As the morning bell echoed through the concrete halls of Eastbridge High, students shuffled in, shoulders heavy with backpacks stuffed more with mana potions and dungeon scrolls than textbooks. Posters promoting the school's elite "Dungeon Training Division" lined the walls, bragging about rising stars and S-Rank alumni. Carter Kane passed beneath them like a shadow no one noticed.
He kept his head down, hoping no one would acknowledge him. Not that it mattered—they usually didn't.
"Hey Dead Last!" a voice called from across the courtyard.
He flinched before turning slowly. Lucas Brandt, the golden boy of Eastbridge, stood with two of his buddies, all dressed in slick reinforced uniforms, their badges marking them as B-Rank hunters-in-training. Carter's badge, by contrast, was dull bronze: Unranked.
"Try not to embarrass us at the raid simulation today," Lucas smirked. "Wouldn't want the dungeon to eat you before the monsters do."
Laughter followed. Carter forced a smile and nodded, then walked on. Inside, his stomach churned.
---
The bell rang again, this time for third period—Hunter Tactics. Mr. Hargrove, a retired A-Rank hunter with a mechanical arm and a scarred face, stood at the front of the class.
"Today's the last prep before your field assessment in the Windspire Rift," he barked. "No mistakes. The dungeon's unstable. If you're dead weight, your team will leave you behind."
He didn't need to look at Carter. He never did.
While the others tapped on their AR visors and reviewed skill trees, Carter stared at his own screen. Blank. His "abilities" hadn't changed in months.
> [NAME: Carter Kane]
[RANK: Unranked]
[CLASS: None]
[STATS: …Unavailable…]
He was seventeen. No system. No class. No skills. He wasn't even allowed to enter beginner dungeons alone. The only reason he was going into Windspire was because of a school waiver. A "learning experience," they called it.
Right. More like a death sentence.
---
Later that afternoon, the bus rumbled through the outskirts of Eastbridge, heading toward the rift gate. Carter sat at the back, watching the skyline twist into unnatural curves as they approached the spatial fold. Above the city, a flickering blue scar split the air like lightning frozen in time—the Windspire Rift.
"Just stay behind us," muttered Kiera, the only girl on his assigned team. "Don't try anything stupid."
Carter nodded. He had no intention of being a hero. He just wanted to survive.
The gate shimmered as they passed through, and in a heartbeat, the world changed.
---
Windspire was a shallow dungeon by modern standards, but its jagged cliffs and whipping winds made movement treacherous. Their team advanced cautiously, led by Lucas with a glowing longsword, while Carter trailed behind with a basic dagger that felt like a toothpick in his hands.
They took down a few low-level wind fiends. Easy kills—for them. Carter mostly stayed out of the way, shielding himself with his arms and flinching every time a monster shrieked.
But then it happened.
The ground beneath them cracked. A pulse of energy tore through the dungeon. A second rift bloomed—unnatural, glowing violet—and from it emerged something that didn't belong here.
A hulking creature, all smoke and bone, its eyes glowing like dying stars.
> [WARNING: ENTITY CLASS - UNKNOWN]
[DANGER LEVEL: EXTREME]
[FLEE IMMEDIATELY]
Screams broke out.
Lucas was the first to run.
One by one, the others followed—Kiera, the tank, even the healer. No one waited for Carter.
He turned to flee, but something stopped him.
One of the younger students—Eli, a freshman—was frozen in place, sobbing, too scared to move. The creature loomed behind him, preparing to strike.
Carter didn't think.
He ran back.
Pushed Eli out of the way.
Took the hit.
Agony tore through him. His body flew through the air, hit a rock wall, and slid to the ground. Everything turned red. Then black. Then nothing.
---
He felt cold.
Alone.
Floating in a sea of static.
No pain. No fear. Just silence.
Until a voice—not human, not digital—whispered from the void.
> [System Error Detected… Reinitializing Core Protocols…]
A light blinked before him. A soft blue glow.
> [SYSTEM REBOOTING…]
[Welcome, Carter Kane.]
His eyes opened.
He was in his bedroom.
Alive.
Breathing.
But something was different.
A faint screen hovered in front of him, glowing with impossible light.
> [You have been selected for SYSTEM REBOOT.]
[You are the only authorized user.]
[Your journey begins now.]