Chapter 1: Prologue

Inside a dark alleyway, surrounded by trash bins, broken wooden crates, and rusted metal pipes, a frail young man lay slumped on the ground. His loose orange clothes were tattered and clung to his grime-smeared skin, which bore fresh scratches and deep bruises. His black silky hair fell partially over his dark, lifeless eyes, which stared blankly ahead, heavy with the silent burden of his pain.

The man was not particularly handsome, but a hint of hidden charm lay in his facial features. That man was Hiro Yui, 22 years old, who had just withdrawn his hard-earned salary.

"Pfft, look at his face! So dirty!!" jeered a woman seemingly to be part of the bullies.

"Like seriously, this guy should just kill himself!!" Mocked one of the bullies, spitting on Hiro's face. "Not like he has any balls to do it!"one of them said, laughing loudly.

"For real!" They turning away with a sneer. The group sauntered off, their laugher echoing cruelly through the narrow passage as Hiro lay motionless on the oily ground.

A moment later, rain poured down in heavy sheets. The rhythmic drumming of raindrops on the crates and metal pipes filled the silence.

Hiro's trembling hands pressed against the cold, grimy pavement as he struggled to push himself upright. His frail body wavered, staggered toward the nearest wall, with every effort dragging his feet to the nearest wall. Finally, he leaned against the solid surface, his shoulders slumping as if under an unbearable weight.

"They took...all my money away..." He continued, "How do I survive this time?" He whispered, his voice weak and his lips trembled under the cold rain. "I haven't even paid my rent for three months now..." His legs gave out, and he slid down the wall, splashing into a puddle beneath him. "Sigh...The landlord's going to kick me out soon."

The rain soaked through his clothes, chilling him to the bone. Water dripped steadily from his hair as his eyes fluttered shut. His breathing grew shallow, each exhale briefly misting the cold night air.

"You...wouldn't want to see me like this, would you, Aleena?" His voice cracked with the weight of his words. "But i...i don't know how to keep going..." His voice became less audible as he continued.

"...." Hiro's eyes shut, his body motionless as each faint breath formed a mist in the cold air.

It's not over yet, Hiro.

His eyes snapped open at the faint whisper. He looked around, startled, but saw no one.

"Ugh...Am i delusional...it must be the cold, " He muttered. The stinging pain from his bruises grounded him in harsh reality. "The scars sting more now...i should head back."

Using the wall for support, Hiro pushed himself upright. His legs wobbled dangerously, but he managed to stagger toward the nearby motorcycle parking lot. The lot was almost empty, his battered old scooter parked alone at the middle. Its once-light blue paint had faded to a patchy gray, and rust marred it frame.

Before leaving, Hiro opened the scooter's boot and retrieved his worn cellphone, the screen cracked. "It's already almost midnight?" He murmured, his voice barely above whisper as he stared at the shattered display. "I...was out for that long?" He hadn't planned on being out this late.

With a sigh, he climbed onto the scooter, the seat cold beneath him. He twisted the key, and the engine sputtered before roaring to life with a harsh cough, echoing through the stillness. As he revved the scooter and went to the streets, the usually lively streets, were very quiet and only a few cars pass by..

It's way too quiet tonight...

And it's too cold.

His lips tremble from the coldness.

Suddenly, a thick mist veiled the streets. The scooter's headlight were dim, barely cutting through the oppressive fog, which stretched endlessly ahead. The flickering streetlamps added an eerie rhythm to the silent night.

"Ugh!!" Hiro winced as sharp, sudden pain tore through his temples. His head throbbed with an intensity that made him gasp. Struggling to maintain the control, he gripped the scooter's handle with one hand while clutching his head the other. The agony seemed to deepen, pounding through his skull.

CRACK.

Hiro's breath hitched. Blinking through the fog and pain, he looked up at the sky—and froze. His vision blurred, but he could see it. The sky...wasn't right. Jagged cracks webbed across the sky, as though the very fabric of the night is breaking apart.

"The sky...is that a crack?" His voice trembled, barely audible over the hum of the scooter's engine. His eyes locked on the impossible sight above him.

Then, without warning, the sky shattered. Fragments of darkness fell toward the earth like shards of broken glass. At the exact moment, a jolt of static filled Hiro's mind and a glowing text flashed before his eyes.

Resetting the world. Converging possible universe. Let the new realities reshape the world.

Startled, Hiro lost control of the scooter. It skidded violently across the slick pavement, the tires screeching as the vehicle slammed into a trash bin.

SCREECH.

System notice

You have killed a goblin.

Level Up: 1 → 2

Status points received.

Achievement : First blood.

Hiro groaned, disoriented, and glanced around. His scooter had collided with a trash bin. The pain shocked him awake. "What the hell just happened...what is this..." He muttered, clutching his throbbing head. His gaze landed on the glowing notification hanging in midair.

"Wait...didn't i hit someone?"

Panic surged through him. He frantically scanned the area but saw nothing—no one. "No one...? Am i going crazy?"

As abruptly as it appeared, the notification vanished into thin air. Hiro blinked, his heart racing. "What was that? Did i imagine it?"

He tilted his head upward, squinting at the night. It had returned to normal, an unbroken expanse of black. "The sky...it's fine now," He whispered, the unease lingering in his chest. "Did those bastards hit my head hard i'm seeing things?"

He tried starting the scooter again, but it sputtered and died. Hiro sighed, his breath fogging in the cold air. "Great...my money's gone, my body's wrecked, and now my scooter's broken..."

The rain continued to pour as he pushed the scooter down the road, his steps heavy and weary.

When he finally reached his apartment, he left the broken scooter in the lot and dragged himself inside. The building was eerily silent and dark. "Power outage?" He muttered, groaning as he climbed the stairs. "The generator should be running, though...Whatever."

At last, Hiro reached his door. He kicked off his shoes and shuffled toward the bathroom. "Ugh...i'm so dirty..." The sound of running water filled the silence as he stepped into the shower. "brr...it's too cold." Cold water stung his cuts and bruises, each droplet a sharp reminder of his pain. He winced but let the water wash away the grime.

"At least the water is running fine," He murmured drying himself with a towel.

He entered his room, which was surprisingly tidy. Shelves lined with light novels and manga flanked a desk adorned with action figures and an expensive looking gaming setup. Hiro glanced longingly at the computer before taking a light novel and collapsing onto his bed.

"If it weren't for this power outage, i'd be playing the new dark souls series right now..." He mumbled, while flipping through the light novel looking for the bookmark. "Found it..."

As the rain pattered softly against the window, exhaustion finally pulled him into sleep.

Aleena: "Hiro, let's watch the meteor shower up the mountain today! Might as well hunt a bear!"

Hiro: "What? No way! What if we're seen by our classmates again? They'll think we're actually dating! I've had enough of their teasing."

Aleena: "You hate it that much?"

Hiro: (hesitates)"...Yes i do."

Aleena: "Even though, this might be the last time you'd spend time with me?"

Hiro: (confused) "What do you mean? We live right next to each other."

Aleena:"...it's fine then. I'll go by myself!"

Hiro: (groans) "...Wait, Aleena. Ugh, fine. I'll come with you. Just give me a second."

Aleena: (grinning) "I thought so, hehe."

Hiro: "We're just watching the meteor shower, okay? If there's a bear, we're running."

Aleena: "Boo...party pooper!"

Hiro awoke to an unusual commotion outside.

"Ugh...what's going on so early?" He grumbled, sitting up.

He stumbled groggily toward the window, his body still aching. Pulling back the curtains, Hiro's breath caught in his throat.

The world outside was unrecognizable.

The streets lay in ruins. Building were in partial collapse, as though an earthquake had torn through the city overnight. Some houses were overrun by enormous tree trunks, their roots snaking through shattered walls. Moss and vines blanketed once-modern structures, giving the scene a post-apocalyptic appearance.

A thick mist veiled everything in a dreamlike haze. The air was cold and heavy, almost alive with an unnatural stillness.

But the most horrifying sight wasn't the destruction but monster.

Just outside his residence, orcs. As a gamer, Hiro instantly knew exactly what these grotesque creatures were. Their massive, brutish frames were covered in patches of rough, greenish skin, and their faces twisted in grotesque expressions. One of them held the mangled body of a man, tearing chunks of flesh from his corpse with jagged teeth. The others feasted as well, blood dripping from their jaws, pooling on the broken pavement below.

Hiro staggered back, his heart pounding.

"Orcs...that's definitely it...What the hell happened overnight?" He whispered, his voice trembling with dread.

 He slumped to the floor, clutching his head in disbelief. "This must be a dream... or did they hit my head harder than I thought last night? Or...did I die in that accident? What is this...?"

As the window flickered by the wind, he glanced back at the scene, hoping it was nothing but his mind playing tricks on him. But the monster were still there, the gruesome sight etched into his vision.

Hiro's mind raced. The notification from last night, the sudden pop-up messages, flashed vividly in his memory.

"Resetting the world. Converging possible universes. Let the new realities reshape the world..." He murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.