Alex was escorted down a quiet hallway and into a sealed room.
At its center stood a massive pillar—easily twice his height—constructed from a smooth, metallic material that faintly pulsed with light. Strange symbols were etched across its surface, shifting ever so slightly as if they were alive.
A single armored guard stood beside it, completely still.
"Make a small cut on your finger," the guard instructed, holding out a small, clean knife. "Then place your entire hand on the pillar."
Alex hesitated.
This all felt… surreal. Like he'd stepped into a different world entirely.
Still, he took the knife.
With a slight wince, he made a shallow cut across his fingertip. A bead of blood formed almost instantly. He swallowed, then pressed his hand flat against the surface of the pillar.
For a brief moment—
Nothing happened.
Then the pillar reacted.
A deep hum resonated through the room as light surged beneath his hand, spreading outward in branching patterns. The symbols along the pillar began to glow, shifting rapidly as streams of unreadable data scrolled across its surface.
"What the…?"
Before he could finish—
Everything stopped.
Completely.
The light froze mid-pulse. The air itself felt locked in place. Even the faint hum cut off as if reality had been paused.
Alex could still breathe.
Still think.
Still see.
"...Okay. That's not normal."
A familiar glow appeared in front of him.
His red and blue system screen flickered into existence.
Error... Error... Error...
Error Code: 132
Establishing contact with Central Admins...
E: ..... Error Correction 4590 suggested
L: ..... Error Correction 7890 suggested
E: ..... Error Correction 0001 suggested
L: ..... Error Correction 0001 agreed
E. L.: HELP
Error Correction Confirmed
Resetting Personal System...
The screen abruptly went dark.
Alex stared at the empty space, his thoughts racing.
"…So was my 132 CP just an error code?" he muttered. "Or… is that something else entirely?"
A loading symbol slowly appeared, spinning in silence.
Seconds stretched uncomfortably long.
Then—
The screen snapped back.
Name: Alex Murdoff
Race: @;,["%<(";,
Class: E-Rank — Golem Creator (Level 1)
HP: 100/100 (10)
MP: 70/70 (7)
Stamina: 50/50
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 8
Agility: 4
Luck: ???
Skills:
Golem Creation (E):
Create a golem using surrounding materials. Lifespan depends on material quality and mana input.
Cost: 70 MP
Alchemy (??):
Create power and life through material conversion. Output depends entirely on mana and materials used.
Bonus:
System Help:
Increased luck with system-based rewards. Occasional discounts in the System Store.
"...What the hell is that race supposed to be?" Alex muttered, staring at the corrupted line.
Before he could think further—
Time resumed.
The hum of the pillar returned. The light faded. The world snapped back into motion like nothing had happened.
The guard reached to the side of the pillar and retrieved a small, card-like device as it materialized from the structure itself. He glanced at it briefly before handing it to Alex.
"Take this."
The card displayed his name, class, and level in clean, readable text.
Before Alex could even process it, the guard motioned toward the exit.
"Move."
Moments later, Alex found himself back outside with Commander K.
She stood with a sleek tablet in her hand, already reviewing his results.
Her head tilted slightly.
"Golem Creator…" she said. "That's a rare class."
A pause.
"But E-Rank."
Her tone was neutral—but there was a hint of disappointment.
"Your combat power might have been inflated due to class rarity," she continued. "That would explain the discrepancy."
Alex frowned slightly but didn't argue.
"Can you demonstrate the Golem Creation skill?" she asked. "Or is it one of those abilities that requires manual construction first?"
"Uh… it doesn't say," Alex admitted. "But I can try."
He focused.
The moment he thought about the skill—
Something responded.
The ground in front of him began to shift.
At first, it was subtle. Then the floor started to soften, warping like wet clay. Cracks spread outward as chunks of concrete lifted, twisting and reshaping under an unseen force.
Within seconds, a figure began to form.
A humanoid shape—rough, jagged, incomplete.
A golem.
Its body was made from broken pieces of the library floor—concrete, tile, and fragments of stone fused together unevenly. Its limbs were bulky and asymmetrical, and its movements were stiff as it stabilized itself.
Where its face should have been—
There was a single, glowing crystal.
A pale blue eye, faceted and luminous, embedded into its head.
The golem stood still.
Waiting.
"…Interesting," Commander K murmured.
She stepped closer, observing it carefully.
"We'll fix the floor later," she added flatly, almost as an afterthought.
Her gaze returned to Alex.
"How long will it last?"
Alex focused on the golem, narrowing his eyes slightly.
A faint timer appeared above it.
"...Just under an hour," he said. "So I guess—around sixty minutes."
Before K could respond—
A notification appeared in front of Alex.
New Mission:
Create a Golem with Unlimited Lifetime
Reward: ???
"...Of course that's a thing," Alex muttered under his breath.
"Hm," K said, tapping her tablet. "You'll likely fall into a resource-based role. A collector, possibly support."
Her eyes flicked to the golem again.
"That skill consumes over half your mana in a single use. Inefficient—but workable."
She turned back to him.
"Fortunately, all awakened individuals have been granted a gift—50% increased experience gain until Level 50."
Alex blinked.
"...A gift?"
He hadn't seen anything like that on his system.
But… now wasn't the time to argue.
"Report back here tomorrow at noon," K continued. "You'll assist with mana stone collection."
She paused briefly.
"Don't be late."
With that, she dismissed him without another glance.
Alex stood there for a moment, his golem looming silently beside him.
Confused.
Curious.
And with a growing feeling that something about his system—
Was very, very wrong.