Yuto didn't move. His system window blinked quietly in the corner of his vision.
> [ WARNING: Reincarnated Entity Detected. ]
[ Distance: 0.9 km and closing fast. ]
[ Threat Level: UNKNOWN. Approach speed: increasing. ]
"Someone's coming," he muttered.
Rin looked up sharply. "A monster?"
"No. Something worse."
He stood up slowly, legs shaky. The gunarm on his right arm pulsed once, then went dim—cooling down. The fusion mark still glowed faint blue through his skin like a tattoo made of light.
Rin stared at it. "That thing… it changed. It became part of you."
"I noticed," Yuto said. "Didn't exactly get a user manual."
She frowned. "You said it's not magic. But it acts like magic."
"Close. But no."
"Then what is it?"
He took a breath. "It's called technology. From my world."
"Your world," she repeated.
"Yeah. The one I died in."
Rin's face changed. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You're… a Traveler?"
Yuto looked at her. "That what they call it here?"
She nodded. "There are stories. People who fall from the sky. People summoned by gods. Most die within days. The few who survive… either vanish or go mad."
"Great odds," Yuto muttered.
"Is that what happened to you?" she asked. "Did you… die?"
He nodded slowly. "Shot in the back by someone I trusted. Woke up here with a weapon no one understands and a voice in my head that speaks in system codes."
Rin went quiet.
Then, softly: "I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "I'm not. Not anymore."
The wind shifted. Leaves rustled. The temperature dropped.
Yuto's eyes narrowed.
> [ Distance: 0.6 km ]
[ Acceleration: +14% ]
[ Time to contact: 90 seconds ]
Rin noticed the change in his face. "What is it?"
"Another one," he said. "Like me."
"Another Traveler?"
He nodded. "That's what the system says."
"Then… shouldn't that be a good thing? You're not alone now."
Yuto's voice turned cold. "You don't know my world, Rin. Not everyone who dies there deserves to."
She didn't argue.
Yuto turned his focus inward.
> [ SYSTEM: Can you identify the target? ]
> [ SEARCHING… ]
[ MATCH FOUND: REINCARNATED USER – CODE NAME: STRIKER ]
[ CLASS: BALLISTIC SORCERER ]
[ WARNING: CLASS STRUCTURE IS ILLEGAL. SYSTEM INTEGRITY MAY BE COMPROMISED. ]
Yuto scowled. "Ballistic Sorcerer? What the hell is that?"
Rin blinked. "What's wrong?"
"There's someone out there with a system like mine. But it's twisted. Mixed with magic."
"Can that happen?"
"It shouldn't," he said. "It's like welding a rocket launcher to a broomstick."
"…That sounds awful."
"It is."
Rin stood slowly, leaning on what was left of her staff. "Can we hide?"
"No. He's coming too fast. And if he's anything like me—he won't be blind."
They both turned as something moved through the trees ahead.
First came the wind. Then a shape—a blur of motion.
And then…
He arrived.
A young man in a black coat stepped into the clearing, not much older than Yuto. His hair was silver-white, short and clean. A long-barreled rifle was strapped across his back, but it glowed with red sigils instead of runes. His eyes glowed faint red too, like mana had replaced his blood.
His mouth curled into a grin.
"Well well," he said. "So it's true."
Yuto said nothing.
"You really do exist," the man continued. "The gun freak from the other side."
Rin stepped back. "He's… not human."
Yuto raised his arm slightly. Not pointing the weapon. Just showing it. "You're not exactly subtle, are you?"
"Neither are you. That crater back there? Kind of hard to miss." The man chuckled. "You're lucky I found you first. The Knights are sniffing around too. Real annoying types. Purifiers, I think."
"Name," Yuto said flatly.
"Striker," the man said with a mocking bow. "Like the fire. Like the first spark."
"Real original."
"I thought so."
Yuto didn't drop his stance. "Why are you here?"
Striker tilted his head. "Same reason as you, I guess. Someone screwed me over. I died. Woke up here. Got a system. But unlike you… I didn't play fair."
He raised his hand. It shimmered. A long, sharp spike of red energy spun into existence between his fingers like a drill made of magic.
"I broke it," Striker said with a smile. "My system. My limits. I ripped them apart."
Yuto didn't react. "That's not power. That's suicide with style."
"Oh, please," Striker said. "Don't get all righteous. You and I—we're the same. We're just weapons looking for someone to aim us."
"No," Yuto said. "I'm not aiming for anyone but me."
Striker laughed. "Hero talk. Cute. But this world isn't for heroes. It's for monsters. And I'm here to offer you something better."
"What."
"Join me. Simple as that."
Rin looked between them. "He's joking."
Striker's eyes flashed. "I'm not. You don't belong with her. You don't belong with them. You and I—we can reshape this place. Destroy every noble, every mage, every fool who thinks a sword and a prayer still matter."
Yuto lowered his arm.
Silence.
Then: "You're out of your mind."
Striker smirked. "And you're out of time."
Suddenly, the air behind him twisted.
A ball of compressed red mana formed mid-air—dense, shaking.
"Guess I'll prove my point," Striker said.
He snapped his fingers.
The orb shot forward—
Yuto shoved Rin aside—
And the world exploded.
BOOM.
Dirt flew. Trees cracked. The blast ripped the ground open in a perfect line, like a lance of fire.
Yuto hit the ground shoulder-first, skidding through moss and leaves. Rin screamed somewhere behind him, her voice swallowed by the roar of mana tearing through air.
The smoke cleared.
Yuto rolled onto one knee, coughing, eyes stinging. His shirt was half-burned. His arm throbbed from elbow to shoulder.
His screen flickered.
> [ WARNING: MINOR BURNS. SHIELD SYSTEM UNAVAILABLE. ]
[ SYSTEM ENERGY: 47% ]
"Okay," he muttered. "This guy's serious."
Striker stood at the other end of the clearing, calm as a man ordering coffee. He spun the glowing rifle off his back and leaned it on his shoulder.
"You're still alive," he said. "That's a good sign."
"You call that a warning shot?"
Striker smirked. "Please. If I wanted to kill you, I'd aim."
Yuto pulled himself up, still watching. "This how you recruit allies? Fireball to the chest?"
Striker shrugged. "Gotta test compatibility."
Yuto spat blood. "Newsflash: I don't like you."
"That's fine," Striker said, raising the rifle. "I like me enough for both of us."
Yuto's screen lit up:
> [ THREAT: STRIKER — CLASS: BALLISTIC SORCERER (CORRUPTED) ]
[ SYSTEM CLASS: MODIFIED. UNSTABLE. DANGEROUS. ]
> [ SUGGESTED ACTION: DEFENSIVE STANCE. DELAY AND ESCAPE. ]
Rin stumbled to Yuto's side. "We have to run."
"No," Yuto said.
She stared at him. "You can't beat him. Not like this. He's—he's something else."
"Yeah," Yuto said, cracking his neck. "That's what makes it fun."
He turned to her, voice lower. "Get to cover. Don't try to help."
"I'm not leaving you."
"Rin."
She met his eyes. "I'm not a coward."
"Good. Then don't die."
He stepped forward.
Striker laughed. "Oh, you are like me. Always walking into the fire."
"Yeah," Yuto said. "But I aim first."
The gunarm shifted, glowing brighter. Runes reformed along the side. He tapped a button in the air.
> [ Skill Loaded: HOLLOW SHOT ]
[ CHARGE TIME: 4 Seconds ]
[ Energy Use: 35% ]
A new barrel slid into place on the gunarm. The humming sound changed—lower, deeper, like a growl.
Striker noticed.
"What's that?" he asked.
"You'll find out," Yuto said.
Striker raised his rifle, aiming for the head.
Both stood still.
One second.
Two.
Then both fired.
CRACK—BOOM!
The blasts collided mid-air. Red mana and blue energy twisted into a storm. Wind howled. Trees snapped.
Rin ducked as debris flew past her head.
When the smoke cleared again—both were still standing.
Striker smiled wide. "Now we're talking."
Yuto exhaled. "Didn't feel that one?"
"Oh, I felt it," Striker said. "But you know the fun thing about magic?"
"What."
Striker raised his hand.
The air bent behind him.
Seven red sigils lit up around his body—like orbiting moons, each one pulsing with power.
"You can bend the rules."
Yuto's screen flared in alarm.
> [ MULTI-CAST SIGNATURE DETECTED ]
[ THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE ESCAPE ]
Striker pointed the gun at him again.
"You? You've got a system made for war. Precision. Tactics. I respect that."
His expression darkened.
"But me? I don't play by rules."
The sigils began spinning faster.
Yuto turned to Rin. "Move. Now."
She didn't argue this time.
Striker spoke again—quietly, almost kindly:
"You should've joined me."
Then all seven sigils fired at once.
Yuto braced.
But something hit him from behind.
A spell—blinding white. A barrier exploded up around them.
The seven blasts hit it—and shattered it instantly, but the delay was enough.
Yuto and Rin were thrown back—again—but this time, not broken.
Coughing, Yuto looked up.
Another figure stood between them and Striker.
A tall woman in silver armor. Hood down. Hair like snow. She held a shining staff, one hand raised to form a second barrier.
Striker blinked. "You?"
The woman's voice was calm. Cold.
"You've made enough noise, Striker."
Yuto groaned. "Okay. Who the hell is this one?"
Rin gasped. "That's... High Enchanter Valea."
Striker hissed, like the name tasted bad. "Tch. Church dog."
"You've broken two laws of balance," the woman said. "You're done."
Striker narrowed his eyes. His grin was gone now.
"No," he said. "I'm just getting started."