Jack's alarm buzzed like a dying mosquito, the kind of sound that usually dragged him out of bed at 6:45 AM for another dull day at college. But today, the noise felt distant, muffled, as if the world itself had been stuffed into cotton. He groaned, slapped the screen, and sat up — only to freeze.
A glowing countdown hovered above his wrist like a tattoo from a future he hadn't signed up for.
> [00:47:13:59] — SYSTEM INITIALIZING
Jack blinked. Once. Twice.
"...The hell?" he muttered, voice scratchy. "What kind of AR prank is this?"
He rubbed his eyes, but the glowing numbers didn't go away. They pulsed, faintly, like a heartbeat.
His tiny apartment smelled of instant noodles and burnt coffee, perfectly normal, yet the glowing digits didn't belong here. He reached for his phone — the screen flickered, static, then a single line appeared in neon blue text:
> WELCOME, USER: JACK CARTER. HUMAN FUNCTION ACTIVATED.
Jack almost dropped the phone. "Holy shit."
This wasn't an app. This wasn't a dream.
"Okay… okay…" He forced a laugh. "Some viral marketing stunt? Yeah. Sure. Right."
Then a voice spoke — cold, feminine, and so clear it felt like it was behind his eyeballs.
> [System Eve Online.]
Jack yelped and fell off the bed, phone clattering to the floor. "Who said that?!"
> [Designated partner detected. Jack Carter. Function parameters locked. Countdown initiated.]
Her tone was emotionless, like a GPS reading out directions to hell.
Jack scrambled up. "Who are you? Alexa's edgy cousin?"
> [Query irrelevant. You have 47 hours until Phase One.]
"What happens at Phase One?!"
> [Insufficient clearance.]
Jack stared at the air. "You're kidding me."
> [Negative.]
Somewhere in the distance, a low siren began to wail. Not a police siren. Not an ambulance. This was deeper, like the sound of a mountain cracking open. Jack stumbled to the window and shoved it up.
The city outside was still itself — traffic, sunlight, a bus honking at an idiot jaywalking — but something was off. He couldn't name it at first. Then he realized: the sky. It was faintly darker near the horizon, like a bruise spreading.
He glanced at his wrist again.
> [00:47:12:04]
The numbers kept ticking down.
Jack's heart hammered. "Okay. This is fine. Totally fine. Just… get dressed, go outside, ask someone if they see this crap too."
He yanked on jeans and a hoodie, ran to the door — then stopped. The air vibrated. Like bass from a speaker too big for the room. He turned slowly.
A black crack had appeared on his wall. Thin as a hair, glowing faintly purple. It pulsed once. Twice. Then split wider with a sound like tearing metal.
"Holy shit holy shit holy shit—"
Something clawed out.
It wasn't an animal. It wasn't even right. A shape of horns, too many legs, and a mask-like face with no mouth. It wriggled free of the crack and dropped onto his carpet with a wet slap.
Jack froze.
The thing hissed.
He grabbed the first weapon his panicked brain could find — a frying pan. "Stay back!"
> [Combat imminent.]
Eve's voice was still cool as ice.
"Combat?! I'm not—!"
> [Skill unlocked: Improvised Strike Lv.1]
"What?!"
The creature lunged. Jack swung the frying pan on instinct. It connected with a clang that made sparks fly — literal sparks, like he'd hit metal. The monster screeched and stumbled back.
A faint blue glow rippled over his hands. Words appeared in midair:
> Damage: 5 HP. Enemy status: Minor Corruption Beast.
Jack's eyes went wide. "What the hell—"
The creature leapt again. He ducked, slammed the pan up under its horn. It burst into ash, dissolving into black smoke that vanished as fast as it appeared.
Jack staggered back, panting. "I just—killed—what even—"
> [Combat complete. XP: 10.]
His knees gave out and he sat hard on the floor. "No. Nope. This is a dream. I'm still asleep. I'm—"
> [Reality confirmed. Denial logged.]
He glared at the air. "You're an ass."
> [Statement irrelevant.]
Jack laughed, a short, shaky bark. "Oh my God. I'm talking to a voice in my head while monsters crawl out of my wall. I'm going insane."
> [No diagnosis of insanity detected.]
He buried his face in his hands. "That's not comforting."
The siren outside grew louder. He dragged himself to the window again. Now he saw it clearly: cracks in the air above the city. Black fissures opening like spiderwebs. Something enormous moved behind one of them — too far away to see, but the scale made his stomach drop.
On the street below, people were screaming. Some were running. Some stood frozen, staring at their own glowing wrists. Cars collided.
Jack's phone buzzed. He picked it up. A message flashed:
> WORLD SYSTEM ONLINE. PHASE ONE IMMINENT.
He whispered, "Phase One…"
> [Recommendation: Evacuate to safe zone.]
"What safe zone?!"
> [Insufficient data.]
"You're useless!"
> [Correct.]
Jack wanted to punch something. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"
> [Survive.]
Outside, a deep boom rattled the glass. A building across the street exploded upward, not outward, as if something beneath had shoved it like a toy block. Dust billowed. A massive claw, black as oil, curled up from the crater.
Jack's mouth went dry. "Oh God…"
> [Designation: Unknown Entity. Power Level: ???]
"I'm so screwed."
> [Affirmative.]
The countdown ticked on.
> [00:47:08:32]
---
Jack shoved a few things into a backpack — water bottle, charger, baseball bat — then hesitated. He didn't know where he was going. Didn't know what he was fighting. The only constant was the cold voice in his head.
"Eve…" he said, breath ragged. "Why me?"
Silence.
He tried again. "Why me?!"
> [User compatibility: 98%.]
"That's not an answer!"
> [Correct.]
He swore under his breath and bolted out the door.
The hallway was chaos — neighbors screaming, someone banging on a locked door. A little girl clutched a teddy bear, eyes huge. Her wrist glowed too. Jack hesitated, then crouched.
"Hey. You okay?"
She stared at him. "The voice says run."
He forced a smile. "Yeah. Let's do that."
He took her hand. They ran down the stairwell together, dodging panicked people. On the third floor, another crack split open and a long, insect-like limb reached through. Jack swung the bat, smashing it back. The girl screamed but kept running.
Outside, the street was a war zone. Cars overturned. Shards of glass everywhere. In the distance, a skyscraper tilted like it was made of clay. The sky was darker now, veins of purple crawling across it.
Jack pulled the girl behind a dumpster. "Stay here! Don't move!"
He peeked around the corner. More of those creatures spilled from cracks — some like wolves, some like twisted birds. People were fighting with random weapons. Some glowed faintly, like Jack had when he hit the first one.
> [User skill potential detected.]
"Not now, Eve!"
> [Hidden Quest available: Protect the Child.]
"What?!"
> [Reward: Unknown.]
"Great. Just great."
A three-headed dog-creature spotted them and charged. Jack raised the bat. "Alright then. Round two."
Blue light flared over his arms. He swung.
---
By the time the dog dissolved into ash, Jack was on his knees, panting. The girl hugged him, crying. His hands shook. His hoodie was torn.
He looked at his wrist.
> [00:47:01:12]
Still ticking.
He whispered, "What's gonna happen when it hits zero?"
> [Insufficient clearance.]
Jack's jaw clenched. "Then tell me something. Anything. Why is this happening?"
For the first time, Eve hesitated.
> [System Origin: Unknown.]
Jack blinked. "Wait. You don't know?"
> [Negative.]
"So you're just… running orders. From nobody?"
Silence.
He stared at the sky. Something massive moved behind one of the cracks — a shadow bigger than a mountain. His stomach turned to ice.
"Holy shit…"
The girl whimpered. "Is it over?"
Jack forced a smile. "Not yet. But it will be. I promise."
Inside, though, his heart was pounding like a drum.
The cracks in the sky spread wider. A deep, almost human voice echoed faintly from above — words he didn't understand, like a god whispering through a broken speaker.
Jack's phone buzzed again.
> [Hidden Quest Update: Unknown Entity Approaching.]
He looked up.
Through the largest crack, a single golden eye opened.
It looked straight at him.
And the countdown kept ticking.
> [00:47:00:00]