The battlefield was eerily silent.
Jae-Hyun stood over the remains of the Chimera, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His hands trembled as he gripped the sword that had mysteriously appeared in his grasp. The weight of it felt real, yet the moment the battle ended, the weapon vanished into light, leaving nothing behind but the floating system screen before his eyes.
[ System Integration: 10% Complete ][ New Skill Unlocked: "Instinctive Dodge" ]
The words didn't make sense. A system? Skill unlocks? What was this?
"Jae-Hyun…?"
The familiar voice snapped him back to reality. He turned to see Doran, his usual tormentor, looking at him with something Jae-Hyun had never seen in his eyes before—fear.
No one was laughing now. No one was calling him weak. The once powerless outcast had just slain a monster that even the elite warriors had struggled against.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the silence. The city's guards arrived, led by a stern-faced man in silver armor—Captain Seong, one of the kingdom's top-ranked knights. His sharp eyes scanned the battlefield before settling on Jae-Hyun.
"You," Captain Seong said, stepping forward. "Did you kill this creature?"
Jae-Hyun hesitated, but he nodded.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"That weakling…?""No way! He must've gotten lucky.""But I saw it! He dodged like a trained warrior…"
Jae-Hyun clenched his fists. The doubt in their voices felt familiar, but this time… it didn't matter.
"I don't know how you did it," Captain Seong continued, his voice measured, "but this level of combat ability isn't something that appears overnight. Who taught you?"
Jae-Hyun opened his mouth—then hesitated. What was he supposed to say? That some mysterious system had just awakened in his body? That he barely understood what had just happened himself?
"I… trained alone," he lied.
Seong's gaze lingered on him for a long moment before he finally spoke. "Report to the Knight Academy tomorrow. We'll be evaluating your skills."
Jae-Hyun's eyes widened. The Knight Academy? The place he had once dreamed of entering, only to be rejected for his lack of talent?
"This is an order," Seong added before turning to his men. "Secure the area."
As the guards moved in, Jae-Hyun took a step back, his mind spinning.
Then, suddenly—
[ System Update: Mission Unlocked ][ Mission: Attend the Knight Academy Evaluation ][ Reward: System Integration +5% ]
Jae-Hyun's breath hitched. The system… was guiding him?
Was this a chance to prove himself?
Or was it the beginning of something far greater?
With newfound determination, Jae-Hyun clenched his fists.
No matter what—he would no longer be weak.