"A few days had passed since the infamous "milk tragedy." Now, Baskara was basically the neighborhood pariah. Argh! It turned out everyone actually thought he'd lost his mind.
"System, look. I just want a chill life. I want to be cool with the neighbors so when I kick the bucket, people actually show up to my funeral instead of just listening to you talk smack."
The System flicked a glance at Baskara. For once, the kid actually made sense.
[New Mission: Socialization! Go greet Uncle Brewok, the scariest thug in the village. Task: Give him a dead-honest compliment about his cracker collection!]
"Easy peasy! Praising some crackers is a walk in the park," Kara smirked, totally confident. He was sure this mission would be a breeze. I mean, how hard is it to hype up some crackers?
Well, that's what he thought—not the author. Let's just say a prayer for our favorite "afterlife fugitive."
Baskara pulled up to Uncle Brewok's yard. The man had a face that looked like it was carved out of reinforced concrete. Kara strutted in with a cocky "cool-guy" vibe, while his little brother, Cruel, trailed behind, gripping Kara's shirt. Cruel's expression was... suspicious, to say the least.
"Morning, mighty Uncle Brewok!! Wow, your crackers are looking extra white today, Uncle! Almost as bright as my future if the System didn't exist—"
CRASH!!!
Too busy trying to be a charmer, Kara forgot to watch his step. His foot snagged on a low-hanging clothesline. The result? He face-planted straight into a tray of raw crackers, and the whole drying rack came crashing down on his skinny body.
Damn. This felt like a cruel flashback to the day he died—getting flattened by a neighbor's laundry falling from the second floor. That day, he was just chilling, eating meatballs and scrolling through memes when he started choking. While his friends were busy panicking for water, he got crushed by a rack and died on the spot. To make it worse, he went out with a neighbor's underwear snagged on him. Peak embarrassment.
"HEY!!! What the hell is this?!!! You trying to swipe my crackers, or do you want me to turn you into one?!!!" Uncle Brewok roared, stomping over. His face was beet-red—pure, unadulterated rage.
Kara slowly lifted his head from the pile, a stray cracker stuck in his mouth. He flashed a weak smile—the kind you give when your life flashes before your eyes.
"Sorry, Uncle... this is, uh, a new technique! Testing the crunchiness with my cheek... yeah, brand new tech, hehe..." Baskara chuckled nervously. Everything ached, but he had to tank it. All for the sake of friendship!
"You little brat! Poor and stupid!! Beat it before I turn you into meatbun filling!!" Brewok barked, immediately dousing Kara with a bucket of nasty laundry water.
[Notification! Dignity Points: -200. On the bright side: 'Being Insulted' Points: +500. Reward: Orange-scented soap (to kill the stench of that trash water).]
Cruel cried silently as he picked up the crushed crackers. Might as well, he thought. Can't let 'em go to waste, just like Kara always said.
'System, did you see that?! I just got humiliated in front of my own brother! What kind of psycho mission is next, you jerk!!! Argh!! I'm done. For real. Never again!'
Cruel popped up from behind Kara. If you're wondering why he didn't fall earlier, it's because he let go of Kara's shirt the second he tripped. Cruel's eyes were locked onto a laughing Uncle Brewok. He was probably thinking: How dare this old man mess with my weak, fragile brother? (Well, in Cruel's eyes, at least).
"Brother, that Uncle is mean. He made you all dirty," the kid said coldly, his gaze sharp as a knife.
Kara, sensing the dark aura, immediately switched to "Wise Sage" mode.
"It's okay, El. A successful man has to survive many trials—and sometimes smell like laundry water. We forgive him, okay? Don't let it get to you," he said, ruffling Cruel's hair.
[Success is a brand of noodles; Economy is a brand of soap. Pro tip: If you want to be successful in the economy, try eating noodles mixed with soap.]
'Yeah, so I can die again. Why don't you try it first, you glitchy mess?' Kara snapped back internally.
Cruel looked at Kara, his voice flat. "But I want to go play for a bit this afternoon, okay?"
"Eh? Play what, El?" Kara asked, suddenly suspicious.
[Analysis: The little demon is currently calculating a scheme involving gravity, banana peels, and oil-slicked sandals. Suggestion: Prepare yourself mentally.]
'System!!! Don't just analyze it! Stop him! Send him back to the womb! I'd rather be a bad son than have a brother who uses physics to take people out!!!'
Baskara screamed in his head. This drama was giving him high blood pressure.
Fast forward to that evening. Kara thought he'd done a great job building his "image" by greeting the meanest guy in town. What he didn't know? Uncle Brewok was currently in critical condition at the hospital after a "mysterious accident."
Meanwhile, our 18-year-old MC was busy patching the roof of their shack with banana peels he'd eaten earlier.
"El, look. Banana peels are high in potassium. When it rains, the water gets nutrient-rich. If it leaks onto your face, it's basically natural skincare. Your brother is a visionary, you know," Kara explained.
Cruel was standing at the door, holding a pinwheel toy covered in a thick, black liquid that looked suspiciously like... motor oil? Who knows where he'd been. Just hours ago, he was clean and fresh.
Cruel walked closer. "Brother."
Kara turned around. "Yeah, El? Why the long face? Hungry again?"
"Uncle Brewok... the one who got mad this morning? He's in the hospital now."
THUMP!!
Kara's heart did a sudden disco dance. What?!
"H-huh? How? Did he have a heart attack because of the crackers?" Kara dropped everything and ran to his brother.
"No. They say he slipped on a banana peel, did a triple backflip, landed in a barrel, and the barrel rolled into a ravine. Weird, right? How does that even happen, Brother?"
[Notification! Lie Detection Level 1: Cruel is lying. Analysis: Cruel placed the peel, greased the sandals, and shoved the barrel. 10/10 execution.]
Kara stood frozen, chills running down his spine. The seeds of a psychopath were officially blooming.
'Mommy, help! My new little brother is a pro at setting up Final Destination scenes!'
Cruel stared intensely at Kara. "You're happy, right? Because he was mean to you."
Kara immediately put on his best "heartbroken" face.
"Little brother... Uncle Brewok wasn't mean. He splashed me with laundry water because my face was too radiant! He just didn't want people to be blinded by my glow. He was actually helping!"
Kara prayed the kid would buy it. It was cringey and made zero sense, but he had to keep this "future demon" chill.
Cruel looked at him doubtfully, but seeing Kara's "pathetic stray dog" face, he finally sighed.
"I see... I thought he was a bad man."
[Notification: Deception Successful! You've fooled the little demon. Reward: The smell of grilled satay.]
'Damn you! The smell of satay without the actual food is torture! Give me something real next time, you jerk!'