Ryan floated above the concrete like time had stopped, a soft blue light pulsing around him, holding him midair. His heart thundered in his chest. His breath caught halfway in his throat.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't death.
This was something else entirely.
A cold voice echoed through the air—calm, robotic, yet almost alive.
"Welcome, Ryan West. You have been chosen."
His eyes widened. His voice cracked as he blurted out the only thing his fried brain could muster.
"What the fuck are you? Chosen? For what?!"
"I am something you will understand in time. For now, just know this—I am here to help you."
Help me? Ryan blinked, completely overwhelmed. Is this some kind of hallucination? Am I dying? Did my head hit the ground and now I'm in limbo?
The voice continued, unaffected by his confusion.
"You have received one more chance in this life. A second opportunity to prove that you are not a complete loser."
Ryan's breath caught. His entire body tensed.
Loser.
That word hit harder than it should have. Maybe because it was true.
He looked down at himself—bloody, bruised, heavy. A mess of a human being floating between life and death.
"What... what do you mean by that?" he whispered. "I don't understand... I'm just... I'm just me. I didn't ask for any of this. I was going to—" His voice cracked. "I was going to die."
"You were. But I intervened. Your story isn't over. Not yet."
Ryan's mind swirled with panic. Sweat rolled down his temples. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like war drums.
"Why me?" he said. "Why would something like you pick someone like me?"
"Because you still have something inside you—potential. Rage. Pain. And most of all, the desire to change. I can give you the power to do it. I can help you become the best in the world. I can help you take revenge on those who humiliated you. On everyone who ever looked down on you. I will show the world that you are not... ordinary."
Ryan didn't speak.
His breathing slowed.
Memories started flashing through his mind like a cruel slideshow.
Sophia's disgusted face. The cafeteria laughing. Josh's boot slamming into his ribs. Lying on the floor in tears. Years of silence. Years of being invisible. Of being ignored. Mocked. Forgotten.
He clenched his fists.
His entire body was trembling—not from fear now, but something deeper. Older.
Burning.
A heat in his gut that he hadn't felt in years. Rage. Pure and righteous.
No more.
Ryan raised his head, jaw tightening. His eyes sharpened, just a little.
"I'll do it," he said quietly. "I don't care what it takes."
He spoke louder.
"I'll become the best. I'll take revenge. I'll make everyone who ever stepped on me regret it."
He glared into the glowing air around him.
"Tell me what I have to do."
The system's voice responded without delay.
"Good choice, host. Step one—complete the quests given to you. They are designed to reshape your body, your mind, your soul. Refuse, and you'll stay as you are. Accept, and you'll begin your evolution."
Ryan nodded, sweat still trickling down his face, but his grip on reality finally anchoring.
"Alright. I'm ready."
"Quest initializing..."
A blue screen flashed in front of him. Text typed itself out as if guided by invisible fingers.
[Main Quest: Reforge the Vessel]
[Objective: Get in perfect physical shape. Burn all excess fat.]
[Time Limit: None]
[Difficulty: ★★★★★]
[Reward: System Upgrade + First Skill Unlock]
[Failure: System progress will halt until completion.]
Ryan blinked at the screen. Then again.
"What the fuck?! That's... that's insane! I'm supposed to get in perfect shape? Do you know what I look like?!"
He looked down at himself—bloated belly, flabby arms, short breath, soft limbs.
"That's not a quest, that's a death sentence!"
"If you want to be the best, this is the bare minimum. To command others, you must first master yourself."
Ryan groaned. "Isn't there like a charisma potion or something? Magic gym clothes? Anything?"
"No shortcuts. This system will give you knowledge, skills, and structure. But the effort must come from you. No hacks. No cheats. You rise... or you fall."
Ryan wiped sweat from his brow, still suspended in glowing air. He looked at the quest screen again. His heart dropped at the five-star difficulty.
"This is going to suck," he muttered.
"It will break you. And remake you."
He exhaled hard and nodded again. "Fine. I'll do it."
The system paused. For a moment, the silence stretched—almost like it was watching him. Judging his resolve.
Then—
"Welcome to your new life, Ryan West."
The blue glow around him shimmered—and his body slowly began to descend, as if gravity had re-enabled. His feet gently touched the ground. No impact. No injury. Just quiet.
The world felt different.
The sky was the same gray-blue, the building the same cracked concrete—but Ryan... he was no longer the same.
His eyes still burned with tears. But something else lived inside them now.
Resolve.