Pain.
That was the first thing Arka felt. Not a sharp pain—but a dull, throbbing ache in the back of his head, like he had been hit by something... or maybe he fell.
He opened his eyes.
The sky above was dark, tinted with a strange bluish hue. Neon lights flickered in the distance. A giant billboard flashed holograms of unfamiliar symbols. He was lying on the roof of a tall building, but he didn't recognize anything around him.
Where am I...?
As he tried to sit up, a cold breeze swept over him. He realized he wasn't wearing anything special—just a plain black hoodie and cargo pants. No ID. No phone. No memories... except his name: Arka.
Suddenly, a soft chime echoed in the air.
A glowing blue window appeared in front of him, floating mid-air.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
Welcome, Arka.
You have been registered as: UNIDENTIFIED ENTITY.
Skill Gained: Shadow Step (Lv. 1)
Note: System is in unstable mode. Some functions may not work properly.
"What the hell..." Arka whispered.
The moment he blinked, the window disappeared. But his instincts screamed danger. His ears caught something—groaning, footsteps... getting closer.
He turned his head.
A figure stumbled out from a doorway behind him. Its skin was pale. Its eyes were hollow. It looked human—but twisted, broken. It opened its mouth and let out a chilling screech.
"Grrrrhhhhh!"
Arka stumbled back, heart pounding. Move! his mind screamed. Without thinking, he focused on the shadow behind a nearby vent.
A rush of cold air hit his body.
In an instant, he vanished—reappearing ten feet away, standing behind the creature.
He gasped.
That... That was the skill?!
Before he could process it, another shadow jumped down from above. A blade sliced clean through the creature's neck. The head rolled across the rooftop.
A girl stood there, dressed in leather armor with neon-blue lines running through it. Her short hair was silver, her eyes sharp and calculating.
She pointed a blade at Arka.
"You're not from the City," she said. "Who summoned you?"
"I... don't know," Arka replied. "I just woke up here."
Her eyes narrowed. "That's impossible. Everyone is registered by the Guild. You don't have a badge. No record... no ID. Are you an Outsider?"
"I don't even know what that means."
She didn't lower the blade. "Then we need to take you in. If the corrupted sensed you, others will too."
Arka looked around. The world felt both familiar and terrifyingly foreign. The system... the creatures... the skills.
This wasn't a dream.
This was a new world.
And something told him—he didn't come here by accident.
Kalau kamu suka gaya penulisannya, aku bisa bantu lanjut ke Chapter 2 atau bantu buatkan deskripsi tokoh, sistem kekuatan, atau bahkan world-building-nya. Kamu mau lanjut ke bagian mana dulu?