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LEVELING UP WITH MY A-RANKED PARTNER
Chapter 1: The Awakening
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[Scene 1: John Dale's Last Day]
Miami. Just a few more hours…
John Dale leaned back in his economy seat, watching sunlight pour through the oval window. The hum of the engines blended with the faint chatter of passengers. He let out a sigh, staring at the phone in his hand—a cracked screen and a wallpaper of a dog with a goofy grin.
"Guess you'll have to wait for that walk, Max."
For thirty-two years, John had lived the same cycle: wake, work, eat, sleep. This trip was supposed to be different. A break. A start.
"I've spent my whole life waiting for the right time," he thought, eyes growing heavy. "Maybe… Miami is where things change."
He never saw the change coming.
A loud crack split the air. Oxygen masks dropped like snakes from the ceiling. Screams erupted as the cabin tilted violently.
"Brace! Brace!" the flight attendant shouted, her voice cracking.
John gripped the armrests. His heartbeat thundered louder than the alarms. Outside the window—fire, smoke, fragments of sky spinning wildly.
Then—light. Heat. Silence.
And darkness swallowed everything.
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[Scene 2: Awakening in the Unknown]
"…Wake up."
A voice pierced the void.
John's eyes snapped open to a blinding glow overhead. Cold, polished marble pressed against his palms as he pushed himself up. All around him, people lay scattered on the floor, groaning and whispering in confusion.
"Where… am I?"
The hall stretched endlessly, lined with crystal pillars glowing faint purple. Above, a dome ceiling shimmered like a galaxy. The air felt clean—unnaturally clean—as if reality itself had been scrubbed.
Am I dead? Heaven?
Before he could piece thoughts together, a sudden hush swept through the crowd.
Click. Click.
Heels struck the marble as a tall woman ascended an altar at the far end. She wore a flowing silver robe etched with runes, her black hair cascading like silk. Her golden eyes scanned the hall with calm authority.
"Welcome to Dragonstone City," she declared, her voice echoing like a hymn. "Your new home."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"If you were reincarnated—a soul from another world—stand to the right. If you are incarnated—born here—stand to the left."
Reincarnated? John blinked. The word felt heavy in his ears. Around him, people hesitated, then began to shuffle into lines. John followed the right side, his legs moving on instinct.
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[Scene 3: The NIVA System]
Suddenly, pain pricked his chest.
"Huh—?"
A tiny purple dot pulsed on his sternum, glowing brighter and brighter until—whoosh!—a holographic screen burst into view before his eyes. Gasps filled the hall as everyone experienced the same.
> NIVA SYSTEM ACTIVATED
Welcome, Reincarnate.
Assigned Identity: Jason Walter
Rank: F
Points: 20
Skills: None
Bonus 20 Points for First Entry.
John—no, Jason Walter—stared wide-eyed. His hands passed through the translucent interface like mist.
This… is real? Like those games?
The silver-robed woman continued:
"NIVA is your guide, your law, and your contract. You gain points by completing quests and surviving. Use points to purchase skills, weapons, or stat enhancements. Fail, and… you will not be granted a second chance."
The last line sent a chill through Jason's spine.
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[Scene 4: Room Assignment]
After the explanation, attendants appeared with trays of glowing keys, each bearing a number.
Jason received his: House 629.
"House?" He blinked at the engraved runes. "Not a room?"
His confusion vanished the moment he reached the address.
Before him stood a futuristic mansion—sleek white stone, crystal panels, and glowing glyphs etched into every wall. The house stretched wide, easily four thousand square feet, with a garden shimmering under artificial stars.
Jason whistled low.
"Guess dying had perks after all."
He stepped inside, marveling at the open design—floating lights, self-cleaning floors, a living room bigger than his entire apartment.
But something felt… off.
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[Scene 5: The Encounter]
Click.
The sound of a door opening.
Jason turned—just in time to see steam billow out from a side hallway.
Then she appeared.
A girl with crimson hair, darkened to deep red from soaking wet strands, stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel clinging to her figure. Droplets traced down her porcelain skin, glistening under the crystal lights.
Jason froze.
She blinked at him. Silence stretched for a heartbeat—two.
Then her eyes narrowed, blazing with fury.
"You…" Her voice dripped venom. "Peeping on me?"
"W-Wait, what? No! I—"
Before he could finish, a fiery circle ignited beneath her feet. Sparks crackled in the air as her towel fluttered from the sudden heat.
"Endless Fire—Activate!"
Jason's heart stopped. His system pinged.
> Warning: Hostile Skill Detected
Ability: Endless Fire – Burns target from within
He stumbled back, waving his hands wildly.
"Stop! I'm your roommate! Look—house key! Same number!"
He thrust the glowing key forward like a shield.
The girl—Lucy Shiba, as her interface revealed when she scanned him—paused. Her brows furrowed as she checked the tag.
"…Roommate?"
Jason nodded so fast his neck almost snapped.
"Yes! Not a pervert. Promise."
A beat of silence. Then, with a flick of her fingers, the fire vanished. She turned away casually, striding toward the kitchen without another word.
"My bad," she said, tone flat. "Thought you were a creep."
Jason collapsed onto the couch, drenched in sweat.
Great. First day in a new world, and I almost died because someone thought I was a bathroom stalker.
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[Scene 6: The Coffee Truce]
Evening draped the city in soft purple light. Jason sat on the couch, still rattled, when the aroma of coffee drifted over.
Lucy appeared, clad in a simple black top and shorts now, holding two cups. She handed one to him wordlessly.
Jason blinked. "…Peace offering?"
She smirked faintly.
"Consider it… a truce. Don't make me regret it."
They sat across from each other, steam curling between them.
Jason sipped, feeling warmth spread through his chest.
"So… this world. Crazy, huh?"
Lucy's eyes flicked to the glass ceiling where stars shimmered.
"Crazy doesn't cover it. And trust me… tomorrow, it gets worse."
Jason swallowed hard.
As the night settled, two strangers stared at a future neither could predict—bound by a system, a house number, and a destiny waiting to unfold.
> "Welcome to Dragonstone City," the system whispered in his mind.
"Leveling begins tomorrow."
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