The glow of the monitor was the only light in the room.
Empty cans. Hoodie half on. Headphones crooked.
2:47 AM.
Ethan Vale didn't notice the time.
Didn't notice the cold either.
Didn't notice the way real life had quietly shrunk to the size of a bedroom.
All that existed was the game.
Eternal Ascension Online.
The hardest fantasy RPG ever made.
No difficulty sliders.
No mercy.
No pause.
Just skill.
And Ethan was cracked at it.
His fingers moved on instinct — dodge, parry, counter. His character slid under a flaming axe, rolled, then drove a blade into the boss's core.
CRITICAL HIT.
The screen shook. Health bar emptied.
WORLD BOSS SLAIN.
Loot exploded across the battlefield.
Ethan grinned.
"Too easy…"
Then something weird happened.
A drop notification popped up.
But it wasn't like the others.
No item icon.
No rarity color.
Just text.
[You have obtained: ATTRIBUTE FRAGMENT]
"…What?"
Another message replaced it.
[Hidden System Requirement Met]
[Player Compatibility Confirmed]
[Beginning Integration]
Ethan blinked.
"Integration with what?"
The screen flickered.
Glitched.
His character model turned and looked directly at him.
Not at the in-game camera.
At him.
His headphones filled with a low hum — like electricity crawling through wires.
Then the final message appeared.
Would you like to Continue?
▸ YES
NO
Ethan laughed.
"Secret event? Bet."
He clicked YES.
The monitor went black.
The room went silent.
Then the silence broke — not with sound, but pressure.
Like the air itself was being pulled through a vacuum.
The screen didn't light up.
Instead—
The room did.
Golden lines spread across the walls like glowing circuitry. His desk dissolved into particles. His chair disappeared beneath him.
Ethan tried to stand.
There was no floor.
Only falling.
He screamed — but the sound was swallowed.
Light swallowed him.
Thoughts scattered.
Then—
Impact.
Grass.
Cold wind.
The smell of earth and metal.
Ethan coughed, pushing himself up. The sky above wasn't Earth's. Two moons hung in the distance. The stars looked too close. Too bright.
He looked down at his hands.
Still his.
But something shimmered faintly over his skin — like invisible data.
A translucent screen opened in front of his face.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…][UNIQUE ABILITY GRANTED]Ability Name: ATTRIBUTION
You may absorb Attribute Fragments from defeated beings.
More text scrolled.
[Core Attributes Acquired Will Permanently Increase:]Strength
Agility
Spirit
Intellect
Dexterity
Health
Low absorption = stable growth
Excessive absorption = unknown consequences
Ethan stared.
"This… this is the game."
A distant roar echoed across the plains.
Not game audio.
Real.
Heavy footsteps shook the ground.
A creature the size of a truck crested a hill — armored hide, glowing eyes, tusks dripping with something black.
Its gaze locked onto him.
Another notification appeared.
[First Target Detected]
[Defeat Required to Activate Attribute Extraction]
Ethan's heartbeat pounded in his ears.
No keyboard.
No mouse.
No respawn screen.
But his body felt… lighter. Faster. Sharper.
Like his character.
Like this world was running on stats.
The monster charged.
Ethan took one step back.
Then he smiled.
"…Okay."
His stance lowered.
"Let's see if I still got it."