The Next Morning...
Eryn lay in bed, still wrapped in his blanket, eyes red and wide as he stared blankly into the corner of the room.
He hadn't slept.
After the system welcomed him to "evolution," it went silent. But that didn't stop the strange feeling of being watched all night.
What if he closed his eyes and something supernatural happened to him?
"Man, my head hurts," Eryn grumbled, dragging himself up.
His mind wouldn't stop spinning. The system. The artifact. The words of The Presence. None of it made complete sense.
"Aaaahh," he groaned weakly, shuffling toward the bathroom.
The moment he raised his hand to the door, a sudden wave of energy spread from his chest, spreading through his body.
His hearing sharpened. He could suddenly perceive every tiny sound in the room—his own breathing, the low hum of the fridge downstairs, a car passing two blocks away. All at once.
And then, after a full night of silence, the system screen appeared again.
[Body's capabilities, limits, and potentials have been scanned while at rest.]
[New skill obtained!]
[Skill "Umbral Sight" - Passive (Lv. 1): Enhances sensory perception. Detects hostile intent, Astral residue, and spatial distortions.]
"Eh?" Eryn stared blankly. "Umbral… Sight. The hell does that—"
He read through the description again. Then a third time. His eyes widened.
"Yo!" He let out a short laugh in disbelief. "Am—Am I really Awakened now? Is this how it feels?"
[...]
[If only you understood how pathetically weak you still are.]
"Wait, what?" Eryn blinked. "Am I not… is this not… you know what? Never mind. So, when are you making me stronger?"
[Name: Eryn Malek
Title: ___
Level: 1
0/100 Exp
—
Skills:
• Umbral Sight - Passive (Lv. 1)]
—
Daily Objective:
• Stay in the darkness for at least 1 hour.
• Win a fight.]
[In other words, it's all in your hands. Good luck!]
The screen vanished.
"Wait, how do I do that? Just walk up to anyone and punch them in the face? What kind of darkness? Hey, are you even listening? I'm confused."
Silence.
"How am I supposed to remember all that?"
[Stat screen can be accessed through your thoughts.]
Eryn frowned. "Beautiful. I only get to know what you decide to tell me."
…
…
An hour later...
Eryn walked through the neighborhood, still thinking about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
Lost in thought, he stopped paying attention to where he was going and eventually bumped into someone.
"Shit, sorry, man," Eryn muttered.
The man he'd collided with stood still. He was big, though Eryn's mind was too scattered to care.
The man sighed, nodded once, and they moved past each other.
But the moment they passed, a chill ran down the big man's spine.
He spun around, but Eryn had already turned a corner.
"What the hell was that?" the man muttered, rubbing his arms. "Who is that kid? Or are my senses messing with me again? Man, I need to lay off the liquor."
He shook his head and kept walking.
Eryn, meanwhile, had no destination. He was just letting his feet carry him.
"Show me the objective again," he muttered.
[Daily Objective:
• Stay in the darkness for at least 1 hour.
• Win a fight.]
He glanced around as the screen appeared. No one reacted. Good. Only he could see it.
"Staying in the dark isn't the problem. The issue is fighting and winning. Against who? Am I supposed to hit some random stranger and hope they don't beat me into the ground?"
As if on cue—whether luck or something else—someone was tailing him.
They had on, a black hoodie with a blue cap.
Eryn noticed but assumed they were heading the same way. When he sped up, so did they.
The alley he'd turned into had only one exit, and it was still far ahead. And they were the only two people there.
"Great. What'd I do now?" Eryn muttered, glancing back. The stalker was getting closer.
His eyes darted to a trash can. He shoved it over and bolted.
"Faster, faster! The exit's close!"
He risked a look back and to his surprise, the stalker was gone.
Eryn grinned. "I lost him. Ha! I lo—"
A leg appeared before his face from nowhere, causing him to hit the ground hard.
"Gah!" He clutched his jaw, scrambling up. "Look, man, what do you want? I've got nothing."
"Man?" the stalker repeated.
Eryn blinked. That was a woman's voice. He looked up.
Her light green eyes pinned him where he stood.
"Wait—that's a woman?"
"I don't have time for this," she said flatly. "Where is it?"
Eryn swallowed. "W-what are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb. You know what I'm here for. Hand it over, or I'll take it myself."
He started to get rather annoyed than scared. "Look, would you at least explain? I don't know what you're talking about, okay? I was just taking a walk, and now I've got a stalker and a sore jaw."
"The King Artifact, you idiot. Where is it? I don't have much time. Just give it to me. I don't want to hurt you."
Eryn's blood ran cold.
"Th-the King—what? I have no idea what you're talking about."
The woman smirked. "I expected defiance. Fine. I'll force it out of you."
She pushed up her sleeves and took a fighting stance.
Eryn forced himself to steady his breathing. Summoned what little courage he had and raised his hands in defense.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you, lady."
[Defeat the enemy.]
[• Reward: 30 Exp]