Jackson stuffed his books into his bag, not even checking if they got mangled. He just wanted out.
One more day, he thought. Just one more, and I can finally leave all this behind.
"Watch it, fatso."
That came from some tall kid with a horse-face and his little group of admirers. Jackson didn't bother looking at them—didn't see the point.
He kept moving.
As soon as he stepped outside, his phone buzzed. He already knew who'd be calling.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. On your way home, grab the mail, get groceries, and take the trash out."
"Yep, Mom," he replied without thinking, already reaching for his bike.
As he pedaled away from that awful building, a wave of relief hit him. Like he could actually breathe again.
No more school.
Clouds hung heavy and dark overhead, ready to burst. Jackson pushed his legs harder, wanting to finish his errands before the rain landed.
By the time he wrapped up, the whole world felt tense—like electricity in the air.
And then it happened. Again.
The Call.
That's what he called it.
Not really a sound. More like something tugging at him inside—a quiet, steady reminder that he didn't own his life, just drifted through it.
The first time he listened, everything shifted.
That's when the system appeared.
[Chaos System Initializing…]
Scanning Host…
Body Compatibility: Checked.
Soul Compatibility: Affirmed.
Binding Host…
10%… 40%… 75%… 100%
Done.
Welcome, Host.
Jackson let out a slow breath as the familiar screen materialized.
CHAOS SYSTEM
Host: Jackson
Age: 18
Cultivation: None
Chaos Points: 0
Stats:
Strength: 5 (You call that strength?)
Agility: 5 (You sure you can still run?)
Vitality: 5 (Yeah, your heart works.)
Spirit: 5 (Barely awake upstairs.)
Modules:
Techniques
Inventory
Missions
Shop
Status
"…Yeah, yeah. I know," Jackson muttered.
But the Call—it pressed on him harder.
Urgent.
He went with it, almost without thinking.
Step after step, it drew him somewhere he hadn't expected—
The town museum.
He paused, then slipped in quietly, unnoticed.
Inside, the air tasted stale—like dust and old wood. His footsteps sounded hollow against the stone floor as he wandered deeper.
Everything looked ordinary.
Artifacts. Forgotten relics.
But the tug inside him grew sharper.
It wasn't gentle anymore.
It demanded.
He finally stopped.
In front of one of the displays.
Inside—just a rusted sword and a dirt-caked furnace.
"…These?" he whispered.
The moment his fingers grazed the sword's hilt—
A surge of energy shot through him.
"—!"
He stumbled back, heart hammering.
The sword buzzed faintly in his grip. The rusty metal shimmered for a second, showing wild threads of energy swirling underneath.
Almost alive.
Like it saw him.
[System Notification]
Module Unlocked: Sword Path Level 1
Host, congrats. You got a weapon that actually cares you exist.
Tip: Try not to stab yourself, rookie.
Jackson stared down at the blade, breathing weird and shaky.
"So…this is it?" He spoke out loud. "My sword…my path?"
For the first time all day—
No, for the first time ever—
He felt something real.
Purpose.
[System Notification]
Host, good effort.
Yes, that's a sword.
Sword Module: LOCKED
Reason: Still too weak, rookie.
Tip: Touching it doesn't make you a swordsman…yet. But hey—it feels cool, right?