The next morning, Joseph awoke to a strange sensation. At first, he couldn't place it—like a faint hum in the back of his mind, a low vibration just at the edge of perception. He blinked at the ceiling, trying to shake the lingering grogginess from his mind.
And then he remembered.
He sat upright in bed, the events of the previous night flooding back. The floating screen. The voice. The "system." For a brief, fleeting moment, he wondered if it had been a dream—a vivid hallucination brought on by exhaustion.
But the moment he turned his gaze to the corner of his room, his heart sank. The glowing interface was still there, hovering silently like a specter waiting to be acknowledged.
Welcome Back, Architect.
Daily Energy Recharge Complete.
Joseph rubbed his temples, frustration bubbling up. "Great. It's real." He threw off the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet touching the cold floor. "So much for hoping it was just a nightmare."
The interface shimmered, displaying the schematic of his apartment once more. The upgraded bookshelf still glowed faintly, its "Tier 1" label hovering above it. Joseph frowned, the gears in his mind turning.
"Alright," he muttered to himself. "Let's figure out what this thing actually does."
Joseph wasn't the kind of person to let unanswered questions linger. His curiosity was methodical, relentless, like an engineer dismantling a machine piece by piece. Whatever this system was, it had invaded his life, and he needed to understand it.
The first thing Joseph noticed was that the system wasn't entirely passive. As he moved around his apartment, labels appeared over every object he focused on.
[Chair - Tier 0]
[Lamp - Tier 0]
[Window - Tier 0]
Each label came with additional information: durability, function, potential upgrades. Even the coffee mug on his desk had a label:
[Mug - Tier 0]
Upgrade: Enhanced Heat Retention (3 Essence)
Joseph shook his head, baffled. "This thing wants me to waste resources on coffee mugs?" He dismissed the thought with a scoff, turning his attention to the broader implications.
The system also seemed to recognize the boundaries of his apartment. Whenever he approached a wall or door, the interface displayed faint outlines that mapped the space in precise detail.
"Territory, huh?" he muttered, recalling the system's earlier mention of expansion. "So it's treating this place like a base of operations."
He opened the system menu, navigating through the options with a mix of hesitation and fascination.
Architect: Joseph Carter
Territory: Apartment (Tier 0)
Essence Available: 5
Upgrade Points: 3
Abilities Unlocked: Territory Digitization, Object Upgrade
Objectives:
1. Expand Territory (50 Essence)
2. Gather Essence from defeated entities or environmental absorption.
Joseph's eyes lingered on the "Essence Available" line. He only had 5 left after upgrading the bookshelf, and the system was making it clear that gathering more would require effort.
"Defeated entities," he muttered, the words sending a chill down his spine. The system seemed insistent on that point. Did it mean he'd have to fight someone? Or... something?
He pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on the second option: environmental absorption.
Joseph approached his desk, eyeing the clutter of old electronics piled atop it. He had always been a tinkerer, salvaging broken devices and stripping them for parts. Now, he wondered if the system could make use of them.
"Let's try this." He picked up a broken hard drive, holding it up toward the glowing interface.
The system reacted immediately.
[Hard Drive - Damaged]
Essence Extraction Available: 2 Units.
A prompt appeared: Absorb Essence?
Joseph hesitated, his thumb hovering over the glowing confirmation icon. "Alright, let's see what happens." He tapped it.
The hard drive flickered, its edges dissolving into faint, pixelated fragments. Within seconds, it was gone, leaving only empty air behind.
Essence Acquired: +2 Units. Total: 7.
Joseph stared at the empty spot where the hard drive had been, a strange mixture of awe and unease bubbling in his chest. The system had literally erased it from existence.
"That's... unsettling," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. Still, it worked. And now he had more Essence to experiment with.
Over the next hour, Joseph tested the system's boundaries, experimenting with different objects around his apartment. Old clothes, broken appliances, even scraps of paper—all of them could be absorbed for small amounts of Essence.
By the time he finished, his Essence total had climbed to 18. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give him options.
He turned his attention back to the system interface, scrolling through the list of potential upgrades for his territory. One option stood out:
[Storage Expansion - Tier 1]
Cost: 15 Essence
Joseph selected it without hesitation. The moment he confirmed the upgrade, the apartment around him shimmered, much like the bookshelf had the night before.
But this time, the changes were far more dramatic.
The walls seemed to stretch, the space within his apartment expanding subtly but noticeably. What had once been a cramped, narrow living room now felt more open, the dimensions slightly altered. Even the air felt different, charged with an almost imperceptible hum of energy.
Territory Upgrade Complete. Storage Capacity Increased.
Joseph walked around the room, his mind racing. The walls hadn't physically moved—the building was still the same from the outside—but somehow, the system had bent the rules of reality to make his apartment larger on the inside.
"This thing is insane," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
But the possibilities were undeniable. If the system could do this much with a small amount of Essence, what else was it capable of?
Joseph's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden notification:
Warning: Unknown Entity Detected Nearby.
His blood ran cold. The schematic of his apartment zoomed out, revealing a faint red dot hovering just outside his door.
Hostile Alignment: Low Threat.
Joseph's hands clenched into fists. He wasn't a fighter. He avoided conflict whenever possible. But the system's warning left no room for doubt—something was out there, and it wasn't friendly.
The system prompted him:
Engage or Wait?
Joseph hesitated. His instincts told him to stay put, to let whatever it was move on. But another part of him—the part that had been quietly awakened by the system—urged him to act.
"Engage," he whispered, his voice shaking.
The door shimmered, the system overlaying it with a faint glow. A countdown appeared: 5... 4... 3...
When the timer hit zero, the door swung open on its own.
Standing in the hallway was a creature Joseph couldn't fully comprehend. It looked human at first glance, but its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and its limbs were elongated, twitching unnaturally.
Entity: Lesser Wraith
Status: Hostile. Essence Value: 10 Units.
The wraith lunged at him without warning, its movements a blur.
Joseph barely had time to react. He stumbled backward, grabbing the nearest object—a heavy wrench from his desk. The creature's claws slashed through the air, narrowly missing his chest.
The system intervened:
Combat Assistance Engaged. Target Weak Point: Neck.
Joseph swung the wrench with all his strength, the tool connecting with the wraith's neck. The creature let out a distorted screech, its form flickering like a faulty projection.
He struck again, this time aiming for its head. The wraith collapsed to the floor, its body dissolving into faint, glowing particles.
Entity Defeated. Essence Acquired: +10 Units.
Joseph fell to his knees, his chest heaving. The wrench slipped from his hand, clattering against the floor.
The system's voice broke the silence:
Congratulations, Architect. The path to power begins with the first step.
Joseph stared at the empty spot where the wraith had vanished, his mind a whirlwind of fear and adrenaline.
Whatever this system was, it had just made one thing clear:
There was no turning back.