The dorm doors creak the same way they always do—but this time I don't walk through them as a low-rank boy with a naïve heart. I walk through them as someone who has watched himself die three times. Someone who finally stopped being afraid.
The morning air smells of dust and dampness. People hurry past me, unaware that the test they're stressed about… is only the beginning of something far greater for me.
The beginning of the hunt.
My phone buzzes again.Mira.
"Eliasz!" she calls, running toward me just like before. "At least try to smile, okay?"
I look at her for a moment. Her hair bounces with every step. Her eyes hold concern I no longer believe in.
In previous cycles, that look calmed me.Now it just reminds me how easily people can pretend.
"I'm trying," I answer—without a smile.
The system appears instantly.
[ANALYSIS: VICTIM ACTING LEVEL – 78%][SUGGESTION: STAY NEUTRAL, NOT COLD. LET HER TRUST.]
Mira frowns.
"Are you okay? You look… different."
"Didn't sleep well," I say, passing her.
True. But not from fear.From anticipation.
Everything feels sharper now—colors, sounds, the rhythm of the world. As if Predator System didn't just restore my memories, but sharpened my perception several levels past human.
We leave the academic grounds. The Captain and the others are already gathered, laughing loudly. Their voices scrape against my nerves like scavengers gnawing on fresh meat.
The Captain's tone is as grating as ever—confident, light, fake.
"There he is! Our hero!" He spreads his arms theatrically. "Ready for your big day, Eliasz?"
We are not friends.We never were.
"Ready," I answer.
The system reacts like a predator sensing blood.
[TARGET: ARMIN KORCZYK – MAIN BETRAYER][NEW MODE: PASSIVE OBSERVATION OF PREY INSTINCTS][PREDICTION: HIGH BETRAYAL LIKELIHOOD (93%)]
He puts a hand on my shoulder, pretending warmth—the same gesture as in my previous life.
"All right, team. Let's sign in." He pats me again. "Stay close. No need to stress."
Stress?That word no longer applies to me.
Stress is fuel.Stress is meat.Stress is what feeds the system.
⸻
The physical test.
The courtyard is full of candidates grouped by category. Everyone must pass a simple set of tasks: sprint, jump, dodge simulation. Easy.
But for me, the test isn't a challenge.The test is a stage.
When I stand at the starting line, something shifts under my skin—a shadow stretching.
[ACTIVE TERRAIN ANALYSIS][CANDIDATES: WEAK / AVERAGE / IRRELEVANT][PRIORITY: SHOW CONTROLLED POTENTIAL – 40–50%]
"Ready…? Go!"
I run.
Not at full power—I could leave everyone behind instantly—but at a pace that looks like my maximum: controlled, precise, effortless.
The boy to my left wheezes after five meters.The girl on my right nearly trips.
I pass them easily.Emotionlessly.
I finish first.Not too fast.Perfectly.
The Captain whistles.
"Well damn, didn't know you had that in you!"
Liar.
[DETECTION: 99% FALSEHOOD][INTENT: BOOST TEAM EGO / MAINTAIN CONTROL OF "LUCKY CHARM"]
Mira runs up to me, glowing.
"Eliasz! I'm proud of you!"
Proud?Of what? That I can die beautifully?
"Thanks," I say flatly.
She notices the emptiness in my tone.Because it's real.
My emotions are gone.And good riddance.
⸻
The magic test.
I enter the next room. The mana sensor flickers blue. I place my hand on the panel. A soft electric pulse runs through me—familiar.
In my previous life, the system revealed my low mana.In this life…
[PREDATOR SYSTEM – PROTECTIVE MECHANISM][CONCEALING TRUE STATISTICS][DISPLAYING MINIMUM VALUES]
The panel blinks.
"Low mana," the examiner mutters. "Noted."
Good.I don't want attention.Not now.
Attention is noise.Noise distracts the predator.
⸻
After the tests.
People swarm the result boards—laughing, cursing, panicking. I stand off to the side, watching them like actors in a play whose script I memorized years ago.
The Captain gathers us.
"There it is!" he shouts. "Silver Blades advance! First dungeon tomorrow at dawn—Broadwood Gate."
A cold shiver runs through me.
Broadwood Gate.That's where I died the first time.And the second.
Back then, I didn't know the dungeon was ancient—full of hidden side tunnels that no one talked about because no one returned.
But I know now.I know exactly what waits inside.And who will choose to run first.
The system appears, sensing the shift in my thoughts.
[SYSTEM QUEST: "THE THIRD TIME I WILL NOT DIE FOR THEM"][PROGRESS: 12%][NEXT OBJECTIVE: RAID PREPARATION][SUGGESTION: ACQUIRE ILLEGAL / OBSOLETE / FOREIGN ENHANCEMENT ITEMS]
Something clicks inside me.
This is not a story about survival.This is a story about advantage.
I want to enter that dungeon not as prey being manipulated—but as someone who controls every step.Every look.Every choice they make.
Before anyone understands my plan, it will be too late.
"Eliasz?" Mira stands beside me, worried. "We're going together tomorrow, right?"
"Of course," I say.
Her eyes soften.
"Good. Just wanted to be sure."
You shouldn't be.Especially since tomorrow we won't be "together."
Tomorrow you'll be the first person the system begins devouring—slowly, patiently, the way predators like best.
⸻
Evening.
I sit on my dorm bed. The phone keeps buzzing with team messages, but I don't check them.
I stare at the wall.And listen.
The Predator System speaks first.
"Do you feel it, Eliasz?" it whispers. "Tomorrow the world will try to swallow you again… but this time, you will swallow it."
"I know."
"We'll start with someone small," it continues, like a teacher. "Someone who has no idea they've already been chosen."
"Mira," I say.
The system falls silent.Then laughs—quietly, inhumanly.
"You know the rituals of the hunt better than I thought."
I put my phone down and stand.
Tomorrow I need an advantage.Gear. Information. Preparation.
[NEW QUEST: "PREPARATION FOR FIRST BLOOD"][TASK: OBTAIN ONE ITEM THAT GRANTS AN EDGE IN THE DUNGEON][TIME LIMIT: 12 HOURS]
"Understood," I say.
The system brightens.
"And remember, Eliasz… the hunt begins before you step into the forest.The first move belongs to the predator."
I pull my hood over my head and leave the room.
The dorm hallway is quiet, but the air carries a scent only predators recognize—the scent of coming blood.
The door closes behind me.
Tomorrow, I will not die.Not once.Not ever again.
But someone else will begin to.
And this time—I get to choose who.