Suddenly, a man stepped into the spotlight, his voice booming over the music. "At the stroke of midnight," he announced, "a Secret Card will be granted to everyone! The System will notify you the moment it arrives!"
While the crowd cheered, Shin stood in the dark. He knew his System was silent; he had no skills, no abilities, and no hope for a card. But something inside him snapped. He didn't wait for a notification.
With a burst of speed that shouldn't belong to a starving beggar, Shin charged toward the center of the room. He didn't just run; he launched himself. In a single, gravity-defying leap, he soared through the air and landed squarely on the main stage, right in front of the announcer.
The room went dead silent. The "scary" boy with the hollow eyes had arrived, and he wasn't waiting for the System to give him power—he was going to take it"Clear the stage, Number 555!" a guard barked, his voice amplified by a mechanical suit.
"Wait! Don't push—!" Shin's plea was cut short as a forceful shove sent him reeling over the edge. The ground rushed up to meet him, but a firm hand caught his collar, swinging him back to safety. It was Arun.
The crowd's murmurs rose like a tide. "Look at him. Dead weight." "Is he really powerless, or just a coward?"
Shin stood in the center of the stadium, a small island of silence amidst a sea of judging eyes. Arun leaned against a metal pillar, watching him. "In an age where every soul is a sun, why are you a black hole, Shin? Where is your System?"
Shin's voice was hollow. "I've been a 'worm' since the day I was born. No fire, no strength, no magic. Just numbers, stars, and equations. Biology failed me, but the universe... the universe makes sense." He tightened his fists. "My Sensei, Kevin, found me begging in the gutters when I was three. He told me that in 'Year Zero,' my true talent would wake. He's gone now—murdered by those animals. When I saw their bodies, I saw it for a split second: a flickering screen. A ghost of a system."
11:59:50 PM.
Suddenly, the floor groaned. A violent tremor ripped through the club, and the AI service droids began to spark, their blue eyes turning a menacing crimson.
DING.
A digital chime echoed in everyone's skulls simultaneously.
[SYSTEM AWAKENING: INITIALIZING...]
[MYSTERIOUS CARD DISTRIBUTED.]
[MISSION 01: THE SMOKE LABYRINTH.]
[OBJECTIVE: FIND THE EXIT BEFORE THE ATMOSPHERE TOXICITY REACHES 100%.]
[TIME REMAINING: 23:00 MINUTES.]
Thick, grey smoke began to pour from the vents, swallowing the screaming crowd. This wasn't a game anymore; it was a cull.
"Use your skills!" Arun shouted, his hands glowing with power.
The elite players—the 'Bruisers'—smashed through the reinforced walls with raw, supernatural strength. Over 200 of them vanished into the mist, relying on muscle. But for the others, the walls were indestructible.
Shin stood still as the smoke swirled around him. While others panicked, his mind began to race. He wasn't looking for a door; he was calculating the airflow, the structural pressure points, and the frequency of the earthquake's vibrations.
"Arun, don't hit the walls," Shin said, his eyes turning cold and analytical. "The strength-path is closed for us. We have to solve the architecture.