The sky broke earlier this time, only slightly, but enough to matter.
The notification from before remained in my vision.
[New Quest Incoming…]
It hadn't disappeared, and it hadn't resolved. It simply waited, as if it already knew I would move.
"So this is where it starts."
The sound followed soon after, a low and dragging noise that didn't belong to this world.
People slowed as it spread through the streets. Some looked up, confused by the change in the air, while others continued walking, unaware that anything had already gone wrong.
I was already moving.
[Time Remaining: 00:10:52]
The number was lower than before, which meant the sequence had shifted and the gap between events was shrinking faster than it should have.
"…So it's accelerating."
That single difference carried weight.
Less time meant fewer chances to react, and fewer chances meant mistakes would cost more than before.
The sky twisted as if something on the other side was forcing its way through, stretching reality until it could no longer hold.
Then it tore open.
A shape dropped from the tear and slammed into the street ahead of me, cracking the asphalt on impact and sending a cloud of dust into the air.
Screams followed immediately.
Some people ran. Others froze, unable to process what they were seeing.
The creature rose from the impact.
Tall, unstable, and wrong in a way that made it difficult to focus on for too long. Its limbs adjusted constantly, as though they didn't quite belong to the same body.
[New Entity Detected]
[Classification: Lesser Aberration]
"…Same as before."
This time, the outcome would be different.
It moved without hesitation, crossing the distance in a sudden burst that most people wouldn't even register.
A man turned too late.
He never had a chance.
Panic spread through the crowd as the first body hit the ground, and within seconds the street dissolved into chaos.
People pushed, stumbled, and fell over each other in their attempt to escape.
I didn't move.
"You killed me once."
The creature's head snapped toward me as if it understood.
Good.
My body felt different, not dramatically stronger, but more responsive, as though everything was aligned in a way it hadn't been before.
[Combat Mode Activated]
The creature lunged.
I moved first.
The attack passed just short of my chest, close enough to feel but not enough to land.
"Too slow."
I stepped into its range instead of retreating, closing the distance before it could adjust.
The first strike connected cleanly, and the impact confirmed what I already suspected.
I was faster.
The creature staggered, but I didn't give it the chance to recover. A second strike followed immediately, then a third, each one more controlled than the last.
The rhythm settled quickly, as if my body had been waiting for this.
It swung wildly in response, relying on raw aggression rather than control.
"Predictable."
I slipped inside its range again, caught its arm mid-swing, and forced it off balance despite the pain that ran through my hand on impact.
"Got you."
I stepped forward and drove my other hand in.
The creature convulsed once before collapsing.
The fight ended as abruptly as it had started, but the city around me was already falling apart.
Screams echoed from every direction as more impacts followed in the distance, each one signaling another arrival.
[Entity Eliminated]
[Reward Calculated]
The energy surged through me again, stronger than before.
[+2 STR]
[+3 AGI]
[+2 END]
"Stacking already."
Another notification followed immediately.
[New Skill Unlocked]
Enhanced Reflexes (Lv.1)
The effect was instant.
My movements felt sharper, my reactions cleaner, and the timing between thought and action shortened enough to make a difference in every step.
The world didn't slow, but it felt easier to read.
"…This changes things."
Another tear split open in the sky, followed by several more.
Creatures continued to fall, and the collapse that I had already experienced once began again, only faster this time.
People were still running without direction, still reacting too late, still dying the same way.
I watched them briefly.
Last time, I had been one of them.
"Not anymore."
The system flickered again.
[New Quest Generated]
My focus sharpened immediately.
[Eliminate 5 targets before the next breach]
Reward: Skill Upgrade
Failure: Penalty Applied
"Five."
This wasn't survival.
It was pressure.
A second line appeared beneath it.
[Additional Condition]
You are being observed.
My expression hardened.
"Of course I am."
The air shifted.
Not dramatically, but enough to notice.
A second presence.
Stronger.
Different.
I turned toward it.
Across the street, something else had landed.
It didn't move.
It watched.
[New Entity Detected]
[Classification: ???]
"…Not the same."
There was no aggression in its stance, no immediate attack, and no wasted movement.
It was waiting.
For me.
My pulse slowed as the situation settled into place.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't chaos.
This was selection.
"Fine."
I stepped forward.
The smaller creatures continued to move in the distance, and the city continued to collapse around them, but my focus narrowed to a single point.
The one that didn't rush.
The one that didn't react.
The one that understood.
The system flickered one last time.
[Proceed.]
No explanation followed.
No warning.
Only expectation.
My grip tightened as I moved.
Because this time, I wasn't running.
I wasn't reacting.
I was choosing.
What to fight.
What to kill.
And how far I was willing to go.