The gate didn't open gently. It ripped itself apart.
Metal screamed. Space warped. The broken halves were dragged sideways as if reality itself was being peeled open. Hot wind blasted Satoshi's face.
The smell hit next—blood, ash, burning stone. Curiously Satoshi stepped forward.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold—
[WARNING] ENVIRONMENT HOSTILE]
[WARNING] USER LEVEL: 0]
[SUGGESTION] RETREAT IMMEDIATELY]
Satoshi scoffed weakly.
"…Level zero is already getting bullied."
He looked down at his hands. There was no armor, not any weapon and no magic circle.
Just a normal body thrown into a world that clearly didn't want him. He was just wearing old black leather clothes with white pants, which can barely protect his body from any attack.
Beyond the gate lay a battlefield.
Corpses littered the land—knights in shattered silver armor, demons with twisted horns, massive creatures split clean in half like toys. The ground was carved with sword marks so deep they still leaked mana.
At the center of it all—
A throne made of bones.
And sitting on it…
Something looked up.
Two crimson eyes locked onto Satoshi
The air froze.
[ALERT] HIGH-TIER ENTITY DETECTED]
Designation: ???]
Threat Level: ABSOLUTE]
The thing stood.
Tall. Too tall. Its body was wrapped in black chains that dug into its own flesh, yet it smiled like it felt nothing.
"So," it said, voice echoing from everywhere,
"the system finally broke its rules."
Satoshi's legs screamed at him to run.
He didn't, he stood up but his sweat rolled on cheeks as his body slightly trembled.
"…You know what I am?" Satoshi asked, surprised his voice didn't shake.
"HAHAHAHAH!!"
The entity laughed.
A deep, ancient laugh that made the battlefield tremble.
"I know what you are not," it replied.
"You're not a hero."
The chains rattled.
"You don't carry destiny."
"You don't shine."
"You don't belong."
It stepped closer.
Each step crushed bones into dust.
[SYSTEM MALFUNCTION]
FATE INTERFERENCE DETECTED]
Yuuki felt pressure crash down on him like gravity multiplied tenfold. His knees bent. Blood dripped from his nose.
Yet—
The system screen flickered wildly.
"EXISTENCE OVERRIDE — ACTIVE"External authority denied.
Causality rejected.
The pressure vanished.
The entity's smile cracked.
"…Oh?"
Satoshi' straightened, wiping blood from his lip.
"Yeah," he muttered, heart pounding like a war drum.
"I get that a lot."
Silence.
For the first time, the battlefield was quiet.
The entity stared at him—not with amusement anymore.
With interest.
"You're dangerous," it said softly.
"Not because you're strong…"
It leaned in.
"But because the world can't decide what to do with you."
The system screamed inside Satoshi's head.
[CRITICAL EVENT TRIGGERED]
Unique choice available]
"SELECT YOUR FIRST PATH"
Fight – Certain death, unknown reward
Kneel – Survival, permanent mark
Reject – Unknown consequences
Satoshi looked at the options. Then at the monster. Then back at the system. Satoshi smiled. A small, tired, reckless smile.
"…Man," he whispered,
"this system really thinks it owns me( ͝° ͜ʖ͡°)ᕤ."
Satoshi moved his finger and tapped into the third option.
"PATH REJECTED""SYSTEM AUTHORITY OVERRIDDEN"You do not choose a path.
The sky shattered.
The entity took a step back.
"…Interesting," it said again—but this time, there was tension in its voice.
Satoshi didn't know what he'd just done.
But somewhere, far above—
The system? It went silent.