Kaito opened his eyes to absolutely nothing.
Not darkness. Not light. Just... white. An endless, featureless white that stretched in every direction, making it impossible to tell where the ground ended and the sky began—if there even was ground or sky.
He sat up slowly, his head pounding. The last thing he remembered was the cafeteria, the earthquake, that horrible tearing sensation—
"What the hell?"
His voice echoed strangely, like he was in a massive empty room and a tiny closet at the same time. Kaito looked down at himself. He was still wearing his school uniform, still had his bag somehow. Everything seemed normal except for the fact that he was sitting in a void of pure white nothing.
"Okay, this is a dream," he said aloud, trying to convince himself. "I hit my head during the earthquake and now I'm unconscious. That's all. Any second now I'll wake up in a hospital."
He pinched his arm. Hard.
"Ow!" The pain was sharp and immediate and very, very real.
Kaito stood up—on what, he couldn't say, but there was definitely something solid beneath his feet. He turned in a slow circle, searching for anything, any feature or landmark or sign of where he was.
"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone there? Renjiro? Daichi?"
No response. Just his own voice bouncing back at him.
Panic started to set in. Kaito's breathing quickened. This couldn't be real. This was impossible. People didn't just get sucked into white voids. That wasn't how the world worked. There were laws, physics, rational explanations for everything—
A screen appeared in front of him.
Kaito yelped and stumbled backward. The screen—because that's what it was, a floating rectangular screen like from a video game—hovered in the air at eye level. It was semi-transparent, with text displayed in crisp black letters.
**[System Initialization Complete]**
**[Welcome, Kaito Hayashi]**
"What... what is this?" Kaito reached out tentatively and his hand passed right through the screen. It rippled like water but remained in place.
More text appeared.
**[You have been selected for the Trial Ascension]**
**[Analyzing user data...]**
A loading bar materialized, filling from left to right. Kaito watched it, his brain struggling to process what was happening. This looked exactly like the RPG games Daichi was always playing, the ones with stat screens and level-ups and—
**[Analysis Complete]**
**[Displaying User Profile]**
The screen changed, and Kaito's jaw dropped.
---
**[Name: Kaito Hayashi]**
**[Species: Human (F)]**
**[Affiliation: None]**
**[Class: —(Empty)]**
**[Level: 0]**
**[Titles: —]**
---
**[Physical: 5]**
- Strength: 4
- Constitution: 5
- Dexterity: 6
- Speed: 5
**[Mental: 7]**
- Intelligence: 8
- Wisdom: 6
- Charisma: 3
**[Will: 4]**
**[Luck: 1]**
---
**[Skills: —]**
**[Comprehensions: —]**
**[Gene State: Rigid]**
**[Fragmented Genes: —]**
**[Common Genes: —]**
**[Bronze Genes: —]**
**[Silver Genes: —]**
**[Gold Genes: —]**
**[Legendary Genes: —]**
---
**[Gene Talents: —]**
---
"This is insane," Kaito whispered. "I'm looking at an actual stat screen. With my actual stats."
He leaned closer, examining the information. Most of it made a kind of twisted sense. His physical stats were average—he'd never been particularly athletic. His mental stats were higher, especially Intelligence, which tracked with his academic performance.
But that Charisma score... three? Three?! And Luck at one?
"Okay, that's just insulting," he muttered.
A new message appeared.
**[The Trial Ascension will now begin]**
**[Objective: Survive for seven days]**
**[Current Location: Starter Zone - Misty Forest]**
**[Note: Death during the Trial Ascension results in actual death. Please exercise caution.]**
The white void began to fade. Color bled in at the edges—greens and browns and blues. Kaito felt solid ground materialize beneath his feet, felt humidity in the air, heard the distant sound of birds.
The transformation took maybe five seconds. When it was done, Kaito was standing in the middle of a dense forest. Massive trees towered overhead, their branches creating a canopy that filtered the sunlight into scattered beams. Mist coiled around the tree trunks, giving everything an ethereal quality.
"No no no no," Kaito spun around frantically. "Take me back! I didn't agree to this! I have exams! I have—"
**[You have three options available]**
The screen reappeared, displaying three choices:
**[Option 1: Select a starting weapon]**
**[Option 2: Adjust Gene State (Limited Time Offer)]**
**[Option 3: Claim Starter City Stele]**
Kaito stared at the options, his mind racing. This was like the beginning of every RPG he'd ever seen Daichi play. Character creation, starting choices, tutorial phase. Except this wasn't a game. That death warning had been very clear.
His hands were shaking. He clenched them into fists, trying to think rationally. If this was real—and the solid ground beneath his feet and the very real terror in his chest suggested it was—then he needed to make smart choices.
"Okay," he said aloud, trying to steady his voice. "Okay. Think, Kaito. You're good at tests. This is just another test. A completely insane, potentially deadly test, but still a test."
He examined each option carefully.
A weapon made sense. He had no idea what was in this forest, but if the system was warning him about death, there were probably things here that could kill him. Having a weapon would be basic survival.
The Gene State option was confusing. His profile had said "Rigid" but he didn't know what that meant or what other options existed.
The City Stele was completely mysterious.
"I need more information," Kaito said to the screen. "Can you explain what these options do?"
The screen flickered.
**[Information Request Accepted]**
**[Option 1 - Starting Weapon: Provides basic equipment for combat. Selection includes: Practice Sword, Wooden Bow, Iron Dagger, Training Spear.]**
**[Option 2 - Gene State Adjustment: Temporarily changes Gene State from Rigid to Soft for one week. Soft Gene State increases chance of Gene absorption by 50% during Trial period.]**
**[Option 3 - Starter City Stele: Grants ownership of a dormant settlement. Settlement requires resources and residents to activate. Current radius: 100 meters. Current population: 0. Current amenities: Basic only.]**
Kaito read through the explanations twice, then a third time. His scientific mind automatically began analyzing the options like a chemistry problem.
Option 1 was immediate survival. He needed a weapon.
Option 2 was about Genes—whatever those were. The 50% increase seemed significant, especially if it was a limited time offer. But increase chance of what, exactly?
Option 3 was long-term thinking. A settlement, a base. If he was going to be here for seven days, having a safe place made sense.
But could he afford to think long-term when he didn't even know if he'd survive the first hour?
"This is impossible," he muttered. "How am I supposed to choose when I don't understand the rules?"
A rustling sound came from the bushes to his left.
Kaito froze. The rustling grew louder, closer. Something was moving through the undergrowth, and it sounded big.
"Okay, decision time," he whispered urgently to the screen. "I choose—"
A creature burst from the bushes.
It looked like a wolf, if wolves were the size of bears and had tusks like a boar. Its fur was matted and dark, its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and saliva dripped from its jaws.
Kaito did what any rational person would do when confronted with a monster.
He screamed.
The wolf-creature's ears perked up. Its head swiveled toward him. Their eyes met.
"Nice doggy," Kaito said weakly. "Good doggy. I'm just a lost student, very scrawny, not worth eating—"
The creature howled and charged.
Kaito's finger stabbed at the screen. "Option two! I choose option two!"
**[Selection Confirmed]**
**[Adjusting Gene State from Rigid to Soft]**
**[Duration: 7 days]**
**[Warning: This choice cannot be reversed]**
The screen vanished. The wolf-creature was ten meters away. Eight meters. Five.
Kaito turned and ran.
He crashed through the forest blindly, branches whipping at his face, his bag bouncing painfully against his back. Behind him, he could hear the creature giving chase, its heavy footfalls shaking the ground.
"Why did I choose that?!" he shouted at himself. "I should have picked the weapon! I'm going to die because I made the wrong choice!"
His foot caught on a root and he went sprawling, hitting the ground hard enough to knock the wind from his lungs. He rolled over just in time to see the wolf-creature leap through the air, its massive jaws opened wide.
This was it. This was how Kaito Hayashi died. Not in a hospital bed surrounded by family, not peacefully in his sleep, but eaten by an impossible monster in an impossible forest because he'd made the wrong choice on an impossible test.
The creature descended toward him.
And Kaito's mind went completely, utterly blank.