The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting its warm golden light over the city. Ren Kisaragi stepped out of his university's lecture hall, stretching as he adjusted the strap of his bag. It was supposed to be just another mundane day. Another lecture he barely listened to, another lonely walk home, another evening spent alone in his tiny apartment.
But something was… off.
The campus was silent. Too silent.
Ren frowned, glancing around. Usually, at this time, students would be rushing out of their lectures, forming noisy groups, making weekend plans, or complaining about their assignments. But now?
Nothing.
The entire square, once packed with students, was empty.
A creeping sense of unease crawled up Ren's spine.
He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen—no signal. Even the Wi-Fi refused to connect. Checking his social media, he saw no updates. Not from friends, not from news outlets—as if the world had simply stopped.
Ren took a deep breath.
"Alright, maybe there's some kind of emergency drill," he muttered to himself.
But even as he tried to rationalize it, the truth felt much worse.
He made his way toward the main road, and what he saw there shattered his last thread of denial.
Cars stood abandoned in the middle of the street, some with doors wide open, as if the drivers had vanished mid-action. Plates of food still steamed at a nearby restaurant, drinks half-sipped. A traffic light blinked from green to red, the only movement in this frozen world.
"…The hell?"
Ren sprinted through the eerily quiet city, checking stores, homes, and train stations. There was no one. Not a single soul.
He was completely alone.
Just as panic threatened to settle in, the sky cracked.
A deep, resonating chime rang through the air, shaking Ren to his core. His vision blurred as lines of glowing blue text appeared before him.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[GLOBAL MANA UNLOCKING…]
[DIMENSIONAL ASCENSION PROCESS: COMPLETED]
[WARNING! ERROR DETECTED!]
[UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFIED: REN KISARAGI]
[PROCESS FAILED TO REGISTER INDIVIDUAL]
[ERROR: ANOMALY DETECTED]
[GRANTING COMPENSATION…]
[INITIATING ETERNAL SYSTEM…]
The world around Ren seemed to vibrate as reality itself unraveled. A glowing figure materialized before him, hovering just above the ground.
She was ethereal—long silver hair flowing down her back, piercing violet eyes that glowed with celestial power. Wings of pure energy extended from her back.
"…What the hell is happening?" Ren asked, his voice dry.
The woman stared at him, her expression unreadable. Then, she smiled.
"Fascinating."
"Excuse me?"
"You should not be here."
Ren took a step back. "Well, sorry for existing."
She chuckled, tilting her head. "No, you don't understand. You were forgotten. When the gods initiated Dimensional Ascension, all of humanity was transported to various worlds to prepare for the Great Cataclysm."
"…And they just forgot me?"
The celestial woman nodded. "Quite literally. You were not seen, not counted, not recorded. It's as if you don't exist within the system."
Ren clenched his fists. Forgotten? The idea gnawed at him in ways he didn't want to admit.
He had always been overlooked—the guy who blended into the background, who wasn't picked for teams, who never had a seat saved for him. Even the universe had decided to leave him behind.
"…So what now? Do I die alone while the rest of the world gets their isekai adventure?"
The woman laughed. "Oh, I like you." She waved a hand, and a new notification appeared before Ren.
[DUE TO SYSTEM ERROR, YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED THE 'ETERNAL SYSTEM.']
[UNIQUE SYSTEM PRIVILEGES GRANTED.]
[TIME ON EARTH HAS BEEN FROZEN UNTIL THE RETURN OF HUMANITY.]
[YOU WILL NOT AGE, STARVE, OR DIE OF NATURAL CAUSES UNTIL TIME RESUMES.]
[INFINITE GROWTH POTENTIAL UNLOCKED.]
Ren's eyes widened. He read the notifications again, his heart pounding.
"So… I'm basically immortal?"
"To an extent," the celestial being said with a playful smirk. "Your body still functions—you can train, grow stronger, evolve. But time itself has stopped for you and this world. Ten years will pass for you, but only a single day will pass for the rest of humanity."
Ren exhaled slowly. "Ten years… alone."
The weight of those words settled on him like a crushing force.
"But," the celestial being added, "You are also limitless. The Eternal System has no restrictions. No cap. No constraints. Unlike the others who must follow the rigid paths of the gods, you are free to carve your own destiny."
Ren looked up. "And what do I do with this power?"
The celestial woman's smile widened. "Whatever you wish. You can train. Prepare. Ascend. And when humanity returns, you will no longer be forgotten."
With that, she vanished, leaving Ren standing alone in the empty city.
He stared at the system menu before him.
[INITIALIZING CLASS SELECTION]
[CHOOSE YOUR FIRST CLASS:]
Brawler (Unarmed combat & endurance)
Spellblade (Swordsmanship infused with magic)
Reaper (Stealth & assassination)Invoker (High magic affinity)
Warden (Defensive tank)
Ren took a deep breath.
"…Alright then."
He reached out, selecting Spellblade.
A surge of raw energy coursed through him, his muscles tightening, his senses sharpening. His hands instinctively moved as if they had wielded a blade for years.
A black sword materialized in his grip, humming with latent mana.
Ren grinned for the first time that day.
"Let's see how far I can go."
And so, the training began.