The glowing letters floated silently in the air before Alex's eyes.
[Welcome, Host.]
[You have obtained: The System That Shouldn't Exist.]
Alex rubbed his eyes. The message didn't disappear.
"…Okay," he said slowly. "Either I'm dead, dreaming, or I've completely lost my mind."
The words remained, glowing faintly in the moonlight. He hesitated, then cautiously reached out and touched the floating text. The moment his finger passed through it, the message changed.
[Opening System Interface…]
More lines of text appeared.
Host: Alex Varyn
Level: 0
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 1
Mana: 0
Special Ability: Locked
Alex stared at the screen.
"Mana… zero?"
Even someone who had never seen magic before could guess what that meant. He looked down at his hands.
"Don't tell me…"
A sudden voice echoed behind him.
"Hey! What are you doing out here?"
Alex spun around. A young man wearing a long dark robe stood on a small hill nearby. The robe had strange silver symbols embroidered on it. In the man's palm floated a small ball of glowing fire. Alex's eyes widened.
Magic.
The man walked closer, studying Alex carefully.
"You're not from this village, are you?" he asked.
"…Village?"
The man frowned slightly.
"You really don't know where you are."
He raised his hand and the fireball grew brighter, illuminating the surrounding field.
"This is the Kingdom of Ardelis."
Alex's heart skipped. A fantasy world… Before Alex could ask anything else, the man suddenly placed his hand on Alex's shoulder.
"Let's check something."
A faint blue light spread from the man's palm. For a moment, the air hummed softly. Then the man's expression changed.
First confusion.
Then disappointment.
"…No mana."
Alex blinked.
"What?"
The man stepped back and shook his head.
"You have absolutely no magical talent."
Alex felt his stomach drop.
"In this world," the man continued, "everyone is born with at least some mana."
He looked at Alex as if he were something strange.
"But you… have none."
Alex forced a laugh.
"So I'm special?"
The man didn't smile.
"No."
He turned away.
"You're useless."
With a flick of his hand, the fireball disappeared.
"You should go to the nearest town and find work as a laborer. That's probably the best life someone like you can hope for."
Without another word, the man walked away into the darkness. Alex stood alone in the field. The wind rustled through the grass.
"…Great."
New world.
No magic.
No talent.
He sat down heavily. "Well," he sighed, "this is going to be a short adventure." Suddenly— The glowing system screen appeared again.
[Host weakness detected.]
[Activating Emergency Protocol.]
Alex leaned closer.
"Emergency… what?"
Another message appeared.
[First Mission Generated.]
Mission: Survive the night.
Reward: Beginner Ability Unlock
Failure: Death
Alex's eyes widened.
"…Death?"
The grass behind him suddenly moved. A low growl echoed in the darkness. Slowly, Alex turned his head. Two glowing red eyes stared at him from the tall grass. Then another pair. And another.
The system message blinked again.
[Warning.]
Wild monsters approaching.
Alex swallowed.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The creatures stepped into the moonlight. Large wolf-like beasts with black fur and razor-sharp teeth surrounded him. One of them snarled. Alex's heart began pounding wildly. "Well…" he whispered nervously.
"I guess the tutorial started."