The first thing I noticed was the pain. A dull, throbbing agony that spread through my body like wildfire. The second thing? The System.

[Error: Initialization Failed]

[User Detected Outside Permitted Zones]

[Status: Exile]

The glowing blue text burned itself into my mind, hovering in my vision like some cruel joke. I groaned, shifting against the ground beneath me—only to freeze when I realized what I was lying on.

Not soil. Not stone.

Glass.

Cracked obsidian spread out in every direction, sharp like shattered mirrors, reflecting the twisted red sky above. The air was dry, oppressive, thick with the scent of something long dead. Heat rolled off the blackened terrain in waves, yet my skin didn’t burn.

Where the hell am I?

I pushed myself up, my muscles sluggish, my limbs unresponsive. Every movement felt unnatural, like I wasn’t fully connected to my own body. My fingers trembled as I raised them before my eyes, and my breath hitched.

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Tiny fractures ran across my skin, glowing faintly. Like I wasn’t fully… real.

[System Alert: Soul Synchronization Incomplete]

[Error: Primary Class Selection Locked]

More text. More problems. My stomach twisted. The System notifications—always there since birth, guiding every action, every choice—were now filled with errors. That didn’t happen. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

A low growl rumbled behind me.

I turned, instincts flaring to life.

A creature stood at the edge of my vision, its form shifting in the heat haze. It was massive, nearly twice my height, its skeletal frame covered in cracked, charred flesh. It had no eyes—just a jagged, gaping maw that stretched too wide, lined with needle-sharp teeth.

And it was watching me.

I tried to move, but my body locked up. Not from fear—no, something else was wrong. I could feel it, a weight pressing against my mind, a pressure clawing at my thoughts.

The System wasn’t just broken. It was actively rejecting me.

[Your existence has been marked as an anomaly.]

[Survive. Or be erased.]

The moment I read those words, the monster lunged.

It closed the distance in a heartbeat, its charred claws slashing downward, aiming to cleave me in two. I didn’t think—I couldn’t think. I was still locked in place, still struggling against whatever was keeping me trapped—

Move, damn it!

A sudden explosion of heat surged through my veins. My body jolted forward on its own, just barely dodging the attack. The monster’s claws raked across the obsidian, sending molten shards flying. I stumbled, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Something had changed.

A new notification flickered into my vision.

[Skill Granted: Defiance (Rank ???)]

[Effect: Refusal to Die]

I didn’t know what it meant, but I could feel it. Like something had severed the chains binding me, like my body had finally remembered how to move. My breath came in ragged gasps, but my lips curled into a grin.

“Alright,” I muttered, rolling my shoulders. “Let’s see what this body can do.”

The beast roared and charged again.

This time, I was ready.