Chapter 1: A Change of Fate

"Failure" appeared to be the word that best described Kai Smith's life. It was written on his grade cards, spoken behind his back in the school corridors, and—painsfully—it lingered in his parents' disillusioned eyes. Success remained a faraway dream, a dazzling light just out of grasp, despite his best efforts.

It was the same today. Gazing at the conspicuous red "F" on his most recent math test, Kai felt his heart descend into that well-known abyss of hopelessness. The noise of kids comparing grades filled the classroom, but Kai just sat there, crumpling the paper. The teacher only groaned and went on, perhaps not expecting anything more from him, as he avoided making eye contact.

As the end-signaling bell chimed of the school day, Kai threw his backpack over his shoulder and made his way out of the classroom. He kept his head down, avoiding the pitying stares and sarcastic smiles of his peers. He was accustomed to being the one that nobody saw coming, the one who was written off as hopeless.

The stroll back home was a haze, with his feet leading him down a well-known path through the peaceful streets of the community. Kai hardly noticed that the sun was starting to set, but it was still a warm, golden color over the town. His thoughts were a flurry of frustration and self-doubt. He felt caught in a life that appeared destined for mediocrity, with no way out.

"What's the point of trying anymore?" He kicked a little, murmuring to himself a little stone along the path. "No matter what I do, I always end up failing."

A peculiar sensation, a little tug in his chest that was nearly imperceptible, broke his reverie. Kai came to a stop and looked around him, bewildered. The street he was on, the same one he had traversed innumerable times before, had nothing peculiar about it. However, there was something different about today that he was unable to quite identify.

His eyes were drawn to an old, weathered building on the corner—a bookshop he had never noticed before. The sign above the door was faded, the paint peeling, but the words "Mystic Tomes" were still legible. The shop looked out of place, like it belonged to another era, but there was something strangely extending an invitation.

Kai felt himself heading toward the store without fully understanding why. As he pulled the door open, it creaked, and a little bell tinkled over his head. The room was poorly lighted, and the smell of dust and old paper was pervasive. The walls were adorned with shelves brimming with volumes of different sizes and shapes, some so old that their names were hardly discernible.

Kai meandered along the slender aisles, his fingers delicately skimming the book spines. Even though he wasn't much of a reader, he felt drawn to this location for some reason. The store seemed to be hiding secrets that were only waiting to be uncovered; there was an aura of mystery about it.

When he arrived at the rear of the shop, he noticed a book that appeared to be glowing somewhat in the low light. Compared to the others, it was bigger and had a leather cover that appeared worn out with time. When Kai took it off the shelf and opened it, he noticed that the cover did not have a title, but there was an odd energy coming from the pages.

The pages were blank, but as soon as Kai touched them, beautiful, flowing text started to form. As he read the opening phrase, his pulse raced:

"Greetings, Selected One. We are pleased to offer you the "Top Student Genius System."

Uncertain whether he was seeing things, Kai blinked. His voice reverberated through the deserted store as he repeated, "Top Student Genius System?" It sounded like an oddity not in real life, but in a video game.

The words in the book started to shine brighter and brighter until the entire room was filled with light, and before he could think any more, the book's pages started to turn on their own. The book stuck to Kai's hands like it was a part of him even though he struggled to let go of it. Fear surged through his chest, but before he could respond, the light engulfed him entirely, turning everything white.

With a start, Kai sprang awake, struggling to breathe. With the early sun shining through the window, he lay on his bed. His mind was clouded with bewilderment, and his heart continued to race. Was it just a dream? The shimmering light and the weird book couldn't have been genuine, could it?

However, when he sat up and rubbed his eyes, a cool, collected voice rang in his head:

"Greetings from the Top Student Genius System, Kai Smith. You are the recipient of extraordinary information and abilities. What are you hoping to find out first?"

Breath tightening in his throat, Kai froze. The voice was authentic. It was an actual system.

He wasn't having dreams.

He felt a rush of both exhilaration and anxiety. Even if this was unfeasible, here it was: an opportunity to escape the mediocrity that had characterized his existence for so long. What did that signify, though? How did it function? And why him out of everyone?

Thoughts were racing, but one thing was certain: here was his chance had, though unknowingly, been yearning for. An opportunity to turn his life around, to grow into a better person who could walk tall and proud.

However, the voice in his head waited patiently for his response. In an attempt to slow down his beating heart, Kai took a deep breath.

He nervously answered, "I want to learn how to play the piano." He had always liked it but lacked the courage to give it a try.

"Received. I'm going to start learning the piano immediately," the voice answered.

Kai felt a weird tingling feeling in his thoughts and a sudden warmth running down his fingertips, as if fresh information was being transferred straight into his brain. His hands yearned to experiment with this newly discovered talent.

Heading downstairs, he hurried to the ancient piano his parents had purchased years prior, which served more as furniture than an instrument. Though he had never touched it before, Kai's fingers moved with a confidence he had never experienced when he sat down on the bench.

Soft and clean notes rang out initially, and then came a tune that got richer and more intricate with every second that went by. Kai's hands fluidly glided across the keys, performing a piece he had never studied yet nevertheless understood flawlessly. Kai felt fully alive for the first time in his life as the music filled the room and reverberated throughout the home.

Kai sat there, astonished and out of breath, as the last notes faded. It was him. He had performed the piano—perfectly, brilliantly. It wasn't just the piano, either. The system assured him that he would be able to master anything.

This was only the start.

The severity of what had just transpired started to dawn on him as he sat there. Kai Smith was not the same person anymore. A instrument that may transform his life in ways he could never have predicted had been bestowed upon him. However, it also brought responsibilities and decisions that would affect his future.

With his hands still shaking from the excitement of playing, Kai glanced down at them. With so many options available to him, he experienced optimism and a hint of something more for the first time.

He was prepared to accept his new fate.

The boy's adventure started at that point who, under the direction of a system that offered him everything, would emerge from the depths of failure to the height of brilliance.

However, the road ahead would not be easy, and Kai would soon discover that genuine greatness involved conquering the heart, the intellect, and the spirit in addition to mastering talents.