System Universe

Everything changed when the System came. Cute bunnies and beautiful butterflies became savage killing machines. Then the Invaders arrived with a single goal: to claim ownership of this newly habitable planet. War has raged ever since. Derek mostly kept to himself — a weird guy with a cabin who occasionally came into town. After System Integration, that didn't change much; he only got stronger. Until one day he goes against his better judgment and helps on a mission that doesn't seem too hard. He should have stuck to being alone.

Traveling between systems isn't easy, but once Derek got his footing on a new world he hit the ground running — saving an entire area from a massive dungeon overflow and finding companions to help ease the loneliness of decades spent alone in the void. He even accidentally acquired a soulbound murder bunny with aspirations of becoming a chef.

House Gracefall wasn't anything like what Derek had imagined — instead of rage at the loss of one of their young masters, they showed humility and even apologized. Another noble house, however, was ready to reinforce every negative stereotype he'd been anticipating. Out of all of it, Derek made a new friend, a new business partner, and learned some secrets. Now he and his companions venture to Savannah, the business capital of the Cydarian Kingdom.

Savannah was unlike any city Derek had visited, and its city lord, Natalie Savannah, exceeded all expectations. Derek put down roots — building a shop, moving his people in, and finally getting Silvi the kitchen she desired. With the threat of the scheming nobleman Torith neutralized and Cydaria more stable, Derek can at last look forward to the upcoming auction. Or maybe a prince has other plans for him.

At the request of Prince Edgar, Derek joins a raid on a new level-250 dungeon that appeared near Cydaria — a trial dungeon with various obstacles operating under time dilation. With two trials cleared and his Class Upgrade underway, Derek encounters a new problem: the Great System seems unable to help and has requested outside assistance. With another possible system now in play, will it be a one-time thing — or will it stick around and cause problems?

After unsettling news causes Prince Edgar to flee the Raid Dungeon, Derek is left as the impromptu leader. Choosing to rule with an iron fist to finish as quickly as possible, Derek leads the party to a successful completion — though not without casualty. On the way out, Derek and Silvi are abducted by a strangely helpful elf of unknown power named Dave, who shares Derek's distaste for system interference. Now, with more questions than answers, they head back to Savannah to find out what has happened to Cydaria.

Since arriving in Cydaria, Derek has saved villages from dungeon overflows, helped capture a despicable nobleman, and cleared a raid dungeon at the prince's request. Then he and Silvi joined a war effort — helping Cydaria defeat allied countries and allowing an unprecedented peace to wash over the continent. With the war over and his companions finally safe, Derek faces a simple but weighty question: what does he choose to do next?

With Alanah having ascended, Derek has a favor to fulfill. First, he spends time securing Cydaria for his friends and companions — seeing Thomas off to the Academy, helping Brandi with crafting materials, and more. Then he and Alanah adventure together across another continent, ending up in Linderis — her birthplace — where they face the Echoing Willow, the World Boss that haunted the Dawn Siren's dreams from childhood. With that settled and Alanah ascended, only Dave's favor remains.

System Origin is the ninth installment of Derek’s journey in the System Universe. Join him and his companions as they adventure in this unique combination of the LitRPG, Isekai, and Slice of Life genres.