The system clock ticked in the corner of his vision.
59... 58...
Allen lunged forward.
His cracked dagger gleamed faintly, glowing with a strange hue it hadn't possessed before. Was it reacting to the system or to him?
The monster swiped again — Allen ducked, barely avoiding it. The air screamed above his head from the force.
[Warning: HP critically low.]
He stumbled but didn't fall. His body was burning, his muscles tearing with each movement — but something inside him refused to stop.
[New Passive Skill Unlocked: Death Drive]
– When HP is below 10%, all stats are temporarily increased by 200%.
– Pain resistance increased. Fear suppressed.
Allen's eyes widened as the world slowed around him.
The monster reared back.
Allen dashed forward — impossibly fast. His broken dagger carved across the beast's leg, leaving a thin glowing line. Not deep enough but the monster flinched.
52... 51...
'I can hurt it.' he thought, going for it again.
The monster roared, spinning to slam its tail into him.
Allen jumped or tried to. The tail grazed his side, sending him flying again, but this time, he rolled into a crouch and skidded to a stop.
He coughed blood. His vision dimmed again.
[30 seconds remaining.]
The monster approached, more cautious now.
Allen's legs wobbled.
Then—
Another notification.
[Active Skill Unlocked: Soul Piercer – Lv.1]
– Deliver a precise strike that ignores physical defense.
Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Allen's hand moved before he could think.
The dagger shimmered. For a moment, it looked whole, like it had never broken before.
The monster charged but this time, Allen leapt forward, there was no hesitation or fear in his eyes. He drove the dagger straight into the creature's chest — into the pulsing core between its ribs.
Time froze.
A blinding light exploded from the point of impact.
Then—BOOM!
The monster shrieked. Its chest caved in, dark energy cracking out from within as the beast staggered and collapsed, its many limbs twitching violently.
Then stillness.
[5... 4... 3...2...]
The system chimed again.
[Tutorial Complete.]
[You have survived.]
The monster's body crumbled with a heavy thud behind him, smoke still rising from the shattered core.
Allen stood, panting, his legs shaking as well.
The system, message floated before his dimming eyes—
[Reward Granted: Beginner's Package – Open Now?]
But he never got to choose.
His vision blurred completely, without warning and his breath caught in his throat.
Then before he knew what was happening, everything faded to black.
He collapsed, unconscious, blood pooling beneath him, the dagger slipping from his fingers.
And above his motionless body, the glowing message remained... waiting.
[Yes / No]
------
After what seemed like hours, Allen's eyes fluttered open and when he looked around, he was caught with the sight of white ceiling and wires connected to his body.
He tried to get up but felt something heavy, pressing down on his right hand. Turning his head around, he was met a sight that warmed his heart.
His sister, Mia.
She was sleeping, lying on his hand.
His brows furrowed because he knew how worried she must have been. Now, thinking about that, his mind wandered to the fight earlier and how he mysteriously made it out alive — he had almost died if not completely.
It was strange enough that he was alive and more strange that he felt stronger than before.
Just then —
Ding!
The now-familiar mechanical chime echoed faintly in his ears, though no one else in the room reacted.
A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
---
[Welcome, Allen.]
[Your Potential Has Been Unlocked.]
[You are now recognized as an official Player.]
Class: Undefined (Hidden Potential Detected)
Level: 1
Title: Tutorial Survivor
HP: 150/150
MP: 60/60
Strength: 15
Agility: 12
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 10
Mana: ???
Skills:
– [Death Drive] (Passive)
– [Soul Piercer – Lv.1] (Active)
----
Allen blinked. The interface was clean, sharp, too real to be a dream.
Another tab opened next.
---
[Beginner's Package Received.]
Open now?
[Yes] / [No]
---
He hesitated, glancing at his sleeping sister. This wasn't a hallucination. The system, the fight, everything — it had followed him here.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Open," he whispered.
The screen shimmered.
---
[Beginner's Package Opened.]
– [Item: Starter Weapon – Shadow Fang Dagger (Uncommon)]
– [Item: Basic Health Potion x3]
– [Item: Basic Skill Scroll – ???]
– [Item: Inventory Unlocked (10 slots)]
– [New Feature: Quest Log Unlocked]
– [New Feature: Stat Points Available – 5 points]
---
A faint ripple of light washed over Allen's body, and he could feel it—something within him clicking into place, like a lock turning.
A new life… a new path… had begun.
Before he could explore further, Mia stirred beside him.
"Allen, brother... You are awake!" She cried and hugged him instantly. "I told you not to put yourself in danger but look at what you've done to yourself!"
Allen hugged her back, smiling faintly at how worried she was for him.
"I am sorry, Mia but as you can see, I am fine,"he gently said, hoping that she would stop crying. "I'm fine, really."
"....are you sure?" Mia asked him, after staring at him for a while.
"Yes," he replied. "You know I can't lie to you."
"Very well then," Mia said and then wiped her face clean. She was now calm but it didn't stop her from being worried.
"By the way, Mia," Allen said. "Do you by chance know about a screen popping out of nowhere?"
"What screen?" Mia asked, confused.
"Like... The computer games you play. Screen popping out and giving you quests, and rewards.... Something like that."
"Yeah, I do know about that one. Why do you ask?"
"Is it possible for it to appear in thin air? Like hovering above someone's face? Do you see anything?"
"No, I don't know about that and I don't see anything," Mia replied.
"Oh, I see...." Allen muttered. 'So I am the only one seeing it.'
"Why do you ask?" Mia suddenly asked him. She didn't know her brother was behaving strangely.
"Nothing exactly. I was just curious about the games and how they work," Allen lied. 'Since no one can see it, it is best if it remains a secret.'
Throughout the rest of the day, Mia spent time with her brother and towards evening, she decided to head back home because the next day was going to be school again. She didn't like missing school, not for any reason.
After she had gone, Allen closed his eyes to sleep but suddenly, the mechanical chime rang out.
Ding!
Allen's eyes shot open.
He bolted upright, pain flaring across his side as the wires connected to him tugged, alarms beeping wildly from the monitor nearby. He barely registered them. The system screen floated in front of him again, pulsing red.
---
[Emergency Quest Triggered.]
Quest: Defend Yourself
Objective: Eliminate the hostile presence.
Time Limit: 2 minutes
Reward: +50 EXP, Unknown Item
Failure: Death
---
Defend? In a hospital? Allen looked around — the room was still, eerily so. The lights flickered above, and the humming of machines dulled into silence.
Then, the door creaked.
Allen's breath caught.
Standing there, partially cloaked in the shadow of the hallway, was a figure in a torn uniform — another patient? No. Something was wrong.
Its neck was twisted at an unnatural angle, its arms limp but twitching violently as it stepped inside. One eye was blackened completely, the other glowing faintly red.
A system notification confirmed his worst fear:
---
[Identified: Corrupted Human (Lv.3)]
Status: Hostile
Threat Level: Moderate
---
"No way..." Allen muttered, forcing himself off the bed. His body screamed in protest, but the surge of adrenaline dulled the pain.
A dagger appeared in his hand — the Shadow Fang, cold and light, as if it belonged there.
The creature snarled and rushed forward.
Allen gritted his teeth and moved. His instincts responded faster than his thoughts.
Step left — slice upward.
His dagger cut across the creature's chest. Blackened ichor oozed from the wound. It shrieked but didn't stop.
Allen staggered back, barely dodging a swipe.
[Ding!]
[Passive Skill: Death Drive – Activated.]
Allen's vision sharpened again — time slowed.
He moved in a blur, ducking low and driving the dagger straight into the creature's side.
[Critical Hit!]
The monster convulsed and fell to the ground with a thud, twitching once, then going still.
Silence returned.
Allen panted heavily, his heart pounding, vision still red-tinged.
[Ding!]
---
[Emergency Quest Completed.]
+50 EXP
[Item Acquired: Tainted Core Fragment]
[HP Restored by 20%]
[Level Up! You are now Level 2.]
Stat Points Available: +3
---
Allen slowly rose to his feet, his breaths shallow and uneven. His side throbbed with pain, but the system had restored enough of his health for him to stay standing. The corrupted body dissolved into ash, leaving behind only a faint black smear and the glowing fragment in his inventory.
He stared at the spot for a long moment.
"Is this what it means to be a 'Player'?" he muttered, dazed.
Then he looked down at his trembling hands. The blood, the fight, the system, the strange power—none of it felt real. And yet… it was. Every part of him could feel it. Something had changed in the world—or maybe in him.
Allen returned to the bed, the pain returning in dull waves. He sank into the mattress and pulled the blanket over his body just as the door clicked again.
This time, it wasn't a corrupted creature.
Two men entered.
The first was tall, broad-shouldered, with a sharp gaze and an air of authority that instantly filled the room. He wore a long coat, black with silver trim, and on his chest was a golden insignia shaped like a stylized crossblade — the mark of the Slayers Organization.
His eyes scanned the room once before settling on Allen.
The man behind him, younger and dressed in a grey suit, carried a small black case.
"You're Allen, right?" the taller man said, voice deep but calm.
Allen tensed. "...Yeah?"
"I'm Vance. Right hand of the Chief Slayer in this country. This is my assistant, Leon." He nodded toward the man with the case. "We've been monitoring strange activity since the portal incident two days ago. And you're at the center of it."
Allen blinked, trying to keep a neutral expression. "I… I don't know what you're talking about."
"We're not here to arrest you," Vance said, walking closer. "We're here to confirm something. There's a growing concern about unregistered awakenings. People manifesting abilities outside the normal awakening process. Since it was recorded that you are the only survivor of the D-class portal raid which ended up, rather unexpected, we are assuming that perhaps you might have had your second awakening. So, we're going to perform a quick test on you."
Leon opened the case, revealing a small, glass orb-like device with metal ends. He held it out toward Allen.
"Just place your hand on it," Leon instructed. "It reads potential and classifies it."
Allen hesitated, then slowly placed his hand on the orb.
'Perhaps, it might be true that I have had my second awakening. And if that's the case, I will officially become a member of the slayer guild. This way, I'll be paid enough money to train sister in school.'
This was Allen's thoughts as the object glowed faintly for a moment.
[Analyzing…]
Then:
[Result: E-Class]
There was an awkward silence. Allen stared at the orb, confused. Vance, however, only frowned slightly.
"E-Class, huh," he said, not sounding fully convinced.
"That's what the device says," Leon added, double-checking. "No anomalies. No signs of overflow or hidden class signature. Completely E-Class."
Vance studied Allen, eyes narrowing slightly.
"You fought something recently, didn't you?" he asked suddenly.
Allen stiffened. "...No. I just woke up."
Vance didn't argue. He just nodded once and turned to leave. "If anything happens — if you see anything strange, or something changes — report it immediately."
"And if I don't?" Allen asked.
Vance glanced over his shoulder. "Then pray whatever's inside you stays asleep."
With that, he and Leon left the room.
Allen let out a shaky breath. The orb still sat nearby, glowing faintly like it had missed something.
He knew it had.
Whatever had awakened inside him wasn't something a machine could measure.
Allen waited a full minute after the door closed before he let out the breath he'd been holding. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, heart still hammering.
"E-Class," he muttered. "Is that what I really am… or what they want me to believe?"
He glanced at the system screen, still hovering faintly before his eyes. He would be lying if he says he doesn't feel disheartened by the results.
---
[Level: 2]
Stat Points Available: +3
[Item: Tainted Core Fragment – A fragment of corrupted essence. Can be used to strengthen dark-based abilities or refined through a special process.]
---
Slowly, he pulled up the stat menu.
---
[Stats]
Name: Allen
Class: Hidden
Level: 2
HP: 150/150
MP: 60/60
Strength: 15
Agility: 12
Endurance: 14
Intelligence: 10
Mana:10
--------
Unallocated Points: 3
---
He thought for a second, then slid two points into Agility, and one into intelligence.
---
[Updated Stats]
Agility: 14
Intelligence: 11
---
A faint shiver passed through his body. The beeping monitor beside him spiked slightly, then steadied. His muscles felt lighter, more reactive, like his limbs were finally listening to his mind's pace. His senses sharpened too — he could hear a pair of nurses talking outside the door, their voices muffled but clear.
Then, as if in response, a new message appeared:
---
[Beginner's Package Unlocked.]
You have gained:
Skill Scroll x1 (Random)
Recovery Ration x1
Inventory Expansion (Unlocked)
Would you like to open your Skill Scroll?
[Yes] [No]
---
Allen didn't hesitate.
Yes.
The scroll in his inventory shimmered, then unfurled before him, lines of glowing text forming across it.
---
[You have learned a new skill!]
Skill: Phantom Step
Type: Movement
Grade: Rare
Description: Briefly enhance your movement speed and leave behind a false image. Duration: 2 seconds. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
---
Allen's eyes widened.
"A rare skill…?"
E-Class? No. Something wasn't adding up. The system was giving him tools far beyond what an E-Class should have.
They didn't see it — but the system did.
And maybe, he wasn't the one who should be afraid.
Allen waited until the hallway outside quieted, then pulled the curtain around his bed. The hospital room was dim, the flickering overhead light barely strong enough to cast shadows.
He stood up, wincing slightly as the pain in his side flared, but he ignored it. He needed to know.
"Phantom Step," he whispered.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then—
A rush of cold swept through his legs, like wind slicing across his skin. His vision blurred, and his body moved on its own—forward, fast, almost gliding.
He blinked, and suddenly he was standing across the room near the window.
Behind him… stood another him.
No. Not him. A faint, transparent echo, lingering for half a second before it flickered and vanished like smoke.
Allen's mouth parted in awe. His heart raced — not from fear, but excitement.
"I barely moved… and yet I crossed the whole room."
It hadn't drained him much either. Just a slight chill in his chest, easily shaken off.
He returned to the bed, pulling the blanket over himself as footsteps approached in the hallway.
"I'm not E-Class," he whispered under his breath, the corner of his lips twitching.
"I'm something else."
Outside, the door creaked open again — but this time, it wasn't the man from before.
A girl in a white coat stepped in, a clipboard in hand, her gaze sharp and calculating as it landed on Allen.
"Allen. You're awake earlier than expected," she said. "I'm here on behalf of the medical division of the Slayer Organization."
Allen narrowed his eyes slightly.
Was it another test or another trap?