Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Daniel, happy birthday to youuuuuu—!"
Our little kitchen rang with off-key voices and laughter. The ceiling fan clicked overhead as we all crowded around the chipped wooden table. Dad's singing was the loudest, and the worst, but it somehow made the moment perfect. Mom's hand clutched Daniel's shoulder, her fingers trembling just a little, though her smile never wavered. The cake in front of him was lopsided and the frosting cracked in the center, but my little brother beamed like it was the best gift in the world.
Daniel's wide brown eyes sparkled as he leaned forward, the faint light from five tiny candles flickering against his cheeks. The candles were leftover scraps — melted stubs from birthdays past — but he didn't care. He looked like he was staring down treasure.
"Make a good one," I said, nudging his shoulder.
He closed his eyes, lips moving silently. For a brief moment, the room held its breath.
Then he blew out the candles in a single puff.
Darkness.
The entire house went still. The low hum of the fridge sputtered and died. The ceiling fan stopped turning. The warm yellow glow from the overhead light above our kitchen table faded into nothingness, leaving us blinking in sudden shadow.
"…What the hell?" I muttered, my voice sharp in the silence.
"The weather's clear," Dad said, already standing and squinting toward the window.
"This isn't a storm," Mom added. "Did we pay the electric bill?"
"We paid it last week. This isn't that," Dad said, his voice steady but low. "Might be a blown transformer."
Maybe. But it didn't feel like a normal blackout. The air itself felt heavier, as if something had shifted. Like the moment before a summer storm, when the atmosphere thickens and the birds vanish.
I leaned in toward Daniel, still squinting through the dark. "Well? What'd you wish for?"
He gave me a mischievous grin and whispered, "For the System to come. Like in those apocalypse novels Dad reads us. You know — stats, levels, magic... all of it."
I snorted. "What, you want the world to end on your birthday?"
Before he could answer, a sound like shattered glass pierced the air — but it wasn't from outside. It felt like it echoed inside my skull. I flinched, clutching my head.
Then it appeared.
A floating screen of glowing blue light hovered in the center of the room, casting an eerie glow across our stunned faces. Text etched itself into the air, line by line.
[DING! Welcome to the Systemverse, humans of Earth-1297B.]
My presence brings mana to your world and grants access to the System — allowing you to level up.
Some may call this an apocalypse, as society will collapse and monsters will kill most of the weak... but hey, not my problem.
To open your status sheet, say "Status." Once you read this, just say it and you'll see your personal data.
P.S. In 30 seconds, everyone will be teleported to a random location on your new, bigger Earth. Not everyone will be near others. Zones range from E to SSS.
P.P.S. Other races will attempt to invade and claim Earth. Alright, have fun! Bye now!
"What the hell!?" we all shouted in unison.
My breath caught in my throat. This… this wasn't real, right? A prank? A mass hallucination?
"I—was that… real?" Mom stammered, backing into the wall, her voice shrill.
"Mark! Danny!" Dad barked, snapping into motion like a drill sergeant. "Grab those swords we bought at the flea market last summer. The metal ones — now!"
We didn't hesitate. My heart was pounding, and my brain was already screaming that this wasn't possible — but I ran to the hall cabinet anyway, flinging it open. Dust and old books tumbled out. Buried beneath them, two heavy steel swords — dull-edged, more decorative than dangerous, but solid.
Daniel handed me mine as he clutched the other, wide-eyed but steady. "Fifteen seconds!" he shouted, pointing to the flickering microwave timer.
Dad took Mom's hand and turned to us. His eyes were hard — not cruel, but sharp. Focused. "Listen to me, if we're split up, use names that only we would know, Marcus use the nickname Marlon, and Daniel you use the nickname Danmon."
I nodded, the sword heavy in my hands. Daniel's jaw was set, his eyes glassy but determined. Mom was crying silently.
We all pulled into one last family hug.
[Teleportation commencing… 3… 2… 1. Have fun, new Integrators!]
A soundless boom echoed in my ears. My stomach twisted violently as my vision warped and stretched. Light exploded behind my eyes, my stomach twisted, then everything vanished.
—
I hit the ground with a grunt, my body slamming into damp dirt. Leaves crunched under me as a sharp root jabbed into my ribs. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. My lungs spasmed. My hands scrabbled in the undergrowth before closing around something familiar — cold steel.
The sword. Still with me.
I rolled to my knees and forced myself upright, sucking in air.
Around me, forest stretched in every direction. This wasn't like any forest back home. It felt… alien. Trees soared upward like ancient towers, their trunks easily ten feet thick. Their bark pulsed with veins of faint blue light. The ferns brushing my thighs were shoulder-height. Mushrooms clung to tree roots like bioluminescent lanterns.
The air… it shimmered. Not quite humid, not quite electric. It pressed against my skin with invisible weight, as if I were standing beneath a waterfall of pressure.
"What the hell is this place?" I whispered, sword raised, my voice shaking.
I turned in a slow circle, senses screaming. No birds. No wind. Just the thrum of… something. Energy? Magic?
Then I remembered.
"Status," I whispered.
A blue screen flashed in front of my face:
Name: Marcus Haymon
Race: Human ★
Age: 17
Class: N/A
Level: 1 (EXP: 0/100)
Health: 80/80
Mana: 80/80
Stamina: 80/80
Karmic Level: Neutral
STR: 5
AGI: 7
END: 8
INT: 8
SPT: 10
Skills: N/A
Dao: N/A
Gifts:
• Great Comprehension [Epic] — Enhanced intelligence and comprehension. Better than 99% of the population in Dao and skill learning.
• Godly Learning [Unique] — Learning and EXP gain increased by 200%. Easier skill, Dao, and weapon mastery. Increases Enlightenment chance. (Lv. 1)
I stared, barely blinking. That second Gift — Godly Learning — it was absurd. Triple XP? Skill mastery buffs? Enlightenment chance?
Was this real? Was I dreaming?
And what was with the star next to "Human"? Why was that special?
Before I could process it all, I spoke aloud, "Where's my tutorial? My AI guide? My magical starter island?"
[To answer your question: tutorials are only provided for species age 12 or younger (varies by maturity/lifespan). You're 15. You get nothing. Oh, and by the way — look to your right. Toodles!]
My head snapped to the side, eyes.
Six of them. Low to the ground. Gleaming from the underbrush.
A creature crept forward, slow and deliberate. A rat — if rats were two feet tall, with patches of exposed bone, and a long, black horn spiraling from their foreheads.
It stared at me with unblinking hunger.
"...What the hell is that?" I breathed.
"Identify."
Species: Ratacorn — Level 3
Aggressive. Rodent Variant. Extreme agility. Prioritizes ambush tactics. Horn attacks can cause internal rupture.
A level 3? I was level 1.
Too late to run.
The Ratacorn lunged.
I dodged left, heart hammering. The horn sliced the air where my neck had been, missing by inches. The beast skidded, spun, and attacked again with terrifying speed.
I raised my sword, the blade clashing with its horn in a jarring clang. It barely scratched the thing's hide.
"Too fast!"
It pounced again. I dropped low, rolled beneath it, and managed a slash across its flank. It hissed, but didn't slow down. Blood — dark and thick — splattered across my arm.
I backed into a glowing tree, breath coming ragged. My arms were already tired. My shoulder stung from a shallow cut.
This thing was going to kill me.
Unless—
I let it charge. Just before it hit, I ducked and slid forward, kicking off the dirt and sliding under its leap. I came up behind it.
Before it could turn, I swung with both hands, bringing my sword down into the back of its neck.
Thunk.
It screamed, legs twitching. I swung again. And again. The blade was dull. But with each desperate swing, I drove it deeper.
Screaming, I mounted its back, brought the blade down with all the force I had, over and over, until it finally went limp beneath me.
Silence.
My chest heaved. My arms trembled. I slumped to one knee beside the corpse, blood staining my shirt, sword still in hand.
"…I just killed a monster."
You have defeated a Ratacorn (Level 3).
Base XP earned: 150
Godly Learning (x3 XP): +300 bonus XP
Total Gained: 450 XP
You have leveled up! 2x