Raze's eyes slowly opened. His vision was still blurry as he tried to sit up, holding his head with both hands.
"What... happened...?"
His head was pounding, like someone had taken a hammer to his skull. His breathing was unsteady, chest rising and falling rapidly. His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.
Raze looked around. He noticed that he was now on the floor, next to the front door.
"That... man. Who was he? And what was that voice I heard in my head...?"
He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his vision. As things started to sharpen, he saw that the front door was now closed.
He stood up slowly, trying to piece things together.
"What was it..." he muttered, reaching back through the haze in his mind.
Then it hit him.
That voice.
"The... God Slayer System. Was it?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a glowing status screen flickered into view.
[User: Raze Zaden]
[Race: Half-ling]
[HP: 100/100]
[Strength: 15]
[Agility: 15]
[Endurance: 15]
[Stamina: 15]
Raze took a few steps back.
"What is this?! Is that a system screen?"
His eyes scanned the glowing interface. At the top, he noticed that there were more tabs.
The moment he read one of those tabs inside his head, the screen responded, automatically switching to the [Skills] Tab.
[Skills]
[0 Skill Points Available]
[Skill Locked]
[Skill Locked]
...
It was quite strange, but he played along, curiosity fueling him.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared in front of him:
"This is from the creator of the God Slayer System. You must keep this system of yours hidden at all costs including your Half-ling status.
This system is the first and last of my work.
There will be many struggles that you'll encounter during your life.
Make sure you make some friends along the way, so they can help you during your journey.
This journey of yours will be a long one.
May you be the person to finally change things once and for all. There are many beings out there that despise our race. Beings that hunt us down and devour our bodies to increase their power. And that… may be the reason the planets are slowly dying. Something is searching for us, Raze. You'll find out sooner or later. Farewell, Raze."
Raze stared at the message, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.
"Keep it hidden...? Beings that devour... us?"
He took a step back, trying to process what he had just read. His mind raced, and he felt as if the ground beneath him had started to shift.
"Why me...?"
He looked down at his hands, clenching them tightly.
"This isn't some dream, is it...?"
The silence in the room grew heavier, like the world itself was holding its breath with him.
"A system... a race… something out there is hunting us and I'm now part of it?"
He didn't know what any of it meant. But one thing was clear. His life would never be normal again.
Suddenly, the TV in the living room screamed to life as an emergency broadcast began to play.
Raze quickly ran toward the living room, his thoughts spiraling.
"First the system... the message... and now this?! What is going on?!" he shouted.
As he made it into the room, his eyes immediately locked onto the screen.
There it was the head of the military, Gilbert Nightwing, speaking loudly into the mic. He was a man in his mid-30s, he has black messy hair, a broad-shoulder, and the military uniform he has in, clung tightly to his body, showing off his muscular frame.
"This is an emergency broadcast! Military technology has detected hundreds of unknown beings traveling across multiple planets. They are confirmed to be the cause of the planetary deaths we are currently experiencing.
"Many are claiming the race known as the 'Xin' has returned. But reports suggest that these beings are not the Xin humanity eradicated centuries ago."
He paused, staring directly into the camera, his eyes sharp and cutting.
"All of us must be ready to encounter these beings, in case they arrive on our planet. From this moment on, there will be mandatory military school for everyone sixteen and older. Humanity must be prepared for what is coming.
"The military and UX Space Corporation are already calculating how much time we have left to prepare.
I repeat there will be mandatory military school for everyone that is sixteen and over!"
Then the screen went black.
Raze stood there, staring at the black screen.
His breathing was heavy and shallow. Like the air had been sucked out of the room.
"Mandatory… military school?" he muttered.
His hands clenched into fists.
"This has to be a dream…"
First the system. Then the message. Now this?
His thoughts were colliding into each other, his mind unable to settle on just one.
"Are they really back...? Or is this something worse?"
He fell onto the couch, eyes still fixed on the screen even though it was already off. The room felt smaller now, like the walls were closing in.
"Why now? Why me?"
The God Slayer System…
The Half-ling race…
Beings that devour them…
And now, unknown enemies threatening humanity again.
He leaned forward, burying his face into his hands.
This wasn't how today was supposed to go.
Raze took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts.
"So first… I need to figure out what the 'Half-ling' race even is," he muttered. "Maybe I should ask the system?"
"System," Raze spoke aloud, uncertain if it would even respond, "what exactly is a Half-ling?"
A soft chime echoed in his head, followed by a response in a calm, mechanical voice.
[A Half-ling is a transitional state between human and God Slayer. This is the first phase of your evolution. As a Half-ling, your physical attributes are enhanced beyond the human limit. Further evolution will unlock abilities and traits exclusive to the God Slayer race. Warning: evolution is a painful and irreversible process.]
Raze's eyes widened. "God Slayer… So this isn't just some random power-up. This thing is changing what I am."
He started to pace back and forth, his heart racing again. The word "irreversible" stuck in his mind like a needle.
"Why me?" he whispered. "Why give something like this to someone like me?"
He stopped walking, looking down at his hands. They were trembling.
"But if this really is happening... maybe I can finally become someone."
Raze pulled out his phone from his pocket. He checked the time and his eyes widened.
"11 p.m...? Just how long was I out for?" he muttered, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and started walking upstairs toward his room, the lights behind him shutting off automatically with each step. Living in a house filled with advanced technology—auto-lights, scanners, voice-controlled systems—was something most people would dream of.
But to Raze, it was just... cold.
The silence of a high-tech house meant nothing when his parents were barely ever around.
When he reached his room, he placed his hand on the biometric scanner, just another fancy addition to the house. The scanner lit up blue, humming softly as it read his hand and fingerprints. With a soft ding, the door slid open.
Raze stepped inside.
"With this system... I can finally be someone," he whispered, staring at the dim ceiling lights above. "But how do I hide what I am... or what I'm becoming?"
He walked toward his bed and sat down on the edge, thinking aloud.
"What excuse can I make...? Military School's probably starting in three days… or less."
He clenched his fist, feeling the strength in his grip. The subtle power humming under his skin.
"In this short time... I should probably figure out what this new body of mine can actually do."
He paused. "System," he called out, "what are my current capabilities as a Half-ling?"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly, a soft mechanical chime echoed in his head, followed by a familiar, neutral voice:
[Half-ling Status: Half Human / Half God Slayer]
[Current Physical Capabilities: Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Agility, Enhanced Stamina, Enhanced Endurance]
[Note: As a Half-ling, your current body is undergoing gradual transformation. Physical enhancements will increase as levels rise. You will experience heightened recovery, reflexes, perception, and adaptability. Pain resistance has also been increased.]
Raze blinked.
"Enhanced… strength, agility, stamina, endurance…" he repeated slowly.
He stood up, walking over to the wall, and placed his hand against it. Not too hard just enough pressure. He focused, then pushed a little more.
Then the wall cracked.
Raze eyes widened.
"Okay... that's not normal."
He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers. It didn't even hurt. In fact, he barely felt the wall resist at all.
"So… this is the Half-ling body?"
He backed away from the wall, pacing.
"But if this is only the beginning… what the hell is a full God Slayer like?" he muttered under his breath.
He sat back down on the bed, his mind spinning.
"Okay... I need to test this stuff tomorrow. I'll find somewhere far and isolated. Maybe the abandoned fields behind the school."
Raze laid down, staring up at the ceiling again.
His thoughts were racing. Everything was happening too fast. First, Theodore, the system, the warning, the broadcast, and now... this power.
He closed his eyes.
"I don't know what's coming," he whispered, "but I won't just sit back anymore. Not this time."