Tuesday, 10th of July, year 2025, 07:55 AM
Noel was walking home after an overnight party with several of his friends. The streets were mostly empty. Occasionally, a lone passerby would drift past, their footsteps echoing faintly in the early morning quiet.
The part of the city Noel lived in wasn't filled with towering office buildings or crowded intersections. Instead, it was a calmer residential area made up of houses. His family's home had two stories, neither large nor small, simply comfortable. The neighborhood was almost always quiet, no matter the hour.
As Noel walked, the dark circles beneath his eyes stood out against his white, lightly tanned skin. He was exhausted from staying awake all night. At least he wasn't hungover, he didn't drink alcohol. He stood around 185 centimeters tall, his body slim but untrained. He had never liked going to the gym, or exercising at all. His dark brown hair was slightly wavy and short, reaching just to his ears without covering his eyes. His amber-colored irises reflected the dull morning light.
His pace was slow and unhurried as his house gradually came into view. Soon, he reached the front door. He pulled the keys from his left pocket and fumbled slightly as he unlocked it, his tired hands lacking coordination.
Inside, he saw his father standing near the door, ready to leave for work, while his mother stood close by, seeing him off as she usually did.
At the sound of the door opening, both of them turned.
"Noel, again at one of those parties with your friends?" his mother asked. Her tone made it clear this was far from the first time.
"Yeah… I'm dying for sleep," Noel replied, passing by them. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."
"A couple of hours," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Don't worry, Ver," Noel's father said calmly. "He's grown up. What he does is his choice."
"Like I'm worried," she replied, shrugging.
Hugh had already put on his shoes. Ready to leave, he leaned in and kissed his wife goodbye before reaching for the door. The moment he opened it, he froze.
Standing outside was a small, lizard-like creature.
It barely reached his knees, standing upright on two legs like a human, yet unmistakably not one. Its scaled body twitched slightly, its eyes wide with confusion, mirroring Hugh's own expression.
For a brief second, neither moved.
Then Hugh slammed the door shut with all his strength.
The sound echoed through the house. Outside, the startled creature let out a shrill noise before scrambling away.
Hugh stood there, breathing heavily. Sweat had already begun to form on his forehead.
Seeing him close the door so violently, Veronica hurried toward him, irritation creeping into her voice. "Hugh, what's wrong? Why did you slam the door like that?"
He turned to face her, his mouth opening slightly, then closing again. He didn't know how to explain what he had just seen.
Before he could try, a heavy sound came from the other side of the door. Thumping. Banging.
Annoyed, Veronica stepped forward, clearly intending to open it and scold whoever was causing such a disturbance.
Hugh reacted on instinct. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back, holding her firmly.
"What are you doing?" she asked, startled. Concern quickly replaced her irritation. "Are you feeling sick? If you're unwell, you should stay home today."
Hugh tried to speak, but then something impossible happened.
Floating words appeared in front of his eyes.
He stared, heart pounding, before glancing at Veronica.
Her face mirrored his shock.
She could see them too.
Upstairs, Noel had already changed into more comfortable clothes and collapsed onto his bed. Just as he lay back, the same strange letters appeared in front of him.
He blinked, confused. Yet unlike his parents, his reaction was calmer. Years of video games, novels, and comics had prepared his mind, at least enough to keep panic at bay.
At first, he assumed he had fallen asleep instantly. To test it, he pinched his arm hard.
Pain.
Real pain.
His breath caught. Slowly, he focused on the words.
[Welcome to the Alvein System]
[We are beings of old]
[Gathered because of the merge between two worlds]
[Our world does not compare to the power of the other world]
[Thus, we created this]
[This will be the first and last time we speak]
[Choose carefully. Advance, and let our world triumph]
[...]
[...]
[Your body has adapted to the Alvein System]
[You may now view your status with a single thought]
Noel sat up, stunned. It felt unreal, too fantastical, too sudden. Still, curiosity outweighed disbelief.
He thought of his status.
The words shifted.
Seeing all of that, Noel was stunned. It felt far too fantastical to be real, something pulled straight from a game or a novel rather than his own life. His first instinct was denial. Yet curiosity lingered, stubborn and persistent.
Even so, he decided to try.
He focused his thoughts inward, thinking about his status. Almost immediately, the floating words shifted and rearranged themselves.
Name: Noel Valor [23]
Level: 1 [0%]
Axis:
| Physique [10]
| Mind [10]
| Spirit [10]
Class:
Concepts: [5 CE]
Skills:
Noel stared at the display, his thoughts racing. Axis. Class. Concepts. Skills. Some of the terms were familiar enough, things he had seen countless times in games, but others felt vague and unsettling. Before he could dwell on them further, the words changed once more, shifting into a new form.
[Introduction of the Status]
[Name, how one is known by others]
[Level, the representation of one's standing within the Alvein System]
[Axis, the foundation of existence]
Physique is the functions of the body: strength, agility, endurance, vitality
Mind is the functions of the brain: intelligence, wisdom, comprehension, focus
Spirit is the functions of the soul: will, sense, presence, resonance
[Class is determined solely by you, your decisions, actions, and thoughts]
[Concepts shape the Class. You are granted five Concept Essence. Concepts are everything and all]
[Skills are determined by Class and action]
[End of introduction]
By the time he had read the explanation, Noel was deep in thought. The most logical step was obvious, choose Concepts, obtain a Class, and prepare for whatever came next.
But before he could act, a sound echoed from downstairs.
A dull, heavy noise.
His heart skipped a beat.
His parents.
Noel bolted upright and rushed out of his room. "Mom! Dad!" he shouted as he took the stairs two at a time.
The moment he reached the ground floor, his body went cold.
Two lizard-like creatures stood in the room, one nearly twice the size of the other. Their scaly forms loomed over his mother, who lay motionless on the floor.
Seeing her like that, still, unresponsive, made his vision burn red.
Noel charged without thinking, screaming as he did so, drawing the creatures' attention.
Nearby, his father knelt beside Veronica, his eyes dull and unfocused. At the sound of Noel's voice, he lifted his head. For a moment, confusion flickered across his face, then recognition.
Noel.
Hope surfaced, fragile but real.
Hugh glanced at the floating words still hanging in front of his eyes and formed a desperate thought.
'Is Heal a Concept?'
[Searching…]
[Concept found]
Seeing confirmation, Hugh didn't hesitate. He poured all five Concept Essence into Heal.
A faint golden-white glow shimmered from his brown eyes. The floating words shifted, taking on a warm golden hue, delicate white flowers curling around the letters as if framing them.
[Allocation accepted]
Heal [5 CE]
[Class allocation beginning]
[Class allocated]
| Cleric [+3 Spirit per level]
[Skills acquired]
| Mend Wound
Minor Cure
Small Recovery
Hugh was stunned, not only by what he read, but by the knowledge that flooded his mind. Instinctively, he understood his skills, their limits, and what his Class represented.
He moved quickly, placing his hands over Veronica's wound.
A dim glow spread from his palms, and the deep gash across her torso closed before his eyes.
But Hugh knew immediately, it wasn't enough.
He tried to use [Small Recovery], but nothing happened.
She had lost too much blood. He understood it without needing to be told. The knowledge pressed heavily against his mind.
She was too far gone.
Grief twisted his expression, quickly followed by fury. Turning toward Noel, who was still dodging and striking at the smaller creatures, Hugh shouted, his voice raw.
"Noel! I'll distract them! Put your Concept Essence in, then we'll have a better chance!"
Noel had already been fighting for some time. He had taken a few hits, but nothing serious. He was confused, not hearing what his father shouted, but seeing his mother lying beside him only fueled his rage.
He charged again, until he saw his father stand and rush forward, punching one of the creatures.
"What did you say, Dad?" Noel shouted, barely hearing him over the chaos.
Hugh didn't turn. His voice was sharp with anger and desperation.
"Put your fucking Concept Essence in! I'll distract them in the meantime!"
Understanding struck.
Noel moved to the side, giving his father space as Hugh engaged the creatures. Drawing on what little knowledge he had, Noel focused inward once more.
System, he thought. 'What kinds of Concepts are there?'
[All]
Seeing the System's reply, Noel frowned. He was annoyed by the vague answer, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. The creatures were still there, his parents were in danger, and hesitation could get him killed.
He forced himself to think.
In every book he had read and every game he had played, one thing always mattered above all else, speed. The ability to move first, to dodge, to avoid being hit. After all, if the enemy couldn't touch you, they couldn't hurt you.
A single thought formed clearly in his mind.
'Speed.'
[Concept found]
Noel hesitated. He didn't immediately allocate all of his Concept Essence. Something about blindly committing everything felt reckless. Instead, he asked another question.
'What does it mean for a Class if there are multiple Concepts? And how many Concepts can I get?'
[The Class is determined by the Concepts.]
[A maximum of five Concepts may exist within one individual.]
Noel clicked his tongue. His first question had been ignored entirely, but at least the second had been answered. Caution won out.
He allocated only three Concept Essence into Speed.
[Allocation accepted]
Speed [3 CE]
[Class allocation beginning]
[Class allocated]
| Strider [+2 Physique per level]
[Skills acquired]
| Dash
| Agile Body
The sensation that followed was similar to what his father had experienced, yet distinctly different.
Instead of warm, golden-white words wrapped in blooming flowers, Noel's status burned into existence in inky black letters. The text looked rushed, jagged, as if written in a hurry rather than grace.
Knowledge flooded his mind.
He understood his body differently now. How to move. How to shift his weight. How to push his muscles beyond their limits without tearing them apart.
For a brief moment, he sat down, steadying himself. The sudden influx was overwhelming, and he didn't want to rush further allocations without thinking them through.
Then he looked up.
His father was still fighting.
That was enough.
Noel surged to his feet and broke into a sprint. He passed Hugh in a blur and drove his fist into the larger creature's side with blinding speed. The impact sent it crashing across the room, slamming into the far wall.
The smaller creature shrieked and turned on him, launching itself forward in a frantic attack.
To its horror, it couldn't land a single hit.
Noel twisted and bent his body with unnatural precision, slipping past claws and strikes with ease. His movements felt instinctive, fluid, faster.
The creature grew sluggish, its attacks slowing.
Noel seized the moment.
He struck it square in the head, putting everything into the blow. The creature collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
The sight of it lying there stirred something ugly inside him.
It reminded him of his mother.
His vision burned red.
With a snarl, Noel began to pummel the smaller creature. Punch after punch fell mercilessly. When he finally stopped, its body was barely recognizable.
Inky black words appeared before his eyes.
[Low Aurelnih <1> killed]
10 Axis Essence gained
Breathing heavily, Noel thought of his status.
Name: Noel Valor [23]
Level: 1 [10%]
Axis: [+2 Physique per level]
| Physique [10]
| Mind [10]
| Spirit [10]
Class: Strider [Standard]
Concepts: [2 CE]
| Speed [3 CE]
Skills:
| Dash
| Agile Body
His attention shifted to the remaining creature.
The larger one was already back on its feet.
Noel dashed forward, speed building instantly. Before the creature could react, his fist slammed into it again, pinning it hard against the wall. He struck it repeatedly, each blow landing with brutal precision.
The creature stopped moving.
More black text appeared.
[Low Aurelnih <1>killed]
10 Axis Essence gained
Only then did Noel turn back.
His father was already kneeling beside Veronica.
Noel approached slowly and lowered himself next to him.
Neither of them spoke.
They simply watched.