The night felt heavier than usual.
Rain no longer fell, but the smell of burning sin still lingered in Jiwoon's coat.
[System Status]
Sin Points: 700
Threshold for Avatar Manifestation: 1,000
Stability: 62%
His hand trembled slightly.
He wasn't tired. He was changing.
Not just physically.
Not just emotionally.
Something deeper — like a part of him had stopped belonging to this world.
Flashback – A Promise Broken
"You're not like them, Jiwoon… please."
His mother's voice.
It haunted him more than any scream.
But that voice was fading now.
Buried under the weight of too many sins, too many executions.
"I'm sorry, Mom…"
"But the world made me choose."
The Next Target
Assigned Sin No.005
Name: Im Hojin
Crime: Framing minors for corporate blackmail
Location: SinCorp HQ, Sector 4, Level 27
Jiwoon arrived at the tower's lobby at dawn.
Everyone ignored him. He looked like any other overworked employee.
But the elevator knew better.
"Welcome back, Executor."
The doors sealed behind him.
SinCorp HQ – Level 27
Im Hojin was already waiting, sipping imported whiskey like he ruled the sky.
"You're with them, right? The System?"
Jiwoon didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
The floor beneath Im Hojin cracked — thin black lines of judgment spreading like spiderwebs.
"This isn't how justice works!"
Jiwoon's voice was colder than steel.
"You're right."
"This is how sin gets collected."
Sin Skill Unlocked: [Black Bindings]
Chains burst from the walls — shadowy, burning, alive.
They wrapped around Hojin's limbs, pulling every false report, every bribed sentence from his memory.
"Let them all crawl into your skin…"
The chains didn't just bind.
They inflicted.
Screams filled the skyscraper.
[System Update]
Target Eliminated.
Sin Points: +250
Total Sin Points: 950
Warning: Emotional fracture detected.
New Target Generated…
Sin No.006
Name: Kim Ringo
Crime: Data manipulation, blackmail, system corruption
Location: NexusNet Core – Sector 3
Jiwoon collapsed onto a rooftop moments later.
His hands steamed. His breath came in fire.
He tried to focus. But the world tilted.
"You're not like them… please."
His mother's voice again. Distant. Like a memory left outside the door.
"I'm sorry, Mom…"
"But the door's already open."
Jiwoon's eyes narrowed.
A hacker — someone tampering with the Sin System itself.
"No more stalling."
"One more sin… then I break."
As he stepped into the rain again, a voice followed.
"Yes… purge him. And let me in."
It didn't sound like his voice.
But it came from inside.