'Wait, I'm Supposed to Become a Goddess?! But I'm a Guy!'

A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he stared at the floating panel, the light from the screen casting a soft blue glow across his face.

The smile wasn't one of joy or excitement, it was the kind that only came when faced with something too absurd to take seriously.

Yet, deep down, there was a quiet despair growing in his chest.

"[The system is fully bound to the host for eternity.]"

The words appeared on the panel, clear and unyielding, driving the message home with a cold finality.

"Eternity, huh..." he mumbled, staring at the words with a bitter chuckle.

"I wonder how long eternity is? Maybe a million years?"

"I wonder if scamming is still legit at that time or not?"

With a sigh, he let his head fall back onto the pillow, eyes still fixed on the screen.

It wasn't that he didn't want to resist.

It was that he felt utterly powerless to do so.

Deep down, he knew this world was anything but simple. The blue screen before him wasn't a new occurrence.

It had first appeared on his fifteenth birthday, a day he had hoped would be special, even if he was alone in his room enjoying it on his own.

He remembered the joy of unwrapping a gift to himself, a new game, a small celebration of one to practice his right hand.

But that happiness had shattered in an instant when the screen flickered into view, bright and impossible.

His initial reaction had been pure panic.

He had screamed, calling out to no one, desperately hoping that someone else could see the absurdity unfolding in front of him.

The fear had been overwhelming, a tidal wave crashing over the joy of the moment.

He had rushed to check mirrors, glanced at his phone, and shouted for help, seeking validation in a world that felt suddenly surreal.

In a frantic attempt to rid himself of this strange phenomenon, he had even sought the help of a shaman, spending hundreds of dollars in the hopes that the arcane arts of a liar could provide some solution.

The shaman had muttered incantations and waved crystals, but no matter what he did, the system remained.

Well, a shaman and a scammer, what are the differences?

Hell, even if there's a slight chance of it working out, he will try it without batting an eye to the consequences no matter how stupid it may sound to other people's ears.

That's not only it, it would appear out of nowhere, constantly reminding him that his actions didn't align with some bizarre standard of "certain behavior"

Noises kept popping up, messages urging him to act, to change, but he brushed them aside with growing indifference.

Over time, the constant barrage of reminders dulled his senses.

He grew numb to the strangeness, shoving the reality of it deep into the recesses of his mind, denying the weight it added to his existence.

Now, as he stared at the floating blue panel, a familiar sense of futility washed over him.

He knew that this world wasn't a normal place at hand, well to be precise this world wasn't what he was used to.

It was as sudden as it was, a thunder that pierced the sky and a sleepless night of trying to win in a game on his pc.

And the next morning, everything changed and also nothing changed.

It must have sounded crazy right? Yes, the world is crazy.

The number of the population has been boosted by a ridiculous amount, can you comprehend it?

There are over 2.4 trillion humans that are currently living on this planet, how is that even possible?

Wouldn't that be an impossible feat to achieve, and we the human race did?

As he looked outside the window, what came into his view was much more butchered urbanization and also modernization.

Towering buildings are scattered throughout the view, and roads are layered repeatedly.

The pace of the technology didn't change much but somehow managed to hold this much population on god knows ways.

Well, it's a way if he must say so.

In this world, some are called the awakeners, people with powers that could turn the sea and pluck the stars in the sky.

It is as those words on the internet had said so.

He had seen videos of humans fighting against monsters in the forest, in the sea, and in other places.

As for more information, it was classified.

The fact that this planet had expanded countless times to accommodate all of this strangeness was revealed to the public, and for more information, it was hidden by the government.

Where did those monsters come from?

Why did the world suddenly expand so much?

How did humans gain the awakening power?

The answers to these questions were hidden from public view. Perhaps only those awakeners knew the answer to these.

The system did surprise him, but it died down almost gradually given the changes in the world that had taken place.

"The world is weird, and a strange system is telling me to act like a girl every time it can" The boy messes with his hair in front of the mirror, combing his uneven terrace over his head, a deep black hue that mirrored before him.

And to add to that, he will be entering the last week of his senior year tomorrow, and also the important day of awakener trials the on Wednesday.

Where billions of students from all over the world will undertake an awakening test that will either change their lives for the most part or remain normal like the rest forever.

"Hell..." he grumbled, his gaze drifting over the messy table, littered with crumpled papers and empty energy drink cans.

It was a small refuge from chaos in a world that felt increasingly out of his control. "Can I not just go and just stay in my room all the time" The words slipped out, laced with a bitter humor that felt more like a defense mechanism than genuine hope.

He is an orphan, losing both his parents in a certain mission that they had taken years before.

Yes, their parents were an awakener, though he didn't have that many feelings towards them as in his prior world, his parents were a bit too "physically abusive"

And since they are gone, he felt nothing of their presence other than a simple thank you, since the government will pay him plenty every month as a means of payment incentive for his deceased awakened parents.

His eyes wandered back to his reflection in the screen, taking in the face staring back at him, a spotless visage that many would envy.

His skin was clear, almost luminescent like a crystal lake catching the sunlight.

And then there was his hair, long and cascading down to his shoulders, framing his face in a way that felt strangely alien.

It had once been a rebellious choice, but now it seemed as if the system was reshaping him without his consent, slowly morphing him into something he barely recognized.

"It's changing me, slowly," he muttered.

No matter how many times he cut his hair, it always grew back, lush and vibrant, as if it had a mind of its own.

Each snip of the scissors was like a fleeting rebellion, only to be undone in the blink of an eye, much like the fairy tale of Cinderella's magical transformation.

But instead of a glamorous change, he felt trapped in a narrative that blurred the lines between reality and some surreal fantasy he hadn't chosen.

"Fuck me..." he cursed, the frustration bubbling to the surface.

It was the first curse of the day, and it felt oddly liberating, even if just for a moment.

He ran a hand through his hair, fingers combing through the soft strands, but the dead look was apparent.

"Might as well, just go along and live my life as it is... "

"Becoming a girl, huh?" his eyes gleamed under the uttered words, with a single brush over his head that pulled his hair to the back, revealing a spotless face that was different compared to the years before.

He leaned back against the headboard, feeling the weight of his newfound confusion rather appalling and also... exciting.

But the latter would be hidden deep down inside his mind.

The blue screen still hovered in his periphery, a reminder that there was no escaping this new reality.

Despite its presence, he gave no attention to it and resumed his business.

And after some time, he sighed heavily.

With that, he finally let go of his resistance against the strange system that had invaded his life for the past two years.

Denial had been his refuge, but it was time to face the reality that had become his existence.

The system had haunted him, a relentless presence that refused to fade, and the weight of that truth settled heavily on his shoulders.

But this system might also be the one key for him to climb higher in this strange world.

If given the chance, who would refuse the opportunity to rise above the others?

No matter how depraved and ugly the path might be, he is willing to take it.

"It's time for a stroll then," he muttered under his breath, pushing the comforting weight of the sheets aside.

"I hope it won't rain tonight"