CHAPTER 1
Daren Peterson could barely keep his eyes open as he lay on the ground. His whole body hurt, not just a little pain, but the kind that makes you feel like every part of you is breaking at the same time. His clothes were torn, his arms were covered in burns and bruises, and there were still fresh marks where magic had hit him earlier.
A few students stood nearby, watching him like he was some kind of joke.
"Seriously? He's still alive?"
"I thought that fire spell would've finished him."
"Maybe we should've just left him in the water longer."
They laughed like it was nothing.
Daren didn't even try to respond. He didn't have the energy anymore. Even if he wanted to say something, what would it change? Nothing ever changed.
In this world, everyone had something. Magic, skills, talent… something that made them special.
Everyone except him.
He slowly pushed himself up, his arms shaking as he forced his body to move. It hurt, but he ignored it. He always ignored it.
No one tried to stop him as he walked away. No one cared enough to.
To them, he wasn't even worth their time.
By the time he reached the bridge, the sky had already started turning gray. The river below moved quietly, like it didn't care about anything happening above it.
Daren stepped closer to the edge and rested his hands on the railing. His fingers tightened around the cold metal as he looked down.
"I can't take this anymore…"
His voice was low, almost like he didn't want anyone to hear it.
"I'm the only one on this earth without power… without skills… without anything…"
He laughed a little, but there was nothing funny about it.
"I don't have family. I don't have friends. I don't have anything at all."
A tear slipped down his face, but he didn't bother wiping it.
"All I have is myself… and even that's not enough."
Some people behind him started whispering.
"Hey, look. That guy's about to jump."
"What an idiot."
"Maybe he lost in a fight."
"Or maybe he's just weak."
"Yeah, suicide won't fix anything. What a fool."
Daren heard all of it.
He always heard everything.
"…Yeah," he muttered.
"Maybe I am."
And without thinking any further, he let go.
As his body fell, the wind rushed past him. Everything blurred, and for a moment, it felt like nothing mattered anymore.
Then suddenly, something felt wrong.
He wasn't moving.
Daren blinked, confused. His body was stuck in midair, like something had frozen him in place. Even the water below him wasn't moving.
"…What is this?"
He tried to move, but nothing responded.
Then a voice echoed in his head.
Not from outside, but directly inside.
SYSTEM
[BECAUSE OF YOUR SUFFERING, YOU HAVE AWAKENED A FORBIDDEN SKILL.]
Daren's eyes widened.
"…What?"
[YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO POSSESSES THIS ABILITY.]
"No way… what is this…?"
[FORBIDDEN SKILL: COPY]
[YOU CAN COPY THE SKILLS OF OTHERS.]
He stared blankly, trying to process what he just heard.
"…You're kidding, right?"
"After everything… now this shows up?"
There was no answer.
And just like that, everything started moving again.
He fell straight into the river.
Daren suddenly woke up, gasping for air as he sat up on a bed.
"Hah…!"
He looked around quickly, his breathing still heavy.
"…My room?"
He touched his face, then his arms. The injuries from earlier were gone, leaving only the old scars behind.
"…How did I get here?"
Was it all a dream?
He stood up and grabbed his phone, checking the date.
December 38, 2022.
"…That doesn't even make sense."
He frowned.
"Did I go back in time or something…?"
SYSTEM
Daren froze.
"…Who said that?"
[GIVE ME A NAME.]
"Who are you?"
[I AM YOUR SYSTEM.]
"…A system…"
He stayed quiet for a second, then let out a small breath.
"…Alright. Then I'll call you… GAIA."
[NAME REGISTERED.]
"Okay, GAIA… explain what's going on."
[YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN A TIMELINE WHERE YOU ARE ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE YOUR USUAL SUFFERING.]
Daren's expression changed.
"…So I'm about to go to school and get bullied again."
[CORRECT.]
He stayed quiet for a moment.
Then slowly, he smiled.
"…Good."
"Really good."
"Tell me something."
[YES.]
"How do I copy their skills?"
[THREE METHODS AVAILABLE:]
[1. THROUGH BOOKS OR RECORDS]
[2. BY KILLING THE TARGET]
[3. BY PHYSICAL CONTACT]
"…Killing them…"
He clenched his fist.
"…I'll save that for later."
He exhaled.
"…But I don't even have a single skill yet. So how do I start?"
Ding dong.
The doorbell rang, breaking his thoughts.
Daren walked to the door and opened it, and when he saw who it was, he paused.
"…Louise?"
She stood there, looking at him with a bit of concern.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," she said. "You look… better than yesterday."
[LOUISE: WATER MAGE TYPE]
Daren's eyes shifted slightly.
"…Water mage…"
"Daren?" Louise tilted her head. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
[DON'T WORRY. ONLY YOU CAN SEE AND HEAR ME.]
"…Got it."
"What?" Louise asked.
"Nothing."
He shook his head, then looked at her again.
"…Hey, Louise."
"Yeah?"
"…Can I hold your hand for a bit?"
Her face turned red almost instantly.
"W-What kind of question is that?!"
"Just trust me."
She hesitated, clearly confused, but slowly reached out her hand.
"…Okay…"
Daren held it gently.
It felt warm.
[SKILL COPYING IN PROGRESS…]
Louise looked even more flustered.
"Daren, this is kind of embarrassing…"
[SUCCESS.]
[YOU HAVE COPIED: WATER MAGIC]
"…It worked."
He couldn't hide the slight excitement in his voice.
"Louise."
"Y-Yeah?"
"Look at this."
He raised his hand, and water began to gather above his palm, forming into a small floating mass.
Louise's eyes widened.
"Wait… that's my magic… how are you…?"
[YOU MAY CREATE YOUR OWN STYLE.]
[EXAMPLE: WATER MAGIC – FIRST FORM: WATER BULLET]
"…My own style…"
He focused.
The water compressed into a small, dense sphere.
"Water magic… first form…"
He aimed toward the window.
"Water bullet."
The water shot forward fast enough to crack the glass instantly.
Louise stepped back in shock.
"What was that? I've never seen a spell like that before!"
"…Yeah."
Daren looked at his hand.
"…Me neither."
But he liked it.
A lot.
He turned to Louise.
"…Let's go to school."
"…Right now?"
"Yeah."
He gave a small smile, but there was something different about it this time.
"…I've got something I want to try."
"…Okay…"
As they walked out together, Daren glanced up at the sky.
This time, things were going to be different.
He wasn't going to be the one lying on the ground anymore.
And deep inside, GAIA quietly responded.
[WELCOME TO YOUR NEW LIFE.]
[USER: DAREN PETERSON]
[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE AND EVOLVE.]