When the system reached Earth, it was already night in New York—10:27 to be exact. Still early in the night for a city that never sleeps. Jonathan Hill was at a bar, catching up with some old friends.
He wasn't enjoying himself. Nostalgia only carried conversations so far. Years had passed, and everyone had their own lives now. Listening to their stories, Jonathan couldn't help but feel bored.
They all sounded the same.
Getting into college. Landing a job. Working themselves to the bone to secure their careers.
All this talk about "living the life" felt like a hollow promise they'd made years ago—and it was depressing, considering they'd only graduated a few years earlier. Some time in the workforce, and their spirits were already crushed beneath the grind.
Or maybe it was just Jonathan who was tired of his monotonous life. Maybe he was projecting his dissatisfaction onto them. After all, he was the only one in a suit at this casual get-together. The only one who had come straight from work on a Friday night. The only one who still had to finish a report before morning.
With a swift motion, he downed his drink. The $40 scotch tasted awful compared to the cheap whiskey he used to have in college. Having a big paycheck was supposed to help him achieve his dream. And yet he had found himself trapped in a cage.
I shouldn't have ordered this. Should've gone home and changed first. Now I just look like some asshole trying to show off how great my life is.
Negative thoughts swirled through his mind, though his face held its usual easy smile. No matter how lousy he felt inside, he wasn't going to bring down the mood.
So he kept smiling while Susan rambled on about her new boyfriend.
That was, until something far more startling interrupted her.
A blue screen materialized in front of everyone's face.
[Initiation of the 53rd Universe confirmed. Introduction and tutorial sequence commencing in 1 minute.]
The table fell into silence as everyone processed what had just happened.
Susan broke the silence first.
"Guys, either I'm completely wasted, or there's a freaking notification floating in front of me."
"You're not alone," Zen replied. "I see it too."
Murmurs spread across the group as each confirmed they were seeing the same thing.
It wasn't just them. The bar, already loud, grew even more chaotic.
"This has to be aliens!"
"No, it's the government. They've finally cracked brainwashing tech. I've told you, all they want is control!"
"Armageddon! Repent while you can!"
A few drunks shouted conspiracy theories into the air. Some scrambled under tables, others bolted for the door. But most people didn't move an inch. Many didn't even glance up from their drinks.
This was New York, after all. People here were experts at not giving a damn.
Jonathan looked at his friends as they tried to make sense of the event. Dale, the comic artist, spoke up about something he called a "System Apocalypse."
"I've read a few manhwas like this. They usually start more or less the same—"
"What are manhwas?" Rachel asked.
"They're comics. Korean comics, specifically. Anyway, this notification looks almost exactly like those. Someone's got to be projecting these images into our minds—"
Jonathan felt a sudden urgency gnawing at him.
The screen was technologically impossible. If it were real, then the rules of the world had just been rewritten. And when rules break, things get dangerous fast.
They only had about ten seconds before this 'Tutorial' began.
He'd never been into comics. In fact, he'd barely read anything outside of high school assignments. Fiction always seemed like a waste of time.
But right now, if there was even a chance this was real, he needed information—fast.
Cutting across Dale's ramble, he asked sharply,
"If this really starts in a few seconds, then what should we do?"
"What? During a system apocalypse? Well, there are a lot of things to—" Dale began, clearly ready for a lecture.
"No time!" Jonathan snapped. "Just get to the point. What's the priority?"
Dale frowned, clearly irritated, but answered,
"Don't dump all your points in one stat right away. It's a rookie mistake."
Just as Dale's words faded, Jonathan felt a sudden tug deep within his very being. The bar vanished in an instant—its clinking glasses, rowdy laughter, and familiar warmth replaced by silence. His friends were gone, as though they had never been there at all.
Instead, he felt sunlight against his skin, warm and golden, softened by the steady hum of an air conditioner. He didn't need to look around to know where he was. The view to his left confirmed it: the New York skyline stretched across the horizon, a monument of steel and ambition. From this height, it felt less like a city and more like a promise—one he had always dreamed of claiming.
This was his office.
Spacious and uncluttered, it radiated a calm efficiency. Sleek wooden desks, soft leather chairs, and floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the space with light. A small balcony broke the clean lines of glass and steel, decorated with potted plants that struck a balance between wealth and humility. His office desk dominated the room, scattered with a few files. The computer screen blinked with a notification, announcing an unread message.
It felt right. It felt his. Yet, it also felt unreal.
Jonathan allowed himself a single heartbeat to absorb the surreal event before instinct carried him to the desk. He sat, clicked the mouse, and the monitor flickered awake. Two unread messages glowed at the center of the screen. Both were from the same sender: The System.
The first read:
"Initiation of the Introduction phase complete. The tutorial will commence after the introduction is finished."
The second followed:
"Do you want your introduction phase to be automated or customized?"
The world had officially stopped making sense.
Panic would've been natural—expected, even. But Jonathan was no stranger to helpless situations. Life had given him more than a few, and he had long ago built his own method of survival.
Stop thinking. Stop questioning. Just go with the flow.
It wasn't bravery; it was a defense mechanism. And so, he shut down the swirl of questions clawing at his mind and let his body move on its own. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, but before he could type, words appeared on the screen unbidden. They weren't typed by him, yet they mirrored his thoughts perfectly.
"I've got no idea what any of this means. The terms don't make sense to me. While it's tempting to choose a custom introduction, I think I'll stick with the generic one."
The screen responded instantly.
"You have chosen the Automated Introduction. Automated introduction will provide you with the basic knowledge you need to survive the tutorial. No questions will be allowed during this time. The 2-minute Q&A section will start later."
The text began to pour across the screen at a blinding pace, too fast to follow with his eyes. And yet, impossibly, Jonathan understood every word. Each line etched itself directly into his mind, as if the system had bypassed the need for memory entirely.
"Firstly, the System welcomes you to the multiverse, home to quintillions of sapient life-forms. Your universe is now mature enough for integration. The process will take 30 days. During this time, you will be placed in the 'Tutorial Zone' and tested in the 'Trial of Worth.' This period is crucial to shaping your future. A more detailed introduction will follow after the trial concludes. For now, you will learn the concepts vital to the System—and the multiverse itself."