*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

I woke up groaning and sore to oblivion. Yesterday, my coach, Eller, made us run Avidas, the swim equivalent to suicides, for the entire practice. Apparently, in his words, we had fucked up the warmup half way through the season.

"Alexa what time is it?" I grumble sleepily.

"It is 5:29 AM" The automated voice replies.

I freeze in terror; I was going to be late. I swear a bit before throwing myself off my bed and, grabbing my school and swim bags, wolf down an energy bar and start my car. Right as I'm about to start driving, a large transparent screen with bold letters appears in my vision.

WELCOME, [Species]: Humans, to the Great Milky Way Empire!

You will soon be transferred to the ORTUS, please prepare yourself!

I stared at the screen stupidly.

I knew it. That government internship was so stupid. They must've inserted a nanobot into me and lost control of it to some hacker nerd. Fuck this, I need to get to practice.

I try shooing the screen away with my hand, and it conveniently left from my vision. With that, I start my car's engine and start speeding to school.

As I ran up the steps to my school's weight room, it was 5:47, and everyone had already started stretching. I run up to my coach and apologize for sleeping in, making sure not to make an excuse, and quickly join the rest of my teammates.

"Yo Kai, what happened man?" Jonas, one of the swim captains, and a longtime friend of mine, asks me.

"Guess I slept through my alarm, last night hurt like a bitch." I respond groaning.

Kev, the guy next to me, and one of my childhood friends I had grown up from the crib with, chuckles. "Seconded."

Jonas moves a bit closer to the two of us and whispers, "Kai, did you also see that weird ass screen this morning?"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I nodded, a little weirded out, "You did too?"

Jonas nodded, "The entire team did, I asked around. Kev here as well. We think it's some plan the government cooked up that went haywire."

"Hopefully that's all it is." I say anxiously.

Kev punched me lightly, "Ay man, don't get jitters about this shit. It'll probably blow over in a couple of weeks."

I smile at him, inwardly thanking him for his reassurance.

Jonas chuckles, "Let's hope so. Let's focus on practice for now though."

After stretches and finishing out lifts, we head down to the pool. Silently, everybody went into the locker room to begin changing into their speedos. Before I entered the locker room, a blinding white light appeared in my vision. I screamed while closing my eyes.

I opened them as soon as the bright light vanished, and was shocked at my surroundings. A feminine figure was in front of me, and it seemed like I was standing on nothing.

"Welcome, human, to the origins, Ortus. I will now explain to you the workings of the System, and this beginning of your journey."

"Wai-"

"The System is a way to enhance your body with a resource called Lata. The more Lata you earn, the more enhancements you can make. The System also rewards you for completing tasks for it, which you shall see soon. Please say or think *Voco Systema* now."

"Wait can yo-"

"Please say or think *Voco Systema* now." The voice repeated.

"...wha-"

"Please say or think *Voco Systema* now." The voice repeated again.

"...Woke System."

"Please say or think *Voco Systema* now." The voice repeated again.

"Voco Systema."

"Thank you. Now as you can see, you have six different attributes: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Perception, Intellect, and Willpower. Each one of these attributes can be increased through various means, the most common in training and through the System. You will also see your Species, which can be changed under extreme circumstances, your inherent trait, which is based on your personality and Species, your level, your class, your boons, your titles, and your skills."

KAI YU

| Level: |.| 1 |

| Species: Human |

| Trait: Masochist |

| Class: |

| Boons: |

| Skills: Swimming |*| 2 ' Meditation |.| 3 ' Focus |:| 9! |

Strength: |.| 6

Agility: |.| 4

Endurance: |.| 7

Perception: |.| 6

Intellect: |.| 6

Willpower: |.| 7

"Thank you for listening, the rest is up to you. May fortune follow your steps. You will be transported to Ortus in 5 Earth minutes." The figure says, disappearing from sight.

"What the fuck."