The screen hovered in front of him, translucent and impossible to ignore.
Carter blinked hard. Rubbed his eyes. Even tossed a pen straight through it.
The interface didn't flicker.
It stayed.
> [SYSTEM REBOOT – ACTIVE]
> [STATUS: Reincarnated User]
> [QUEST LOG – Initialized]
> [SKILL TREE – Locked]
> [CLASS – Undefined]
> [LEVEL – 1]
> Welcome back, Carter Kane.
His pulse hammered against his ribs. "This… this can't be real."
But the sunlight streaming through his cracked window was real.
The faint hum of traffic outside was real.
And the date on his phone—Monday, May 2nd—was very real.
Two days before Windspire.
Two days before he died.
A cold shiver crawled down his spine.
He stumbled to his drawer, yanked it open, and pulled out his school badge.
"Unranked – Hunter Candidate."
Same curled plastic edges. Same soda stain Lucas left on it.
No hallucination.
No dream.
A reset.
And this time, he wasn't empty-handed.
---
The school halls felt different now.
People still brushed past him like he didn't exist, but he barely noticed.
There was a strange clarity in his mind, like someone had wiped dust off the world.
Every blink brought the HUD back into view—floating panels, pulsing icons, a Quest tab glowing softly.
> [QUEST: First Blood]
> Defeat 1 dungeon monster
> Reward: +100 XP | +1 Stat Point | Unlock Starter Skill
Carter exhaled slowly.
Two days.
Two days to change everything.
---
He slipped out during lunch, backpack slung over one shoulder.
The east edge of town was a graveyard of half-finished construction sites and collapsed Rift nodes—places where dungeons had tried to form but never fully stabilized. Dangerous. Unregulated. Forgotten.
Perfect.
Behind an abandoned gas station, he found what he was looking for: a shimmering distortion in the air, like heat waves bending reality.
> [UNSTABLE FIELD DETECTED]
> Enter Instance: YES / NO
His throat tightened.
He tapped YES.
The world warped.
Gravity twisted.
His ears popped as the ground dissolved beneath him.
Then—silence.
---
The dungeon was small, barely more than a corridor.
Gray stone walls flickered like glitching textures.
Moisture dripped from the ceiling in slow, unnatural patterns.
The air buzzed with static, as if the place was struggling to exist.
Something skittered.
Carter froze.
A rat emerged from the shadows—but not a normal one.
Its eyes glowed sickly green, and jagged bone plates jutted from its spine like armor.
It hissed, saliva sizzling on the stone.
> [ENEMY: Bonefang Rat – Level 2]
> HP: 45/45
> Type: Beast / Corrupted
> Drops: Bone Shard, Feral Tissue
It lunged.
Carter barely dodged, stumbling backward.
Claws raked across his arm—fabric tearing, skin burning.
Pain shot through him.
Real pain.
His breath hitched.
This wasn't a simulation.
This was life or death.
He fumbled for the rusty dagger in his pack—the same useless blade he'd carried in Windspire.
His hands shook violently.
The rat charged again.
He swung. Missed.
It hissed, faster now, more aggressive.
He swung again—this time the blade scraped across its side.
> [5 DMG DEALT]
> [ENEMY HP: 40/45]
The rat shrieked, enraged.
It leapt.
Carter ducked on instinct, thrusting upward with every ounce of fear and adrenaline in his body.
The dagger pierced bone.
A crack echoed through the corridor.
> [CRITICAL HIT – 45 DMG]
> [ENEMY DEFEATED]
> [+100 XP]
> [+1 STAT POINT]
> [NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: Energy Slash (Lv.1)]
> [QUEST COMPLETE: First Blood]
The rat collapsed.
Carter sagged against the wall, chest heaving, arm throbbing.
He'd done it.
He'd actually done it.
---
The interface shimmered again.
> [LEVEL UP: Carter Kane – Level 2]
> Choose 1 Stat to Improve
He hesitated only a moment before selecting Agility.
Warmth surged through his limbs, light and electric.
His muscles felt tighter.
His movements sharper.
> [Skill Acquired: Energy Slash (Lv.1)]
> A short-range burst of kinetic force.
> Damage scales with Speed.
> Cooldown: 10 seconds.
A grin tugged at his lips.
This was real.
He was changing.
---
Back at school, no one noticed the dried blood beneath his sleeve or the bandage taped to his arm.
No one noticed the way he walked differently—lighter, more aware.
He didn't care.
As he moved through the hall, the System chimed again.
> [NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
> Quest: The Butterfly Effect
> Survive the Windspire Raid
> Bonus Objective: Prevent more than 3 deaths
> Reward: Unique Title | Access to Memory Log
Carter stared at the glowing text.
He wasn't just reliving his past.
The System wanted him to rewrite it.