The System

The ground was cold. Rough. Unknown.

Haruka slowly sat up, his muscles stiff, his head pounding. Around him, silence reigned, broken only by the distant crackling of electricity still hanging in the air. The sky was black, streaked with far-off lightning. There was no sign of life—only dry, cracked earth and a few boulders standing like tombstones.

He placed his hand on his chest. His heart was racing, as if it were trying to escape. He remembered... a group, tense faces, lightning bursting from his hands. That power. And then, that phrase: "He’s the Chosen."

Suddenly, a sound echoed in his mind. Mechanical. Cold.

📢 [SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Name: AMEMIYA HARUKA
Status: Alive
Awakened Power: Heart of the Storm [雷神の心]
Control: 3%
Current Level: 1
Weekly Objective: Reach Level 5
Time Remaining: 6 days, 21 hours, 43 minutes
Failure Consequence: ELIMINATION

His eyes widened.

“What?”

A translucent screen floated before him, suspended in the air like a hologram. He could see it, but it wasn’t projected from any device. It was in his head.

Haruka recoiled instinctively. The screen followed him. He reached out and passed his hand through it—nothing. Just an image, an interface. A tangible illusion.

🎯 [Survival Objective – Week 1]
Survive by reaching Level 5 before the countdown ends.
Failure = Death. Your essence will be absorbed by the nearest survivors.
Combat, hunting, exploration, and training improve your level.
The system will automatically assign your experience gains.

Haruka felt a crushing weight on his chest. This was... a game? A test? Torture? His gaze drifted to his hands. They were shaking slightly, small arcs of electricity crackling across them—like a lingering memory of what had just happened.

He shut his eyes.

They took us. All of us. 100,000. And now they’re forcing us to fight. To evolve or die. No choice. No way back.

He opened his eyes again. The interface flickered gently, almost as if to emphasize:

Current Level: 1
Objective: 5
Time Remaining: [6 days…]

A chill ran down his spine.

“If they fail... they die. And their power is absorbed by others. By the strongest.”

He stood up. His legs were still weak, but his gaze was different now. Colder. Harder.

A sound of footsteps behind him. He turned.

A boy, alone. Younger than him, maybe 14 or 15. He had a weary face, hollow cheeks, one arm wrapped in rough cloth, injured. He looked at Haruka with a mix of suspicion... and admiration.

“It was you... the lightning? From earlier?”

Haruka hesitated, then nodded slowly. The boy stepped closer.

“My name’s Keiji. I’ve been alone for three days. My group... they were eliminated.”

He pointed to his left wrist. A small light blinked weakly, a red counter.

“I have 2 days left. I’m level 3. I... I’m going to die.”

Haruka didn’t respond right away. He looked at the boy, then at his own counter. 6 days. Level 1. If he did nothing, this world would devour them both.

“Do you know how to level up?” Haruka asked calmly.

Keiji nodded, his voice trembling.

“There are creatures... everywhere. Some weaker, others... monstrous. You gain experience by killing them. But it’s dangerous. You can die at any moment. And then there are the other Chosen. Some... kill to level up faster.”

Haruka clenched his fists.

Kaëron hadn’t created a world. He had forged an arena. And in that arena, only brute strength seemed to matter.

“Come with me,” Haruka said suddenly.

Keiji looked up, surprised.

“You... you want to help me?”

“No,” Haruka replied, meeting his gaze. “I want to survive. And for that, I’ll need information. If you help me understand this world, I’ll help you gain the two levels you’re missing.”

Keiji stared at him for a moment, then smiled. A bitter but sincere smile.

“Deal.”

Haruka turned to the horizon. In the distance, a lightning bolt split the sky. The rain threatened, but it hadn’t fallen yet.

The countdown had begun.