The message did not disappear.
It hovered there.
Silent. Waiting.
[Would you like to accept a hidden profession.]
Kang Seo-jun did not move.
He had seen countless system prompts before. Level-ups. skill acquisitions. dungeon entries. death notifications.
But this.
This was new.
Completely new.
His gaze hardened as he stared at the screen, analyzing every detail as if it might vanish the moment he blinked.
"Hidden profession."
He repeated the words quietly.
In his past life, professions were assigned based on early actions. Some were offered choices. Most were not. And none came with this kind of wording.
Hidden.
That meant one thing.
Danger.
Or opportunity.
Possibly both.
Seo-jun exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts into order.
Think.
Not emotionally.
Logically.
Everything he knew about the system told him one rule above all others.
Nothing powerful came without a cost.
His eyes flicked briefly to the goblin's corpse at his feet. Blood pooled beneath it, dark and thick, already beginning to dry.
That kill had triggered this.
Which meant.
This path was tied to something specific.
Something different.
"Not part of the original timeline."
That alone made it unpredictable.
Unpredictable things killed people.
Even him.
Especially him.
Another scream echoed from the hallway.
Closer now.
Followed by a wet tearing sound.
Seo-jun didn't look.
He didn't need to.
The campus was already falling.
Time was running.
The screen flickered again.
As if urging him to decide.
His jaw tightened.
In his previous life, he chose a standard combat profession. It was reliable. Strong enough to survive. Flexible enough to adapt.
It also.
Was not enough.
He died anyway.
Betrayed.
Powerless to stop it.
Seo-jun's eyes darkened.
"That won't happen again."
His hand rose slowly.
Then stopped midair.
Because another thought surfaced.
Cold.
Sharp.
What if this was a trap.
Not from enemies.
From the system itself.
The idea lingered longer than it should have.
Because deep down.
He had always suspected something.
The system wasn't just helping humanity.
It was watching.
Guiding.
Testing.
And sometimes.
It felt like it was deciding who lived.
And who didn't.
Seo-jun let out a quiet breath.
"If I hesitate."
He glanced toward the shattered window.
The wyvern's shadow passed over the ground again, massive wings blotting out what little light remained.
"I die anyway."
That settled it.
His hesitation disappeared.
His finger moved.
And pressed.
"Yes."
The screen froze.
For half a second.
Then shattered into fragments of light.
New text surged forward.
Faster.
Sharper.
More intense than anything he had seen before.
[Hidden profession accepted.]
[Analyzing compatibility.]
[Warning. This path deviates from standard system guidance.]
Seo-jun's eyes narrowed.
A warning.
That was new.
The messages continued.
[User possesses prior knowledge.]
[User has experienced terminal timeline.]
[Conditions satisfied.]
The air around him grew heavy.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
As if the world itself had taken notice.
Then.
The final line appeared.
[Profession granted.]
Silence followed.
For one brief moment.
Nothing happened.
Then pain hit.
It wasn't external.
There was no wound.
No visible damage.
But inside.
It felt like something was being rewritten.
Seo-jun dropped to one knee.
His breath hitched as a sharp, twisting force spread through his chest, then outward, threading through every part of his body.
"Ghk!"
He bit down hard, refusing to scream.
This wasn't normal.
Even awakenings in his past life were nothing like this.
This felt invasive.
Violent.
Like something was forcing its way into him.
His vision blurred.
Not from weakness.
From overload.
Information.
Too much.
Fragments of knowledge slammed into his mind.
Not memories.
Not his.
Something else.
Cold.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Seo-jun's hand slammed against the ground to steady himself.
"Control it."
His voice was strained.
Low.
Focused.
If he lost himself here.
Everything ended.
Again.
The pressure intensified.
For a moment.
It felt like his heart stopped.
Then.
It beat.
Once.
Twice.
Stronger.
Different.
The pain vanished.
Instantly.
Like it had never existed.
Seo-jun inhaled sharply.
His body felt… lighter.
No.
Sharper.
Every sound in the building became clearer. Every movement is more defined. Even the air itself felt different against his skin.
He slowly rose to his feet.
The system screen returned.
Calm.
Stable.
[You have obtained a hidden profession.]
[Please review your status.]
Seo-jun didn't hesitate this time.
"Status."
The command came naturally.
The screen shifted.
And for the first time.
He saw it.
Name. Kang Seo-junLevel. 1
Profession.
…
The text flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stabilized.
Seo-jun's eyes widened slightly.
Because the name is displayed.
Was not something he had ever seen before.
"...what is this?"
He read it again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As if confirming it wouldn't change.
It didn't.
And that made it worse.
Because this.
This was something that should not exist.
Not in any known profession tree.
Not in any evolution path.
Not even among SSS ranks.
Seo-jun let out a quiet breath.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Something in between.
Because whatever this was.
It had already changed everything.
A distant explosion shook the building.
Reality snapped back into place.
The world was still ending.
And standing still would get him killed.
Seo-jun closed the status screen.
For now.
There would be time later.
Maybe.
If he survived.
He stepped over the goblin's corpse and moved toward the door.
His grip tightened around the broken weapon.
But something felt off.
Wrong.
He glanced down.
The wood.
It looked the same.
But.
When he held it.
It felt weaker.
Fragile.
Like it would break with a single strong swing.
Seo-jun frowned slightly.
"That wasn't like this before."
Even crude weapons had some durability.
Some presence.
This.
Felt like nothing.
His gaze sharpened.
Slowly.
He raised the weapon.
And squeezed.
It cracked.
Just from his grip.
Seo-jun froze.
Then looked at his hand.
"…already?"
His strength.
At level one.
This wasn't normal.
Not even close.
A faint smile touched his lips.
For the first time.
There was something dangerous in it.
"Good."
But that only confirmed one thing.
Whatever profession he has just obtained.
It wasn't weak.
It wasn't balanced.
And it definitely wasn't safe.
Another scream echoed from the hallway.
Closer now.
Multiple footsteps followed.
Fast.
Chaotic.
Something was coming.
Seo-jun stepped out of the room.
And stopped.
The hallway was no longer filled with panicked students.
It was filled with bodies.
And moving between them.
Three goblins.
Their eyes snapped toward him instantly.
Hungry.
Alert.
Alive.
Seo-jun didn't step back.
Didn't hesitate.
Instead.
He stepped forward.
Because this time.
He wasn't the same person who died.
And whatever he had just become.
Was about to be tested.