The afternoon sun slanted lazily through the classroom windows, painting thin golden lines across
the tiled floor. Xerx sat in the far-left corner of the last row, half-hidden behind the curtain's drifting
shadow. Tall and lean, he rested his chin on his palm, his sharp eyes following the teacher's chalk
strokes only when necessary.
His classmates whispered and giggled in low bursts, but none of it touched him. He kept his usual
nonchalant mask in place—expression blank, posture relaxed, as if the world around him was
happening somewhere far away.
When the bell finally rang, the first subject of the day ended. Desks screeched across the floor as
students broke into chatter. Laughter spilled across the room in a careless wave.
Xerx watched them, silent. Their smiles, their easy exchanges… they looked like they belonged to a
world that refused to let him in.
Why do I feel like I don't belong anywhere? The thought pressed against his skull like a dull ache.
He stared at his desk until the next teacher arrived, but the question lingered, unanswered.
The door slid open, and their science teacher stepped inside. Just as he began to write on the
board, a shrill voice erupted from outside the building.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
The class froze.
More shouts followed, this time from the courtyard. Students rushed to the windows, chairs
clattering to the floor. Xerx remained seated for a heartbeat longer, uneasy, before standing.
Through the glass, the sky was—wrong. A jagged black fissure split the pale blue expanse, like a
mirror cracking under pressure. The edges of the rupture glowed with a sickly violet light.
"What… what is that?" someone whispered.
The crack widened with a thunderous groan. From its depths, a colossal foot emerged—its skin
stone-gray and scarred like weathered rock. A monstrous leg followed, then the towering shape of a
giant wielding an axe as long as a bus.
Screams tore through the air.
The giant's eyes, cold and luminous, swept across the campus before it stepped fully through the
rift. With a guttural roar, it swung its axe downward. The blade cleaved through the courtyard like a
scythe, scattering bodies and earth alike. Blood sprayed the concrete.
Panic erupted. Students outside fled in all directions, but the giant's stride was merciless. One
stomp, and a dozen lives vanished beneath its foot.
Then another crack split the sky—not one, but many. Fractures webbed across the heavens like
shattered glass. From each rift, new shapes began to crawl and twist: horned beasts with serrated
jaws, winged shadows that shrieked like metal tearing apart.
The world was breaking.
Inside the classroom, chaos ignited. Desks overturned as students screamed and bolted for the
door. Xerx stood motionless, heart pounding. Through the open window, he locked eyes with the
giant for a fleeting, impossible second.
It looked back.
A sudden electronic chime echoed inside his skull.
[SYSTEM BOOTING…] [Initializing User: Unknown] [Error: World Integrity—Critical]
A translucent blue screen burst into view in front of him, hanging in the air like a hologram. No one
else seemed to notice. The other students screamed, shoved, ran—but the floating panel pulsed
only for him.
[Welcome, Xerx.] [Synchronization: 1%...]
His heart hammered as the letters flickered between strange glyphs and clean letters.
[Emergency Protocol Activated] [World Collapse Detected] [Choose: SURVIVE or DIE]
Two icons blinked—one a crimson skull, the other a glowing silver shield. Xerx barely breathed.
"Survive," he whispered.
[Choice Confirmed] [Loading Starter Package…]
A surge of energy slammed through his veins. His vision sharpened. He could hear every scream
outside, every drop of blood hitting concrete, every breath inside the room.
Stats flickered across the screen:
> Name: XERX > Level: 1 > HP: 100/100 > Stamina: 80/80 > Skill Slot: EMPTY
[Mission: SURVIVE THE FIRST HOUR] [Reward: ???]
The ceiling cracked as the giant's axe struck nearby. Dust rained down. A crash at the doorway cut
through the noise—a small, vicious creature slithered through the smoke, red eyes blazing as it
leapt toward a screaming classmate.
[Tip: Use Starter Skill to Neutralize Target] [Starter Package Ready] [Random Skill Allocation…]
[Warning: User Anomaly Detected] [Override Engaged]
[Skill Acquired: SHADOW THREAD] Description: Manifest ethereal black threads capable of slicing,
binding, or pulling objects within a limited range.
Black filaments of light crawled from Xerx's shadow, thin as hair yet sharp enough to hiss through
the air. They coiled around his wrist, shimmering with an oily sheen.
[Beginner Tutorial Activated] [Objective: Neutralize a Threat]
The creature lunged. Xerx's threads erupted outward like living smoke.
[Skill Activated: SHADOW THREAD] [Energy Cost: 5 Stamina]
Three threads shot forward—one coiling around the monster's legs, another its jaw, the third
spearing straight through its shadow and pinning it to the floor. The beast shrieked, body jerking as
if caught in an invisible net.
[Bind Successful] [ERROR // User Signature: Unknown]
The threads trembled, then—without command—tightened like steel wire. A wet crack split the air
as the monster's head separated cleanly from its torso, dissolving into black dust.
[Threat Neutralized] [Tutorial Complete] [Reward Pending…] [WARNING: System Instability
Detected] [Potential Override Detected: User may not be a Standard Player]
The black threads slid back into Xerx's shadow as the classroom fell silent. Outside, the giant
roared and new rifts spread across the sky.
[Reward Granted: CLASS—VOID STRANDER] Specialization: Shadow Manipulation &
Dimensional Rift Control Passive Effect: +20% Perception, +10% Shadow Range Unique Trait:
User Signature Cannot Be Replicated
Windows shattered as more monsters poured from the cracks. Scaled hounds, winged horrors,
serpents of living smoke.
[Stage 1 Invasion Commencing] [Estimated Hostiles: UNKNOWN]
A second panel blinked to life:
[Optional Quest Available] DEFEND OR ESCAPE Reward: Hidden Upgrade (???)
Before Xerx could react, a third window, black as night, opened silently.
[Observation Link Established] [Signal Source: UNKNOWN] [Message Received]
*So… you finally woke up.* *Interesting anomaly.* *Don't die before we meet.*
The black screen dissolved into static, leaving only the blue interface humming ominously. Xerx's
shadow rippled, hungry for the next command.
For the first time in his life, Xerx didn't feel small.
"Alright," he murmured, eyes narrowing as the first creature burst through the rubble. "Let's see how
far this goes."