The blue light from the system still lingered in my vision when I touched the floor. My heart was racing, not just from the shock of being alive again, but from the sense that something fundamental had changed. I was still me… but not entirely.
I stared at my hands, flexing my fingers. Everything looked the same, but the faint hum in my ears told me otherwise. Then the system spoke, its voice calm, emotionless, yet impossible to ignore.
[Welcome, Seo Jinwoo. System interface active.]
[Current rank: F]
[Initial mission: Survive.]
Survive? I barely understood what that meant. I looked out the window at the quiet street, thinking about the Gate, the monster, my family… the way I died.
The system continued.
[Objective 1: Test body adaptation.]
[Condition: Reach the town outskirts within 30 minutes.]
[Penalty: Unknown.]
I swallowed hard. My first mission, and I already felt like I was in over my head. But instinct, honed through my weak attempts as an F-Rank, took over. I moved.
My legs, surprisingly, responded faster than I expected. I wasn't a hero. I was still weak. But the system… it was changing something. Every step felt lighter, my breathing steadier.
The streets seemed empty, too quiet. My senses sharpened. A shadow moved at the edge of my vision. My heart skipped. Another Gate, smaller than the one that had killed my family, hovered near the alley ahead.
The system prompted:
[Confirm target. Engage or avoid?]
I hesitated, then remembered my first rule: survive. Not fight, not kill, survive. My hands clenched, instincts taking over. I ran past the Gate, ignoring the low growl echoing behind me.
Something within me clicked. The system displayed new information:
[Adaptation successful. Reaction speed increased. New skill unlocked: Reflex Enhancement.]
I stopped short, staring at my hands. I had survived my first encounter… and gained my first edge.
This wasn't a game. This wasn't training. Every step now was a choice between life and death. And the system was watching, testing, shaping me.
I swallowed. The world had changed, and I had changed with it.
For the first time, I felt… capable.
---
The alley ahead was narrow, dim, and reeked of something rotten. The Gate pulsed slightly, its black interior shimmering with a sickly green light. A low growl slithered through the air like smoke. I froze.
From the shadows stepped a creature that made my stomach twist. Its limbs were too long, jointed wrong, with sharp claws that scraped against the concrete as it moved. Its head tilted unnaturally, yellow eyes fixed on me. My body screamed to run, but my legs barely obeyed.
[Warning: Target detected. Hostile life form.]
[Recommendation: Avoid engagement if possible.]
The system's words were cold, detached, like it didn't care whether I lived or died. But my gut told me there was no way around this. My first real encounter was unavoidable.
The monster lunged. Its claws swung with terrifying speed. Time seemed to stretch.
Instinctively, I ducked. The system flashed a new prompt:
[Reflex Enhancement activated.]
I felt my body react before my brain even processed the movement. The claw missed me by inches, scraping the wall and leaving a jagged mark. My heart pounded, but the fear was sharp and precise, not overwhelming. My senses were alert, noticing the faint shimmer of its skin, the pattern of its movement.
I needed to survive. Not fight. Survive.
I ran along the alley, weaving between abandoned carts, trash bins, and broken concrete, the monster pursuing with terrifying precision. Every step I took, the system displayed small data in the corner of my vision:
[Evasion successful: +0.5 Reflex]
[Heartbeat normalized: +Stamina]
It felt… unreal. I was improving as I ran, faster than I should have been capable. My muscles burned, but the exhaustion was different, like my body was rewriting itself in real time.
I spun into a side alley, trapping the monster briefly between walls. It snarled, thrashing, but I could see something: a faint pulse on its chest. The system highlighted it.
[Weak point detected. Optional: Exploit.]
I hesitated. Attacking meant risking a scratch. But survival meant using every edge I had. I grabbed a broken pipe from the ground and swung, aiming precisely where the system indicated. The pipe connected with a dull crunch. The monster shrieked, staggering backward.
[Adaptation successful: Strength +0.3]
[Skill unlocked: Precision Strike.]
It scrambled to recover, but I didn't wait. I sprinted past it, hearing its enraged growl fade behind me. I emerged from the alley into an open street, breathing hard, heart racing, but alive.
For the first time, I felt the system was more than just a strange blue screen. It was a part of me, guiding me, forcing me to adapt, making me… stronger.
The city around me looked unchanged, but I knew I had changed. The next step would be harder, the monsters faster, and the world even less forgiving. But I wasn't the same Seo Jinwoo who had died before. I could survive now.
And surviving was just the beginning.
---
I leaned against a crumbling wall, chest heaving, and tried to make sense of everything. My hands were trembling—not from fear, but from a strange energy coursing through me. The blue light of the system floated before my eyes again, calm, precise, and impossibly cold.
[Mission Complete: Survival Test]
[Reward Available: Choose One]
A list appeared in front of me:
1. Strength Boost +10%
2. Reflex Boost +10%
3. Stamina Recovery +20%
4. Skill Unlock: Basic Combat Training
I blinked. Me? An F-Rank? Rewarded like some high-rank hunter? My mind was still trying to catch up. The system didn't explain why it existed or why it chose me—it just presented options.
[Choose wisely. Rewards are permanent.]
I exhaled slowly. Survival had taught me something: I couldn't afford mistakes. Reflex had saved me against the monster, but my muscles had burned like fire. Stamina would make the next fight easier. Strength would make me less helpless. And the skill… that sounded tempting.
I pressed lightly on the reward labeled Reflex Boost +10%. Immediately, a warmth spread through my limbs. My hands flexed naturally, my muscles moving with a precision I hadn't felt before. Even standing still, I could feel the difference: a readiness, a sharper awareness.
[Reward Applied: Reflex Boost +10%]
[New Stats: Reflex 15 / Strength 5 / Stamina 8 / Rank F]
The numbers floated briefly, then faded. I was still an F-Rank, still weak by the world's standards, but something inside me had changed. Something fundamental. I wasn't just surviving—I was learning, adapting, evolving.
Then the system prompted again:
[New Quest Available: Optional.]
[Objective: Investigate Gate Activity in Town Outskirts.]
[Difficulty: F → D Rank]
[Reward: Unknown.]
I hesitated. F-Rank. D-Rank monsters. And yet… my curiosity overpowered fear. I had survived one encounter. The system had already made me faster, sharper. I wasn't going to die—not this time.
I set my jaw.
"I'll do it," I said quietly, more to myself than anyone else. The streets were empty, but the air seemed heavier, charged. The city had changed in subtle ways I hadn't noticed before. Every shadow could hide a monster. Every alley could be a trap. But the system was here. And I was no longer defenseless.
[Quest Accepted: Investigate Gate Activity in Town Outskirts.]
The blue light flickered one last time before disappearing. The world returned to its natural color, but my vision remained sharper, my mind alert. I adjusted the strap on my backpack, gripped the broken pipe in my hand, and started walking.
The first real test had ended. The second was beginning. And the system was watching.