My Origin System

A corrupted trial

Chapter 3

Beyond the skies. Beyond the heavens. Beyond the reach of mortal eyes.

Silence ruled the Observation Tower.

Darkness swallowed the vast chamber, broken only by the emerald glow of countless holographic screens suspended in the air. Streams of glowing symbols flowed across them like rivers of light, painting the room in shifting shades of green.

Azaria stood alone before the largest display.

Her long purple gown hugged her figure, the high slit revealing one toned leg whenever she shifted her weight. Golden bracelets rested around her wrists, their polished surfaces reflecting the green light. Her silver hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.

The streams of data moved with perfect rhythm.

Until—

BEEP!

A crimson light flashed at the top of the central screen.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

Azaria's breath caught.

"...No."

The whisper escaped before she realized she'd spoken.

The red light continued to pulse.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Her eyes widened as more crimson warnings spread across the display like blood seeping through water.

"No..."

She stumbled a step closer, fingers trembling as they hovered over the holographic panel.

"This... this isn't possible."

Her heartbeat quickened.

"It shouldn't be happening."

The bracelet around her wrist suddenly shimmered to life. Golden runes spiraled around it as she raised it to her lips.

"Velthor."

Her voice shook despite her effort to steady it.

"Come to the Observation Tower. Immediately."

The connection ended.

Moments later—

The heavy doors slid open without a sound.

A tall man entered, his black robe flowing behind him with each measured step. His face remained calm, almost emotionless, as though nothing in existence could disturb him.

Until he saw her.

Azaria rarely looked frightened.

"What happened?" he asked.

She stepped aside without answering.

His eyes followed hers toward the flashing red warning.

The calm on his face vanished.

In an instant, he was beside the console, his fingers sweeping across dozens of floating panels. Symbols shifted. Windows expanded. Endless streams of data raced past his eyes.

His movements became faster.

Faster.

Then they stopped.

The room fell silent except for the relentless warning.

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

Velthor stared at the results.

His hand slowly tightened into a fist.

"...Impossible."

He checked the readings again.

The same result.

Again.

And again.

A sharp breath escaped him as both hands gripped his hair.

"The Trial..."

His voice sounded hollow.

"...has been compromised."

Azaria's face turned pale.

"What?"

She took another step toward the screen.

"How?"

Velthor's jaw tightened.

"The System itself has been corrupted."

The words echoed through the chamber like a death sentence.

Azaria stared at him in disbelief.

"By whom?"

"I don't know."

He spun toward her, frustration breaking through his usually composed expression.

"After we all departed... who entered this tower?"

Azaria searched her memory.

Faces.

Names.

Events.

Nothing.

"I..." Her voice faltered. "I don't know."

Silence.

Velthor slowly clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white.

"This cannot remain hidden."

His gaze hardened.

"We inform the council. Now."

Azaria nodded immediately.

Without another word, she raised the glowing bracelet once more.

Golden circles spread from its surface as she activated the emergency channel.

One connection.

Then another.

Then another.

Within seconds, the summons had reached every remaining member of the council.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

And whatever had corrupted the Trial...

...had already made its first move.

---

Far below, on Earth, another kind of chaos was unfolding.

The first rays of dawn filtered through the warehouse windows.

Owen stood beside one of them, quietly staring outside.

Dark circles hung beneath his eyes.

He hadn't slept for even a second.

Shuffling footsteps echoed behind him, but he didn't bother turning around.

He had already made up his mind hours ago.

Walking toward the corner of the warehouse, he picked up a crowbar.

Its cold weight settled comfortably in his grip.

He gave it a testing swing before nodding to himself.

"What are you planning to do with that?"

One of the security guards frowned.

Owen remained silent for a moment before walking toward the warehouse entrance.

Only then did he turn to face everyone.

"It's morning."

His gaze swept across the frightened workers.

"Whatever that... Universal Trial is, I'm sure we're not the only ones who received it."

No one interrupted him.

"I don't know about the rest of you..."

He tightened his grip around the crowbar.

"...but I'm going home."

A brief pause followed.

"And who knows?"

"Our co-workers might not be the only ones who turned into zombies."

The warehouse fell into silence.

A man finally spoke.

"Why don't we all go together?"

Owen looked at him.

"Do we all live in the same place?"

The man immediately fell silent.

Without another word, Owen turned around and stepped outside.

The instant his foot crossed the warehouse entrance—

Every hair on his body stood on end.

He slowly looked upward.

His pupils shrank.

A massive crack stretched across the sky.

It pulsed like a living creature.

It looked impossibly distant...

Yet strangely close at the same time.

The sun had begun to rise, but the clouds surrounding the enormous crack remained unnaturally dark.

Owen stood frozen.

Before he could process what he was seeing, a translucent blue screen appeared before him.

---

[Tier 3 Rift Detected]

[Current Danger Level: Low... but rising.]

[Mission: Close the Rift.]

[Reward:]

[10 Free Stat Points]

[2 Healing Potions]

[1 Grade D Weapon of your choice]

[Note:]

[Collect twenty Energy Orbs to unlock a fragment of the Origin System's history.]

---

"Tier 3 Rift..."

Owen stared at the notification.

"Close it and get all those rewards..."

A faint smile almost appeared on his face before it slowly disappeared.

"No."

His expression hardened.

"First things first."

"I need to get Mum's medicine."

His fingers tightened around the crowbar.

"Hopefully..."

His voice became quieter.

"...neither Mum nor Vivian has turned into a zombie."

His hands trembled.

The thought alone filled him with fear.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, the hesitation was gone.

"They have to be safe."

"They just have to be."

Without looking back—

Owen walked away.

---

Owen sprinted through the streets as chaos consumed the city.

There was nowhere safe.

Zombies flooded the roads, chasing terrified civilians in every direction. Screams echoed through the air as people desperately fled for their lives.

Then the police arrived.

Gunfire erupted almost immediately.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The officers fired without hesitation, aiming not only at the zombies but also at anyone who had been bitten.

Everyone had already realized the horrifying truth.

A single bite...

That was all it took for someone to become one of the infected.

Ignoring the chaos around him, Owen rushed toward the nearest chemist.

Locked.

He ran to another.

Locked.

Then another.

Still locked.

"Damn it."

He raked a hand through his hair, frustration flashing across his face.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

Without wasting another second, he sprinted toward the next pharmacy.

A zombie lunged from between two abandoned cars.

Owen swung the crowbar instinctively.

Crack!

The creature collapsed.

He didn't stop running.

He arrived before a store.

Before making a move, he quickly scanned the surroundings.

Most of the zombies had been drawn toward the relentless gunfire, while the surviving civilians were too busy running for their lives to pay attention to him.

Perfect.

Gripping the crowbar tightly, Owen swung it with all his strength.

Clang!

The padlock snapped apart.

He glanced around one last time before slipping inside.

The shelves were a mess, but he ignored everything except what he had come for.

After searching frantically for several minutes, he finally found the medicine his mother needed.

Relief washed over him as he stuffed it into his pocket.

"I found it..."

The words had barely left his mouth when a familiar blue screen suddenly materialized before his eyes.

---

[Warning: Rift instability increasing.]

[Estimated time until escalation: Unknown.]

[Immediate intervention recommended.]

---

For a brief moment...

Even the gunfire ceased.

Owen looked up.

All around him, people had stopped moving.

Their eyes were fixed on the translucent blue screen floating before them.

Only hours earlier, they had awakened to a world-ending announcement.

Earth had been chosen for the Universal Trial.

Their families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues had begun transforming into flesh-eating monsters.

Now...

The enormous crack in the sky had changed.

What had once been nothing more than a thin fracture had widened into a massive, gaping tear.

It seemed as though the heavens themselves had been ripped apart.

Owen stared upward.

No one knew what a Rift truly was.

No one understood what "Low" or "Medium" danger meant.

But as Owen stared at the monstrous tear hanging above the world, a chilling realization settled into his mind.

The Rift...

It was far more terrifying than the zombies roaming the streets.

Then—

A deafening roar echoed from somewhere beyond the widening Rift.

The sound shook the earth itself.

Owen froze.

All around him, every human seemed to freeze as well.

Even the zombies stopped moving.

For one terrifying moment, the entire city became silent.

Then another roar came from beyond the Rift.

Something was coming.