The rhythmic beeping of a medical device filled the silent room, pulling Raven from his deep sleep. His consciousness stirred, his body weighed down as if submerged in thick mud. His eyelids fluttered open.
An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him.
"Where… am I?"
For a moment, his mind was blank, struggling to register his surroundings. Then a mechanical beep beside him grabbed his attention, breaking through his disoriented state. His gaze shifted toward the source of the sound—the medical monitor.
"A hospital."
Confusion flickered in his eyes. Why was he here?
The last thing he remembered—he had passed out in his apartment after fulfilling the quest conditions. That part wasn't surprising. But waking up in a hospital? That was completely unexpected.
His thoughts reeled back to his last memories.
The Forest of Death.
An hour after receiving the "Mandatory Quest", he had been forcefully thrown into that merciless place. His survival had teetered on a razor's edge—fighting goblins, dodging lethal plants, avoiding death at every turn. He had barely managed to stay alive long enough to complete the quest, and once he had, he collapsed in his apartment.
That should have been the end of it.
Yet now, he was here.
Someone must have found him.
And if he had been found, people would ask questions.
The gravity of the situation started sinking in.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find an answer. No matter what, he couldn't expose his system. That secret would follow him to the grave like a precious treasure. But what could he say? What excuse could he use?
No matter how hard he contemplated, nothing reasonable came to mind.
Minutes passed, his thoughts stuck in an endless loop, trying to salvage the situation.
Then—the door opened.
A nurse entered, briefly surprised before offering a warm smile. "Oh! You're awake."
She made her way to his bedside and conducted a routine check-up. Though professional, a flicker of amazement lingered in her gaze.
"Awakened individuals are really something else," she muttered. "With injuries like yours, an ordinary person wouldn't have survived."
Raven gave a wry smile. Even he hadn't expected his resilience to stretch this far. His physical durability was already more than five times that of an average human, not to mention his recovery rate was enhanced by magical energy.
At this point, Awakened people felt like an entirely different species. They had long surpassed the limits of normal human endurance.
The nurse finished her assessment and straightened. "I'll inform the doctor," she said. "Also, there are people waiting to speak with you."
Raven's pulse spiked.
He had expected this—but it was still a problem.
As the nurse left, Raven let out a deep sigh. He still hadn't figured out what to say.
Minutes later, the door opened again.
A doctor entered first, followed closely by four men.
The leading figure, standing at 5'7", had dark brown hair slicked back neatly, his posture composed and firm. His well-fitted tux and sunglasses gave off a commanding aura—an effortless dominance.
Behind him to the right stood a towering bald man, 6'1", with a muscular frame that made him look like a war veteran. A scar ran across his jaw, adding to his intimidating presence.
The second man behind the one with slicked-back hair had black hair, his tux polished like the rest, also wearing sunglasses. He stood at 5'6", his quiet demeanor giving off a restrained but sharp energy.
The fourth individual, distinct from the suited men, was notably shorter at 5'4" and wore a police uniform. His posture was calculated—observant yet relaxed.
The doctor approached Raven's bedside, his expression professional and composed.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
Raven hesitated, but after a short pause, he answered, "I'm fine."
The doctor gave a small nod, checking his vitals one last time before stepping aside.
At that moment, the man with dark brown hair took a step forward, adjusting his sunglasses.
"I'm Torres," he introduced himself smoothly. "Hunter Association Agent."
He then introduced Detective Dimatiba, acknowledging his presence as a formality.
Dimatiba offered a simple nod in greeting.
From the moment Torres spoke, Raven felt something unsettling.
Something dangerous.
But strangely enough, Torres himself didn't feel like the strongest presence in the room.
Instead, it was the two agents standing behind him whose aura pressed heavily against Raven's senses.
Raven furrowed his brows.
The pressure from the two agents was powerful—dense, weighty, undeniably strong.
But despite that, Torres himself radiated danger above all else.
If there was one thing Raven was certain of, Torres was the strongest among them.
He wasn't just strong—he was on a level Raven couldn't fully comprehend.
That realization sent an uneasy shiver down his spine.
His mind tried to decipher the feeling—the strange pressure in the air, the heavy presence surrounding him.
It felt familiar, yet unknown.
Then—it clicked.
His thoughts shot back to his battle in the Forest of Death.
The goblins… they also have unique presence, it felt wild, savage, untamed. But this? This was different.
The aura these men carried was controlled, heavy, and calm.
And more importantly—he had felt something similar before.
The moment his magical energy had coated his right arm during combat…
His eyes widened slightly.
'Magical energy.'
That's what this was.
Goblins were magical creatures. Hunters were Awakened beings. Raven had felt something similar when interacting with magical artifacts at the Hunter shop.
Constant exposure had unknowingly sharpened his awareness. Only now did he realize what he had been sensing all along.
Before he could dwell further, Torres spoke again.
"The reason we're here," Torres explained, "is because your incident caused panic among civilians. Many feared it was a monster attack. But after a thorough investigation, no signs of battle, no intrusion—nothing—was found."
Of course, they found nothing.
The fight had happened in another dimension, beyond their reach.
Raven "knew" he couldn't tell them that.
Raven exhaled slowly, trying to conceal the hesitation creeping into his mind.
"I… don't know what happened," he finally answered, his voice steady—but there was the faintest pause before he spoke. A hesitation so brief, he hoped they wouldn't catch it.
"I was resting in my apartment when, suddenly, a black blur attacked me. I couldn't make out what it was—it vanished before I could react."
A tense silence followed.
The detective exchanged glances with the agents. Their expressions darkened.
Raven's answer was "too suspicious".
The witness reports contradicted him. His wounds had started "long before" he was found, yet "no one had heard him cry for help, and there were no signs of struggle".
The atmosphere in the room shifted.
Torres lowered his sunglasses slightly, locking his piercing gaze onto Raven.
A wave of pressure crashed into him—heavy, suffocating, like a predator locking onto prey.
Raven stiffened.
Torres lingered in silence before finally sliding his sunglasses back into place, withdrawing his aura.
A bead of sweat rolled down Raven's forehead.
Eventually, Torres exhaled. "Regardless, the Association is aware of your Awakening," he said. "You should undergo the Awakening Test and register soon. **Delaying it could bring unnecessary trouble.**"
Raven sighed internally.
His original plan had been to "wait"—gather enough strength to reach at least C-rank before undergoing the test.
But now—he had no choice.
"I understand," he murmured.
The door clicked shut as Torres, the agents, and Detective Dimatiba left, their heavy presence lingering in the air.
Raven remained still, lying in bed.
The only person left in the room beside Raven was the doctor.
For a moment, the man lingered, making small talk to ease the lingering tension. Raven responded when necessary—short answers, slight nods—but his voice lacked any real presence.
The doctor quickly noticed.
Raven was "too quiet"—too distant.
He wasn't just tired.
His mind was elsewhere.
The doctor sighed, offering him an understanding nod. "You should focus on recovering," he said. "If anything feels off, call for assistance."
With that, he turned and exited, leaving Raven alone.
---
The silence stretched on, heavier than before.
Raven finally let out a slow breath. His muscles were weak, his body weighed down by fatigue and injuries.
His thoughts churned, sharp and restless.
Since arriving in this world, he had been adapting, trying to process things at his own pace.
But the past week had given him a false sense of control—the illusion that he could grow stronger at a steady rate, reach mid-tier hunter rank, and only then step forward into the world.
That illusion had shattered.
The system wasn't waiting for him to be ready.
It had already thrown him into a fight for survival—no warning, no preparation, just brutal reality.
And if it happened once, it would happen again.
Raven clenched his fists.
The survival quest was "a weekly event".
Which meant that in a matter of days, he'd likely be forced into another one.
And this time, he wouldn't be caught off guard.
But even as he tried to steel himself, uncertainty gnawed at the edges of his resolve.
How dangerous would the next one be?
Would it be like the last?
Or something far "worse"?
The unknown unsettled him.
There was no way to predict what kind of survival quest he would receive—he could only **prepare** and hope it wasn't beyond his ability.
Then, a troubling thought surfaced.
His body was "injured"—but the system wouldn't wait for him to heal.
The daily quests would continue, whether he was ready or not.
And then something clicked.
All this time, he had compared his system to Sung Jin-Woo's, analyzing their similarities, their quest structures, their progression.
Yet, amid all those comparisons, he had overlooked the most critical difference.
"Punishment."
Jin-Woo's system was merciless.
If he failed a daily quest, he would be "forcefully transported to a dangerous zone", where survival was the only condition.
Whether he ran from monsters or fought them, it didn't matter—he simply had to survive for a fixed amount of time before escaping.
Failure always carried consequences.
Meanwhile, Raven's system was different.
There was no immediate punishment for failing a daily quest—no forced survival scenario, no penalty.
If he skipped a daily quest, all he lost was the points he could have earned that day.
That realization sank deep.
For most, this would seem like mercy.
But for Raven?
Now that he had felt the weight of real danger, he doubted he would ever let an opportunity slip through his fingers.
Every point mattered.
Every bit of progress counted.
Because the road ahead?
It was uncertain.
And the weekly quest would come again.
Maybe it would be just as brutal.
Maybe worse.
But beyond the rewards, he now understood its true value.
The real gain wasn't just the quest completion—it was the "experience" itself and level-up.
The battles. The danger. The sharpened instincts that only life-threatening combat could provide.
The rewards?
Just a bonus.
But whether or not he succeeded, what mattered most was "growth"—the kind that came from enduring hardship.
His fingers curled into fists once more, weak but determined.
No more complacency.
No more hesitation.
Raven "needed to change".
His physique was improving quickly, thanks to the system. His strength was increasing steadily.
But it wasn't enough.
He also had to strengthen his mind.
His system could enhance his body, there was no doubt about that—it would help him grow stronger at an incredible rate.
But his "mind"?
He was alone in that battle.
His system had almost no direct impact on his mentality.
And to be "truly powerful", a strong body alone wasn't enough. It had to be paired with "an unshakable mindset".
Otherwise, if one faltered, everything would crumble.
Raven understood that despite his desire to become powerful, no one truly achieves it easily.
He had read plenty of stories about powerful individuals—those who lacked resolve, who hesitated and made poor decisions, only for their mistakes to come back to haunt them.
And then there were those with "ironclad determination", unshakable in will, but lacking the strength to back it up—crumbling before they ever reached their true potential.
Both sides of the coin carried risk.
If you lacked one, "your downfall was inevitable"—whether sooner or later.
So if Raven wanted to become "truly powerful", increasing his level and accumulating attribute points wouldn't be enough.
He also needed to sharpen his "mind"—to have the mindset of a powerful individual.
Because if he didn't—
He might survive "for now".
But what about in the future?
Next time, he "might not survive".