Kael stood over the ashes.
The Rift Beast was gone—its body had turned into black dust and flickering purple sparks. The entire testing hall was silent now, except for the quiet hum of broken lights and the distant whine of sirens.
> *I really did it.*
He stared at the pipe in his hand. It was bent, bloody, and still warm. His grip was tight, his knuckles white.
The students around him hadn't even seen it happen.
Most had run the moment the ceiling shattered. A few lay unconscious behind overturned desks. The scanner proctor was bleeding from the head, slumped against the wall.
Kael's chest rose and fell. His heart was still racing.
> *I died once. I rewound. I struck back.*
> *And I leveled up.*
---
He opened the glowing blue panel again.
It hovered in front of him like a silent voice in his mind.
---
### 🧿 \[STATUS SCREEN – KAEL ARDYN]
> **Class**: None
> **Unique Trait**: Singular Point
> **Rewind Protocol**: Active
>
> **Level**: 3
> **Health**: 67/150
> **Stamina**: 22/60
> **Available Stat Points**: 12
>
> ➤ Strength: 6
> ➤ Agility: 8
> ➤ Perception: 9
> ➤ Intelligence: 7
> ➤ Willpower: 10
> ➤ Luck: ?
>
> ⚔ Skill: **\[Second Strike]** — Replay a physical action at 150% speed.
> Cooldown: 60 sec
---
> *Second Strike…* Kael thought. *A combat echo. Like a rewind, but inside my own body.*
He didn't touch the stat points yet. Not now. He wanted to understand more before choosing anything.
Too many questions burned inside his head.
Why him?
Why could he rewind time?
And why had the system called him a "Voidwalker"?
> *What is the Void?*
---
Suddenly, a voice crackled through the hall's intercom system.
> "—All students remain in place. Emergency forces en route. Do not engage further Rift threats—"
Kael looked around.
Soldiers would arrive soon.
They'd scan for survivors.
Check for Rift traces.
They might even arrest anyone suspicious.
And Kael… had no guild. No class. No protection.
> *If Rhaz blamed me before...*
> *What happens now that I'm the only one standing?*
---
He turned toward the broken wall. Rain poured in from outside.
He stepped toward it slowly, his legs still sore from the fight, blood dripping from his elbow.
A broken scanner core sparked on the floor as he passed.
Kael's body ached, but his mind was clear.
---
Then something strange happened.
A **second system window** appeared.
It wasn't blue.
It was **black.**
The letters glowed silver, like they were carved from the stars.
---
### 🕳 \[VOIDWALKER PATH – STAGE 1 REACHED]
> You have changed your fate.
>
> A new future has awakened.
>
> The Void is watching.
>
> ▸ Do you wish to open your **First Rift Thread**?
> ▸ \[Yes] / \[No]
---
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
This… this was different.
It wasn't just a skill.
It felt deeper. Older.
Like something alive was behind the message.
He hesitated.
His thumb hovered over the **\[Yes]** option.
> *What if this is what started it all?*
> *What if… this is what makes me into the monster I saw in the future?*
He closed the screen.
Not yet.
> *Not until I know more.*
---
Suddenly, he heard footsteps—real ones.
Rough boots on tile.
Voices shouting through the hallway outside.
He moved quickly, ducking behind a fallen pillar. From the shadows, he watched **five soldiers in black armor** rush in, weapons drawn.
> "Clear the room!"
> "Target was a Rift Beast, C-rank at least!"
> "Any survivors?"
One of them paused near the remains of the beast's core—still glowing faintly.
> "There was a fight here. Someone killed this thing."
> "Who?"
They scanned the room.
> "No bodies."
> "Wait—there's someone moving out back—!"
Kael slipped quietly through a side door, his hand still gripping the blood-stained pipe.
---
Outside, the city was a blur of chaos. Fires burned in the distance. Police lights flashed in the fog.
Kael pulled up his hood and disappeared into the smoke.
---
Somewhere deep within the system, something awakened.
**A Rift far beyond this world shuddered open.**
Eyes blinked in the darkness.
And the Void… took interest.
**To be continued.**