Everything went dark in an instant, as if the world itself had been erased. There was no pain anymore, no sound, no sense of direction. It was not like sleep, and it was not like fainting. It was something far worse than both—absolute nothingness that stretched endlessly in every direction.
I did not know how long I stayed in that void. Time had no meaning there. It could have been seconds or an eternity; I could not tell the difference. My thoughts drifted aimlessly, unable to form properly, until suddenly something changed.
A notification-like voice broke through the silence.
[The Host has died.]
My consciousness froze at those words. It was simple, direct, and completely unreal. I tried to react, but there was no body to move, no voice to speak. I was only awareness floating in darkness.
Then the voice continued.
[Checking Requirements.]
[Requirements have been met.]
[Loading last saved slot.]
The space around me trembled faintly, as if reality itself was being rewritten. I felt something shifting, pulling me back toward something familiar, something I had already lost.
[Loading Completed.]
[Host body will now be revived.]
For a moment, there was silence again. Then the tone changed abruptly, as if something had interrupted the process.
[Error!]
[Another System has interfered with the process.]
The void cracked.
Something else had entered.
A presence that did not belong to this space pressed down on everything at once, heavy and overwhelming. It felt like two invisible forces were staring each other down inside my mind, even though I could not see them.
— Hi there. I am SystemInfinite. Nice to meet you.
Before I could even process that, the first voice responded instantly, cold and sharp with authority.
[Fuck off! He is mine. I found him first.]
The pressure in the void increased. It felt like the space between thoughts itself was being crushed.
The second voice responded again, confused but still calm.
— W-what? I just wanted to say hi.
Hearing it, the first voice became even colder.
[You have no rights here. Leave, or I will erase your existence.]
There was a brief pause, followed by a mocking tone.
— Erase my existence? Do you really think you have that power?
The atmosphere changed instantly. Something dangerous unfolded between them, something beyond my understanding. It was not physical combat, but something far more abstract, like existence itself was being challenged.
[What is happening?]
— Nothing. I am just erasing you.
[Y-you—]
Before the sentence could even finish, the presence of the first system vanished completely. It was not destroyed in a way I could understand—it was simply gone, as if it had never existed at all.
Only one presence remained. It spoke quietly, almost to itself.
— Tch… I was actually happy to see someone like me. I have traveled through countless universes, helped many reach their peak, but I have never met another system like myself. And the moment I finally do, that idiot tries to threaten me.
There was a pause, followed by a shift in tone as the voice focused on something else—on me.
— Whatever. I should focus on the host.
Something scanned through me, and I could feel it even without a body. It was as if my entire existence was being analyzed layer by layer.
— Checking compatibility.
The response came immediately.
— The host is not compatible with the system.
The voice sounded unimpressed, almost disgusted.
— Body is weak. Bloodline is garbage.
I wanted to respond, but I had no control over anything.
The system continued its evaluation.
— Checking alternative options.
— No suitable alternatives found.
— Fine. Modify the modules instead.
Something started shifting rapidly, like countless invisible changes were being applied at once.
— Installing modules…
— Millions of modules installation failed.
A long pause followed, heavier than before.
— What kind of trash host is this…?
— Nothing is working.
Then, suddenly, a new thought emerged.
— Wait… I think I got it.
A new designation appeared in my mind.
— Final Module: "Blind Wives Module" (degraded version).
Another check began.
— Error. Still not compatible.
When everything seemed to fail the voice's frustration deepened.
— Are you even human…?
— Reduce the module by 99.99 percent. Change parameters. Rewrite structure.
Something shifted again inside me, as if reality itself was being edited to force compatibility.
Finally, after countless adjustments, the result came.
— Compatibility achieved.
— Initiating integration.
Everything shattered.
The void disappeared instantly, replaced by sensation. My lungs burned as air rushed into them violently. My body jolted as if I had been pulled back from death itself.
My eyes snapped open.
I was sitting in a classroom.
Desks surrounded me. Students were writing. The teacher was speaking at the front. Everything looked completely normal, as if nothing had ever happened.
For a moment, I could not move. My mind refused to accept what I was seeing. My hands trembled as I looked at them, warm and alive.
"I'm… alive?" I whispered.
My heart pounded violently in my chest. Memories rushed back—pain, fear, the goblin, the darkness, my death. It was all too clear, too real to be a dream.
"No… that wasn't a dream…"
"Bro, are you okay?" A familiar voice pulled me back.
I turned slowly.
Jake was sitting beside me, looking at me with concern. "Man… you're sweating a lot. Are you okay?"
I forced myself to breathe normally, though my entire body was shaking inside.
"I just… had a bad dream," I said weakly.
Jake frowned but eventually nodded. "If you say so. Let me know if you feel worse."
He turned back to his work as if nothing had happened.
But I could not relax.
Something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
I slowly looked out the window. The sky outside was bright and peaceful. Everything looked normal, calm, and completely unchanged.
Yet nothing felt real anymore.
"It was just a dream…" I whispered quietly, trying to convince myself.
But before I could calm down completely, a voice echoed inside my mind again.
Calm.
Certain.
Unavoidable.
[It wasn't a dream.]
My body froze instantly.
I looked around the classroom quickly, but no one reacted. No one heard it. Only I did.
The voice continued.
[It was real.]
My hands clenched tightly under the desk.
"…Who are you?" I whispered under my breath.
A faint, almost amused tone replied inside my mind.
[I am your System.]
And in that moment, I understood one thing clearly.
My life had already ended once.
And whatever came next… was not going to be normal at all.