Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 95

Karl stared at the numbers in disbelief, his eyes fixed on the softly glowing blue portal in front of him. "Only zero point zero zero one percent? Are you kidding me?" he muttered, frustration heavy in his voice. But he knew complaining wouldn’t change anything. The portal was his first step out of this nightmare.

Carefully, he stepped toward the portal. The air around it shimmered slightly, and each step felt like he was walking on an invisible spiderweb. The portal’s blue light enveloped him, making him feel as though he was crossing into an unseen boundary between worlds.

As he passed through, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him, followed by a crushing weight on his body. When his vision cleared, he realized he was somewhere completely different—somewhere far stranger.

The sky above was dark and swirling, like ink dissolving in water. Buildings floated around him, their structures constantly shifting, folding, and reshaping like malleable clay being kneaded endlessly.

[ New location entered. This dimension contains 15,000 elements requiring correction. Estimated completion time: Undefined. ]

"Fifteen thousand?" Karl nearly yelled. "How the hell am I supposed to fix all of that?"

[ Every small step brings you closer to the end goal. Key elements can significantly reduce anomalies. Focus on what feels the most wrong. ]

Karl let out a long sigh. "Focus on what feels the most wrong, huh?" he murmured, scanning the chaotic environment around him.

Ahead, he spotted a path leading to a towering building with spires stretching into the swirling sky. The structure pulsed with an eerie pink light, almost like a beating heart. Above its massive gates was a strange inscription in a language he didn’t understand, but a voice in his head translated it clearly.

"The Corrupted Palace of Fantasies."

A strange sensation rippled through his body as he read the words. He couldn’t explain it, but something about that place felt like the heart of the dimension’s corruption.

"All right," he said, taking a deep breath. "I guess that’s where I need to go."

Karl started toward the palace, his mind spinning with questions. How could he possibly fix this dimension? And more importantly, what would he face inside?

---

Karl moved cautiously toward the palace, each step feeling heavier as if the ground beneath him was sucking the energy from his body. The air grew thicker, hotter, as if he was moving through some alien atmosphere. When he finally reached the massive gates, he could hear faint whispers—seductive and inviting yet unsettling enough to make his skin crawl.

"The Corrupted Palace of Fantasies," Karl murmured, repeating the inscription above the gates. "What does that even mean?"

Without warning, the colossal gates groaned open on their own, revealing an even stranger interior. The palace gleamed with vibrant colors—purple, gold, and crimson—that pulsated like a living creature’s breath. A long corridor stretched before him, illuminated by floating crystal chandeliers casting a warm, flickering glow.

Karl sighed deeply. "No turning back now," he muttered, stepping inside.

As he crossed the threshold, he felt an immediate shift in the atmosphere. The air within the palace was... different. Warmer, heavier, and somehow... alluring. The corridor was lined with statues—women in highly detailed, sensual poses that looked almost alive. Karl tried to keep his eyes forward, but it was impossible not to notice the craftsmanship—the curves, the expressions, the lifelike quality of their features.

"Welcome, Karl."

The voice came from nowhere, soft yet echoing throughout the space. Karl froze, his body tensing. "Who’s there?" he demanded, trying to sound firm despite the slight tremor in his voice.

"We are the keepers of this palace, and the reflection of this dimension’s deepest desires."

From the shadows at the end of the corridor emerged a tall, otherworldly woman. Her golden skin seemed to radiate a soft glow, her star-like eyes shimmering, and her nearly transparent gown clung to her form in ways that defied logic. She moved toward Karl with a grace that felt almost hypnotic, like she was gliding rather than walking.

"I am Aria," she said with a sweet smile, though there was something cunning in her gaze. "And this is the palace you must fix. But be warned, Karl—every wrong step here will pull you further from your goal."

Karl forced himself to keep his gaze steady, though it was almost impossible to ignore Aria’s overwhelming presence. "What do you mean? What’s wrong with this place?"

Aria stepped closer, just a few feet away now. She raised a hand, gesturing toward the statues lining the corridor. "This palace is corrupted by cosmic energy that preys on the deepest desires of the souls who enter this dimension. Desires become obsessions, and obsessions become traps. Every statue here was once a person who failed to restore balance."

Karl swallowed hard, his eyes darting back to the statues. "They were... real people?"

Aria nodded slowly, her smile turning into an oddly melancholic expression that still carried a hint of allure. "Yes. And you, Karl, must solve this palace’s riddle before it consumes you as well."

Clenching his fists, Karl pushed aside the creeping fear building inside him. "What’s the riddle?"

Aria chuckled softly, a dangerous melody in her laugh. "You must find the heart of this palace—the source of all this energy. But beware, the path is filled with temptations designed to lead you astray. Don’t let yourself be distracted, Karl. Remember, it’s all just an illusion... or is it?"

Before Karl could ask more, Aria vanished into thin air, leaving only the faint scent of intoxicating flowers lingering in the air. Ahead of him, the corridor split into three distinct paths, each leading in a different direction.

[ Choose the correct path to find the heart of the palace. Beware of illusions and temptations. ]

Karl let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course, it couldn’t be easy." He studied the three paths. One glowed with soft pink light, the second was shrouded in deep shadows, and the third sparkled with an overwhelming golden brilliance.

"If this is about temptation," Karl thought, "then the most flashy one has to be a trap."

He chose the shadowy path, hoping his instincts were right. But as soon as he stepped in, a chilling wind enveloped him, like the breath of an endless void.

---

The path led Karl to a vast chamber lined with towering mirrors. In the center of the room stood a small altar holding a glowing blue orb. But something was off—his reflection in the mirrors wasn’t moving in sync with him. Instead, it stared back with a dark, knowing smile.

"This must be part of the temptation," Karl muttered, approaching the altar cautiously. The reflections began to whisper, their voices soft and insidious.

"Are you sure you can fix this, Karl? Wouldn’t it be easier to just give in? Stay here, and enjoy what this dimension has to offer."

Karl gritted his teeth, trying to block out the voices, but they grew louder. One of his reflections stepped out of the mirror, a shadowy version of himself with a sinister glint in its eyes.

"You don’t have to fight," the shadow said smoothly. "Wouldn’t it be better to embrace what your heart truly wants?"

It extended a hand toward Karl, its smile dripping with malice. "I won’t fall for this," Karl muttered, reaching for the blue orb on the altar instead, hoping it was the key to moving forward.

The moment he touched it, the room trembled. The reflections screamed and dissolved into black mist as the orb exploded into a blinding blue light, washing over the entire chamber. A familiar system voice echoed in Karl’s head.

[ Anomaly reduced. Dimensional balance increased to 0.25%. ]

Karl exhaled deeply. "One small step... but this is going to take forever." Still, he squared his shoulders and walked toward the next opening that appeared in the chamber wall, ready to face whatever came next.

Karl stood in the middle of the room, now silent after the blast of blue light. The biting cold air from earlier had vanished, and the mirrors surrounding him had turned into ordinary glass, reflecting his normal image. The crystal orb on the altar was gone, leaving only small cracks on the stone where it once rested.

"0.25%," Karl muttered in frustration. "It’s going to take forever to fix this dimension." He glanced at the dark corridor that had brought him to this room. But before he could take a step, the wall behind the altar suddenly split apart, revealing a new path bathed in bright light.

Karl let out a long sigh. "All right. No choice but to move forward."

He walked down the new corridor, which felt much warmer than before. The light that filled the space resembled a gentle sunset—soft yet bright enough to provide a small sense of comfort. Yet, with every step he took, his caution didn’t waver.

When he reached the end of the corridor, he entered another, much larger room. The room was circular, its walls adorned with intricate, sensual carvings. In the center was a shimmering pool of water, dotted with floating pink flowers. Above the pool was a small bridge leading to a massive statue of a woman holding a glowing torch.

But this time, Karl immediately felt a different kind of atmosphere. Unlike before, this room felt... enticing. The scent of the flowers in the air was overwhelmingly sweet, almost intoxicating. His eyelids grew heavy, and his body seemed to relax without his permission.

"Karl..."

A soft voice called his name, a voice that sounded like a blend of women he knew—his mother, Ella, even Aria from earlier. Karl quickly turned around, but there was no one in sight.

"Do you really want to leave? Or maybe... you’d rather stay here, with me?"

A figure slowly emerged from the shimmering pool. The woman was stunningly beautiful, almost like the perfect image of a man’s fantasy. Her long, shiny hair flowed like waves of water, and her golden skin glowed faintly, just like Aria’s. Her body was wrapped in a transparent fabric that was more provocative than concealing, showing off her flawless curves.

"Who are you?" Karl tried to ask firmly, but his voice came out more like a weak whisper.