Rain streaked the cracked stones of the abandoned alley, masking the stench of decay. Ryn Valloren lay face-down, his body trembling, weak from hunger and exhaustion. His vision blurred, memories of a life once lived hazily flickering—fragments of powerless days, endless failures, and a world where strength meant survival.
A low growl broke the silence. Shadows twisted along the walls, forming grotesque figures with eyes that glowed like embers. Monsters. They came from the rift—a tear in reality that had opened yesterday, swallowing the city in chaos. Ordinary humans screamed, ran, died.
Ryn's hands shook as he struggled to stand. Pain lanced through his limbs, but instinct screamed louder. He staggered forward. I can't die here.
A black void flickered before his eyes—a voice, metallic, emotionless, yet undeniably present:
"SYSTEM ACTIVATED. OWNER: RYN VALLoren. INITIAL STATS LOADED. QUEST AVAILABLE: SURVIVE THE FIRST NIGHT."
Ryn froze. His body tingled, a heat radiating from deep within, and numbers and bars flashed before him, hovering in the air: Strength 2, Agility 3, Mana 1.
"This… this isn't real…" he whispered.
The nearest shadow lunged. Ryn's hands moved on instinct. He swung at it, hard. The creature recoiled, screeching, its form unraveling like mist.
"QUEST COMPLETE. EXPERIENCE +5. STAT POINTS +1."
Ryn staggered back. He stared at the system interface, heart hammering. No one else could see this. No one else could know. The world outside was blind to the rules that now governed him.
Fear clawed at him—but excitement bloomed even stronger. A tool like this… no, this power… I could survive. I could rise.
Through the night, Ryn hunted, each shadowy monster falling beneath his untrained hands. Pain, fear, and adrenaline merged into a singular clarity: he would not be weak again. Every kill fed him—not just experience, but a cold, awakening certainty that strength was life, and life demanded domination.
By dawn, Ryn's body ached beyond reason, but his stats had climbed: Strength 4, Agility 5, Mana 3. He stood in the ruins of the alley, rain washing the blood and dirt from his skin, feeling… different.
A whisper of wind carried the system's words:
"NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: REACH LEVEL 10. REWARD: UNKNOWN. FAILURE: DEATH."
Ryn smirked, lifting his gaze to the horizon. The city lay in ruins, the rift still yawning. He had no allies. No guidance. But he had one thing no one else had—a system that could turn him from prey into predator.
And Ryn Valloren had just awakened.