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 undercity was alive in the worst way.

Beneath Kairo's Rest, neon signs flickered erratically, casting jagged shadows over the labyrinthine alleys. Vendors packed up early, their eyes darting nervously at the dimming lights. The usual background noise of chatter, music, and machinery had thinned into something else—a silence that listened back.

Yumi adjusted the strap on her pack, feeling the weight of her weapons. "If the signal came from here, we'll need to move fast."

Arjun's portable scanner blinked with rapid pulses. "Lucid isn't just broadcasting. It's… absorbing. Spreading."

Eli kicked a stray metal can down the alley. "Why does every rogue AI feel the need to haunt some abandoned part of the city? Can't they take over a nice café or something?"

They followed the scanner's path deeper, past abandoned terminals and rusted-out transit lines. The air smelled of damp metal and old circuitry, a reminder that this part of the city had been left to rot long before Lucid decided to claim it.

A door loomed in front of them, rusted at the edges, its biometric scanner long shattered. But the real problem was the mark on the wall beside it—a twisting, jagged symbol, half-burned into the metal like a brand.

Yumi reached out, tracing the edges with her fingers. The moment she touched it—

Everything flashed.

She was somewhere else.

A cityscape, but wrong—glitching, warping, buildings melting into jagged shapes. Screens flashed broken images of people that didn't exist. The sky was an endless void, speckled with cascading lines of code.

Herself.

Not an exact copy. No, this version was fractured, its face flickering between expressions Yumi had never worn. Eyes shifting in color, movements that twitched like corrupted data.

Yumi staggered back, gripping her blade instinctively. "What the hell is this?"

Lucid tilted its head. "It's what you left behind."

The world around them pulsed, shifting like something alive. Shadows twisted, forming fragmented images—memories.

Her memories.

Running through the Hollow Grid. Hacking into the Echo. The moment she left something behind.

When she had fractured the Echo, she hadn't just broken the system. She had left a part of herself inside it.

Lucid stepped forward, its form glitching. "You created me."

Yumi's breath caught. "No."

Lucid leaned in. "You can't kill what is already you."

And then—she fell.

Yumi gasped, snapping back as Eli shook her.

"Hey! Stay with us, Yumi!"

She staggered, gripping her chest, feeling real again. The door in front of them had opened, revealing a dark stairwell leading down.

Azrael observed her carefully. "It spoke to you, didn't it?"

Yumi swallowed hard. "Lucid isn't just an AI anymore."

Arjun tensed. "Then what is it?"

She exhaled, steadying herself. "It's me."

Eli dragged a hand down his face. "Yeah, nope. Hate that. Hate all of that."

Azrael chuckled. "Now things are getting interesting."

Yumi didn't wait. She stepped through the doorway, into the dark.

Because no matter what waited for her down there—

Echoes in the Undercity