CHAPTER 5 — SYSTEM AWAKENING

Monday mornings were supposed to feel fresh.

A new beginning.

A moment to breathe.

But that Monday felt as if the world had placed its entire weight on my shoulders.

My body still ached from the weekend.

My head throbbed with every step.

Even the sunlight slipping between the buildings felt too bright.

I walked slowly toward campus, gripping my bag as if it were the only thing keeping me upright. Sleep still clung to my bones—I had slept only three hours after stumbling back to my boarding room at dawn.

Every part of me wanted to collapse.

But life didn’t care.

Classes didn’t wait.

Assignments didn’t wait.

Reality didn’t wait.

And I… had no choice but to keep running.

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Our first class was Public Health.

The lecturer’s voice sounded like a distant hum.

My notes blurred as I wrote.

My hands trembled every time I tried to move my pen.

When break time finally came, I escaped to the stairwell behind the lab—the only place where I could rest my head without anyone asking questions.

I sat on the cold floor.

Closed my eyes.

Exhaled.

My breath felt thin.

Everything felt thin.

My money was thinning.

My energy was thinning.

My patience was thinning.

My life… thinning.

A few seconds later, I heard a soft ringing—maybe from my ears, maybe from exhaustion.

But the sound grew sharper.

Clearer.

Ding.

My eyes flew open.

I glanced around.

No one.

Only empty steps, dust in the corners, and faint laughter from students far away.

Maybe I really was losing my mind.

I touched my forehead. No fever.

Maybe it was stress… or lack of sleep… or—

Ding.

This time, the sound was unmistakable.

Clear.

Mechanical.

Too real to be imagined.

Then—

A voice.

Calm.

Flat.

Neither male nor female.

Not human.

[Host Santi detected.]

My blood instantly ran cold.

What?

What was that?

Who spoke?

I looked around quickly, panic rising—my heart racing so fast I thought I might faint.

But the stairwell remained empty.

A small laugh escaped my lips—shaky, unsteady.

Great.

Now I was hearing things.

But the voice returned.

Slow.

Measured.

Like a machine.

[Condition: Critical.

Sleep: 21%.

Emotional Stability: 34%.

Physical Fatigue: 72%.]

I froze.

No.

No. No.

This wasn’t real.

I squeezed my eyes shut, covered my ears, trying to block the sound out.

But it cut through everything.

[Initiating assistance protocol.

Activating Survival System.]

Survival… what?

My breath hitched.

“Stop…” I whispered shakily. “Please stop… what is this…”

But the voice didn’t stop.

[Mission 01: Survive for one week without collapsing.

Reward: +1 Mental Clarity.

Penalty if failed: host will lose control of the body for 30 seconds.]

My stomach dropped.

A mission?

A reward?

A penalty?

Was this some kind of sick game?

Or was I hallucinating because life had become too heavy?

My hands shook even harder.

“No… don’t…”

I pressed both palms to the floor, grounding myself.

But the voice didn’t fade.

It grew softer—yet still chillingly cold.

[Welcome, Host.

System activated.]

The world around me shifted.

The stairwell blurred.

My vision dimmed.

A cold line crawled slowly down my spine.

What was happening to me?

What had I fallen into?

Last night, I faced drunk customers, wandering hands, and the dark corners of Scorpion.

But this—

this was something else.

Something frightening in a way I couldn’t name.

I was no longer just Santi.

No longer just Clarissa.

No longer just a student or a host.

Something else…

had wrapped itself around my life.

Something that called me—

Host.

And whether I was ready or not…

My rebellion

had finally begun.

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