"TURN OFF THE DAMN LIGHTS!"
The scream echoed off the white walls.
"My god... it hurts—everywhere. My head... my whole body..."
He shouted until his voice gave out, collapsing onto the cold floor with a loud thud. A final cry escaped his lips before darkness swallowed his consciousness.
Eight hours later, he stirred. His skull throbbed with a splitting headache as he slowly, painfully, sat up—still slouching, as even lifting his spine fully upright felt like an impossible task.
"Where... am I?" he muttered.
He blinked against the sterile white light. The walls, the floor—everything was an unbroken expanse of white. It was like being trapped inside a blank canvas. But one thing stood out: a massive digital timer on the wall, counting down from 6:54:57. Hours, minutes, seconds. He was certain of it.
With effort, he stood up and began to explore the empty room, searching every corner, every inch of the seamless walls for a door, a window—anything. But there was nothing. Just emptiness.
Eventually, exhausted and still aching, he laid back down on the hard floor. Sleep took him once again.
Four hours passed.
When he woke again, his headache was finally gone—but his muscles ached even worse. He was used to soft beds and warm sheets, not this frigid, unforgiving surface. Still, he stood up with ease this time, if not comfort. The timer ticked down, now much closer to zero.
Three more hours passed.
00:00:00
A soft chime echoed in the room. The timer changed.
"Mission in: 1:00:00"
He stared in confusion.
"What mission? What the hell is going on?"
A cold, mechanical voice answered:
"These are the mission details. In the Hado National Martial Arts Tournament, user will be participating as a representative of the Phir State.
Objectives:
Pass the qualifier round
Side Mission: Befriend or bribe individuals in power to assist in winning matches
Hidden Mission: ?????
Note: Failing the qualifier will result in death.
Higher qualifications lead to better or unexpected rewards."
"What the fuck? What kind of message was that? And why did it sound like Google Translate?"
"I am not Google Translate," the voice replied in the same robotic tone. "I am the system AI assigned to guide you."
"This has to be a prank. A really sick prank. Just end it already, I'm seriously losing it."
"It is not a prank. You are currently in the system's waiting area."
"…System?" he whispered. "What system?"
"To access your system interface, say the word: 'Manual'."
"Manual," he said aloud.
The interface materialized before his eyes:
Name: Ben
Sex: Male
Strength: 3
Constitution: 3
Agility: 4
Points: 1
"What... what are these stats? Strength? Constitution? Agility? Why do I only have one point?"
"These represent your physical attributes. The average healthy adult is rated at 5 in each. You are currently below average."
"You have a beginner's package available. Would you like to open it?"
Ben nodded. "I'll take whatever I can get."
"You received: 3 Spirit Points and an Extremely Basic Body Strengthening Manual."
"What's the difference between normal points and spirit points?"
"Points are used to purchase physical abilities and items. Spirit Points are reserved for enhancing spirit-based attributes."
Ben opened a new panel:
Spirit Attributes:
Psyche: 1
Luck: 1
Note: First-time activation bonus: 1.5× multiplier on Spirit Points
"Host is advised to invest all Spirit Points in Luck. Normal human luck ranges between 3–5. This explains your poor starting stats."
Suddenly, another notification popped up.
"Unknown package detected. Forcibly opening..."
"Congratulations! You have received 6 additional Spirit Points."
"Huh?! What was that?"
"A bonus. Nothing to worry about."
Ben grinned. "I always liked the idea of being the chosen one, having insanely good luck. If this stat makes good things happen, then yeah—sign me up."
"Add all Spirit Points to Luck," he said quickly.
Spirit Points: 9 × 1.5 = 13.5
Base Luck: 1 → Total Luck: 14.5
He smirked as the numbers locked in.
For the first time since waking up in this nightmare, he felt a thrill run through him.
"Let's see what this high luck really means."