Chapter 3: The Twenty-Four-Hour Trial
Samuel stood in his apartment, staring at the faintly glowing interface that hovered in the air. The room smelled like instant noodles, damp plaster, and electrical ozone strangely sharper now, more defined. It was as if the world had come into focus for the first time in his life.
His fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the floating text.
> Quest Activated: SURVIVE THE NEXT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS
Objective: Avoid death and external shutdown.
System Stability: 43%
Reward upon success: Class Unlock + System Integration Bonus
> Time Remaining: 23:59:58
The clock had started ticking.
Samuel turned away from the interface and moved through his apartment on instinct, locking the door again even though it was already sealed. The metal clicked loudly in the quiet. Outside, the sounds of Novus—distant sirens, rumbling transit tubes, random shouts—filtered in like the hum of an electric beehive. He checked his window. The drone that had been monitoring him earlier was gone. Or maybe cloaked. Either way, the warning had vanished.
He slumped onto the edge of his bed, the cracked mattress groaning under his weight. He wasn't hurt. Not really. Not anymore. The stab wound, the pain, even the bruises—they were all gone. Like they'd been erased. Rewritten.
His eyes drifted back to the hovering interface. This wasn't just some hallucination. He could feel it in his veins, in the weight of his body, in the way the world reacted to him now. He had crossed a threshold—and there was no turning back.
He exhaled slowly. "What do I do now?"
> Tip: The system thrives on engagement. Grow stronger by learning, adapting, and pushing beyond your current limits.
The words appeared in a gentle glow across his vision. Not cold. Not robotic. Almost... guiding. The system didn't feel hostile. Not yet. But it was watching. Evaluating.
He reached up and called the interface manually. The menu expanded smoothly.
[Status] | [Skills] | [Inventory] | [Quests] | [System Log]
He focused on [Status].
> Samuel Gray
Class: Unbound (Provisional)
Level: 1
XP: 20 / 100
HP: 70 / 100
MP: 10 / 10
Stamina: 100 / 100
Attributes:
Strength: 5
Vitality: 4
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 7
Traits:
Awakened Soul (Passive) — Immune to artificial mental suppression.
Survivor's Instinct (Passive) — Gain early warning against life-threatening danger.
Skills:
Pulse Scan (F) — Reveals nearby electronic threats or anomalies.
Adaptive Echo Form (F) — Enables muscle memory synchronization with basic enemy patterns during combat.
> Integration Progress: 11%
Next Reward at 25%
"Okay," he muttered, "So I have... a system. A real system. With skills. Levels. Traits." He rubbed his eyes. "What the hell is this, some kind of simulation?"
As if in response, a faint vibration rippled through his bones.
> System Integration Alert: Proximity sensor triggered. Entity approaching.
Samuel bolted upright.
He rushed to the window, using Pulse Scan. A ripple of bluish force shimmered outward from his body, invisible to the world but sharp in his perception.
There down the street was a red outline. Humanoid. Standing far too still to be natural. Watching his building.
"Another drone? No. Too tall. Human."
> Optional Objective: Investigate hostile observer.
Risk: Unknown
Reward: Combat Data + 30 XP
He clenched his fists. He had two options: wait and hope they went away, or act.
Something deep inside him something new rejected the idea of running.
Samuel stepped out into the cold, neon-streaked streets of Novus. His breath curled in the air, but he barely felt it. His heartbeat had steadied. His vision was clearer. His footfalls lighter.
He moved like someone different.
Down the alley. Around the corner.
The figure was still there. Cloaked. Masked. Standing under a broken streetlamp. A long black coat fluttered faintly in the wind. Samuel crouched behind a rusted dumpster, narrowing his eyes.
> Skill Acquired: Observe (F) Allows surface-level analysis of targets.
He activated it immediately.
> [UNKNOWN ENTITY]
Designation: Seeker-class Operative
Affiliation: Red Shadow Protocol
Status: Monitoring. Passive. Armed.
Danger Rating: Moderate
Detection Risk: 40%
"Red Shadow?" Samuel whispered. He didn't know what that was, but it didn't sound friendly.
Suddenly, the figure moved. His head snapped directly toward Samuel's hiding place.
> Detection Confirmed.
Initiating combat protocol…
The world slowed.
> New Quest: SURVIVE COMBAT - PHASE 1
Objective: Evade or neutralize Seeker-class threat.
Reward: Combat Boost + 50 XP
Samuel leapt backward just as the wall beside him exploded from a concussive pulse blast. The figure was fast, inhumanly fast, closing the distance with fluid, precise steps. He raised a sleek arm that transformed into a rifle-like attachment.
Samuel didn't think. He moved.
Adaptive Echo Form activated instantly, guiding his limbs. He ducked under another pulse shot, sprinted behind a crate, then swept a broken pipe off the ground.
"Let's test this," he whispered.
The attacker lunged forward.
Samuel met the strike head-on redirecting the blow just as the memory of the simulation had taught him. He was still weaker, still slower, but the system compensated. Every second of survival fed his instincts. And then
Counterstrike Triggered.
He slammed the pipe into the side of the operative's mask. Sparks flew. The figure staggered.
> Weak Point Discovered. Damage x1.5 Applied.
XP Gained: +15
Stamina: 60/100
But it wasn't over.
The operative recalibrated instantly, raising his weapon again. Samuel dropped low, sweeping the legs, and dove into a roll. As he turned, the pipe met the back of the Seeker's knee joint with a sickening crunch.
> Victory Condition Met: Target Temporarily Disabled.
Quest Complete.
+50 XP
New Skill Unlocked: Momentum Shift (F)
Level Up! Samuel Gray is now Level 2.
Samuel gasped. The figure writhed, sparking, then deactivated with a fizzing hiss of steam. He stepped back, heart thundering, coated in sweat.
"I... I won?"
> Integration Progress: 23%
Time Remaining: 17:42:11
He had survived.
But it was only the beginning.
Samuel stared down at the defeated enemy, then looked toward the black skyline of Novus City. Somewhere above, a storm brewed. Not rainbbut change.
Something wanted him dead before he even understood what he had become.
He clenched his fists.
"Well," he muttered, voice steadying, "Come and try."