It was just another evening at the office. After getting chewed out by my boss for a mistake that wasn’t even mine, I found myself staying late again. Four hours past quitting time, and I still wasn’t home—not that I had much waiting for me there. No girlfriend, no real friends, just my computer and a pile of unfinished games. Even gaming had taken a backseat lately, thanks to my ever-growing workload. I wanted to quit, find something else, but at 22, living on my own wasn’t easy. My parents? They were good for nothing and cared more about their new families than me, who reminded them of their failed relationship. So, no help from them. If the world ended tomorrow, I didn't think I’d even care.
I leaned back in my chair, finally finished with the day’s grind. The one perk of this office? The chairs were ridiculously comfortable, good enough to sleep in. More than once, I’d found myself staying until midnight, too tired to bother going home. I rested my arms on the table, laid my head down, and closed my eyes, ready to dRift off when a sudden voice jolted me awake.
"World destabilization detected. Commence the initiation of the Realta Nua System."
Overworking really does things to you. I laughed out loud at the absurdity of the situation. Hearing a voice in my head was one thing, but seeing the words—exact words—floating before my eyes like some kind of hallucination? That was next-level weird. I reached out, trying to touch one, but my hand passed right through it, like it was a hologram.
"I’m too young to be going crazy," I muttered, scratching my head. Then, just as suddenly as they’d appeared, the words vanished.
Well, that was strange, I thought, as I prepared to lie back down and forget about the whole thing. But just as I was about to relax, the voice came again, this time louder, accompanied by more of those floating words.
Hello, mortals. Welcome to your new life. Your world has been deemed worthy of joining the Realta Nua System and waging war against the enemies of our universe. It won’t be easy. Most of you will die. But it will be worth it—a death in service to the fight against chaos.
The voice droned on, its tone both soothing and terrifying. “You shouldn’t be sad. In fact, you should be grateful for this opportunity. Those of you who have what it takes to rise within the system will gain everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Power, riches, maybe even immortality. As for the rest, well... as long as you know your limits, you probably won’t die too soon.”
The voice was both loud and soft, resonating in my head in a way that made it feel neither entirely real nor completely imaginary. It wasn’t painful like loud sounds usually were for me—no headache, no discomfort. Instead, each word seemed to echo in my brain, as though the message was meant to stick, whether I liked it or not.
The voice came from inside my head—emotionless, yet commanding. At first, I tried to ignore it, like shrugging off a weird dream, hoping it would go away. But it began to say more and more outrageous things.
Your planet hasn’t earned the right to be a full member of the Relta Nua System, yet. But don’t worry, it’s not that hard. Over the next 10 years, you’ll face a Trial every year. Pass all of them, and your planet will enter a new era of safety. Fail even one, and your world will be transformed into a wasteland—an uninhabitable battlefield where leftover monsters are sent to be disposed. And then, unless you manage to redeem your failure, you'll lose connection to the System, being left to fend for yourselves on your own, destined to die.
Wait... what?
The voice droned on, but I barely heard the rest. Something about an opportunity to raise above all the others, to join the forces that protect the balance of the universe, completing Trials and closing Rifts, and so on. Then, a message flashed before my eyes. It wasn’t spoken this time—I had to read it.
The first Trial begins in one minute. A weak monster will spawn near every healthy adult human, along with a random weapon. You must kill the monster using either unarmed attacks or the system weapon provided. If someone else kills your monster, a new one will spawn in 10 minutes. Failure to kill your monster results in... well, let’s not go there. Rewards include system access and becoming a user.
Countdown: 20 seconds.
Well, crap. Was I really about to fight a monster? It said "weak," but how weak? Chicken-weak, or something worse? Just as I was wondering how bad this could get, a wooden stick appeared on my keyboard. A literal stick. Two fingers thick, two feet long—about as menacing as a broom handle. I poked it cautiously. The countdown hit zero.
So, here I was. Armed with nothing but a stick, about to face a "weak" monster. I’d never been in a fight in my life, and I wasn’t exactly looking to start one now.
If the worst comes to worst, I’ll just run to Derek—he’s got a gun. Maybe that won’t help me pass this so-called quest, but at least I’ll survive. I can always prepare better for the monster that's summoned ten minutes later, I thought.
Gripping the stick in both hands, I stood up, trying to adopt a battle stance. The office was spacious, filled with cubicles, each with a chair and computer. I figured the monster would either appear in the open space or already be lurking in one of the cubicles. I strained my ears, listening for any signs of movement. Sure enough, I heard footsteps. The sound came from a few cubicles away.
My heart pounded in my chest as I ducked behind a partition, waiting. Adrenaline coursed through me, a strange mix of fear and excitement. This was it—my first battle, my first real fight. I couldn’t help but think this might be the most thrilling, and probably terrifying, moment of my life.
Just as the footsteps neared, I leapt out, ready to swing the stick with all my might, aiming for the head. But the moment I saw my opponent, I froze. It wasn’t anything like I expected. Standing before me was a young girl, no older than fourteen, with green skin. She barely reached my chest and wore nothing but simple animal skins. She jumped back, startled, staring at me with wide, wary eyes.
“What... what are you doing here?” I stammered. “Can you understand me? I don’t want to hurt you.” But instead of answering, her yellow eyes narrowed in disgust. Before I could react, she lunged at me, something flashing in her hand. Pain flared in my side. Instinctively, I shoved her away, sending her flying a few feet back.
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I stared at her, gripping the spot where she had struck. “Stupid!” I berated myself. No matter how she looked, she was my Trial. She was sent to kill me. Underestimating her was my first mistake.
With the difference in our size, I was clearly stronger. But as I looked down at my shirt, now stained with blood, panic crept in. A knife wound could be fatal if it hit the wrong spot. If I didn’t act fast, I could bleed out. My chance to strike was slipping. But before I could move, a gunshot echoed down the hallway, followed by a man’s scream.
Derek.
The night guard. He wasn’t exactly a fighter, being in his sixties, but a gun was a gun. The scream, though, didn’t sound promising. While I was distracted, the green-skinned girl darted into the corridor, vanishing through the door. Maybe she thought her ally had won, or maybe she assumed I was as good as dead. Either way, I was left with a decision—stay here or follow her.
I leaned back against the wall, looking down at my wound. It wasn’t as bad as I first thought. Maybe I’d survive, after all, if she didn’t come back. Wrapping my shirt around the wound, I tried to block out the pain. It wasn’t nearly as bad as going to the dentist without anesthesia—an unfortunate curse of mine. The usual painkiller stuff just didn't work on me. But my hopes of the girl staying gone were dashed when the door opened again. This time, she wasn’t alone.
The green-skinned boy who entered with her was about her size, but he had a club—far more dangerous than her small knife, and covered in blood. Worse, he didn’t seem nearly as hesitant. My stick, now covered in my own blood after I treated my wound, had a longer reach, but I wasn’t sure that would be enough. I cursed my luck under my breath and prepared for the inevitable.
I struck first, thrusting the stick at the girl’s solar plexus. She wasn’t fast enough to dodge, and the blow knocked the wind out of her. Blood sprayed from her mouth. The second strike aimed at her hand, forcing her to drop the dagger. But before I could follow up with the third attack, the boy swung his club at me. I dodged left, barely avoiding it, and kicked him in the ribs. The force sent him staggering back.
The girl, now on her knees, reached for the dagger again. I brought the stick down on her neck, hard. She collapsed instantly, motionless. A notification flashed in the corner of my vision, but I ignored it. I still had one more enemy to deal with. But as I finished off the girl, I left myself open for the boy’s counterattack. This time, I wasn’t fast enough. His club struck me hard.
Pain shot through my shoulder, and my left hand went numb. I couldn't hold the stick anymore. Anger surged through me, fueled by the blood pounding in my head.
"Take this!" I shouted, switching the stick to my right hand and thrusting it toward the boy’s face, aiming for his eye. I missed, hitting his cheek instead, tearing flesh and drawing blood. The wound looked gruesome, but it didn’t stop him.
His club came down hard, smashing into my ribs. The pain was blinding, but I bit down on my scream, refusing to show weakness. Desperation kicked in. I launched myself at him, crashing into his smaller frame and knocking him to the ground. His back hit the floor with a thud, and I was on top of him, the stick still clutched in my right hand.
I changed my grip, holding it like a stake, and brought it down on him—again and again. His head, his neck, anywhere I could strike. He tried to fight back, squirming beneath me, but his struggles grew weaker with each hit. I was relentless. Each blow seemed to drive him closer to the brink. Even though the stick didn’t always break through his skin, the repeated strikes made him bleed. His body was turning into a mess of bruises and open wounds, his strength fading with each desperate gasp.
I kept pounding, fueled by a mix of fear, anger, and survival instinct, until I wasn't sure if I was trying to stop him or just trying to stop the chaos inside me.
Just when I thought it was over, that my enemy was finally dead, I felt another stab—this time deep into my ribs. It seems that in his dying moments, the boy had grabbed the dagger and landed one last, desperate blow. The pain was sharp and immediate, and I collapsed onto my back. A notification appeared before my eyes, confirming what I already knew:
You have slain a [Goblin, Rank F].
But the victory felt hollow. The intense pain crashed over me, and dizziness set in as I realized just how much blood I had lost. My body now had one more hole to bleed from, and I knew I was on borrowed time. I was a dead man walking, but I still clung to a fragile hope. If the system was real, surely it would offer me some way to survive.
Desperately, I scanned through the notifications, barely paying attention to the endless congratulations. My focus was on one thing—a way out. Finally, the words I’d been hoping for appeared:
You have completed the first Trial. Receive your reward. You are now connected to the Realta Nua System and can use its basic features to grow stronger, complete missions, and contribute to the greater good of the universe.
There was more—a long, drawn-out explanation of what this all meant and what the future held. But none of it mattered to me at that moment. I skimmed through until I reached the most crucial part:
You can now access your status and distribute your free points earned from leveling up. You have gained one level.
Without wasting a second, I thought "Status screen", and a new screen appeared before me. It was simple—straightforward—but it held the key to my survival.
Status
Level: 1
Race: Human
Health Points: 5/170
Aura Points: 0/150
Mana Points: 0/160
Might: 12
Finesse: 9
Survivability: 11
Arcane: 4
Psionic: 14
Free Points: 25
Active Skills: None
Passive Skills: None
Achievements: 2 Common, 1 Uncommon, 1 Rare
It didn’t take a genius to realize I was in serious trouble—my health was dangerously low, and there was only one thing I needed right now: survivability. Without hesitation, I dumped all the points I had earned into my health stat, more than tripling it in the process. Instantly, I felt a shift as my health bar surged upward and my wounds began to heal. But before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, an intense sensation overtook me—like a thousand ants crawling all over my skin.
Warning! Increasing your attributes by a large margin all at once can lead to temporary side effects.
The terrible sensation slowly faded, and I opened my eyes to find my body healed and my condition stabilized. I took a moment to review the messages I had skimmed over earlier:
Congratulations! Achievement unlocked: User Initiation. You have become a User by completing the First Trial.
You have unlocked ten Basic Skills (Common). Note: You will earn the chance to choose your first Active Skill at level 5 and your first Passive Skill at level 10. Collect more achievements to unlock additional Skill options. Achievements are more likely to be earned while completing the Trials.
Congratulations! Achievement unlocked: I'm a feminist.
You beat a weak girl without any mercy. Your mom would be so proud. Passive Skill unlocked: Lesser Charm Resistance (Common)
Congratulations! Achievement unlocked: Don't worry, the blood is mine.
You brutally killed your enemy with a weapon covered in your own blood. What a psycho. Active Skill unlocked: Blood Weapon (Uncommon).
Congratulations! Achievement unlocked: Lucky survivor.
You survived a near-death experience during your very first battle. Almost losing to a goblin — pathetic. Passive Skill unlocked: Tenacity (Rare).
For the first time in a long while, I felt... fulfilled. No more office work. I smirked, the irony not lost on me. The world had turned into a deadly game, but strangely, it felt like a game where I might finally have a place. Maybe it was unfair to all the people who would die, but this world suited me better. Or maybe it was just the adrenaline still clouding my mind, and I’d wake up terrified and desperate to cling to life.
But deep down, I knew nothing was ever going to be the same.