Rayan stood in the dirty alley, staring at the blue text floating in front of his eyes.
[ QUEST: SURVIVE THE FIRST DAY ]
[ TIME REMAINING: 23 HOURS, 47 MINUTES ]
[ OBJECTIVE: Stay alive until dawn tomorrow ]
[ REWARD: 100 EXP + BASIC SKILL ]
[ FAILURE: DEATH ]
He blinked. The text didn't disappear.
"Okay," he whispered to himself. "Okay. This is real. This is happening."
He looked around. The alley was the same one where he collapsed. Garbage bags piled against the walls. A stray cat watched him from behind a broken crate. The morning sun cast long shadows between the buildings.
Rayan touched his chest again. No pain. No wound. He felt... strong. Light. As if he had slept for a week.
He took a step forward. Then another.
His legs worked perfectly.
For the first time in days, he could walk without pain.
---
He left the alley and entered the street.
The city was waking up. Shopkeepers were opening their stores. People walked quickly, sipping coffee, checking their phones. No one looked at him. No one cared about the dirty boy in torn clothes.
Rayan was used to this. Invisibility was his oldest friend.
His stomach growled.
Food. He needed food.
He checked his pockets. Empty. Of course. He had spent his last coin three days ago.
"System," he whispered. "Can you give me food?"
Silence.
"Hello? System?"
Nothing.
Great. A system that didn't answer questions.
---
Rayan walked toward the market district. He knew the city well—every corner, every hiding place, every restaurant that threw away leftover food at the end of the day.
But the market was far. And he was weak. Even with the strange energy in his body, hunger was hunger.
As he walked, he noticed something strange.
People's names appeared above their heads.
A fat man walking past: [ MERCHANT - LEVEL 3 ]
A woman with a child: [ HOUSEWIFE - LEVEL 1 ]
A group of teenagers: [ STUDENTS - LEVEL 2 ]
Rayan stopped. He stared at a policeman standing on the corner.
[ GUARD - LEVEL 5 ]
"What the..." he muttered.
The policeman looked at him. Rayan quickly looked away and kept walking.
So the system let him see people's levels. Was that normal? Was everyone in the world part of this system? Or just him?
He didn't know. But he intended to find out.
---
The market was crowded. Perfect for someone who wanted to disappear.
Rayan moved through the crowd like a ghost. He knew how to be invisible. Years in the orphanage taught him that.
He passed a bakery. The smell of fresh bread made his mouth water. He stood there for a moment, watching the loaves through the glass.
[ ITEM: BREAD ]
[ EFFECT: Restores 10 hunger ]
[ VALUE: 2 copper coins ]
His eyes widened. He could see item information too.
A woman bought a loaf and walked away. As she passed Rayan, she dropped a coin. It rolled on the ground and stopped at his feet.
He looked at it. A copper coin.
He looked at the woman. She hadn't noticed. She kept walking.
Rayan picked up the coin. His heart pounded. Stealing was wrong. But... this wasn't stealing. She dropped it. He found it. That was different. Right?
He put the coin in his pocket and walked to the bakery.
"One bread," he said quietly.
The baker looked at him—dirty clothes, hollow cheeks. For a moment, Rayan thought he would refuse. But the baker just took the coin and handed him a small loaf.
Rayan walked away quickly, hiding the bread in his shirt. He found a quiet corner between two buildings and ate like an animal. Fast. Desperate. Without tasting.
When he finished, a notification appeared:
[ HUNGER: SATISFIED ]
[ HEALTH: +5 ]
He smiled. Small victories.
---
The day passed slowly.
Rayan explored the city, testing his new abilities. He discovered that if he focused on a person, he could see more information:
[ NAME: Unknown ]
[ LEVEL: 3 ]
[ DANGER LEVEL: Low ]
[ WEAKNESS: None detected ]
But if the person was stronger, the information was limited:
[ NAME: Unknown ]
[ LEVEL: 12 ]
[ DANGER LEVEL: HIGH ]
[ WARNING: Do not engage ]
He learned to avoid anyone with a danger level above "Low."
By evening, he had found a safe place to sleep—a half-collapsed building near the river. The roof was broken, but one room was still dry. He gathered old cardboard and made a bed.
As darkness fell, he sat by the broken window and looked at the moon.
The same moon. The one he always looked at.
"System," he whispered again. "Are you there?"
This time, a response:
[ SYSTEM ONLINE ]
[ STATUS: HOST RAYAN ]
[ LEVEL: 0 ]
[ EXP: 0/100 ]
[ QUEST PROGRESS: 12 HOURS REMAINING ]
[ TIP: Survive the night. Danger increases after dark. ]
Rayan's blood ran cold.
Danger increases after dark?
He looked out the window. The streets were emptying. Lights were turning off. The city was preparing for night.
And he was alone in a ruined building with no weapon, no friends, no protection.
---
He didn't sleep.
He sat in the darkest corner, knees to his chest, eyes on the door. Every sound made him jump. A rat scratching. Wind blowing. A distant dog barking.
Hours passed.
Then, around midnight, he heard something different.
Footsteps.
Slow. Heavy. Coming closer.
Rayan held his breath. He focused on the door, trying to see through the darkness.
A figure appeared in the doorway.
[ UNKNOWN CREATURE ]
[ LEVEL: 8 ]
[ DANGER LEVEL: EXTREME ]
[ WARNING: RUN ]
Rayan's heart stopped.
The creature stepped into the room. In the dim moonlight, Rayan saw it—a twisted thing, half-human, half-beast. Yellow eyes. Long claws. Skin like old leather.
It sniffed the air.
Then it turned toward his corner.
Rayan didn't think. He ran.
He burst through a broken window, glass cutting his arms, and landed hard on the ground below. Pain shot through his ankle. He didn't stop. He ran into the darkness, into the streets, anywhere away from that thing.
Behind him, he heard a roar. Then footsteps. Chasing.
[ QUEST UPDATE ]
[ SURVIVAL MODE ACTIVATED ]
[ ESCAPE THE HUNTER ]
[ TIME: UNLIMITED ]
[ FAILURE: DEATH ]
Rayan ran faster than he had ever run in his life.
---
Through alleys. Across streets. Over walls. He didn't know where he was going. He just ran.
The creature was fast. Too fast. Every time Rayan looked back, it was closer.
His lungs burned. His legs screamed. Blood dripped from the cuts on his arms.
He turned a corner and saw it—a dead end. A wall. Too high to climb.
He was trapped.
Rayan turned around. The creature stepped into the alley, blocking the only exit. Its yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.
It smiled. A horrible, human smile.
Rayan had nothing. No weapon. No power. No hope.
But then, a voice in his mind:
[ EMERGENCY QUEST ACTIVATED ]
[ OPTION: SACRIFICE 1 YEAR OF LIFE FOR TEMPORARY POWER ]
[ ACCEPT? ]
[ YES ] / [ NO ]
The creature lunged.
Rayan screamed:
"YES!"
---
Everything stopped.
A burst of energy exploded from Rayan's body. Blue light filled the alley. The creature flew backward, crashing into a wall.
Rayan looked at his hands. They glowed with power. His whole body burned with energy he couldn't control.
[ TEMPORARY POWER ACTIVATED ]
[ DURATION: 60 SECONDS ]
[ COST: 1 YEAR OF LIFE ]
[ USE IT WISELY ]
Sixty seconds.
Rayan looked at the creature. It was getting up, shaking its head, growling.
He had sixty seconds to kill something that should have killed him.
He clenched his fists.
"Come on then," he whispered.
The creature charged.
And Rayan moved.
---
He was faster now. Stronger. When the creature swung its claws, he ducked. When it lunged, he sidestepped. His fists struck like hammers—each blow sending shockwaves through the monster's body.
[ COMBO: 3 HITS ]
[ COMBO: 5 HITS ]
[ COMBO: 10 HITS ]
The creature screamed. It wasn't a roar anymore. It was a cry of pain.
Rayan didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Sixty seconds. That was all he had.
He grabbed the creature's head and slammed it into the ground. Once. Twice. Three times.
[ ENEMY HEALTH: CRITICAL ]
One final blow.
Rayan raised his fist. It glowed brighter than ever.
"THIS!" he shouted. "IS FOR EVERY NIGHT I STARVED!"
He brought his fist down.
The creature's body went limp.
[ VICTORY! ]
[ ENEMY DEFEATED: NIGHT STALKER (LEVEL 8) ]
[ EXP GAINED: 200 ]
[ LEVEL UP! ]
[ CURRENT LEVEL: 2 ]
The blue light faded. Rayan collapsed to his knees, gasping. His body felt heavy, drained. The power was gone.
But the creature was dead.
He looked at its body. Steam rose from its flesh. Its yellow eyes were empty.
Rayan laughed. A broken, exhausted laugh.
"I'm alive," he whispered. "I'm actually alive."
[ QUEST COMPLETE: SURVIVE THE FIRST DAY ]
[ REWARD: 100 EXP + BASIC SKILL: [DETECT] ]
[ NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: DETECT - Sense nearby enemies within 10 meters ]
[ NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: FIND SHELTER ]
Rayan fell backward onto the cold ground and stared at the stars.
For the first time in his life, the stars didn't look indifferent.
They looked like they were watching over him.