Donghyun groaned as he sat up from the park bench. The cold metal had numbed his back, and a sharp pain ran down his spine. He rubbed his neck and blinked the world still hazy from sleep expecting the glowing screen hovering in front of him to vanish like a leftover dream.
It didn't.
[Your trial begins in: 23:50:12]
He stared at it, frowning, then waved his hand through the air. The timer floated there stubbornly, untouched by his efforts. Donghyun glanced around, no one else seemed to notice it people passed by, absorbed in their own business, their faces unreadable, not a single person spared a glance in his direction.
Even the animals reacted oddly.
A dog barked at him from across the path, its tail stiff and ears pinned back, as if it had seen something it didn't understand and didn't like.
Trying to calm his nerves, he stood and began walking toward a nearby billboard. From his position on the bench it was unclear not been able to make out the message on it , but now the electronic screen was clear.
A news report played.
"Alert: The Tower is moving again. Like two years ago, when it first appeared, creatures have begun emerging goblins, hound wolves, and other low-tier monsters. There have been casualties. We urge citizens to avoid unguarded zones."
"There are also reports of 'Second Awakeners' individuals who claim to see a mysterious blue screen, each showing a timer marked 'Trial Begins.' This phenomenon differs from the First Awakening, which granted mana but not systems. If you are experiencing this, please report to the nearest Hunter Guild facility immediately."
Donghyun stepped back from the billboard, his thoughts racing.
Donghyun stared at the screen for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh. Then a thought crossed his mind one born from too many late-night game sessions and manhwa binges.
"Status."
The word left his lips almost without thinking. The moment he said it, something flickered in the air before him.
The translucent blue screen appeared.
"It's like a game."
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Joo Donghyun Level: 1 System: Soul-Link - Shadow Extraction Synchronization: 1% Shadow Slots: 1 / 10
Skills:
Active: • Shadow Grasp (Lv.1)
Binds enemy shadow, briefly immobilizing target.
Passive: • Soul Sync(lv.1)
Instinct Heightens reflexes triggered by enemy intent.
Donghyun squinted at the screen, scanning every line.
"Last night.. it said auto-defense activated Shadow Grasp, right?" he muttered.
The memory was still hazy, like a smudged reflection. The sounds, the fear, the rush of adrenaline they all bled together, but clearly remembered the system doing something when he was cornered.
"This skill.. the description just says 'immobilize,' but last night, it killed that thing. The goblin." He frowned. "Or maybe it was something else that finished it off?"
His eyes dropped to the line that read: [Shadow Slots: 1 / 10]
"That's probably it the goblin from yesterday.. Did I extract its shadow?"
He glanced around again, as if expecting the creature to appear at his feet.
"Can I summon it?"
Donghyun kept walking, eyes still fixed on the glowing status screen. Lost in thought, he didn't see the man stumbling toward him until their shoulders collided.
"Watch your step, kid," the man slurred, breath thick with alcohol. "Or I'll kill you. I'm a Second Awakener."
Donghyun didn't respond. He simply stepped aside and kept walking, not sparing the man another glance.
But then.
A pulse of instinct. His body moved before his mind could catch up, twisting slightly, just enough to dodge.
Thud.
The drunk man, who had lunged at him from behind, lost balance and crashed headfirst into the pavement. He didn't get back up. Donghyun stared for a second, heart pounding.
"That had to be Soul Sync."
Without waiting around for attention, he crossed the road quickly and slipped into the nearest guild hall.
Donghyun stepped inside the guild, the door closing slowly behind him. Voices murmured from every corner some Awakeners boasting about their classes and skills, two girls whispering about the tower spinning and portals opening last night, and an old man shouting at the top of his lungs, claiming this was the end of the world. "The First Awakening was just a flinch," he warned. "The real thing has begun."
At the counter, a woman with sharp eyes glanced up at Donghyun.
"Second Awakener?" she asked.
He nodded quietly.
The door swung open again, and a man entered known as Fire Beast Kang Sejin from the Lion Guild, the hunter who had slain most monsters during the first invasion his presence radiated power. The guild members greeted him with respect and excitement, voices rising in approval.
All except Donghyun. He barely glanced at the newcomer, unaffected.
A man behind him whispered harshly, "Hey, you want to die? Greet him. He's an S-rank Awakener."
Donghyun stayed silent, watching as Kang Sejin strode into the guild hall without wasting a second.
"We, the Second Awakeners, have been chosen to save humanity," Kang Sejin declared, his voice cold and sharp. "If we fail to clear the floors of the Tower, it will swallow humanity whole."
From a shadowed corner, a nervous Awakener raised his voice. "Kang Sejin, what abou."
Before he could finish, blood spat from his mouth. No one saw how it happened. Standing silently in front of him was Kang Sejin, his expression twisted with bloodlust.
"You mere Awakener," Kang Sejin hissed, "dare to speak my name? Next time, call me 'Sir.'"
The guild fell into stunned silence. No one dared breathe.
Kang Sejin's voice lowered, more serious now. "I was a First Awakener, wielding only magic. But now, I have lost my previous powers to the system. This time, we're bound to something different."
He paused, scanning the room with sharp eyes. "I hope none of you die."
As kang Sejin turned to leave, he added over his shoulder, "There is a specific system known as the Link System. If you see anyone using shadow powers, report them immediately to the Lion Guild."
Donghyun watched Kang Sejin leave. The injured man groaned quietly on the floor, ignored by everyone else, conversations resumed, though more subdued some whispered about Kang Sejin's power, others criticized his violent arrogance.
But none of it stirred anything in Donghyun. The man's threats, the blood, the speech about saving humanity it all washed over him like background noise.
What did linger was a single line:
"If you see someone using shadow powers, report to the Lion Guild."
Donghyun's eyes narrowed slightly. "How did he know about the Soul -Link System?"
The woman behind the counter finally spoke, her voice brisk. "If you want equipment, speak now. Trials are about to begin, we don't have time to babysit you."
Donghyun gave a small nod. "I need a sword."
With the last of his money everything he'd saved for a game he bought the sword.
He stared at it.
"What the hell is this? Looks more like a kitchen knife."
A man nearby had been watching. He stepped closer.
"Hey, you form a group yet?"
Donghyun didn't answer.
"Hey, I said have you formed a party?"
Donghyun, with a flat voice, replied, "No. But I don't need one."
"Don't be stupid. We've got a better chance surviving in a group. Come on join me, and I'll even buy your dinner."
Donghyun looked at the man, then at his sword again.
But he was hungry.
"Okay."
The man grinned. "Name's Han Jae Min." He slapped Donghyun's shoulder. "Say something ,we're heading up the Tower together."
Donghyun didn't respond. The noise of the bustling street and their footsteps faded as they stepped inside a small, dimly lit restaurant.
At a round table near the back, two figures sat in quiet conversation. One polished his sword methodically.
Jae Min gestured. "This is our team. Try getting close."
Donghyun's silence stretched. Jae Min finally gave a shrug. "At least tell us your name?"
"Joo Donghyun."
The room fell silent again. Jae Min gave a small smile. "Let's introduce ourselves properly. I'm Han Jae Min."
A girl with short hair looked up. "Min Seo."
The armored man grinned. "Hyunwoo."
"Joo Donghyun."
All eyes flicked toward him, but no one judged.
Hyunwoo chuckled. "You sure don't talk much."
Jae Min's tone grew firm. "The timer's ticking, we've got nineteen hours. Stay together, support each other."
They ate in silence.
After the meal, Donghyun rose and left without a word.
He wandered through the streets. Kids in knight costumes clashed playfully, murmurs about the awakening drifted like smoke. But all Donghyun heard was emptiness.
Eventually, he found a quiet spot beneath a bridge. A thought of his mother drifted in she had been an Awakener and a police officer. The kindest soul he'd known.
"Tch. Get out of my head, Mom."
Shaking his head, Donghyun stood and headed toward the abandoned house. The air still carried the same stale scent. Outside, his old toy lay untouched, a silent reminder.
"I'm home, Mom."
Thoughts of his childhood drifted through Donghyun's mind. He saw his mother's gentle face, playing with him in the yard. A boy falling near a tree, then rising again, comforted by his mother's soft, soothing voice.
"Don't cry. You're a strong boy, Joo."
He remembered the time he fought with a friend over a toy, his mother's words clear in his ears.
"Joo, always remember being kind doesn't make you weak."
Leaving the memories behind. The streets were quieter now, the wind colder, the sun dipped low, bleeding orange over the horizon.
As he neared his apartment, a shadow blocked his path.
The drunk man from earlier. This time, had two companions.
"Hey, kid. I told you not to mess with me. Now you're gonna pay."
Donghyun didn't reply.
The drunkard unsheathed a short sword. Mana crackled around them.
And then.
[ Threat detected. Kill the intruder. ]
[ Shadow Extraction: Active ] [ Shadow Grasp: Active ]
The shadow behind Donghyun twisted, alive, hungry, waiting.
It struck.
The man froze, too late.
A piercing crack, blood sprayed the alley.
The others turned to run.
The shadow snapped out, tendrils wrapped their ankles, bones shattered. Screams rang out until silence returned.
Donghyun didn't move, blood spattered his face. His breath was shallow.
A cold whisper slid under his skin.
"Feed me more."
It didn't come from outside. It came from the thing coiled in his shadow.
"Feed me more."
He dropped to his knees, pain crushed his chest, vision blurred.
A man laughing with his family, a monster tearing them apart. Two men starving, then fists and boots.
"Feed me more."
His body trembled.
[ Shadow Soldier (Human) Extracted. ] [ Slot: 4/10 ] [ Synchronization: 4% ] [ Shadow Trauma: Absorbed. ]
Silence.
Donghyun walked out of the alley.
The blood on his clothes dried under the sun, the world moved on.
He stopped in front of a vending machine. In the flickering glass, a stranger stared back blood on his cheek, a shadow swirling behind his eyes.
[Trait Obtained: Abyssal Mind – You remain composed in the face of danger]
Donghyun didn't flinch, he stepped into his apartment the door slid shut, blood left faint footprints, only the fridge hummed.
He looked at his hand. It trembled, just slightly.
"I..killed a human."
He waited for something guilt, panic, nausea
But there was only the faint ache behind his eyes.
[Trauma Absorption: Complete.]
[Level Up – You have reached Level 2.]
Donghyun stared at the screen.
Too many notifications.
[01:11:52]
Then.
[An Upper-Rank Monarch from the Higher Floors has shown interest in you]
[Tap "Yes" to view the request]