They said only the worthy survive in the Gates.
They said the system doesn't make mistakes.
They also said I was a D-Class waste of space.
So tell me why the moment I stepped into that Gate... the door didn't just seal behind me.
It vanished.
No shimmer. No click. No trace.
Just a pulse of cold air, and then silence.
---
The place looked like hell forgot to finish building itself.
Stone pillars twisted like broken bones, scattered across a vast, open ruin. The air reeked of smoke and iron, like blood had been burned into the walls. Red light pulsed from cracks in the ground. Nothing moved.
Yet I could feel something.
Watching.
Judging.
Waiting.
> [SYSTEM ALERT]
You are below the required clearance.
Probability of survival: 0.003%
Proceeding with Evaluation...
"Evaluation?"
I barely had time to think before a thunderclap split the air.
Something massive dropped from above, slamming into the stone with such force it cracked the entire floor beneath my feet.
I stumbled back.
Twelve feet tall. All steel. No eyes.
It looked like a knight sculpted from ash and nightmares. A giant sword dragged behind it, screeching like metal across bone.
And carved deep into its chest — that same pulsing red sigil I'd seen on the Gate before I entered.
> [EVALUATOR: STONE SENTINEL LV. 18]
Objective: Terminate Subject
Countdown to judgment: 00:30
Wait — I had thirty seconds?
My heart thrashed. My brain screamed. I turned to run.
> [Escape Denied]
Doorway locked until evaluation complete.
I punched the air. Nothing. My fists felt like feathers. No weapon. No interface. No system menu like the higher ranks got.
And the knight was moving.
Slow at first. Like it didn't need to rush.
Like it already knew I'd die.
I looked around. No cover. Just cracked stone and that burning red symbol, growing brighter.
I backed away.
The sword lifted.
The knight lunged.
I dove.
Stone shattered behind me, a spray of sparks and dust erupting where I'd stood.
My shoulder hit the ground hard, rolling to the side. A scream tore from my lungs — not pain, but something worse: the sound of my own weakness.
How was I supposed to fight this?
Why was I even here?
Then I heard it.
A voice.
No — not a voice. A whisper inside my skull.
> You were not chosen. But you entered anyway.
The system cannot adapt. It can only respond.
You are an error. A fracture. A threat.
I clutched my head.
What the hell was that?
The knight swung again — a wide arc. I ducked, and the blade missed me by inches, slamming into a pillar with a screech that shook the chamber.
I picked up a loose shard of rock, sharp like broken glass, and threw it with everything I had.
It bounced off the knight's chest like a pebble.
Great.
Still mortal. Still useless.
The knight turned back to me.
But I noticed something — the cracks on its shoulders glowed a little brighter after the last strike. Was that... a weak point?
No time to confirm.
The sword lifted again.
I rushed forward.
Stupid. Insane. But I didn't care.
I grabbed a loose iron rod from the ground, rolled under the next swing, and jabbed it deep into the knight's side.
A flash of light burst from the point of impact.
Sparks. Then... a pulse of energy.
The knight shuddered.
> [Damage registered: 2%]
Critical zone contacted.
2%?
I'd just stabbed a living furnace with everything I had, and it was 2%?
Another whisper.
> Do you wish to live?
Do you wish to awaken?
"Yes," I gasped. "YES!"
> Request acknowledged.
Activating emergency protocol: Forced Integration.
WARNING: Incompatible host. Proceeding anyway.
My body snapped backward.
It felt like being struck by lightning underwater — my blood boiled, my bones lit up, and the world blurred into red and static.
> [SYSTEM ERROR]
Forced Class Assignment: [UNKNOWN]
Class Tree: ???
Title Assigned: FRACTURE
Stats unlocked...
Skill granted: [BURNOUT]
Ability: SURVIVAL INSTINCT (PASSIVE) — "You refuse to die."
I hit the ground on one knee, panting, shaking... but alive.
And my hand — it wasn't just glowing.
It was burning.
But it didn't hurt.
I looked up at the knight.
Oh... you're screwed now.
Round two.
It charged.
I charged back.
This time, I didn't dodge. I moved under its swing like I knew the motion — like my body already remembered the arc.
It did.
I slid in low and drove my fist — burning bright with fire I didn't understand — into the knight's knee joint.
A pop.
A crack.
A shriek of metal tearing as it stumbled.
[Damage: 12%]
[Skill: BURNOUT] activated — excess energy venting.
A wave of flame surged out from me in all directions, setting the chamber alight with heat and ash.
The knight stumbled backward.
But it wasn't done.
It raised its sword with both hands now.
A final strike.
I had one shot.
I focused.
Fire rose up my arms like a second skin. My fingers curled, my body humming with raw chaos. I launched myself off a broken pillar, into the air — and slammed both fists into the sigil on its chest.
The world exploded.
White light.
Flame.
Stone shattered around me.
I was thrown back.
When I opened my eyes... the knight was crumpled.
Smoldering.
Dead.
[EVALUATION COMPLETE]
Subject: Crispin David
Outcome: SURVIVED
Result: ANOMALY
Classification: FRACTURE
ERROR—The system has no protocol for your existence.
Proceed to exit.
A door appeared.
Same steel frame. Same shimmer.
But the whispers remained.
You were not supposed to survive.
You were not supposed to awaken.
But now... the Gate remembers you.
I stepped through the door
And the world blinked