Chapter 1: The Offer
Kai Harlan walked home after a long day at the warehouse. His feet hurt from standing all shift. He worked hard loading boxes and checking lists. The pay was low, but it was all he had. At 22, he lived in a small apartment in Nexus Prime. The city was big and busy, full of tall buildings and noisy streets.
Kai opened his door and dropped his bag. He was tired. His stomach growled for food. He sat on his old couch and rubbed his eyes. "Another day done," he said to himself. Life felt stuck. No big dreams, just work and sleep.
Then, something strange happened. The room seemed to flicker. For a second, everything looked different. Lines of light floated in the air, like a hidden map. Kai blinked. It was gone. But when he looked again, words appeared in front of him. They glowed softly, only he could see them.
[System Notification: Awakening Detected. Initializing User Interface.]
Kai jumped up. "What is this?" He waved his hand through the air. The words moved with his touch. It felt real, not like a dream. More text popped up.
[Welcome, User Kai Harlan. You have been selected for System Integration. Level: 1. Experience: 0/100. Health: 100/100. Mana: 50/50.]
A box showed his info. It had numbers for health and mana. Kai touched the box. It opened more. A quest list appeared.
[Quest: First Steps. Objective: Interact with the System Interface. Reward: 50 XP, Basic Skill Unlock. Time Limit: None.]
Kai's heart beat fast. This was crazy. He had no idea what a "system" meant. But he was curious. He tapped the quest. A new message came.
[Interact: Bind with the Omniverse System. Yes/No?]
Bind? Kai thought about it. He had nothing to lose. His life was hard. Maybe this could help. He said yes in his mind. The words changed.
[Binding Initiated. The Omniverse System is a multiverse-level framework. It grants abilities to the chosen one—you. Use it wisely; imbalance risks erasure.]
Energy flowed through Kai. It was warm, like a rush of power. His body felt stronger. New info filled his head.
[Class Unlocked: System User. Abilities: Interface Manipulation (Level 1), Rule Bending (Level 1). Stats Boosted: Intelligence +5, Perception +3.]
His stats updated.
[Kai Harlan - Level 1 System User]
Health: 100/100
Mana: 50/50
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 15 (Base 10 +5)
Perception: 13 (Base 10 +3)
Skills: None (Unlock via Quests)
Inventory: Empty
Quests Active: 1]
Kai stood up. He felt smarter. The room looked clearer. He could hear the clock tick louder. "This is real," he whispered. But why him? The System said it was multiverse-level. That sounded big, like worlds beyond worlds.
[System Response: The Omniverse System spans all realities. You are the only User. Your binding is complete.]
The quest finished. A chime rang in his head.
[Quest: First Steps. Completed. Reward: 50 XP. New Quest: Daily Grind. Objective: Complete your work shift at the warehouse. Reward: 100 XP, Skill Point. Hint: Observe for anomalies.]
Experience went up: [Experience: 50/100]. A skill point? Kai smiled. This could change things. He grabbed a snack and thought. The System gave him power. He could use it to get rich, like trading or gambling with "luck."
But he had to be careful. No one else could see this. If people found out, they might think he was crazy. Kai hid his excitement. Tomorrow, he would test it at work.
As he lay in bed, the System whispered more. It talked about a "Veil" that hid powers. And a Shop function, coming soon. Kai closed his eyes. His life was about to get big.
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