System awakening

Andrew had gone to bed early the night before, as he usually did. His life was a routine—simple, predictable, exhausting. Each day was spent working the fields on his grandfather's farm, enduring the grueling labor that kept the roof over his heads. The work didn't bring him joy, but it paid the rent, and there wasn't much more to expect.

He would finish work, trudge back home, eat a simple meal, and collapse into bed, ready to do it all over again. It was a cycle, one he had long since come to accept as his life's rhythm.

He fully expected everything to be the same as it had always been. He would take the ten-minute walk to the farm, milk the cows, and feed the livestock. The quiet monotony was all he knew.

But that night, something happened to disrupt his routine.

The buzzing sound was strange—foreign, almost mechanical. It jerked him out of sleep, his eyes fluttering open in confusion. For a moment, his mind struggled to form a coherent thought. Did I leave the lightstone on? he wondered groggily. He'd forgotten to turn it off a few times before. Those things were expensive, but at least they made the room less dark.

Groaning, he rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the fog of sleep. His legs felt heavy as he swung them over the edge of the bed, but they failed him, tripping over the blankets. Screaming under his breath, he stumbled to the table, reaching out for the lightstone.

And then he froze.

In front of him, glowing with an ethereal light, was a circular frame—a shimmering portal that pulsed like it was alive. The edges flickered with faint energy, and within the frame, a series of words appeared, glowing bright against the darkness. His vision, still blurry from sleep, tried to focus, but what he saw made his heart race.

"No way..." Andrew breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. The words on the screen became clearer, and his chest tightened as he read them aloud, louder this time. "I'm chosen by the System?!"

Becoming System-chosen had always been a far-off dream, something he had buried deep in his mind. Ordinary people didn't get chosen—not someone like him, stuck in an endless loop of hard work and survival. He might as well have wished for a mountain of gold to appear at his doorstep.

But now... this?

Andrew blinked, half-expecting the light to flicker out, for the whole thing to vanish like a trick of the mind. But it didn't. The glowing words remained, almost mocking him with their impossibility.

He shook his head, trying to clear the confusion, the blur in his eyes faded, and the words only became sharper, more undeniable.

[Andrew Kermil]

[You are chosen by the Grand Symbiotic Vessel Network—Multi-Core Conduit System (a.k.a. Grand System)]

[Your System Menu and Ability will unlock as soon as you step into your first alternate realm]

The reality of it hit him all at once. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor, the words on the screen spinning as his mind tried to catch up with what had just happened.

This was real. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a hallucination.

A surge of excitement exploded within him, so strong it almost choked him. His mind raced with possibilities. This could be his escape, his chance to break free from the life he had known. No more endless labor. No more feeling trapped. This could be the beginning of something greater.

But the thrill was tempered by the weight of it all. He couldn't just sit there. His heart pounded, and adrenaline flooded his veins. He couldn't wait. Not for one more second.

He didn't sleep again that night. How could he? Every moment was consumed by the possibility of what lay ahead.

By dawn, his excitement had completely drowned out his exhaustion. Without a second thought, he bolted out the door, practically sprinting through the village.

As he ran, he passed Mister Elcor, his elderly neighbor, who was sipping cheap alcohol by his withered garden. Elcor looked up, startled by the sudden rush of footsteps.

"Mister Elcor!" Andrew shouted without slowing his pace.

Elcor blinked, his gaze unfocused. "G-good morning to you too..." he muttered, barely recognizing Andrew.

"I'm going to become a Realm Fighter!" Andrew called back, barely slowing his pace.

"Oh... that's nice." Elcor's words were slow to register, his mind catching up with the absurdity. "Wait—you're System-chosen?!"

But Andrew was already out of earshot, racing toward the village gate.

At the gate, two guards stood watch, dressed in the black wooden armor typical of their station. Hujan, one of the guards, frowned as Andrew approached, slowing his pace.

"Why're you up so early?" Hujan asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"I need to leave the village. I'm System-chosen," Andrew said, breathless.

Hujan raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Sure you are."

"I'm serious!" Andrew insisted, his pulse quickening.

"Look," the other guard said with a dismissive snort, "Even if you are, you can't leave. There are unstable rifts everywhere today. We can't let you out there."

Andrew sighed, feigning resignation. "Alright, alright. I get it. Thanks, Hujan."

Hujan gave him a sympathetic nod, stepping closer. "It's tough, I know. Hang in there."

The moment Hujan stepped forward, Andrew darted past him, leaped on the relatively low gate, and climbed as fast as he could. 

The guards shouted at him, "Come down, Andrew!"

They feared putting more weight on the gate because of its age. To be frank, it was barely functional. The fault of that belonged to the stingy village chief.

Andrew ignored them and jumped off the gate when he reached the top of it.

The air beyond the gates felt different—charged, electric. As he looked back at the village, he saw the protective bubble around it shimmer faintly in the morning light.

The bubble protected the village from rifts.

"Get back inside!" Hujan shouted. "You're acting insane!"

But Andrew just shook his head. "Like hell!"

Before he could say anything more, the air before him split, and a raging white lightning storm appeared around him. The ground beneath him seemed to quiver, and before he could take another breath, white lightning struck him.

[You have entered your first realm]

[System Menu unlocked]

[Ability unlocked]

Andrew stumbled out of the rift and onto the soft, mossy ground. His mind was still spinning, and it took a moment for him to get his bearings. He slowly pushed himself to his feet.

It was a jungle—but nothing like any jungle he had ever imagined. The trees were impossibly tall, their trunks twisted and pulsating faintly with veins of glowing blue. The leaves, enormous and thick, dripped with a viscous amber liquid that hissed softly when it touched the ground.

Massive fungi, the size of houses, grew from the roots of these enormous trees.

In the distance, a colossal flower—its crimson petals the size of buildings—began to unfurl, releasing a cloud of sparkling spores into the air. The sight was both... baffling.

What... is this place?

This was nothing like he had ever experienced—it was both terrifying and incredible all at once.

Andrew swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath. "Alright," he muttered to himself, taking it all in. 

First things first. He needed to understand his ability. If he could project energy or anything useful like that, it would make things a lot easier.

He focused, trying to summon the system menu. It was his first time attempting it, and he wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but he had to give it a shot.

His effort paid off.

Yellow circles with text suddenly appeared in front of him, floating in the air. His eyes widened at the sight, but he couldn't afford to waste time inspecting every detail. His safety came first.

One of the circles on his right stood out, glowing with the word 'Ability' in bright letters.

Andrew focused on it, willing it to open. When nothing happened, he tried again, frustrated. Still nothing.

He pressed on the circle, and it expanded, revealing more information.

[Ability Steal]

There was no description—though, frankly, Andrew didn't need one. The name of the ability was clear enough.

His attention was caught by another circle—this one labeled 'Battle set.' Curious, Andrew pressed it, and leather armor and a small sword materialized in front of him, falling to the ground with a soft thud.

So this was it. This was his new reality.

He turned just in time to see a slimy, translucent mass slowly oozing toward him from the underbrush. It was the size of a small dog. 

.