Chapter 1: The Manifestation Mandate

  The sky shattered.

  It wasn’t a flash of light or a dramatic explosion. It was just the sudden, unsettling distortion of everything—like reality itself had been pulled apart at the seams. Adrian felt the shift in the air before he saw it, like the universe had sucked in a breath and was about to exhale a violent, chaotic storm.

  He stood on the roof of a high-rise in Mandaue City, staring out over the streets that had once been alive with the rhythm of daily life. The skyline had always been a little too cluttered, too congested, but in that moment, it felt like it was on the verge of collapsing, just like everything else.

  Adrian didn’t have time to dwell on the surreal beauty of the situation. He felt the pulse of energy radiate from the ground beneath him, a shockwave of raw force that twisted and bent reality itself. It was the Cosmic Tide.

  The earth trembled as it began to vent the lethal energy that had been building up for centuries. The planet didn’t have a choice—it had to release the energy somehow. If it didn’t, the core would destabilize, and the world would be consumed in an explosion that would tear the planet apart. Adrian knew all of this because he had seen it before, had lived it, and had died in it.

  But not this time.

  He clutched the Genesis Ring in his hand, the only thing that had survived the catastrophe, and activated it. The world around him seemed to freeze for a split second before everything crashed back into motion with an intensity that threatened to overwhelm him. He felt the power of the Ring surge through him, as it always did, and the System clicked into place. The ground cracked open, spewing boiling water and debris into the air, but Adrian remained focused.

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  The System had been created. The universe’s desperate attempt to vent its cosmic energy had been harnessed into a game. And now, Adrian was the Admin.

  The message appeared in front of him, just as it had before, but this time, it was different. The "Default Rules" flashed across his vision, and Adrian could feel the weight of them, the responsibility pressing down on his chest. They were no longer a vague concept. They were real. They were his.

  Default Rules

  1. Equivalent Slaughter: Violence is the only safe filter for cosmic energy (EXP).

  2. Manifestation Mandate: Inactivity breeds localized World Bosses. Fight or die.

  3. The Admin's Tax: A percentage of all harvested energy maintains the planetary shield.

  4. Penalty of Cowardice: Removing your Status Ring results in permanent mutation into an Aberration.

  He skimmed over the rules, feeling the bitter taste of inevitability rising in his throat. This was it. This was his chance to fix everything, to stop Earth from collapsing into chaos. But it came at a cost—he would have to become a tyrant. He would have to enforce these rules with unrelenting force.

  A sharp, hissing sound pierced the air. Adrian turned just in time to see the first of the Aberrants crawl out of the darkened alleyway. The creature was a twisted version of something human, its body stretched and deformed by the strange energy that had flooded the world. Its chitinous exoskeleton glimmered like a vampire’s skin, and its fangs gleamed in the streetlight.

  Adrian’s pulse quickened. This was the moment. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and with a single thought, unleashed the "Minor Entropy" spell. A wave of energy rippled outward, and the Aberrant’s body twisted as if caught in a gust of wind. It exploded in a shower of grotesque fragments, the energy from its death feeding directly into the local Node.

  He exhaled, the calmness settling in as the adrenaline surged through his veins. He had done this before, but it never got easier.

  The System’s voice crackled in his ear: "Aberrant Aswang Drone eliminated. Local Node energy bank increased by 0.07%."

  Adrian smirked. It was a start.

  As the creature’s remains smoldered in the alley, the first notification of the apocalypse appeared in front of him:

  The Manifestation Mandate

  In exactly sixty seconds, the energy venting begins. The planet begins to warp and twist reality. The first wave of Aberrants is confirmed. Localized chaos is inevitable. Begin harvesting to secure Node energy.

  Adrian didn’t need a second invitation. He was already sprinting down the rooftop steps, every instinct in his body screaming for action. He knew that if he didn’t act fast, the city would fall into complete disarray. The world needed him, even if it hated him for it.

  The "Default Rules" were set, but Adrian had learned something important in his last life. Rules only mattered if you were in control. And Adrian planned to keep that control, no matter what.

  He landed in the street below, already calculating his next move. The local Node needed to be secured, and that meant he needed to kill—fast, and efficiently.

  The first Aswang was just the beginning.