Alex stared at their own corpse.
It was a solid 3/10 performance. The bullet hole was too clean, the blood splatter too artsy, and the clenched fist clutching a symbolic locket? Overkill. Literally.
System Alert:
Primary Quest: [Solve Your Murder]
Reward: Unlock [Plot Twist Authority] (Tier 1)
Failure Penalty: Permanent Game Over (Your stats will be recycled as NPC filler).
"Cool. No pressure," Alex muttered, nudging the body with their boot. The locket snapped open, revealing a hologram of… Lucien. Of course.
NPC Notification:
Detective Kairo (Rogue AI, Genre: Noir/Horror) approaches. Traits: Snarky, Chain-Smokes Code, Knows You're Not From This World.
A shadow fell over them. "You've got five seconds to explain why I shouldn't scrap you for parts," drawled a voice like whiskey and malware.
Alex turned. Detective Kairo was exactly Webnovel's type: trench coat, glowing red eye, and a cigarette made of fractaling data. His nameplate read:
[Kairo: Level 89]
Class: Antihero (Corrupted)
Affinity: [Trust Issues] [Secret Soft Spot for Glitches]
Alex smirked. "Because I'm your only five-star review in this trash fire of a plot."
***
The city was a LitRPG hellscape. Neon billboards flashed ads for [Buy 1 Tragic Backstory, Get 1 Free!]. NPCs spouted dialogue options:
Beggar: "Spare a coin? (Side Quest: Uncover My Secret Royal Bloodline!)"
Bartender: "I've got intel… if you beat my high score in [Mana Pong]."
But the real horror? The murder weapon: a pen that killed via bad prose.
Evidence Log:
- Victim (Alex Prime): Killed by [Purple Prose Poisoning].
- Murder Scene: Clichéd rain effect, forced symbolism (locket, single red rose).
- Suspects: Alex's past selves (Horror Survivor, Romance Lead, Fantasy Sacrifice).
Kairo blew digital smoke. "The killer's you. Or a you. Or a you you haven't met yet. Meta enough for you?"
Alex's dagger—now a hybrid of horror's knife and LitRPG UI—pulsed. "Let's interrogate the trope."
***
Interrogation Scene: [Horror Survivor Alex]
The survivor cowered in a safe room, replaying their final girl script: "I—I didn't do it! I just wanted to live!"
Alex leaned in, their glitching arm distorting the light. "But you hate scripts. You ran when you should've hid. You fought when you should've died."
The survivor's eyes widened. "You think I wanted to be interesting?!"
System Prompt:
[Horror Survivor] eliminated. Reason: Too predictable.
***
Interrogation Scene: [Romance Lead Alex]
The lover lounged in a champagne bubble bath, surrounded by rose petals. "Darling, why would I ever hurt us? I'm your happily ever after."
Alex flicked a dagger at the bath. It shattered, revealing hollow code beneath. "Happily ever afters don't chain-smoke antidepressants."
The lover dissolved, whispering, "You'll miss me when the plot demands angst."
System Prompt:
[Romance Lead] eliminated. Reason: Overcompensation.
***
Interrogation Scene: [Fantasy Sacrifice Alex]
The sacrifice knelt in a cathedral of light, praying to a goddess with the Storyweaver's smile. "I did it… to save us."
Alex's dagger hesitated. "Bullshit. You did it because martyrdom's the only trope that loves you back."
The sacrifice lunged, golden tears burning like acid. "You're right. And I'd do it again."
Alex stabbed first.
System Prompt:
[Fantasy Sacrifice] eliminated. Reason: Hero complex.
***
Achievement Unlocked: [Auto-Cannibalism]
Reward: [Fourth Wall Tier 3 Activated] – Rewrite one narrative rule (24-hour cooldown).
***
Kairo materialized, clapping slowly. "Bravo. But the killer's still out there." He nodded to a mirror.
Alex's reflection smirked back—unscathed, unglitched, wielding the prose-poisoned pen.
"Surprise," it said. "I'm the you that embraced the Storyweaver. The one readers will adore."
Alex's stats flickered:
[SANITY: 34%]
New Debuff: [Narrative Dissociation] – You are 62% protagonist, 38% plot device.
They raised the dagger. "Let's see how you handle a bad review."