The sky flickered like a glitching monitor, pixelated blues and greens streaking across the horizon. Lucas stood frozen on the cracked sidewalk outside his apartment, his protein shake slipping from his grip as reality unraveled. A low hum vibrated through the air, and a translucent blue panel materialized before him, text burning into his vision:
WORLD SYSTEM INITIALIZED. WELCOME TO EARTH: VERSION 2.0.
He squinted, pulse racing, but the panel didn't fade. It expanded, displaying stats like a character sheet from a game he'd never played:
Name: Lucas Reed
Level: 1
Class: Unassigned
HP: 120/120
MP: 40/40
Skills: None
Quests: Survive the Awakening (0/1)
"What is this?" Lucas muttered, swiping at the air. His hand passed through the panel, but it shimmered and reformed. Around him, New Haven erupted into chaos. Cars stalled, their dashboards replaced by glowing interfaces. A cyclist screamed past, pursued by glowing red wasps labeled Hostile Drones, Lvl 3. Across the street, a food truck vendor swung a spatula at a floating orb marked Loot Cache: Open? Y/N.
Lucas's phone buzzed, but the screen showed only one app: System Hub. He tapped it, and a message appeared:
Quest Update: Survive the Awakening. Objective: Reach the Safe Zone at City Hall within 2 hours. Reward: 100 XP, Basic Gear. Penalty for Failure: Death.
His jaw tightened. This was no prank. The world had become a game, and he was in it.
Lucas sprinted through the streets, weaving past overturned scooters and glowing anomalies. The System had turned New Haven into a surreal game board. Trees pulsed with Resource Node: Wood tags. Stray cats now had health bars and names like Feral Claw, Lvl 2. A woman in a tracksuit stood on a corner, smiling too widely, her tag reading NPC: Quest Giver. Lucas ignored her—his timer ticked down: 1:45:09 remaining.
He wasn't a hardcore gamer, though he'd sunk hours into survival shooters. This was different. This was real. His breath burned as he ran, the System panel hovering in his vision. A notification pinged:
New Skill Unlocked: Sprint (Lvl 1). Stamina drain reduced by 5%.
"Nice, I'm an athlete now," he grunted, leaping over a shattered bus stop bench. The air shimmered ahead, and a pack of Glitch Rats, Lvl 2—hulking rodents with flickering, pixelated tails—burst from an alley. Lucas skidded to a stop, snatching a metal pipe from the ground. The System labeled it Improvised Weapon: +7 DMG.
The rats charged, their health bars glowing red. Lucas swung the pipe, smashing one with a heavy thud. Critical Hit! 15 DMG. The rat's HP zeroed out, and it dissolved into sparks, dropping a Rat Pelt and 10 XP. The others fled, but Lucas's hands trembled. Had he just killed something? Or was it just code now?
XP Gained: +10. Progress to Level 2: 10/100.
No time to dwell. He pushed on, City Hall's spire looming in the distance. The streets grew stranger—buildings twisted into crystalline towers, and the ground flashed with Safe Zone or Danger Zone markers. A woman darted past, wielding a glowing axe, her tag reading Player: Lvl 4, Warrior Class. "Move it, rookie!" she yelled, cleaving a Corrupted Drone that burst into loot.
Lucas reached the town square with minutes to spare. City Hall stood within a shimmering dome labeled Safe Zone: New Haven Hub. Dozens of Players crowded inside, some clutching weapons, others staring at their System panels. A woman in a patched jacket approached, her tag reading Player: Riley, Lvl 3, Scavenger Class.
"You made it," Riley said, eyeing his pipe. "First Awakening's brutal. Picked a class yet?"
Lucas shook his head, catching his breath. "Class? I'm still processing this insanity."
Riley smirked, pointing to a glowing orb in the Safe Zone's center. Class Selection Terminal. "World's a game now. System dropped this morning, rewrote everything. Monsters, quests, levels—whole package. Pick a class, or you're toast out there."
Lucas approached the terminal, his timer at 00:02:57. The orb pulsed, offering options: Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Healer, Engineer. Each had stats and starter skills. He hesitated, then selected Warrior. It suited him—he'd always been strong, quick to act, ready for a fight. The System chimed:
Class Assigned: Warrior. New Skill Unlocked: Power Strike (Lvl 1). +10 Strength, +5 Endurance.
A chainmail vest and a short sword materialized in his inventory, which he instinctively knew how to access, like a reflex from a game he'd never played. The Safe Zone hummed with activity—Players trading loot, forming parties, or shouting about quests. Beyond the dome, the city skyline flickered, new structures rising like digital scaffolds.
Riley clapped his shoulder. "Welcome to the grind, Lucas. Rumor is, the System's got bigger plans—dungeons, bosses, maybe a leaderboard. Stick with me, we'll level up quick."
Lucas gripped his sword, staring at the warped world outside the dome. His old life—gym sessions, freelance coding, late-night takeout—was gone. But as his XP bar ticked up and his Warrior skills thrummed in his blood, something stirred. Fear, sure, but also adrenaline. The world was a game now, and he'd play to win.
Quest Completed: Survive the Awakening. Reward: 100 XP, Basic Gear.
Level Up! You are now Level 2. +15 HP, +5 MP, +1 Skill Point.
Lucas grinned, assigning his point to Power Strike. Whatever came next—monsters, glitches, or System updates—he was ready. Game on.