It began like any other Monday: people rushing to work, half-asleep teenagers dragging themselves to school, and social media already brewing its daily dose of drama.
And then—
[SYSTEM NOTICE: GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT INITIATING IN 10... 9... 8...]
Every screen, every phone, every satellite in orbit—hijacked.
The world paused.
At exactly 9:00 AM, a monotone, synthetic voice echoed through devices and even in the minds of those without one.
[WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM. EARTH HAS BEEN SELECTED AS A TRIAL SITE.]
[THE TOWER OF TRIAL WILL APPEAR IN 24 HOURS.]
[YOU HAVE ONE YEAR TO CLEAR FLOOR 1. FAILURE = EXTERMINATION.]
People laughed. Some thought it was a prank. Others blamed hackers.
Then the sky glitched. A massive panel appeared across the clouds.
[AWAKENING PROCESS BEGINS.]
[GOOD LUCK.]
---
In a small apartment in Tokyo…
Kaito lay on his bed, surrounded by instant noodle cups, a gaming headset around his neck, and a half-eaten melon bread clutched like a lifeline.
"…Huh," he said, staring at his ceiling, blinking. "Did the world just get patched?"
His phone vibrated violently. Not from notifications, but as if it were having a seizure. A holographic screen popped up.
[Awakening In Progress…]
"Wait—wait, I didn't agree to anything—"
[Name: Kaito Yamada]
[Rank: ???]
[Level: ???]
[Ability: ???]
[Title: UNREGISTERED CANDIDATE]
[Classification: UNKNOWN]
"…Am I being hacked by an alien app store?"
---
Across the world, chaos broke loose.
People screamed as light swallowed them, unlocking hidden powers. Fireballs were accidentally launched in apartments. A guy in New York sneezed and summoned a tiger. A girl in Seoul blinked and teleported to Paris.
The world changed overnight.
Newscasters now read headlines like "Man Fails to Control Wind Ability, Blows Off Roof of Local Bakery" and "Woman Arrested for Mind-Controlling Ex-boyfriend into Doing Her Laundry."
---
Back to Kaito…
He squinted at his screen. "So what now? Do I get a tutorial?"
[ERROR: Tutorial Not Available for UNKNOWN Rank.]
"Oh. Of course." Kaito sighed. "Let me guess, I'm either cursed or overpowered?"
He glanced at his level: ???.
His ability: ???.
His face: a mess of bed-hair and regret.
"Alright then. Guess I'll go back to—"
Suddenly, his fridge exploded.
A portal opened in the middle of his kitchen. From it, a slime oozed out with glowing eyes and wiggly malice.
"…You couldn't at least wait until after breakfast?"
---
One energy drink, two mop swings, and five screams later…
Kaito sat in his kitchen, covered in green goo, staring at the glowing cube that the slime dropped.
[You Have Defeated: Lesser Dimensional Slime]
[+1 Trial Point Earned]
"Trial Point? Wait. So this is real?"
He poked the cube. It absorbed into his hand.
[Hidden Trait Activated: Imagine. Create.]
A flash of power surged through him—then vanished.
"…Huh."
---
24 Hours Later – Tower of Trial Appears
Massive obsidian towers rose across every continent, piercing the sky. Governments collapsed trying to handle the panic. Internet memes exploded:
"Tower of Trial? More like Tower of Try-Not-to-Die."
But the System wasn't done.
[NEW RULE: ALL AWAKENERS WILL BE RANDOMLY PAIRED INTO PARTNERS.]
[YOU MUST MARRY YOUR PARTNER WITHIN 365 DAYS OR FACE TERMINATION.]
[MARRIAGE CONDITIONS APPLY. FAILURE TO COHABITATE, COLLABORATE, OR CONSUMMATE WILL BE PENALIZED.]
Social media broke.
Half the world fainted. The other half proposed on the spot.
---
Kaito's Screen Flickered Again
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE BEEN PAIRED.]
[PARTNER: AYA SHIROGANE – UR Rank – God Class Awakened]
Kaito blinked. "…Wait. Did that just say UR rank?"
He zoomed in on the image.
There she was—cold, proud, devastatingly powerful. The same girl who had vaporized a wyvern on live TV last week. The same one who declared all men beneath her.
"I'm paired… with her?"
The system continued, mercilessly:
[PARTNER IS EN ROUTE TO YOUR LOCATION.]
[PLEASE PREPARE FOR COHABITATION.]
Kaito stood there frozen as his doorbell rang.
"...Oh crap."
---