Smoke coiled from the cracked capsule as Lee Raon struggled to stand. His legs buckled, and his hands dug into the metal floor, fingertips still glowing faintly blue.
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the auditorium. Even the students who had just laughed at him now stared with fear.
"Stand down!" one of the agents barked, stepping forward with a taser rifle aimed at Raon's chest.
Agent Bae Gunwoo raised a hand. "Wait."
Raon's head pounded. It wasn't just adrenaline. It was information. Data, like a flood, crashing into his consciousness.
> [System Online.]
[Species: Human → Incompatible. Rewriting base structure...]
[Primary Evolution Path: Blue Dragon (Abyssal Variant).]
[Evolution Level: 1]
[Evolution Points: 0]
[Skill Tree: Locked. Shop: Locked.]
[Survive to unlock further stages.]
He gasped for air. His heartbeat was thunder.
Then, like an instinct—his eyes darted toward Agent Bae.
He wasn't scared anymore.
"That scan... It wasn't serum-based."
Bae knelt beside Raon, speaking more to himself than anyone else. "No injection. No mutation trace. And yet—he's active."
He turned to the agents. "Bring in suppression gear. Class Zero candidate."
Several gas-masked agents stepped forward with heavy collars and restraints.
Raon tried to speak, but before he could rise—a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Run," whispered a voice.
It was Seo Hana.
She yanked him up and shoved him toward the emergency exit behind the stage.
"Wait—why are you—"
"No time!"
A loud bang echoed as a tranquilizer dart hit the wall inches from his face. Raon didn't look back.
Outside – Rear Courtyard
They burst through a maintenance door into the cold morning air. The school's back lot stretched into a row of pine trees and storage sheds.
"Why did you help me?" Raon asked between breaths.
Seo Hana was panting too. "You idiot. That wasn't evolution. That was something else. The government… they'll erase you."
Raon frowned. "You knew?"
"My brother was in Class Zero. I thought he died. Turns out, they just... took him. And now, you're the same."
Raon clutched his chest. That something inside him—whatever system had awakened—was alive. Watching. Guiding.
> [You have escaped a government-level threat. +1 Evolution Point earned.]
[EP: 1]
[Shop partially unlocked.]
He blinked.
A blue panel appeared in front of his eyes:
☰ Blue Dragon Evolution System – Shop (Tier 0)
Instinct Boost (Passive) – 1 EP
Heightens your reaction speed and danger sense by 25%.
Predator's Mark (Active) – 1 EP
Temporarily marks a target. First strike deals bonus damage.
Scale Regeneration (Passive) – 1 EP
Heal minor wounds slowly over time.
He stared in disbelief.
This wasn't just some upgrade system.
It was a weapon—disguised as destiny.
Raon gritted his teeth. "Instinct Boost."
The panel flashed.
> [Purchased. Passive activated.]
Suddenly, the world sharpened. The wind against his skin, the shifting footsteps behind the wall, even Hana's nervous breath beside him—he could feel them all.
Just in time.
"They're coming." Raon turned to Hana.
Black vans were pulling around the building.
She cursed. "We can't outrun them."
"No," Raon said calmly. "But I can stop them."
His hand clenched. That glow returned—blue veins running through his arm like living energy.
> [Evolution Skill Tree partially detected. Unlock condition: First Kill.]
A faint snarl filled the air.
Raon looked up. From behind the treeline, something was moving.
A monster.
Its limbs were twisted, body mottled with stone and flesh. Red eyes. A mutated boar the size of a truck.
> [Beast-Class Mutation detected: Earthborn Grunter. Estimated Level: 4.]
[Warning: Current Level 1. Victory improbable.]
Raon smiled grimly. "Guess we level up the hard way."
The First Hunt Begins
The Grunter let out a piercing squeal and charged. Hana screamed.
But Raon's feet moved on their own. The Instinct Boost flared—every movement of the beast mapped in his mind like a puzzle.
Mark it.
> [Predator's Mark – 1 EP required.]
[Confirmed.]
The mark appeared: a glowing sigil on the creature's chest. Raon darted to the side as the beast smashed through a shed.
Dust exploded. Hana ducked for cover.
Raon ran up a pile of crates, leaped, and slammed his elbow into the mark.
The beast shrieked as the impact cracked its armor. His arm, pulsing with blue flame, tore through muscle and bone.
> [Critical hit dealt.] [Target HP: 37%]
The Grunter swiped—Raon flew into a wall, coughing blood.
Move, move—
He rolled as the monster charged again, this time slower, bleeding heavily. Raon grabbed a metal rod and jammed it into its mouth as it lunged.
Blue energy surged from his body, flowing through the rod.
A flash.
Silence.
The Grunter collapsed.
> [Target defeated. +4 Evolution Points earned.]
[Skill Tree unlocked.]
[Level Up: 1 → 2]
[You have gained: Dragon Vein Tier I]
[New Passive: Draconic Endurance unlocked.]
Raon dropped to his knees, heart racing. His muscles ached, but something inside him was stronger. Denser. Alive.
He looked at his hands. Blue scales flickered across his knuckles—no longer illusion, but real.
Back at the School
Agent Bae stared at the crater left by the Grunter's corpse. His agents circled it, confused and afraid.
"He didn't run," Bae muttered. "He evolved… during a chase. Class Zero? No. This is something else."
He turned to the comms unit on his wrist.
"Activate national alert. Mark this student: Lee Raon."
Pause.
"Target Classification: Rogue Dragon."