The termination letter hit the desk with a soft thud.
Dave's smile was louder.
"Pack your things, Kael," he said, leaning back in his leather chair, fingers tapping the face of a watch worth more than Kael's yearly rent. "The company's pivoting. AI automation. We don't need… manual coders anymore."
The words were polite.
The tone wasn't.
Around them, the open-plan office buzzed with keyboards and forced laughter. No one looked over. No one ever did.
Kael stared at the paper. His name. His employee ID. A single cold sentence at the bottom:
Your services are no longer required.
Three years.
Three years of unpaid overtime.
Three years of fixing Dave's broken code at 3 a.m.
Three years of sleeping under his desk while Dave took credit in meetings.
"I built the core architecture," Kael said quietly. "The system wouldn't even boot without my framework."
Dave chuckled. "And now it runs itself."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "That's the funny thing about tools, Kael. Once they've done their job, you throw them away."
Kael's jaw tightened.
He imagined flipping the desk. Smashing that smug face into the glass wall. But then the numbers ran through his head automatically—hospital bills, overdue rent, the medicine his sister needed every month.
He couldn't afford pride.
"Security will escort you out," Dave added casually. "Oh—and leave your access badge. Company property."
Kael stood up.
His hands shook as he picked up the cardboard box someone had already prepared for him. Inside were his cheap mug, an old hoodie, and a cracked photo frame.
As he turned to leave, Dave spoke again.
"Try not to starve out there."
Kael didn't reply.
He took one step toward the exit.
Ding.
The sound didn't come from a phone.
It rang directly inside his skull.
Then the screaming started.
Someone dropped a coffee cup. Another person shouted. The lights flickered violently, plunging the office into darkness—then back on.
Kael froze.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the 40th floor, the sky had changed.
It wasn't blue anymore.
It was purple—deep, bruised, and swirling like a living wound. Giant glowing symbols burned themselves across the clouds, stretching from horizon to horizon.
The entire city stopped.
Cars skidded to a halt. People flooded the streets, pointing upward. Phones vibrated nonstop.
A massive holographic window unfolded across the sky.
[SERVER NOTIFICATION]
EARTH ONLINE UPDATING TO VERSION 2.0
THE TUTORIAL ENDS IN 30 DAYS
SAFE MODE: DISABLED
WELCOME TO THE GRAND EVOLUTION
"What the hell is that?!" someone screamed.
Dave stumbled out of his office, face pale. "Kael! Did you do this?! Is this some kind of hack?!"
As if answering him—
[MONSTERS WILL BEGIN SPAWNING IN 10:00]
The countdown started.
People panicked.
Someone tried to pry open a window. Another collapsed to their knees. Notifications exploded across every screen as translucent blue panels appeared in front of each person.
Kael saw them too.
A Status Window floated before his eyes.
[PLAYER STATUS]
Name: Kael Arden
Level: 1
Strength: 6
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 14
Normal.
Too normal.
Then the screen glitched.
Static ripped across his vision. The window flickered violently, symbols breaking apart like corrupted code.
[ERROR 404: PLAYER ID NOT FOUND]
ATTEMPTING TO ASSIGN ROLE…
ROLE: VICTIM — FAILED
Kael's breath hitched.
[ASSIGNING DEFAULT PRIVILEGES]
ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS: GRANTED
The world went silent.
Not quiet—paused.
The screaming froze mid-sound. Papers hung suspended in the air. Even the countdown timer stopped at 09:17.
A new window unfolded before Kael, layered with cascading code, sliders, and menus no one else could see.
[DEVELOPER CONSOLE ACCESSED]
WELCOME, ADMINISTRATOR
Kael stared.
"I'm… dreaming," he whispered.
A cursor blinked patiently.
Then reality resumed.
The noise crashed back in. Dave grabbed Kael's arm, nails digging into his sleeve.
"You see it too, right?!" Dave shouted. "Fix it! You're a programmer! Do something!"
Before Kael could answer—
00:00
The air split open.
A jagged tear formed in the middle of the office, oozing green light. Something crawled out.
Short. Green. Sharp teeth.
A Goblin.
[MONSTER SPAWNED: GOBLIN – LEVEL 1]
The goblin shrieked and lunged forward.
Straight toward Dave.
Dave screamed like a child. "HELP ME! KAEL!"
Time slowed again.
Not for the world.
Just for Kael.
The goblin froze mid-leap. Dave's terrified expression locked in place. A small label hovered above the creature.
[ENTITY: GOBLIN]
Targeting Mode: Random
Aggression Level: Low
Kael raised his hand.
The console obeyed.
He tapped the targeting field.
Options expanded.
Random
Nearest
Threat-Based
Manual
Kael selected Manual.
Then he dragged the target line.
From Kael Arden
To Dave (Manager)
[CONFIRM CHANGE?]
Kael smiled.
"It's not a bug," he said softly.
He confirmed.
Time resumed.
The goblin screeched and slammed into Dave, tearing him to the floor. Blood splattered the white tiles. The office erupted into chaos.
Kael stepped back, untouched.
As alarms blared and people ran for their lives, a final message appeared before his eyes.
[ADMIN TASK COMPLETED]
REWARD: SKILL UNLOCKED — SIMULATION MODE (LOCKED)
NOTE: BUGS MAY BE EXPLOITED
Kael watched the world burn.
And for the first time in his life
He felt powerful.