The thing about nearly dying is that your body doesn't let you forget.
I woke up at 4 AM in my apartment, every muscle screaming. The phantom sensation of Sera's fist connecting with my ribs made me flinch before I was fully conscious. My hands were shaking. Had been shaking since I got home.
The room smelled like cheap disinfectant and old coffee. My studio apartment—nine square meters of peeling wallpaper and a bathroom that shared a wall with the neighbor's kitchen. I could hear someone cooking breakfast. The sizzle of oil. The scrape of a spatula.
Normal sounds.
I stared at the ceiling and tried to remember what normal felt like.
[Daily Quest Available]
The blue notification hovered in my vision, cheerful and insistent.
Right. The System didn't care if I was tired.
I pulled up the quest without moving.
[Daily Quest: "Preparation of the Sovereign"][Push-ups: 0/100][Sit-ups: 0/100][Squats: 0/100][Running: 0/10km]
My body hurt. Everything hurt.
I did the push-ups anyway.
Day one was survival.
I completed the daily quest because the penalty was worse than the pain. Trained until my arms gave out. Ate convenience store meals because that's what I could afford. Checked my phone obsessively for the investigation team invitation that Sera promised.
It didn't come.
By evening, I was sitting on my apartment floor with a bowl of instant ramyeon, watching my shadow move across the wall as cars passed outside.
The shadow twitched when I focused on it.
Just a small movement. Like a dog's ear perking up.
I put down my chopsticks and held out my hand.
"Come here," I said.
Nothing happened.
"Please?"
The shadow rippled. Stretched toward my hand like it was considering the request. Then snapped back to normal.
[Skill: Shadow Manipulation (Beginner)][Proficiency: 2%][Note: Shadows respond to will, not words. Intent matters more than commands.]
Intent. Right.
I closed my eyes and thought about what I wanted. Not commanding. Just... asking. Imagining my shadow as an extension of myself rather than something separate.
When I opened my eyes, my shadow was wrapped around my wrist like a bracelet.
It felt cold. Not painful, just present. Like wearing a watch made of ice water.
"Okay," I said to the empty room. "That's deeply weird."
The shadow unwound itself and pooled back on the floor.
I finished my ramyeon. It had gone cold.
Day two, the invitation arrived.
Not through my phone. Through my door.
I opened it to find Han Yuri standing there with two iced coffees and a manila folder.
"Morning, white-hair." She pushed past me into my apartment without asking. "Wow, this place is depressing."
"Thanks. I decorated it myself."
She ignored that, setting the coffees on my tiny table and pulling out a chair. "We need to talk about the investigation team."
"How did you know I wanted—"
"Because I know you survived something you shouldn't have. And I know the Association is sending a team back to that gate in two days." She slid one coffee toward me. "Also, Baek Sera's people are terrible at being subtle. They've been watching your building since last night."
I looked out the window. Sure enough, there was a black sedan parked across the street that hadn't been there yesterday.
"They're not very good at this," I observed.
"They're not trying to be hidden. They're sending a message." Yuri opened the folder. "The investigation team leaves in forty-eight hours. Six Hunters, all C-rank or higher. Official mission: determine what caused the anomaly. Unofficial mission: recover anything valuable."
"And you're telling me this because...?"
"Because I got you on the team." She pulled out a badge with my photo on it—when did she get my photo?—and the Association seal. "Junior investigator position. You'll be there as a porter and observer, officially. Unofficially, you're there to figure out what the hell happened to you."
I picked up the badge. It felt real.
"Why are you helping me?"
Yuri leaned back, studying me over her coffee. "Because something impossible happened in that gate. And I'm in the Investigation Division because I like solving impossible things." She smiled. "Plus, you're interesting. Most Hunters are boring—all ego, no mystery. You? You're a walking question mark."
"Flattering."
"It's true." She stood up. "Team briefing is tomorrow at 6 PM. Don't be late. And Hajun? Whatever you find in that gate..." Her expression went serious. "Be careful. The Association isn't stupid. They know something's wrong. If you show too much, they'll dissect you to figure out how."
She left before I could respond.
I sat there for a long time, holding the badge and my coffee.
The coffee was good. Expensive. The kind I couldn't normally afford.
I wondered if that was intentional. A reminder of what I could have if I played along.
Or a warning about what I'd lose if I didn't.
Day three was when things got complicated.
I was running my daily 10K through Olympic Park when I felt it—that prickling sensation on the back of my neck that meant someone was watching.
Not Sera's people. They were obvious, comfortable being seen.
This was different.
I took a side path into a more isolated area. Trees overhead, the morning joggers left behind.
The presence followed.
I stopped by a water fountain and pretended to catch my breath while checking my surroundings.
[Warning: Hostile presence detected][Threat Level: Unknown]
Great. Very helpful, System.
"You can come out," I called. "I know you're there."
Silence. Then footsteps.
Three of them.
They emerged from the tree line—two men and a woman, all wearing expensive athletic gear that didn't quite hide the combat-ready stance. Hunters. Had to be.
The woman stepped forward. Mid-twenties, athletic build, cold eyes. "Kang Hajun. The White Hunter. You're harder to approach than expected."
"I don't know you."
"Min Jihyun. Azure Sky Guild." She crossed her arms. "We want to make you an offer."
"Not interested."
"You haven't heard the offer."
"Don't need to." I straightened up, hand drifting toward the dagger I'd started carrying everywhere. "I'm not joining a guild."
One of the men laughed. "You think you have a choice? You're D-rank. Nobody. The only reason you're getting attention is because of whatever trick you pulled at the Assessment."
"Minho," Jihyun said quietly. "Let me handle this."
She turned back to me. "We know you're special, Hajun. We know something happened in that gate—something that changed you. Azure Sky can protect you. Help you understand what you're becoming."
"Like Sera's trying to protect me?"
Her expression flickered. "Baek Sera approached you?"
"And I turned her down too."
"Then you're an idiot." Minho stepped forward. "You think you can survive without backing? There are guilds out there that'll kidnap you, experiment on you, figure out how to replicate whatever makes you different—"
"Minho." Jihyun's voice cracked like a whip.
He stopped, but kept glaring at me.
I looked at each of them. Measured the distance. Calculated my odds if this turned into a fight.
Not good. Three C-rank Hunters versus me? I'd last maybe thirty seconds.
But running would show weakness. And weakness invited predators.
"I appreciate the offer," I said carefully. "But I'm going to pass."
"We're not leaving without an answer," Minho said.
My shadow twitched at my feet.
The movement was small. Barely noticeable. But Jihyun saw it.
Her eyes widened slightly. "You're... you're a shadow-type?"
I said nothing.
"There hasn't been a shadow-type awakening in Korea in fifteen years," she continued, her voice taking on a new edge. "The last one was bought by the Knights Guild for two billion won."
Bought. Like property.
"I'm not for sale."
"Everyone's for sale," Minho muttered.
Something in me snapped.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe it was the phantom pain in my ribs from Sera's beating. Maybe it was three years of being treated like garbage finally catching up.
"Walk away," I said quietly. "Now."
Minho laughed. "Or what? You'll—"
My shadow lunged.
It shot across the ground like black lightning, wrapping around Minho's ankle. He yelped and stumbled.
[MP: 110/110 → 85/110]
The drain was immediate but manageable. I'd been practicing. Getting better at controlling the flow.
Minho tried to channel mana to break free. My shadow tightened.
"Hajun," Jihyun said, her hands raised. "Let him go. We're leaving."
"Are you?"
"Yes." Her voice was steady. "This was a recruitment attempt, not a kidnapping. You've made your position clear."
I held for another three seconds. Making a point. Then released him.
Minho scrambled back, his face flushed with anger and something else. Fear, maybe.
"You'll regret this," he spat.
"Minho, enough." Jihyun grabbed his arm. "We're leaving."
They backed away slowly. Professional retreat. Not running, but not staying either.
When they were gone, I collapsed onto a bench.
My hands were shaking again.
[Skill Proficiency Increased: Shadow Manipulation 2% → 8%]
[New Quest: "Mark Your Territory"][You have declared independence. Other predators will test you.][Objective: Survive the next 24 hours without guild protection][Reward: Title "The Unchained"]
Twenty-four hours. Less than that, actually—the investigation team mission was tomorrow evening.
I just had to make it until then.
I finished my run at double pace, constantly checking over my shoulder.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I lay in bed, listening to the city. Car horns. Distant sirens. Someone's TV through the wall.
The Investigation Division badge sat on my nightstand, catching light from the street.
Tomorrow, I'd go back into that gate. Back to where it all started.
Where I died and came back different.
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:
"Heard you turned down Azure Sky. Smart. They play dirty. —BTW, six guilds now have you on their recruitment list. Watch your back. —Y"
Yuri, being helpful in her own cryptic way.
I checked my status screen one more time before attempting sleep.
[Level: 4][HP: 190/190][MP: 110/110]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 5]
I put three points into Sense—better to detect threats before they reached me. Two into Intelligence for better mana management.
[Sense: 14 → 17][Intelligence: 16 → 18][MP: 110 → 120]
Better.
Not good enough, but better.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
The shadow on my wall moved without me telling it to.
Just a ripple. Like it was restless too.
"Yeah," I whispered to the darkness. "I know. Tomorrow we go back."
Back to the beginning.
Back to where Kang Hajun died and something else woke up.
I wondered which one of us would come back out.