"Hey, trash. Pick up the pace."
Something heavy slammed into my back.
I stumbled, my boots sliding in the dungeon mud, but I didn't drop the bag. If I dropped the loot, I wouldn't get paid.
And if I didn't get paid, my sister would die.
"Sorry, Hunter-nim," I said. My voice was flat.
Jax Silverwing sneered, wiping monster blood off his gleaming platinum sword.
"Carriers," he spat, turning to his livestream drone. "Chat, can you believe this guy? We're carrying him through an F-Rank dungeon, and he can't even keep up."
The drone hovered near his face. I could see the holographic comments flooding the air.
[xX_Slayer_Xx: Use him as bait, Jax! lol]
[Simp4Silver: Trash deserves trash treatment.]
[System: 'Jax Silverwing' has received 500 Coins!]
I adjusted the straps on my shoulder.
Jax Silverwing. A rising star in the Silverwing Guild. Level 15 Warrior. Arrogant. Sloppy technique. He relied entirely on his stats.
I looked at my own wrist. The holographic watch—the Status Window—flickered weakly.
[Name: Asher Vance]
[Level: 1]
[Class: None]
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 5]
Pathetic.
In this world, ten years after The Great Sync, stats were everything. If you didn't awaken with high potential, you were fodder.
But they didn't know one thing.
I looked around the cavern. The damp walls. The distinct smell of sulfur. The pattern of the moss growing on the ceiling.
I knew this place.
Before reality merged with the game, this was "Infinite Tower." A strategy RPG notorious for its impossible difficulty.
Billions played it.
Only one person cleared it.
Me.
"Alright, boss room ahead!" Jax shouted, striking a heroic pose for the camera. "Watch closely, viewers! This is how a Silverwing hunts!"
He kicked open the heavy iron doors.
CREAAAAK.
Inside, a massive creature waited. It wasn't the Goblin Chief Jax expected.
It was a towering wolf with fur made of jagged obsidian. Its eyes glowed a hellish red.
[WARNING!]
[Hidden Boss Detected: Obsidian Dire Wolf (Level 25)]
The color drained from Jax's face.
"L-Level 25?" he stammered. "This is an F-Rank dungeon! The cap should be Level 10!"
The wolf roared.
ROAAAAAR!
The sound wave alone knocked the other two party members off their feet.
Jax scrambled back, his bravery vanishing instantly. He looked around wildly, his eyes landing on me.
"You!" Jax pointed a trembling finger at me. "Bait! Buy us time!"
"What?"
"Do it, you useless carrier!"
THUD!
Jax kicked me. Hard.
I flew forward, tumbling into the center of the room. Directly in front of the beast.
"Run!" Jax screamed to his team. The heavy doors slammed shut behind them.
I was locked in.
Alone.
With a Level 25 Boss.
[Stream Connection Lost.]
The room went silent, save for the low growl of the wolf. It stalked toward me, saliva dripping from its jaws like acid.
I stood up slowly, dusting off my pants.
Panic? No.
Fear? Unnecessary data.
I looked at the wolf.
Obsidian Dire Wolf. Attack pattern: Lunges right, follows with a tail sweep. Weakness: The third rib on the left side. Drop rate: 0.05% for the core.
I had analyzed this data a thousand times on a screen. Now, it was real.
"Just like the tutorial," I muttered.
The wolf lunged.
WHOOSH!
I didn't try to block. With my Strength of 4, I would be crushed.
Instead, I stepped to the left. Just three inches.
The obsidian claws slashed the air next to my ear.
MISS.
I rolled under its belly.
"But I can't kill it," I whispered, backing away. "Not with these stats."
I was Level 1. My dagger was rusty iron. I could dodge all day, but eventually, stamina would run out.
Death was a mathematical certainty. Probability: 100%.
Unless...
I closed my eyes.
"System," I said clearly. "I am the Cleared User. Where is my reward?"
Silence.
The wolf crouched, readying a lethal pounce.
Then, a mechanical chime rang in my head. A sound I had waited ten years to hear.
DING!
[Verifying User ID...]
[ID: 'Zero'. Confirmed.]
[Achievement Unlocked: The Only Sovereign.]
Time seemed to freeze.
A golden light erupted in front of me. A small, floating figure materialized.
It was a fairy. Maybe six inches tall, with holographic wings and a smirk that looked way too human.
"Finally!" she squeaked, stretching her tiny arms. "Do you know how boring it is waiting in the void? You took ten years, Asher!"
"Nova," I said, recognizing the game's guide AI. "Cut the chatter. I'm about to be eaten."
Nova looked at the wolf. "Oof. Ugly dog. You're Level 1? That's embarrassing."
"Reward," I demanded.
"Sheesh, demanding," Nova rolled her eyes. She snapped her fingers.
[Welcome to the Gacha Sovereign System!]
[Starter Gift Box Received.]
[Would you like to open it?]
"Open."
A massive, ornate roulette wheel appeared in thin air. It hummed with energy.
[Generating First Pull...]
The wolf broke through the time dilation. It leaped. Jaws wide open.
"Come on..." I gritted my teeth.
The wheel spun.
Grey... Grey... Blue...
[Effect: Guaranteed 'Class Card' for First Pull!]
The wheel exploded into golden light.
DING! DING! DING!
[Congratulations!]
[You have obtained an S-Rank Class Card!]
[Card: The Shadow Monarch's Apprentice (Assassin Type)]
A tarot card floated into my hand. It depicted a figure cloaked in living darkness, holding twin daggers.
[Equip?]
"Equip!" I shouted.
BOOM!
Darkness exploded from my body. The air turned freezing cold. The wolf stopped mid-air, hesitating for the first time.
Power.
Raw, intoxicating power flooded my veins. My muscles tightened, shedding the fatigue instantly.
[Class Equipped: Shadow Monarch's Apprentice]
[Stats Adjusted!]
[Strength: 4 -> 25 (+21)]
[Agility: 5 -> 40 (+35)]
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Step (Lv. 1)]
I opened my eyes. The world looked slower.
The wolf moved like it was underwater.
I looked at the rusty dagger in my hand. It was vibrating, coated in a black aura.
"Nova," I said, a small smile forming on my lips.
"Yeah, boss?"
"Let's play."
The wolf snapped its jaws.
I didn't dodge this time.
[Skill: Shadow Step]
ZHOOM!
I vanished.
I reappeared instantly behind the wolf, my dagger already buried deep into its third rib.
SLASH!
[Critical Hit!]
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
It wasn't just a game anymore.
It was my kingdom.