The hall trembled. Sirens screamed. Somewhere beyond the reinforced glass, a gate shimmered—blue, unstable, and far too close. From its swirling depths, something slithered out. Twice the height of a man, with jagged claws and armor-like scales. An E-Rank beast, far beyond Seo Joon's league.
Students scattered. Instructors shouted orders, some channeling elemental skills, others grabbing weapons. Seo Joon stood still, breath shallow. No weapon. No skills. Just numbers on a screen and a pulsing red stone in his coat.
He ran—not from fear, but instinct. Ducking through a side hall, he found a broken armory door. Inside, chaos. Bodies. A half-broken sword.
He grabbed it. It felt heavy, unfamiliar. But it was real.
The creature crashed through the wall. A young girl tried to shield herself with her arms. Seo Joon moved.
One slice. Another. The sword cracked. Blood spilled. Not just the monster's.
Pain burned across his chest, but the beast fell. The red stone emerged again—this time, pulsing stronger.
> "Core Stone acquired.
Use unavailable: System not yet synchronized with Combat Protocols."
He collapsed beside the dead beast, bloodied, confused.
Around him, the awakened world kept moving.