System: Warning. Foreign domain detected. Normal humans will remain unaware. Only the host and external entities may enter.
Arkan froze by the side of his bed, his body stiff as though his veins had turned to ice. The narrow dorm room, usually quiet, now pressed in around him like a suffocating box. The window beside his bed rattled faintly, followed by a sharp crack—like glass being struck from the inside. Instinctively, Arkan's head snapped toward it.
The night sky outside was no longer ordinary. Where there had once been simple blackness speckled with stars, a fissure of violet light now spread like veins across the heavens. The crack splintered wider, turning the sky into a giant, fractured mirror. From those wounds in the firmament, light bled out like liquid, dripping slowly into the world below. The luminous flow arched downward, folding into a transparent dome that descended over the entire dorm complex.
Arkan's breath caught. His back pressed against the wall, desperate for shelter that no longer existed.
Through the curtain, he saw the world outside moving as if nothing had changed. Students laughed loudly at the coffee stall across the street. Cars roared past with blaring engines. A couple strolled hand in hand, giggling, faces bright with joy.
No one reacted. No one else saw it.
"Everything's… normal," Arkan whispered hoarsely. "Except me."
His pulse hammered violently against his throat.
The violet light thickened, pooling in the courtyard below. It coalesced into a single mass, then slammed into the ground. The impact shook the earth, rattling Arkan's entire dorm floor. He clutched the edge of the bed, knuckles white, heart threatening to burst out of his chest.
And then… something stepped out.
A towering silhouette emerged from the glow. It took shape slowly: a man's frame, armored head to toe in scarred, battle-worn black steel. He stood over two meters tall, shoulders broad as a wall. His helm bore two curved horns that swept backward like those of a demon forged from iron itself. Every movement of the armor grated with the sound of grinding metal. From the narrow slit of his helmet, twin eyes blazed crimson, dripping with ancient malice.
Arkan's blood froze solid.
"Heh… so this is Earth," the armored giant rumbled. His voice was a guttural echo, distorted and layered, vibrating the very air. "Tch. OSBO here is as detestable as I remember. My power's been cut down to a fraction."
He raised a sword with one hand—a colossal slab of midnight steel, as wide as a man's chest. With a single swing, the air howled and split apart. Yet even that strike seemed bound, restrained by unseen laws.
"But still…" His gaze shifted. The burning red eyes swept across the dormitory walls as if they were transparent. And then, like a predator locking onto prey, they found Arkan.
"You. Human. You're different."
Arkan's breath faltered. His trembling hand pointed to himself. "M-me? No, you've… you've got the wrong guy—"
Before he could finish, a crimson panel flashed across his vision.
[Quest: Survive the attack of the foreign entity]
Reward: +10 EXP, Skill: Dash Lv.1
Arkan's eyes widened. "T-the quest… it's back."
The knight let out a low growl, like thunder tearing through the sky. "Surrender, human! I will make you a servant of the multiverse!"
He advanced, each footstep striking the ground like a quake. The black blade rose, wrapped in a suffocating violet aura.
Arkan screamed. "No—stay away!"
The sword came down with an ear-splitting crash. The concrete floor split open where Arkan had stood moments ago, shards exploding outward. He rolled away on pure instinct, heart screaming louder than his throat.
Another panel appeared.
System: Follow the blue path. Use Dash to evade.
A miniature map projected in the corner of his vision, marking a glowing escape route through the cramped room. Suddenly, his body felt lighter—unnaturally so. The floor met his feet, and then—
Dash!
In a blink, Arkan's body shot across the room faster than he thought possible, dodging another lethal strike by mere inches.
"What the…? Was that me?" His voice shook between gasps.
The knight snarled, eyes burning brighter. "Tricks won't save you forever!"
Arkan scrambled through the dorm, vaulting chairs, hurling anything he could grab. The system chimed with every desperate move.
[Mini-Quest: Evade an attack] +1 EXP
[Mini-Quest: Throw an object at enemy] +2 EXP
[Mini-Quest: Use a chair as a shield] +3 EXP
A plastic chair shattered instantly under the knight's blade, but the second it bought was enough for Arkan to dash again, sweat stinging his eyes.
"I-I'll really die here…" His chest heaved, lungs aflame.
Then—the panel turned blue again.
[Item Acquired: Beginner's Sword Lv.1]
Attack +5 | Durability: 100/100
Light gathered in his hands, forming a plain silver blade about a meter long. Its hilt was nothing fancy—black wood wrapped in simple cloth—but it radiated a faint glow.
Arkan's jaw dropped. "A… a sword? From nothing?"
The knight raised his greatsword once more. There was no time left.
Arkan swallowed hard. His knees shook, but his grip tightened. "If I'm going to die… then I'll die fighting!"
He roared and leapt forward. The beginner's sword pierced through the giant's black armor, splitting it like brittle glass.
[Critical Hit -120!]
Cracks spread across the knight's body like a mirror shattering from within. His massive frame collapsed into violet fragments, dissolving into the night.
His final glare burned with disbelief. He refused to acknowledge defeat—even as he vanished.
Then—
[Quest Complete!]
[Reward: +10 EXP | Skill 'Dash Lv.1' obtained]
[Level Up!]
Arkan collapsed to his knees, the glowing sword still trembling in his hands. His chest heaved, eyes wide with shock.
"I… I really won…"
The dome shattered overhead, vanishing like broken glass swept away by wind. The courtyard returned to silence, untouched, as if nothing had ever happened.
But Arkan's heartbeat thundered on.
The sword dissolved into light, stored somewhere beyond reach. The system's interface dimmed. Exhaustion slammed into him like a drug. His eyelids grew heavy.
And then—darkness.
…
The next morning.
Arkan stirred awake, the weight of his body pressing into the mattress. Morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, painting his room in soft gold. Somehow, he was back in bed, unscathed. Yet the memories of the night remained carved into his mind.
He raised his hand, staring at it. No cuts, no bruises. But the phantom chill of last night clung to his skin.
A familiar panel appeared.
[Host Status: Mile Arkan]
Level: 2
HP: 260 / 260
MP: 120 / 120
Strength: 12
Agility: 14
Intelligence: 10
Vitality: 10
Skill: Dash Lv.1
Item: Beginner's Sword Lv.1
Arkan exhaled slowly. "So… it really happened."
The old man's voice from his dream echoed in his head.
"OSBO is the cosmic law… Earth's OSBO nullifies all power."
He repeated the words softly. "If OSBO suppresses power… then how did that knight appear?"
The system answered coldly:
Correct. However, certain entities have discovered ways to bypass fragments of OSBO. They create domains—isolated pockets on Earth where its rules no longer apply.
Arkan's veins chilled. "So… they can fight freely… here?"
Not freely. Forming a domain requires immense energy. Which is why they seek hosts—humans like you—to anchor them.
Hosts. Bait. Targets.
That day, Arkan dragged himself to campus. He forced a routine: walking corridors, sitting through lectures, exchanging jokes with classmates. But his world had already changed. Tiny quests flickered before his eyes at random: pick up trash, help a friend carry books, shift a chair. Each small act rewarded him with EXP, pocket money, or both.
Yet something else disturbed him more.
In the lecture hall, a freshman sat alone, golden irises glowing faintly under the light. In the faculty wing, a professor smiled kindly—but Arkan's gut twisted whenever their eyes met. Something unnatural lingered beneath the human façade.
"This world… isn't the same anymore," he thought.
That night, after his café shift, Arkan sat on the edge of his bed, restless. The system had been quiet since yesterday, but dread gnawed at him.
Then—another panel spread across the room.
[New Quest Available]
Title: The Second Trial – Domain at the Old Station
Description: Enter the foreign domain forming at Banjarbaru's Old Station.
Time Limit: 8 hours
Reward: Skill [Appraisal], +1 Level
Penalty for refusal: Death.
Arkan's blood ran cold. "D-death…? If I refuse… I really die?"
The system replied with mechanical indifference:
This quest is mandatory. Hosts who fail to comply will be eliminated by OSBO itself.
His legs gave out. He collapsed onto the bed, pale and trembling. "No escape… even refusal means death…"
For a long moment, despair weighed him down. Then, slowly, he forced his legs to stand. Fear still gripped him, but his voice hardened. "Then I don't have a choice."