The timer had frozen at ten seconds.
Andrew blinked. Everything around him had turned an eerie shade of gray—like the world itself had paused.
Then came the flood.
He tapped on the CHAT icon from his status screen out of instinct, and suddenly, it bloomed open. Dozens—no, hundreds—of messages began to stream past his vision.
A barrage of voices, chaotic and full of life.
[Rahul: hello, can anyone tell me why am I here? I was busy erking off and the next moment I woke up here… with my pants still down.][Liu: You've had it rough, bro.][Samuel: Ask your system to tell you about it.][Rahul: I don't believe it. It brought us here and now tells us to participate in a trial?]**[Jackson: Sht, my talent is only A-Rank: Magic Kiss. I can reduce mana cost by 50%. This is gonna be rough.]**[Samuel: Big show-off. Everyone else got E or F-rank talents. Only a handful got D or C. Who even are you?][Jackson: The one above. Don't be jealous.][Shilong: DON'T go to sea! I threw a box overboard and it got shredded in seconds. Monsters are everywhere.][Goku: Check the second floor of your ship. Golden chest there. Essentials.][Rahul: Yeah, mine was gold too. Does everyone get one?][Samuel: Same here.][Jackson: Wait, my ship only has one floor… where the hell's my chest?!][Serves you right x60]
Andrew stared at the screen, a wry smile forming on his lips. "So… it's not just me out here."
The chat continued buzzing—young people from across the world, each in their own ship, with their own powers, their own luck.
But when his eyes landed on the [FAMILY] tab and saw the number zero beside it, his chest tightened.
His parents—well, his adoptive parents—had passed in a car crash just a few years back.
He blinked hard, suddenly struggling to breathe. "Not now…" he whispered. "I promised I'd be strong."
A deep breath. A clenched fist. He shook away the haze.
No time to mope. He had a world to conquer—and maybe, new bonds to forge.
Just as he was regaining his composure—
[{<10… 9… 8…>}[{
Everything stopped.
Not paused.
Stopped.
Gray. Again.
But this time, it was colder. Sharper.
Andrew's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't move. Couldn't even blink.
A voice echoed, ethereal and formless, stabbing straight into his mind:
"Your talent is not something we desire. It poses danger. Therefore, we will remove it. You are not worthy of such a power."
[{
His pulse surged.
Rage poured through him like fire.
Why again?! Why is everything good taken from me?!
"IT WASN'T EVEN MY CHOICE!" he roared, though no voice escaped his lips. His mind was alight with fury.
the gray world flickered back into color and time ticked back into motion, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Status," I whispered, bitterly.
Nothing.
My hands clenched involuntarily. Panic surged in my chest. Had they really taken it? The only thing I had?
"Why... why me?" I muttered. "I didn't choose that talent."
Ding.
A soft, neutral chime echoed in my head. Monotone. Cold. Unlike before.
[SYSTEM ONLINE.]
[DISPLAYING STATUS.]
Finally.
[NAME: ANDREW SMITHCLASS: —TALENTS: —HP: 120/120STR: 15 | AGI: 11 | MP: 7 | INT: 13 | LUCK: —INFO: click to expandSKILLS: click to expandSHOP | CHAT | INVENTORY]
No talent. A blank void in the one place that mattered.
"They really did it," I murmured. "The gods actually erased it…"
My fists trembled.
Then—
[UNIDENTIFIED MAGICAL RESONANCE DETECTED.][ERROR: TALENT CORE TRACE PRESENT IN HOST SOUL.][INITIATING COMPENSATION PROTOCOL.]
My breath caught.
[TALENT VALUE INVALIDATED BY GOD AUTHORITY.][SEARCHING AKASHIC RECORD FOR BALANCED EQUIVALENT...][...][EQUIVALENT TALENT NOT FOUND.][UPGRADING COMPENSATION TO DUAL-TIERED MATCH.]
[NEW TALENTS GRANTED.][ARCANE CORE (S)][MIMIC SORCERY (S)]
My screen flickered. Then updated again.
[NAME: ANDREW SMITHCLASS: —TALENTS: ARCANE CORE (S), MIMIC SORCERY (S)HP: 120/120STR: 15 | AGI: 11 | ARCANE CHARGE: 10/50 | INT: 13 | LUCK: —INFO: click to expandSKILLS: click to expandSHOP | CHAT | INVENTORY]
[ARCANE CORE (S): HOST NOW GENERATES ARCANE CHARGE INSTEAD OF MANA.Arcane Charge increases passively and upon absorbing magic.Host is immune to mana-depletion effects.]
[MIMIC SORCERY (S): HOST CAN TEMPORARILY REPLICATE MAGIC CAST IN LINE OF SIGHT.Repeat exposure may unlock permanent versions.Storage capacity: 3 temporary spells.]
My lips parted slightly. These weren't just replacements. These were different. Technical. Dangerous. My mind raced with possibilities.
A faint smile crept onto my face.
"I don't need to start with power... if I can steal it."
[TIMER RESUMING.]
The world trembled again. The same countdown that had stopped now flashed red on my screen.
[00:09][00:08][00:07]
[NOTICE: MONSTER WAVE APPROACHING.][BATTLE IMMINENT.][PLEASE DO NOT DIE.]
There was no urgency in the voice. No kindness. Just cold automation.
I looked out from my ship's deck. The black sea boiled with motion in the distance — writhing shapes just below the surface. The first wave was coming.
I grinned.
"Well then. Let's test this out."