The vendor nodded absentmindedly, skillfully scooped a portion of ice cream, and set the cup on the counter.
— One vanilla, he said.
It seemed like an ordinary order, an ordinary summer day. But the moment the customer reached for it, a crowd began to gather around him. At first, just a couple of people noticed — one's eyes went wide, another froze, slowly pulling out their phone. Then, like a chain reaction, attention spread. Someone glanced over, recognized the figure in impeccably fitted clothes, gasped, tugged a friend by the sleeve.
— Is that… him?
— No way… Keito?!
A second ago, the world had been living its life, but now people were streaming toward the counter as if pulled by an invisible force. A nervous, anticipatory tension hung in the air.
Cameras clicked. Flashes illuminated the young man's face — sculpted features, expressionless eyes, a detached coldness as if all this fuss had nothing to do with him. Girls flailed their hands, one squeaked quietly, pressing her palm to her lips. Others giggled, elbowing each other, whispering:
— He's even more handsome than in the photos!
— Look, look at how he's holding the ice cream!
— Oh my God, I can't!
The guys were looking differently. Their eyes held a mixture of envy and admiration, as if trying to find a flaw in him, but there was none. He was ridiculously good-looking.
Yet Keito Shigero didn't even raise an eyebrow. He silently took the ice cream, as if in his world none of these eyes existed, removed the lid, and lazily licked the cold treat.
The crowd held its breath.
Someone snapped a picture at that exact moment, and it would likely explode across social media in minutes, gathering hundreds of excited comments.
But Keito remained unfazed. All of it — whispers, gasps, flashes, even envious stares — was nothing more than a faint background noise to him.
He simply ate his ice cream.
The world exploded in sound.
A deafening, low-frequency roar rolled down the street, making the air itself vibrate. It wasn't just loud — it was unnatural, almost physically palpable. Windows cracked, alarms wailed, people in the crowd clamped their hands over their ears, yet even then the noise penetrated into their skulls, rattling bones.
Keito flinched involuntarily.
— What the hell?.. — He dropped his ice cream.
Under normal circumstances, this would have drawn sighs of disappointment or even nervous laughter. But now, no one noticed. Because everyone was looking up.
The sky… was tearing apart.
Gigantic portals, glowing with an eerie blue light, slowly rotated in the air. Their size… monstrous. It was as if the sky had opened the jaws of a slumbering god, like the gates of a colossal fortress capable of enclosing an entire city.
Silence lasted for a second. Then panic erupted like a wave.
People scattered in every direction. Some screamed, some stumbled and fell, while others, despite their fear, continued filming with their phones, fingers shaking on the screens. Two collided in the crowd, and one, swaying, lifted his head:
— This… this is impossible…
Keito didn't move.
He stared upward, and for the first time in a long while, his face… changed. Confusion.
Almost instinctively, his hand went to the bandage. He slowly, as if in a daze, removed it, revealing his eyes — cold, bottomless, glowing with pure blue light.
The crowd froze, if only briefly. Someone gasped.
But Keito paid no attention.
He was looking at the sky.
At the tearing boundaries of reality.
And only one word escaped his lips:
— I don't believe it.
Author's Note – End of Season 1
And so, we've come to the end of this chapter… the first season of our story.
I hope you felt every moment — the tension, the chaos, the silent breaths before the storm — because this world of Keito Shigero is only just beginning. This tale is different. If you've ever read stories about heroes climbing levels alone, battling in arenas of magic and power, imagine what it would be like if someone like Keito had the same chance — but sharper, faster, and far more unpredictable. That's the world I wanted to show you: a world of limitless power, broken human limits, and moments where the presence of one person alone can shake reality itself.
Some might say it reminds them of other stories of growth and battle. If you've enjoyed them, imagine this… darker, sharper, with stakes that never stop climbing. That's what I tried to bring to life here.
The most thrilling part of this world — the arrival of new players, mysterious systems, dungeons — has already been written. You could call it the second season, where the events become even more intense and dangerous. But I've chosen not to release it. Why? Because this story was never given a chance. No one would have truly appreciated it. And yet… if this story had a manga or manhwa adaptation, I'm certain it would be topping charts. Sometimes, a story is better left as a glimpse of something greater, a taste of the unknown, a spark before the real storm begins.
From the bottom of my heart — thank you. Thank you for reading, for following Keito's journey, for sharing this strange, chaotic world with me. It's been an honor.
And now… I say goodbye.
— The Author