The Awakening.
"Then don't fail me."
As Vanitas closed his eyes, reality slipped away, replaced by a flood of fragmented memories from the past five days. His mind replayed those moments like a broken reel, but something felt off. The memories were vivid, too vivid to be normal.
Unbeknownst to Vanitas, those weren't ordinary recollections—they were hallucinations. The truth he couldn't yet comprehend was far more jarring: he had been sent back in time, five days before his gruesome end.
The room was dark and eerily quiet. It was his small, cramped apartment—a messy space littered with empty food containers and clothes strewn across the floor. Despite the chaos, it was familiar.
Suddenly, Vanitas woke up, his breaths shallow and frantic. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he sat up, clutching his chest. "It was just a dream," he muttered, forcing himself to his feet.
He stumbled toward the light switch and flicked it on, but what greeted him wasn't the mess of his apartment. His eyes widened in shock.
In front of him floated a square-shaped holographic screen, pulsating with violet energy. A dark, shadowy mist danced around its edges, twisting and coiling like it was alive.
[Congratulations on becoming a Player!]
Vanitas stumbled backward, nearly tripping over a discarded can. "W-What is this!?" he yelled, staring at the screen. "A Player? What is this, some kind of game? Tch, this has to be another dream."
But before he could dismiss it further, a familiar, bone-chilling voice echoed in his mind—the same voice he had heard in the depths of the UD.
"Fool. This isn't a dream. You've been sent back five days before your death. Consider this your second chance."
Vanitas froze, his breath catching in his throat. The memories of the UD rushed back—the screams of his teammates, the blood, the merciless creatures tearing them apart.
"Five days," the voice continued, fading into a whisper. "Make them count."
Vanitas clenched his fists, his mind racing. I remember now. The UD... they all died. Brutally. And I... I couldn't do anything.
His thoughts were interrupted as another notification appeared on the holographic screen.
[You have acquired the Unique Skill: "Shadow Mimicry."]
"Shadow Mimicry?" Vanitas read aloud, his voice shaky. He stared at the notification, trying to process its meaning. "What the hell am I supposed to do with that? Hey, you! Voice! What's going on here? What is this... thing in front of me?"
The voice didn't respond.
"Seriously? No explanation? No tutorial?" he muttered in frustration. "How do I even use this thing?"
Desperate for answers, Vanitas began shouting random commands.
"Start!"
"Open!"
"Holographic thing!"
Nothing happened. He scratched the back of his head, frustration bubbling over. Come on, think! There has to be a way to interact with this.
Finally, he tentatively reached out and tapped the glowing notification. To his surprise, it reacted, expanding into a detailed description.
[Shadow Mimicry]
Description: Allows the user to copy skills from any deceased target. Initially limited to 1–3 skills. Evolve to unlock greater potential.
Vanitas blinked at the text, his curiosity piqued. "Copy skills from the dead? That's... interesting. But why me? Why was I chosen for this?"
Before he could think further, the text disappeared.
"Wait! Where did it go?" he exclaimed, frantically waving his hands.
After a few moments of trial and error, he shouted, "System!"
The holographic interface reappeared, this time displaying a new menu.
---
SYSTEM ACTIVATED
Name: Vanitas
Level: 1
Title: [UD Survivor]
System Coins:0
---
[Main Menu]
1. [Inventory]
Access your items here.
2. [Shop]
Purchase essential resources and upgrades.
3. [Stats]
Monitor your attributes and distribute points.
4. [Skills]
Manage and enhance your abilities.
5. [Titles]
View and equip earned titles.
---
[Daily Task System]
Push-Ups: 0/100
Pull-Ups: 0/100
Planks: 0/3 minutes
Throw Punches: 0/100
Time Left: 23h
[Failure Results in Penalty!]
Penalty:
You will be teleported to the Black Void for survival training.
Objective: Fight waves of creatures for 1–2 hours.
---
Vanitas stared at the screen, dumbfounded. His mind was racing with questions.
"This... this is like a video game," he muttered. He scanned the menus, his eyes lingering on the Daily Task System.
"So I have to do all this in a day, or I'll be thrown into some void to fight monsters? Great," he groaned. "Just great."
But as the weight of the situation sank in, a fire ignited in his chest. He clenched his fists, determination shining in his eyes.
"If this is real... if I really have five days, I won't waste them. I'll get stronger. I'll survive. And I'll make them pay."
Vanitas then interacted with the five menus, starting with the Inventory, followed by Shop, Stats, Skills, and Titles.
Inside the Inventory, the layout was wide and expansive, much like a game interface.
[Inventory]
[Weapons]
[Artifacts]
[Materials]
So this is where I store my weapons, artifacts, and materials, he thought, nodding to himself. After taking a moment to process, he closed the Inventory System and clicked on the Shop tab.
[Shop]
[Not Enough Level]
"Wh-What!? Not enough level?" Vanitas muttered, clenching his teeth in frustration. "Are you serious? How am I supposed to buy weapons now? Just great."
He paused, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. Alright, keep it together. One thing at a time. Vanitas decided to move on and clicked on the Stats tab.
[Stats]
• Strength: 5
• Agility: 5
• Stamina: 4
• Intelligence: 4
• Luck: 1
Not bad for a mere weakling like me, he thought, scratching the back of his head. It really is like a game, huh? His gaze shifted to the next menu and he clicked on Titles.
[Titles]
[UD Survivor]
Curious, he clicked on it and muttered, "What does this do?"
[UD Survivor]
Description: Survived the Error Dungeon, a rare feat for those who managed to escape.
Boost: Luck +10%, Attack +5%. Gain 20% additional Attack and Defense when inside a UD.
---
The more Vanitas explored the system, the more it started to feel real. As he took in the information, he realized that this wasn't just some dream or hallucination. The system, the tasks, the skills—everything was too detailed to be a mere fantasy. But for now, he had to make sense of it all.
"This title is perfect for me. When the day comes that I'm inside the UD, I'll be ready," he muttered, staring at the title description.
He then deactivated the system. In that moment, a notification for the daily task appeared.
---
Notification:
[Daily Task System]
Push-Ups: 0/100
Pull-Ups: 0/100
Planks: 0/3 minutes
Throw Punches: 0/100
Time Left: 22
[Failure Results in Penalty!]
---
"Wh-What? I've been here for almost 2 hours already?" Vanitas thought, feeling the pressure. "Time sure flies... I need to finish these tasks. If I don't, I'll be sent to the Dark Void for training. Great, just great." He clenched his teeth. "I've got five days. Five days should be enough to defeat that creature."
Vanitas then focused on the first task: Throw Punches. "This should be easy."
He started throwing punches, counting from 1 to 10, then 11 to 20... and so on...
End of Chapter.