AN: Hi everyone, I know I was supposed to start posting yesterday, but things got a bit hectic IRL and I feel kinda bad that I haven't been uploaded anything, so here you go.
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Kaito groaned as he dragged himself through the ruined halls of Dr. Gero's underground lab, every step echoing against scorched metal and crackling wires. The remnants of the "Hell Difficulty" training session still smoldered around him, singed floor tiles, malfunctioning ceiling panels, and the unsettling smell of what used to be pudding.
"This place looks like a Final Boss fight happened during lunch break," Kaito muttered.
He paused near the entrance. A massive dent in the steel wall bore the unmistakable imprint of his body. There were scorch marks surrounding it like abstract fan art of his suffering.
[System Notification: Physical Training Complete!][+1 Gacha Pull Ticket!][Strength: +2 | Agility: +1 | Pride: Critically Inflated | Ego: Now Blocking Logic]
"Yeah, thanks. I definitely feel accomplished after losing a 30-minute fight to a mop."
The AI assistant embedded in the lab's system flickered on briefly before glitching out and playing elevator music at max volume. Kaito slammed the nearest control panel until it stopped.
He sighed. The lab was wrecked, and Dr. Gero was due back in less than 48 hours.
If Gero saw this place now, he'd skip the lecture and go straight to disassembling Kaito like a broken Roomba.
Kaito sat down on one of the chair that was still intact.
He then opened the chat.
[Multiverse Chat Room – Active Members: 7]
[Goddess of Explosions]:Someone tell me why the sky just cracked open above my shrine. I swear if it's Kaito again...
[Captain Sogeking]:Yo, was that the pudding fire incident? Kaito, you still alive, bro?
[K-18]:Define "alive." If crushed ribs, Ego bruised, and lab wide damage counts, then sure.
[Master of Cards]:Sounds like progress to me.
[Senpai Noticed Me]:Wait... did you actually LOSE to a mop?
[K-18]:It was a combat mop. It parried.
[Crimson Alchemist]:Let me guess. You gave it sentience.
[K-18]:I didn't mean to! The training AI keeps overcorrecting. It thought I needed humility.
[Rider of the Storms]:And apparently a clean floor.
Kaito sat down on an overturned bench near the sparking system room and buried his face in his hands. The messages scrolled past, each one a chaotic reminder of how bizarre his new reality was—and yet, comforting in their own dysfunctional way.
He exhaled deeply and glanced around.
The lab was divided into three key sections that had taken the worst hits:
The reactor room, now humming ominously like a hungry beast.
The system hub, with its cracked monitors and flickering holo-interfaces.
The entrance, partially collapsed with metal debris and wires sparking overhead.
If Gero returned and saw this… no. He had to fix it.
[System Objective Updated!]
[Restore lab to 90% functionality before Dr. Gero returns.]
[Time remaining: 46 hours, 18 minutes, 12 seconds]
[Failure Penalty: Gero's Wrath (Severity Unknown)]
[Suggested Sub-Objectives: Reactor Stabilization, System Hub Recalibration, Visual Clean-Up of Entrance Hall]
"Nothing motivates like vague, ominous punishments."
Using a semi-intact drone, Kaito mapped out the structural damage. The reactor was still running but unbalanced. The energy grid had been fried in three sectors, and a bizarre heat signature lingered near the system hub—probably the leftover from the mop's self-destruct.
And there was pudding in the ventilation shafts.
He loaded the data into the AI planner.
[Objective: Structural Scan Complete!]
[Lab Status: 42% Operational][
Hazards Detected: 5 | Radiation: Low | Sentient Goo: Contained (for now)][Estimated Repair Time: 35 hours – Solo Mode]
Hour Five – The Chat Room Awakens Again
[K-18]:Reactor's kinda stable. System hub is being held together by duct tape and anime willpower. Progress?
[Goddess of Explosions]:Have you considered just blowing up the lab and pretending it was a black hole anomaly?
[K-18]:Pretty sure Gero would invent time travel just to strangle me twice.
[Captain Sogeking]:Try putting on a lab coat. Maybe he'll think it was a science experiment gone wrong.
[Master of Cards]:All of Kaito's experiments go wrong.
[Senpai Noticed Me]:I actually kinda admire your commitment to chaos.
[K-18]:This isn't chaos. It's accidental character development.
[Crimson Alchemist]:Just don't forget what we talked about before—this lab is your anchor point. Lose it, and you'll lose control of your progress.
Kaito stared at that message for a while. The others joked, but Crimson had a point.
This lab wasn't just Gero's domain anymore. It was his foundation.
.....
Sweat poured down Kaito's face as he connected coolant lines and manually calibrated the flow regulators. Each adjustment sent ripples of power through the floor like a slumbering beast shifting in its sleep.
Sparks flew. A pipe burst. He swore and ducked.
But finally, the lights returned to a soft, steady glow.
[System Update: Reactor Stabilized – Output Normalized]
[+3 Intelligence | +1 Endurance]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Fix It Without Dying"]
...
In the center of the system room, Kaito sat cross-legged on a cracked console, watching the power reroute across the holographic grid. The AI was slowly rebuilding. A soft voice, glitched but gentle, spoke through the lab speakers.
"...Welcome back, Administrator."
He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
[K-18]:Status update: 70% restored. Reactor's stable. System rebooting. Entrance still looks like a rejected horror movie set.
[Rider of the Storms]:That's a serious comeback. Respect.
[Crimson Alchemist]:Told you. You've got more than plot armor. You've got grit.
[Master of Cards]:...and probably a concussion.
[Senpai Noticed Me]:10/10 character arc. But seriously, go get water.
[Goddess of Explosions]:And maybe a flamethrower. For the pudding.
Kaito laughed softly.
Even as the exhaustion pulled at him, the chat group's banter grounded him.
This wasn't just survival anymore. He was building something—one broken circuit and sarcastic system alert at a time.
...
He cleaned the entrance hall, used leftover plating to patch holes, and even added a small glowing sign that said: "Welcome Back, Definitely Nothing Exploded."
He stepped back to admire his work. It wasn't perfect, but it was presentable.
[System Notification: Base Integrity Restored – 88% Functional]
[Bonus Objective Complete: Aesthetic Recovery Achieved!]
[+2 Charisma | +1 Wisdom | Unlocked Title: "Improviser Extraordinaire"]
Kaito collapsed onto a padded bench and let himself drift for a moment.
When he reopened the Chat Room, the first message was already waiting.
[Crimson Alchemist]:Proud of you, K-18. You made it your own.
[K-18]:Yeah… I did. Still not fighting any more mops though.
[Goddess of Explosions]:I give it two days before something else goes boom.
[Master of Cards]:One day if he pulls another gacha.
Kaito chuckled.