The glowing screen hovered silently in front of Deejay's eyes.
It was transparent, edged with faint blue light, like glass made of pure data. Lines of symbols flickered across it, rearranging themselves as if responding to his thoughts. Before he could even reach out, a voice echoed inside his head.
Cold. Mechanical. Emotionless.
[Advanced Artificial Intelligence System initializing.]
Deejay stiffened.
The voice didn't come from the room. It wasn't loud, nor soft. It simply existed inside his mind, perfectly clear.
"Host verified."
"Neural synchronization complete."
"Welcome, Deejay Vergara."
He swallowed hard.
"…I'm hallucinating," he muttered.
But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true.
Years of reading manhwa, webnovels, and light novels flooded his thoughts all at once. Dungeon systems. Apocalypse systems. AI companions. He'd laughed at them before, enjoyed them as fiction.
Now one was floating right in front of him.
"You have been selected as the registered host of the Aegis Prime System," the voice continued.
"Aegis Prime is an advanced autonomous artificial intelligence, originating from beyond this world's technological limitations."
Deejay blinked.
"…System?" he asked cautiously.
"Correct."
A pause followed, as if the system was allowing him time to process.
He leaned back against his chair and let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His heartbeat slowly steadied. Compared to zombies sprinting through the streets below, a system appearing in front of him almost felt… expected.
"Alright," he said quietly. "I can work with this."
The screen shifted, collapsing inward before expanding again into a clean, organized interface.
[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Deejay Vergara
Age: 24
Race: Human
Tier: Tier 1
Combat Power (CP): 100
Gold Coins: 0
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Perception: 10
Active Skills: None
Passive Skills: None
The panel floated steadily, numbers sharp and easy to read.
Deejay stared at it with open fascination.
"Yeah… this is straight out of a novel," he said, lips twitching. "A status window and everything."
"The Status Panel reflects the host's current physical and combat-related parameters," Aegis Prime explained.
"Combat Power, or CP, is a comprehensive measurement of the host's overall combat capability."
"So 100 CP is…?" Deejay asked.
"Equivalent to an average healthy adult human," the system replied.
He nodded slowly. That made sense.
The panel dissolved, replaced by another interface.
[SYSTEM FUNCTIONS AVAILABLE]
System Shop
Inventory
Status
Quest Interface (Locked: No Active Quests)
The words System Shop caught his attention immediately.
"Shop?" he said. "Like… buying things?"
"Correct," Aegis Prime replied.
"The System Shop provides access to advanced technology, weaponry, enhancements, and resources unavailable in this world."
The screen shifted again, showing blurred silhouettes—drones, firearms unlike anything he'd seen, sleek armor, glowing syringes filled with strange liquid.
"All items are purchased using Gold Coins," the system continued.
"Gold Coins are primarily obtained through the elimination of hostile entities, including infected organisms."
"…Zombies," Deejay said.
"Correct."
His lips curled into a thin smile. Fear still lingered in his chest, but it was being pushed back by something else now—focus.
Weapons. Technology. Power.
This wasn't just survival.
It was opportunity.
Before he could ask anything else, the system chimed again.
DING!
"Welcome Gift Pack detected."
"Distributing initial resources to assist host survival."
The air in front of him shimmered.
One by one, items materialized, floating gently before being pulled into a newly opened interface labeled [INVENTORY].
"Welcome Gift Pack Contents:"
Gold Coins x10,000
A simple number, yet Deejay felt his pulse spike. Ten thousand.
"Gold Coins can be used freely in the System Shop," Aegis Prime stated.
Next came a sleek, transparent vial filled with a faintly glowing silver-blue liquid.
"Item: Genesis Combat Serum."
"Effect: Permanently increases host Combat Power to 1,000."
Deejay's eyes widened.
"Wait… permanently?"
"Correct."
That meant ten times stronger than a normal human.
Before he could dwell on it, another item appeared.
A long, matte-black rifle with smooth, seamless edges and glowing blue energy lines running along its body.
"Weapon: Helios-LX Pulse Rifle."
"Description: Advanced directed-energy firearm utilizing compressed photon pulses."
"Effective Range: 600 meters."
"Ammunition: Self-recharging energy core."
"…That's not from Earth," Deejay murmured.
"Correct."
Two more shapes followed—compact, angular machines no bigger than large backpacks, their surfaces lined with sensor arrays and folded mechanical limbs.
"Units: Sentinel Combat Drones x2."
"Functions: Autonomous combat support, threat detection, aerial surveillance."
"Includes: Modular docking station for storage and maintenance."
And finally—
A ring.
Simple in design. Black metal, smooth and unadorned, with a faint silver line running through its center. It didn't look flashy, yet something about it felt heavy… significant.
"Item: Chronos Vault Ring."
"Functions:"
Unlimited spatial storage
Temporal stasis within inventory space
"…Stop time?" Deejay asked.
"Time is suspended only within the ring's storage dimension," the system clarified.
"External temporal flow remains unaffected."
He slipped the ring onto his finger without hesitation. It fit perfectly.
With everything laid out, Deejay leaned back and let out a low laugh.
"Okay," he said. "I think I can survive now."
The tension that had been gripping his chest since the outbreak began finally loosened.
For the first time since seeing the streets below, he felt something close to relief.
Before he could relax too much, Aegis Prime spoke again.
"Quest Function initialized."
"Quests will be issued randomly based on environmental conditions and host progression."
"Failure penalties: None at this time."
"Rewards scale with difficulty."
"So no quests right now?" Deejay asked.
"Correct."
"Good."
He didn't hesitate anymore.
Reaching into the inventory, he retrieved the Genesis Combat Serum. The vial felt cool in his hand. Without overthinking it, he removed the cap and injected it into his arm.
The effect was immediate.
Pain exploded through his body.
It felt like fire racing through his veins, his muscles tightening, bones aching as if being reshaped from the inside. He collapsed to one knee, teeth clenched, breath coming out in sharp bursts.
His vision blurred.
Sweat poured down his skin.
Minutes passed—or maybe seconds. Time lost meaning as his body adapted, rebuilt, reinforced.
Then, just as suddenly, the pain vanished.
Deejay straightened slowly, breathing hard.
He felt… incredible.
Strength surged through him effortlessly. His posture shifted, spine straighter, shoulders broader. His muscles became lean and defined, not bulky but perfectly proportioned. He grew taller, his movements smoother, lighter.
He walked to the mirror by the hallway and froze.
His face had sharpened—stronger jawline, clearer skin, eyes brighter and more focused. He'd always been handsome, something chat teased him about constantly. Now, it was on another level.
He looked… unreal.
"…Damn," he said softly.
After a moment, he returned to the floating panel and brought up his status again.
[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Deejay Vergara
Age: 24
Race: Human
Tier: Tier 1
Combat Power (CP): 1,000
Gold Coins: 10,000
Strength: 50
Agility: 50
Endurance: 50
Perception: 50
He stared at the Tier line.
"System," he said, "what exactly are tiers?"
The screen pulsed faintly.
"Tiers represent the fundamental level of a being's existence and potential," Aegis Prime explained.
"Tier 1 represents the baseline limit of ordinary biological life."
"Higher tiers indicate qualitative evolution in strength, durability, perception, and resistance."
The system paused briefly.
"Advancing tiers requires meeting specific conditions," it continued.
"Each tier represents a significant leap beyond the previous one."
Deejay nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the screen.
"I see."