Ethan Cross always thought he'd die as a nobody. As he lay bleeding out on the cold metal floor of the Celestial Abyss Dungeon, surrounded by the betrayal of those he once trusted, a bitter laugh escaped his lips. The dungeon's walls shimmered with runes, pulsating in a mocking rhythm, and the sound of battle far away told him the raid had already moved on without him.
"They really left me," he muttered, coughing blood. His once-pristine hunter's armor was a shredded mess, his weapon broken in two at his side. "All that work… for what? A few million credits? A lousy bonus from the guild?"
The faint glow of his wrist-bound dungeon interface flickered, its energy nearly drained. His teammates had made sure of that before they struck. They'd stripped him of resources, sabotaged his gear, and ensured his death would look like a casualty of bad luck. A convenient scapegoat for their greed.
Ethan's vision blurred. His head slumped back as the dungeon's ambient mana devoured what little life he had left. His last thought was filled with a strange mix of regret and anger—not just at his betrayers but at himself.
"I could've been smarter. Faster. Richer…" His lips twisted in a wry smile. "Guess I was just… expendable."
Darkness closed in.
When Ethan opened his eyes, he wasn't greeted by pearly gates or fiery pits. Instead, a blindingly white expanse stretched before him, endless and sterile, like the inside of some cosmic machine. A calm, synthetic voice echoed in his mind.
[System Initialization Detected. Reconfiguring Subject: Ethan Cross…]
"What the hell?" His voice was hoarse, his throat dry, yet his body felt… different. Lighter. No pain, no fatigue, and no blood pooling in his lungs. He glanced down, only to find his body glowing faintly, flickering as if he were both there and not.
A glowing blue interface materialized in front of him, eerily similar to the dungeon interfaces he'd used during hunts. But this one wasn't limited to health bars or loot notifications. It pulsed with layers of information—lines of text and symbols that seemed to rewrite themselves every second.
[Congratulations, Ethan Cross. You have been selected as the host for the Multi-System Interface.]
"Multi-System… what?" Ethan frowned. This had to be some kind of post-death hallucination. Maybe his brain was firing off its last neurons, giving him one final illusion before the end.
The voice continued, ignoring his skepticism.
[The Multi-System Interface integrates three primary modules: Combat, Mechanics, and Economics. You have been granted access to infinite scalability across these domains. Use this opportunity to rewrite your destiny.]
Ethan's eyes narrowed. He wasn't one to believe in second chances, but the voice sounded far too calculated to be a figment of his imagination.
"Rewrite my destiny, huh?" He scoffed. "What's the catch?"
[The Void Entity threatens all systems. Your success directly correlates with the survival of the multiverse.]
"Figures," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "A cosmic apocalypse. Just my luck."
The interface ignored his sarcasm, continuing its automated instructions.
[Initiating System Rebirth…]
Ethan jolted awake, his body snapping upright as if struck by lightning. His breath came in ragged gasps, his mind racing to make sense of what just happened. He wasn't in the dungeon anymore. He wasn't even in Neo Arcadia.
He found himself in a dimly lit room filled with buzzing machinery and the faint hum of energy conduits. The walls were lined with racks of outdated weapons, tools, and… spare mechanical parts?
"What the…?" Ethan glanced around. He was sitting on a worn cot in what looked like a mechanic's workshop.
Before he could process his surroundings, a familiar blue interface flickered to life in front of him, its text scrolling rapidly.
[Welcome to Neo Arcadia-2. Year: 2147. Host Initialization Complete.]
Neo Arcadia-2? A secondary layer? Ethan's brows furrowed. He was familiar with the sprawling megacity of Neo Arcadia—its bustling markets, endless dungeon gates, and cutthroat guilds—but this place was different. Dirtier. Less advanced.
"Where the hell am I?" he muttered, pushing himself to his feet. His body still felt… off. Stronger, but also strange, like wearing a suit that didn't quite fit yet.
The interface pulsed again, this time displaying a new message.
[Starting Resources: 100 Arcadia Credits. Beginner Mechanic's Toolkit Unlocked. Level 1 Combat Skills Unlocked. Basic Economic Influence Module Activated.]
"Mechanic's toolkit? Economic module?" Ethan blinked. His heart raced as memories of his previous life rushed back. The betrayal. The death. The promise of rewriting his destiny.
A small box materialized on a nearby workbench with a soft click. Inside, Ethan found a set of tools—rudimentary but functional—and a strange device resembling a futuristic wristband.
"Alright, alright." He exhaled, strapping the device on. "Let's see what this 'Multi-System Interface' can actually do."
A new notification popped up, as if in response.
[Tutorial Quest Activated: Build Your First Prototype.]