Ethan Lewis woke up choking on air.
His lungs seized before a violent gasp forced its way out of his throat. His back arched against the mattress, sheets twisting around him like he had been wrestling in his sleep. For a full five seconds he didn't know where he was—only that something was horribly wrong.
His chest was burning.
No—glowing.
A faint blue light pulsed against the thin fabric of his T-shirt, each pulse synchronized with a rapid, unfamiliar ticking. Ethan froze. Slowly, with trembling fingers, he lifted his shirt.
A digital countdown floated just above his skin.
23:59:51
23:59:50
23:59:49
"What the—"
He scrambled back so quickly he hit the headboard with an echoing thud. His heart raced, but the ticking was louder—inside him, not from any device in the room.
"Okay… I'm dreaming. Obviously dreaming."
He slapped his face.
It hurt.
He slapped harder.
It hurt more.
The timer kept ticking down.
Ethan's mind spun. He wasn't a genius, but he wasn't an idiot either. People don't just wake up with holographic timers attached to their bodies—unless—
Unless they were dying.
His throat tightened. "Am I… sick? Poisoned? What the hell happened last night?"
Nothing unusual. Ethan had gone to bed after a miserable day at work. His manager had yelled at him for creating "unproductive energy," and his rent had gone up again. Life wasn't amazing, but it was normal.
But this—this wasn't normal.
He tried touching the numbers. His fingers passed through the holographic digits like mist.
"Okay, Ethan… stay calm. Think."
He failed.
His pulse tripled and panic crawled up his spine until—
DING
A mechanical chime rang inside his skull.
Ethan froze.
Then, a voice followed. Cold. Metallic. Emotionless.
[MORTALITY COUNTDOWN SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]
Ethan screamed.
"W-What system?! Who's talking?! Where are you?!"
The voice ignored his panic.
[INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.]
[YOU HAVE 24 HOURS LEFT TO LIVE.]
His breath caught.
"No. No, no, no—this is insane…"
[TO EXTEND YOUR REMAINING LIFESPAN, COMPLETE SYSTEM-ISSUED MISSIONS.]
[FAILURE OR INACTION WILL RESULT IN LOSS OF TIME.]
The ticking grew louder, drilling into his temples.
"Why me?! Why do I only have 24 hours?!"
No answer.
"Is this some kind of punishment? A curse? A prank?!"
Still nothing.
Then:
[BEGINNER MISSION ISSUED.]
Mission: Leave your apartment within 10 minutes.
Reward: +1 hour
Penalty: -2 hours]
Ethan stared blankly.
"…What kind of mission is that?"
He looked around at his cramped apartment. A sink full of dishes. A flickering TV. His worn-out jacket on the couch. Nothing dangerous, nothing threatening.
"Why would I lose two hours for not walking outside?"
A cold realization struck him.
Because the system didn't care why.
Only that he obeyed.
The timer continued ticking.
23:58:40… 23:58:39…
"Shit—okay, fine! I'll go!"
He scrambled off the bed, grabbed his phone and keys, and shoved his feet into his shoes. His hands shook so badly he almost tied the shoelaces together by mistake.
He swung his apartment door open—
And stopped.
The hallway was dark. The lightbulb had flickered out two days ago. The elevator at the end of the hall emitted its usual groaning creaks.
Nothing unusual.
Except Ethan felt like the shadows were watching him.
He stepped outside.
DING.
[MISSION COMPLETE.]
[REWARD: +1 HOUR.]
The glowing timer on his chest flickered—
Then jumped upward.
24:59:12
Ethan exhaled sharply. Relief washed through him.
"That… actually worked."
The system wasn't lying.
Which meant—
This timer was real.
This threat was real.
And if he didn't play along…
He would die.
He leaned against the hallway wall, breathing hard. His heart hammered loud enough to drown the ticking in his chest.
"This can't be happening… I'm just a normal guy. I'm not a hero. I'm not even good at fighting. Why would some system choose me?"
No answer came.
Instead—
DING.
[NEW MISSION ISSUED.]
Mission: Help the person in danger 200 meters south.
Reward: +3 hours
Penalty: -3 hours]
Ethan blinked. "Person in danger? What does that even—"
A scream cut through the air from outside the building.
A real, human scream.
Ethan's stomach turned to ice.
The system was serious.
He swallowed hard, body trembling.
"I… I have to go. If I don't…"
He looked at the timer.
24:58:40
He clenched his fists.
Whether he was ready or not—
His countdown had already begun.