Rain patters lightly around me. It falls


    slowly, tiny rivulets flowing down my


    back and over my shoulders. My body aches, and I don''t want to open my eyes just yet. Something soft and damp presses against my legs, but I can''t bring myself to move.


    Three sharp beeps crash against the


    silence, sending spikes of pain


    through my skull. I wince and, with tremendous effort, crack one eye open.


    A silver screen flickers into existence


    in front of me.


    ERROR HAS TAKEN NOTICE OF YOU.


    QUEST ISSUED.


    PROVE YOUR WORTH:


    OBJECTIVES: STAND UP


    REWARDS: CLASS CHANGE


    What? What is this? I try to move my


    hand toward the screen, but my arm


    refuses to budge. Paralyzed? No, that


    can''t be right--I can still feel the rain.


    The screen flickers, vanishing for a


    split second before reappearing, its


    glow pulsing faintly. But in that brief


    moment, I see something that freezes


    my blood.


    A corpse''s face-wrenched into a


    mask of terror


    My breath catches. The screen


    flickers again. The face reappears


    Again. Again. Again. Familiar. Too


    familiar.


    Minutes pass. Or hours? The rain


    stops. A faint warmth trickles into my


    fingertips.


    Movement. A small twitch. Then


    another. I focus, forcing my fingers to


    curl. It takes a dozen tries before I


    manage to form a weak fist.


    Pain bites through my arm as I reach


    toward the screen. My hand passes


    through=


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    -and lands on cold, lifeless flesh.


    A corpse''s face.


    I jerk my hand back, biting down a


    gasp. Pain flares in my aching limbs,


    but it''s nothing compared to the ice


    spreading through my veins


    The screen fades slowly. This time, it doesn''t return. With effort, I turn my head away from the corpse. My neck pops multiple times as I force myself onto my side. It''s no better on this side. Only more corpses. I look down at what''s pressing against my legs-only to see the mound rise higher above me.


    I tear my gaze away from the corpses


    but my view is immediately swallowed


    by dense fog. I try to pull my legs free, but I don''t have the strength. A sharp beep pierces the silence as the silver screen flashes into my vision.


    CURRENT STRENGTH: 1


    It disappears just as quickly as it comes. Strength? Does this mean I have other stats? Another beep. The screen blinks into existence again.


    CURRENT STATS:


    MAX HP: 1


    MAX MANA: 0


    MANA REGENERATION: 0


    STRENGTH: 1


    DURABILITY: 1


    AGILITY: 1


    LUCK: 0


    The screen fades again just as I finish


    reading. What are these stats? They''re terrible. I wait, hoping the screen will provide an answer, but it stays silent.


    This isn''t the best situation, but at least I''m not in immediate danger.


    As if on cue, I hear a distant howl. Laugh? Scream? I''m not sure. It starts high-pitched before warbling into something deeper.


    I can''t tell if it''s getting closer, but with all this meat around me, it''s only a matter of time before something hungry comes to investigate.


    I turn onto my back, grab my knee with both hands, and give it a sharp tug. My skin is still damp from the rain, making it slippery and difficult to pull free. It takes a few tries, but my first leg finally comes loose.


    The second is easier, and with nothing left pinning me down, I slide ungracefully down the pile of corpses. Thankfully, it isn''t a far drop, and more bodies cushion the fall.


    I pull myself upright, using the corpses for support. Three sharp beeps. The screen blinks to life once more.


    QUEST COMPLETE.


    YOU''VE BEEN AWARDED THE CLASS: ERROR.


    YOU''VE REACHED LEVEL 1


    YOUR STATS HAVE INCREASED.


    MAX HP 1>2


    MAX MANA 0>50


    MANA REGENERATION 0>0.5


    STRENGTH 1>5


    DURABILITY 1>10


    AGILITY 1>5


    LUCK 0>1


    YOU''VE GAINED A SKILL


    YOU''VE GAINED A SKILL


    YOU''VE GAINED A SKILL


    ACTIVE SKILLS [1/10]


    TIER 1


    MANA GEYSER: CAUSES A MAGICAL EXPLOSION USING PURE MANA.


    DAMAGE: 1 per MANA USED × SKILL LEVEL


    RANGE: 1ft × SKILL LEVEL


    COST: 100% CURRENT MANA


    PASSIVE SKILLS [1/10]


    TIER 1


    MANA VAULT[1/100]: MULTIPLIES MAX MANA BY 1 × SKILL LEVEL.


    MANA CONVERSION[1/100] WHEN MANA POOL IS FULL COVERTS 1% MANA REGENERATION INTO HP.


    It takes me a few seconds to read through everything, but even longer to process it. The skills are great, and I can already feel strength flooding through my body. But my HP… If I get killed in one hit, nothing else matters.


    I take a few steps away from the pile of corpses before looking back. I''m completely naked. So are they. I don''t think I''m gonna find any equipment here. I hesitate. Just walking into the fog unarmed and bare-cheeked doesn''t sound appealing.


    I glance back at the pile, hoping against the odds that I missed something. Nope. I guess that point in Luck isn''t high enough to help here.


    I step forward into the fog.


    At least I have some kind of attack. Even though the range is awful, I wouldn''t want anything getting close enough to hit me.


    That warbling howl again. I stiffen and promptly alter my course to get further away. It sounds closer this time.


    I pick up the pace. Not quite running—I can''t see far ahead, and I don''t want to risk running blind.


    After a few minutes of power walking through the fog, a sudden beep startles me.


    QUEST ISSUED.


    FIND SOME EQUIPMENT:


    OBJECTIVES:


    FIND CLOTHES [0/1]


    FIND WEAPON [0/1]


    REWARDS: ACTIVE SKILL.


    I stop in my tracks. My eyes widen. I can get another skill just for doing something I was gonna do anyway I''m starting to like this system already. A grin tugs at my lips as I start walking again.


    The ground is soft and soggy. Each footfall sinks slightly, squishing softly.


    Squish. Squish. Squish.


    A prickling unease crawls down my spine. Then— squish. A single footstep. Behind me. I whip around—only to be met with fog. I stare into the mist for minutes.


    Waiting.


    Just as I''m about to turn away, something catches my eye. A glimmer in the fog. I squint, trying to focus. But that''s all I can make out. I take a hesitant step forward. Nothing happens. Another step. Then another. The glimmer grows closer. A shape begins to form. Knee height.


    I freeze. I don''t know what this thing is. And I don''t want to find out. I take a step back. It lunges. Either it was closer than I thought—or it''s far faster than my eyes can track. Instinct kicks in. "MANA GEYSER."


    A blinding explosion erupts as the creature crashes into me. The impact hammers me into the ground.


    WARNING: HP LOW. [0.1/2]


    WARNING: MANA LOW. [0/50]


    SKILL LEVEL UP!


    MANA GEYSER [2/100]


    EXP GAINED: [52/100]


    I stare at the silver screen, dazed. My skin burns. The scent of cooked flesh fills the air. Mine? Or the creature''s? Minutes pass. Agonizing. Then—relief. Slight. But there. A few more minutes, and I drag myself upright.


    The ground glistens red beneath me. I don''t think there''s anything left of that creature.


    I look down at my body. It''s pink and dry, and i can see a few burns healing over. I smile. At least, i won''t cripple myself if i use my skill. A sharp long beep followed by three shorter beeps as the screen appears again.


    WARNING... ERROR... SYSTEM OVERIDE IN PROGRESS... ERROR...


    I freeze. The air around me feels wrong...