I woke up sore.
Not the dramatic, I-fought-a-boss kind of sore. The boring kind. Neck stiff. Arm aching where claws had raked it. Legs heavy like they'd been filled with wet sand.
I stared at the ceiling.
"…I didn't die," I said.
The System appeared immediately.
"Yes.""You seem proud of basic competence."
"Let me have this."
"No."
I sighed and sat up slowly. My arm throbbed, but it moved. No blood soaking the sheets. No fever. No sign that last night had been a hallucination.
The screen hovered patiently.
[Status]Strength: 3Speed: 2Endurance: 3Perception: 1
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
I frowned. "Perception's still one."
"You are observant only in hindsight."
"That's unfair."
"Statistically accurate."
I swung my legs off the bed and stood.
Something felt… off.
Not stronger. Not faster. Just—stable. Like my body wasn't constantly on the edge of tipping over.
I rolled my shoulder. The ache dulled.
"…Huh."
The System noticed.
"Do not get excited.""This is what functioning feels like."
The city hadn't changed overnight.
That was the unsettling part.
People still went to work. Shops still opened. Trains still ran on time. The Gates had been around for thirty years—panic had been replaced by routine.
I pulled my jacket tighter and stepped outside.
Someone across the street stared at me.
Then another.
I checked myself reflexively. No blood. No monster parts. Nothing weird.
They looked away when I noticed.
"…Was there something on my face?" I muttered.
"Residual adrenaline posture," the System said."You are walking like someone expecting violence."
"So?"
"So civilians do not."
I relaxed immediately.
The next person didn't stare.
"…Okay, that's creepy."
"You are creepy."
I stopped by a corner store to grab breakfast. The clerk—a tired-looking guy with a guild trainee badge clipped to his apron—froze when he saw me.
"…Hey," he said carefully.
"Hey."
He glanced down at my arm. The bandage. The faint blood stain.
"Uh. You were near the incident yesterday, right?"
"Yeah," I said. "Wrong place, wrong time."
He nodded slowly. "Still standing though."
"…Should I not be?"
He laughed, a little too sharp. "No, no. Just—most people don't walk away from that kind of thing."
I shrugged. "I ran a lot."
He studied me like I'd said something profound.
"…Smart."
I blinked. "It was panic."
He smiled. "Sure."
The System chimed quietly.
"Incorrect conclusion logged."
"What conclusion?"
"All of them."
It got worse.
On the train, people gave me space. Not obvious. Just… a seat gap. A half-step back when I stood. Averted eyes that flicked back when they thought I wasn't looking.
A woman across from me finally spoke.
"You're an Awakened, right?"
I almost laughed. "No."
She tilted her head. "But you fought yesterday."
"I lost."
Her eyebrows rose slightly.
"…And you're alive."
"That's not rare."
She smiled politely.
It was the kind of smile you gave something unpredictable.
"I see," she said, and didn't ask anything else.
The System waited until she looked away.
"You continue to confuse results with intentions."
"I didn't do anything!"
"Yes.""That is the problem."
By afternoon, the rumors had already grown legs.
I heard them in passing.
"—held it back alone—""—bought time for the guild—""—calculated risk—"
I stopped short.
"…That's not what happened."
"History is written by survivors," the System said."And you are unfortunately one of them."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "This is going to cause problems."
"Correct.""People will expect competence."
"I don't have competence."
"They will not ask."
The Gate alert came again near sunset.
This time, it was closer.
I stood on the sidewalk, staring at the warning flashing across my phone.
My chest tightened.
"…I should go home."
"Yes."
I took a step back.
Then another.
The ground trembled faintly. Distant roars echoed between buildings.
People were already running.
Someone bumped into me, nearly fell. I caught them without thinking.
"Sorry!" they gasped, already moving again.
I looked at my hand.
When had I grabbed them?
"Strength check passed," the System noted."Unintentional."
I swallowed.
The alley beside me was narrow. Shadowed. Safe.
I could run.
I should run.
But my legs didn't move.
Across the street, a kid had tripped. He scrambled backward, eyes wide as something large pushed through the forming Gate.
I stared.
"…If I run," I said slowly, "do I get points?"
The System paused.
"Possibly."
"And if I don't?"
Another pause.
"Possibly more."
I exhaled.
"Great."
The monster roared.
People screamed.
And once again, my body made a decision before my brain caught up.
I stepped forward.
[End of Chapter 3]