way because it is what you desire." 

Those words left Leonar dumbfounded. 

Sure, like any other man, Leonar had his odd fetishes, but never one involving a system! 

"What do you mean, 'what I desire'? What are you talking about?" 

Before he could say another word, a strange tug on his consciousness abruptly pulled him out of that place. It felt as if someone had yanked an invisible thread, distorting his vision, and reality hit him like a hammer. 

... 

Leonar blinked several times, disoriented, as his sight adjusted to his real surroundings. 

The first thing he felt was a burning sensation coursing through his entire body, from his toes to his head. 

He tried to move, but his body felt so heavy it seemed fused with the floor. 

"What… what the hell happened?" he muttered, trying to sit up. 

To his surprise, he was completely drenched in sweat, as though he had run a marathon. 

Looking around, Leonar expected to be surrounded by monster corpses or at least some trace of the battle Eleonora was fighting. 

But what he saw left him completely stunned. 

Reality… was that he was in a gym, surrounded by weights, exercise machines, and mirrors reflecting his disheveled appearance. 

Before he could process what he was seeing, an enthusiastic male voice broke the silence. 

"Now THAT'S the spirit, my friend! I'm impressed!" 

Leonar looked up and saw a muscular man with no shirt and a grin so wide it seemed out of place. The guy's energy was so vibrant that, for a moment, Leonar thought he might be part of some strange commercial. 

"What… what's going on here?" Leonar managed to ask, his voice full of confusion and exhaustion. 

The man didn't seem to notice his bewilderment. Instead, he crouched down to give Leonar a firm pat on the shoulder. 

"Just keeping my word! Like I told you, you've got a free membership for a whole month at Power Core Gym for completing that routine! You can come in any day you want and train like a true warrior!" 

Leonar stared at him as though he had lost his mind. 

Membership? 

Subscription? 

Power Core Gym? 

None of it made any sense. 

"Wait, wait, wait," Leonar stammered, raising a hand to stop the man. "What the hell are you talking about? Why am I here? What happened to the monsters?" 

The man raised an eyebrow but didn't lose his smile. 

"Monsters? Buddy, I think you worked so hard you're hallucinating. Relax, you're safe here. What matters is that you showed real fighting spirit, and that's why you're in the best gym in town!" 

Leonar stared at him, incredulous. 

What the hell was this guy talking about?