6:30 a.m.
Akito hadn't slept. He sat in the kitchen, squinting at the system screen, cycling through tabs for the hundredth time.
His mind burned with curiosity.
Who is this Guardian waiting at level 50?
He opened the [Stats] tab:
Attack: 80 HP: 120 Mana: 0 Age: 18 Height: 182 cm Weight: 78 kg Skills: "Iron Will" (Lv.1) Strength: 1 / ∞ [+] Speed: 2 / ∞ [+] Endurance: 0 / ∞ [+] Vitality: 1 / ∞ [+] Energy: 0 / ∞ [+] Bonus Points: 17
"Not bad. Time to get stronger," he muttered and quickly distributed the points:
Strength +4 → [Attack: 80 → 160] Speed +3 → [Speed increased by 25%] Endurance +4 → [Fatigue resistance improved] Vitality +6 → [HP: 120 → 240]
"I'll save Energy for later. Still don't know how that works…"
He stretched, almost feeling his body becoming lighter, stronger.
Then a new window appeared:
[New Quest Received!]
[Defeat the Boss: Hazgur, King of the Desert (0/1)]
[Time Limit: ∞]
[Begin] / [Later]
Time to see what I'm really capable of.
He tapped [Begin].
A pulse of white-blue light surrounded him.
The world broke into pixels.
A moment later, Akito hit cracked asphalt with a thud.
He got to his feet and looked around.
A deserted, ruined city. Steel car frames, shattered windows, absolute silence.
The air was dry — like time itself had burned this place away.
Then the ground trembled.
With a loud crack, a massive humanoid burst from beneath the earth — nearly three meters tall.
Instead of legs, it had massive pincers. A black stinger curled from its back.
In one hand — a staff, topped with skulls, glowing faintly yellow.
Above its head, a blue label: [Hazgur]
It turned its head toward Akito and let out a piercing howl.
"…What in the world…" Akito whispered — but didn't back down.
You're different now. You're stronger.
He summoned his weapon — Raident — and the dagger appeared instantly in his hand, glowing with a bluish shimmer.
Hazgur roared and slammed his staff into the ground, kicking up a storm of sand.
Akito charged forward.
Speed. Strength. Everything felt different.
The battle began.
Steel clashed with sorcery. Dagger met staff. A second later — an explosion.
Raident's blade detonated on impact, just like promised.
It works, Akito thought, already aiming for Hazgur's flank.
But the creature growled and blocked with its staff. Another blast — black smoke filled the air.
Before Akito could retreat, a massive hand grabbed his torso — squeezing hard.
A rib cracked.
He struggled — no use.
This is bad…
The tail came crashing down.
It slammed him into the ground with such force that he bounced back into the air.
Then the staff followed — crashing into him like a hammer.
He slammed through the wall of a nearby building, debris scattering in his wake.
[-170 HP]
"That actually hurt…" he groaned, wiping blood from his lip.
His eyes landed on the cracked wall behind him — the one he'd just created.
Through the dust, he saw a wave of sand surging straight at him.
Not today.
He shot forward, leaving behind a fading shadow.
At the last second, he thrust Raident forward — boom.
The explosion scattered sand in every direction.
Need to distract him… even for a second.
Hazgur spotted him again and charged.
Each step made the ground tremble.
His heavy footsteps echoed through the dead city.
Only a few meters now.
Akito struck the ground in front of him with his dagger.
A loud boom. Flash. Black smoke.
Hazgur hesitated — wrong move.
From the smoke, a silhouette emerged.
Akito leapt, slamming the blade into the back of Hazgur's head.
But nothing exploded.
The creature let out a furious roar and swung.
Its hand missed Akito's head by inches.
"Too slow."
But it wasn't enough. The skin was too tough. Too durable.
Then—
Akito launched himself back.
He gripped Raident and aimed for Hazgur's chest, where a faint blue core pulsed.
"Please… work one more time."
One breath.
He threw it.
The dagger struck dead center.
The core cracked.
FLASH.
A thunderous boom shook the ruins.
The building behind Akito trembled like an earthquake.
The core erupted in brilliant light.
Then came the second blast — far stronger.
It tore what was left of Hazgur apart.
The giant's body shuddered…
Dropped to its knees.
Then collapsed forward, face-first into the dust.
[Boss Defeated: Hazgur, King of the Desert]
[Reward: +5000 eni | Skill upgrade: "Iron Will" Lv.1 → Lv.2 | New Skill: "Victor" Lv.1]
[Level Up: 11 → 36]
[Bonus Points Gained: 20]
Akito stood there, trembling.
His shoulders shook. His body ached.
But his eyes — burned with fire.
"…And yet, I'm still standing," he whispered, watching the ash scatter in the wind.
The white-blue light returned.
A moment later — thud — he crashed back onto the floor of his apartment.
"I'm home…" he muttered, slowly rising. "I need food… I'm starving."
He tried to stand — pain shot through his body like lightning.
"Ugh… Ribs. Pretty sure Hazgur broke a few," he hissed.
He opened the System Menu and navigated to [Shop].
"Recovery Potion (Lv.2)… restores 50% HP… 10,000 eni…"
Akito winced.
"I only have five thousand. Not enough."
Then he noticed a new tab: [Currency Exchange]
"What's this…?" He tapped it.
[Currency Exchange]
100 yen = 1000 eni
1000 eni = 100 yen
"I had some cash on me…"
He searched his pockets, pulled out a crumpled bill.
"Two hundred yen."
He slid his finger across the screen:
[Exchange 200 yen → 2000 eni?]
[Yes] / [No]
"Yes."
The screen flashed — system balance updated:
eni: 7000
"Still short…"
Then he remembered the card in his wallet.
"No choice."
He exchanged another 300 yen from his card.
Balance: 10,000 eni
[Purchase: Recovery Potion (Lv.2) — 10,000 eni. Confirm?]
[Yes]
A vial of green liquid materialized in front of him.
Without hesitation, Akito drank it.
The pain began to fade instantly.
"Much better…" he whispered, walking toward the bed.
His eyelids grew heavy.
The system slowly faded from view.
He lay down, closed his eyes — almost asleep — when…
Knock.
A soft tap at the door.
Akito slowly got up and opened it.
On the floor — a small white envelope.
No sound. No one in sight. Just… the envelope.
He picked it up. Inside — a single note:
"You are part of the game now.
Don't think you'll leave it."
Akito crumpled the note in his fist.