The screen did not disappear.
Aarav stood still, staring at it, as if expecting it to vanish like a hallucination.
It didn't.
The faint, glitching interface hovered in front of him, unstable but persistent.
[ W E L C O M E U S E R ]
The words flickered slightly.
"…So this is real," Aarav murmured.
He reached out again, slower this time.
Careful.
The moment his finger moved closer, the screen reacted—distorting slightly, as if recognizing his presence.
"…Responsive too."
That was enough confirmation.
This wasn't imagination.
This wasn't a dream.
This was something else entirely.
Aarav tapped the screen.
For a second—
Nothing.
Then—
The interface shifted.
New fragments of text forced their way into existence, incomplete but readable.
[ N A M E : — — — ]
[ S T A T U S : U N K N O W N ]
[ A C C E S S : P A R T I A L ]
Aarav stared at the broken information.
"…You don't even know who I am?"
The screen flickered, almost as if offended.
Then—
One more line appeared.
[ F U N C T I O N S L O C K E D ]
"…Figures."
He leaned back slightly, thinking.
Others had full systems.
Clear stats.
Clear skills.
Clear paths.
He had—
A broken menu.
"…Great," he sighed. "Even my system is incomplete."
But something about it felt… different.
Unpredictable.
And that made it interesting.
Aarav stood up slowly.
"If this thing is real," he said, "then I need to test it."
Because in this world—
Information meant survival.
---
Outside, the city felt different.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Not peaceful—
But tense.
People moved carefully, constantly looking around. Shops were half-closed. Streets were less crowded.
Fear had replaced excitement.
Aarav walked down the road, hands in his pockets.
"…So this is what happens after the hype dies," he muttered.
A loud noise echoed in the distance.
A scream followed.
People froze.
Then started running.
"Monster!"
"It's coming this way!"
Aarav stopped walking.
"…Already?"
He turned toward the source of the sound.
Down the street—
Something moved.
A creature.
Not human.
Not animal.
Something in between.
Its body was twisted, its movements unnatural, like it hadn't fully adapted to this world yet.
The moment it stepped forward—
A faint flicker appeared in Aarav's vision.
His screen reacted.
[ T A R G E T D E T E C T E D ]
He blinked.
"…You can do that?"
The glitching interface struggled, then forced out more text.
[ N A M E : U N K N O W N ]
[ T H R E A T : L O W ]
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"…Low?"
The creature let out a distorted growl, lunging toward a nearby man.
The man screamed, stumbling back in panic.
No heroes.
No chosen ones.
Just normal people—
About to die.
Aarav didn't move.
Not immediately.
He watched.
Observed.
Calculated.
"…Low threat," he repeated quietly.
If the system said that—
Then maybe…
He stepped forward.
The creature turned toward him instantly.
Its eyes locked onto him.
Aarav didn't run.
Didn't panic.
Instead—
He picked up a broken metal rod lying nearby.
"…Let's test something."
The creature charged.
Fast.
Faster than a normal human.
But—
To Aarav—
It felt slower.
Not actually slower.
But clearer.
Predictable.
Like he could see its movement before it fully happened.
"…I see."
At the last second—
He moved.
A simple step to the side.
The creature missed.
Aarav swung the rod.
*Clang.*
Direct hit.
The creature staggered.
Aarav stepped back immediately.
Heart steady.
Breathing normal.
"…So that's what you do," he said softly.
His screen flickered again.
As if responding.
But this time—
The text didn't fully appear.
It glitched.
Repeated.
Struggled.
[ A N A L Y S I S . . . ]
[ A N A L Y S I S . . . ]
[ A N A L Y S I S . . . ]
Then—
It stopped.
Aarav frowned.
"…Not finished?"
The creature recovered, turning toward him again.
More aggressive.
More unstable.
Aarav tightened his grip on the rod.
"…Guess we're doing this the hard way."
But deep inside—
He understood one thing.
He wasn't powerless anymore.
And whatever this glitch was—
It had already started changing him.