Even at 3 pm, no light could reach inside this abandoned mine in Colorado. If not for the light from his flashlight, Derek Smith wouldn't see anything at all. Thankfully, he came prepared.

This 18-year-old twelfth-grader could be mistaken for a child from afar and for a middle-aged man from up-close. While being only 4'8 (142cm) in height, his bulging muscles made him almost as wide as he was tall.

I can't believe that I'm doing something this reckless, the boy cursed himself as he stroked his large black beard.

A week ago, Derek, together with a couple of his friends, explored this abandoned mine just for fun. As far as the boys knew, it should be reasonably safe. As long as you don't venture too deep, that is.

Back then, a genius idea visited Derek - taking his handmade Thor's Hammer replica - Mjoolnir (he just added the second "o" to avoid any copyright infringements!) - to test it on some rocks. Yeah, not the smartest thing to do, no matter how safe this mine was supposed to be. But, as the saying goes, boys will be boys.

It was all fun and games until Derek's best friend, Andy Larson, accidentally dropped the precious hammer into a dark pit inside the mine. Maybe the weapon was a replica, but it was probably heavier and more dangerous than the "original" used in movies. Out of everyone Derek knew, only his foster father could handle Mjoolnir as easily as him.

I guess it had fallen somewhere here? Derek looked around, trying to remember the exact place.

The mine was fairly big and with many very similar passages. After walking around for about ten minutes, relying only on his memories and intuition, Derek arrived at the place where he had "camped" with his friends before. As he pointed his flashlight, he could recognize the traces of their "fun" - some crushed rocks, some drawings on the walls, some cracked coconuts...

Okay, here is the pit where Andy dropped my treasure, the boy thought to himself as he approached the dark hole.

When they were here the last time, none of them brought a rope - a grave error, now that he thought about it. What if Andy had fallen together with the hammer?

Maybe choosing this place as their exploration target was a mistake in the first place. Then again, the high-school graduation ceremony was only a couple of weeks away. After that, there wouldn't be many chances to gather together and go on an adventure. Derek and others wanted to create some memories that would last for the rest of their lives. And they more than achieved this objective. Though he really disliked the "price" he alone had paid for that.

Just wait for me, my little treasure, Derek thought as he tied his sturdy 30-meter-long rope around a large unmovable boulder nearby.

From what he could see with the flashlight, the pit wasn't very deep - only six meters or so. It seemed that it led to a whole other level of the mine. The fact that he couldn't see Mjoolnir at the bottom worried him a little. But he didn't borrow his foster father's Ford Focus and drive it here for two hours just to chicken out at the last moment.

Here I go, then! Derek braced himself as he tightly grasped the rope and cautiously descended down the hole with surprising (considering his almost square figure) nimbleness.

Unexpectedly, when Derek was still halfway to the bottom, the whole mine started to shake. At this moment, an ethereal but energetic and feminine voice echoed in his head.

Hello, sentient inhabitants of Earth. My name is En2643383279AIGamma, but you can call me Enigma. *wink*

As the voice reverberated through his head, Derek also could see holographic blue words that repeated the content of this strange speech.

Hehe, now that I think about it, eight billion of you are listening to me at this exact moment. It is so embarrassing! *blush*

The mine didn't stop shaking, but the boy still tried to finish his descent quickly. At the same time, he also noticed a subtle feeling of barely perceivable energy flowing through his whole body.

Anyway, your planet, at last, Awakened - it started to combine with the energy known to your scientists as "dark matter". My sisters and I just call it Ether, though! When combined with solid matter, the result is usually a BIG BOOOOOM! And then, the Planet is reborn as a higher level of existence! Free of all annoying little pests, you guys included! *a beaming smile*

With a shock, Derek realized that he didn't get closer to the solid ground. Instead, it seemed that the mine started to expand!

But fear not, for I'm here to help! *wink* Using my super-duper power, I can slow down the process, allowing the life forms to adapt to the sudden change. There are a couple of minor problems, though... *a sad sigh*

As he looked down, Derek realized that thirty meters separated him from the hole's bottom. With only about five meters of rope left, he instantly understood that descending further would be meaningless...

To help Earth "digest" Ether properly, I need to, first, connect it with our Network of Awakened Planets. There is no way around it! So you are going to have new neighbors, congratulations! ^_^

Just as Derek thought of climbing back to the top, his flashlight illuminated something metallic. Far below, in the corner of the big hollow area where the hole led, his treasured hammer lay. It made him hesitate.

Excess Ether alongside the planetary-level integration will result in a massive change to the landscape (be it natural or artificial) of your planet. Animals will evolve, and Monsters, hidden until now, will appear! You can bid goodbye to your current civilization, sorry! *waves a hand*

Don't be ridiculous, Derek! he told himself. There's no way you'll survive if you jump from this height.

I would love to chat more with you, sweeties, but there is just way too much work waiting for me.

Making the only rational choice, the boy started to climb. It sure helped that the mine didn't tremble so much anymore.

Enjoy the System I've created to help your adaptation to this Brave New World, my little cuties! *wink* Please survive and get stronger! Bye-bye. *waves a hand*

Just as Derek started to ascend, a low bestial roar resounded somewhere above him.

What the?

Before he could make sense of the current situation, the boy felt that the rope became extremely easy to pull. Nothing surprising about it, as soon after that, gravity made him know the whole seriousness of his predicament.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Derek screamed in his deep-toned voice as he accelerated towards the ground.

The unexpectedness of the situation made him drop the flashlight, losing his sole source of light as it either turned off or broke in the process.

Unlike what people say, he didn't see his whole life flashing before his eyes as he approached the floor. Maybe it was still too soon for that?

With a loud thud, the boy landed on his sturdy short legs as he bent his knees and tried to fall to the side while not forgetting to protect the head with his hands. He heard that this whole course of action helped people to survive a long fall.

Though he didn't put much faith in his actions, it seemed that he somehow survived. His body, especially his legs and his right shoulder on which he landed, screamed in pain. But he didn't die. Against the odds, he survived.

As Derek Smith lay on hard stones, he sighed with relief.

Then, thanks to the complete darkness, he realized that the "holographic subtitles" which transcribed everything the ethereal voice said didn't completely disappear. Instead, they hid in the upper-right corner of his sight. As soon as he focused on them, the words expanded. The boy noticed that they added more messages this time, though.

You have taken 96 Fall Damage!

Warning! You have less than 10% of HP left. Your body is no longer protected by Ether, so it'll take the full damage from all sources.

Congratulations! You have earned a Title!

[Even Gravity Can't Stop ME!] (Uncommon)

Intuitively, the boy wanted to know what is the meaning of this and new text appeared.

You have fallen down on solid matter from a significant height and survived to tell the tale!

Effect: You receive 50% less Fall Damage, as long as the height you fall from doesn't exceed 50 meters plus 3 meters per your Level.

"Holy cow!" Derek couldn't help but curse as he read. "Have I inhaled some hallucination-inducing gases while in this hateful mine? Because everything I experienced in the last few minutes is fucking crazy."

He heard that cavers and miners could start seeing hallucinations after spending days with their senses partially depraved. But he arrived here just half an hour ago! Or maybe his sense of time became distorted as well?

The holographic words that reminded him of an RPG-game disappeared as soon as Derek willed them to. Then he also noticed that at the bottom-left corner of his sight, three horizontal bars existed- one red, one green, one blue.

Before he got a chance to examine the bars, a distant growling caught his attention. He immediately regretted raising his voice before and remembered the bestial roar from above.

Shit, it seems that I've celebrated my survival too soon. If everything I encountered isn't just my delusion, then the whole world is in turmoil right now. I hope my friends and family are alright... But first, I need to find a way to recover and get the hell out of this cursed place.

First, the boy took his smartphone out of his trousers. Relying just on his sense of touch, he tried to turn the phone on, but it didn't work for whatever reason. Strange...

Well, just perfect...

In the total blackness, Derek Smith could only wait until he recovered. He hoped that it would be before the growls became close enough for their owners to notice him.

But, for now, there was the System to explore. It would be the best tool to help him survive. At least if everything the being named Enigma said is true.