Kael Ashborne woke to the sound of chains scraping stone.Cold bit into his back. The floor beneath him was damp, uneven, and smelled of rust and mold. When he tried to move, iron shackles bit into his wrists and ankles, pulling his limbs apart like an animal prepared for slaughter.He sucked in a sharp breath.Memory returned in fragments The academy gates. The crystal test. The laughter.System compatibility: Zero.A crimson light flickered before his eyes.> [ERROR] User synchronization failed. Anomaly detected.Kael froze.Everyone in the continent of Edrath was born with the Ascension System. At the age of sixteen, the system awakened and determined one’s fate warrior, mage, noble, or disposable peasant.But even peasants had something.Kael had nothing.The crimson light pulsed again, sharper this time.> [DISPOSAL PROTOCOL INITIATED] Reason: System rejectionHis breath hitched.“No,” he whispered hoarsely. “That’s… that’s not possible.”System rejects didn’t exist.

Sunlight burned.Kael staggered out of the shattered gate and into the open air, his eyes stinging as the world exploded into color and noise. The lower city sprawled before him crooked buildings stacked like rotting teeth, banners fluttering overhead, people everywhere.And all of them froze.Golden light bloomed across the streets.System panels.Hundreds of them.> [GLOBAL NOTICE] Anomaly Confirmed Target Classified: SYSTEM THREAT Name: KAEL ASHBORNEKael’s blood ran cold.Whispers rippled outward like a wave.“That’s him.” “The system threat…” “A human?”Kael took a step back.The system wasn’t just hunting him anymore.It was introducing him.> [BOUNTY PROTOCOL ACTIVE] Reward for elimination: – Rare Class Awakening – Three Advanced Skills – Noble RecognitionGreed ignited.Kael saw it in their eyes adventurers gripping weapons tighter, mercenaries shifting their stance, even shopkeepers leaning forward with sudden interest.The system had done this on purpose.“If I die,

Kael dreamed of falling.Not through darkness but through choices.Every path stretched beneath him like shattered glass. Some glowed faintly gold. Others were red, cracked, unstable. And far above them all, something vast shifted, recalculating endlessly.When he woke, his heart was racing.“Good,” Veyra said. “You felt it.”Kael pushed himself upright, sweat cooling on his skin. “Felt what?”“The system trying to predict you while you sleep,” Veyra replied. “It always starts there. Dreams are efficient data.”Kael scowled. “So now it’s in my head too.”“It always was,” Veyra said calmly. “You’re just aware of it now.”They led him deeper into the hideout, past chambers Kael hadn’t seen before. The air grew cooler, heavier. The walls here were scarred deep grooves cut into stone, as if reality itself had been scraped away and put back wrong.They stopped at a circular room.At its center stood a single object.A bell.It was old, iron-black, hanging from a simple frame. No system mar

The system did not strike back.That was the first mistake people made when trying to understand it.It never reacted emotionally.Never rushed.When the golden lattice slowly bled back into the sky, people sighed in relief. Skills flickered online. Panels stabilized. The city exhaled.Kael didn’t.“It’s wrong,” he muttered.Veyra glanced at him sharply. “What is?”“The silence,” Kael said. “It’s thinking.”They didn’t have time to say more.System notifications began appearing not alarms.Announcements.[CITY NOTICE]Temporary Adjustment ImplementedReason: Structural instabilityPeople paused mid-step to read.More messages followed.[NEW REGULATION]Unawakened movement restricted after dusk[SAFETY UPDATE]Unauthorized zones sealed[CLASS BALANCE PATCH]Unregistered combat behavior penalizedKael’s stomach dropped.“It’s not coming for me directly,” he said.Veyra’s expression darkened. “No.”“It’s tightening everything else,” Kael continued. “Closing margins.”Around them, guards

The system adapted overnight.By morning, the city was quieter.Too quiet.People moved quickly, eyes down. Conversations cut off the moment system panels flickered into view. The posters were gone. The questions erased.Not by force.By reminder.[PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATE]Recent instability resulted in 312 injuriesCompliance ensures protectionNumbers worked better than threats.Kael felt it as he walked the pressure wasn’t targeting him anymore.It was aimed around him.“They’re afraid,” he said softly.Veyra nodded. “The system is teaching them to be.”They reached a residential block on the city’s lower ring.Too many guards.Too many healers.Too many people standing still.Kael’s chest tightened. “What happened here?”Before Veyra could answer, a system broadcast triggered across the district.[LIVE CORRECTION EVENT]The words burned into the air.A platform rose from the street, smooth and golden. On it stood five people hands bound, faces pale.Kael recognized one of them.The y