After wrapping Ana in a blanket and carrying her across the hall and upstairs to her apartment, Daan couldn't help but look around.
It was cozy and way more comfortable than his place—clean and filled with personality. His gaze landed on shelves packed with carefully arranged super-heroine figures, each posed in battle-ready stances.
There were even a few rare limited-edition ones—heroes he recognized from TV shows and news articles.
Daan let out a small chuckle. Seeing Ana's obsession with superheroes was oddly cute. For all her seductiveness and sharpness, she was just as nerdy as any collector he'd known growing up.
What caught his attention next was the stack of cash casually tucked into an open shoebox on the nightstand. There had to be thousands of dollars neatly bundled but recklessly left out in the open.
Daan raised an eyebrow. She clearly didn't have financial problems, making her persistence about rent even more amusing. "No wonder she wasn't in a hurry," he muttered.
He laid her down gently on the bed, pulling the blanket over her. She stirred briefly, giving him a sleepy smile before drifting back into unconsciousness.
With one last glance around the room, Daan returned to his apartment, still feeling the strange afterglow of completing the system's mission.
When he returned, Daan flopped onto the same couch where everything had gone down earlier, sinking into the cushions, oddly wet and with her scent still in the air.
The day's events swirled in his head—Ana, the system's notifications, and the sheer absurdity of it all.
As exhaustion set in, his thoughts drifted toward his hometown, Seanal, and the chaotic world surrounding it.
Daan lived on the island of Seanal, one of the three major islands that made up the country of Juria.
Each island had its distinct personality and role, shaping how people lived and where heroes operated.
Seanal was a bustling, densely populated island that felt like a cross between Tokyo's crowded streets and New York's gritty concrete jungle.
It was a place where the heroes, villains, and ordinary life blurred; in RPG terms, it would be like the initial village where the protagonist learns the game's mechanics.
Tier-1 heroes—those with street-level abilities—patrolled the city, but they weren't exactly the kind you'd see saving the world.
Most were washed-up vigilantes or aspiring heroes stuck at the bottom of the hero rankings, even Juria. Don't talk about the global ranking.
Fights between heroes and small-time villains were so common that people had grown desensitized to the chaos, treating it like background noise.
Seanal was oddly tranquil for the mess the rest of the world seemed to go through—the perfect setting for Daan's apathetic, aimless lifestyle.
Then there was Uchaina, the second island of Juria, and the complete opposite of Seanal. Uchaina was an industrial powerhouse filled with factories, power plants, and polluted cities.
It supplied the other islands with energy and goods, but it was not a place for heroes to thrive. Crime syndicates ran the streets, and any fights between powerful individuals were handled by vigilantes rather than official heroes.
The heroes stationed there were few and far between, most biding their time until they could transfer somewhere more glamorous.
Uchaina was as rough as it got—a place where life came at the cost of dignity, and no one expected help from anyone.
Lastly, there was Gina, Juria's crown jewel. Gina was where the real action happened, where top-tier heroes operated, and where the Hero Association's headquarters stood.
It was a city of excess and ambition, with futuristic skyscrapers lighting up the night sky in an endless display of wealth and power.
In Gina, heroes weren't just heroes—they were celebrities, adored by millions and constantly in the public eye.
Tier-2 and Tier-3 heroes—those able to level buildings and even cities—called Gina home. It was the ultimate battleground for good and evil, where world-shaking conflicts unfolded regularly. Gina was everything Seanal wasn't—flashy, competitive, and brimming with potential.
Daan let out a bitter sigh as his thoughts drifted to Ina Vagil, his childhood best friend. Ina had been his closest companion growing up. The two of them spent their teenage years together, playing video games, binge-watching anime, and beating up fourth-rate villains after they were already beaten by heroes.
They were inseparable—until everything changed. One day, Ina's powers awakened, revealing her to be Tier-2, able to use Telekinesis. Her telekinetic abilities were some of the highest ever recorded.
As soon as the Hero Association noticed her potential, she was whisked away to Gina to train among the best heroes in the world.
Daan clenched his jaw. She hadn't visited him once since she left. Not a single call, not even a text.
It was like she had been plucked from his life, leaving behind nothing but memories and a sense of betrayal.
"Figures," Daan muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Guess becoming a hero is more important than visiting old friends."
He couldn't blame her entirely—Gina was where everyone with potential wanted to be. But it still stung. Daan knew he wasn't exactly doing anything noteworthy with his life, but it hurt to feel abandoned by the one person he thought would always stick by his side.
Just as the weight of his thoughts threatened to overwhelm him, the familiar blue glow of the system interface appeared in his vision. Daan groaned, sitting up slightly as new text scrolled down the screen.
[System Upgrade!]
[New Mission Unlocked: "Dream Eater"]
[Description: Reports have emerged from Uchaina about a mysterious tape circulating among the population. If men watch the tape, they die within seven days. If a woman watches it, she slowly loses her mind, committing suicide by the end of the week. There is only enough room for one fake demon on this island. Stop it before it spreads further within 1 week.]
[Reward: 1 Random Stat Boost, Awaken Taren.]
[Penalty for Failure: Severe Psyche Damage.]
Daan blinked at the text, his brain struggling to comprehend the severity of the mission. A cursed tape? Men dropping dead, women driven to suicide? It sounded like something straight out of a horror movie.
"Only enough room for one fake demon, huh? I'm not even a real demon, well... True Demon," Daan muttered.
The system wasn't just pushing him to grow stronger—it was making it clear that this was a competition. Whatever this tape was, it threatened his newfound role as a Demon Candidate. And if he wanted to thrive and survive, he needed to stop it.
Daan leaned back against the couch, his mind racing with possibilities. Uchaina was no joke—if the cursed tape had originated there, it would likely be hard to track down.
Stopping it wouldn't be easy, but the reward was too good to ignore.
Awakening his Taren...
Tarens—that was where it all began.
Tarens were like the G-Factor from the G-Men, a unique genetic trait that allowed humans to tap into supernatural energies or develop superpowers.
These powers usually manifested around the age of 16. It wasn't just the new abilities—they often came with complications, from sudden physical transformations to mental strain.
The powers could vary wildly, from enhanced agility to world-shaking abilities like manipulating time or generating nuclear-level explosions.
His fingers drummed against the couch as he considered his options. Going to Uchaina would be dangerous, but Daan wasn't the same aimless loser he had been before.
The system had given him purpose; if completing missions meant unlocking more power, he'd do whatever it took.
With a deep breath, Daan sat up, his gaze sharpening as determination flooded through him. The system had given him a mission—and he wasn't about to fail.
"Accept," Daan said as he walked to his closet to change clothes into something more appropriate.
[New Mission Accepted: Dream Eater.]
Daan slipped on a white hoodie and baggy black pants, stuffing the month's rent into his pocket with a smirk. "Puff, Today I was actually going to pay up," he chuckled.
It was funny how the morning had started with overdue rent and ended up fucking his landlord and going to search for some demon. Life sure had taken a weird turn.
He grabbed his keys and phone before stepping out of the apartment. A strange sensation crept over him as he walked down the cracked stairwell and into the parking lot—like someone was watching.
A chill ran down his spine. He stopped in his tracks, slowly turning to look over his shoulder.
Nothing.
Just the empty hallway bathed in pale morning light.
Daan shook his head, brushing it off as paranoia. Maybe it was just the lingering nerves from the system's sudden mission, or maybe Ana's earlier stare stuck with him.
Either way, it was better not to dwell on it. He pulled his hoodie over his head, shoving his hands into his pockets, and continued walking toward the street.
The streets of Seanal were already crowded, with people hurrying to work or school, lost in their morning routines.
Daan moved through the masses, avoiding eye contact. His thoughts focused on the train ride to Uchaina.
When Daan arrived at the train station, the familiar sound of automated announcements filled the air. He went to the Bullet Train platform, scanned his ticket, and boarded just before the doors shut.
The interior was sleek and modern, with comfortable seats and panoramic windows offering a breathtaking coastline view.
As the train glided effortlessly over the bridge spanning the sea, Daan leaned against the cool glass, watching the ocean shimmer under the sun.
"Crazy, isn't it?" he murmured, his breath fogging the window slightly. "How humanity built all of this... over the sea."
The train shot forward with a hum of power, the water below stretching endlessly on both sides. Daan's reflection stared back at him from the glass—sharp features, heavy eyes, and the faint scar under his left eye. For a moment, he felt small, like just another passenger lost in the grand scope of the world.
But he wasn't just another person anymore. The system had chosen him, and soon, Uchaina would be the first place to understand what that meant.