White.
Not light. Not space. Just... white.
Aarav stood barefoot in an endless, gleaming plain. No horizon. No sound. Just the mirrored floor beneath his feet and the soft glow that surrounded everything like a half-remembered dream.
His breathing slowed. The panic faded. But his confusion only deepened.
"Where... am I?"
The air shimmered. A translucent screen blinked into existence before him.
[ World Balance Has Been Lost. ]
[ Emergency Intervention Initiated. ]
[ Establishing Mental Domain... ]
Another pulse, this time inside his chest.
[ Akashic Records Connection Established. ]
[ Partial Invasion Detected. Global Barrier Constructed. ]
[ Temporary Combat Layer Deployment in Progress. ]
Aarav narrowed his eyes. "Akashic Records... combat layer?"
Everything was happening too fast. First the monsters, now this white void and floating words like a tutorial screen from a game. But this wasn't a game. People had died. He'd seen it. And yet...
Why me? Why now?
He turned in place slowly, scanning the endless white for something—anything—to give him answers.
"So the world did notice... it reacted. Maybe that blinking message in the sky... the 99% karma warning... wasn't just my imagination."
His voice echoed flatly.
A new screen appeared in response to his thoughts.
[ You may now select a Combat Class. ]
[ Classes available: Swordsman, Spearman, Mage, Shaman, Archer, Healer, Monk ]
And beneath it—
[ Choose Your Trait: Mana / Dark Mana / Nature Energy / Qi / Death Energy / Aura / Force / Blood Energy ]
Aarav frowned, studying the screen.
"So this is how we're meant to fight back… through these classes."
His eyes scanned the options. A dozen questions spiraled through his mind.
Swordsman with Blood Energy—would that make him a berserker type? Could he trade defense for raw power? Something brutal and persistent, made for enduring fights when everyone else gave up?
But then again—Mage. With Death Energy. That combination practically screamed necromancer, didn't it? But was it really? Or was he just projecting what he knew from games and stories?
"Maybe a mage with death energy doesn't summon skeletons. Maybe it decays enemies? Or curses them?" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "And swordsman with blood energy… could that even work? Wouldn't that burn me out? Or maybe it keeps me going longer the more damage I take?"
He rubbed his temples. "I need to fight. I need to survive. But… I also need control. I don't want to rely on anyone. Not in this world."
He stared at both sets of options—his mind torn between wild endurance and cold independence. The names were vague, but maybe that was the point. He had to guess. Commit.
Finally, he reached forward, breath steadying.
[ Class: Mage ]
[ Trait: Death Energy ]
He reached forward and selected:
[ Class: Mage ]
[ Trait: Death Energy ]
[ Confirm Selection? ]
He nodded, fingers trembling.
[ Yes ]
The screen flickered.
[ Class Confirmation in Progress... ]
Suddenly—
[ Interference Detected. ]
[ System Instability Detected. Reinitializing Pathway... ]
"What?"
He stepped back, instincts on edge.
[ Trait: Death Energy — Confirmed. ]
[ Class: Mage — Overridden. ]
[ Final Class Assigned: Swordsman ]
[ Return to Physical Plane Imminent. ]
His eyes widened. "No, that's not what I—"
The glowing world began to tremble, and the mirrored floor fogged into mist.
[ Class Assigned Under Emergency Directive. ]
[ Akashic Record Sync: Partial. Remaining Data Locked Until Progress Achieved. ]
Aarav gritted his teeth as light swallowed the space. This wasn't his choice. Something—or someone—had interfered. Again.
And then—just before everything vanished—
He saw it.
A face. Watching him through the mist. Not monstrous. Not cruel. Just... amused.
A smile.
An interference.
And then, darkness.
To be continued...