One of the Marked soldiers lunged, blade whistling through the air.
SHHHK!
Ren barely twisted away in time. The edge grazed his side, drawing a thin line of red. He staggered, chest heaving. They had him cornered—boxed in on the upper floor of a shattered marketplace. He glanced over the rusted balcony rail, then leapt.
THUD!
He hit the ground hard, rolling to soften the fall.
The soldiers followed without hesitation, boots slamming onto the stone behind him.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
System Optimization: 30 seconds remaining.
He ran.
He ran even though his legs felt like lead, even though each breath came harder than the last. The alley twisted, dark and narrow—but they were faster.
Too fast.
Metal sang as they caught up. Blades slashed the air around him.
CLANG! SHING!
One found its mark.
SPLAT!
A shallow cut opened across his shoulder.
"Give us the book!" one of them barked. "Surrender yourself, or suffer the consequences!"
Ren snarled, pain burning through his nerves.
"As if I'd carry the damn thing on me, morons!"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
System Optimization: 15 seconds remaining.
His vision wavered.
The world spun—walls bending, light twisting, the alley warping like heat haze. One of the Marked stood on a rooftop above, arms folded, watching. Judging. Ren was still standing—bleeding, staggering—but somehow holding off two elite soldiers.
Barely.
Their blades tore through the air, slicing into his cloak, scoring his arms and chest. He dodged, ducked, but he was slowing down.
Too fast.
Too strong.
Too late.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
5 seconds remaining.
4…
3…
2…
"That's it," Ren muttered through gritted teeth, blood dripping from his chin. "I've got this..."
1.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Optimization Failed.
And everything… stopped.
Ren froze, body locking up like stone. He couldn't move. Not even blink.
Then—
A hand burst through the notification window.
It wasn't a metaphor.
A hand—real, massive, and glowing—punched straight through the translucent system screen and slammed into Ren's face.
CRACK!
He flew back, tumbling across the muddy street, dirt and grime coating his cloak and pants.
The air shifted.
From the shadows stepped a tall figure—muscular, composed, radiating presence. He wore a plain white T-shirt stained with dried blood, a black dagger sheathed at his belt. The moment he appeared, the two soldiers flanking Ren backed away.
The man twisted his wrist clockwise, bone cracking. His eyes gleamed with superiority.
Ren clenched his fists, heart pounding.
"Why…" he whispered, more to himself than anyone, "Why is it always like this?"
The tall man strode closer. "It's time to surrender." He didn't even look at Ren when he spoke, only nodded to one of the Marked. "Tie him up."
The soldier pulled out a rope, approaching from behind.
"Let's teach this thief a lesson," the man said coldly, locking eyes with Ren. "You're nothing. Just a parasite. And now you'll learn what happens to trash who steal from the system."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Optimization Failed. Retrying…
The soldier grabbed Ren's wrists to bind them.
And Ren remembered.
He remembered the cold, bloodstained dungeon.
His family—gone.
His promise—to get stronger.
To protect.
To change something.
And here he was. Covered in filth. Stealing just to survive. Betrayed by the very system that was supposed to help him.
The man in white grinned cruelly. "I'm going to cut off your hands, thief. That way, you'll never steal again. Look at you. Powerless. Broken. You'll never be anything."
The night fell silent.
Then—DING.
A clean, sharp sound.
Ren's eyes flared with light.
Before anyone could react, he twisted and kicked the man in the jaw.
CRACK!
The tall figure was launched backwards, crashing into the stone wall with an explosion of dust and debris.
The other soldiers staggered back, eyes wide.
"What the hell was that?!"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
System Optimization: COMPLETE.
[STATUS – REN ALDRIC]
Level: 1
Class: None
Trait: Unchosen (XP Gain x2)
System Sync: 3.7%
Corruption: 0.1%
Copied Skill: Sword of Aetherlight (Lv. 1)
STATS:
• HP: 140/140
• STAMINA: 125/125
• STRENGTH: 14
• VITALITY: 15
• AGILITY: 16
• INTELLIGENCE: 12
• MAGIC: 10
• LUCK: ???
[Passive Ability Unlocked – Echo Vision (Fragmented)]
Allows brief glimpses into enemy patterns and underlying code during moments of extreme stress.
The nearest Marked lunged at him, blade raised.
[ECHO VISION ACTIVATED]
Time slowed.
For a brief second, the world dimmed—except for the soldier. Glowing code lines appeared around his arms and weapon, tracing the motion of his next attack before it happened.
Left swing. Then a stab.
Ren moved before the strike even began.
He ducked left, spun under the swing, and grabbed the soldier's wrist.
With a roar, he drove his elbow into the soldier's ribs—CRACK!—then swept his legs.
THUD!
The Marked crashed hard. Ren didn't stop—he grabbed the fallen blade and drove it into the man's chest.
SHUNK.
Blood sprayed as the Marked spasmed, then went still.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Marked Soldier defeated.
+50 EXP
+1 Weapon Skill Proficiency
A low rumble echoed above.
A second later—the rain began to fall.
Heavy, cold drops poured from the sky, soaking the battlefield in moments. The world turned gray, the light fractured through sheets of falling water.
Ren stood under the downpour, blood and rain streaming down his face, his cloak clinging to him.
The second Marked came fast, sliding through the mud with wild strikes.
[ECHO VISION ACTIVATED]
The vision returned.
More refined now—clearer.
He saw the rhythm of the attacks. The exact angle. The weak spots.
Ren parried with the stolen blade, sparks flying as steel met steel. He ducked under a thrust and headbutted the soldier, sending him reeling. Then he jumped, spinning midair, and kicked the back of the soldier's knee.
SNAP!
The man fell, screaming.
Ren finished it with a clean thrust to the neck.
SPLURT.
The soldier went limp.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
+70 EXP
The storm roared around him.
And then—footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate.
The tall man in the white T-shirt walked out from the rubble, wiping blood from his mouth. His aura had changed—no more smugness. Now just violence.
Ren stared him down.
Then—
[SYSTEM WARNING]
CAUTION: Detected Hostile Threat – Class: UNKNOWN.
System cannot analyze enemy stats. Proceed with extreme caution.
The man smiled.
"I guess you're not just some trash thief after all," he said, drawing the dagger from his belt. "But it doesn't matter."
He stepped forward.
"I'm still going to break you."