The system should never have broken down.
---
Jinjiang No. 2 High School — Senior Year, Class 3
Mr. Stone, the homeroom teacher, stood at the front of the class, his face grim.
"I'll say this one last time."
The entire room fell silent.
"The risk of death during the exam is real."
A shiver ran through the students.
"If you don't think you're ready, withdraw. Being a Player isn't the only path. There are ordinary professions too. You can live an ordinary life."
His gaze drifted to the back of the class.
Remedy met it without flinching.
There was no way he was giving up.
"And for those of you who still want to become Players—prepare well. Tomorrow's exam will decide your future."
In this world, Players were the only ones who could stand against monsters. Everyone else—people like him—were just prey. Not only for monsters. For Players too.
Remedy clenched his teeth.
That memory surfaced again.
The monsters. The screams. His parents.
Their blood.
The monster's smile.
And him, on the ground. Frozen.
Just watching.
Then—
A hand slammed onto his desk, yanking him back to reality.
"Well, well. Look who's still daydreaming."
Remedy looked up.
Jett. Flanked by Leo and Marcus.
"Don't tell me you're actually taking the exam?" Jett sneered.
"A guy with no class? You serious?" Leo added.
"Drop it, man. This isn't for you," Marcus concluded.
Remedy stayed calm. His eyes flicked to his own clenched fists.
"No. I can become a Player. I have to become a Player."
Jett burst out laughing.
"With what? Your 'super reflexes'? Dude, you've got no class, no skills, no talent. You're asking to die."
Remedy didn't answer.
They eventually walked off, still mocking him.
"But hey, you can still come," Jett called out as he left. "At least you'll get to watch me rise."
Remedy took a deep breath.
He summoned his interface.
Name: Remedy
Class: None
Level: 5
HP: 100%
Energy: 100%
Skills: None
Talent: ???
He stared at the screen. His eyes, too tired of seeing the same thing over and over, slowly closed.
No class. No skills. No talent.
And still no answer to the only question that mattered:
Why me?
Then something moved.
The interface trembled violently—like a foreign presence was forcing its way in.
Then everything went back to normal.
Remedy opened his eyes, frowning.
He packed his things and left the classroom.
He hadn't noticed anything.
But something had just bound itself to him.
Something ancient.
Something forbidden.
---
Evening
His aunt's home was small, but warm.
Around the worn wooden table, Remedy shared a meal with Aunt Flora, her husband Victor, and their daughter, Sora.
"So… it's tomorrow, huh?" Flora set down her spoon. "How are you feeling?"
Remedy was still chewing. He swallowed a little too fast and answered immediately, a wide smile on his face.
"Good, Aunt. Really. I'm ready."
He straightened his shoulders slightly, as if to back up his words.
Flora sighed softly, unconvinced.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The important thing is coming back in one piece."
Victor, still glued to his phone, added in a detached tone:
"Yeah. Coming back alive is already a win."
He finally looked up.
"Oh, by the way—I transferred you some credits. Ten thousand. Get yourself some decent gear and wreck 'em all. Hehe."
A honest grin—and a slightly creepy one—spread across his face.
Remedy's chest tightened.
He knew their situation too well. Tight months. Silent sacrifices. Ten thousand credits was a huge sum—probably the result of long, careful savings.
"No… I can't accept this…" he started hesitantly.
"Yes, you can," Flora cut him off. "The exam is dangerous. You're not going in there unprepared. Otherwise, no exam."
She turned to her husband, eyebrows furrowed.
"And you! What's this 'wreck 'em all' nonsense? You think this is a joke?"
She grabbed his ear.
"Ow, ow! Okay, okay!" Victor laughed in protest. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood!"
"Hmph."
"If you want, I can help him spend it," Sora interjected with a mischievous smile. "Ten thousand credits is heavy to carry all by himself."
Remedy cracked a smile and lightly tapped her head.
"Keep dreaming, little witch."
"Hey!" she protested, mock-offended.
A soft laugh rose around the table.
Remedy looked down at his bowl.
I'll come back.
Not just for himself.
For them.
His new family.
---
Later, in his room
Sitting on the edge of his bed, still sweating, a towel draped over his head, Remedy stared at the ceiling.
Tomorrow.
He stood up.
"I should go get a weapon."
His legs barely carried him.
Then the dizziness hit.
His body swayed. His vision warped. The world seemed to tilt. He tried to catch himself, but his legs refused to obey.
Was it from the workout?
Then—
"Huh…?"
Without him summoning it, his interface was already floating in front of him.
Then—
CRACK
A dry sound. Hollow. Tearing.
Like glass shattering under pressure.
Cracks appeared on the translucent surface of the interface. They spread at an unnatural speed, like black veins racing through fragile crystal.
"What the…?"
Pain assaulted him.
Violent.
Brutal.
Inhuman.
Like something was splitting his skull open from the inside.
Remedy opened his mouth to scream.
No sound came out.
His scream stayed trapped in his throat—burning, smothered by an invisible force. He tried to move, to fight it, but his body locked completely.
He couldn't lift a single finger.
His eyes widened, filled with panic.
Then—
A voice echoed.
Not in the air.
Not around him.
But deep inside him.
[FORCED RDS ACTIVATION]
(REALITY DECEPTOR SYSTEM)
The words pressed into his mind like an overwhelming weight, crushing every thought.
[ESTABLISHING LINK WITH HOST]
His vision blurred. A total weakness swept over him, as if his soul was being slowly drained from his body.
S-Stop…
It hurts…
The whites of his eyes filled with burst blood vessels. Red tears streamed down his cheeks.
[ERROR… CONDITIONS NOT MET]
[SEARCHING FOR ALTERNATIVE…]
[DO YOU WANT #£^$£# ?]
[HOST IS UNABLE TO DECIDE]
[AUTOMATIC PROCEDURE INITIATED…]
His interface—the one that had been with him since childhood—began to tremble violently.
Then it started to crumble.
It shattered into a rain of bluish fragments.
[DEVOUR]
A presence manifested.
Overwhelming.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Like an invisible mouth, gaping, ready to swallow everything.
The fragments of his interface were sucked into a dark vortex.
Devour…?
Am I going to die…?
No…
Not now…
My exam…
Then the voice echoed one last time—distant, distorted.
[CONGRATULATIONS…]
[YOU HAVE INHERITED—]
The impact was total.
Remedy collapsed to the floor, his consciousness swallowed by absolute darkness.
In the void, one last thought lingered.
What's happening to me…?
Then nothing.
---
Above him, an interface slowly formed.
It was no longer blue.
It was green.
---
[SDR – REALITY DECEPTOR SYSTEM]
[HOST: REMEDY]
[DOMAIN: CONCEPT VIRUSES]
[ACTIVE ROLES]
• CREATOR
• INJECTOR
• BINDER
---
The world had just accepted an anomaly.
Or perhaps…
it had just created one.
---
Chapter 1 – End