Mike stared at the lines of code on his monitor, blinking slowly.
The product demo was tomorrow.
Which meant tonight would be long.
The office around him was alive with quiet tension—keyboards clicking, half-empty coffee cups scattered across desks, muted discussions drifting through the open workspace. He adjusted his glasses and leaned back slightly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
A well-paying tech job.A respected position.A life that looked stable from the outside.
And an apartment that felt far too empty when he went home.
Last summer, his grandmother had passed away.
She had been the last piece of family he had left—after his parents disappeared years ago when their flight from New York to Australia vanished somewhere near the polar routes. No wreckage. No answers. Just an official declaration of death and a silence that never really went away.
Mike shook the thought aside.
Now wasn't the time.
"Hey," Maya's voice cut in, light but focused. "Did you push the final changes?"
He turned his chair slightly. Maya stood beside his desk, tablet in hand. At twenty-six, she was already the team lead—and the owner's daughter—but she never acted like it. To Mike, she was just… Maya. Someone he could talk to. Someone who treated him like an equal.
"Just finishing the edge cases," he replied. "Give me ten minutes."
She smiled. "Take fifteen. I trust you."
That trust warmed him more than he expected.
Before he could respond, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the world froze.
Every sound vanished.
Every screen went black.
And a voice—cold, vast, and utterly inhuman—echoed everywhere at once.
"Attention, Humans.""Planet Earth has been selected for Integration.""You are the 365th universe to enter the System.""All humans will be transferred to System Space for class selection."
Mike's heart slammed against his ribs.
No…
This wasn't possible.
The novels he'd read in high school—this was fiction. Entertainment. Power fantasies.
The office dissolved into darkness.
When Mike opened his eyes, he was no longer in the office.
He stood in a vast white space with no visible walls, floor, or ceiling. In front of him was a woman—or something shaped like one—dressed in pristine white. Her face was human, but her eyes were empty, movements precise. Mechanical.
"Where am I?" Mike demanded. "What is this place?"
"This is System Space," the being replied. "You are Human ID 23000104. You have one hour to select your initial class. Failure to do so will result in a classless state."
Mike swallowed.
So it's real.
"What are you?" he asked.
"I am an Axiomite. A helper entity bound to the System."
"Why is this happening now?"
"This information is restricted."
Figures.
A translucent screen materialized in front of him.
Initial Class Selection Available
Warrior – Balanced melee combatant
Archer – Ranged precision specialist
Mage – Elemental spellcaster
Healer – Recovery and support
Mike exhaled slowly.
If monsters were coming—and he knew they were—then standing behind others wasn't an option.
"I choose Warrior."
"Choice confirmed."
The screen shifted.
Class Selected: WarriorSkill Acquired: Basic Weapon Mastery
A timer appeared in the corner of his vision.
Integration Phase One: 40 minutes remaining
Another screen followed.
Name: MikeClass: WarriorHP: 120/120Strength: 10Agility: 8Vitality: 12Mana: 13Luck: 12Charisma: 9 (Unmodifiable)
Stat Point: 0
Mike flexed his fingers.
His vision was sharper. His body felt lighter.
"My eyesight," he muttered. "It's… fixed."
"The System optimizes all integrated beings," the Axiomite said. "You will be restored to peak condition."
Mike looked at the timer again.
Forty minutes.
Somewhere, Earth was changing.
And when he returned—
Nothing would ever be the same.