The world was frozen, suspended in a silence deeper than death. Time had stopped, yet Malric stood there—still breathing, still blinking—as if the laws of nature had simply skipped over him.
And then, a light blue glow flickered in front of him.
> [DIVINE SYSTEM INITIATING...]
Malric's brows furrowed. What is this...?
> You are Zeus' Heir.
His eyes widened. "What… Zeus' what now?"
But the message blinked, then flickered again. The text changed.
> Prepare to take the fall.
Quest Initiated.
"What—wait, wait, WAIT—!" Malric shouted.
Before he could even move, time snapped back like a whip.
The rooftop vanished beneath him. Gravity reclaimed its prize. He fell—his scream ripping through the cold air—and then—
Blackness.
---
Malric gasped.
He opened his eyes, heart pounding, sweat clinging to his skin. The cold metal frame of his bed creaked as he sat up.
His room was as broken as his life.
A small, rusted fan buzzed lazily from a corner, barely clinging to life. The peeling paint on the walls exposed the cement beneath. A single cracked window let in the silver glow of the moonlight, and his thin blanket was tangled at his feet.
"Was… was that a dream?" he muttered, eyes scanning the room. "No way. That felt—real. Too real."
He tried to laugh it off, rubbing his face. "Yeah. A dream. Some messed up dream..."
But then it came again.
The same blue glow. Hovering in midair like a ghost that refused to leave.
> Congratulations. Quest Completed: "Take the Fall."
Reward: Divine System Access Unlocked.
Malric's mouth went dry.
> Welcome, Zeus' Heir.
The Divine System will guide you on your path to divinity.
"Divinity...?" he whispered.
His hands trembled. The same boy who was mocked, beaten, discarded—now being told he was something divine?
> A quest has been generated. Rewards will be given upon completion.
Do you accept this quest?
Malric stared. A hundred thoughts flooded his mind.
Divinity? Power? A path to become someone—something—that no one could ever laugh at again?
His fists clenched. He thought of Zeke's smug face. Of Hera's cold eyes. Of the laughter. Of dying.
If this is real… then I'll never be stepped on again.
"I accept," Malric whispered.
A list immediately appeared:
> [Main Quest Chain: Divine Mischief]
1. Call Zeke a douchebag.
2. Punch Zeke in the stomach.
3. Call Hera an ugly bitch.
4. Call Hera a snake bitch.
5. Shout "Pikachu Thunderbolts!" at both Zeke and Hera.
Malric stared blankly.
"…What the hell is wrong with this system?"
Was this some kind of joke?
"This can't be real. This is suicide! They'll kill me again—no, I'm not ready!" he protested.
Then, another message appeared:
> Failure to comply will result in punishment.
"Fine! Punish me then! Anything's better than dying!"
His room began to melt away.
The moonlight flickered. The rusty fan stopped. The sound of distant screams replaced the hum of silence.
And suddenly—
He was not in his room anymore.
Malric found himself standing in the middle of a ruined city.
The sky was ash-grey. Fires raged in broken buildings. Cars were flipped, streets cracked and shattered, a smell of smoke and decay in the air.
The wind carried howls—inhuman howls.
He knew this place.
"Z-Zone?" he stammered.
The Z-Zone. The deadliest place on Earth. A city-sized battlefield abandoned to monsters and corrupted creatures after the first Divine War. Only the strongest dared to set foot here—and even they rarely returned.
Then he saw them. Dozens of small beasts crawling out of shadows—gnarled limbs, glowing red eyes, razor fangs. Their screeches echoed like madness.
> Do you still refuse the quest?
"This—this isn't a punishment—THIS IS A DEATH SENTENCE!" Malric screamed as the creatures charged toward him.
His legs trembled. His breath caught in his throat.
"I—FINE! I ACCEPT! I ACCEPT!!"
The world cracked.
Like a shattered mirror snapping back together—
He was in his bed.
Soaked in sweat. Heart racing. Gasping for breath.
The blue glow calmly floated above him like it had all been nothing.
> Quest Accepted. Good luck, Zeus' Heir.
Malric lay there, staring at the ceiling. His rundown room suddenly felt like a throne room compared to that hell.
The soft blue screen hovered quietly beside Malric, glowing faintly in the dim room.
> [Quests: 5 Remaining]
⬜ Call Zeke a douchebag
⬜ Punch Zeke in the stomach
⬜ Call Hera an ugly bitch
⬜ Call Hera a snake bitch
⬜ Shout "Pikachu Thunderbolts!" at Zeke and Hera
Malric let out a long, slow sigh. "This is insane," he muttered, rubbing his tired face.
Still, he stood.
The floor of his room creaked beneath him as he pulled on the grey, faded janitor uniform he wore every day. The sleeves were a little too short, the collar stretched. His shoes were barely holding together, patched with old glue and string.
He stepped out of his rundown apartment, tucked behind a line of abandoned shops and a half-collapsed bakery. The streets were dark and wet, the lamplight flickering as he made his way toward the shining tower in the center of the city.
Olympus Academy.
The most prestigious divine school in the nation—where the gifted, the chosen, and the powerful trained to become godlike heroes or heirs of divine thrones. Its gates stood tall and gilded, blessed by actual celestial magic. The walls were lined with marble. Floating stones orbited the upper spires of the school like lazy stars. The scent of divine incense floated through the courtyard. Statues of famous divine heirs and gods overlooked the walkways.
And yet, here walked Malric—the powerless cleaner, the cursed boy, the joke of Olympus Academy.
He swallowed hard as he passed through the gate. The weight of every eye on him pressed like iron.
Some students stared with disgust. Others snickered. They always did.
He made it halfway across the grand stone courtyard before a booming voice cut through the air.
"Malric!" one of the instructors barked. A tall man with golden robes and glowing scrolls floating around him. "Garden area. Now. You missed a spot yesterday."
He said it like one might command a dog.
"This… this is the same day," he whispered. "The day I died."
His eyes widened as the realization settled in.
The system… it didn't just give him powers.
It turned back time.
Malric stood there, stunned, staring at the floating blue screen.
"…The system is real," he whispered. "And it's… amazing."
Malric lowered his head. "Yes, sir…"
The garden behind the school was vast—filled with divine flora from different realms. Trees with silver leaves shimmered under the daylight sun. Blue roses that glowed faintly in the shade. Even the grass had a divine glow, soft underfoot and untouched by pests or dirt.
Except, of course, in Malric's cleaning zone—where students regularly threw trash just to mock him.
As he knelt to pick up a crushed cup near a crystal fountain, something heavy slammed into the back of his head.
Whump.
A full trash bag.
Laughter erupted behind him like a theater show.
"Direct hit!" someone called.
Malric winced but didn't flinch. He picked up the bag, wiped the grime from his neck, and kept cleaning.
The laughter didn't stop. It never did.
Then—CRACK.
A foot smashed down on his head, forcing his face into the dirt. The grass scratched against his cheek. His vision blurred with dust and crushed leaves.
"Eyyy, Pikachu," a voice drawled.
Zeke.
He wore the royal red uniform reserved for the elite students, tailored to perfection. His arms bulged with unnatural strength, likely enhanced by divine lineage. His short, slicked-back hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight like the surface of steel.
"How's your day?" he sneered.
Malric, face pressed against the ground, forced a crooked smile.
"It's nice, sir," he said through grit teeth.
More laughter.
Water splashed over his head, soaking his hair and shirt. He could hear the camera clicks. Someone shouted, "New profile picture!"
He had smiled through this before. Taken the humiliation.
But not today.
Not after what happened on that rooftop.
Not after they killed him.
Malric's hand trembled as he looked at the floating blue screen beside him, listing all five quests.
He took a deep breath.
The air smelled of divine flowers.
Then—
"HEY! Stop it! What are you doing to him?!"
A voice. Familiar.
Hera.
The crowd shifted. She marched forward, her long black hair flowing behind her like a dark flame. Her perfect face twisted into concern—false concern.
The same face that smiled at him while he lay broken.
The same voice that said he should have died.
But not today.
Malric stood.
Dust clung to his soaked clothes. His legs shook, but his eyes were clear—burning.
Zeke blinked, confused. "The hell are you doing, rat?"
Malric pulled back his fist—and threw a punch into Zeke's stomach.
Thmp.
Zeke didn't even move.
Malric's knuckles screamed in pain. "Ow," he muttered. His abs are made of steel, what the hell...?
> ✅ Quest Complete: Punch Zeke in the stomach
Zeke's face twisted into fury. "You son of a—"
"Hera!" Malric barked suddenly, cutting him off. "You're an ugly bitch—and a snake bitch."
The words sliced through the garden like a blade. Silence fell.
Hera's face morphed instantly—soft, fake concern turning to outrage.
> ✅ Quest Complete: Call Hera an ugly bitch
✅ Quest Complete: Call Hera a snake bitch
Before either could react, Malric turned to Zeke again.
"You... are a douchebag."
Spit flew into Zeke's face as the words burst out like lightning.
> ✅ Quest Complete: Call Zeke a douchebag
And finally—
Malric inhaled deeply, stood tall in front of them both, and with every ounce of his lungs—
"YOU SHOULD BE PUNISHED BY THE GOD'S THUNDERBOLT—PIKACHU!!"
His voice echoed off the marble walls, soared through the trees, and bounced down the divine halls of Olympus Academy.
> ✅ Quest Complete: Shout "Pikachu Thunderbolts! To both Zeke and Hera"
The screen blinked gold.
> ALL QUESTS COMPLETE
Reward Granted: Flight
Malric blinked.
Zeke and Hera stared, their faces contorted in shock and rage.
"Oh crap," Malric whispered. "I gotta go."
He turned and ran.
He sprinted through the garden, past stunned students, laughing wildly—not in fear, but in relief. In freedom.
He enjoyed that.
"HOW DARE YOU—!" Zeke's voice boomed from behind. Inhumanly fast, he dashed, and in an instant—
He was in front of Malric.
Zeke raised a fist, glowing with divine strength. "You piece of—!"
> [REWARD ACTIVATED: FLIGHT – 30 Seconds Remaining]
Suddenly, Malric's feet left the ground.
"—HUUUUH?!"
He soared upward, past Zeke's outstretched hand, into the sky above the garden. His eyes wide. The wind screaming in his ears.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING—?!" he shouted, spinning in the air.
Students watched, jaws dropped, as the school's lowest cleaner flew above them like a ragged comet.
Malric couldn't stop laughing.
He was alive.
He was airborne.
And he just humiliated the two most powerful students in Olympus Academy.