Lein opened his eyes.
White.
Everything was white.
He sat up slowly, his body weightless. There was no ground beneath him, but he wasn't falling. No sound. No smell. Just… endless white.
"What…?"
His voice echoed strangely, as if the space itself was swallowing it.
He stood—or thought he did. It was hard to tell. There was no reference, no direction. Just existence.
Then he saw them.
Three wisps of light, floating in the void.
One was red, pulsing like a heartbeat. Another was blue and gold, shimmering with quiet brilliance. The third was pale, almost translucent, like mist.
Lein stepped toward them, drawn by something he couldn't name.
He reached out.
His fingers touched the red wisp first.
The world exploded.
He saw cities burning. Mountains crumbling. Oceans boiling. Power—raw, destructive, absolute. A figure stood in the center of it all, wreathed in crimson light, and everything around them turned to ash.
Lein gasped and pulled his hand back.
The vision faded.
He touched the blue and gold wisp next.
This time, the vision was different.
Knowledge flooded his mind. Symbols, formulas, words in languages he didn't know but somehow understood. Spells unfolding like blooming flowers, their structures intricate and beautiful. He saw someone rewriting reality itself, bending the rules, reshaping magic as easily as clay.
He pulled back again, breathless.
Finally, he touched the pale wisp.
Infinity.
No walls. No ceilings. No limits. Growth without end. Potential without boundary. A path that stretched forever, and he could walk it all.
Lein stared at the three wisps.
They floated there, waiting.
As if asking him to choose.
Lein looked at his hands.
He thought of the cave. The spiders. Marcus and Verna walking away.
He thought of his life—small, fearful, meaningless.
Never again.
He reached out with both hands and grabbed all three wisps at once.
They resisted for a moment, trembling.
Then they merged.
The explosion of light was blinding.
Lein gasped.
His body jerked violently. He felt stone scraping against his back.
He was being dragged.
His eyes snapped open. The cave ceiling passed above him, dimly lit by bioluminescent moss. A spider—one of the smaller ones—had his arm clamped in its mandibles, pulling him deeper into the dark.
Panic surged through him.
No. No, not again.
He tried to pull away, but the spider's grip was iron.
Then something changed.
Heat flooded his body. His muscles tensed, swelling with sudden, impossible strength.
Lein roared and yanked his arm free.
The spider stumbled.
Lein didn't think. He grabbed the creature by one of its legs and threw it.
The spider smashed into the cave wall with a sickening crunch. Its body crumpled, legs twitching once before going still.
Lein stared at his hands, chest heaving.
"What…?"
His entire body felt heavy. Exhausted. The strength was already fading, leaving him weak and trembling.
He stumbled forward, nearly collapsing. His vision swam.
I need to hide.
He spotted a narrow crevice between two large rocks and squeezed inside, pressing himself into the shadows. His breathing was ragged, too loud.
Then the voice spoke.
"Initializing… System online."
Lein flinched. The voice was soft, feminine, and warm—like someone speaking directly into his mind.
"What—who—"
"Would you prefer a male or female voice interface?"
Lein blinked. "I… I don't care. Either. Any."
"Female voice selected. Welcome, Lein Thorne. You have been resurrected through the power of the Triad System. I am here to assist you."
A translucent screen appeared in front of him, glowing faintly in the dark.
[TRIAD SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
[RED PATH: DESTRUCTION]
• Gain experience through combat, death, and destruction.
• Invest points into stats and physical enhancement.
[BLUE-GOLD PATH: KNOWLEDGE]
• Copy spells from those in your tier or lower (3 times per day).
• Invent, rewrite, and merge spells.
[PALE PATH: INFINITY]
• All level caps removed.
• All spell limits removed.
• Infinite growth potential unlocked.
• Access to System Shop (purchases made with Infinity Points).
Lein stared at the screen, his mind racing.
"This… this is real?"
"Yes. You have been granted power beyond the World System's design. You are no longer bound by its rules."
Lein's hands trembled.
He thought of Marcus. Verna. The faction. The fear.
A slow smile crept across his face.
"You have slain: Juvenile Cave Spider."
"Experience gained: 150 XP."
"Level Up! You are now Level 2, Tier 1."
"Remaining XP: 50/200."
Lein exhaled slowly, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten.
The smile widened.
"I'm never going to be weak again."