The moment the screen appeared, a strange calm settled over me.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Excitement.
A single thought crossed my mind—
Things are about to get interesting.
Suddenly, Ojas spoke, his voice tight.
"Shreyash… can you see that screen too?"
I opened my mouth to answer but no words came out. I simply stared at him.
That was enough.
Ojas understood immediately. His face hardened, instincts kicking in. Without another word, he turned and stepped out of the room.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the air twisted.
Two portals tore open reality itself—one inside my room, the other in the hallway outside. They looked like wounds in space, swirling masses of distorted light and shadow.
From the portal in my room, creatures crawled out.
They resembled goblins—but wrong.
Their skin was scaled and reptilian, their jaws elongated, eyes glowing with predatory malice. Crude armor clung to their bodies, and rusted weapons dangled from clawed hands.
From the hallway, I heard Ojas swear.
Fox-like creatures—lean, fast, and sharp-eyed—were emerging from the other portal.
Ojas grabbed the cricket bat leaning against the wall.
I tightened my grip on the cigar cutter in my hand.
No words were exchanged.
We both understood.
The battle had begun.
Seven creatures stepped fully into my room.
The tallest one—clearly the leader—stood slightly shorter than me, muscles corded beneath scaled flesh.
The leader charged first, swinging a crude club toward my skull.
I reacted on instinct.
I hurled the burning cigar straight at his face.
He flinched.
That was all I needed.
I lunged forward and drove the cigar cutter into his eye.
There was a wet crunch.
The creature collapsed instantly, twitching as black blood spilled across the floor.
For a heartbeat, the remaining creatures froze.
Shock.
Terror.
Then their expressions twisted into pure fury.
They had assumed I was already dead.
They were wrong.
All of them—except the leader—went berserk and rushed me at once.
I ripped the club from the dead creature's hands and swung it with everything I had, crushing the skull of one trying to flank me.
Pain exploded in my body.
One bit into my leg.
Another clamped its jaws around my arm.
Two more slashed at me with claws.
I forced myself backward, tearing free.
Ignoring the pain, I smashed the club downward, killing the one biting my leg. Its skull burst like rotten fruit.
The others shrieked.
One of them hurled an assassin's knife at me.
I grabbed the creature still biting my arm and used its body as a shield.
The knife buried itself deep into its head.
I didn't hesitate.
I ripped the knife free and drove it into the throat of the last attacker, twisting until life left its eyes.
It had all happened too fast.
The leader hadn't even moved.
Now it was just him and me.
I knew better than to try brute force. He was stronger.
So I gambled.
I struck him where no man—or monster—should ever be struck.
The effect was immediate.
He howled and doubled over.
I stepped forward and plunged the knife into his eyes, then raised the club and smashed his skull repeatedly until nothing recognizable remained.
Silence.
Blood coated the floor. My breath came ragged.
Then something impossible happened.
My wounds began to heal.
Bite marks closed. Flesh knitted itself together. Pain faded as if it had never existed.
Before I could process it, the screen appeared again.
> [Congratulations, Human.
You are the first to pass the Test for the Baptism of Supreme Qi.
Baptism will begin shortly.
You are advised to brace for pain and not lose consciousness.]
The message vanished.
Then the pain came.
It was beyond agony.
It felt as if my body was being crushed, torn apart, and burned simultaneously, inside and out. I screamed—but no sound came out.
Darkness swallowed me.
---
I woke up in an unknown space.
Endless. Silent.
The screen floated before me once more.
Name : Shreyash
Race : Human
Level : 7
Evolver : Unranked Evolver
(You may obtain a rank after selecting a species
and completing your Rank Mission)
Stats:
Health : 150 / 150
Strength : 70
Agility : 65
Stamina : 65
S. Qi : 80
(Supreme Qi will be referred to as S. Qi)
I stared at it, stunned.
A single thought crossed my mind.
What the hell am I supposed to call this thing… and how do I summon it?
The answer came instantly.
> [You may call me the Primordial System.
Simply think of me, and I will manifest.]
I frowned and asked if there was anything else I needed to know.
> [The System possesses functions such as Inventory, Market, and Auxiliary Interfaces.
However, you will not require them.
Your inherent abilities are… special.]
That raised more questions.
"What were normal human stats before this baptism?"
> [Average humans possessed stats ranging from 5 to 7.
Individuals in exceptional physical condition reached up to 10.
None exceeded that threshold.]
It paused.
> [Your pre-baptism stats averaged 8.5.]
That shocked me.
The last question formed in my mind.
"What exactly is Supreme Qi… and what are my inherent abilities?"
The response came immediately.
> [It is quite intelligent of you to ask such questions at last.]
The tone was unmistakable.
Sarcastic.
My blood ran cold.
I had assumed the System was mechanical.
I was wrong.
This thing…
was conscious.
And whatever had just begun—
—it was far from normal.