FLASH.
A blinding white light consumed him.
Time stopped. Or maybe he stopped existing. It was hard to tell.
Then came the beep.
Soft at first. Then louder. It wasn't the beep of falling or death. It was digital. Mechanical.
A floating screen appeared before him — blue and gold, with high-definition clarity that felt out of place in his world.
WELCOME, PLAYER, TO THE NIGERIAN EVOLVING SYSTEM
"What the hell—?"
"Please state your name," a robotic voice echoed. It sounded like it came from everywhere and nowhere at once — masculine yet artificial, layered with an accent that sounded old and metallic.
"Gideon," he said instinctively.
"I am your personalized AI for the Ancient Nigerian Evolving System," it continued, with a hint of rhythm in its cadence.
Another screen appeared, this one with bold letters:
**Choose an alias:
1.Tuzzy
2.Freezy
3.Jetski**
"What kind of names are these…" Gideon muttered. But there wasn't time to overthink it. His instincts clicked in.
"Tuzzy."
"Synchronizing player and system…"
Suddenly, numbers and codes danced across his vision. He felt something tug inside his skull, like a thousand threads being rewired. His body froze midair. His limbs went numb.
System merged.
⸻
The next thing he knew, he was lying in a hospital bed.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
That same sound. He opened his eyes to the sterile glow of fluorescent lights. His mouth was dry. His arms ached. There was a tube in his wrist, and a dull pain throbbed in his side.
He had survived.
But he wasn't alone.
Hovering above him, like a dream half-remembered, was the screen again — translucent, quietly pulsing. A new message blinked:
Welcome back, Player.
"I am your personalized AI for the Ancient Nigerian Evolving System. You may call me SAPA — Super Access Personalized AI. Synchronization with host successful."
The voice hadn't changed. It still had that strange blend of digital power and cultural tone, as if ancient Yoruba and future tech had collided to create something… divine.
A list faded in beneath it:
Player Stats:
•Body: 5%
•Mind: 10%
•Mana: 0%
•Magic: None
•Agility and Speed: 3%
•Overall Level: Earth Level 1% (Low Grade)
Gideon stared.
Was he hallucinating? Was this a side effect of the trauma?
But it didn't feel like a dream. The screen reacted when he blinked. It shimmered when he thought.
Player may upgrade stats by completing tasks and missions.
"Tasks?" he whispered. "Missions?"
SAPA: "Yes, Player. This world is layered. What you see is the surface. Beneath it lies the evolving system. You have been chosen to walk both."
"Why me?"
SAPA: "Because you died. And yet… you lived. Because your despair was real, but your spirit remained sharp. Because Nigeria's ancestral algorithm picked you."
"You're saying this is fate?"
SAPA: "No. This is version 1.0 of your rebirth."
The screen shimmered again and updated.
Daily Missions:
•Run 10,000 meters to increase Agility
•Read 10,000 words to enhance Mind
•Complete special missions to unlock Mana and Magic
WARNING: Neglecting daily missions will slow player evolution.
Gideon blinked slowly. His whole life had been a struggle. Now it was a literal system. Gamified. Quantified. Brutally honest.
"Okay," he said, voice hoarse but steady. "Then let's play."
Gideon lay in the hospital bed, his body weak but his mind racing. The room was dim, lit only by the pale green light of the heart monitor and the glowing blue screen hovering above him like a silent guardian. He blinked again, and the display shimmered, adjusting its brightness automatically.
Welcome back, Player.
Initializing tutorial…
SAPA's voice returned, calm and rhythmic. "Player Gideon, you have been successfully integrated into the Nigerian Evolving System — an ancient yet adaptive gamified overlay designed by the ancestors to evolve worthy souls. Do you wish to begin the tutorial?"
Gideon blinked twice. The screen beeped.
Tutorial accepted.
The screen reshaped itself, turning into a map of his body, displaying glowing nodes on his brain, heart, lungs, and limbs.
System Interface Tutorial:
•Mind: A measure of your cognitive power. Reading, meditating, and solving complex problems will increase this.
•Body: Physical health and strength. Build through exercise, endurance, and nutrition.
•Agility: Measures reflexes and speed. Tasks like running, martial training, and dodging obstacles improve this stat.
•Mana: Currently locked. Can only be unlocked after completing a "Spiritual Awakened Quest."
•Magic: None detected. Unlock Mana to begin discovering magical abilities.
Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Magic?"
SAPA responded, "Yes. Magic in this context is the ability to influence the Nigerian metaphysical layer. You will understand when the time comes."
"Okay…" Gideon whispered. "So I'm… in a game?"
SAPA paused before replying. "No. You are in life, revealed in its truest form. The game was always here. You were just blind to the code."
That hit differently. Gideon sat up slowly. His muscles ached, but he forced his back straight. The IV in his wrist tugged, and the heart monitor sped up briefly.
On the screen, a new section blinked to life:
Special Stat Unlocked: Resilience (Rare)
Reason: Survived a system reset (attempted death)
Initial Bonus: +2% to all base stats
A warm pulse ran through his body. It was subtle — like a shiver of energy under his skin — but unmistakable.
Then another prompt appeared:
Would you like to meet your first Quest Giver?
[Yes] [No]
Gideon hesitated. "What happens if I say no?"
SAPA responded instantly, "Nothing. But the system will remain in passive mode, and your growth will slow. Fate waits for no one."
Gideon exhaled. "Alright… Yes."
Loading Quest Giver…
There was a strange humming in the air, and then — as if reality bent at the seams — a ghostly silhouette materialized at the foot of his bed. It was a man, tall and dressed in traditional agbada, shimmering with digital static. His face was partly obscured by a carved mask that resembled the ancient Nok sculptures. His voice, when he spoke, was deep and filled with echoes — like it belonged to a council, not a man.
"Gideon. Son of effort. Grandson of pain," he intoned.
Gideon's mouth went dry. "Who are you?"
"I am the Guardian of the First Path. In this system, I am known as Elder Nok. I am your first guide."
Elder Nok stepped closer. "You have survived the purge of purpose. That makes you worthy of rebirth."
"Rebirth?" Gideon repeated.
"Yes," Nok said. "You are no longer bound by the rules of the world you once knew. Here, every action adds to your essence. Every choice writes your evolution."
He raised a digital staff, and a scroll appeared in the air beside him.
Quest Unlocked: The Path of Reclamation
•Objective 1: Leave the hospital without being detected.
•Objective 2: Reach the river shrine in Eruwa town within 48 hours.
•Objective 3: Make an offering — anything that represents your childhood.
Rewards:
•+5% to Mind
•+3% to Agility
•Unlock Memory Fragment: "Echoes of the Past"
Gideon read the objectives again. "Leave the hospital without being detected? How?"
"You must find your way. Growth lies not in being told the answers but in the will to seek them."
The quest shimmered and embedded itself in the corner of the screen like a pinned task.
SAPA chimed in. "Tutorial complete. System now active. First mission countdown begins now: 48:00:00."
The clock started ticking.
Gideon's heart pounded. "Guess I better get moving."
Gideon stared at the ticking countdown in the corner of his vision.
47:59:53
Time was already slipping away. He glanced around the hospital room — a single window, one door, no camera in sight. At least not visible ones. He unhooked the IV line from his wrist with a wince, pressing gauze from the bedside tray over the puncture. Blood welled up, then slowed. He was already getting used to the pain.
"Exit undetected," he murmured. "This isn't going to be easy."
SAPA: "Stealth stat currently at 0%. Rely on observation, timing, and improvisation."