Midnight – Rooftop
The fog choked the city, its tendrils clawing at Jin-ho's ankles as he stood on the edge of the rooftop. The book's crimson text burned in his vision:
[Mana Critical. Extract from surroundings.]
He clenched his fists. Everything had mana—streetlights, concrete, even the air—but living things pulsed brightest. Reluctantly, he descended the fire escape into the alley below.
The Alley
A rat scurried past. Jin-ho snatched it, gritting his teeth as blue light seeped from the creature into his palm. The rat twitched, eyes drooping drowsily before stumbling away.
[Mana +10. Reserve: 55%.]
"Sorry," he muttered, repeating the act—pigeons, a stray cat, even a gnarled weed clinging to the dumpster. Each left weakened but alive.
[Mana Reserve: 85%.
Entity Proximity: 100 meters.]
Jin-ho sprinted toward the fog, hoping to face the amber-eyed shadow from before. Instead, he found her.
The Fog's Heart
The woman stood like a storm given form. Her hair flowed like midnight waves, eyes glowing with the cold, hypnotic blue of deep ocean trenches. Water droplets orbited her, shimmering like liquid blades.
"You're not… the one from the subway," Jin-ho breathed.
She smiled, a ripple of ice. "Disappointed?"
Her finger flicked. A whip of water sliced through a steel lamppost.
Battle
Jin-ho triggered Spatial Sense, dodging jets of pressurized water that cratered the pavement. One grazed his thigh—blood mixed with rainwater.
[Mana: 70%.]
"This isn't possible!" he yelled. "Water manipulation? That's comic book stuff!"
The woman laughed, the sound of crashing tides. "Naive child."
A tsunami-sized wave materialized behind her. Jin-ho ran, scrambling onto a delivery truck as the flood devoured the street.
[Emergency Skill Unlocked: Blink Step (B-Tier).
Cost: 60 Mana.]
"Activate!" he screamed.
Reality shattered.
Dawn – Apartment
Jin-ho collapsed in his hallway, vomit rising. [Mana: 5%.] The book glowed angrily.
"What are they?!" he gasped.
A voice, smooth and mechanical, echoed in his skull: "Query restricted. Level insufficient."
"Why me?!"
"Survival precedes answers. Progress required."
His vision faded.
Next Morning – School Route
"Dude, you look like you fought a washing machine," Min-jun said, eyeing Jin-ho's bandages.
"All-nighter," Jin-ho lied, massaging his temple. The book's voice hissed: [Disclosure = Death.]
A sneer cut through the crowd. Min-jae, flanked by eight hired thugs, cracked his knuckles. "You're done, runt."
[Combat Flow (C-Tier) Activated.]
Jin-ho shoved Min-jun behind a food cart. "Stay back."
The Fight
Thug 1 swung a bat. Jin-ho sidestepped, dislocating the man's shoulder with a precise strike.
Thug 2 lunged with a chain. A duck, a sweep—the thug ate pavement.
Thugs 3-5 charged. Jin-ho flipped over them (thanks to Instinct Counter), kicking one into a trash bin.
Min-jae pulled a knife. Jin-ho feinted, slammed the bully's wrist against a wall, and kneed him in the ribs.
The thugs fled, dragging a whimpering Min-jae.
Min-jun stared. "Since when can you do that?!"
The book pulsed: [Knowledge = Danger.]
"Uh… online MMA tutorials?" Jin-ho mumbled.
Noon – Classroom
Gossip exploded. "Jin-ho took down eight guys!" "He moved like Anime Protagonist-kun!"
Min-jun cornered him at lunch. "You've never thrown a punch in your life. What's going on?"
The book's voice dripped warning: [Silence is survival.]
Jin-ho forced a grin. "I've been… taking secret classes. To protect us."
After School – Alleyway
The book vibrated. [Entity Detected: Shadowlurker. Proximity: 500m.]
Jin-ho froze. In a murky puddle, the blue-eyed woman's reflection smirked. Her fingertip traced a spiral in the air.
"Run," the book whispered. "She's marking you."