FANS MISS ME

"Then… nothing. Just black. A vast, empty void. And then, a screen. A cold, clinical text: 'FORCED ENTRY. RANK NOT MET. CONDITION NOT MET. INSTANT THEN WILL BE ACTIVATED. 10 SECONDS REMAINING.'

'Damn,' I thought, a hollow laugh escaping my lips. 'Imagine dying, having accomplished absolutely nothing. Just… gone.' But then, a strange sense of amusement washed over me. "Sure," I mumbled, "my 'fans' will miss me. Crying. Somebody has to miss me, right? Maybe my parents… though I'm pretty sure they don't even know I exist." I laughed again, a dry, rasping sound. "It's so funny. I'm… I'm actually happy. Happy to be done with it all. This stupid wish, this stupid world… just… gone."

Then it reached zero. Silence. And then, a jumble of text. 'DUE TO STRONG EMOTION, A CONDITION HAS BEEN MET. FORCED PASS. ACCESS BEING GRANTED. ADDING INFORMATION TO HOST: BRIAN.' Wait, Brian? That's my name? I had forgotten. Then, more text, a glaring error message: 'AN UNKNOWN ENTITY HAS GIVEN YOU VIP. ALSO GIFTING YOU A PRESENT AND A BUNDLE. A FAN.' A fan? Me?

I blinked, confused. 'Yeah,' I thought, a strange warmth spreading through me. 'Somebody did miss me.' I felt a surge of something I hadn't felt in… well, ever. 'Would you like to accept?' The screen asked.

'Hell yeah,' I said, a grin spreading across my face, even though there was nothing to see. 'Hell. Yeah, I accept.

Then, a surge of energy, a raw, vibrant power, exploded through me. It was like being plugged into a live wire, information flooding my senses. A summary started playing in my mind, a chaotic rush of data. I learned about the 'awakening,' how I was now something… more. Apparently, my near-death experience, coupled with that intense emotional surge, had triggered something. The 'enough entity'—whatever the hell that was—had basically hacked the system for me.

I also learned about 'ranks.' Apparently, this whole monster apocalypse thing wasn't random. There was a hierarchy, a power structure. I was… well, I was basically bottom of the barrel. 'Forced pass' meant I skipped the tutorial, but I was still a newbie. I was told I was given a beginner bundle to help me on my way. And a 'present' that was a power. I had to unlock it, and the information was already being loaded into my head. I also had a fan. Someone, somewhere, had put in a good word for me. That was strange. I was starting to understand, but also, I was so much more confused.

Then, a surge of energy, a raw, vibrant power, exploded through me. It was like being plugged into a live wire, information flooding my senses. A summary started playing in my mind, a chaotic rush of data. I learned about the 'awakening,' how I was now something… more. Apparently, my near-death experience, coupled with that intense emotional surge, had triggered something. The 'enough entity'—whatever the hell that was—had basically hacked the system for me