Lee Hwan believed in three things.
First, convenience store sandwiches taste slightly better at 3 a.m.
Second, life doesn't hand you chances—you grab 'em by the throat.
And third, Systemverse Online might be his last ticket out of broke-town.
He took the last bite of his egg salad sandwich and stared at his dusty monitor. His YouTube channel was still open. The thumbnail of his latest video showed him standing next to a suspiciously ordinary hut in-game with the title:
"Top 5 Hidden Shops in Systemverse (The Fifth One Doesn't Even Exist!)"
Twelve views.
One like.
No comments.
"Thanks, Mom," he said to the like.
His room—if you could call it that—was a rooftop slice of heaven held together by duct tape and depression. It had everything: a mattress that squeaked louder than it should, a mini-fridge that gave up every summer, and a PC that sometimes booted with a loud, mechanical wheeze like it needed CPR.
He rolled over and stared at the sticky note taped to the wall above his desk.
"12 subs today. 1,200,000 someday."
– Future Lee Hwan
"Future me better have a gaming chair and indoor plumbing," he muttered.
His eyes shifted to the glowing icon on his desktop.
Systemverse Online.
The crown jewel of gaming.
A mega-hit online world.
Not just VR—it was a second life.
People weren't just playing it. They were living in it.
One guy built a weapon empire from selling flaming hammers.
One girl married a dragon NPC and became a regional queen.
One streamer made bank showing off her pet skeleton army and custom emote dance routine.
And here was Hwan. Twelve subs. Sandals. Still no decent sword.
But he had dreams. Big ones.
Systemverse Online promised real-world cash for in-game work. Trade, sell, craft, conquer. Some players made enough to buy real houses. Others built kingdoms inside the game.
And Hwan? He just wanted to eat something that wasn't half-price and made mostly of mayonnaise.
He muttered to himself. "Time to risk my pride, health, and last ounce of self-esteem… for fake coins."
He logged in.
Systemverse Online: Booting…
Please wait while syncing player memory banks.
Tip of the Day: Dying with grace earns respect. Dying in sandals just earns laughs.
Hwan's lips twitched. "Screw you, system."
Outer Ring Plains – Spawn Area 5
A soft breeze brushed across Hwan's digital face as the world loaded in.
He spawned under a willow tree, birds chirping overhead, the sky clear and too-blue to be real. He looked down.
Yep. Still sandals.
His avatar wore the default "beginner commoner" look—plain tunic, brown pants, thin belt. His inventory was empty. His gear score was probably illegal in twelve countries.
"Fashionable as a wet sock," he muttered. "Perfect for slaying demons and applying for welfare."
Other players zipped past him. Capes flapping, swords glowing, mounts roaring. Some had full sets of shimmering armor. Others had demon pets, floating tomes, or robotic exosuits depending on their class.
He stared after them. "Must be nice to have a credit card."
Most players either paid for early boosts or grinded nonstop with top-tier guilds. Hwan? He missed the tutorial because of a login bug. Missed the starter chest because he spawned inside a wall. His emails to the devs got answered with "We are investigating your case." That was three months ago.
He opened his menu.
System not found.
Please restart or contact support.
He stared. "Again?"
No class. No abilities. No system. Not even the default beginner buff.
Just him, a dream, and these cursed sandals.
"Cool," he muttered. "I'm not just weak. I'm a walking feature request."
But quitting wasn't an option. He had videos to make, tricks to discover, and rare item spots to sniff out like a broke, hopeful raccoon.
So he walked.
Three hours later, Hwan had been chased by wolves, robbed by NPC bandits, and laughed at by a child merchant who told him, quote:
"You smell like beginner tears."
He sat by a river, digital pants damp, ego fractured.
His sandals were now 2 durability away from disintegrating.
"This is fine," he said aloud. "I'm learning. This is the hero's journey. The sandals are symbolic."
Just then, a player walked up.
Username: [Zerack]
Level 41. Full crimson gear. Long cape. Sword glowing like it ate a battery.
"Well, well," Zerack said, voice sharp and smug. "If it isn't the famous YouTube liar."
Hwan blinked. "Do I know you, or do you just smell like expensive regret?"
"You uploaded a video leading players to a fake item shop."
"It wasn't fake," Hwan said defensively. "It was misunderstood. You gotta crouch, jump, and pray to the fish god."
"You're pathetic."
Hwan tilted his head. "And you're… mad online? What happened? Mommy cancel your credit card?"
Zerack pulled out his blade.
"Let's duel. I'll crush your sad little channel and your sandals."
A crowd gathered.
Everyone loves a beatdown. Especially if the underdog looks like he belongs in a laundromat, not a battlefield.
Hwan glanced down at his empty hands.
No skills. No gear.
But also... nothing to lose.
He shrugged. "Sure. But if I win, you owe me a like, comment, and subscription."
Duel Begins.
Zerack charged.
Hwan rolled sideways, completely unintentionally. It looked like a pro-dodge. In reality, his finger slipped.
Zerack swung. Missed.
Hwan panicked, picked up a nearby rock, and yeeted it with full poor-man's rage.
Thonk.
Direct hit to the face.
Zerack stumbled. "You—!"
Hwan yelled, "FOR THE ALGORITHM!"
Then sprinted forward and headbutted him straight in the nose.
Zerack collapsed.
KO
Duel Winner: LeeHwan
The crowd went dead silent.
Then someone yelled:
"YO, THE SANDAL GUY WON!"
Another:
"ROCK META IS REAL!"
And someone clipped it on the spot.
But Hwan didn't hear them.
Because just then, his screen froze. The air shimmered. His vision filled with red code.
SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY ERROR
Rebuilding Neural Sync…
Target: [Zerack] — System Detected
Status: Ingestion in progress…
Devourer Protocol: Initialized
Panels opened. Data scrolled fast.
Zerack's system—Combat Boost, Passive Lightning Aura, Shock Blade—were being absorbed.
Not borrowed. Not copied.
Eaten.
New System: SSS-Rank Devourer
Status: Unknown
Ability: Consume other systems permanently.
Current Owner: LeeHwan
Hwan's jaw dropped. His body pulsed with invisible power.
His once-empty menu now overflowed with info, stats, perks.
You have devoured your first system.
Let the feast begin.
Silence.
Then laughter.
"HAHAHA! No way that worked!"
Hwan stared at his hands. They looked the same. But inside?
He wasn't empty anymore. He wasn't systemless.
He was something else.
Something... dangerous.
And best of all?
He still had the sandals.
"Guess what, world?" he said, cracking his knuckles. "I'm the guy who beats you with a rock... and steals your superpowers after."
He opened the settings.
Checked his channel notifications.
A new post was going viral.
"Guy in Sandals Beats Rich Player With Rock—Then His Menu Exploded?"
Views: 19,284
Likes: 3,005
Comments: [+You gained a subscriber!]