The moment the translucent screen appeared—
[Teleporting Host to a Safe Location for System Integration.]
Alex vanished.
One instant, he stood frozen in the forest, staring at the descending claw that promised certain death. The next instant—his existence was erased from that place completely, as if he had never been there at all.
The creature's massive claw tore violently through empty air.
A powerful gust exploded outward from the missed strike, scattering leaves and snapping nearby branches with raw force. The ground trembled slightly beneath its landing, yet the prey it had locked onto moments ago had disappeared entirely.
The beast froze in place.
Its crimson eyes narrowed sharply as it scanned the surroundings, muscles tensing beneath thick fur. It sniffed the air aggressively, once, then again, searching desperately for the scent it had been following just seconds ago.
But there was nothing.
The scent had vanished.
Completely.
A low growl rumbled deep within its chest, vibrating through the forest floor as frustration built within it. Its hunt had been interrupted, stolen away at the very moment of victory, leaving behind only emptiness.
Then suddenly—
It roared.
"ROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!"
The deafening sound shook the forest violently, echoing across the trees like a storm unleashed. Birds burst into the air in panic, while smaller creatures scattered in every direction, fleeing from the overwhelming presence.
But the beast didn't care.
Its prey had escaped.
And that—was unacceptable.
Meanwhile…
In an unknown place—
Darkness.
Not the simple absence of light, but something deeper, heavier. There was no sky above, no ground beneath, no sound to break the stillness. Just an endless void that stretched infinitely in all directions.
Then—
Space distorted.
A faint ripple spread through the darkness, bending reality itself for a brief moment. From within that distortion, Alex's unconscious body appeared suddenly, suspended for an instant before gravity seemed to reclaim him.
THUD.
He fell onto something solid.
Yet there was no visible floor.
His body lay motionless, unmoving in the silent void. His chest rose slowly, each breath shallow but steady, indicating that while his body had survived, his mind had not escaped unscathed.
The fear.
The chase.
The moment of death closing in.
All of it had crushed him completely.
Even in unconsciousness, his body remained tense, as if still trying to run from something it could not escape. His fingers twitched slightly, his expression faintly strained, trapped within the remnants of that terror.
Above him—
A blue translucent screen flickered into existence.
Strange symbols flowed across it like living code, shifting and rearranging continuously. Mechanical messages appeared one after another, cold and precise, completely detached from human emotion.
[Analyzing Host Condition…]
[Analysis Complete.]
[Physical State: Stable]
[Mental State: Vulnerable]
The screen pulsed faintly.
[Repeating Analysis for Accuracy.]
Numbers began to rise rapidly, climbing at an unnatural speed as the system processed deeper layers of information, searching for something beyond simple physical data.
[1%… 3%… 7%… 15%… 32%… 48%… 67%… 84%… 96%… 100%]
Then—
The screen glitched.
[ERROR… ERROR… ERROR]
The messages flickered violently, breaking the steady rhythm of the system's calculations. For the first time, something unexpected had occurred—something beyond its standard parameters.
A brief pause followed.
Then new text appeared.
[Anomaly Detected in Host.]
[Analyzing Anomaly…]
The screen remained still for several long seconds, as if even the system required time to comprehend what it had discovered. The silence within the void deepened further.
Then—
[Analysis Complete.]
[Host Soul exceeds the standards of this reality.]
A faint distortion rippled through the screen itself.
[Host Soul detected to be 99% sealed.]
The system hesitated.
Not in emotion—but in limitation.
[Searching for alternate method to integrate with Host…]
[…Searching…]
[…Searching…]
Time passed slowly, each second stretching into something heavier as the system continued its calculations. Then finally—
[Search Complete.]
[Initiating System Upgrade to match Host Requirements.]
[Using power of Host's sealed soul as upgrade catalyst.]
The process began again.
But this time—it felt different.
Heavier.
More intense.
[Upgrading… 2%… 6%… 18%… 34%… 49%… 63%… 81%… 92%… 97%… 100%]
[Upgrade Complete.]
The flickering stopped.
The blue screen stabilized completely, its glow becoming smoother, calmer—yet far more powerful than before. Then suddenly—
A blinding white light erupted.
The darkness was consumed instantly, swallowed whole by an overwhelming radiance that erased everything else. For a brief moment, existence itself seemed to dissolve into pure white.
Then slowly—
The light faded.
Darkness returned.
But something had changed.
The screen hovering above Alex was no longer blue.
It had turned pure white.
And it felt… different.
[System Upgraded.]
[Tier 1 → Tier 3]
[Initiating Host Integration.]
[Integration in Progress…]
Time lost meaning.
Minutes, hours—perhaps even longer passed, yet within the endless void, there was no way to tell. The system continued its work silently, its presence the only sign of activity in the infinite darkness.
Finally—
The process completed.
[System Integration Complete.]
But before the silence could settle—
Another message appeared.
[System Tier insufficient for Host capabilities.]
[Host permission required for further upgrade.]
Then—
The screen went dark.
The system shut itself down, entering a dormant state. It had reached its limit for now, understanding one simple requirement—it needed the host's conscious permission to proceed further.
And so—
Everything returned to silence.
The faint glow disappeared.
The void became empty once more.
And within that emptiness—
Alex remained still.
Hours later—
A finger twitched.
Barely noticeable.
Then another.
A faint groan escaped his lips, low and strained, as if dragging itself out from deep within his chest.
"Uggghhhh…"
His head throbbed violently, pain spreading through his skull like cracks forming under pressure. Slowly, he pushed himself upward, his movements heavy and unsteady, as though his body no longer fully obeyed him.
His eyes opened.
And saw—
Nothing.
Only darkness.
Complete and absolute.
Alex frowned slightly, his mind struggling to piece together fragments of memory. The forest. The creature. The desperate run. The claw descending toward him like inevitable death.
Then—
The screen.
Teleportation.
"Was that real…?"
His voice came out low, uncertain, as he rubbed his temples slowly. The pain lingered, but something deeper remained—a lingering sense of fear that hadn't fully faded.
Before he could think further—
A voice echoed inside his mind.
[Requesting Host Permission to Upgrade the System.]
[Accept Upgrade? Y / N]
A white screen appeared before his eyes.
Alex blinked.
"...Wait."
His expression shifted into confusion.
"It can talk inside my head?"
The system responded instantly.
[Yes, Host.]
[The System responds to all Host commands and questions.]
Alex stared at the screen, his thoughts tangled in confusion. Too many things had happened in such a short time, each one more absurd than the last, yet all of it felt undeniably real.
He took a slow breath.
Then spoke.
"Alright… first things first."
"Where am I right now?"
"And where was I earlier?"
The response came immediately.
[Current Location: System Pocket Dimension.]
[Purpose: Host Protection during Integration.]
[Previous Location: Ignos Forest.]
[Planet: Avory.]
Alex blinked again.
That only made things worse.
"Wait… hold on."
"I was literally in my house a few moments ago."
"Now you're telling me I was in some forest on another planet?"
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration building.
"Can you explain what the hell actually happened?"
The system answered calmly.
[Host has been unconscious for two days.]
[Cause: Spatial Fluctuation.]
[A distortion formed inside Ignos Forest.]
[The distortion temporarily connected to Host's room.]
[Host crossed the spatial passage unintentionally.]
[Result: Host arrived in Ignos Forest.]
Alex processed it slowly.
Strangely enough…
That explanation made sense.
But then—
The system continued.
[System detected Host's anomalous presence.]
[Host determined compatible.]
[However… anomaly detected.]
[Host's soul does not belong to this reality.]
[Host Soul is 99% sealed.]
Alex tilted his head slightly.
"...What?"
That part didn't make sense at all.
"So let me get this straight," he said slowly.
"Because of some random space accident, I got dragged into another world… almost died… and now you're telling me my soul doesn't even belong here?"
The system responded without hesitation.
[Correct. More or less.]
Alex stared into the darkness.
Silence followed.
Then he sighed deeply, rubbing his face as if trying to ground himself in something real.
"And now you're saying my soul is sealed… and somehow that upgraded you?"
The system answered again.
[Information is accurate.]
[System upgraded using Host Soul energy.]
[However current Tier remains insufficient.]
Alex let out a quiet breath.
At this point—
He didn't even feel shocked anymore.
Everything had already gone too far.
There was only one thing left that mattered.
He looked at the screen.
"Forget everything else."
His voice turned firm.
"The only thing I care about right now… is going home."
"Can you send me back?"
The system paused.
For the first time—
There was a delay.
Then—
It answered.