[FIVE MINUTES AFTER THE EXPLOSION]
I wake up startled and breathless. My heart's pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.
"AAAH!" I scream in pain. It feels like my skin's been scraped off.
I get up fast, and the movement makes a grinding noise—turns out my pillow was a giant chunk of rubble.
"What the hell happened here?!"
Though my consciousness is still returning, I can already tell the whole neighborhood's in ruins. Houses are collapsing, chunks of concrete are raining down from the sky. People are screaming, and I can hear sirens in the distance.
"Shit..."
I'm not exactly in one piece, either. My arm's bleeding, and I'm basically naked. My bike definitely didn't survive this mess. At least I still have my bat.
"Wait, where's my bat?"
I glance around, desperate. I don't even know why that hunk of metal means so much. But losing it feels like losing a part of myself. A hollow ache tightens in my chest.
I'm still dazed, but I keep searching. That thing... it mattered.
In the middle of all the chaos, a blue flash blinds me. A transparent screen floats in front of me, full of data I don't understand. I freeze, unsure if I'm hallucinating—or if I've finally cracked my skull for real.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
| NAME: Kaiki
| TITLE: [None]
| LEVEL: 3
| RANK: Civilian
And after that chaotic introduction, a holographic screen appears in front of me, displaying some kind of information.
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 14
- Constitution: 15
- Perception: 10
- Intelligence: 8
- Charisma: 99+
| ABILITIES |
Electric Core [Lv.1]
| STATUS |
Health Points (HP): 58/100
Energy Points (EP): 80/100
Stamina: 34/50
| CONDITIONS |
[Bleeding]
[Exhausted]
[Confused]
| EQUIPMENT |
[None]
[WARNING: HOST BODY CRITICALLY UNSTABLE.]
Hello, new host, says a voice inside my head. Please, try not to die.
"What the hell is this..." I mutter to myself.
But I don't have much time to figure anything out, because the holographic screen minimizes at the exact moment three armed soldiers show up. I raise my hands, but they don't look friendly at all.
"S-Stop right there!" says one of them—the one leading the group. That one has a woman's voice.
"I'm already standing still," I reply with sarcasm. Judging by the way she keeps aiming that weapon at me, I don't think she appreciated my tone. "Hey, let's stay calm. I have no idea what happened here..."
"Freeze!" the soldier barks again. Or rather—the soldieress. That hysterical energy? Definitely a woman. "You're under arrest!"
"What? I literally haven't done anything!"
They reload their weapons, and I hear a strange electric hum, like something charging up.
They are variable density energy rifles. Says that same voice inside my head. They're going to shoot you.
"Guys," I say, nervously, "can't we just talk about this—"
The voice was right. All three open fire at the same time. One shot hits my head, another strikes my arm, and a third nails my leg. I feel the current frying me from the inside. My body convulses, trembling violently.
And then, suddenly—nothing.
My breathing evens out. My heartbeat slows. No pain. It feels like I just woke up from a full night's sleep.
The three soldiers stare at me in shock, clearly not expecting me to still be standing. I don't blame them. I'm just as shocked as they are.
Still, they decide to blast me again. And while the electric charge might not affect me anymore, I'll admit—those things hurt.
"Stop it!" I shout, raising my hands in surrender.
Then, without warning, blue lightning dances across my skin, snapping from my fingertips like awakened electric snakes. The energy erupts from my palms and strikes all three soldiers, launching them backward.
Stunned, I stand up—this time with no effort at all—and walk toward them. They lie twitching on the ground, groaning in pain, just like I should be right now. It's honestly kind of sad.
"Dude, what is happening to me? Come on, Kaiki... think. What the hell just happened here?"