Carter hadn't slept.
Not because of nightmares—
but because of possibilities.
He lay in bed, staring at the glowing interface hovering above him like a silent guardian.
> [LEVEL: 3]
> [STAT POINTS: 0]
> [CLASS: Undefined]
> [SKILLS: Energy Slash (Lv.2)]
> [PASSIVES: Adaptive Core – Rank F]
> [INVENTORY: Echo Shard (Rare), Bone Shard (Common), Feral Tissue (Common)]
Then something new pulsed at the bottom of the screen.
> [New Feature Unlocked: Companion Link – Offline]
> [Note: System Companion requires Catalyst to Activate]
A companion?
His heart skipped.
He tapped the prompt.
> [System Companion: AI Support Node – Offline]
> [Core Catalyst Required for Activation]
> [Suggestion: Seek locations with "unregistered mana imprint signatures."]
Unregistered mana…
That meant another off-grid dungeon.
Another unstable pocket like the Phantom Fragment.
Carter sat up, rubbing his eyes. A knock jolted him.
"Carter, breakfast!" his mom called.
"Yeah—coming!"
He blinked the interface away.
The world snapped back to normal.
For now.
---
School buzzed with tension.
The Windspire Raid was all anyone talked about.
Lucas strutted through the halls like he owned the place, bragging loudly to a group of juniors.
"Storm Raptors this time. Coach says I might qualify for provisional C-Rank."
Carter passed by quietly, unnoticed.
But inside?
He wasn't the same boy they thought he was.
---
During study hall, he pulled up the System again—this time focusing on his stats.
> [CARTER KANE – UNRANKED USER]
> Level: 3
> Class: None
> HP: 118
> Stamina: 65
> Mana: 10
>
> Strength: 4
> Agility: 7
> Perception: 6
> Vitality: 4
> Intelligence: 2
>
> Skill: Energy Slash (Lv.2)
> Passive: Adaptive Core – Enhances stat responsiveness and skill evolution by 10%
Not impressive by hunter standards.
But growing—fast.
Then something flickered beneath the stat block.
> [Hidden Trait Detected: Temporal Displacement Signature]
> You have experienced an unnatural reset. System syncing continues…
Carter's breath caught.
So it wasn't random.
The System knew he'd died.
Knew he'd been reset.
But why him?
His fingers trembled.
There was something bigger happening—something the world wasn't ready for.
And he was right in the middle of it.
---
After school, he skipped Hunter Conditioning and headed to the library.
Dusty shelves. Old raid reports. Rift physics textbooks no one touched.
Perfect.
He found a map of minor dungeons—official and unofficial.
He traced the markings, comparing them to the faint pulses on his System radar.
Then he saw it.
A narrow alley behind Eastbridge's industrial zone.
No registry.
No official record.
But the System pulsed softly when he focused on the coordinates.
"Unregistered mana signature," he whispered.
Exactly what he needed.
---
That night, Carter slipped out again—backpack ready, energy drink in hand, rusted gear strapped tight.
The air was cool, his breath fogging as he approached the alley.
Trash bins.
Graffiti.
Silence.
Then—
a pull.
> [Entry Detected: Lesser Rift – Forgotten Locker]
> Instability: 31%
> Recommended Level: 3+
> Proceed? Y/N
He tapped Y.
Reality rippled like a curtain being drawn aside.
The alley vanished.
---
The Rift was… wrong.
A warped classroom stretched before him—desks floating midair, chalk scribbles drifting across invisible boards, pages spiraling in weightless loops.
It felt like someone's memory of school, twisted by dungeon energy.
Then he saw it:
a glowing supply closet, radiating faint golden light.
> [Object Detected: Core Catalyst – Unclaimed]
> [Defender Detected: Arcane Fragment – Rank C-]
A low hum vibrated through the air.
A being of glass and glowing script floated toward him, its "face" a spinning rune.
> [ENEMY: Arcane Fragment]
> HP: 220
> Weak to: Kinetic Impact, Disruption
> Immune to: Shadow, Mental Effects
Carter tightened his grip.
This was going to hurt.
---
The battle erupted instantly.
The Arcane Fragment fired waves of force, flipping desks into deadly projectiles.
Carter dove behind a floating table, shards of light slicing across his shoulder.
> [HP: 64/118]
He hissed through his teeth.
"Not again… not like Windspire…"
He launched Energy Slash—
a sonic blade tearing through the Fragment's core.
> [58 DMG – Weak Spot Hit]
The Fragment spun violently, forming twin glyphs.
Light shards rained down like knives.
Carter rolled, sprinted, slid across tile—barely staying ahead of the barrage.
His lungs burned.
His arm throbbed.
The System chimed.
> [Adaptive Core Engaged – Emergency Sync Triggered]
> [Energy Slash upgraded: Twin Arc – Lv.1]
> [Skill Unlocked: Disrupting Step (Lv.1)]
> Short-range dodge that interrupts spell formation. Cooldown: 6s.
He didn't hesitate.
Carter dashed forward—Disrupting Step blurring his form as he passed through a glyph mid-cast.
The spell fizzled.
He slammed his blade into the core.
Twin Arc!
Two kinetic slashes burst outward in a spiraling wave.
> [CRITICAL HIT – 162 DMG]
> [ENEMY DEFEATED]
The Fragment shattered into script and glass.
Carter collapsed, panting, bleeding—
but grinning.
> [Core Catalyst Acquired]
> [System Companion Activation – Ready]
---
Back home, the System's tone shifted.
> [Core Catalyst recognized]
> [Initializing Companion Node…]
> [Linking AI Construct: REI]
A flicker.
A glow.
Then a soft voice echoed in his mind.
"Hello, Carter Kane. You're not supposed to be alive… but I'm glad you are."
A translucent figure appeared beside him—a glowing blue silhouette of a girl with short hair and pixelated eyes.
The System's interface fluttered around her like wings.
> [REI – SYSTEM GUIDE AI v1.0]
> Personality Module: Online
> Function: Navigation, Analysis, Combat Support
Carter stared, stunned.
"Wait… you're real?"
She smiled gently.
"As real as you need me to be."