When Alter regained his sight, he found himself floating in a vast cosmic expanse, surrounded by an endless sea of stars, distant galaxies swirling in hues of blue and violet.
Yet, it wasn't oppressive. It felt weightless, almost peaceful.
He blinked.
"Another memory?" he muttered to himself, rubbing his forehead. "Was I also a chubby asteroid in another life?"
Before he could dwell on that ridiculous thought, a bright flash erupted in front of him. His instincts kicked in, and he flinched, shielding his eyes. When he lowered his arms, something impossible floated before him.
A massive blue interface hovered in the darkness, its translucent glow casting faint light across his face. It was a giant holographic screen that had materialized out of thin air.
Main System Interface
→ Welcome, Alter
→ Current Class: Explorer
→ Level: 2
→ Resources Available: SP: 5 | Gold: 5
Select an Option:
[ Status Tab ] | [ Character Customization ] | [ Shop ] | [ Quests ] | [ Classes (Locked) ] | [ Gacha (Locked) ] | [ Item Bag ]
His mind took a second to process what he was looking at. His lips parted, but no words came. His pulse quickened. He knew this. He had seen things like this before, in some of his memories. It was something his past self liked too much.
"A system screen? Like in a game?"
The realization hit him like a slow-moving truck. The strange messages he'd been seeing, the way information popped into his head, it had all followed the same logic. His actions earlier, overriding his 'past' self… was that a character reset?
His arms crossed as he fell deeper into thought. But the moment he felt his own skin, something far more horrifying took priority.
His eyes darted downward.
"Oh, hell no."
He was naked.
Completely, absolutely, disgustingly naked.
A chill ran down his spine. His worst nightmare had come true, he had turned into the very thing he despised, the clownest part of his being.
"No. Nope. I refuse. I REFUSE." His voice echoed through the endless space. "I am NOT starting life over as a clowning, ridiculous embarrassing simp!"
His gaze snapped toward the floating interface, zeroing in on an option that suddenly felt like salvation.
[ Character Customization ]
His finger hesitated in the air.
"Ah, miracle... Wait… is this… like an actual game menu? How does this work?"
Testing it out, he slowly extended his index finger and tapped the glowing text. The interface rippled, reacting instantly to his touch.
His eyes widened.
"Oh. Okay. That worked." He moved his hand away, then tentatively waved it in front of the menu. No response. But when he muttered "Open customization?", the text flickered.
"Alright, so it reacts to touch, but also to voice? Damn, this is high-end stuff." He exhaled, his pulse steadying. "At least it beats any scuffed mobile game interface I've ever seen... Or remember."
Still naked, still traumatized by his unfortunate reality, he braced himself and selected Character Customization.
[Avatar Modification Terminal]
Select Modification Type:[ Physical Stats ] | [ Cosmetic Changes ] | [ Special Features ]
Alter's eyes widened with excitement. His appearance was flexible. He could really become something different. He quickly selected the Physical Stats Modification tab.
Physical Stats Modification
[Muscle Enhancement] – 0 (1 SP)
[Agility Boost] – 0 (1 SP)
[Wisdom] – 0 (1 SP)
[Height Adjustment] – 169cm (10 SP per 3 cm change)
[Weight Adjustment] – 89kg (10 SP per 1kg change)
[ Confirm Changes ] | [ Cancel ]
"Oh, now we're talking..." He paused mid-sentence, eyes narrowing at the cost, then grimaced. "Why does the important stuff cost so much?! Who made this scam system?!"
With only 5 SP, he was far from making any drastic changes. Forced to stay ugly, at least for now, he returned to the main screen. Maybe the other categories would offer something more reasonable. He selected Cosmetic Changes next.
Cosmetic Changes (Gold Required)
[Hair Color] – Select from palette (50 Gold)
[Eye Color] – Select from palette (30 Gold)
[Facial Structure] – Adjust cheekbones, jawline, or nose (200 Gold)
[Skin Texture] – Add scars, marks, or smooth skin (100 Gold)
[Tattoo/Symbols] – Apply glowing or enchanted markings (150 Gold)
[ Confirm ] | [ Cancel ]
"Fifty gold for a new hair color? Two hundred for a jawline?" Alter let out a dry laugh. "What's this South Korea plastic surgery pricing?" His eye twitched. "This pathetic attempt at financial extortion won't stop me. I will change. No matter what."
Everything was far beyond what he had. 5 Gold wouldn't even let him change his eye color, but the possibilities were juicy.
His irritation grew, but curiosity pushed him to check the Special Features tab.
Special Features (Customization Tokens Required)
[Elemental Aura] – Select from options (1 Elemental Token)
[Hybrid Limbs] – Select from options (1 Animal Token)
[Eldritch Presence] – Select from options (1 Mystical Token)
[Voice Modification] – Select from options (1 Harmony Token)
[ Activate Mutation ] | [ Cancel ]
A sigh escaped him.
"And of course, a whole new currency to make me feel even more broke. Why not just add battle passes while we're at it?"
This entire system felt like a pay-to-win nightmare, and the worst part was that nothing he checked was even the most important aspects of a RPG. He tapped his finger against his arm, then paused, glancing at his SP and Gold.
How did he get these points in the first place?
His mind flashed back to the memory of the wolf-like creature he had strangled. He swallowed.
That kill... it had triggered this system. That meant… killing granted him experience and gold.
His breathing slowed. That changed everything. For the first time, he truly questioned his situation.
Where even was he? Why did he wake up in that pit? What were those monsters?
More importantly...
What happens next?
His fingers rubbed his temple. He could still remember the distant echoes of monsters from before. Was he still in that dungeon? If he got out of this 'memory', wouldn't he just get back to this Hell?
A shiver ran down his spine.
"Alright, so I'm stuck in some death pit. But... I killed a monster before, didn't I? And I got stronger from it. That means this system isn't just for show. If I play this right, maybe I actually have a chance. Maybe I'm not completely doomed. I mean, if I survived once, I can do it again... right? Just smarter, stronger..."
He needed to be stronger. If he didn't want to die in some dark pit, he needed to survive. And this system… this was his best shot.
He refocused and selected the next menu, Shop.
[Shop]
Purchase items, equipment, and system enhancements.
[Categories:]
[Weapon Store]
[Potion Store]
[Items]
[Skills]
[ Purchase ] | [ Back to Main Menu ]
His fingers hovered over the purchase button, his mind racing with the possibilities. Weapons? Potions? Skills? If he could actually buy something useful, his survival rate would increase significantly.
He selected the Weapon Store first, expecting an impressive catalog. Instead, his screen loaded up a sad, miserable list:
[Available Weapons:]
[Rusty Dagger] – 15 Gold
Attack: +2
Speed: +1
A worn-out dagger with a dull edge. Better than nothing.
[Wooden Club] – 10 Gold
Attack: +3
Durability: Low
A crude but heavy wooden weapon. Good for smashing things.
[Beginner's Sword] – 25 Gold
Attack: +5
Durability: Moderate
A basic sword meant for new adventurers. Reliable, but nothing fancy.
Alter stared at the screen, his lips twitching. He wanted to call it a cheap piece of junk, but reality hit him like a rock, he was too broke to afford even this. His dignity screamed, but his wallet stayed silent, so he swallowed his words and moved on.
With a heavy sigh, he exited the weapon shop and checked the Potion Store.
[Available Potions:]
[Minor Health Potion] – 5 Gold
Restores 20 HP
[Stamina Recovery] – 7 Gold
Restores 15 Stamina
[Basic Antidote] – 6 Gold
Cures minor poisons
"Okay, this is more reasonable," he admitted. At least a health potion was within his budget, though barely.
Still, he hesitated. He only had 5 Gold, and spending all of it now would leave him broke. He backed out and moved to the next section.
[Quests]
Track active quests and system-generated missions.
[Current Quest:]
[Cull the Rabid Fangbeasts: 0/5]
Reward: +10 EXP, +5 Gold
[Daily Quests:] Unlocks at Level 3
[ Accept Quest ] | [ Back to Main Menu ]
Alter's eyes gleamed.
"So I can get gold and experience through this? Now we're talking."
He immediately accepted the quest. Even though he wasn't exactly excited about fighting more of those things, he needed the rewards. He needed strength, better gear, and most importantly, another appearance.
Finally, he clicked the last remaining option that mattered most, Status Tab.
[Status Tab]
Name: Alter
Current Class: [Explorer]
Level: [2]
HP: [100/100]
MP: [10/10]
Stamina: [28/28]
Strength: 10
Resilience: 10
Speed: 10
Intelligence: 10
Luck: 0
XP Progress: 3[7 XP remaining to next level]
Currency: 5 Gold
Special Titles: None
Class Switch Cooldown: [0]
Class Proficiency: [Endless Stride] – Gains +10% stamina regeneration while walking and +5% movement speed in natural terrain.
Alter nodded slowly.
"So it really is a full system."
His eyes landed on his class, Explorer. What kind of class was that? Since it said "Current Class," did that mean he could change it? That would be for later, but for now, he needed to focus on his stats.
He thought about what to invest in. Intelligence probably meant magic, but he didn't know how to use magic yet. Resilience was good for defense, but he had too few points to use to think about getting hit. Speed sounded nice, but he wasn't planning on running, either.
Strength. That was what he used to take down the wolf.
He exhaled and put everything into Strength.
[Status Tab]
Name: Alter
Current Class: [Explorer]
Level: [2]
HP: [100/100]
MP: [10/10]
Stamina: [28/28]
Strength: 15
Resilience: 10
Speed: 10
Intelligence: 10
Luck: 0
[Confirm Changes?]
[YES] | [NO]
Alter pressed [YES].
The moment he confirmed, his body was enveloped in a faint red glow. It felt warm, yet oddly electric, as if his muscles were shifting beneath his skin. Then, without warning, the cosmic space around him exploded into white.
*****
Alter's eyes snapped open. He was lying on the cold, hard ground of the cavern. The scent of damp earth and dried blood filled his nostrils. He blinked, slowly sitting up.
He was back.
Next to him, the lifeless corpse of the wolf-like beast remained where he had left it. The sight sent a strange shiver down his spine. He had actually killed that thing. With his bare hands.
Slowly, he looked down at himself.
Still chubby. Still the same body from his memories. But at least he wasn't injured anymore, and fully clothed.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the strength coursing through them. Was it real? Had his stats actually changed?
There was only one way to be sure.
He thought about the system, focusing on it.
With a soft chime, the translucent blue interface reappeared in front of him.
He gasped.
"It's real. It's really real!"
Excitement bubbled inside him. This wasn't just some dream or hallucination. The system was tangible, interactive, and best of all, it was his.
His eyes shifted toward the cavern's entrance, the only visible way out.
A deep, distant growl echoed from beyond.
He clenched his fists.
If he wanted to survive, if he wanted to escape, then he had only one choice.
Get stronger.
His gaze hardened, and with one last glance at the interface, he dismissed it.
It was time to face the unknown.