Akira's eyes fluttered open to the muted golden light of a warmly lit room. The sunlight filtered through cream-colored curtains, casting a serene glow upon the walls. The air carried the gentle fragrance of freshly baked bread, mingling with the mild, soothing scent of herbal tea. The soft couch beneath him was a stark contrast to the frozen, hard dirt of the dungeon he had escaped just a short time ago. His body, miraculously intact and free of injuries, felt strangely light, as though unburdened by the weight of his recent ordeal.
As he shifted slightly, a dull throb pulsed in his temples, a faint reminder of the toll the dungeon had taken on him. Before he could fully register the sensation, a sudden ping sounded, and his system window materialized before his eyes.
[ALERT]
[-Unclear changes detected in the user's body. The system cannot identify them.-]
[-Proceed with caution. The user is advised to remain vigilant.-]
Akira blinked, still groggy from sleep, and stared at the message in disbelief. His mouth hung open as he muttered, "What kind of system is this…? Sometimes, it speaks like a machine. But other times… it almost feels like it worries about me, like a living being."
Before he could fully process the first message, a second notification flashed, overlapping the previous one.
[System Notification]
[-Due to surviving a traumatic encounter with a powerful enemy, the user has been awarded additional experience points.-]
[Calculating EXP…]
Akira barely had time to register this before a cascade of congratulatory messages began blinking into his vision.
[System Notification:]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[+20 Stat Points awarded.]
[Perfected Symmetry in effect. Allocating stat points equally across all attributes: Strength, Agility, Stamina Endurance, and Intelligence increased by +5 each.]
[The user's level has increased, the body will be restored to peak condition.]
A warm, energizing sensation flowed through his body, and he felt his muscles strengthen even more Akira sat up slowly, his voice husky with wonder as he mumbled, "I leveled up… four times in a row?" A small, incredulous smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "As long as it gives me strength, I don't care where it comes from."
The dungeon, the pain, the near-death experience—it had all been worth it for this moment. The relentless pursuit of strength had paid off, and he could feel the tangible results coursing through him. He dismissed the system window with a silent sigh and took a moment to look around the room.
It was small but cozy, with wooden furniture polished to a warm glow. A knitted blanket had been tucked over him, and the faint sound of a child's laughter echoed from another part of the house. The comfort of this place was almost overwhelming after the horrors he had endured. His hand brushed against the soft fabric of the couch as he took in the details of the room. On a nearby table, a steaming cup of tea and a plate of cookies sat invitingly.
With a groggy voice, he finally broke the silence. "Where… am I?"
From the doorway, a familiar figure came into focus—Cha-Jong. His face, lined with worry, relaxed at the sight of Akira awake. "You're finally up," Cha-Jong said, his voice tinged with relief. "We were starting to worry."
Akira's eyes drifted to him, a faint shadow of gratitude crossing his features. "I suppose… I should be thankful for this, huh?"
Cha-Jong chuckled, though there was a weight behind his laughter. "You've got more lives than a cat, kid. And believe me, you needed every damn one of them to survive that hell."
Akira smiled faintly but said nothing. Cha-Jong sat down beside him, his expression heavy with unspoken thoughts. "I brought you here after you fainted," he said quietly. "You were in bad shape." His voice carried a sincerity that Akira wasn't used to hearing.
Akira furrowed his brows, confusion breaking through the haze of exhaustion. "But why here? Why did you bring me to your home?"
Cha-Jong let out a slow sigh, his eyes dropping to the floor for a moment before locking onto Akira's. "Well… let me explain," he began, his tone steady. "You saved us back there. You faced that vampire knowing the risk, knowing you might not make it out alive. You didn't just fight to survive—you fought so we could live."
Akira's breath hitched. The words sank in, rattling something deep inside him."I never thought of it that way," he realized."My head was so filled with survival, with the brutality of the fight, that I didn't stop to think about what my actions might have looked like to others. Is that really how they saw it?"
He had always thought of himself as selfish, driven only by his own goals, his own pain. But to them—to Cha-Jong—it had been different. "You're saying I did all that just to protect you?" Akira asked, his voice quieter now, uncertain. "Don't you think I was just fighting for myself?"
Cha-Jong met his gaze without hesitation, his expression unwavering. "Maybe that's what you thought," he said. "But what we saw was different. You put yourself between us and death without hesitation. Despite how you act and carry yourself you have a good heart. And I believe that."
There was no denying the sincerity in Cha-Jong's voice. Akira felt a tangle of emotions—surprise, gratitude, and a strange, unfamiliar sense of conflict. The words were unexpected, but they felt real—like a lifeline he hadn't realized he needed.
For a moment, Akira wrestled with himself. "Cha-Jong could've left me. Saved himself. But he didn't.He brought me here, to his safest place—his home." The realization stirred something in him, a sense of guilt and gratitude intertwined.
"Maybe… if I tell him my real name," Akira thought. "I'm feeling bad about lying to him now. It won't hurt to be honest. I owe him that much."But then, a flicker of doubt crept in. Memories of past betrayals flashed in his mind—faces he had trusted, only to be left with scars, both physical and emotional. "Can I really trust him?" he wondered. "But… he saved me. He brought me here. He didn't have to."
But little did Akira know, even if Cha-Jong knew all the other secrets of the world, the only thing he knew about Akira—the truth of what lay within him—was the one thing he would never dare to spill.Not for the sake of the boy , but for the sake of himself. The memory of that dungeon still haunted Cha-Jong the way Akira's body had transformed , glowed with an otherworldly light, the way his eyes had burned with a ferocity that didn't seem human. And then there was the voice—cold, resonant, and dripping with menace—that had echoed from Akira's lips when he had faced the vampire. It wasn't Akira's voice. It was something else, something ancient and terrifying. Cha-Jong had heard it, clear as day, and the words it had spoken still sent shivers down his spine:"Take care of my vessel. See that he gets back safely. And not a word of what happened here to him."
That moment had seared itself into Cha-Jong's mind. He didn't know what lurked inside Akira, but he knew one thing for certain it was not something to be trifled with. Whatever secrets Akira carried, Cha-Jong would guard them with his life—not out of loyalty, but out of fear. Fear of the shining monster that resided within the boy, and the threat it posed to anyone foolish enough to cross it.
The internal battle raged for a moment longer before Akira finally made his decision. He turned to Cha-Jong, his voice softer but firm. "I lied to you about who I am," Akira admitted reluctantly. "I wasn't honest about why I was there or what I'm after."
Cha-Jong didn't flinch. Instead, he reached out and placed a hand on Akira's chest, steady and reassuring. His eyes spoke volumes—an unspoken understanding that went beyond words. "It's not about who you are," Cha-Jong said gently. "It's about what you did for us. For me. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be with my family right now. That's what matters to me."
Akira felt the weight of those words sink into him, grounding him in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. A small, genuine smile crept onto his face—an expression now rare for him. "My name isn't E.B.," he said. "You can start calling me Akira...Akira Shoto."
Cha-Jong's face softened, and a gentle, sincere smile spread across his features. "Nice to meet you, Akira Shoto," he said warmly. "That's a name I won't forget for the rest of my life."