Far away, in the deep edges of space, a lone spaceship drifted aimlessly, its hull reflecting the faint glow of distant stars. Inside, the crew moved about, scanning the surrounding galaxy, their voices a quiet hum beneath the ship's constant hum.
"I'm not sure what these readings mean, but… you might want to take a look," a crew member called out, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Captain Rogers stepped forward, his heavy boots echoing against the metal floor as he peered over the crew member's shoulder. His gaze locked onto the readings flashing across the control panel.
His breath hitched.
"By golly… this can't be."
The icy composure in his eyes shattered, replaced by something rarely seen in a seasoned captain—panic.
"Mayday! Mayday! This is Captain Rogers! We have a Code Red! I repeat—Code Red!"
Alarms blared across the Cambodia a massive spacecraft drifting near the outer edges of an unknown sector. The emergency lights flashed a sickly red, casting chaotic shadows as crew members rushed across the command deck, their voices drowned out by the sheer panic gripping them.
A towering, gorilla-like man stood at the center of the control room, his massive hands gripping the edge of a terminal as cold sweat dripped down his forehead. His voice boomed over the chaos.
"Somebody get Commander Zuck on the line—NOW!"
"Commander's on the line, sir!" a nearby officer shouted.
In response a hologram flickered to life above the main console, revealing the imposing figure of a burly man with a thick mustache. His deep-set eyes locked onto Rogers; his expression grim.
"What's going on, Rogers?" The commander's voice carried a weight of authority, cutting through the noise.
Rogers swallowed hard. "Sir, we've confirm the information from the council—Messier 87… it's collapsed."
For a moment, silence filled the room. Even the alarms seemed to fade into the background.
The mustached man let out a slow exhale. "Well, I'll be damned…" His eyes hardened. "Activate Protocol Ragnarok."
The line cut off.
Rogers' hands trembled as he turned to his crew. He didn't need to say anything. They already knew.
The beginning of the end had begun.
***
Unbeknownst to what is happening at large in the universe, deep inside a lecture hall, a young man, no older than 20, can be seen taking notes during class. Noah, the name of this young man, is sitting in his Records and Information class. While he takes notes somewhat absent-mindedly, the rest of his class can be seen either asleep at their desks or taking notes feverishly, with hardly anyone in between.
Flipping his brown hair out of his glasses, Noah writes the last of his notes. "Finally class is over," he sighs, packing up his stuff, he watches as everyone rushes from their seats to escape to anywhere but here.
As Noah slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way toward the exit, his foot touched the first step outside the lecture hall.
And then it hit.
BOOM!!
Like a wave from a nuke, a boundless energy in a shockwave hits Noah like a ten-ton truck, knocking him to the ground.
"Arrgh!" Noah screams out, feeling a foreign energy run through his body like liquid fire, tempering his flesh from the inside out.
Just as Noah fell, across the campus and the whole world, everyone—regardless of whether they were sleeping or on a plane—felt the effects of the pain.
Deep within his body, Noah feels the pain run through him, tracing his veins and nerves. Once receiving their dose, the pain expands twofold as his head hurts unlike anything he has felt before.
Like a growing tumor, his head on the inside faces a transformation as the folds of his brain undergo an unprecedented change.
Deep in the folds of his brain, the once pinkish color turns bluer—like that of the ocean—tainting his mind.
His consciousness flickers in and out as the pain overwhelms him and the changes take hold. After what felt an eternity, the agony slows to a crawl, with Noah breathing heavily, sweat streaming across his feverish skin.
His eyes, brimming with tears, leave his vision blurry—yet even through this watery veil, he can see the scattered forms of students collapsed on the ground around him.
"What's...happening..." he manages to whisper, only to feel his words catch in his throat as if his voice has never been used before.
Coughing violently, Noah hacks out a viscous blob of black goo from his throat—a strange hairball expelling itself from his body.
Noah, trying to grasp the situation, struggles to his feet, wiping the tears from his eyes. His vision clears just in time to witness a cone of light slice through the doorway—its beam reminiscent of those otherworldly visitations from science fiction films. Like a celestial searchlight from a hovering spaceship, the luminous ray touches everyone sprawled across the halls, its penetrating vigor methodically scanning the bodies.
Before Noah can even attempt to hide from the light, its brilliant beam strikes him—freezing him in place not by choice but by force. 'HELP!' Noah screams out in his mind as his vision turns dark.
***
Noah gasped awake.
"AHAH!" Turning left and right, Noah jolts upright in fright as the cold air and biting chill seep into his skin.
Looking around, he realizes he isn't on campus anymore—instead, he floats in something like a white room with no discernible floor or ceiling, a limitless void of emptiness.
"Is this heaven?" Noah can't help but ask, his voice small against the vastness.
"No, sir! This is the loading zone!"
Startling Noah, he whirls around to see a hovering robot shaped like a person, suspended in the air before him, its mechanical form somehow graceful despite the emptiness surrounding them.
"Shit, don't scare me like that," Noah says as he turns to face the robot, heart still pounding in his chest.
"My deepest apologies, sir!" The robot bowed, its movements fluid—almost too humanlike. "It was not my intention to startle you!"
Noah exhaled sharply. "Wait… what do you mean by loading zone?"
"Ah! Excellent question, sir!" The robot gestured grandly to the surrounding void. "This is the loading zone! A transition space before what you humans would call a tutorial!"
"...What?" Noah blinked. He held up his hands, shaking his head. "Yeah, no. I don't buy it."
Understanding Noah's confusion, the robot proceeds to explain, its mechanical voice somehow warm despite its inhuman origin.
The robot let out what could only be described as a cheerful hum. "I completely understand your confusion! Allow me to explain!" It clapped its hands together, voice brimming with enthusiasm.
"You see, young man! The universe you live in was once blocked from mana! An ancient, horribly designed weapon was floating in space, cutting off your planet from the wonders of magic! But—fate has intervened! That weapon recently imploded due to totally unforeseen circumstances—and now, mana is flooding into your world! Rejoice! You are no longer manaless!"
Noah's eye twitched. "Okay… and the pain I felt? That was mana entering my body?"
"Correct, sir! A most glorious transformation!"
"And… what would've happened if I didn't adapt to it?"
The robot's glowing eyes gleamed with amusement. "Oh! Quite the fascinating process! You would've been corrupted and turned into a mana demon! A most ferocious beast that evolves by consuming mana through the act of hunting and devouring prey!"
Noah paled. His stomach churned at the thought.
'...Thank god that didn't happen to me. Can't imagine just dying like that.' His mind flashed to his parents. Hopefully, Mom and Dad lived through it too…
Shaking off the dark thoughts, he focused back on the robot. "Hey… can you tell me if my parents were turned?"
"Ah, regretfully, sir, I cannot access information on individuals outside your tutorial!"
Noah's shoulders slumped. "...Figures."
"BUT!" The robot's voice turned chipper again. "I can tell you what to expect in the tutorial!"
"Fine, I'll take what I can get," Noah muttered. "Lay it on me."
"Marvelous!" The robot clapped its hands, and a glowing hologram projected from its palm. "Behold! The tutorial overview!"
Noah's eyes scanned the floating text:
During your Initial Assessment, you will be placed in a small town alongside other participants. There, you will learn the basics of mana, interact with local wildlife, and contribute to the town's growth. Additionally, you will explore various roles within the community.
Noah scratched his head. "That's it? No tests? No big bad guy intro? Not even a background on your Empire?" He shot the robot a skeptical look.
The machine nodded eagerly. "That is correct, sir!"
"...You're serious?"
"The Zenith Empire believes in fairness! Our goal is simply to give intelligent lifeforms in newly added clusters a fighting chance to survive the changes to their world!"
Noah processed that for a moment before a certain phrase stuck out to him. "Wait… newly added clusters? How many are we talking here?"
The robot beamed. "Over one hundred galaxy groups have been affected by the weapon's destruction! The Empire is currently occupied integrating these new regions! And while we already govern three entire superclusters, our forces remain focused on the front lines—protecting this realm from annihilation!"
Noah froze. His brain stuttered. "Three superclusters…?" His mouth suddenly felt dry.
A sinking feeling settled in his gut as the sheer scale of what he just heard registered.
He forced a cough. "Well, uh… I'm sure your Empire is super busy. No need to pay attention to a small planet like Earth, right? You've got, uh… realms to protect."
The robot straightened, puffing out its chest. "Oh-ho, but of course we are busy, sir!" It pressed a hand over where a heart might be. "The Empire is always hard at work!"
Noah's lips twitched. "Right, right… And since you're so busy, I assume you won't be too involved with the tutorial?"
"Ah, sir! That's where you're mistaken! As your tutorial's personal guide, my one and only purpose in life is to ensure your tutorial experience runs perfectly!"
'Great…'
"Well, since you're so involved, I'm sure you can tell me what I should do to survive to the best of my ability."
The robot clapped its hands together with an excited clang.
"Splendid question, sir! The key to survival in the tutorial is adaptation! You must learn to harness your newfound mana, understand your environment, and—most importantly—not die!"
Noah sighed. "Ah, not dying. I should've thought of that…"
"I know, right? So hard for weaklings to understand this." The robot nodded sagely, as if Noah had just made a profound statement. "However, I'm sure you'll just fine!"
Noah shot it a flat look. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"You're very welcome, sir!" The robot beamed. "But don't worry! You will receive ample opportunities to prove you aren't weak! Through blood, sweat, and—" It gave an exaggerated pause. "—sheer desperation!"
Noah groaned. "You really know how to sell this."
The robot wagged a finger. "Oh, but sir, I do recommend taking this seriously! The dangers you're going to face are quite treacherous!"
"Yeah, yeah," Noah muttered, rubbing his temples feeling a headache come along.
"Oh, don't be sad, sir! As a parting gift for being an excellent participant in the Empire's plan, here is your very own system!" The robot's eyes gleamed, and with a dramatic snap of its fingers, a brilliant burst of light shot from its metallic hand, darting into Noah's chest.
The sensation hit him like a bolt of electricity. He gasped, his body jerking involuntarily as an overwhelming rush of data flooded his mind. It was like a dozen screens opening all at once, flashing vivid information, diagrams, and commands.
System Awakening...
Noah's vision swam as the words materialized in his mind. His heart raced, and he staggered, reaching out to steady himself against the sudden surge of knowledge. Instinctively, he grabbed his chest, feeling like something inside him had shifted, like an invisible force had been planted deep in his soul.
"System…?" he muttered, blinking rapidly. "Like those from anime what not."
The robot's voice buzzed in his ear. "Yes, sir! The system is just like those in shows. For you it will be your very own personal interface to the tutorial world! It will help guide you, track your progress, and make sure you don't accidentally get yourself killed—though I can't make any promises on that last one!"
Noah takes a shaky breath regain his sense of self as whatever happen throw him for a loop. "What does it do." Trying to understand what the system does.
"Simple sir the system tracks your progress your stats and anything special!" The robot cheerfully flies around Noah.
However, the robot's cheerful tone dropped almost immediately.
"Sir, now that you have your system, there's no need for you to stay here. The tutorial is ready for you," it said, sounding a little down.
Noah noticed the shift and, feeling a bit guilty for some reason, tried to lift the robot's mood.
"Hey, don't be so down, Mr... um, Robot," he said, scratching his head. "Since you're the guide, I'm sure you'll be sticking around with me, right?"
The robot's mood seemed to improve instantly. "Oh! You're right, sir! Why didn't I think of that? Thank you!" It beamed, hovering a little higher in the air. "My name is IS-00109290, by the way!"
Noah blinked. "Yeah, I'm just gonna call you Rudy," he said, not bothering with the long number.
The robot's eyes glowed brighter. "Rudy! I like that! Thank you, sir! I'll be Rudy from now on!"
Noah gave a small smile. "Alright, Rudy. Let's get this tutorial started."
"Of course, sir, please stand over here for me." Rudy flies over, revealing from the ground a platform with many different tubes, liquids, and lines running along like mystical glyphs.
Noah walking overtakes a deep breath, trying to steel himself for whatever came next. "So, uh, Rudy... is this going to hurt?"
Rudy's mechanical voice was chipper. "Oh, just a little bit, sir. Nothing to worry about!"
Noah nodded, still not entirely convinced but willing to trust the robot for now. "Alright. I guess I'm ready."
The robot raised one hand dramatically. "Prepare yourself! In ten seconds, the tutorial will begin!" Rudy's voice held a note of excitement as it started the countdown.
"Ten... nine... eight..."
Noah felt his heart start to race, the anticipation making his hands sweat.
"Seven... six... five…"
He clenched his fists, bracing himself for anything.
"Four... three... two..."
His stomach twisted in nerves.
"One…"
Noah braced himself, but then—
ZAP!
A sudden, searing pain shot through his entire body, like a thousand needles piercing his skin at once. His knees buckled, and he gasped for breath as the agony rippled through every nerve.
"AHHH!" Noah screamed, clutching his chest, his vision flashing with bright spots of white.
"See? I told you, just a little bit," Rudy chirped happily.
Noah gritted his teeth, his body shaking from the overwhelming pain. "A LITTLE?! THIS IS—"
"Welcome to the tutorial!" Rudy interrupted cheerfully, as if Noah's suffering was part of some grand introduction. "Don't worry, it'll subside soon."
The pain didn't lessen right away, though. It felt like it was never going to stop, like it was carving through him from the inside out.
"Rudy... you lied...!" Noah managed to rasp through clenched teeth.
"Just a little, sir. Just a little," Rudy repeated, oblivious to the storm of agony Noah was enduring.