The world was frozen.

  Rain hung in the air like shattered glass, each droplet trembling, unmoving. Kai stepped forward, his foot slicing cleanly through a suspended splash. It rippled, then froze again, as if reality itself was afraid to disobey the rules.

  His breathing echoed too loudly in the silent street.

  “Okay… okay…” he whispered, voice shaking. “This isn’t real.”

  But the pain in his chest was real.

  The cold fear crawling up his spine was real.

  The glowing panel floated closer, unblinking.

  [FIRST QUEST]

  SURVIVE.

  TIME LIMIT: 10 MINUTES.

  Kai’s stomach twisted.

  “Survive what?” he asked.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The answer came instantly.

  The streetlights shattered.

  Darkness poured out like a living thing, swallowing the frozen world. From the shadows, something moved — wrong, crawling in ways no human body should. The air stank of rot and wet metal.

  A figure stepped forward.

  No face.

  Too many limbs.

  Its shadow stretched toward Kai like grasping fingers.

  [WARNING]

  HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED]

  LEVEL: ???

  Kai staggered back. “You said I’m the player… so give me something! A weapon! A skill! Anything!”

  The System was silent.

  The creature screamed.

  It wasn’t sound — it was pressure, crushing his thoughts, dragging memories to the surface. Every insult. Every failure. Every night he’d gone to bed hungry, wondering why he existed at all.

  Kai collapsed to his knees.

  “I don’t want to die like this,” he whispered. “Not invisible… not again.”

  The monster lunged.

  Instinct took over. Kai rolled, the creature’s claws ripping through the spot where his head had been. Concrete exploded. His heart hammered so hard he thought it would burst.

  A new message flashed.

  [EMOTION THRESHOLD REACHED]

  [HIDDEN CONDITION MET]

  Pain flooded him — sharper than before, burning straight through his chest.

  He screamed.

  Not in fear.

  In rage.

  [UNIQUE SKILL UNLOCKED]

  [DESPERATION – Rank: ???]

  Effect: The weaker you are, the harder you refuse to fall.

  Kai felt it.

  His shaking stopped.

  His fear hardened into something colder.

  He stood.

  Blood dripped from his lip, but he smiled — small, broken, dangerous.

  “So… you picked the wrong prey.”

  He stepped toward the monster.

  The world shattered back into motion.

  And somewhere, deep within the System, something laughed.