The sky over the city was painted gray.
Rain drizzled down as Han Jiwoon walked beneath a broken umbrella. His body still carried bruises from the night before — his first kill under the Sin System.
He didn't feel guilt.
He didn't feel relief.
Only… emptiness.
"One target down. Sin Points: 100."
The number echoed in his mind like a game stat.
But this wasn't a game — it was survival. A cursed journey tied to someone else's karma.
New Target Assigned
Jiwoon entered a half-abandoned internet café.
The flickering lights glitched like ghosts trapped in loops.
The holographic system blinked to life before his eyes.
Assigned Sin No.002
Name: Nam Gitae
Crime: Human trafficking, underage exploitation
Last Seen: Underground club, District 7
His hands clenched into fists.
"The deeper I go, the filthier it gets."
He leaned back in a cracked chair.
A buzzing neon light outside cast shadows on his face.
The system didn't care if he was tired.
It didn't care if the target was dangerous.
It only demanded one thing: purge the sin.
Flashback – One Year Ago
"Jiwoon… promise me, no matter what happens, don't let the world change your heart."
His mother's voice echoed from another life.
Back then, he believed people could change.
Back then, he still smiled.
Now, he was just a shadow with blood in his veins and justice in his fists.
Midnight Mission – District 7
The underbelly of the city.
Music. Vice. Violence.
Jiwoon entered with forged ID and eyes sharp enough to slice concrete.
System Alert: Target confirmed. Nam Gitae is present.
He saw the man in a VIP booth — surrounded by fake smiles and thicker bodyguards.
A predator in human skin.
Then a flash. A scream.
One of the girls tried to escape.
A guard raised his hand to strike her.
Jiwoon moved.
Fast. Too fast.
One strike.
One body down.
Blood on the wall.
He grabbed the girl and pushed her aside.
Nam Gitae tried to run — but Jiwoon was already there.
"Who the hell are y—"
A fist shattered his jaw.
Jiwoon pinned him down.
"I'm the debt you thought would never be collected."
Then he whispered:
[Sin Consumption – Level 1 Activated]
"Your sin becomes my weapon."
A black surge erupted from Jiwoon's hand.
Nam Gitae's screams echoed… and then silence.
System Update
Target Eliminated
Sin Points: +200
Unlocked Skill: Shadow Bind – temporarily immobilize a sinner
Jiwoon stood over the corpse, breathing slowly.
For a brief second… he smiled.
But something changed.
Something New
A voice.
Cold. Whispering.
"You call this justice?"
"Take more. Feel more."
"Let them all burn."
He flinched.
Looked around.
No one was there.
But the voice remained.
Not loud — just familiar.
His fingers trembled.
The Sin System blinked again.
Sin Points: 300
Threshold for Instability: 1,000
Warning: Emotional suppression may result in transformation.
Jiwoon staggered into the alley, rain still falling.
He pressed his hand against his chest.
There was a burn beneath his ribs — like something inside him was waking up.
"This isn't just about vengeance anymore…"
He walked off into the dark, unaware of the shadow trailing behind him.