Ray woke up to yet another day that seemed determined to disappoint him. That was how most mornings began anyway with the same heavy breath and the same familiar sense of resignation. He lay stretched out on the unforgiving floor of his tiny one-bedroom apartment, separated from the cold surface only by a thin sheet that had long lost whatever comfort it once offered. When he pushed himself up slightly, the cramped room greeted him like an unwanted reminder of everything he lacked. The cheap plastic table fan beside him sputtered and buzzed in its usual irritating rhythm. Every few seconds, the blades scraped against the casing with a grating sound that drilled straight into his skull. But turning it off wasn’t an option; without it, the room quickly felt like a suffocating box. Not that the air was pleasant anyway. In the corner, an intimidating heap of unwashed clothes sat slumped like some defeated creature. Ray however, wasn’t a dirty person. The issue was the apartment compl

Five years had slipped by since the strange force called the System descended onto Earth and rewrote the world.Ray sat at a quiet bus stop in front of a building so polished and expensive that it seemed to reject his presence on sight. He looked like someone who had been sick for far too long. His skin had lost all color, and his thin body hinted at weeks of barely eating. The longer he sat there, the more he blended in with the lifeless metal bench beneath him.He let out a long, bitter sigh."I guess getting fired was bound to happen. When you look like you might fall over dead any minute, what boss wants to keep you around?" he muttered.He pulled up his status window.---[User: Ray Palmer][level: 12][Job: None][Titles: None][Talents: None][Innate Abilities: None][Strength: 9 ║ Agility: 9 ║ Vitality: 7 ║Stamina: 7 ║ Perception: 15 ║ Stat Points: 0][Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Archery]---Everything had begun on the day the System arrived. The moment it descended, t

Most people know the feeling of a dream where they fall from an impossible height. Darkness swallows everything, the ground rushes up to meet them, and yet it never arrives. The drop stretches on and on until, without warning, they finally hit bottom.Ray dreamed of something similar, though his version twisted the familiar pattern. He was not falling at all. Instead, he was rising. He drifted upward through a sky swallowed by endless dark. His body would not respond, but his eyes moved freely as he stared into the vast emptiness around him.It felt as if his physical form was gone. Only awareness remained, floating upward while the world below grew smaller.The ascent grew faster. Airless. Weightless. In the distance, he noticed a faint white speck flickering against the black, a tiny star fighting to stay visible. As he drew closer, it swelled in size, expanding with alarming speed until his rushing body collided with it.A sharp cry tore out of him."Argh!"Ray snapped awake, gaspin

[Remaining Time: 0 seconds.]“Shit,” Ray whispered, feeling his pulse slam against his ribs as the last moment ticked away.[Monster invasion has begun. Good luck.]“It starts now.”He did not spare a glance for the red Abyss Gate forming behind him or the wolf-like creatures stepping through it on two legs. His focus stayed on the task he had prepared for since the moment he realized he had returned to this day.He reached for the axe strapped to his back. His body protested at once. Pain shot across his chest and down his arms, but he held tight and forced himself to lift the weapon.Barely two seconds had passed since the system’s final message, yet the rat, the flytrap sapling, and the man who had begun mutating had all completed their transformations. The leveling system and the achievement functions were now fully active for the very first time on Earth. For Ray, this was his second time witnessing their arrival.The Vileborn had not opened its eyes. The creature stood frozen at

"That is my phone!" the man shouted in protest."I do not care," Ray answered sharply, irritation cutting through his voice.Before the man could say anything else, Ray’s expression shifted. A heavy tension settled over his features as he sensed several presences rushing in from every direction.He grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him close. His cold stare was enough to make the man tremble. "Listen carefully. This place is deadly. You saw the system messages, right?""I... yes," the man whispered, his voice unsteady."Then get out of here. If you cannot kill even one monster on your own, you will not last long," Ray said, every word clipped and merciless.The man’s fear deepened. His eyes widened, and his whole body began to shake."What should I do?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper."It is simple. Leave. Find a monster you can handle and kill it, then you will figure out what to do next." Ray shoved him away with a firm kick to send him moving.The man stumbled forward