Akito stepped out of the barrier. No trace of blood, not even a scratch — as if nothing had happened. Arden, as always, disappeared into his own dimension in an instant. The people around moved as usual, unaware that a battle that had shifted fates had just taken place.
He ran a hand across his face and smiled slightly.
"Really feels like a dream…"
But from afar — someone was watching.
A young woman with short chestnut hair and dark sunglasses crouched near the curb. She picked up a short, reddish hair from the ground, twirled it between her fingers.
"Too coarse… not human," she muttered. Then narrowed her eyes, watching Akito walk away.
"Just who are you?"
Back home, the moment Akito shut the door, Arden popped out from his dimension, plopped down in front of the TV, and grabbed the game controller.
"Alright, time to keep playing this… Yoshi-monster of yours!" he declared excitedly.
Akito, his head still heavy from everything, collapsed onto the couch.
"Hey, Arden… do you think there are others like me? Other system users?"
"Hm… maybe. But honestly, I'm more worried about you. How do you even feel… after taking someone's life?"
Arden's voice was unexpectedly serious.
Akito froze. No answer. Just silence.
Then suddenly — a system window appeared before his eyes:
[You have defeated a system user]
[Reward: +3000 enny | "Iron Will" upgraded (Lv.2 → Lv.3) | New skill unlocked: "Eye of Truth" (Lv.1)]
[Level up: 51 → 67]
[Bonus stat points: +15]
[Your Rank has increased: D → C]
[Reach Level 75 to unlock: Guardian Ascension]
"Guardian Ascension?" Akito repeated. "Hey, Arden, do you know what that is?"
"Well, duh. When you reach the required level, you can upgrade me — new rank, new powers… and of course, a brand-new level of coolness," Arden winked.
"Oooh, my rank went up."
Akito opened his stats panel:
Attack: 260 HP: 300 Mana: 773 / 2500 Age: 18 Height: 182 cm Weight: 78 kg Skills: Iron Will (Lv.3), Victor (Lv.1), Eye of Truth (Lv.1) Strength: 10 / ∞ [+] Speed: 10 / ∞ [+] Stamina: 6 / ∞ [+] Health: 10 / ∞ [+] Energy: 5 / ∞ [+] Bonus Points: 15
"Alright then… Health +5…" [HP: 300 → 400]
"Energy +10…" [Mana: 2500 → 7500]
"Should be good enough."
He opened the skills tab:
Iron Will (Lv.3): Reduces perceived pain by 40% when the user feels no fear and doesn't retreat from battle. Eye of Truth (Lv.1): Reveals any lie.
Who are you really, system? he thought.
For a moment, he wondered about the future. About the second Guardian, who was supposed to appear at level 100.
"Hopefully it's not another animal… I'm not running a zoo here."
Elsewhere in the city, in a hidden lab, a woman with icy blue eyes entered recent anomalies into a private database.
Sunday, June 7 – 7:48 AM
Akito awoke to strange silence. Arden wasn't in his usual spot in front of the TV.
"What the heck…" he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Then — the crash of shattering dishes came from the kitchen.
"Oh no — Arden?!" Akito jumped out of bed and dashed toward the sound.
Inside the kitchen, his fox-like Guardian stood amidst the wreckage of three or maybe four plates. He was holding a spoon and looked completely unfazed.
"These plates aren't suited for noodles. Too fragile," Arden muttered. "You go relax. I'll handle the cooking."
"Relax? I just wanna eat!" Akito groaned, but then sighed and waved him off. "Fine… just don't touch anything else."
"Sure thing, boss," Arden replied cheerfully and strolled away like nothing had happened.
Akito began cleaning up, grumbling under his breath:
"This system's been nothing but expenses… First my favorite vase, now plates… At this rate, I'll be homeless."
A few minutes later, the kitchen sparkled again. The noodles were cooling on the table. They sat down to eat, casually chatting. Akito talked about the bosses he fought before meeting Arden, and the fox chimed in between bites.
"You really threw a dagger into it?" Arden asked.
"Right into the core. It exploded beautifully."
"Respect."
Then — the doorbell rang.
They both froze.
Akito stood up, glancing at Arden.
The fox was already ready — not to fight, but to escape into his dimension.
Author's Note
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Thank you for reading!