The last echo of Renji's knuckles smashing through the spider boss's skull faded into the stale air of the underground station. The massive body twitched once, then slumped lifelessly on the cracked tiles, its black ichor pooling and steaming.
For a long moment, Renji just stood there, panting, his breath clouding in the cold underground air. Then, without warning, the flickering lights above snapped back to life with a sharp click-click-click. Harsh white light flooded the abandoned station, revealing shattered benches, rusted rails, and the countless dog-sized spider corpses scattered around like discarded toys.
A familiar chime rang in his head.
[Congratulations! You have advanced to Rank: E (Bronze)]
Renji's eyes widened. "Yes… finally! E rank!" He pumped his fist, grinning despite the sweat dripping down his temple. "Hopefully I can hit D rank before the competition."
Another notification slid across his vision.
[Skill Acquired: Void Sense]
Allows the user to detect incoming danger within a short radius by sensing hostile beast essence. Works in synergy with Echo Sense. Cannot be deactivated once triggered.
Renji whistled. "Wow… that's actually gonna come in handy." He dropped onto a broken bench, uncorked one of Mr. Ain's potions, and took a long swig. The metallic taste burned down his throat, but the ache in his limbs began to fade.
Bing.
Renji froze. This notification wasn't like the others—its font seemed… sharper, almost deliberate.
[Nice. You actually made it to E rank. When I saw your stats when we first met, I didn't think you'd hit E rank in a week. I underestimated you, human.]
Renji blinked. "...What?" He stared at the text, his brow furrowing.
[What, you didn't think I could have a mind of my own?]
A chill crawled down his spine. "Why haven't you said anything until now?"
[Because your rank is too low. There is much I want to tell you—but you need to grow stronger first. When the time comes, I will tell you why you were brought to this world… and the dangers ahead. For now, grow stronger. And here's a little gift.]
Bing.
[You have received: Heavenly Eyes]
Allows the user to see another being's beast type and name.
Renji stared at the glowing text. "You've gotta be kidding me… this is insane."
[Goodbye for now. Grow stronger.]
"Wait!" Renji called out, but the presence was already gone. His voice echoed across the empty station, unanswered.
"Hey—are you still there?"
The system's normal interface blinked back into existence, as if nothing had happened.
[All active skills have advanced to E Rank.]
[Unassigned Points: +26]
[Loot Acquired: Voidspawn Core (Rare), Venom Gland, Web Silk Bundle]
Renji exhaled slowly, staring at the loot list, his heart still racing. Whatever just happened… this system wasn't just numbers and skills.
It was watching him.