The next morning, Rei woke up early.
He stared at the ceiling, unsure if what happened last night was real. The voice. The symbols. The strange pressure.
"Chaos is calling you…"
That whisper still echoed in his head.
He sat up and checked his phone. Nothing weird.
No glowing runes. No mission screens. Just the same quiet life.
But something had changed.
.....
On his way to school, a soft ding echoed in his mind.
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes:
[Chaos Crown System – Welcome, Host]
Main Functions Initialized.
Daily Quest Unlocked!
• Fix your hair (+1 Charm)
• Eat warm food (+1 HP)
• Smile at yourself in a mirror (+1 Mental Clarity)
Completion Reward: 500 Chaos Coins
Rei blinked. "What…?"
The screen slowly faded, but the words remained burned into his mind.
It wasn't a dream.
It was real.
...
At school, nothing felt different around him. Same stares. Same whispers. Same cold silence.
But inside, Rei felt something brewing.
He headed to the bathroom before class. The mirror was cracked and cloudy, but it worked.
His hair was messy—same as always. He ran his fingers through it and used a little water to fix it as best he could.
Ding!
[Task 1 Complete – Fix Your Hair] +1 Charm
"Huh…" He looked at his reflection again.
Not much had changed. But maybe that wasn't the point.
He leaned closer to the mirror and forced a small smile.
It felt weird.
Awkward.
Fake.
But still...
Ding!
[Task 2 Complete – Smile at Yourself] +1 Mental Clarity
He stared at his reflection for a moment longer.
"Was this how change starts?"
....
At lunch, Rei went to the cafeteria instead of hiding outside. He used some of his tiny savings to buy a bowl of hot noodles.
Steam rose from the bowl.
Warm. Real.
He took a slow bite.
Ding!
[Task 3 Complete – Eat Warm Food] +1 HP
Then another screen popped up:
[Daily Quest Complete]
Reward: 500 Chaos Coins
System Shop Unlocked
Rei stared at the floating window.
It felt like leveling up in a video game. But this was real.
Or at least… it felt real.
....
That night, Rei lay in bed with his phone off and lights dimmed. He summoned the screen again—just by thinking about it.
[Chaos Crown Shop]
• Basic Outfit (Normal): 300 CC
• Small Healing Potion: 150 CC
• Beginner Weapon Chest: 500 CC
• Random Mystery Box: 1000 CC
• ??? (Locked)
He scrolled through, heart pounding.
With exactly 500 Chaos Coins… he could afford something.
He hovered over Basic Outfit and selected it.
A moment later, the outfit appeared folded neatly on his bed.
Black pants. A fitted dark hoodie with silver trim. Clean sneakers.
He changed into it, stepped in front of the mirror.
"…Looks kind of cool," he muttered.
"The fabric felt warmer than anything I owned."
Ding!
[Charm +1]
He blinked.
And then, for the first time in a long while…
He smiled. A real one.
Before falling asleep, he whispered to himself:
"I'll rise… no matter what."
The room was quiet.
But something inside him stirred.
A low voice echoed once more—
"Then walk, child of chaos…"
End of Chapter 2