Mario studied the young man in silence.
The laughter from a moment ago had already faded, leaving only the faint sound of porcelain meeting wood as the stranger picked up his teacup once more.
He took another sip.
Unhurried.
Completely at ease.
As if telling someone they’d just died was no different from discussing tomorrow’s weather.
Mario had met all kinds of people throughout his life.
Difficult clients.
Manipulative coworkers.
Smooth-talking salesmen who could lie with a smile and never blink.
This man wasn’t lying.
As absurd as the situation was, Mario couldn’t sense even the slightest trace of deception.
That alone made him more unsettling than anyone Mario had ever met.
He let out a slow breath.
“If you don’t mind,” Mario began, his voice steady, “I’d like to understand exactly what’s happening.”
The young man smiled.
“I was hoping you’d ask.”
He set the teacup down with almost exaggerated care before leaning back in his chair.
“Where would you like me to start?”
Mario didn’t answer immediately.
His mind naturally began sorting through everything he’d learned so far.
He was dead.
This place clearly wasn’t Earth.
The person in front of him had admitted to causing it.
And somehow…
Mario believed him.
Not because the explanation made sense.
Because nothing else did.
After a brief moment, he spoke.
“Who are you?”
The young man’s smile widened.
“Straight to the important question.”
“I appreciate efficiency.”
Mario simply waited.
“My name wouldn’t mean anything to you.”
“So let’s skip that.”
He spread his hands casually.
“You can call me…”
He paused for dramatic effect.
“…a Random Omnipotent Being.”
Mario blinked once.
“…That’s a title.”
“It is.”
“You don’t actually have a name?”
“Oh, I do.”
The young man waved a dismissive hand.
“You couldn’t pronounce it.”
“Or comprehend it.”
“So titles are easier.”
Mario nodded slowly.
“…Random Omnipotent Being.”
“It sounds familiar.”
The young man grinned.
“Your world’s internet has excellent imagination.”
Mario frowned.
“…Internet?”
“Stories.”
“Forums.”
“Fanfiction.”
“Light novels.”
“They love calling beings like me ‘R.O.B.'”
Mario stared at him.
“…You’re telling me that term actually exists?”
“Close enough.”
The young man shrugged.
“I’ve always found it amusing.”
Mario absorbed the answer without comment.
If this being truly was omnipotent…
It probably wasn’t strange that people across countless worlds had unknowingly imagined something similar.
Or perhaps…
He stopped the thought there.
There wasn’t enough information to draw conclusions.
“So…”
Mario folded his arms.
“What exactly is a Random Omnipotent Being?”
The R.O.B.
smiled, clearly pleased that the conversation had reached his favorite subject.
“We wander.”
“Wander?”
“Through realities.”
“Universes.”
“Dimensions.”
“Entire cosmologies.”
He gestured vaguely toward the endless white surrounding them.
“Creation is…
rather large.”
Mario could only imagine.
The R.O.B.
continued.
“Most universes are managed.”
“They each have one or more omnipotent entities maintaining the structure of reality.”
Mario raised an eyebrow.
“Managed?”
“Think of it as maintenance.”
“Reality isn’t nearly as stable as mortals imagine.”
“Without supervision, things occasionally…”
He searched for the right word.
“…fray.”
Mario immediately caught onto something.
“My universe.”
The R.O.B.
nodded.
“Exactly.”
“It currently doesn’t have anyone maintaining it.”
Mario frowned.
“Why?”
“Oh.”
The R.O.B.
smiled innocently.
“The previous one retired.”
Mario stared.
“…Retired?”
“Mhm.”
“I hear gardening is surprisingly popular.”
Mario wasn’t sure whether that was a joke.
Judging by the R.O.B.’s expression…
It probably wasn’t.
He decided not to ask.
Instead, he focused on the more important issue.
“So because my universe doesn’t have…”
He hesitated.
“…maintenance.”
“You accidentally entered it.”
“Correct.”
“And that killed me.”
The R.O.B.’s cheerful expression dimmed slightly.
“…Unfortunately.”
Mario looked down for a moment.
He replayed his final memory.
The rippling sky.
The crack in reality.
That indescribable presence.
Then…
Nothing.
“So…”
Mario looked back up.
“What actually happened?”
The R.O.B.
scratched his cheek.
“You’ve probably walked through a spider web before.”
Mario nodded.
“You usually don’t notice it until it’s wrapped around your face.”
“…True.”
“Now imagine you’re the spider.”
Mario blinked.
“…I’m the spider?”
“No.”
“The universe is.”
Mario waited.
“And I was the person walking through it.”
“…”
“…That’s a terrible analogy.”
“I know.”
The R.O.B.
sighed dramatically.
“Omnipotence doesn’t automatically make someone good at explaining things.”
Mario couldn’t help it.
A small laugh escaped him.
It caught him by surprise.
The R.O.B.
noticed.
“There it is.”
Mario looked away.
“What?”
“Your first genuine laugh since arriving.”
Mario’s smile faded almost immediately.
“I suppose.”
The R.O.B.
didn’t press the subject.
Instead, he continued.
“When I crossed into your universe, reality folded around me.”
“Normally, another omnipotent being would’ve redirected the distortion.”
“There wasn’t one.”
“So the distortion continued unchecked.”
Mario already knew where this was going.
“You happened to be standing in the wrong place.”
The R.O.B.
gave a guilty nod.
“The probability was unimaginably small.”
“But…”
“It happened.”
Silence settled between them again.
Mario rested his chin on one hand.
“So.”
“There was nothing I could’ve done.”
“No.”
“I would’ve died regardless.”
“Yes.”
Mario closed his eyes.
Oddly…
That brought him peace.
Not because he was happy.
Because for once, there was no one left to blame.
Not himself.
Not fate.
Not the woman who had shattered his trust.
His death had simply…
Been bad luck.
He opened his eyes again.
“I appreciate your honesty.”
The R.O.B.
blinked.
“…That’s it?”
Mario shrugged lightly.
“I asked for an explanation.”
“You gave one.”
“I don’t see the value in pretending anger would solve anything.”
The R.O.B.
stared at him.
For several seconds.
Then he smiled.
Not the mischievous grin from earlier.
A quieter one.
“…You’re interesting.”
“I’ve met kings who begged.”
“Heroes who cursed me.”
“Villains who tried to bargain.”
“You…”
He tilted his head.
“…accepted reality almost immediately.”
Mario thought about it before answering.
“I don’t think I accepted it.”
The R.O.B.
listened.
“I simply recognized that reality doesn’t care whether I agree with it.”
The smile on the R.O.B.’s face slowly widened.
“Oh…”
“I definitely picked the right person.”
Mario narrowed his eyes.
“…Picked?”
The R.O.B.
immediately waved both hands.
“Poor choice of words.”
“I meant…”
He grinned.
“…the right person to compensate.”
Mario wasn’t entirely convinced.
Before he could ask another question, the R.O.B.
suddenly stood.
The chair disappeared.
Not with a flash.
Not with magic.
It simply ceased to exist.
Like someone had erased a sentence from a page.
The tea table followed.
Then the porcelain cup.
Within seconds, the endless white space contained only the two of them.
Mario watched everything vanish without reacting.
He was beginning to understand that normal expectations had little value here.
The R.O.B.
stretched lazily.
“Now then.”
“Let’s discuss your compensation.”
Mario met his gaze.
For the first time since arriving…
Something resembling anticipation stirred inside him.
Not excitement.
Curiosity.
His old life was over.
There was nothing left waiting for him on the other side of death.
Whatever came next…
Would become the beginning of an entirely different story.
The R.O.B.
smiled.
“I believe you’ll like this part.”
Mario had a feeling…
He probably wouldn’t like the smile that came with it.
End of Chapter 2