Ethan widened his rabbit eyes.
The memory surfaced suddenly, sharp and intrusive. It came back to him now, not as noise but as an image - clear, cold. His body screamed from the burn, pulse hammering like a warning drum.
Back then, during the flash of pain, he barely noticed it. Something shifted in the corner of sight, quick, almost gone.
It had been there. He was sure of it.
Maybe what came back to mind wasn't fake.
Maybe pain didn't twist it out of shape. If so, things might shift in ways hard to predict. Survival could hinge on one fleeting image - a moment where a weak Prima nearly melted him, yet opened a path to strike back.
Luck had always played a role in Blizzard Online, but this was different. This was not a random drop or a critical hit. This was something deeper, something that felt woven into the fabric of this world itself.
Ethan drew a shallow breath, his small chest rising and falling unevenly.
His mouth opened.
"System."
But what came out were squeaks, soft like breath on glass, hushed so deep it seemed afraid the trees would mock its sound. To himself, it felt foolish, almost silly.
A hurt rabbit, trapped, staring down something that could burn. Still, even though it made no sense, even while fear gnawed inside, he let it go.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
A cry split the air - clear, sudden. It cut through everything else without warning.
[DING!]
A haze flickered in the space just ahead of Ethan, warping the air as though sunlight bounced off hot stone. Into that ripple stepped the purple panel - same one he saw earlier - sliding forward without warning, settling into view like it never left.
Along its edges, markings ran deep, worn symbols forming shapes he did not know, pulsing with a glow that gave no sense of temperature.
It stood clearer now, broader than last time, filled with layers of detail too dense to take in at once.
A shape hung in the air ahead, still despite crashing trees and distant shouts. The presence of the Grey Prima changed nothing.
[SSS-RANKED SYSTEM
Name: Ethan White
Title: Chosen One
Class: ???
HP: 140/200
Soul Energy: 300/300]
[Stats:
- Strength: 5
-Agility: 13
-Magic: 16
-Defense: 4]
[Skills (2):
-Water Ball
-Stone Shot]
Ethan stared.
Staring harder now, his pupils soaked up the purple light spilling from the display. A strange calm hit - just for a second - the fire in his thighs quieting like distant thunder.
What played out on screen refused to match anything he knew. Thoughts stumbled, trying to catch up.
Beyond doubt. He saw it. Plain to his eyes. Sharp edges, every part showed. Fixed in place.
A wide smile pulled at his cheeks, tugging his tiny rabbit-like traits into something almost silly. He couldn't stop it. Seeing the display hit him like a wave - sudden, sharp joy wiping out all thought.
Pulse quickening now, though not because he was scared. This beat came from raw thrill, nothing more.
He had said the word on a whim, half-expecting nothing to happen. Systems were things from novels, from anime, from the countless stories he had consumed late into the night.
Real life did not work that way. Still, the thing hovered near his hand, quiet, as though waiting since forever.
It's real… he thought, his gaze darting over every line of text, memorizing it, devouring it.
It's truly glorious.
A whisper ran through his thoughts while he looked at the screen, joy bright in his gaze. Familiarity clung to the design - too much so.
Echoes of Blizzard Online's interface flashed back, those panels pulled up endlessly, never questioned. Still, things had shifted. A quiet shift started it.
Then came changes too clear to miss. Words and values that had never existed in the game stared back at him, hinting at something deeper, something far beyond the mechanics he thought he understood.
For Ethan, it felt like the world itself had bent to his desires.
This was a dream. No, it was better than a dream.
He had always wanted this . From the moment he entered Blizzard Online, one thought stayed - being inside that world for real, feeling the wind, touching the ground, instead of clicking through a character on glass.
Not watching life happen through pixels. Strength mattered more if earned by sweat, not stats stacked silently in menus.
And now he was here.
He was in Blizzard Online. He had a system. An SSS-ranked one, no less.
The only thing missing was Rivera Dalmenton.
Well, that and the small detail that he was currently a rabbit.
Ethan's grin softened, turning thoughtful rather than disappointed. Being a rabbit wasn't ideal, sure, but it wasn't a deal-breaker either.
If this world followed the same logic as the stories he loved, then growth was inevitable. Levels could be gained. Forms could change. And even if they couldn't…
He didn't mind.
As long as he could be with Rivera, the rest didn't matter.
A sudden, absurd thought popped into his head, and his expression shifted.
Wait.
Becoming Rivera's pet is possible for me.
A thought hit - sudden, sharp. Being a rabbit would explain everything. Her hands on him, gentle strokes, quiet moments close when others weren't around. That picture flashed up fast, bright enough to pull his attention sideways.
A twist tugged at the corner of his mouth, out of place on someone who looked so harmless.
His bunny-like charm bent under a grin that felt wrong somehow. What flickered behind his eyes was far from innocent, marring the softness of his shape with something darker.
Warmth spread through his chest each time the thought crossed his mind, almost too strong to hold. His brain released dopamine, pulling attention tighter into fantasy instead of fact.
To Ethan, Rivera wasn't just a character from a game. She was a goddess. A beacon of light in an otherwise dull and painful life. Before all this, back when days dragged without purpose, he'd log into Blizzard Online like breathing.
That world held more truth than the one outside. Being near her - chatting, moving through maps, even standing idle - filled gaps nothing else touched. Joy came rare. With her, it arrived.
Drifting through old thoughts, his surroundings faded just a bit. He almost forgot where he was.
Almost.
The Grey Prima had not forgotten him.
The Prima had drawn close enough now that its presence pressed against his awareness like a looming threat. Suddenly, the thing stiffened - its skin twitching strangely - as fresh acid pooled deep inside its glassy form.
Fast came the attack.
That instant the sharp blast came near, a switch flipped inside Ethan. The dream broke apart - sudden clarity took over.
Focused only on the threat, his muscles moved without waiting for thought. Pain had no time. Fear didn't get a chance.
He jumped backward, muscles screaming but moving anyway. Where he stood just then was gone - replaced by a hiss as acid hit dirt, too slow to catch flesh. His body held on, barely.
Foot hitting the ground wrong, Ethan wobbled - yet held his balance, air sharp in his lungs when everything snapped into focus again.
WOW. THAT WAS CLOSE, Ethan thought as his feet hit the ground after the hop.