**Pain.**
A deep, gnawing ache spread through Kiran’s body as he slowly regained consciousness. His limbs felt like lead, his head throbbed, and his mouth was dry.
He wasn’t dead.
Probably.
He cracked open his eyes—
And nearly had a **heart attack.**
---
He wasn’t on solid ground.
He was **falling.**
The world around him was a chaotic mess of **floating ruins, shattered sky, and rivers of light twisting through the air like veins of a broken god.** The land itself was fractured, **torn into jagged, drifting islands**, suspended in nothingness.
{System Integration Complete.}
{Class System Unlocked.}
{Subclass System Unlocked.}
{Talent System Updated.}
{Leveling System Activated.}
{Calculating Class…}
{Class Assigned: Cataclysm Survivor.}
{Subclass Pending.}
{Talent Updated: Chaos Conductor → Weaver of Ruin.}
{Skills Unlocked.}
{Level: 1}
**A flood of information crashed into his mind.**
Kiran’s brain **screamed** in protest as knowledge he didn’t have before was suddenly burned into his consciousness. His new **class**, his **talent**, the **rules of leveling**—it was all there, laid bare like an open book.
And then—
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
{WARNING: HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT DETECTED.}
"Oh, come on—"
**Something grabbed him.**
---
A **clawed appendage** shot from the void, wrapping around Kiran’s ankle. It was **cold**, like touching raw metal, yet it pulsed with unnatural **heat**.
Kiran twisted midair, instinct kicking in.
(Think, think, THINK!)
His new **class**. His **skills**. He had to use them—
{Skill Unlocked: Adaptive Reflexes.}
His body **moved on its own.**
Twisting, he yanked himself free and slammed his boot against the creature’s limb. A split-second later, his **bad luck activated.**
The creature **twitched violently**, as if struck by an invisible force—
And then a chunk of **debris** from above came crashing down, **smashing it to pieces.**
Kiran barely had time to register what just happened before—
{Level Up!}
{Level: 2 → 3}
He **slammed** into something solid.
---
Kiran groaned, rolling onto his back. He had landed on one of the **floating islands**, barely managing to avoid plummeting into whatever void lay below.
(Okay. Not dead. That’s a win.)
He took a slow breath, trying to process everything.
- He had a **class** now.
- He had **skills.**
- And… he had **leveled up?**
He focused, and a translucent screen materialized before him.
---
**[STATUS]**
**Name:** Kiran
**Level:** 3
**Class:** Cataclysm Survivor
**Subclass:** Pending
**Talent:** Weaver of Ruin
**Titles:** Catalyst of Chaos
**Skills:**
- Adaptive Reflexes (Lv 1)
- ??? (Sealed)
- ??? (Sealed)
---
(So leveling up increases my stats automatically… but my subclass and some skills are locked?)
He frowned.
And then—
{Class Advancement at Level 50. Conditions Required: Unknown.}
{Talent Evolution at Level 50. Conditions Required: Unknown.}
Kiran exhaled. He was **far** from evolving anything right now. He needed to figure out **where** he was first.
But the universe had other plans.
The ground beneath him **shuddered.**
---
A deep **rumbling** echoed through the broken sky. The fractured world around him **shifted**. Chunks of floating stone **drifted apart, then snapped back together** unnaturally, like reality was trying to stitch itself back into place.
Kiran’s stomach dropped.
(Not good.)
And then—
A **gate** opened in the sky.
A massive, spiraling vortex, glowing with ominous blue light.
And from within, **something stepped out.**
---
It was **tall**—far taller than any human. A **twisted amalgamation of limbs and bone**, its body flickering in and out of focus, as if reality itself was rejecting its presence. It had no face, just a hollow void where one should be.
It **stared at him** without eyes.
And then—
{Entity Detected: Devourer Wraith.}
{Rank: ???}
{Threat Level: Lethal.}
Kiran's blood ran cold.
The **thing** let out a guttural sound—like a dozen voices whispering at once—
And lunged.
---
(You’ve gotta be kidding me—)
Kiran **moved.**
His **Adaptive Reflexes** kicked in, his body reacting before his brain could process. He barely dodged as the wraith’s claw **tore through the air**, leaving behind a **distortion** that **bent** space itself.
That would have killed him.
Immediately.
Sweat dripped down his temple.
(I CAN’T FIGHT THIS.)
He needed an **out.**
Something. **Anything.**
Then—
{Title Effect Activated: Catalyst of Chaos.}
Kiran’s stomach **dropped.**
Something **cracked.**
---
**The sky fell.**
Chunks of floating debris **collapsed downward**, smashing into the wraith. The entity let out a **horrible, distorted screech**, its body twisting as it was crushed under tons of broken stone.
Kiran didn’t wait.
He **ran.**
(Just keep moving. Just keep moving—)
His legs burned, his breath came in sharp gasps, but he didn’t stop.
And then—
He saw it.
At the very edge of the floating island, embedded in the ground—
A **rift.**
It pulsed with unstable energy, shifting between **light and shadow.** A way **out.**
Kiran didn’t hesitate.
He **jumped.**
And then—
Everything **vanished.**
---
Somewhere, beyond the fractured world, the **Akashic Record stirred.**
The changes had only just begun.
And Kiran was at the center of it all
