Whoever passed the year round training, they will be sent to the different fortress that borders on monster alien continents and continue their training under the fortress's command.

Many youngsters fight to save humanity. Others wanted to rank up and climb to the second floor.

It was a rumor. A strange rumor circulated that their current world is just a 'preliminary area'. The first floor of a universal scale that interconnects different worlds into one intersection. Ace, along with his batchmates were brainwash to believe this rumor. Not only that, their instructors, trainers and some of the previous batches who successfully passed the training in the fortress showed them the 'skills' they received as they reach the top.
Lance, upon hearing this new surge of information, felt an unbearable headache attacking his skull. Memories that weren't his own invaded his brain.

This Ace guy is one of the newly recruit youngsters and became one of the top 10 promising trainees in his batch.
Lance retreated back to his bed and sat there without moving an inch. The people outside occasionally came in with a whole body suit to protect themselves and clean up his vomit in the ground. They also provided him with clean food to eat.

The corrosive properties of the black fluid from the monster alien base are as dangerous as sulfuric acid. Now that he just survived being submerged, ingested and vomited sulfuric acid, he should celebrate that he was still breathing.

Much more when he suddenly receive the privilege of gaining this strange ability to replicate someone's body and replace that very person.

Lance wanted to laugh bitterly. He can't understand the turmoil of emotions surging in his chest. He wanted to get angry, blame someone, beat up someone and curse them for hours but he was unable to do that now.
Is someone playing a prank with him right now?

He very wish so…..

But a prank this detailed is too….

[Lance, I can understand why you are confused. But now's not the time to be idle. If you want to save your teammates, your family and Alice, listen to what I say.]

Hearing those words, Lance's attention was drawn immediately to that person.

[Can you try snapping your fingers?]

Lance expressionlessly followed the mechanical voice and snap his fingers. In an instant, a strong wind blew. The pressure of the wind rapidly rose from his feet. Lance is so surprise he did not have time to find the right balance and backflip his aching bones in the process.

His whole body crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

[Hehe.]

Lance: "..."

He suddenly has the urge to beat someone up.

Despite his aching body and the nausea that only subsided slightly, he painfully stood up in his own two feet and stared at the person who is conversing with him in the chat box pop up screen.

That embarrassing flip earlier must have cleared his thoughts, or maybe his subconsciousness is trying not to collapse by forcibly picking up the pieces.

Lance is confused. Too confused he can feel his brain is about to explode.

Earlier, when he meet the ten guys in blue uniforms, he immediately sensed something was wrong. Lance is a reckless player who chose to act before to think. He managed to be at the top of his e-sports trainee buddies is because of his instinct that is always spot on.

Back then, when the oblong shaped grenade was pulled out, he saw the surprise of the ten men's eyes. When the monster prisoning bomb is released, all of them died. No matter how one thinks about it, that grenade should not be the weapon they are meant to take out.

This means that someone replaced the grenade and killed the ten men.

And Lance's instinct told him that the person behind it is the same person who is talking to him now.
Lance coldly glanced at the screen in front of him while his hands were tightly clenched at his side. It may not show on his expressionless face, but his raging emotions caused the ability to be unstable.

The force of the wind twirling around Lance became more uncontrolled. The space on his feet from the ground widened. He was immediately lifted off and is currently floating in the air, as if he was weightless.

[Good. Good.] The mechanical voice on his head praised. But because of its emotionless tone, Lance could not detect whether the other person is being sarcastic or sincerely expressed their approval.

Lance willed the wind to disappear and it slowly dissipate. He landed in the ground without getting dizzy from being lifted up.

[Looks like your soul integration was successful. I was right in choosing this body.]

Lance caught on the important words and was able to get affirmation. He was right. This person eliminated those ten men in order for Lance to replace one of them.

Pain swelled in his chest, as realization after realization swept over him. Lance felt his whole body left with no strength and his brain almost no longer functioning.

Lance tried to come up with excuses that the current situation is still a huge bug in the game. And the game administrators are still coming up with solutions on how to fix it. Or maybe the situation is like that famous series where every VR player could not log off the game and was trapped inside because of a mastermind.

Lance imagined if there is a big boss then that would be the game administrators who trapped the players, never letting their consciousness logged off. Then Lance just need to find them and get back. He can truly be a hero that defeat the bad guy if he did so.

These thoughts were better at making him feel at ease compared to a mysterious person who kept interfering with his 'reality'. Making him believe that his memories and everything that he thought he knew was all a lie.
Lance directly asked the question he's been hesitant to ask.

"What's your real identity?"

The person did not reply. Even the mechanical voice that will automatically speak in his head was silent.

[I am system.]

Lucien frowned. Still the same answer.

[You do not need to be wary of me. I am not your enemy Lance.]

[I'm sure you have figured out that your memories aren't real. The identity you held as Lance Acosta is also not real. All you remember is that your parents are working in different cities and you only get in touch with them through calls and messages. But can you even remember their faces?]

[You studied in Maple Leaf High School and get along with everyone but can you even remember your friends' names and faces?]

These questions hit Lance right at the sore spot. But at the same time, it also arouse his suspicion.

[What was clear in your mind are the faces of your teammates in the training camp, the rigorous VR simulation games you practiced for eight hours and their abilities and in game characters right?]

Lance took a deep breath to control his expression as he asked with gritted teeth.

"What kind of existence are you?"

[If knowing the truth makes you trust me then I will gladly reveal to you what I am.]

[But before that….]

Lance immediately leap backwards and vigilantly glance at his surroundings. The wind was howling in his ears as it enveloped his elbows. The bar cage that trap him inside was replaced by huge wall screen that featured different landscape.

The same gloomy gray world spread on different sides caused Lance to become sick to his stomach.

[I will reveal what the truth of the world is.]

Before him, Lance saw thousands of people being killed by aliens. These aliens are three meter tall with six arms that can stretch as long as ten meters. The longer they stretch, the more they resemble the tentacles of giant octopus.

These aliens do not resemble like the mutated aliens he had been fighting. These ones are more tough and has greyish hardened skin. The army and police force keep firing guns, rifles and cannons but nothing can penetrate their skin.

This tragedy only happened on the last day.

On the first night, dark red clouds cover the whole world under the dark cold night. People getting by in their everyday lives were curious where this strange red glow of the night came from. But they were not suspicious of it. And they just let it be.

The night sky was still black as usual, although the stars are barely visible because of the red clouds that cast a spooky red glow on the cities. But looking at its ominous appearance, many people gossip on the internet yet never paid it any attention.

On the second day, sudden illnesses were happening all over the world. Hundreds of people were rushed to the hospital due to high fevers, nonstop vomiting and diarrhea.