The deeper Hyun-woo moved into the ruined city, the more corpses he saw — both human and monster.
He moved like a shadow, swift and quiet, never staying in one place for long. Every time he saw movement, he didn't hesitate. No time for fear. No time for mercy.
The crowbar cracked through a goblin's skull.
Level up.
A rusted screwdriver plunged into a crawling lizard-creature's eye.
Level up.
A broken street sign slammed into a horned imp's chest, crushing its ribs.
Level up.
Hyun-woo's breath came ragged, but his pace never slowed. Blood smeared his gloves and arms. His reinforced gauntlet was chipped, and his hoodie was torn where a goblin blade had grazed his ribs.
📢 [Level 5 Reached. You have gained 2 Skill Points.]
The system message flashed across his vision, followed by a new notification.
📢 System Notice:
Class Awakening Approaching
– Top 10 Ranked Players will receive exclusive Class options.
Estimated Time: 12 Hours
Hyun-woo didn't react. Not outwardly. But inside, he felt the clock ticking.
A memory surfaced — the novel he'd read. He remembered the protagonist receiving a unique class, something powerful, unbalanced. Only one of ten. If he was right, this was the system's next big turning point.
And he was close to the top.
They took refuge in an abandoned subway control room later that night. Jin-soo was patching his ankle with gauze Hyun-woo had scavenged earlier.
"You're covered in blood," Jin-soo said quietly.
"Not mine," Hyun-woo replied. Then added, dryly, "Mostly anyways."
Jin-soo gave a weak chuckle but said nothing. He had stopped asking questions. Hyun-woo didn't offer answers.
Suddenly, the system pulsed again.
[Player Rankings]
1: Ryu Min-jae
2: Kim Seung-hyun
3: Kang Hyun-woo
4: Lee Dong-jin
5: Park Ji-hoon
6: Choi Hye-jin
7: Jung Min-seok
8: Seo Young-jae
9: Han Joon-woo
10: Kang Tae-hyun
He stared at the name two spots above his.
Ryu Min-Jae. That name again.
It was too much of a coincidence. The novel's protagonist was real — and alive — climbing the ranks just like he had in the story.
Hyun-woo leaned back, wiping monster blood from his gauntlet. "Third, huh," he muttered.
Jin-soo glanced over. "That's good, right?"
"It's not first."
Later, as they moved again — toward a nearby hospital rumoured to have a food stash — Hyun-woo took down another monster: a skeletal hound this time. It lunged at him from behind a parked truck. He rolled under it and drove his knife into its spine.
[Enemy Defeated: Bone Hound]
[You have reached Level 7]
[New Trait Unlocked: Cold Focus (Passive)]
Increases combat awareness by 30% during life-threatening encounters.
He grunted, shaking blood off his blade. The system was starting to feed him more.
But the monsters were getting stronger too.
That night, as they lit a fire with broken furniture in a rooftop boiler room, another notice echoed throughout the sky — as if broadcast to all players.
📢 Zone 3 Warning
[Boss-Class Monster Detected]
Estimated Danger Level: S
System Recommendation: Avoid Engagement
Top 10 players will receive bonus rewards based on contribution.
Hyun-woo's eyes narrowed. "A boss already?"
From the distance came a deep, unnatural roar — so loud the buildings seemed to hum with it. Something big was moving through the ruined city. Something that wasn't supposed to be fought.
Jin-soo clutched his knees tighter. "We're not going near that, right?"
Hyun-woo didn't answer right away. He just looked out over the edge of the rooftop, where the faint red glow of the boss's detection zone pulsed in the far-off haze.
"I'm not planning on dying," he said. "But I'm not planning on hiding either."
The system responded with eerie timing:
[Time Remaining in Tutorial: 60:02:15]