In the void between "1" and "0," the pain vanished. Arata no longer saw the woman in the suit, only his uncle's dusty workshop. The smell of oil and metal was more real than the blood in his mouth. The old man didn't look up from the workbench; his voice was raspy.
— What do you fight for, Arata? — his uncle's question cut through the silence. — The world will try to crush you like concrete. No one will stop you if you decide you are unstoppable.
Arata tried to answer, but his throat was still raw.
— Don't fear the pain — his uncle finally faced him, eyes tired but firm. — Prepare for the impossible. If the system says you're dead, recreate the definition of life. Be the best, or be nothing.
The uncle's image began to decompose into blue pixels.
— Choose to fight, boy. Choose who you will be in a world full of chaos and kindness.
[System being restored to the host...][Restarting…]
My eyes open amidst the smell of air pollution and the constant scent of smoke. Lying on the floor on an old rug, I sit up and look around. A rooftop where I can see the surrounding buildings and houses; some are destroyed or worn down by time. I realized my voice and body were recreated by something, perhaps by the system. I looked around and…
I noticed a figure sitting on the edge of the parapet. It was the same woman from before, her black hair blowing in the breeze. I could only see her back, but something was strange: she only had one arm. As I approached, my footsteps made noise, making her turn quickly. Our eyes locked, and I saw she was missing an eye. Before, she looked perfect; now, almost nothing remained.
— Finally awake. I thought you'd sleep until nightfall — she said with disturbing calmness. — We have work to do. First, let's do the introductions. I am Ren Ashi, daughter of Ashi, the leader of the Architects.
— What do you mean, "Architects"? — I asked, confused. — And wait... you already know me, don't you?
— You really don't know anything, do you? — She stands up, giving me a small punch on the chest. — This world has existed for a long time, and you appeared in the era of the "Architect Revolution." This means the Architect class discovered a new way to evolve: a liquid that is forbidden in Classes City.
— Wait, what? Are you telling me the people with the Architect class evolved because of some drug? And there's a city with the ridiculous name of Classes City?
— I'll explain it simply. We are in the city of Tokyo. A few kilometers from here, the society living in this world created that city. Many things are forbidden there, especially drugs; a cigarette there is like a virus entering your computer and corrupting it.
— But how does that work? It makes no sense!
— Continuing... the things you defined as right and wrong in our old Japan are totally different now in this world.
I tried to process everything, but asked: — One question: how did you revive me? Because I died. And you have a system too!
— Interesting... — she commented. — There are classifications of people in this world: the Classes. That's when the system appears for someone. And then there's the beyond: those with modifications or mutations. For example, you mentioned the system; I have one, and you must have one too. My interface might look the same, but ours are not identical. There are those who choose classes, the "Awakened," and those who go beyond that, the mutants. Each has different abilities.
— I have a question... my old neighbor was a black, cubic figure. He made a static noise all the time and the system called him "Corrupted."
— Those are the monsters that exist in this world. They are extremely dangerous for the unawakened because a single touch will turn you into a corrupted as well.
I stared at her face, trying not to show gratitude. — Another thing: I read your system's mission and understood it was mandatory, or you'd die. But I won't be your little friend so easily; I'm only using you to get information about this world. And why are you missing an arm and an eye?
— My damn system wanted to save you for some reason using my secret ability that I was keeping for myself. I sacrifice two limbs for "something" to eat, and in exchange, that entity resurrects someone or the host of the ability. However, the ability disappears after use. But I wanted to know one thing: why were you with those women? And why didn't you help us sooner?
— Don't get me wrong. I had no intention of helping you; the system asked, so I went. I only haven't killed you yet because it would be useless to resurrect you just to kill you again. And those women were being watched by me and my group.
I felt a mix of anger and empathy. — Ren Ashi, right? So... where are we going now?
— Wait a bit. I'm not taking you with me before we perform an evolution on you. Your shirt is torn, your shorts don't even look like shorts, and your shoes are full of holes. After that, we go to my hideout.
— Wait, you have a hideout?!
[30 minutes later]
We walked to the vicinity of an old warehouse in the heart of Tokyo. Across the street, there's a house completely open; on the right and left, two buildings surround the warehouse like sentinels. At the entrance, there's a heavy gate that Ren pulls open with her hand.
— Come on. Get in.
The view wasn't very pleasant, but it was incredible in its own way. It was a spacious place, fully lit inside. Right after the entrance, there was a sofa with a potted plant next to it. To the left was an improvised boxing ring, surrounded by weightlifting equipment. Suddenly, we heard two doors opening on the right wall. A man and a girl came out—he from the bathroom and the girl from an office.
— Get ready, we have a new guest — Ren exclaimed.
They weren't even curious about me and immediately asked her: — BOSS! What happened to you? You look like shredded chicken!
While they argued, I touched the equipment and looked around with curiosity. I sat on a machine to test it, and someone stopped in front of me, blocking my view.
— Hey. Get out of my spot — he exclaimed in a cold, emotionless voice.
Involuntarily, the [Architect's Eye] activated. Possible codes were seen floating around him; I had never seen anything like it. I stood up calmly to face him: a young man with white hair, a charming suit, and a scar on his nose. He could be mistaken for a runway model.
— Are you going to just stand there checking me out, or are you going to let me train in peace?
— My bad... but actually, kid, you should be more polite to strangers you just met.
— And what if I don't want to?
He locked eyes with me, but Ren interrupted, asking about the conflict. I turned to her: — This guy doesn't know that I'm fucking awesome.
— You? Haha, tell another one — he laughed sarcastically.
I noticed the others behind Ren: a young girl with purple hair and glasses, and a man in a wheelchair watching me. Ren poked me with her finger: — Here's the deal: you have no choice. Either you stay and help us with the mission, or I kill you right now—unless the system interrupts.
I looked down, just nodding my head, getting the message. We went to a room with a TV and a central table.
— Right. Classes City has a wall and an entrance — Ren explained. — We don't want to invade; otherwise, we'll start a war. We'll enter normally, but we need an ID card for each of us. ID production is handled by gangs: The Circus, where Arata was; The Elites; and The Fed*, which is the gang of our leader who is currently captured in Classes City. We need to get in and help him. And find where the Architects Group is in the City so we can join forces and defeat whoever runs the place.
I raised my hand with a doubt: — I still don't get it. Is everyone here an Awakened? Like you said, Ren. Do they have the system?
— It's only me, you, and Kai who have our own systems — Ren explained. — Penny is an Awakened but without mutation, which means no system. And Chad is the…
— I'm your fucking hacker! — Chad raised his hand enthusiastically, cutting Ren off. — I'm the guy in the chair! Believe it!
— The plan is to go undercover into The Circus gang and find the room where they make the ID cards. That building where you were was just a facade. The real objective is a building called "The Banker." We'll go through the rooftop of the building next to it and jump to our target. We'll enter from the top, go down to the last floor, and find the gate to the Banker. They say there are secret labs down there.
Everyone stood up. Looking at their backs, I could finally feel comfortable fitting in with this group. I wanted to save my squad from Uiyiki, but there's no use crying over spilled milk. We're going to borrow those cards and enter this "Classes City!"