It all started with a flicker in the sky.
The news called it a "harmless atmospheric anomaly." Scientists said it was just a rare kind of aurora. But seventeen-year-old Kai Morikawa didn't buy it—not when he saw a blue screen flash in the clouds like a massive, invisible monitor.
[SYSTEM BOOTING...]
Nobody else seemed to notice it.
Kai wasn't your average high school student. He was quick on his feet, faster in his thoughts, and had a knack for finding patterns no one else could. He also had a bad habit of talking too fast when nervous and making sarcastic jokes at the worst times—which, ironically, made people laugh more than mock.
That night, he stood on the rooftop of his apartment complex, holding a bag of chips in one hand and staring up at the flickering sky.
"What the hell is this?" he muttered.
[AWAKENING COMPATIBLE HOST...]
[Loading skill matrix… 4%]
[WARNING: Fragmented World Detected.]
The words weren't on his phone or some VR headset. They were floating in front of his eyes—burned into reality like subtitles only he could see.
Then came the second weirdest moment of his life:
A glowing tear split the air just a few feet away from him. Out stepped a creature straight from a nightmare—twisted limbs, glowing red eyes, and black smoke dripping from its jaws.
"Uh... okay," Kai said, slowly backing up. "I'd like to unsubscribe from whatever dimension this is."
The creature growled.
Kai ran.
But before it could leap after him—
[Skill Unlocked: Blink Lv.1]
[Auto-Equip: Beginner Combat Package Loaded]
[Welcome, Player Kai.]
In an instant, a surge of energy hit him like lightning. His body moved faster than thought. One moment he was standing still—then BAM—he appeared behind the monster.
"Whoa," he breathed, heart racing. "Did I just teleport?"
His hands trembled as a translucent blue window popped up beside him:
Player: Kai Morikawa
Level: 1
Class: ???
Skills: [Blink Lv.1], [Analyze Lv.1]
Title: The First Awakened
The monster turned. Kai swallowed hard, raised his fists, and gave the sky a crooked grin.
"Okay, world. I don't know what's happening—but I've read enough RPGs to know this is either the best dream of my life... or the start of a very painful one."