The sky did not simply break.
It parted, as though reality itself had decided to open its eyes.
A fracture spread across the heavens, jagged and vast, stretching far beyond the limits of human sight. From within that crack poured a light unlike sunlight, soft, radiant, and impossibly pure. It did not burn the eyes. It invited them.
Every human looked up.
James felt his breath stop in his throat.
Something descended from the fracture.
At first, it was only a silhouette—tall, slender, wrapped in light. Then wings unfolded. Massive wings, each feather luminous and perfect, layered with delicate patterns that shimmered as though alive. They moved slowly, gracefully, as if the air itself existed only to support them.
The being's feet never touched the ground.
When its eyes opened, the world fell silent.
They were beautiful.
No, beautiful was not enough.
The being's face carried a symmetry so perfect it felt unreal, as though every human ideal of beauty had been distilled and refined into a single form. Its expression was calm, serene, almost kind. Hair like spun silver flowed gently despite the absence of wind. Skin glowed faintly, unmarred by flaw or shadow.
James felt it then.
A pull.
Not physical, something deeper. His thoughts slowed. His heartbeat steadied. Even the panic that had clawed at him moments earlier dissolved into quiet awe.
Around him, it was the same.
People who had never loved stared with devotion. Those who despised beauty found themselves unable to look away. Skeptics, cynics, criminals, saints—all were held captive by the being's presence.
Someone whispered, voice trembling, "An… angel…"
The being smiled.
Its voice echoed across the vast green land, not loud, yet heard by everyone clearly, perfectly, as if spoken directly into their minds.
"I am an angel," it said.
"A guide. An observer. A messenger."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
The angel's gaze swept over humanity, and for a brief moment, James had the unsettling feeling that it was not seeing people, but possibilities.
"You have all been summoned," the angel continued, "because a disaster approaches your world."
The words struck harder than any scream.
"Soon, Earth will change. Monsters will emerge. Magic will awaken. Systems once confined to fiction will become real."
Images flashed unbidden in James's mind.
cities burning, creatures pouring from cracks in streets, skies torn open just like this one.
"Life,"
the angel said softly,
"will gain infinite possibilities."
Somewhere, someone laughed nervously.
Others trembled.
"The cause of this disaster is unknown," the angel admitted calmly. "Even to us."
That single sentence sent a chill through the crowd.
"But you will return to Earth," the angel continued. "Not the Earth you know, but the Earth that survives."
Its smile sharpened just slightly.
"Cities will fall. Nations will collapse. Continents will plunge into chaos as monsters flood your world. Civilization will fracture."
Some clenched their fists.
"But," the angel said, spreading its wings slightly,
"you will not be helpless."
A familiar sensation rippled through the air. Windows appeared.
System interfaces bloomed before every human, transparent panels filled with unreadable symbols waiting to be understood.
"You have been granted a system," the angel explained. "With it—stats, skills, classes, and runes." Murmurs spread rapidly.
"To minimize the damage," the angel continued, "Earth will first experience a tutorial phase. Weak monsters will appear, training you for what follows." The angel's eyes gleamed.
"Because what comes after… will be far more terrifying."
The system windows shifted.
Stats flickered into clarity.
"Strength. Agility. Health. Defense. Resistance. Luck. Sense."
The angel gestured lazily.
"You gain experience by killing monsters. Experience increases your level."
Simple. Brutal.
"But true power," the angel said, "comes from runes." The word echoed.
"Only runes increase your strength beyond mortal limits. Runes can stack endlessly. A single stat rune may grant a ×1 stat points… or ×∞."
Gasps broke free.
"High-value runes," the angel added pleasantly, "are extremely rare." James's mind raced.
"This is a game," someone muttered. "This is really a game."
The angel tilted its head.
"Classes," it continued. "You may acquire only one, and only through runes you can get a class. Upon having a class, it will have some skills related to that class you have chosen. Additionally you can change classes." First groans comes out of people's mouth, but after hearing you can change class they seem satisfied enough.
"Skills on the other hand?" The angel smiled wider. "Unlimited. Obtain as many as you desire."
The crowd buzzed now, fear mixing with excitement, terror mixing with ambition.
"And now," the angel said lightly, "the most interesting rule."
The temperature dropped.
"You may steal."
Silence fell like a blade.
"You may steal other humans' runes and skills," the angel said calmly. "Additionally, upon killing another human, you will gain ten percent of the stat points they have allocated."
A beat.
"Classes excluded."
The land seemed to hold its breath.
James felt it shift, the air, the people.
Heads turned. Eyes assessed. Strangers suddenly became threats… or opportunities.
Greed sparked.
Fear sharpened.
Plans were born in silence.
The angel watched it all with open amusement.
"If you have questions," it said, "the system will answer them." The system windows pulsed gently, obedient.
"All information necessary for survival has now been provided."
The angel folded its wings. A smile curved its lips—not gentle this time. Wicked.
"Struggle well," it said softly.
Then it rose backward into the crack, light folding around it like closing petals. Before the crack vanished, the angel looked back and said,
"Farewell, humans on earth."
The fracture sealed itself, vanishing as though it had never existed.
The sky returned to calm. The vast green land remained.
And humanity stood together, armed with power, driven by fear, and now painfully aware of one truth:
The greatest monsters might not be the ones coming from Earth.
James exhaled slowly.
"…So it really is one of those stories," he murmured.
Except this time-
He wasn't just reading it.