Renji sat cross-legged on the thin mattress in his dimly lit room, the cracked screen of his phone casting a faint glow across the peeling walls. His body still ached, bruises blooming under his shirt, but he didn't feel weak. If anything… he felt more alive than ever.
The system window floated in the air before him like a ghostly mirror.
[Status Panel]
Name: Renji Kurozawa
Rank: F (Gold)
Level: 10
Beast Resonance: 22% → 24%
Unassigned Points: +15
His lips curled faintly. Slowly climbing.
He tapped the stat window. Numbers flickered as he dragged points into place.
+5 Strength. +4 Speed. +4 Perception. +2 Endurance.
The update chimed.
[Stats Updated]
• Strength: 26
• Speed: 24
• Perception: 29
• Endurance: 24
• Vitality: 12
• Luck: 12
His fist tightened, veins pulsing with quiet power. Every fiber of his body felt heavier… yet sharper. His muscles thrummed under his skin like coiled springs, and his senses—
He froze.
The world… sounded different.
He could hear the faint hum of the fridge in the kitchen, the soft tick-tick of a leaking tap, even the muffled conversation of his neighbors through concrete walls. The city outside was alive—a thousand heartbeats, hundreds of footsteps, and the distant rumble of traffic far beyond what human ears should catch.
[Skill Enhancement Active: Echo Sense]
Renji exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. Vibrations mapped the room in his head like invisible threads. The creak of the floor under his foot. The wind brushing the cracked window. It wasn't just hearing anymore—it was awareness.
He opened his eyes, and for a moment, his pupils glowed faint blue.
"This… is insane," he whispered. "No one's sneaking up on me ever again."
The screen flickered, showing the rest of his skills.
[Skills:]
Feral Claw (E Rank)
Predator's Gaze
Fearless Tenacity [Passive]
Dash (E Rank)
Serpent Shedding (E Rank)
Viper Aura Armor (E Rank)
Alpha Aura (F Rank)
Echo Sense (F Rank)
A soft smile crept onto his lips. He wasn't the same Renji who entered his first gate trembling. That boy was gone.
But… this isn't enough yet. Not for what's coming.
Bzzzt.
The cracked phone vibrated, breaking the silence. A notification glowed across the fractured screen.
[Message from: Ain]
"Tomorrow. Another gate. Be ready."
Renji stared at it for a long moment before tossing the phone onto the bed. He leaned back against the wall, eyes half-lidded.
His breathing slowed, but the wild rhythm in his veins didn't. His instincts were screaming for something more. Another fight. Another predator to kill.
And as the faint hum of the city pulsed in his ears, he smiled in the dark—soft and dangerous.
Tomorrow… someone else would bleed.