For a moment, the world was silent.
The massive creature stepped fully through the gate, its shadow stretching across half the city. The air was heavy — so heavy that ordinary humans dropped to their knees, gasping, unable to breathe.
And yet, Anos stood there, hands in his pockets, calm as if he were just watching the rain.
Then the System spoke.
[DANGER!]
[Warning: Hostile presence detected.]
[Analyzing target…]
[Target Level: 95.]
Anos blinked. "…Ninety-five?"
[Correct.]
"…I'm level one."
[Correct.]
"…And you're telling me this thing can pause time?"
[Correct.]
"…And you expect me to fight it?"
There was a pause. Then the system spoke again — almost cheerfully.
[Options available: ]
1: Fight (Recommended only if you have a death wish.)
2: Run (Very reasonable option.)
3: Use Skill Slot (Currently empty. Try your luck!)
Anos raised a brow. "…Skill slot?"
[You currently have no skills.]
[Skills can be unlocked by completing missions or purchased from the System Shop.]
"Shop, huh? Alright, open it."
A glowing blue window appeared before him, filled with hundreds of skills — fireballs, shadow steps, sword techniques, healing magic. His eyes scanned them quickly.
"Perfect. I'll take this one—"
[Purchase denied.]
Anos frowned. "…Denied?"
[You must reach Level 5 before purchasing from the shop.]
There was a long silence.
"…You made me open the shop," he said flatly. "You let me look at all the cool stuff. And now you tell me I can't buy anything?"
[Correct.]
Anos sighed. "…I hate you."
[Hate acknowledged.]
Before he could say anything else, the being moved.
Time resumed — but only for Anos and the creature. The hunters around them were still frozen mid-air, mid-scream, mid-attack. The entire world was locked, but Anos could feel the weight of the monster's gaze.
It spoke — its voice a deep, ancient rumble that seemed to echo from everywhere.
"You are… unaffected."
Anos tilted his head. "Lucky me."
"You are not from this world."
Anos smiled faintly. "You're not from this universe either. So what?"
The creature took a step forward. The ground cracked under its foot, a shockwave blasting out and knocking over cars. Its red eyes glowed brighter.
"You are weak."
Anos shrugged. "True."
"Then die."
It raised its massive claw and swung — faster than sound.
And then —
[Mission Alert!]
[Survive for 60 seconds.]
A timer appeared in front of Anos' eyes: 00:59
He moved.
The claw missed him by inches, tearing through an entire building behind him like it was made of paper. Dust and concrete rained down, but Anos' expression didn't change.
[New Option Available!]
[Adrenaline Boost: Temporary stat increase for survival.]
[Use?]
"Yes," Anos said instantly.
[Boost Activated.]
Suddenly, his body felt lighter, his vision sharper, his heart pounding. The next swing came, but this time he ducked and rolled away — barely — as the ground where he'd been standing exploded.
"This is insane," he muttered, sprinting toward the ruins of another building. "Level 95? Who throws a level 1 player into a fight with a level 95 boss?!"
[Difficulty curve: Extreme.]
"That's not an excuse!"
The creature swung again, this time from above. Anos jumped back, sliding across the street as the claw smashed into the asphalt, leaving a crater.
00:38
"Still thirty-eight seconds left?!" Anos yelled. "This is bullying!"
[Survival builds character.]
"I will uninstall you."
[Uninstallation not possible.]
---
By the time the timer finally hit zero, half the city block was gone, and Anos was standing on top of a flipped bus, breathing heavily.
[Mission Complete.]
[Reward: +500 EXP]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 4]
Anos' eye twitched. "Four? You couldn't just give me one more level?"
[Motivation is important.]
"…I swear, if I survive this, I'm reprogramming you."
The creature paused, staring at him as if sensing the sudden growth of power inside his body.
"You… are evolving."
Anos cracked his neck. "Yeah. And when I hit Level 5…" He grinned. "I'm buying fireballs."
Some minutes later.
The ground split behind Anos as the creature swung again, tearing apart another building.
"Why do you hate architecture so much?!" Anos shouted, sprinting down the ruined street. His shoes slapped against broken asphalt as he vaulted over a flipped car.
[ALERT!]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 5.]
Anos' eyes lit up. "Finally! Shop! Open shop!"
The glowing blue screen appeared again, shimmering with hundreds of beautiful skills. Fireballs, lightning strikes, teleportation, shadow clones — all waiting for him.
"I'll take Shadow Step! No, Fireball! No — screw it — give me all of them!"
[Purchase failed.]
[Reason: Insufficient EXP.]
Anos nearly tripped. "What do you mean insufficient?!"
[You have 0 EXP remaining.]
[Required EXP for first skill purchase: 200.]
Anos' face twisted.
"…So you're telling me—" he jumped as the monster's claw slammed down where he'd been standing — "that I survived a Level 95 monster for a full minute…" he dodged another swing, "…leveled up FIVE TIMES…" a wall exploded behind him, "…AND I STILL CAN'T BUY A SKILL?!"
[Correct.]
He stopped mid-run just to glare at the glowing window, breathing heavily. His eye twitched so hard it could've been an anime reaction meme.
"…You're messing with me," he said slowly.
[System does not mess.]
Anos screamed internally, then turned and started running again just as the monster smashed through another skyscraper.
"This is robbery!" he shouted, sprinting so hard dust clouds kicked up behind him. "I should be OP right now! I should have a flaming sword! Or a teleport skill! Or — or — SOMETHING!"
[Motivation builds heroes.]
"Motivation builds ulcers!" Anos snapped. "I'm literally running for my life while you're teaching me about personal growth!"
The monster roared, the sound shaking the entire city. Cars flew through the air from the shockwave.
"Okay, okay, fine!" Anos muttered, diving behind a half-collapsed wall. "New plan. Survive, gain EXP, buy skill, burn giant lizard thing to ashes. Easy."
[You forgot the "survive" part.]
"…Shut up."
The wall behind him suddenly shattered as the monster's tail smashed through it, sending him flying across the street. He rolled, groaning, then sat up — his face a perfect mix of pain and disbelief.
"Are you serious right now?" he coughed. "Can't I get five seconds of peace?"
[No.]
"…I hate you so much."
[Hate acknowledged.]
He got up and kept running.
"Fine! I'll get the EXP the old-fashioned way!" he shouted, dodging rubble. "But when I buy my first skill, it's going to be something stupidly broken!"
[Recommendation: "Nuclear Punch."]
"…You have a skill called Nuclear Punch and you didn't tell me earlier?!"
[Correct.]
Anos groaned, running faster as the monster lunged again.
"Alright then!" he yelled. "Let's grind EXP the hard way!"