By the time dawn crept through the rusted holes of the abandoned warehouse, Jack West hadn't slept a single second. He had tried. He had pressed his back against the cracked concrete wall, curled into himself like a child, forcing his eyes shut against the agony radiating from every bruise, every cut, every cracked rib. But the pain was too much.
Every twitch of muscle burned. Every breath stabbed. Every attempt at rest dragged him closer to madness.His knuckles were scraped,his lips were split,it was pure agony. Jack had nearly done it . At one point, when the pain became too much and the cold emptiness in his chest swelled larger than his will, Jack had looked up at the jagged beams overhead and thought: I could end this right now.
He had found a piece of sharp metal sticking from the rubble. His trembling hands had picked it up, the thought of dragging it across his wrist flashing before him like an invitation. Nobody would care. Nobody would notice. Not Maya. Not Ken. Not Marcus. Nobody.
And then the voice came.
[System initializing…]
Jack froze, the metal shard slipping from his hand. The words weren't spoken. They appeared black letters etched across his vision, crisp and undeniable, like some augmented reality overlay.
[Welcome again,Jack West.]
His heart had thudded like a drum. "I've finally lost it," he whispered. "The beatings scrambled my brain. I'm going insane,again .Great,Perfect."
The voice ;calm, confident, irritatingly smug, slid into his head again.
[Correction: you were already insane to think of stabbing yourself with some rusty scrap metal. I saved you from tetanus at least.]
Jack blinked, staring into the empty dark of the warehouse. "…What the hell?"
[System installed].
Current user:Jack West
Functions:Active
"You… you're in my head." His voice cracked. He buried his face in his hands. "This is it. This is rock bottom. I'm talking to myself now."
[If you were talking to yourself, you'd finally be having an intelligent conversation.]
"…Did you just insult me?"
[Merely a statement of fact. Ready to begin, Jack?]
He wanted to scream, laugh, cry maybe all at once. But as the hours dragged on toward dawn, something stranger began to happen. The pain eased. Slowly, impossibly. The cuts on his knuckles, the bruises across his ribs by the time the first gray light spilled into the warehouse, they were gone. Completely.
Jack pushed himself up with wide eyes, patting his chest and arms. Smooth skin. No bruises. No dried blood,no cuts and the malnourishment built up for years was barely noticeable.
"H...how…?"
[Your HP has been fully restored.] [Congratulations, you did nothing and survived.]
A screen slid across his vision in crisp black and white:
User: Jack West
Level:1
HP:120/120
Strength:2
Endurance:3
Speed:1
Agility:1
Intelligence:4
Charisma:2
Luck:1
Experience:0/100
Jack's jaw slackened. "What the… what is this?"
[This is you. A pitiful display, really. But don't worry, you can improve. Assuming you don't get flattened first.]
"Well, I'm alive, aren't I?"
[Yes. Barely].
[New skill unlocked:inspect].
"What's it this time"
[Inspect is a skill that allows you to access basic knowledge on animals,non living things, machinery and even humans.Since your inspect level is low only basic knowledge will be granted. Here,try it on that rat over there].
Jack's gaze darted down. Sure enough, a fat gray rat scurried along the floor. Something inside him clicked.
"Inspect," he muttered.
Another black-and-white window appeared:
Target:sewer Rat
Species:Rodent
HP:9/9
Strength:1
Endurance:2
Speed:2
Agility:2
Intelligence:1
Jack blinked. Then blinked again. "Wait… its speed and agility are higher than mine?"
[Correct. You are officially slower and clumsier than a rat. Bravo.]
"You've got to be kidding me."
[Don't worry, Jack. You can always challenge it to a race. I'll even cheer you on as you lose.]
Jack groaned, dragging his hands down his face. "You're a real funny guy, aren't you?"
[Finally, he notices.]
He spent the morning stumbling around the warehouse, testing his so called "powers." The first time he whispered, "Teleport," he vanished from one end of the warehouse and reappeared face first in a pile of splintered crates. His nose exploded in pain, though when he touched it, the swelling faded within seconds.
"Oh, great," Jack muttered, spitting dust. "So I heal fast, but I still feel everything."
[Consider it motivation not to crash next time.]
The second attempt sent him half a meter off the ground directly above a rusty barrel. He landed crotch-first.
"GAAAHHHH!" Jack collapsed, curling into himself.
[Note to self: new stat required. Pain Tolerance = 0.]
"Shut up," Jack wheezed.
The third attempt hurled him outside the warehouse. He stumbled into the alley, almost colliding with a wide eyed homeless man digging through trash. The man dropped his can, muttered something about "ghosts," and bolted.
Jack stood frozen, dusting off his clothes. "…Okay, that was bad."
[Correction: hilarious.]
By the time he managed a semi-controlled teleport back inside, his body was covered in dust, scraps of paper, and foul smelling liquid he prayed wasn't sewage. He staggered to his feet, glaring at the empty air. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
[Immensely.]
But as clumsy as it all was, the truth seeped into him: he was stronger than yesterday. Faster, too, though barely. And the fact that he had survived Ken and his thugs, then woken up healed .This was something even Marcus couldn't ignore.
Later that morning, Jack dragged himself toward the edge of the district, hood pulled low. He caught sight of Marcus across the street, talking to a few of Ken's boys. The man's expression froze when his eyes locked on Jack.
It was there ,shock.
Marcus's jaw tightened, eyes narrowing as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Jack felt a cold satisfaction curl in his chest. Yeah. I lived. Ken didn't finish me.
He didn't say anything. Just kept walking.
From the corner of his eye, he caught something else , Maya. She was leaning against a vendor's stall, scrolling through her smart watch, bored,obviously waiting for ken to finish up his dealing's. For a fraction of a second, her eyes flicked up. They landed on Jack.
Her expression didn't change, but her posture did stiffen, like she'd seen a ghost. Then she turned away.
Jack's chest tightened. He bit it down and walked on.
Back at the warehouse, hunger gnawed at him. He paced restlessly, trying again and again to teleport. Once he appeared hanging upside down from a rusted beam, dangling by his shirt. Another time, he materialized knee deep in a puddle outside, drenching himself.
"Ughhh!" Jack shouted, slamming his fists against the wall. "Why can't I control this thing?!"
[Because you're treating teleportation like a drunken stumble. Focus. Visualize where you want to go. Otherwise, enjoy your new life as some scrap ,metal pinball.]
"Scrap ,metal pinball. Ha. Hilarious."
[See? You're catching on.]
"I wasn't serious"
Despite the accidents, something important revealed itself: his cuts and bruises healed instantly after each crash. He finally demanded, "Why? Why do I heal so fast?"
[System advantage. Your HP regenerates at a rate no normal human could sustain. But if your HP hits zero].
"What happens?"
[You die. Permanently. No retries. No saved files,no reboots,no extra lives .Just nothing.]
The starkness of it sent a chill through Jack's bones. He exhaled shakily. "Right. Don't hit zero. Got it,thanks for the emphasis."
[Correct. At least he listens sometimes.]
By evening, his muscles trembled with exhaustion. He collapsed onto the warehouse floor, panting, staring at the cracked ceiling.
And then the black-and-white screen slid into view again.
Quest Alert!
Title:Prove you deserve the system
Objective:Defeat three hostile opponent's without fleeing.
Reward:+1strength,+1Agility,100 credits
Failure:-50 HP.
Accept Quest?[Yes/No].
Jack's mouth went dry. "What the hell? I've barely learnt how to teleport without hurting and disgracing myself. And you want me to fight?!"
[Correct. Time to see if you're worth the investment.]
"I'll get killed! Fifty HP gone? That's....that's almost half my life!"
[Or you'll improve. Consider it incentive.]
Jack rolled onto his side, clutching his head. "This is insane. I've lost my mind. I'm literally arguing with a sarcastic voice in my skull."
[And losing.]
"Shut up!"
Silence stretched. Jack's pulse hammered. He thought of Ken's smirk. Maya's cold glance. Marcus's shock. His life had always been a joke. A punching bag. Trash.
Maybe this was his only chance.
Slowly, Jack exhaled. "…Fine. I'll do it."
[Finally.]
The quest notification flashed once, then sealed itself into his vision like ink drying on paper.
Jack lay back, staring at the ceiling, heart pounding. His hands clenched into fists.
This was the beginning.
And somewhere deep inside, sparks of power stirred, waiting to ignite.
This was no hell,this was survival of the fittest and he would come out on top.