Chapter 2: System Online
Xavier jolted awake, his body jerking upright as if pulled from a nightmare.
He gasped for air, his heart pounding violently as his eyes darted around. The ceiling above him was low and cracked in the familiar places. The faint hum of the old refrigerator leaked through the thin walls. A narrow room, barely large enough for the small bed he slept on.
His room.
Xavier froze.
Slowly, carefully, he looked down at himself. He moved his arms. His legs. No pain. No sharp agony. No shattered bones screaming at him. He lifted his shirt and pressed his fingers against his ribs, then his stomach.
Nothing.
"How…?" he whispered.
The memory hit him all at once—Justin's laughter, the cold air rushing past him as he fell, the explosion of pain when he hit the ground. He remembered dying.
Then—
[Ding]
A clear mechanical chime echoed through the room.
[Magical Delivery System Activated]
[All Host Injuries Have Been Healed]
A translucent blue screen floated in front of his eyes.
Xavier sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled backward until his legs hit the bed. He stared at the screen, afraid it would vanish if he blinked.
"A… system?" he muttered.
The screen remained.
After a long moment, Xavier forced himself to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Panic wouldn't help. He read the messages again, slower this time.
Activated.
Healed.
"How did I survive?" he asked aloud. "And how did I get back here? And what the hell is this thing?"
The screen flickered.
[The Host survived due to System Initialization.]
[All critical damage was repaired during the scanning process.]
[During this process, the Host's memories were scanned.]
[The Host was safely teleported to his residence.]
Xavier swallowed.
"So you… scanned my memories?" he asked cautiously.
No response.
New questions flooded his mind. Why him? Why now? Why a delivery system of all things? Was there a price? A catch?
The system remained silent.
"…Figures," Xavier muttered.
He swung his legs off the bed, half-expecting pain that never came. Standing felt strange—too light. Too normal. He walked into the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, and stared into the cracked mirror.
The man staring back at him looked exactly the same.
Alive.
"This has to be a dream," Xavier said quietly. "There's no way something good just… happens to me."
Back in his room, he took a deep breath and spoke again. "System?"
The screen reappeared instantly.
[Yes, Host.]
Xavier stiffened. "You're… like those systems from the shows I watch?"
A brief pause.
[Correct.]
[However, this system is not a final antagonist.]
"That's… reassuring, I guess."
Even so, it felt unreal. His luck had always been terrible. Life didn't hand him miracles.
As if reacting to his thoughts—
[Ding]
Another screen appeared, filled with numbers.
Copy code
Name: Xavier Cross
Age: 22
Class: N/A
Strength: 7
Speed: 5
Dexterity: 4
Constitution: 4
Luck: 1
Skill Points: 0
Xavier stared.
"…That explains a lot," he said dryly, focusing on the Luck: 1.
No class. Weak stats. Barely above average. Still a nobody.
Before he could think further—
[Ding]
[New Mission: Quit Current Job]
[Reward: To Be Determined After Mission Completion]
Xavier blinked.
"…Quit my job?"
His delivery job was the only thing keeping him alive. Barely. Yet, as he stared at the mission, something stirred in his chest—fear mixed with excitement.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't reacting.
He was being offered a choice.
And whatever path he took next, his old life was already ending.