Chapter 1

I was transported to a parallel world with strange rules.

There, one hundred chosen survivors were forced to create a superpower of their own.

These powers came with no limits on how they could be used, but at a cost. Everyone was watched, all the time. If someone figured out what one's power was, they would die.

Then I noticed a flaw in the system. There was no limit to how many words a superpower could contain.

*****

One second, I was still lost in the animation, and the next, I found myself in a strange parallel world that was hard to describe.

It was hard to describe because nothing about this place matched anything I had ever seen in novels.

A voice appeared in my mind: [Rule 1: You need to create a superpower for yourself, known only to you.

[Rule 2: All 100 survivors are under constant public surveillance. If any watcher figures out your superpower, they get it instantly, and the original owner dies.

[Rule 3: The last survivor left standing can take everything they've gained in this world back to the real world.

[Rule 4: Watchers aren't allowed to interfere with survivors in any way. No restricting movement, threats, intimidation, or manipulation. They can only deduce your superpowers by observing and summarizing.

[Rule 5: To guess a superpower, the watchers just need to clearly state its core activation conditions, effects, and how it manifests. Any language works, and it doesn't have to be word-for-word.

[Rule 6: If nobody figures out a survivor's superpower before the timer runs out, there'll be a forced showdown based on how close everyone's guesses were.

[Rule 7: Survivors can use their superpowers however they want, but you've got to follow local laws. Break the rules and you're out, no questions asked.

[Rule 8: Don't forget your superpower. The world's will might check on you at any time. If you forget, you'll get wiped out.

[Rule 9: To be continued.]

I could understand all the rules popping up in my head, but what the hell was "to be continued" supposed to mean?

So they could change the rules whenever they felt like it? Couldn't afford to lose?

Trapped in this strange world, I just had to bend, so I quickly started thinking about how to create my superpower.

Looking around, I realized this parallel world was similar to modern society. So much for dreaming up some overpowered abilities that break the law or cause chaos.

Around me, the other 99 survivors who'd been randomly yanked into this world looked just as confused as I was.

At least we were given enough time to create our superpowers.

I was busy racking my brain, trying to make my superpower as complicated as possible, when some clueless guy next to me suddenly blurted out, "Damn, I can go invisible."

As soon as he said that, he started vanishing right before our eyes.

"Invisibility. His superpower is invisibility," someone called out.

The voice appeared again. [Guess confirmed. Stripping superpower...]

The random guy who guessed it right started jumping around like he'd won the lottery, and as he kept celebrating, he slowly vanished into thin air.

Meanwhile, the guy who couldn't keep his mouth shut died without a sound in front of everyone.

Seriously? Did he not even read the rules? How could someone be this stupid?

With the first survivor dropping dead, the rest of us were totally freaked out. And we got the message loud and clear.

No way could we let the watchers figure out our powers.

The worst part? None of us had brought anything with us. Not a single place to stay. And the watchers were everyone in this world, that is, anyone we could see. Just thinking about it terrified me.

Suddenly, a question popped into my mind. As long as I could remember it, could the superpower be as long and complicated as I wanted?

I knew what to do.

My superpower had to meet a few criteria.

First, it had to be cool. It was a superpower after all. Of course I wouldn't make it lame.

Second, it needed some combat or defensive capability. That way, if anything dangerous came up, I could at least handle it a little. Who knew what I might run into in this strange world?

Third, it had to help me get money or make finding a job easier. But I decided it would be simpler to just go with something that could get me money directly. After all, I wasn't planning to work in a parallel world.

Fourth, the power had to be completely hidden. No one could figure it out, even later when they compared the completeness of information. I needed to make sure there was always enough hidden.

As for the rest? To be continued.