The translucent black screen with silver edges hovered silently in front of Leo. Whenever he shifted, it shifted. Whenever he leaned away, it followed, perfectly aligned with his gaze.
[ Would you like to connect to the system? ]
[ YES ] [ NO ]
Leo lifted his hand slowly and touched the empty area beside the options.
His fingers slipped through like it was nothing but air.
A cold prickle slid down his back.
"Is this… some kind of weird sorcery…? What the hell is happening?"
His voice cracked in disbelief.
He tried again, this time with words.
"Disappear."
Nothing.
"Close!"
Still nothing.
He swallowed and tried one more time, half embarrassed.
"System close."
The hologram vanished instantly.
Leo froze.
He spun to the side, nothing. Looked behind him, nothing. The room was exactly as it had been.
"…What the hell?"
He exhaled slowly, then muttered, "System open."
The screen blinked back into existence, glowing with the same question.
[ Would you like to connect to the system? ]
Leo rubbed his eyes hard, as if expecting everything to dissolve like a dream.
But the screen remained.
Then he once again closed the window to think calmly about the situation.
His mind raced.
He remembered something, Adam's endless rants during breaks, stories about characters in those comics he loved.
People who regressed or reincarnated or suffered tragedies, only to gain a "system" afterward. A guide, a cheat which helped them to become the best.
Leo didn't know much beyond that. He'd never bothered reading any. But now he needed to learn more about it. So he grabbed his phone and tapped Adam's contact.
The call connected within seconds.
"Yo, what happened bro, didn't we just talked." Adam said immediately.
Leo cleared his throat. "Um, nothing. Actually I was getting bored sitting at home and since there is nothing to do, so I thought why not read the stories you always talked about, so could you send some links to those comics you used to read about system and regression?"
There was a loud, exaggerated scoff.
"Bro that is Manhwa, M-A-N-H-W-A, not comic."
Leo winced. "Uh, yes, yes, manhwa. So can you send me the links?"
Adam didn't miss a beat. "What kind would you like? Revenge, cultivation, swords and magic, urban…"
Leo said quickly, "Urban would be good. Just send one link, the best one, which would be good for a beginner like me."
"Yeah sure, I am sending you the link."
"Thank you."
On the other end, Adam grinned wide enough to be felt through the call. "Happy reading." After all his friend was entering into endless abyss.
The call cut.
Silence returned to Leo's room.
A minute later, his phone buzzed. Adam had sent a link.
Leo tapped it, and a web page opened, showing a manhwa titled:
"Empire of Rebirth: The CEO Who Returned"
The cover showed a sharp-looking man in a dark suit seated at a modern desk, holographic charts floating around him, two silhouettes overlapping, one older and exhausted, the other younger and determined, symbolizing his regression.
He scrolled to the synopsis:
A brilliant CEO dies after being betrayed by his own board. When he wakes up ten years in the past, broke, jobless, and unknown, he's given a mysterious system offering missions and guidance. Now, with future knowledge and a silent partner in the shadows, he rises again from the bottom to rebuild an empire larger than the one he lost.
Leo blinked. He tapped 'Read Chapter 1'.
The panels unfolded:
A man dying in his office… A cold, floating window… A sudden regression… The protagonist learning how the system worked… Missions, rewards, skills, upgrades…
As he read chapter after chapter, Leo started to piece together what a "system" was supposed to be, at least according to this manhwa.
It wasn't a miracle device that granted everything without effort. It was guidance, clear, deliberate, structured. The system set tasks, and when those tasks were completed, it responded with rewards. Not as gifts, but as acknowledgments of progress, like milestones quietly marked along a long road.
By chapter ten, he stopped scrolling and let the phone rest on his chest.
So… this was the kind of thing Adam always talked about.
And now something that looked exactly like that was floating in front of him.
He looked up.
The holographic screen lit up.
[ Would you like to connect to the system? ]
[ YES ] [ NO ]
Leo stared at it.
This wasn't fiction. This wasn't manhwa. This wasn't something he could tap away.
His throat tightened.
"…Is this really happening?"
The screen didn't respond.
It merely hovered there, silent, patient, unblinking.
And Leo felt the weight of the choice settling on him.
He swallowed hard.
He didn't know if this thing was real or some hallucination born from regression. But… if it was real? If it truly did something? It could change his future in ways he couldn't even imagine.
So with trembling fingers and a hesitant breath, he pressed 'YES'.
The screen pulsed once.
New text formed instantly:
[Host has given the permission]
[Please be prepared for pain all over your body since the system is going to connect with your conscious mind, that is, your existence itself.]
[It is advised that host put a cloth, pen, or anything in your mouth to endure the pain.]
[Connecting in 30 seconds]
Leo's eyes widened.
"Hey, what do you mean I will be in pain?"
The system did not answer.
Only the timer began counting down.
30… 29… 28…
"Oh shit."
He scrambled to look around the room and spotted his handkerchief on the table. He grabbed it and shoved it between his teeth.
10… 9… 8…
His heart hammered.
3… 2… 1…
The world fractured.
A sharp, searing jolt ripped through his entire body. His back arched violently, muscles tensing so abruptly he thought his spine might snap.
His nerves felt like they were being set on fire, a thousand needles, a thousand ants, a thousand electric shocks, all attacking him at once.
A muffled scream tore through the handkerchief.
"Arrrrrgh!!"
He convulsed, gripping the bedsheets so tight his knuckles turned white. His vision flickered, dark spots appearing and disappearing as waves of pain surged through him.
Five minutes felt like fifty.
Then suddenly, it stopped.
The agony drained away as fast as it had come, leaving him limp, drenched in sweat, chest rising and falling like he'd run a marathon.
He lay there for ten full minutes, eyes closed, letting his breathing slow.
Only when the shaking faded from his hands did he force his eyes open.
The holographic screen flickered once, then stabilized. A calm, mechanical voice resonated softly through the room.
[Welcome, Leo Archer, to the Omnisphere System.]
Leo stiffened, still lying half against the bed, sweat clinging to his skin.
"Um… h-hey, are you real? Like… REAL real?"
There was a brief pause before the reply came, tone unchanged.
[Yes, host. I am real. I can perform any action within my authority to verify my existence.]
Leo's brows knitted together. His heart was still racing, but his mind was already trying to stay rational.
"I don't know anything about you, so show me something you can do to give me proof that you are real."
The system paused again, as if considering options.
[What about I send you a dollar to your account?]
Leo's eyes widened.
"W-What? You can do tha—"
Before he could even finish the sentence, his phone vibrated sharply with a notification.
Leo froze.
Slowly, he picked up the phone and looked at the screen.
A banking alert glowed clearly:
[Bank Notification]
Credit Alert: $1.00 has been deposited into your account
From: XXXX-4829
Available Balance Updated: $313.6 + $1 : $314.6
He stared at it.
One second.
Two.
His thoughts went completely blank.
Then, barely above a whisper, he spoke.
"So… this is real?"
[Yes, host.][However, this will be the first and last time I provide you money without effort.]
That was the moment it fully sank in.
This wasn't a dream. This was real.
Leo drew in a long, measured breath.
"Haa…"
And let it out slowly.
The panic receded. The disbelief settled. The shock cooled into something sharper.
A calm, composed clarity spread through him, the same mental state he used to enter before high-stakes decisions, intense negotiations, moments where hesitation meant loss. His eyes grew steady, cold in their focus without him even realizing it.
He lifted his gaze back to the translucent screen floating before him.
Not as a frightened boy anymore.
But as a man facing opportunity.
"Hey, system. Are you there?"
The robotic voice responded immediately.
[Yes, host!]
His tone was completely different now, steady, controlled.
"Tell me more about this system," he said. "And how you're going to help me."
The silver lines along the screen pulsed once before text and voice appeared together.
[The Omnisphere System is a growth-assistance framework designed to synchronize with the host's life path.]
A subtle shift appeared on the interface, and the first section illuminated faintly.
[Primary Function: Influence Path — Active]
[This module supports the host in becoming a recognized public creator.]
The screen shifted again.
Then the second section appeared, but this one was dimmed, sealed behind a silver lock.
[Secondary Function: Dominion Path — Locked]
Leo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What's that?"
The silver lock on the second tab pulsed once as the system responded in its calm mechanical tone.
[The Dominion Path governs large-scale enterprise creation, strategic expansion, and hidden corporate influence.]
The words carried a quiet heaviness.
[This module will remain locked until the host achieves:]
→ 1,000 genuine followers.
Leo's eyes shifted slightly.
[Definition: Individuals who actively love and emotionally resonate with the host's content.]
[Artificial or passive followers do not qualify.]
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
"…Hmm. So in this life, I still need to be involved in the corporate sector."
The thought weighed on him for a moment. The memory of long nights, empty victories, and suffocating boardrooms lingered at the edge of his mind.
Then he looked back at the screen.
"Hey, system… is there a need for me to rely on the secondary function?"
The robotic voice chimed again, steady and unhurried.
[Host, it is completely fine if you choose not to use that function.]
[However, I can assure you it can greatly support your creative endeavors.]
[In your previous life, you only witnessed an influencer's world from behind a screen.]
[You never truly walked inside it.]
The screen pulsed faintly.
[There are many kind people in this industry.]
[But where light exists, darkness naturally follows.]
[You will eventually understand how useful the secondary function truly is.]
[In the end, all choices belong to you.]
[The system does not force its user.]
[It only assists.]
Another line appeared.
[Though, in future, you will receive missions for your growth.]
[Each mission will carry rewards.]
[Most missions will not include punishments for failure.]
[However, some critical missions may include penalties, this indicates their importance to your journey.]
Leo listened quietly.
"Well… that's actually pretty decent of you," he admitted. "Not forcing anything on me."
He leaned back on his bed, exhaling slowly.
For now, the corporate world was the last place he wanted to return to.
This time he wanted to live, to create, to travel, to make videos, to earn through his own passion.
The locked path could wait.
Then a thought struck him.
"Now that you mentioned missions… what kind of missions will I get?"
The system responded instantly.
[Before proceeding with missions, would you like an introduction to the system interface, Host?]
Leo paused, then added casually, "Yeah sure, and stop calling me 'host.' Just call me Leo. And… is it okay if I call you something other than 'system'?"
There was a brief processing delay.
[It is acceptable, Leo. What would you like to call me?]
He thought for a second, then smiled slightly.
"How about 'Omni'? It's just the first part of Omnisphere."
[Name accepted.]
The screen shifted.
[Now, Leo, let me guide you through the system interface.]