The rain was annoying.
Not dangerous.
Not dramatic.
Just annoying.
The kind of rain that soaked your sleeves even when you had an umbrella. The kind that made your shoes wet before you even reached your destination.
Liam Carter stood beneath the roof of a convenience store, staring at the cup of coffee in his hand.
He took a sip.
Then immediately regretted it.
"...Why do I keep buying this?"
The cashier looked up from his phone.
"You say that every time."
"And yet I still buy it."
"Maybe you like suffering."
Liam looked at the coffee.
"That would explain my university choices."
The cashier laughed.
It wasn't a great joke.
But it was enough to make the morning feel normal.
And Liam liked normal.
At twenty-one years old, Liam Carter was painfully ordinary.
He wasn't a genius.
He wasn't rich.
He wasn't someone people noticed when he walked into a room.
He was just a second-year computer science student trying to survive.
His life was simple.
Wake up.
Go to class.
Work part-time.
Finish assignments.
Sleep.
Repeat.
His apartment was small. The kind of place where the bed, desk, and refrigerator were all within a few steps of each other.
His bank account was usually empty before the month ended.
His schedule was always full.
His assignments were always late.
But honestly?
He was fine with it.
He didn't dream about becoming famous.
He didn't want to change the world.
He just wanted a stable job after graduation.
Enough money to help his mother.
A place of his own someday.
A quiet life.
That was enough.
Liam checked his phone.
8:27 A.M.
His eyes widened.
"Great."
His lecture started in three minutes.
He threw the empty coffee cup away and stepped into the rain.
The university campus was already crowded.
Students rushed between buildings.
Some complained about assignments.
Some laughed with friends.
Someone nearby was arguing about a programming project.
Everything was normal.
Comfortably normal.
Liam walked through the main courtyard, holding his bag over his head to avoid the rain.
He saw hundreds of people around him.
People who had no idea that their lives were about to change.
People who still believed tomorrow would be the same as today.
Then—
The world went silent.
Liam stopped walking.
At first, he thought he had suddenly lost hearing.
But no.
He could still hear his own breathing.
His heartbeat.
The rain.
Wait.
The rain?
He looked around.
The raindrops falling from the sky had stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
Thousands of droplets floated in the air.
Frozen.
The students around him were no longer moving.
Some were standing still.
Some were looking upward.
Everyone had the same confused expression.
"What..."
Liam's voice sounded strangely loud.
Then he felt it.
Pressure.
A heavy feeling pressing against his body.
Like the entire planet was holding its breath.
Slowly...
Liam looked up.
The gray clouds above him were changing.
The color drained away.
Replacing it was a deep crimson.
Not a sunset.
Not a reflection.
Something unnatural.
A thin line appeared across the sky.
A crack.
For a moment, Liam thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Then the crack widened.
The sky was breaking.
A wave of fear spread across the campus.
"What is that?"
"Is this some kind of projection?"
"Someone record this!"
Nobody knew what they were seeing.
Because nobody had ever seen anything like it.
Beyond the crack was not blue sky.
There was only darkness.
A vast darkness filled with countless stars.
Stars that looked completely unfamiliar.
Then...
Something moved inside.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Liam felt his body freeze.
Whatever was beyond that crack...
It was enormous.
Every electronic device on campus shut down at the same time.
Phones.
Laptops.
Digital screens.
Everything.
The entire university became dark.
Then one second later...
Every screen turned on.
The same words appeared everywhere.
SYSTEM INITIALIZING...
The silence broke.
"What is this?"
"My phone isn't working!"
"Is this a cyber attack?"
People panicked.
Liam pulled out his phone.
The screen flickered.
Then something impossible happened.
His phone dissolved.
The device broke apart into tiny blue particles.
They floated upward.
Liam stepped back.
"What the hell?"
The particles gathered together.
A transparent blue window appeared in front of him.
Welcome, Candidate.
Planet Designation: Earth
Civilization Rank: F
Survival Probability: 0.032%
Preparing Universal Survival System...
Liam stared.
His first thought was:
This is fake.
His second thought was:
If this was fake...
Who was controlling thousands of screens at once?
A countdown appeared.
60
Around him, thousands of similar windows appeared.
People shouted.
Some tried touching them.
Some screamed.
Then suddenly—
A girl nearby collapsed.
Golden light surrounded her body.
Everyone stopped.
A message appeared above her.
Talent Obtained
Rank: Epic
A beautiful silver bow appeared in her hands.
Real.
Physical.
Impossible.
The crowd exploded.
"I got a Warrior class!"
"I'm a Mage!"
"Look! I can create fire!"
A student raised his hand.
A flame appeared above his palm.
The fear disappeared.
Replaced by excitement.
Humanity had always imagined having powers.
Magic.
Abilities.
A chance to become something more.
And now...
That fantasy had arrived.
Liam looked at his own screen.
Please Select Your Class
Warrior
Mage
Assassin
Ranger
Healer
Summoner
Six choices.
No explanation.
No information.
Just a decision.
Liam frowned.
Something about this felt wrong.
Everyone was celebrating.
But nobody asked the obvious question.
Why?
Why was something giving humanity power?
Before Liam could choose...
His screen froze.
The countdown stopped.
The blue light flickered.
Then changed.
Red.
ERROR
Verifying Candidate...
Liam stared.
The people around him noticed.
"What happened?"
"Why isn't he choosing?"
The message changed.
ERROR
Candidate Not Found.
Searching...
Searching...
Searching...
Liam's heartbeat increased.
Candidate not found?
What did that mean?
The next message appeared.
Identity Verification Failed.
Removing Target From Universal Survival System.
A cold feeling entered his chest.
Removing?
The System wasn't rejecting his choice.
It was rejecting him.
The interface cracked.
Like glass.
Then shattered.
The blue fragments disappeared.
No class.
No ability.
Nothing.
Around him, golden lights continued appearing.
Students awakened one after another.
Everyone received something.
Everyone except him.
Someone whispered:
"His System disappeared."
Another person looked uncomfortable.
"Can that happen?"
Liam looked down at his empty hands.
For the first time in his life...
He felt like the world had forgotten him.
Then—
A sound came from above.
A roar.
Not loud.
Not just loud.
Impossible.
The entire campus shook.
Everyone looked upward.
The crack in the sky widened.
Something descended.
Its shadow covered the university.
Students stopped celebrating.
The excitement vanished.
Because everyone finally understood.
The System had not come to save humanity.
It had come to test them.
And the first test...
Had arrived.