Carter had never felt stronger—
and never more afraid.
Every muscle hummed with new potential, but the real change wasn't physical.
It was the fire in his chest.
Purpose. Direction. A reason to fight.
Two days ago, he'd died screaming in the Windspire Rift.
Today, he was going back.
But this time, he wasn't walking in blind.
---
The moment he got home, he locked his bedroom door, tossed his bag aside, and summoned the interface.
It appeared instantly, crisp and bright.
> [LEVEL: 2]
> [STAT POINTS: 1]
> [SKILL: Energy Slash (Lv.1)]
> [NEXT QUEST UNLOCKS AT LEVEL 3]
> [Inventory: Rusted Dagger | Bone Shard (1) | Feral Tissue (1)]
He focused on Energy Slash.
His fingers tingled—like static gathering beneath his skin.
The dagger in his hand vibrated faintly, humming with invisible force.
He slashed.
A streak of kinetic energy ripped through the air, carving a thin line into the drywall.
Carter froze.
"…Holy crap."
He pointed at an old notebook on his desk.
Another slash.
Thoom.
The notebook split cleanly in half, pages fluttering like wounded birds.
For the first time in his life, Carter Kane wasn't powerless.
He could fight back.
---
The next morning, he skipped breakfast and headed toward the rail yard.
Past rusted tracks and abandoned warehouses lay a decommissioned Rift—sealed years ago, forgotten by the city, but still leaking unstable mana.
The barrier seals were cracked.
The air shimmered like a mirage.
Perfect.
> [ENTRY: Phantom Fragment – Tier E Instance]
> Enemies Detected: Lesser Wraith (x1)
> Warning: Field Instability > 50%
His hand hovered over the prompt.
Two days ago, he wouldn't have dared step inside.
Now?
He tapped YES.
The world twisted.
Gravity lurched sideways.
His stomach flipped as the ground dissolved beneath him.
Then—silence.
---
Inside, it was night.
Not normal night—
a void-black sky with no stars, no moon, no horizon.
Mist curled around broken statues and half-formed ruins, like memories of a world that never finished loading.
The System chimed softly.
> [NEW THREAT IDENTIFIED: Lesser Wraith – Level 3]
> HP: 85/85
> Weakness: Light-based attacks
> Resistant to Physical Damage
The wraith hovered ahead, its form shifting like smoke trapped in a humanoid shape.
Its face was a hollow blur.
Its presence made the air colder.
Carter crouched low, dagger ready, breath steady.
He couldn't overpower it.
But he didn't need to.
He had speed.
He had Energy Slash.
And he had something he didn't have before—
A second chance.
He sprinted into the mist, circling behind a cracked pillar.
The wraith turned, confused by the sudden echo of footsteps.
Carter stepped from the fog—silent, precise—and struck.
Energy Slash!
A burst of kinetic force shot from his blade, tearing through the wraith's incorporeal body.
> [CRITICAL HIT – 40 DMG]
The wraith shrieked, twisting violently.
It dove at him, claws extended.
Carter rolled aside, slashing upward.
> [10 DMG]
> [Lesser Wraith – HP: 35/85]
Not enough.
Not nearly enough.
The wraith unleashed a burst of shadow.
Carter dodged—mostly.
The edge of the blast clipped his leg, sending pain shooting up his calf.
He stumbled.
The wraith raised its arms, forming a spear of darkness.
> [WARNING: Incoming High-Tier Skill: Void Impale]
Carter's heart pounded.
His dagger—his only weapon—was cracked from the last block.
He braced.
The wraith struck.
Carter blocked—
CRACK.
The dagger shattered.
"Damn it—!"
His back slammed against a statue base.
The wraith loomed over him, spear poised.
Energy Slash cooldown: 5 seconds… 4…
He had nothing.
No weapon.
No time.
No hope—
Except instinct.
He grabbed the broken dagger hilt—still faintly glowing—and thrust it forward just as the System chimed.
> [Energy Slash – Ready]
> [Overclock Mode Activated]
> [STAT COMPRESSION – TEMPORARY BUFF: +20% AGILITY]
Time stretched.
His heartbeat slowed.
The world sharpened.
Every detail—mist, stone, shadow—became painfully clear.
He lunged.
The broken blade pulsed with kinetic force—raw, desperate, amplified by the Overclock.
The slash collided with the shadow spear—
and shattered it.
A final surge of force ripped through the wraith.
Silence.
Then—
> [ENEMY DEFEATED – Lesser Wraith]
> [+150 XP]
> [+2 STAT POINTS]
> [LEVEL UP – Level 3 Achieved]
> [New Quest Unlocked: The Spark]
> [Energy Slash (Lv.2)]
> [Inventory Updated: Echo Shard (Rare)]
Carter collapsed to his knees, gasping, smoke rising from the broken dagger hilt in his hand.
He'd done it.
He'd actually done it.
---
Back in his room that night, Carter stared at the glowing interface.
> [LEVEL: 3]
> [Available Points: 2]
> [New Passive Detected: Adaptive Core – Rank F]
> Enhances user's ability to evolve skills and synchronize with unstable System code.
His fingers hovered over the stat screen.
He dumped both points into Perception.
The world sharpened instantly—sounds clearer, movements easier to track, air currents brushing against his skin like whispers.
Then the next quest appeared.
> [New Quest: The Spark]
> Locate a Core Catalyst to begin class evolution.
> Reward: Hidden Class Selection
Carter leaned back, breath steady, a slow smile forming.
Two days ago, he was the weakest student in Eastbridge.
Now he was evolving.
And tomorrow, he would return to the Windspire Rift—
not as prey,
not as dead weight,
but as the only person in the world with the System Reboot.