It was just another ordinary day for Yuki. He lived in São Paulo, Brazil, the son of a Brazilian mother and an American father. But for some reason, they gave him a Japanese name—one that's even more commonly used for girls! That made him the target of a lot of bullying.
Yuki, 17 years old, an average-height boy with black hair and equally black eyes. His short hair still managed to hang over his eyes.
Yuki: I'm already in my third year… I just need to survive a few more months. And today is the last day before the São João break...
(Third year, the final year of high school in Brazil. "São João" is a Brazilian tradition that gives students a two-week vacation because of the festivities during this time.)
While he was thinking about that, he was doodling on his desk. The noisy winter-like chatter of students talking loudly filled the classroom—even with the teacher present. Yuki had a habit of writing mini-stories on his desk, but they were always unfinished… for some reason, he never managed to complete them.
Yuki: Alright... that's enough for now—
Yuki muttered to himself, then suddenly got smacked hard on the back of the neck. The hit almost knocked him out, making him rest his head on the desk as his body weakened.
Leonardo: Yo, Yukizinha! Hahaha.
Yuki looked up, already knowing who it was. Leonardo, one of the jerks who made his school life a living hell. Yuki always thought people like Leonardo only existed in movies… but apparently, they exist in real life too.
Yuki: ...What do you want, Leonardo?
Yuki spoke quietly, with a slight tremble in his voice. He wanted to stay strong in front of someone he feared.
Leonardo: I'm just bored. Got a problem with that?
Leonardo stared at Yuki with a sadistic smile. Yuki slowly lifted his head, but just as he was about to say something, he got slapped in the face, his head turning with the impact.
Leonardo: Quiet. I wanna see how much you can take without complaining.
Leonardo grabbed Yuki by the collar and started slapping him repeatedly until it started to get too serious, and the teacher had to intervene. The other students just watched—some with satisfied smiles, others with fear or disdain.
Teacher: Go back to your seat, Leonardo.
Leonardo just scoffed and let go of Yuki, heading back to his seat. Yuki's face was completely red, with small tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. He stood up.
Yuki: Can I go to the bathroom?...
The teacher looked at Yuki with indifference and just waved her hand, returning to write something uninteresting on the board.
Yuki got up and walked out of the classroom with his head down. In the hallway, he heard a notification coming from his phone. He quickly turned the sound down.
(In Brazil, there's a law that prohibits students from bringing phones to school.)
He sped up, reached the bathroom, pulled the phone out of his pocket, and saw the notification:
"Your favorite author just released a new chapter of the novel — Between the Seven Worlds"
Yuki's eyes lit up slightly at the notification, but he knew reading it in the bathroom would be risky. So he just put the phone back in his pocket and walked to the sink, washing his face.
Yuki: Why do I have to put up with this crap…
He clenched his fists while leaning on the sink, staring at himself in the mirror—his hair covering one eye, and the other, visible, looked like it was about to cry, but he held back the tears.
Yuki: Why am I such a coward... all these years, I've never fought back... I just can't…
Yuki pulled away from the sink, looked at himself a bit more, then fixed his hair and walked back to class. As he walked through the corridor, the school bell rang. He knew there would be no more classes—people were prepping the school for the festival.
Students ran out of the room as soon as the bell rang, almost dragging Yuki along, but he dodged each one and made it back to his classroom. Everyone was already gone, and when he looked at his desk, all his stuff was thrown everywhere, and his bag had been messed with... Yuki just sighed and went to gather his things.
After fixing everything, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the classroom.
Most of the students had already gone. It was around 3:20 PM. Yuki didn't live far from school, so he always walked home. It took him 12 minutes, and when he opened the door to his house, he saw his little sister upside down on the living room couch.
Suzan: Yuyu! Look at me!
Yuki just looked at her with a "What the hell are you doing?" kind of face. Then he sighed and smiled.
Yuki: I see you... just be careful not to fall—
She fell. And instantly started making a crying face. Yuki chuckled a bit, walked over, picked her up, set her on her feet, and patted her head.
Yuki: Be careful. Don't do stuff like that—you were lucky you didn't hit your head.
Suzan looked at Yuki with a cute, teary-eyed face, and he just stood up.
Yuki: So, where are mom and dad?
Yuki asked, tossing his backpack into a corner of the room and opening his school uniform jacket.
Suzan: They said they were going out and wouldn't be back until tomorrow afternoon...
Yuki scratched his head and sighed again.
Yuki: As always, huh? Leaving and not giving a damn about us. Well, I'm not in the mood to cook dinner. Order a pizza—and save some slices for me too.
As soon as he said "pizza," Suzan's face lit up, and she nodded excitedly.
Yuki: I'm heading to my room. Just call me if you need anything.
He walked toward his room, climbed the stairs to the second floor, turned down the hallway. The door to his room had a sign on it:
"Stop! If you knock, I won't hear you :b"
He entered and shut the door.
Yuki: Finally, PEACE!
He threw himself face-first into his bed, pulled out his phone, and opened the novel app. He spent the whole afternoon reading. By nightfall, he was half asleep, phone still in hand. He accidentally tapped on a popular Korean novel. He couldn't even read the title because he was so tired. He just stayed there as sleep took over. He closed one eye... then the other. A mysterious message in Korean appeared with two options. Yuki's finger tapped on one of them as he fell asleep, the phone landing next to him on the bed.
(Translated Message: Dear reader, would you like to enter the world of Infinite Loops and escape the reality you live in for a dangerous adventure?)
(Yes). Or (No).
Half-asleep, Yuki tapped (Yes), and as he slept, the phone began to glow with a bright white light—so intense it illuminated the entire room—and then, everything went black.
---
Suzan: Yuuu! The pizza's here!
Suzan walked toward his room with the pizza box in hand, nudging the door open with her foot, then looked around.
Suzan: Huh... did he leave the room? And I didn't even see him go out. More for me! Heheh.
She shut the door behind her.
---
Meanwhile, in a white void, Yuki was lying on the floor, still in his school uniform, with his phone next to him. A holographic-looking message appeared beside him titled "System", pinging with a notification that read:
"Wake up!"
The sound woke Yuki up slowly.
Yuki: What...?
Still dazed, he sat up and looked around.
Yuki: Where... where am I?
He scanned his surroundings—nothing. Then another message popped up:
"Welcome, dear reader."
Yuki: What the hell is this?!... A system?... Wait…
He pinched his cheek to see if it was a dream—but he didn't wake up… and it really hurt.
Yuki: OKAY, THIS ISN'T A DREAM.
Yuki stared at the message. Then it changed to:
"Reader Yuki Adams, what a peculiar name..."
A vein popped on his forehead, and he forced a smile.
Yuki: Even the system's roasting my name...
Then, the system opened a window with some information:
---
System. Reader: Yuki Adams. Age: 17
Chapters Read: 0 (Anomaly)
Nationality: Brazil
Regalia Skills: None (Regalia skills are chosen based on chapters read).
Character Attributes:
"Natural Reader": Level 1 (Remembers every novel, manga, and manhwa ever read).
"Plagiarize": Level 1 (Can copy one ability from another reader).
---
Yuki's eyes sparkled with emotion. He'd always imagined seeing a system window like this—but now that he saw his actual stats...
Yuki: So... these are my skills?
System: Yes. Is there a problem?
Yuki: And what do you mean I have no Regalia skills? What even are those?
System: Since you haven't read any chapters, you wouldn't know. Regalias in this world are mythological or historical beings—manifested as weapons and powers. There are three levels: historical, legendary, and god. So now you have an idea. But for some reason, you were selected without reading any chapter. That makes you a serious anomaly.
Yuki: Right... but isn't that kind of unfair? Other people who read will have Regalias, and I won't…
The system paused for a few seconds, showing a loading screen titled "Loading: Reviewing Rulebook"
Yuki: What a half-assed system…
He stared at the screen with an annoyed, funny face.
System: After reviewing the rules, your Regalia will be randomly chosen.
The system opened a massive roulette wheel with over 50,000 options, and it started spinning.
Yuki watched, heart in hand, praying it would land on something at least decent.
The wheel stopped, and the chosen Regalia was immediately added to his profile.
---
System. Reader: Yuki Adams. Age: 17
Chapters Read: 0
Nationality: Brazil
Regalia Skills:
"Cú Chulainn": Superhuman Speed (Level 1)
(Skills locked; unlock more by using the Regalia).
Character Attributes:
"Natural Reader": Level 1
"Plagiarize": Level 1
---
Yuki: Cú Chulainn?.. Who's that?
System: Cú Chulainn is a demigod from Celtic mythology. He's at the legendary Regalia level. If you want more info, ask him directly. Now wake up—it's time to go.
Yuki suddenly felt a massive pressure, collapsing unconscious. The system interface shifted and transformed into a blue-haired girl with golden eyes.
???: I don't get paid enough to deal with this...
---
Yuki woke up with a jolt, in a completely unfamiliar place—somewhere he'd never seen before. And he was good at geography. He looked around and saw other readers nearby, each with their own system window. He realized this place must have been created directly from the novel.
Yuki: Okay... I've never read this novel. I should probably ask someone for help...
He got up, looked around, searching for someone who seemed friendly. He spotted a boy, younger than him, also in a school uniform. Yuki decided to approach him. As he got closer, he could see the boy had red hair and brown eyes and looked kind of distant.
Yuki: Hey...
The boy looked at Yuki and said:
???:무엇?
Then a system message popped up next to them:
"Passive Skill - Language Comprehension Activated."
Yuki: Okay. Hey.
???: Hello.
Yuki: Nice to meet you. My name is Yuki Adams.
Yuki tried to be as polite as possible, but since he barely had any friends, he wasn't very social either.
???: Nice to meet you. My name is Min-Su Ah.
Yuki looked at him, and he looked back. Then another system window popped up.
---
System. Reader: Min-Su Ah. Age: 14
Chapters Read: 70
Nationality: South Korea
Regalia Skills:
"Te Rauparaha": Weapon Mastery (Level 1)
Character Attributes:
"Apathy": Level 1
"Zero Presence": Level 1
(Your lack of knowledge about Min-Su Ah prevents you from knowing what his abilities do. With insufficient knowledge, only limited info will be shown on his reader profile.)
---
While Yuki read intently, Min-Su Ah spoke and the system window disappeared.
Min-Su: You haven't read any chapter of Infinite Loops, have you?
Yuki blinked a few times as the message vanished and was face-to-face with Min-Su Ah again.
Yuki: Uh… yeah, kind of haven't.
Min-Su Ah scanned Yuki from head to toe.
Min-Su: Then you probably don't know what this novel is about... Well, I guess I'll explain the basics—
But before he could explain, another system message appeared—a general one, for all readers.
---
System:
Dear readers, the first phase of the main campaign is about to begin! Prepare for your journeys.
---
All readers were teleported to separate rooms. Of course, this novel had over 1,000 readers, so they were split up and divided.
Yuki looked around at the people in his room—everyone seemed to be under 18. There were about 50 people in the room. Min-Su Ah was next to Yuki, and everyone seemed to be of different nationalities.
Min-Su: The first phase...
Min-Su Ah looked slightly uncomfortable with what was about to happen.
Then, the system gave the mission for the first phase:
---
System:
Dear readers, the first phase is — Sacrifice of the Weakest.
This phase will work based on an absolute majority vote, where you'll decide who dies—or through adaptation trials in the new world.
General Rules:
If the vote isn't completed within the time limit, trials will be enforced until death.
Only 25 people can move on to the next phase.
You may kill each other, but that's just an optional route.
Time Limit: 1 Day
Rewards: Survive the first phase: 100 bronze coins + 10% chance of a random skill
Good luck, everyone.
Task Added to — Main Campaign
---
Yuki froze.
Yuki: What do you mean... die?
He was in shock, then looked at Min-Su Ah. He was calm despite the announcement. Yuki figured it was probably because of the "Apathy" skill.
He looked around. The atmosphere was tense. Everyone was eyeing each other.
Yuki: I know nothing about this world... If they find out, I'll definitely be one of the sacrifices.
He looked at Min-Su Ah. He was the only one who knew. But Min-Su Ah didn't seem like someone who'd expose that.
Yuki: Hey, Min-Su Ah, what now?
Min-Su Ah looked at Yuki, then shrugged.
Min-Su: I don't know what'll happen... In the novel, the protagonist waited for the trials. But here, these aren't programmed characters—these are real people...
Yuki: So this phase becomes unpredictable...
Min-Su nodded. Yuki scratched his head.
Yuki: Someone who knows nothing about this world... How am I supposed to survive here?!
Yuki panicked internally.