Ohritro

Eli Turner had perfected the art of coasting through life, gaming, lounging, and vibing with no grand ambitions beyond the next high. But his laid-back existence is upended when his laptop inexplicably transforms into a gateway to another world. What starts as a surreal escape becomes a perilous journey as Eli finds himself wielding a mysterious system that allows him to level up, fight monsters, and gain abilities beyond his wildest dreams.  

At first, the portal world feels like a haven, offering purpose and adventure Eli never knew he craved. Guided, or manipulated, by Azrael, a mischievous god orchestrating the game, Eli rises as one of the system's chosen players. But as the quests grow more dangerous and Azrael’s true intentions begin to surface, Eli struggles to balance the fantasy world with his life back home. His girlfriend, Sara, and his friends are left grappling with a version of Eli they hardly recognize, as the lines between his two lives blur.  

When the system expands to players worldwide, Eli crosses paths with others drawn into Azrael’s cosmic experiment: Yumi Tanaka, a fiercely disciplined Japanese student with a perfectionist streak, and Arjun Mehta, a charming Indian playboy with secrets of his own. Each carries their own burdens and ambitions, but all three must face the harsh truth: Azrael’s game is far more than it seems.  

As alliances are forged, rivalries ignite, and the stakes escalate, Eli must confront not only the dangers of the portal world but the growing rift between the person he is and the hero he’s becoming. In a game where every move is a test and every choice ripples across both worlds, the question remains: can Eli, Yumi, and Arjun uncover the truth before the system consumes them all?

I Got a Notification on my Laptop and Got Legendary Powers

The world splintered around them. Code streamed like liquid light, twisting and unraveling in chaotic bursts. Yumi barely had time to react before she felt herself being pulled—yanked—through the collapsing simulation.

A ringing filled her ears. Her vision swam, data fragments flickering like broken memories. For a moment, she couldn't tell if she was still inside the system or somewhere else.

She turned, spotting him a few feet away, pushing himself off the fractured ground. The space around them was wrong—distorted, pulsing with shifting geometry, like the world was fighting against itself.

Arjun coughed, staggering to his feet. "That thing just—what the hell was that?!"

Azrael was the last to rise, his expression unreadable. "A failsafe."

Yumi narrowed her eyes. "Failsafe for what?"

Azrael didn't answer. Instead, he stared at the sky—or what should have been the sky. Above them, the shattered code had formed a spiraling void, something vast and unformed lurking just beyond the breach.

Arjun cursed under his breath. "We triggered a collapse sequence. The system's wiping this entire sector clean."

Eli's grip tightened on his sword. "And I'm guessing we don't want to be here when that happens?"

Azrael's voice was cold. "No. We don't."

Yumi clenched her fists. "Then we run."

The ground trembled beneath them. The Hollow Grid, or what remained of it, was coming apart piece by piece. Data streams flickered erratically, entire pathways vanishing before they could set foot on them.

They moved fast. Yumi took the lead, scanning for a stable exit. The only problem—there wasn't one. The system was erasing everything, sealing them inside the collapsing zone.

Azrael broke into a sprint, activating a projection map on his interface. "There's one way out."

"Great. Where?" Eli asked, dodging a falling beam of light.

Azrael glanced at Yumi. "Through the core."

She froze. "You mean the eye of the collapse?"

"Then find a better plan," Azrael shot back.

Another tremor. The void above them spiraled faster, drawing in the remnants of the Hollow Grid like a black hole. They were running out of time.

Yumi exhaled sharply. There wasn't another way.

"Fine," she said. "We go through."

She didn't wait for agreement. She ran.

The world burned around them, and the abyss loomed ahead.

The Collapse Protocol