The plaza reeked of iron and smoke.
Half the survivors were dead already, torn apart by hounds. The rest huddled together behind Kael Arathis, chanting his name like he was Moses parting the sea.
And me?
I was busy trying not to throw up.
My hand trembled around the pen-dagger, its faint glow barely visible beneath the blood soaking the blade. Every swing was sloppy. Every stab a gamble.
And yet… I was still alive.
That had to count for something. Right?
✦
Kael surged forward, smashing another wolf into the concrete with his bare hands. His movements were raw art—brutal, primal, flawless.
The crowd roared. Hope clung to him like a crown.
Then the system chimed.
[Kael Arathis has slain 27 enemies.][Kael Arathis has earned Bonus Reward: Stat Boost +5.]
I swore under my breath. "Of course he gets bonuses. Plot armor much?"
My own kill count? A pathetic 3.
…Okay, fine, two and a half. That last one technically tripped on rubble before I stabbed it.
Still, alive was alive.
✦
Another hound lunged. Its teeth sank into my shoulder—
No. Not this time.
[Sentence: The hound ripped off Ishaan's arm.]
[ Rewrite? (Y/N)]
I slammed Y.
[Sentence: The hound's jaws snapped shut on empty air.]
Reality shivered. The monster blinked, confused, jaws closing on nothing.
My blade found its throat.
Blood sprayed. The hound collapsed.
And the system… paused.
Then it spoke.
[Participant Ishaan Reed has earned Title: The Lone Quill.]
The announcement boomed across the plaza.
Every survivor turned.
Kael froze mid-strike, eyes narrowing.
The crowd murmured. "Who? The Lone what?"
✦
Then another message followed.
[The gods are watching.]
A chill spidered down my spine.
I blinked and saw it. A cascade of whispers only I seemed to hear.
[A God of Stories chuckles at the irony.][A Battle Deity scoffs at your cowardly tactics.][An Unknown God leans closer, intrigued.]
My mouth went dry.
The gods. Actual gods. Watching. Betting. Commentating.
On me.
✦
Kael's voice cut through the whispers.
"You."
I looked up. His gaze burned into me, sharp enough to cut steel.
"That trick you just pulled. What was it?"
My lips curved despite the fear. "Wouldn't you like to know, Hero?"
His eyes darkened.
This wasn't admiration. This wasn't brotherhood.
This was rivalry.
✦
Another surge of hounds crashed into the square. Kael dove into them, fists blazing.
But for the first time, the crowd didn't just chant his name.
Whispers spread.
"The Lone Quill… what kind of Title is that?""He killed one just now, didn't you see?""Maybe he's like Kael too…"
Their eyes followed me.
For the first time, I wasn't invisible.
And that scared me more than the monsters.
✦
Then jagged letters bled across my vision.
[Unknown Origin: "The Quill writes his first line. Let's see if you survive the draft."]
The words pulsed, then vanished.
I swallowed hard, heart pounding.
Because whether I liked it or not, my story had started.
And the world was watching.
Dimensional Broadcast
The massacre hadn't even ended when the air rippled again.
A glowing screen burst into existence above the plaza, projecting words in every direction:
[Dimensional Broadcast Activated.]
For a moment, silence fell. Then came the voices.
Billions of voices.
"Who's the black-haired guy punching monsters?""Oh my god, is this Earth's first scenario?""Weaklings, all of them. My dimension cleared this tutorial in ten minutes."
The plaza filled not just with blood and screams but with commentary. A cosmic livestream.
And at the center of it all was a new voice, bright and playful:
"Helloooooo, viewers from across dimensions! This is Mirae, your favorite commentator of blood, tears, and questionable life choices! Today we're watching Earth's First Scenario: The Prologue of Survival!"
✦
I blinked up at the glowing screen. A young woman's face beamed back—short hair dyed electric blue, eyes sparkling like she was born to be on camera.
She winked. "And what do we have here? Ooooh, interesting! Kael Arathis, already titled Hero of the First Hour. Textbook protagonist energy. Bets stacking high on him already, folks."
The crowd around Kael roared at her words, feeding off the attention.
Kael didn't flinch. He just kept fighting, focused, efficient, terrifying.
Then Mirae's gaze slid directly onto me.
"And what's this? What's this?? Someone else got a Title already?!"
Her grin widened. "The Lone Quill. Ohhh, mysterious. Viewers, can we talk about this? Survives alone, writes his own path… spooky! A god's favorite, perhaps?"
✦
The survivors turned toward me again. Murmurs spread like wildfire.
"That guy? The one with the dagger?""What does a quill even mean in a fight?""But he killed one earlier, I saw it!"
My face burned. I wanted to melt into the concrete.
Meanwhile, Mirae cackled. "Ooooh, he's blushing! Look at him, viewers! Someone screenshot that."
I hissed under my breath. "Kill me now."
The system, unhelpfully, replied with a new line:
[The gods are laughing at your embarrassment.]
I groaned. "Of course they are."
✦
Kael finally turned, eyes narrowing at me. The cheers, the whispers, the attention—it was supposed to be his.
Our gazes met across the chaos.
"You're in my way," he said flatly.
I gripped my pen-blade tighter, forcing a smirk. "Correction: I'm rewriting the way."
His jaw tightened.
✦
Mirae squealed like she'd just been handed free popcorn.
"Ohoho! Viewers, did you hear that? Spicy rivalry incoming! Hero vs. Quill, who ya betting on?"
The dimensional chat exploded with wagers.
"Kael all the way. Guy's a monster.""Nah, I like the quill dude. He's funny.""Funny doesn't survive scenarios, idiot.""Shut up, I'm shipping them already."
✦
The system chimed again:
[First Hour, 15 minutes remaining.]
The ground cracked. A deeper roar shook the plaza.
Mirae's grin widened. "Aaaand here it comes, viewers! The Boss of the First Hour! Place your bets now!"
The survivors screamed, clustering behind Kael.
And me?
I looked down at my glowing pen-dagger. It pulsed like it was alive, whispering for me to write.
Mirae's voice rang in my ears, sing-song.
"And don't look away, folks. Because something tells me our little Lone Quill might just surprise us."
Dire Alpha
The ground cracked like thunder.
A shadow loomed over the plaza, blotting out the dim light. Survivors froze, screams dying in their throats.
The hounds fell silent. Even they knew their alpha had arrived.
And then it stepped into the light.
✦
A wolf—if a wolf had been fed steroids, nightmares, and a steady diet of apocalypse fuel.
Twice the size of a truck, muscles rippling beneath mangy fur, eyes glowing hellfire red. Its jaws dripped saliva that hissed when it hit the concrete.
A system notification flared:
[Boss Monster: Dire Alpha Hound][Rank: B-Grade][Special Condition: Devours survivors to heal.]
The crowd erupted into panicked sobs.
"Oh god, we're dead.""It's impossible.""No one can—"
The Dire Alpha roared, and hope shattered like glass.
✦
Kael Arathis stepped forward.
No hesitation. No fear. His fists clenched, knuckles bleeding. His eyes burned with that infuriating certainty only protagonists were born with.
"Stay back," he growled.
The crowd actually obeyed. They believed him.
And he moved.
Kael launched himself at the Dire Alpha, fists glowing faintly with system-enhanced strength. His first strike landed like a cannon, snapping the beast's head to the side.
The ground shook with every clash—Kael's punches vs claws the size of scythes.
✦
The survivors cheered. Mirae's voice boomed through the broadcast.
"OHHH, look at that, folks! Earth's Hero is putting up a fight! Punch for punch against a B-rank Boss at Level 1! Can you believe this?!"
The dimensional chat exploded:
"What a beast!""Hero of Earth, baby!""This guy's stats are insane."
I gritted my teeth. Because while Kael put on a spectacle, the rest of us were still surrounded by hungry hounds.
And me?
I had a pen.
✦
Another hound lunged at a woman clutching her child. My instincts screamed run. But then the Rewrite window flashed again:
[Sentence: The hound tore into the mother and child.]
[ Rewrite? (Y/N)]
My throat tightened.
This wasn't about me. This was about them.
I slammed Y.
[Sentence: The hound stumbled on broken stone, missing its prey.]
The monster collapsed mid-pounce, giving me the opening to slash its throat.
Blood sprayed, hot and real. The woman gasped, eyes wide with gratitude.
The system responded instantly:
[Survivors whisper your name.][Ishaan Reed – Reputation +1.]
✦
Of course, Mirae noticed.
"Oooooh! Viewers, did you catch that? Our mysterious Lone Quill just pulled a clutch save! Did you see that timing? Smooth as ink!"
The broadcast chat lit up again.
"Lone Quill MVP??""Hero vs Quill, baby, let's gooo!""What's his power? Is it luck hacks?""Betting 100 credits on Quill. He's got the underdog energy."
I groaned. "Don't hype me, you maniacs…"
The system was merciless:
[The gods laugh at your suffering.]
✦
Meanwhile, Kael and the Dire Alpha tore into each other.
Kael's blows left craters in its hide. The Alpha's claws ripped trenches in the pavement. Blood sprayed both ways.
But the system wasn't lying—the Boss could heal. Every time it devoured a fallen survivor, its wounds knit back together.
Kael was strong. But he wasn't killing it fast enough.
My chest tightened. If Kael fell, we were all finished.
And then the Rewrite window flickered.
[Sentence: The Dire Alpha's claw impaled Kael Arathis.]
[ Rewrite? (Y/N)]
✦
My breath caught. This was it.
If I pressed N, the Hero died. Maybe the story shifted. Maybe I became the new focus.
If I pressed Y, I saved him. My rival. My obstacle.
My finger hovered. My heart pounded.
And against all logic, all selfishness, I slammed Y.
[Sentence: The Dire Alpha's claw scraped past Kael's ribs, leaving him staggering but alive.]
Reality warped. The claw missed by inches. Kael stumbled, bleeding but standing.
The system roared in response:
[Warning: Excessive Rewrite detected.][Backlash imminent.]
Pain lanced through my skull. My vision blurred. The world bent sideways.
And the gods whispered.
"The Quill cheats the script.""The bug grows bolder.""Will he survive his own edits?"
I collapsed to my knees, clutching my head as Kael turned, glaring at me with suspicion and fury.
The Boss roared again, towering above us both.
And I realized this was only the first hour.