The sky turned red.
At first, Arif thought it was just the sunset. But something felt… wrong.
The air was heavy. People on the street stopped walking. Cars slowed down. Even the birds went silent.
"What's happening…?" Arif whispered.
He was returning home from school, his bag hanging loosely on one shoulder. Like always, his day had been terrible.
Bullied. Ignored. Invisible.
"Hey, loser!"
A voice came from behind.
Arif froze.
Three boys. Same ones. Every day.
"Got any money today?" one of them smirked.
"I… I don't," Arif said quietly.
A slap.
His face burned, but he didn't fight back.
He never did.
"Useless," another boy laughed, pushing him to the ground.
They walked away, leaving him in the dust.
Arif clenched his fists.
Why… why is my life like this?
Then—
DING!
A strange sound echoed in his head.
Arif looked around quickly. No one else reacted.
"Did… did anyone hear that?"
DING!
This time, a glowing blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Welcome, User.
You have been chosen.
Arif's heart started racing.
"W-What is this…?"
He rubbed his eyes.
Still there.
Not a dream.
[MISSION 1: SURVIVE]
Description: Stay alive for the next 10 minutes.
Reward: Beginner Power
Failure: Death
Arif's breath stopped.
"D-Death…?"
Suddenly—
A loud explosion shook the ground.
BOOM!
People screamed.
Buildings trembled.
From the sky, something… fell.
A creature.
Huge. Dark. Not human.
Its eyes glowed red.
"MONSTER!!" someone screamed.
Chaos erupted.
People ran in every direction.
Arif couldn't move.
His legs felt frozen.
The monster roared—loud enough to shake his bones.
Then its eyes locked onto him.
"Why… me…?" Arif whispered.
[WARNING: TARGET LOCKED]
The monster charged.
Fast.
Too fast.
Arif's mind went blank.
I'm going to die.
Then something inside him snapped.
"No… I don't want to die!"
He stood up and ran.
Faster than ever before.
His heart pounded like a drum.
Left. Right. Through alleys. Over broken walls.
The monster chased him, destroying everything in its path.
[TIME REMAINING: 02:13]
"I can't… keep going…" Arif gasped.
His legs were shaking.
His vision blurred.
Then—he tripped.
Fell hard onto the ground.
The monster was right behind him.
It raised its claw.
Sharp. Deadly.
[TIME REMAINING: 00:05]
Arif closed his eyes.
This is the end…
[MISSION COMPLETE]
Silence.
Arif slowly opened his eyes.
The monster… was gone.
Everything was quiet.
[REWARD RECEIVED: BEGINNER POWER]
A new message appeared.
[SKILL UNLOCKED: SHADOW STEP (LEVEL 1)]
Arif stared at the screen.
Then at his hands.
A strange energy flowed through his body.
Warm. Powerful.
Different.
He stood up slowly.
For the first time in his life…
He felt strong.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Maybe… my life is about to change."
But far above the sky…
Something was watching him.
And it was smiling.