The sky cracked.
Not with thunder, not with lightning, but with light. A pulse of pure energy rippled through the atmosphere, sweeping across cities, mountains, forests, oceans. Everywhere. Every living being felt it. A vibration in their bones, a whisper in their minds.
[System Initialization Complete. Welcome, User.]
Across the planet, blue screens flashed in front of billions of people. For a brief moment, the world paused. No one could look away.
[New Protocol Detected. World Integration: Complete.] [Level Cap Released.] [Good luck, Players.]
Everything changed.
[User: ???]
[Initializing Status...]
[System Error Detected. Attempting Recovery...]
[Warning: Trait not recognized. Labeling as SECRET.]
Name: Ren
Level: 1
Class: None
Trait: [REDACTED] (Secret)
Stats:
-
Strength: 5
-
Speed: 5
-
Durability: 5
-
Agility: 5
-
Intelligence: 5
-
Available Stat Points: 0
[Special Quest Assigned: "Survive. Or Be Deleted."] [Failure to complete the quest will result in a penalty. Timer: 72:00:00]
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Ren blinked. "The hell?"
He wasn’t special. At least, he didn’t think he was. A college dropout with no future, no money, and no prospects. The kind of guy you don’t notice in a crowd. And now he was supposed to survive in a world where everyone just got upgraded like a damn videogame?
He looked around. Others were panicking. Screaming. Laughing. Testing their new status windows, pointing at stats, showing off traits. Some people already had rare-class titles. Some were even trading already, flexing new gear that spawned into their inventory. It was chaos. It was a party. It was war.
And Ren? He got a glitch.
"Typical."
Elsewhere, far from the noise and confusion, a girl stood in the middle of a silent forest. She wasn't panicking. She wasn’t confused.
She was glowing.
Name: Lyra
Level: 1
Class: Acolyte (Healer)
Trait: Sanctified Soul (Unique)
Title: Seraph Chosen (Unique)
Skill: Seraph's Embrace (Unique)
[System Notification: You are recognized as a Celestial-Linked Entity.] [Blessings granted. Effects amplified. Good luck, Child of Grace.]
Lyra looked at her screen. Calmly. Her violet eyes reflecting the soft golden aura that shimmered around her. The world felt... warmer. Lighter. But she could feel it in her bones, this power came with a price.
She’d have to use it wisely.
She took a step forward, and the system spoke again:
[Quest Assigned: Bind to a Companion. Destiny awaits.]
Ren didn’t know what to do. The screen in front of him wouldn’t go away.
[Special Quest: Survive. Or Be Deleted.]
[Day 1 Begins. You are being watched.]
Great. Not only was he bugged, he was on a death timer. He opened his inventory, empty. No starter gear. No credits. No weapons. No potions. Everyone else got at least a wooden sword or some basic cloth armor.
He clenched his fists. "Okay. Fine. You want me to survive? Then watch me."
Lyra stepped out of the forest and into the ruins of a long-forgotten temple. Her map blinked with a location marker.
[Dungeon Detected: First Trial – Lost Sanctuary]
[Party Recommendation: 2 Players]
A soft smile crossed her lips. "So that’s how it is."
She accepted the quest.
Somewhere, the system watched. The data streams around Ren and Lyra twisted and glitched. Two anomalies. One sacred. One corrupted.
Fate was never balanced.
But maybe that’s what made it interesting.
[World Dungeon: First Trial will open in 6 hours. Location will be revealed to all Level 1 Users.]
The countdown had begun.
End of Chapter 1