Help! There are too many!"
A Sal screamed, stumbling back, sword shaking in his hand.
Twelve years ago, magic like a tidal wave rose inside everyone. Some used it for good, some for nothing, and some called Suls twisted it into something ugly. The Sals are the ones who stand between those two worlds. Guardians, balance-keepers. That's what people tell each other to sleep at night.
Ranks run from low to high: Sal -1, Sal 0, Sal 1, Sal 2, Sal B, Sal A, Sal S. You don't earn a rank by practice alone. It's born with your magic how much you have, what shape it takes. Sometimes power runs in families: mother has crystal magic, daughter wrinkles it into ice. Lineage matters. Luck matters more.
"Move aside. I'll handle this." A Rank 2 stepped forward, flanked by two Rank 1s and eight Rank 2s. They were trying to hold the line against Suls. Shadow magic made the air heavy one of the four ancient forces: Shadow, Water, Fire, Light. You could usually feel Suls coming from the heart; their warmth goes cold.
The scene tore open when a massive black dragon dropped from the clouds. A man sat on its back scar across his right eye, a red cloak snapping behind him, eyes like coals, a sword with a red gem bleeding darkness from its edge.
"FIREBORN is here! Go, dragon! DESTROY EVERYTHING!" he bellowed.
They called him the Dark King.
An S-Rank Sal stepped forward. "Who are you?"
"Fireborn," the man said. "The new king of mankind."
The S-Rank narrowed his eyes. "I doubt that."
They clashed. It was over before it began. Fireborn cut the S-Rank down, the Sal bleeding and falling to his knees.
"I can only use it once every five years," the Sal breathed. "Sealing Magic… SHADOWLAND!"
A black sphere blossomed and swallowed Fireborn like a hole in the sky. But magic takes a price. The S-Rank collapsed, emptied of blood and light. Fireborn vanished. The dragon escaped.
After that day, seven portals started opening every week in the city. The Sals fought until they bled. No one knew if Fireborn had truly died.
⸻
5:00 AM. My alarm stabs me awake.
I sit up in the narrow apartment and stare at the ceiling. Last day in a place they gave me. No idea why they're making me move. No family left—just this weird necklace from Mom, the one I can't remember much about. I pull it out and roll it between my fingers. It's heavy with quiet.
Name's Mike Tyl. I'm fourteen. Supposed to be the age magic wakes—between fourteen and sixteen, everyone says like it's a rule carved in stone. I want to be Rank S. Who wouldn't? The power. The respect. The chance to never be helpless again.
"Thirty-five push-ups. Five kilometers." I tell myself the warm-up like a prayer and hit the floor.
By seven I'm running through the city, lungs burning but smiling. The mornings make me stupidly happy. I stop at Lasa's drink shop; her dad's broth—magical, overpriced—promises to boost your magic. Lasa waves. We're not friends, not really. Just regulars who see each other too often.
I'm paying when the building trembles. A portal tears open across the square. Shouts. People stampede. I look up through the shop window.
Only one thing steps out: a black knight with a sword the size of a lamppost. Beside him—flying, snarling—is a wolf with one red eye and one blue eye.
"Run!" I yell. Lasa and I bolt.
The knight throws his sword like a javelin. It pierces me. Not deep enough to kill, but enough to paint the world red. Pain rips through my side. I taste copper.
Then—warmth. I wake somewhere else.
The land is wrong. Trees twist like cracked ribs. A black castle splinters the horizon. A voice slides into my head—not sound but a presence. The wolf.
"You have potential. Trust me. This land is evil. Give me the necklace. Let me seal myself inside it."
I want to protest, to say no. I'm fourteen and bleeding and terrified. The necklace hums against my chest and lights up when I nod. A spark runs through me like permission being granted.
Someone kicks me. The knight's voice is close, cruel. "So you're his kid? What a weakling."
I try to speak. The wolf murmurs, "Stop. Don't talk yet."
The scarred man laughs like a blade. "Soon I'll return. Any strong Sals left on Earth?"
"Yes… me. I'll become the strongest," I rasp.
He grins and drives the sword through my chest. Light bleeds out of everything. I think about my mom. The world folds.
"No… it's not over. But everything will change," I hear—maybe my own voice or something older—and then black.
⸻
My alarm pulls me back. Phone buzzing. I snap upright, coughing, tears drying on my face.
A light floats—impossible and exactly the kind of thing that should not exist in my apartment. A small, glowing screen hovers in front of me and a line of text unfurls across it.
Hello, Player 'Wolf'!
You're new here, aren't you? This is your starter guide to achieving your dream.
Calculating your status…
I stare. The words blink like they belong to someone else's life.
Current Level: 1
Equivalent Rank: Sal -1
A button pulses below: "Daily Missions (3) — View?"
My finger hovers. Hesitation tastes like metal. I press OK.
Daily Missions (3):
Answer this question: Is it your life's goal to become the strongest?
Complete today's training — Open?
Go to Lasa's potion shop.
Two choices flash under the first question: Yes / No.
I tap Yes because I don't know what else to do.
System is adjusting… please wait.
Begin Awakening?
"Awakening?" I whisper. A laugh leaks out—half-fear, half-excitement. I press Awaken.
Pain like a furnace. My skin feels like it's being pulled inside out. Blue, then red, then heat like someone poured the sun down my throat. I scream until the ceiling bends.
When it stops, the screen says:
Awakening complete.
Welcome, Player Wolf.
+20 EXP
Level 1 | 80 EXP to Level Up
Status: None
My hand shakes as I open the Stats.
Stats:
• Health: 100
• Stamina: 50
• Strength: 20
• Magic: 10
• Wolf: 0
• Aura: -0
"What do any of these even mean?" I mutter. It's ridiculous and terrifying and—somewhere underneath—thrilling.
I close the system window and pull the necklace tighter to my chest. The apartment is the same. The city outside is the same. But something under my ribs is different now—like a watch started ticking.
I step outside into the morning. The sky is pale. Somewhere, a portal will open. Somewhere, Sals will run. I should be scared. Instead, my heart is a fist of stubbornness.
I'm fourteen. I have a necklace that houses a wolf and a system that calls me "Player Wolf." I have a dream: to be the strongest.
And if the world is going to change, then fine—so am I.
I start running to clear my head, but even at 6:00 AM the thoughts won't stop.
What the hell is all this? Is this good, or really, really bad?
And then that one thought comes back, like a toothache I can't ignore.
What is "Wolf"? And is that knight coming back?
If he is, I only have one hour. I get ready and stand outside Lasa's shop, waiting.
Thirty minutes left. I take a deep breath and whisper, "Wolf System."
The interface appears in front of me.
The menu reads:
• Stats available
• Daily available
• Level available
• Shop locked
• Wolf locked
• Aura locked
That's when it hits me. This is not just some toy game. I'm part of something much bigger.
I check the time. It's 7:00 AM.
A low rumble shakes the street.
A portal reopens right in front of me.
I freeze as a cold wind cuts past.
No, it's really happening again.
Can I fight him? Am I even ready for this?
The knight steps out of the portal. This time, it's only him. The wolf with the mismatched eyes is gone.
A system window pops up.
Quest: Defeat the Knight, Reward 50 EXP
Starting in 3, 2, 1
The quest starts automatically. I can't choose anything this time.
The knight charges. He throws his enormous sword.
It must not pierce me again.
I dodge to the side. I have a plan.
I grab the thrown sword. It's heavier than it looks, but power surges through me, like someone pressed a button and added strength.
I throw the knight's sword back at him.
He blocks my throw.
That gives me my chance.
I leap up, swing with everything I have, and slam the knight into the ground.
A line of text flashes above him.
Ordinary Shadow Knight, 10 EXP
Then the quest completes.
50 EXP gained.
My total is now 80 EXP. I only need 20 more to reach my first level up.
I stand there, breathing hard. The knight lies motionless, sunk into the earth. He's dead.
I did it.
Was it the system? Was it me?