Joseph Anderson's eyes burned as he stared at the glare of his computer monitor. The same endless rows of code scrolled across the screen, blurring together into a meaningless cascade of symbols. His desk at the corner of the open-plan office was littered with empty coffee cups, a half-eaten sandwich, and a pile of technical manuals he had no intention of ever reading.
"Joseph."
He turned to see his manager, a squat man with a permanent scowl etched into his face, looming over him.
"Where's the debugging report? It was due an hour ago."
Joseph sighed, closing his eyes briefly to summon the patience that his job demanded.
"I sent it to your email this morning," he replied.
The man grunted and walked off, muttering something about needing "real employees." Joseph bit back a retort and turned back to his screen. It didn't matter what he said—this wasn't the kind of job that rewarded effort or ingenuity. It was the kind that ate away at your soul, one monotonous day at a time.
As he left the office that evening, the weight of his laptop bag felt heavier than usual. The streets of Elmsborough bustled with activity, the crowd sweeping him along like a current. Neon lights from towering billboards reflected on the wet pavement, a kaleidoscope of advertisements promising happiness, success, and everything in between.
Joseph slipped his hands into his coat pockets, lowering his head against the drizzle. He barely noticed the world around him—just another gray day in his gray life.
But halfway down the block, it hit him.
A sharp, stabbing pain shot through his head, sudden and overwhelming. It wasn't like any headache he'd experienced before. His vision blurred, the world around him shimmering like heat waves.
"Ugh, what the—" Joseph stumbled, clutching his temples. The pain intensified, and he collapsed to his knees on the wet sidewalk, ignoring the stares of passing strangers.
And then, just as suddenly as it came, the pain stopped.
Joseph opened his eyes. The world around him seemed… different. Clearer, sharper, as though someone had turned up the contrast on reality itself. But what really caught his attention was the glowing blue panel hovering in front of him.
> SYSTEM ACTIVATED
Reality Architect Initialized.
Do you wish to begin digitization?
He blinked at the text, his breath hitching. The panel floated in mid-air, translucent and glowing faintly. Joseph looked around, half-expecting someone to laugh and tell him he was part of some prank. But no one seemed to notice the panel—not the businessman barking into his phone nearby, not the elderly woman shuffling along the crosswalk.
"What… is this?" he murmured, his voice shaky.
The panel remained motionless, its message blinking expectantly. Against his better judgment, Joseph reached out and touched the glowing "YES."
The moment his finger connected with the panel, the world around him rippled. It was like the fabric of reality had been stretched and reshaped. Numbers and grids overlaid everything in sight—the buildings, the people, even the rain itself. He stumbled back, staring at a lamppost. Floating above it was a small box of text.
> Object: Lamppost
Durability: 80/100
Material: Steel
Joseph's eyes widened. He turned to the people walking past him. Above each one floated a new display:
> Name: Unknown
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 9
Loyalty: 2
He staggered backward, bumping into a parked car. Another box of text appeared.
> Vehicle: Sedan
Durability: 65/100
Max Speed: 180 km/h
"What the hell is going on?" Joseph whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the city.
The panel in front of him updated.
> Congratulations! Digitization Process Initialized.
Begin experimentation to unlock Reality Architect features.
---
By the time Joseph made it back to his apartment, his mind was racing. The glowing displays hadn't gone away. Everywhere he looked, stats and grids overlaid his surroundings, like the entire world had been transformed into a game.
Slamming the door behind him, he tossed his bag onto the couch and leaned against the wall, trying to steady his breathing. He needed answers.
The panel popped back up, as though reading his mind.
> Reality Architect Overview:
Digitization: Convert objects, structures, and beings into game-like assets.
Energy Points (EP): Required to digitize. Recharges over time.
Upgrade Points (UP): Earned by completing tasks, defeating enemies, or digitizing objects.
Modules: Unlock special features to improve digitized assets.
Joseph stared at the words, his confusion slowly giving way to curiosity. This… wasn't normal. But it was also the most interesting thing that had ever happened to him.
---
His first experiment came the next morning. Sitting in his cramped kitchen, Joseph stared at his toaster.
"Let's see if this works," he muttered.
He focused on the appliance, and a faint blue glow surrounded it. The panel appeared.
> Do you wish to digitize this object?
"Yes," he said aloud.
The toaster flickered and pixelated, breaking apart into a grid of glowing lines before reassembling itself.
> Object Digitized: Tier 1 Appliance.
Upgrades Available: Efficiency, Durability.
Joseph's jaw dropped. He tapped on the upgrade options, noticing that one cost 1 Upgrade Point while the other cost 3. He had exactly 1 point from digitizing the toaster, so he selected Efficiency.
The toaster glowed briefly before returning to normal. But when Joseph tried it out, the bread toasted perfectly in less than half the usual time.
"Huh," he muttered, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Okay, this is kind of cool."
---
Later that evening, Joseph decided to test the system on a larger scale. His apartment became his next target.
The process drained nearly all of his Energy Points, leaving him lightheaded and slumped against the wall. But the results were worth it.
> Apartment Digitized: Tier 1 Base.
Modules Unlocked: Hidden Storage, Basic Defense.
A small holographic map appeared, displaying the layout of his apartment. Certain areas now glowed faintly, marking new features. When Joseph opened the closet, he discovered a hidden compartment behind the wall—a space that hadn't existed before.
"This… is insane," he whispered.
But his excitement was short-lived. As night fell, Joseph decided to grab some groceries from the store down the block. The system had given him a sense of power, but it hadn't prepared him for what was coming.
---
The alley behind the store was darker than usual, the streetlights casting long, eerie shadows. Joseph wasn't paying much attention as he stepped outside, juggling a plastic bag of food.
He noticed the man too late.
The figure emerged from the shadows, tall and gaunt, with pale skin that seemed almost translucent. His eyes glinted unnaturally in the dim light.
"You… smell fresh," the man hissed, baring a set of unnervingly sharp teeth.
Joseph froze. His heart pounded in his chest as the man lunged forward, faster than any human should move.
Suddenly, the system flared to life.
> Hostile Entity Detected: Vampire
Combat Mode Enabled.
A glowing outline surrounded the man, highlighting weak points. Joseph barely had time to process the information before the vampire was on him. Acting on instinct, he grabbed a piece of rebar lying nearby.
> Do you wish to digitize weapon?
"Yes!"
The rebar shimmered in his hands, transforming into a sleek, glowing blade. Joseph swung it wildly, the edge slicing clean through the vampire's arm.
The creature shrieked, its body glitching like a corrupted image.
> Enemy Defeated. Upgrade Points: +10
The vampire dissolved into pixels, leaving Joseph standing alone in the alley, his breath ragged.
"What the hell did I just get myself into?" he whispered.
---
That night, Joseph lay awake in his upgraded apartment, staring at the glowing interface floating above him. The system had given him power, but it had also opened a door he wasn't sure he wanted to walk through. Vampires, digitization, combat—it was too much to process.
But one thing was clear: the world wasn't what he thought it was. And neither was he.