The last thing Aiden Mori remembered before the sky broke was the greasy sound of dishes clattering in the sink.
He was knee-deep in another late shift at Kimura's Grill, sleeves rolled up, water up to his wrists. The place reeked of burnt soy sauce and sweat. It was just another ordinary Tuesday in Coral Springs, Florida. Summer storms had been rumbling all day. Nothing new there.
"Yo, Mori! Manager says to close up once the dishes are done!" barked Jamie, a part-time waiter who thought shouting made him important.
"Got it," Aiden replied flatly, rinsing off a stack of bowls with muscle memory that required no thought. His hands moved, but his mind drifted—to books he read, games he couldn't afford, anime he used to binge back when life had room for dreams.
By 11:42 p.m., the restaurant emptied. The lights were off in the dining room, save for the flickering "EXIT" sign by the kitchen. Aiden tied up the trash bags, threw on his hoodie, and stepped into the humid Florida night.Then he noticed the silence.
No cars. No frogs. No hum of distant AC units.
And the sky... The sky had turned red.
Not sunset red. Blood red. As if the entire sky had been soaked in dying starlight.
Lightning flickered across the heavens—but there was no thunder. The clouds didn't move. They pulsed like veins.
Aiden's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't the only one noticing. From windows and doorways, people stared up. Phones were raised, recording. A distant car alarm blared and died. Even the insects had fallen silent.
Then came the sound—a mechanical chime, like a system booting up.
> DING.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[WELCOME TO THE TRIAL OF ASCENSION.]
[EARTH HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR INTEGRATION INTO THE GREATER COSMIC DOMAIN.]
Aiden staggered back against a lamppost as glowing blue words appeared in the air—no screen, no projector, just text hanging in front of him like a hologram inside his head.
> [ALL SENTIENT BEINGS WILL NOW RECEIVE THE SURVIVOR SYSTEM.]
[LEVEL CAP UNLOCKED. SKILL TREES UNLOCKED. COMBAT EVOLUTION ENABLED.]
[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE. EVOLVE. CONQUER.]
GOOD LUCK.
The air dropped ten degrees. People began to scream.
And then the real nightmare began.
A woman screamed behind him. Aiden turned.
The ground in front of the gas station cracked open, and something climbed out.
It was human-shaped—but wrong. Its skin was blotched with black ooze, its jaw unhinged and distended like a snake's. The thing shrieked, flailing as it dragged itself onto the street.
Another alert pinged into Aiden's mind:
> [Rift Entity: Mutated Civilian Lv. 2 has spawned nearby.]
Warning: Contact may be lethal. Combat advised only if equipped.
"Holy sh*t," someone said nearby.
A police cruiser's lights flashed down the road. The officer inside shouted something—but it was too late. The creature launched itself forward, tackling the man like a wild animal.
Blood sprayed.
> [ALERT: Nearby being has died. You are within EXP proximity radius.]
+10 EXP
[Achievement Unlocked: First Death Witnessed] — +1 Stat Point Awarded.
Aiden stared, frozen. The world had lost its mind.
He ducked behind a dumpster as the creature ripped through the officer's vest like paper. Others ran screaming. Someone tried to fight with a baseball bat—only to be taken down in two swings.
The System spoke again, in cold, neutral text.
> [To Survive, Engage. To Level, Fight. To Fight, Choose Your Path.]
[CLASS SELECTION: AVAILABLE]
Words blinked in front of him, glowing softly in the air.
> Fighter — Crush your enemies with brute strength.
Scout — Move like shadow and strike unseen.
Caster — Command elemental forces at the cost of sanity.
Survivor — Outlast all odds. Every death avoided makes you stronger.
WARNING: Class selection is final unless Evolution occurs.
Time left: 03:00… 02:59…
Aiden stared.
Was this a hallucination? Some mass psychosis?
No. It was too consistent. Too clean. Too... structured.
His heart raced, but something deeper stirred in him. Like he had been waiting for this—maybe not this chaos, but a system, a way out of the gray hell of his life.
He exhaled and tapped [Survivor].
> [Class Chosen: Survivor]
Skills Unlocked: [Endure] [Instinct] [Pain Resistance Lv. 1]
Stat Growth Enhanced When Near Death.]
At that moment, the monster turned toward him. Its blood-slick mouth opened wide. And it charged.
Aiden had no weapons. No armor. No training.
Just a busted pipe he found by the curb and a system that said "Don't die."
The creature came fast—too fast.
Its claws slashed toward his chest.
> [Skill Triggered: ENDURE]
Fatal damage avoided. HP: 1/100. Cooldown: 24h]
The world tilted. Pain exploded in his side.
He rolled, wheezing, blood pouring from a long gash along his ribs. The monster lunged again—but this time Aiden rammed the rusted pipe into its open mouth.
It shrieked.
He twisted, jamming the metal deeper, eyes wild with panic and fury.
It convulsed. Black fluid sprayed out. Then it dropped, twitching.
> [Enemy Defeated: Mutated Civilian Lv. 2]
+25 EXP
Level Up: Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
+5 Stat Points Awarded
He collapsed, panting.Then he laughed. It was short, broken, desperate—but real.
He survived.
> Name: Aiden Mori
Class: Survivor
Level: 3
HP: 1/120
Mana: 55/55
Strength: 6
Agility: 7
Vitality: 8
Intelligence: 5
Perception: 9
Luck: ???
New Skill Unlocked: [Rapid Healing I]
Description: Recover HP 10% faster after near-death.**
He stumbled to his feet, holding his side.
Far away, the screams continued. Sirens howled, only to fall silent one by one.
The System had changed the world.
And for the first time in years, Aiden felt alive.
Not safe. Not happy.But alive.
He looked at the pipe in his hand—his first weapon.Then up at the red sky.
"I don't know what this is… but I'm not dying here," he muttered.
> [Quest Unlocked: Survive the First Night]
Time remaining: 05:49:12
Reward: 500 EXP, Beginner's Loot Chest