Chapter 5: The System Awakens

  When Alex came to, the pain had subsided. The world was clear again. His rifle was still at his side, his body still intact—though his mind felt strangely altered. Something had changed.

  The three glowing figures were still there, watching him silently. The pressure in the air had dissipated, and the forest was once again quiet.

  “What happened?” Alex asked, his voice hoarse. He didn’t know who or what he had just encountered, but the shift in the atmosphere told him they were important. Powerful.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “You are now bound to the System,” the first figure spoke again. “The Transdimensional Combatant’s path has been set. From now on, your abilities will grow as you battle through this world. Your choices will shape this realm and all others.”

  Alex stood slowly, his mind still struggling to process the flood of information. His hand tightened around the M4, but he didn’t raise it. Not yet.

  The System, they had called it. What did that mean for him? What did he have to do?

  The figure continued. “Your skills will evolve with each challenge, each fight. But the world is on the brink of destruction, and your role—your mission—is critical. Do you accept?”

  Alex stood still, calculating, taking in the gravity of the situation. He wasn’t here by accident. He had been chosen for something—a mission. One that he couldn’t back out of.

  “I accept.”

  The words felt like a pact—something irreversible. But Alex didn’t back down. He had been in situations far worse than this. If survival was the mission, then he would survive. And if there was a war to fight, then he would fight.

  The glowing figure nodded, its eyes flickering. “Then, the true path begins.