few minutes later, the neighbor finally regained consciousness.
"Akito… where… where's the monster…?" she mumbled weakly, clutching her head.
"What monster?" he replied calmly. "I didn't see anyone. You probably just felt unwell. You should rest."
He helped her up, guided her to her apartment, and gently closed the door behind her. With a deep sigh, he headed to the nearest store.
"That's just what I needed—panic in the building," Akito muttered. "Arden, seriously, you do look like a monster."
When he returned, Arden was sitting on the floor, playing a video game.
"Oh, you're back!" the fox-boy said with a grin. "Did you get the noodles?"
"Yeah, I did… and almost gave the neighbor a heart attack," Akito grumbled.
Arden laughed.
"I told you—I'm way too handsome for human eyes."
Akito snorted and headed to the kitchen. As the water boiled, he opened the [System] menu out of habit—only for a new warning to flash before his eyes:
[Threat Detected: Rank S]
"What now…" he started, but the window instantly vanished.
"Hey, you saw that too, right?" Arden asked, suddenly serious. "That message. You saw it?"
Akito nodded.
"It popped up… and disappeared just as fast."
"Then it's worse than I thought," Arden muttered. "The system detected someone. But it's not a boss. It's… a user."
"A user? You mean—like me?"
"No. Like us. Just corrupted. Someone who broke the rules."
A chill ran down Akito's spine.
Arden watched him with a long, thoughtful look.
"I think the game's about to change. And the stakes are rising."
"I'm going to cook something before that happens," Akito mumbled and turned back to the stove.
"Make mine spicy!" Arden yelled from the other room, smashing buttons on his controller.
As the water boiled, Akito pulled up his status window:
• Attack: 160
• HP: 240
• Mana: 0
• Age: 18
• Height: 182 cm
• Weight: 78 kg
• Skills: "Iron Will" (Lv.2), "Victor" (Lv.1)
• Strength: 5 / ♾️ [+]
• Speed: 5 / ♾️ [+]
• Endurance: 4 / ♾️ [+]
• Vitality: 7 / ♾️ [+]
• Energy: 0 / ♾️ [+]
• Bonus Points: 20
"Not bad," he muttered. "I'm getting stronger… but still not strong enough. I couldn't save Kaito…"
He opened the stat distribution menu:
• Strength +5 → [Attack: 160 → 260]
• Speed +5 → [+30% Total Speed Increase]
• Vitality +3 → [HP: 240 → 300]
• Endurance +2 → [Fatigue resistance increased]
• Energy +5 → [Mana: 0 → 2500]
"That's better," he whispered and closed the menu.
Just then, his phone rang. Akito walked into the other room, where Arden was struggling to beat a level.
"Yeah?"
"Akito, you coming in tomorrow?" came the gruff voice of Naoto, his foreman.
"Thinking of taking a day off…"
"You should've told me earlier," Naoto grumbled. "But hey, you're still young. Have fun."
Click. The line went dead.
Akito returned to the kitchen and poured hot water into the noodle cups. Right at that moment, Arden burst in.
"Awesome, food time!" he cheered.
They sat down to eat, but just as Akito picked up his chopsticks, a distorted system voice echoed from the living room…
"Hello, Akito… how could you leave me to die?"
[New Mission Received!]
[Eliminate the rogue system user]
[Begins in: 4 hours]
"Will I ever get to eat in peace…?" Akito sighed.
Arden was already slurping down his noodles, barely reacting.
"Mmm… delicious. I'm going back to my game."
"Arden… What is this system anyway? And how did you become a Guardian?"
The fox froze mid-step. His face went blank—emotionless. A red error message flickered before Akito's eyes:
[Error… Error… System malfunction.]
"Arden?" Akito called.
The fox's expression returned to normal in a flash.
"Huh? Oh—right! When you're ready, we'll go. I'm just gonna play a bit more."
He left the room like nothing happened. Akito sat in silence, chewing slowly as questions swirled in his mind.
"What was that? A glitch? Why exactly when I asked about the system? Too many questions… too few answers."
He opened his [Inventory]. Only a few items remained:
• 7500 Eny
• (Empty)
"My dagger…" he muttered. "It broke during the last fight. I need something new."
Opening the [Shop], Akito scrolled through the weapons list—until his gaze landed on one:
Sword: "Kagero"
• Attack: 300
• Durability: 115
• Bonus: Leaves a blue-violet flame upon slicing; burns enemies from the inside
• Price: 4000 Eny
[Buy?] [Yes] / [No]
"This is it," he whispered, tapping [Yes].
The blade materialized in his inventory, glowing softly in the dim light.
Elsewhere in the city…
The asphalt was still wet from the morning rain. A teenage boy stumbled through a narrow alleyway, clutching a torn backpack. His steps were uneven—like he wanted to run but was too afraid.
"Hey, loser!" someone shouted behind him.
He turned. Three boys. Laughing.
One grabbed him by the collar.
"You snitched on us again, didn't you?"
A fist slammed into his face.
"I… I didn't…" he stammered, but another punch knocked him down.
And so the game began. Kicks. Insults. More kicks. They spat next to him and walked away.
The boy slowly rose to his feet. Blood trickled down his nose. His clothes were ripped. His body ached.
He limped home.
"You again?!" his father barked the moment he walked in.
"For heaven's sake, enough already!" his mother yelled, not even looking at him.
No questions. No concern. He passed them like a ghost and climbed the stairs to his room.
Falling to the floor, he lay face down, fists clenched. Real, angry tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Why… Why does no one care…"
A sharp ping cut through the silence. A translucent window appeared before his eyes:
[You have been chosen by the System.]
[Would you like to activate your power?]
[Yes] [No]
He froze. Then, with a trembling hand, he tapped [Yes].
The screen flickered.
Skill Acquired: "Necromancer" (Lv.1)
[Special Permission: Revive fallen beings. Killing humans is restricted until trial is complete.]
His eyes glinted with a sinister light. His body trembled—not with fear, but with something else.
Power.
A new window opened—showing ruins, blood, shattered concrete.
[Target: Kaito – Deceased. Resurrection Available.]
"They're laughing…?" he whispered.
"Soon… you'll all stop."
He stepped into the glowing portal.
Seconds later, he stood over Kaito's lifeless body. The wind brushed through his hair. Blood had dried. The eyes were glassy.
"Wake up… You'll be the first who'll never betray me."
His hand glowed pale green. Kaito twitched. Slowly, shakily, he rose. His eyes glowed with death.
"Welcome back, my friend."