Chapter 7 - Dimension System (Part 1)
A flickering light materialized in the air before Zane, its soft, blue hue pulsating gently like a heartbeat. A holographic, semi-transparent window hovered silently in the air, casting a faint glow over his battered face. Zane blinked hard, his already bruised eyes widening in confusion and disbelief.
He jerked back instinctively. "What the hell…?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.
Was this another illusion? A byproduct of his broken body and exhausted mind? He rubbed his eyes, hoping the strange floating image would vanish like a mirage.
But it didn't.
The window remained, solid yet untouchable, displaying a loading bar that steadily filled up with a soft hum.
"No… No way." His voice trembled. "Am I hallucinating? Did I take a blow to the head worse than I thought?"
It made sense to suspect a concussion, considering the relentless beating he'd endured. But this? This was too vivid. Too raw. He'd had concussions before—none of them ever conjured glowing blue boxes in mid-air.
Driven by curiosity—and a hint of fear—Zane hesitantly reached toward the window. His finger passed right through it, unable to touch the surface. Yet, something strange happened. The point of contact rippled slightly, like the surface of disturbed water.
He froze. "It's… reacting?"
The blue bar surged forward as if it was responding to his confusion, making Zane retract his finger quickly, fearing it might get cut off because of the transition.
[90%]
[95%]
[99%]
[100%]
[Assimilation complete.]
[Scanning Host…]
[Host scan completed.]
[Welcome to the Dimension System.]
Zane stared at the message, his heart thudding like a war drum.
"Dimension System…?" he echoed aloud, tasting the words. "What even is that? Some kind of technology? Is this someone's idea of a joke?"
He glanced around warily, scanning the treeline and shadows. Nothing. No cameras. No drones. No whispers. Just the cold wind brushing through the grass and the stillness of solitude. He was certain that he was alone there, at least, it seemed that he was alone.
"Hm... Nobody is around." He muttered. "Then, where did this come from? I can't remember anything odd ha-" Zane's suddenly widened.
He remembered—her voice. The silhouette from his vision. His mother's face… or whatever it was that had worn it.
"What is your deepest wish…?" The voice echoed in his head again, the same exact words the voice said to him.
His chest tightened. "No… That was just a delusion. Just a moment of weakness, not… this. Not this madness."
But the more he denied it, the more the pieces started fitting together in ways he couldn't explain. Whether or not it had truly been his mother, someone—or something—had responded to that moment. It had heard his wish.
He groaned, running a shaky hand through his messy hair. "Okay, Zane. What the hell's going on? Did a higher being grant your wish in a moment of weakness? Did I look pathetic enough that the Gods pitied me that much? Agh... I'm losing my mind." He closed his eyes to calm his raging thoughts for a moment.
[Open the menu to unlock the System interface.]
At that exact moment, another notification pulsed into existence, catching his attention. The system seemingly heard his confusion again and replied.
His brows furrowed. "You can hear me?"
It was unnerving. The entire setup—these floating screens, the automated voice, the smooth transitions—it all felt familiar. Too familiar. An odd feeling of understanding formed within Zane's mind. He was clearly a complete stranger to all of this, but for some reason, his instinct led him to just speak.
"Open the menu," he said cautiously.
In an instant, the current windows faded, replaced by a cleaner, more refined set of panels:
[Profile]
[Storage]
[???]
"Profile and Storage?" he muttered, squinting. "Isn't this just like an RPG interface?"
He wasn't a gamer by any stretch, but even Zane had seen enough of those flashy fantasy games to recognize the layout. Something about it felt undeniably similar.
He hesitated, then focused on the first icon. "Open profile."
The moment the words left his mouth, a large window flared to life in front of him, far more detailed than the rest. His eyes scanned the information, and each line left him more stunned than the last.
[Name: Zane Darkborn]
[Age: 17]
[Race: Human / ???]
[Level: 0]
[Current Dimension: Lower Earth]
[Unlocked Dimensions: None]
[State: Dormant – Unlock to access full profile]
[Status (Average in Lower Earth: 10)]
Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Stamina: 8
Health: 7
Core Energy: 0
Dimension Resistance: 0
Bonus Points: 0
He leaned forward instinctively, his gaze fixated. "Holy crap… This really is like a game."
Everything—the stats, the structure, even the terminology—it all felt pulled from a digital world.
"But how?" he whispered. "This shouldn't exist… I have never heard of a game-like interface randomly appearing before people..."
He'd kept tabs on news from across dimensions for years. Ever since learning of the multiverse and the realms beyond his own, Zane had devoured information like a man starved. Had this system existed somewhere before, surely someone would have mentioned it. The interdimensional networks were relentless—nothing stayed hidden for long.
Events that occurred in an extremely distant dimension would reach Zane within an hour or even less. That was how potent the Interdimensional Media Networks were.
And yet…
"I've never heard of anything like this," he murmured. "Which means either I completely missed it, or—" his breath hitched "—I'm the first one to get it."
He shivered at the thought. The sheer number of beings scattered across infinite dimensions was incomprehensible. If this system was real, then to be the first chosen by it? That was nothing short of miraculous. Or terrifying.
He shook his head. "Get a grip... This is clearly very special... It could be truly the first time it appeared before someone. I have to understand it..."
Shaking those thoughts away, Zane tried to simply focus on the profile before him. One thing he was certain of was that he had to figure out what he was dealing with as quickly as possible. He still didn't know if it was really a good or bad thing that this thing appeared before him.
Zane studied the profile again. "Okay, so… name and age are right. I suppose it does know things about me to a certain extent. Then there's this."
His eyes locked onto the entry that read Race: Human / ???.
"Why the question marks?" he muttered, instinctively looking down at his own hands and body. "I'm human… right?"
He half-laughed at himself. "What, did I expect to sprout wings or scales?"
Still, something about that uncertainty gnawed at the edge of his mind.
"Alright. What else…" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Level 0. That means I can level up, I guess? Progress somehow. But how? Do I fight? Train? Kill?"
Then his eyes fell to the next section, which was arguably far more bizarre.
Current Dimension: Lower Earth.
Unlocked Dimensions: None.
The implications hit him like a punch to the gut.
"If this system allows me to unlock dimensions… Does that mean—?" He stared into the air, heart hammering in his chest. "I'll be able to travel between them?"
His breathing quickened. "Wait, wait… does that mean I'm guaranteed to be accepted by the injection??" He staggered back a step, as if the realization had physically struck him.
"No… that can't be right. I mean, my chances are already abysmally low... That can't be enough of a hint, right?" He gritted his teeth. "The injection is the only known way to pass through a dimensional gate. It bonds with your nervous system, stabilizes your cells from the strain of shifting through spacetime… My body is far too weak to be accepted, unless with a miracle of sorts..."
And yet, here was a system, glowing softly in front of him, suggesting that he might very well be accepted.
His hand trembled as he pressed it against his mouth.
"I… I can be accepted," he whispered. "I can walk through the gates. I can go beyond…"
The weight of the moment sat heavy on his shoulders as he realized the true scale of it. If this system was real and its use was as he assumed... Then Zane's dream that he wished for every second of his life... wasn't far-fetched anymore.
His tormentors. His poverty. His insignificance. All of it might become meaningless—obsolete—if this system was real.
Reaching that point, Zane had to rest his back against the seat as a nervous smile appeared on his face. A mix of endless excitement and deep caution clashed in his head.
"Am I... Am I dreaming?"