[Day 50 of World Collapse]
"Since the old system is dead and we have no functional armor left," Lawson's eyes were bloodshot, but a wild, arrogant smirk curved on his lips. "Then I, your new 'System' will code a brand new one right here! A system exclusive for Nova Star!"
"Dodge! George! Phyllis! Luther! Katie!" He roared without turning back, his voice piercing through the corrugated iron of the base station. "Throw your 'scrap metal' phones into the pedestal! Today, I'm going to show the world what it means to craft a system by hand!"
As his fingers blurred, the steel skeleton of the construction site groaned. Countless pale-gold data streams surged through the walls, forcibly pulling the dead phone terminals of his comrades into the air.
George stared in a daze, muttering to himself, "He's insane... He's actually live-coding a tactical combat system in a godforsaken construction site?!"
The air crackled with the ozone scent of tearing electricity. On the screens before Lawson, the prototype system began to flicker violently:
[New System Loading: 1%... 5%...]
With a flash of near-maniacal obsession in his eyes, Lawson swung his arms wide and let out a roar that shattered the silence:
"[ARMOR GOD'S VAULT] — FULL ACCESS UNLOCKED!!"
The air at the center of the station tore open. Golden fissures spread across the void. Then came a sight that would make any Armor Smith's heart stop—ten years of Lawson's sweat, blood, and obsession from his legendary gaming career poured out of the spatial rift like a flood of steel!
Masterpieces of cold, gleaming metal suspended themselves in mid-air, each one representing thousands of nights spent grinding for perfection.
"Ester! Sync and copy all underlying logic! FORCED DOWNLINK START!!"
Lawson's fingers became ghosts over the logic panels made of raw authority. The sky full of armor phantoms blurred into golden runes—code seeds—and shot into the phones of his friends. The dead screens instantly erupted with blinding brilliance.
Vrrr— Vrrr— Vrrr!
"This... this is?!" George looked down. His screen displayed text that made his heart soar: [New System Detected: Armor God OS v1.0][S-Rank Template Detected — {Mage Saint} Synced. Requesting Deployment!]
"Wait... the story didn't start there. Let's go back. Back to the day I lost everything."
————————————————————————————————————————————
"Lawson! Did you die in the toilet?! Get your ass out here now!"
The roar of his boss, Katie, vibrated through his phone, shaking dust from the ceiling. Twenty-six-year-old Lawson sat slumped on the toilet lid, his brown hair messy and his eyes hollow. He didn't care about the screaming woman. He was staring at the blood-red notification on his screen:
[SERVER PERMANENTLY CLOSED]
Ten years of his youth. His legend in Armor Link. Ended.
He numbly adjusted his ID badge for "Pavilion Mall" and drifted into the mall crowd like a ghost.
Ordinary. This was the real-world Lawson.
"Yo, Lawson! Katie's looking for you with a butcher knife!" His old friend Dodge whispered as he hauled a heavy crate past him.
Lawson gave a dead-eyed sigh. "She can't kill me, Dodge. My soul was buried with the server five minutes ago."
Before he could step into the store—CRACK!
The mall's massive reinforced glass ceiling shattered without warning. Amidst the falling stardust, several grotesque shadows slammed into the marble floor. They were creatures of tan fur and steel-blade claws—Shadow Shifters.
"Are you kidding me... those are monsters from the game?!" Lawson's heart stopped.
Screams tore through the air. Blood splattered the floor. Katie, usually cold and fashionable, tripped over a clothing rack, looking pale as a beast lunged for her throat.
Dammit!
In that split second, the phone in Lawson's pocket vibrated violently. A pitch-black system prompt overrode everything:
[Hero Qualification Test Initiated][Player Data Sync Complete][Authority Detected: Armor Link — YES / NO?]
"Whatever! If I'm going to die, I'm dying in style!" Lawson let out the roar of a cornered beast and slammed his finger on [YES].
"—ARMOR LINK!!!"
A vortex of deep-blue energy exploded! Metallic components locked onto his limbs with microsecond precision.
Red and silver plates fused over his body like dragon scales. The visor snapped shut, and a V-shaped blue UI ignited before his eyes.
[Base Armor: Crimson Vortex - Lawson Edition]
It was a weight engraved into his very soul.
"I've practiced these moves ten thousand times in the game..." Lawson whispered behind the mask, his pupils igniting with the fires of war.
BOOM!
The back thrusters ignited violently. Lawson became a falling star, punching through the darkness.
A fist wreathed in blue flames slammed into the monster's chest. Squelch. The beast dissolved into black mist. He spun into a mid-air sidekick, turning a second monster into dust.
The mall fell into a deathly silence. Hundreds of people held their breath. Katie looked up, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Lawson? Is that really you?"
"Run!"
Before Lawson could finish, the blue light on his visor flickered wildly. Violent red code flooded his vision:
[Warning: Hero License Verification... FAILED!][Conflict Detected: Player data does not match Combat Sequence!][Class Re-assignment: 10%... 15%...]
"What? Now?!" Lawson's legs felt like lead. The system was rejecting him.
But he was a ten-year veteran. He let out a cold huff, the aura of a top-tier pro exploding from him. "The system wants to play me? No way! Clearing these mobs only takes me seconds!"
"That's a D-Rank Orc Type Shifters—Brutes. Weakness is the core in the abdomen and the joints!"
Even as the red plating on his arm guards disintegrated like paper scraps, Lawson became a blue whirlwind. In the gaps between the system's ticking percentages, he harvested lives with surgical precision.
"Get to the safe zone! I'll hold them here!"
As the last monster fell, Lawson stood amidst the rubble, panting. Around him were the gazes of survivors—a mix of awe and terror.
[Warrior Authority... FULLY REJECTED.][Forced Armor De-link.]
SHATTER!
The magnificent armor didn't retract; it exploded into useless sparks. Before the horrified crowd, the God of War vanished. In the ruins sat a lone young man in a tattered uniform, kneeling on the ground.
A cold notification appeared on his retina:
[Hero Qualification Revoked. Class Authority Conversion Complete.]
"Are you kidding me... my legend is just dead like that?" Lawson looked at his empty hands and let out a hollow, absurd laugh.
But the nightmare wasn't over.
Deep in the mall, a heavier roar echoed. A second wave of monsters poured in. The hope of the crowd collapsed instantly into wails of despair.
Lawson's pupils shrank. "A second wave? We're actually done for..."
Just then, the phone in his pocket erupted with a blinding, golden light that nearly seared his eyes.
[Player Granted Unique System Authority: SSS-Rank Armor Smith]
Lawson stared at the words, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"What the hell?! You damned system! My life is on the line, I need a combat rig, and you give me a BLACKSMITH class?! I'm going to get 'Retired' right at the start!!"