"The winning players will now get their prize," the mechanical woman's voice announced smoothly.
Seo-yeon blinked, then snapped her fingers. "Oh right, there was a prize! I completely forgot about that!" she said, sounding both confused and excited at the same time. "I was too busy punching people."
Kim groaned from the side. "Must be nice. Some of us just got our stamina bullied out of existence."
Hyun-wu crossed his arms and sighed. "I feel like I aged ten years in five minutes…"
Seung-hoo lifted his head slightly. "Is the prize random?" he asked.
"Yes," the mechanical voice replied without hesitation.
Seo-yeon leaned closer to Seung-hoo. "Random, huh? That sounds dangerous… or awesome. I'm hoping for awesome."
Before anyone could say more, a warm surge of energy rushed through Seung-hoo and Seo-yeon's bodies. It felt like electricity mixed with heat, spreading from their chest down to their limbs.
Seo-yeon staggered back a step. "Whoa—okay, yeah, it's happening," she said, clenching her fists. "I feel weird. Not bad weird. Strong weird."
"The prize has been successfully inherited," the mechanical woman announced.
Seung-hoo stayed quiet, but inside his head, a familiar chime rang out—soft and sharp, something only he could hear.
______________________________________________________
|[ Ding! System Activated ]|
--Stats--
|[ Prize of the game Is Now Active ]|
|[ Speed: 186 / 131 ]| Previous Stat: |[ 86 / 131 ]|
|[ Strength: 178 / 131 ]| Previous Stat: |[ 78 / 131 ]|
|[ Stamina: 210 / 162 ]| Previous Stat: |[ 100 / 162 ]|
--Skills--
|[ Electric sword technique: Max ]| Previous Stat:
|[ Max ]|
|[ Eye of truth: Max ]| Previous Stat: |[ Max ]|
______________________________________________________
Seung-hoo stared at the numbers, his lips twitching. "Really… an extra ten in stamina," he muttered under his breath. "That's what I get?"
Seo-yeon, on the other hand, looked like she had just discovered a new superpower. She bounced lightly on her feet, then suddenly jumped.
"…Oh wow," she said as she landed. "Did you see that? I barely pushed and I went that high!"
Kim squinted at her. "Stop showing off. You're making this worse."
She spun around in a small circle, stretching her arms. "I feel lighter. Like my body finally decided to listen to me."
Hyun-wu watched her in disbelief. "So you get stronger… and I get tired?"
Seo-yeon grinned. "That's called balance."
Seung-hoo quietly closed his status window, pretending nothing happened. His body felt different—faster, sharper, like the world had slowed down just a little. Every sound in the tower seemed clearer. Even the echo of their breathing felt loud.
Kim pointed at Seung-hoo. "What about you? You're suspiciously quiet. Don't tell me you didn't get anything."
Seung-hoo shrugged. "Just a small boost."
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes. "You always say that when something crazy happens."
The tower began to hum again, low and steady, like a machine warming up for the next phase. The glowing symbols above them flickered faintly, rearranging themselves.
Kim rubbed his arms. "Why do I feel like this thing isn't done with us yet?"
Hyun-wu looked around nervously. "Yeah… every time it goes quiet, something worse comes after."
Seo-yeon cracked her knuckles. "if there was another game, i'd win."
Seung-hoo lifted his gaze toward the shifting light above them, his expression serious despite the jokes. His heart beat a little faster—not from fear, but from recognition.
Then, all the theorys were quickly shoot down.
A beam of white light suddenly tore through the air above them, swallowing the glowing center of the tower whole. A portal opened with a low, echoing hum, its edges flickering like burning paper. The strange light that had filled the room vanished in an instant, replaced by the soft glow of the exit.
Everyone froze.
For a second, none of them moved.
Then Seo-yeon was the first to speak. "Is that… the exit?"
The mechanical woman's voice echoed one last time, distorted and broken.
"Goodbye, Players. Thank you for participating in the game."
Her voice glitched, warped into static, and then disappeared completely, as if it had never existed.
Silence followed.
Hyun-wu let out a long breath. "Finally… we can get out of this Rift."
Seung-hoo stepped forward, staring into the light. "The games were… interesting."
"Interesting?" Seo-yeon laughed. "They were fun."
"No, they were not," Kim and Hyun-wu said at the same time, both sounding exhausted and annoyed.
Seo-yeon smirked. "You two just lost."
One by one, they walked into the portal.
The moment they passed through, the world slammed back into their senses. The roar of engines, the blaring of horns, and distant shouting rushed into their ears.
Sunlight burst into their eyes, so bright it hurt. They instinctively raised their hands to shield themselves.
"Ah—too bright," Kim groaned.
Slowly, they lowered their arms.
They were standing in the middle of a blocked-off street. Emergency vehicles lined the road. Staff members in uniforms and vests were everywhere, checking equipment and scanning the area. Behind them, the Rift shimmered weakly before collapsing into nothing, leaving only empty air behind.
A staff member ran toward them, clearly panicked. "Thank goodness! We thought you were dead in there!"
Kim waved his hand casually. "Nah, we're fine. It's all thanks to Seo-yeon and Seu—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His eyes shifted from Seo-yeon… to Seung-hoo.
Seo-yeon noticed immediately. "What?"
Kim leaned close and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened just a little.
Seo-yeon turned toward Seung-hoo. "Hey… can you come to the evaluation building tomorrow?"
Seung-hoo blinked. "Why?"
Then it hit him.
He leaned closer and whispered back, "I thought this was supposed to be a secret."
"I know," Seo-yeon said quickly. "But… I'm just curious."
Seung-hoo sighed. "Fine. What time?"
"8:30."
"…Okay."
After everything settled, they split up and headed their own ways. Seung-hoo walked alone down the sidewalk, the city feeling louder than usual after the silence of the tower.
Then suddenly—thump.
He bumped into someone.
"Ah—sorry," he said automatically.
"Mister Seung-hoo?"
He looked up and saw the nurse from the hospital.
"I saw you on the news," she said softly. "You were that mysterious citizen that cleared a B rank Rift"
Seung-hoo scratched the back of his head. "I forgot about that…"
"I didn't tell anyone your identity," she added quickly. "Don't worry."
"Thank you," he said with relief. "But… I'm registered now. I'm officially a hunter."
He turned to leave, but she stopped him.
"I'm Ye Yeon," she said shyly. "Could I… get your number?"
Seung-hoo hesitated for half a second, then handed her his phone. "Sure."
She typed quickly, her hands trembling slightly.
"And… why do you need it?" he asked.
"Can I get you coffee tomorrow?" she asked, looking down.
Seung-hoo smiled awkwardly. "I have to go to the evaluation center tomorrow…"
Her shoulders dropped. "Oh… it's okay."
"But," he added, "I could probably make time later."
Her face brightened. "R-really?"
"And don't call me Mister," he said. "Just call me Seung-hoo."
"O-okay… Seung-hoo."
She walked away with a small smile, glancing back once before disappearing into the crowd.
Seung-hoo stood still for a moment, touching his chest.
"…Is this what I'm feeling?" he murmured.
He shook his head. "No. Focus."
By the time he reached his apartment, the sky had darkened. He stood in front of his door when a voice shouted from behind.
"Seung-hoo! You still haven't paid your rent!"
His landlord stormed toward him.
Seung-hoo calmly reached into his bag and tossed him a pouch. It hit the man's hands with a heavy clink.
"Two gold coins," Seung-hoo said. "That should cover three months."
The landlord's eyes sparkled. "Oh—uh—thank you!"
He practically skipped away.
Seung-hoo unlocked his door and stepped inside, the quiet of his small apartment wrapping around him. His mind replayed the tower, the games, the portal, Seo-yeon's request… and Ye Yeon's smile.
He sat down slowly, staring at his hands, feeling the weight of everything that had changed in just one day.