Chapter 2 – A New, Different World
Levi stirred. His eyelids fluttered open slowly, and the first thing he saw was a ceiling—a white, sterile ceiling that didn't belong to any place he remembered.
A faint beeping sound filled the room, followed by the soft hum of machines. His body felt heavy, as though every muscle had been weighed down with chains. He tried to move his fingers—they twitched sluggishly.
"Where… am I?" he muttered, voice hoarse. His sharp gray eyes scanned the unfamiliar room. White walls. A metal stand with IV drips. A window with faint sunlight streaming through sheer curtains. A hospital?
Before he could make sense of anything, a sudden purple glow appeared before his eyes floating in the air like a hologram only he could see.
[Welcome, Levi]
His breath caught. What the hell is this?
And then it hit him like a blade slicing straight through his skull.
His vision blurred, his head throbbed, and a flood of memories poured into him without warning. Not just his own memories but those of someone else. A boy. A teenager. His childhood, his friends, his school life… all cramming into Levi's mind at once.
"Ghh—my head…!" Levi screamed, clutching his skull as the tidal wave of images and voices slammed into him. Pain roared through his nerves until he thought his brain would split in two.
And then, as suddenly as it came, the surge slowed. He panted heavily, collapsing back onto the pillow, sweat rolling down his forehead.
So that's what happened… He exhaled shakily, eyes closing for a moment. This isn't my body. I'm… in another world.
Darkness took him again.
---
When Levi opened his eyes the second time, the pain was gone. The first thing he saw wasn't the ceiling but a face.
A young woman stood beside his bed, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes were warm, pure brown, framed by thick lashes. Her skin was pale and soft-looking, and for a brief second, Levi thought she looked almost too perfect to be real.
She stared at him, blinking in surprise.
And then thanks to the foreign memories now embedded in his mind—Levi remembered who she was. Shoko Leiri… the school nurse.
"Miss Shoko," Levi said flatly, mimicking the way the boy whose body he now inhabited would have spoken.
Her eyes widened. "Oh! You're awake! Thank goodness." Relief washed over her features, and then she straightened briskly. "Wait here—I'll notify the school you've regained consciousness."
She turned and hurried out, her footsteps fading down the hall.
Levi leaned back against the pillow, exhaling. "…Okay. Thanks," he muttered out of habit.
The moment she left, the purple glow returned. The same words floated in front of him—cold, digital, almost mocking.
[System: Welcome, Levi. Please press the Start button.]
His brows furrowed. "You again… What the hell are you?"
He looked around, spotting nothing but the glowing interface hanging midair. No cables. No device. Just… floating text.
"Start button, huh… Where the hell—oh. There." A small shimmering icon blinked in the corner. Levi reached out, his fingers brushing against nothing—yet the icon reacted, pulsing as if he'd touched it.
[Initializing…]
Levi narrowed his eyes. "Tch. Let's see what kind of crap this is."
He pressed the button.
The glow expanded instantly, consuming his vision in violet light. A chime rang in his ears—cold and mechanical—followed by a voice that sent a chill down his spine.
[Congratulations, Levi. You have successfully awakened as a Player.]
[Class Assignment: Locked.]
[Tutorial commencing in 60 seconds.]
Levi's grip tightened on the blanket. "A Player? What the hell does that mean…?"
The system didn't answer.
Instead, new words burned across his vision:
[Warning: Monster Surge detected nearby.]
[First Mission: SURVIVE.]
Levi froze, his sharp eyes narrowing as the sound of distant screams suddenly echoed from outside the hospital window.
"…What the hell kind of world did you drop me into?