I didn't know what woke me up—maybe it was the faint pulse in my skull, or the sensation like something brushing against my thoughts. I sat up in the dark, my room lit only by the pale blue glow of the floating fireball I had conjured earlier. It hadn't gone out. It hadn't dimmed. It had just hovered there, eternal, like it didn't even need fuel.
I hadn't said anything after "Fire." I didn't tell it to fade. But there it was—just burning patiently in the air like a tiny sun orbiting me.
Then, I heard it.
A click, like snapping fingers—but this time, not mine.
A soft chime followed.
Ding.
Then a translucent screen blinked into existence in front of me, so sudden and clear that I actually stumbled back into my desk chair.
[SYSTEM CONDITION: UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS MET]Processing…
"…What the hell?" I muttered.
Analyzing Host Capabilities…Skill Usage Threshold: Surpassed.Dungeon Clearance Count: 1/1Host Danger Rating: Level 5.Awakening Protocol Initiated…
I rubbed my eyes and blinked.
"No way… I thought the snap thing was the system. That was it, right?"
[FULL SYSTEM UNLOCKED]
Another chime. Then, the blue screen flickered, expanded, and transformed into a massive interface. Smooth icons, clean fonts, almost too perfect to be real.
A voice—not robotic, not human, something in-between—echoed softly into my head.
"Welcome, Host. The Snap System has officially recognized your potential."
I could feel something crackle in the air. It wasn't electricity—it was like pressure, like reality itself leaning toward me.
Status Menu AvailableInventory UnlockedSkill Ranking RevealedMana Measurement InitiatedNew Quest Issued
My heart thudded as I leaned forward. The screen reshaped into a tabbed interface. One label glowed bright gold: [STATUS]
I tapped it.
And froze.
[STATUS WINDOW]Name: Feng TianleiAge: 18Class: NoneRank: ???Health: 100%Mana: ∞ (Infinite)Strength: 80Agility: 85Intelligence: 100Endurance: 75Luck: 92Skill: [Snap]Rank: SSS+++Affinity: All ElementsSystem Grade: UnknownUnique Ability: Reality Rewrite (LIMITED)
I stared at the numbers for a long time. Not because I didn't understand them, but because I did.
Mana—unlimited?
Snap—SSS+++?
What kind of grading scale even had three plus signs?
And the last line…
Reality Rewrite (LIMITED)
That chilled me more than anything else. What did limited mean? That I couldn't always do it? Or that, one day, I'd be able to un-limit it?
Still stunned, I flicked over to the [Inventory] tab.
The screen expanded again, and now there was a grid—empty boxes lined neatly like a warehouse catalog. I reached into my pocket, pulled out the Bronze Bear Guild's brochure, and muttered, "Store."
The paper shimmered.
Then vanished from my hand.
I looked back at the screen—and there it was, folded neatly in slot one of the inventory.
I let out a breathless laugh.
"Oh, now this is insane."
My mind raced. If I could store items like that, what else could I stash? Potions, weapons, gear… people?
No. That last one made my stomach twist.
I backed out of the inventory and returned to the main menu.
The final tab glowed red:
[QUEST]
I tapped it.
[NEW QUEST ISSUED]Title: Prove Yourself (Again)Objective: Clear a C-Rank Dungeon — SoloTime Limit: 24 HoursReward: UnknownFailure Penalty: ???Note: Repetition strengthens resonance. The system observes.
The screen vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving only the faint blue glow of my ever-burning fireball behind.
I sat in silence.
The system had watched me. Judged me. Waited until I'd earned its recognition.
But why now?
Why me?
It was almost sunrise by the time I left my apartment.
Shanghai's skyline was smeared in pastels, tall towers hazy with fog. I wore a hoodie this time—gray, unmarked. I didn't want to draw attention, even though I knew it was already too late for that.
I pulled my hood low and made my way through the early crowd near the Hunter Association HQ.
People were already lining up for registration.
Hunters, rookies, old veterans, merchants hawking overpriced mana drinks. There was even a team of students from East Haidong Academy prepping for a D-Rank assessment.
I slipped past them unnoticed.
But just before I reached the gate for independent dungeon runs, I heard it.
A whisper.
"Is that him? The solo guy?"
I didn't turn around. I just walked faster.
At the check-in booth, the same girl from before looked up—and nearly dropped her tablet again.
"You're… back?"
I nodded. "Another C-Rank. Solo."
She hesitated. "Didn't you just clear one yesterday?"
"Yeah."
She stared at me like I was insane, but after a moment, she tapped through her screen and handed me a crystal token.
"Gate 3C. Good luck."
The dungeon gate shimmered like a puddle reflecting the stars.
I stepped through—and the world twisted.
My boots landed on rough stone. Wind howled through a crumbling canyon. The sky above was a swirling mess of gray clouds and flickering lightning.
The dungeon's name appeared in the corner of my interface:
[C-RANK DUNGEON: STORM'S END]
I cracked my knuckles.
"Alright. Let's test this system."
The first monsters appeared almost immediately—razor-winged vultures swooping from the cliffs, shrieking wind elementals darting between the rocks.
I raised my hand.
Snap."Fire."
A bolt of flame shot out like a cannon, scorching three vultures mid-flight.
They dropped, charred and smoking.
The wind elementals circled, shrieking louder.
Snap."Chain lightning."
A crackling web of electricity burst from my fingers, leaping from one elemental to the next.
They exploded into mist.
I barely breathed.
The system didn't strain. My body didn't ache.
No cooldown. No lag. Just instant, devastating command.
The Snap Skill obeyed without hesitation.
I moved through the dungeon like a phantom.
Snap. "Rock Wall."Snap. "Ice Spear."Snap. "Hurricane."Snap. "Heal."
Everything I imagined appeared.
If I focused hard enough, I could even combine commands.
Snap."Firestorm Armor."
Flames wrapped around my body in a glowing cloak, repelling monsters before they even touched me.
Halfway through the dungeon, I stopped—just to test something.
I looked at a large stone nearby.
"Store."
The rock vanished.
I opened my inventory.
It was there.
Then I snapped again.
"Equip Rock."
The boulder reappeared—in my hand.
I laughed. "I'm carrying boulders in my pocket now…"
The dungeon boss was a lightning golem—ten feet tall, humanoid, crackling with blue arcs of plasma.
It roared as I approached, its fists slamming the ground and sending shockwaves.
I raised one hand.
Snap."Silence."
The golem froze mid-roar, its power dimming.
Snap."Gravity Crush."
A glowing circle formed beneath it—and the golem collapsed, crushed under invisible weight.
Snap."Explode."
Its core shattered, and the rest of its body dissolved into mist.
The dungeon trembled.
[Dungeon Cleared]
[QUEST COMPLETE]Reward Processing…Please return to a safe zone for delivery.
I stepped out of the gate just as the sky cleared over the city.
People stared again. The receptionist's jaw dropped as I handed back the token.
"Did you… did you just…"
"Yeah," I said, pulling my hood up again. "Done."
Back home, I collapsed onto my bed. The system screen blinked once more.
[REWARD GRANTED]Title Unlocked: "Solo Conqueror"Passive Perk: +10% Skill Activation SpeedBonus: ??? (To be revealed later)
I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling.
The system had awakened.
My stats were beyond anything I'd imagined.
And now, a part of me understood—
This wasn't just a gift.
It was a responsibility.
And maybe… a curse.