The rain kept falling, but now it was no longer an obstacle or just part of the environment—it was part of the stage, part of the rhythm, as if every drop marked the pulse of something greater unfolding in that moment, something with no turning back. Damián stood still in the middle of the street, his breathing steady, his gaze fixed on the two men in front of him. But inside his mind, everything moved at an absurd speed—analyzing, calculating, predicting—because now he wasn't just reacting… he was beginning to understand.
[INS in use…]
[Intent reading active]
[Two targets detected]
[Combined threat: EXTREME]
The unmasked man stepped forward, slow, relaxed, as if he felt no need to rush, as if he already knew the outcome had been decided from the start.
*"You're not the same anymore…"* he said in a low, almost curious tone, watching Damián as if trying to decipher something invisible. *"But you're still not enough."*
Damián didn't respond immediately. His eyes moved slightly, catching micro-details—muscle tension, weight distribution, breathing rhythm—and he understood with brutal clarity.
He couldn't win.
Not in a direct confrontation.
But that didn't matter anymore.
Because the system wasn't asking him to win.
It was asking him to survive.
And surviving…
Didn't always mean running.
Sometimes it meant choosing the right moment to kill.
[Mental synchronization increased]
[Suggested strategy: Divide targets]
The second attacker—the one with the mask—disappeared again, moving at a speed beyond normal human perception. But this time, Damián didn't panic.
This time…
He smiled.
Barely.
Because he was waiting for it.
His body moved before the attack, turning with precise accuracy as his hand closed around something on the ground he would have completely ignored before.
A broken bottle.
The improvised edge glinted under the flickering streetlight at the exact moment the attacker appeared behind him.
But this time…
He wasn't caught off guard.
[Prediction confirmed]
Damián didn't try to block.
Didn't try to escape.
He lunged forward.
Direct.
Aggressive.
His movement broke the expected pattern, and for a fraction of a second—that was enough.
The shard of glass pierced the attacker's arm before he could fully react.
Blood.
Real.
Warm.
The man stepped back immediately—more from surprise than pain.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unexpected.
[Critical hit successful]
[STR +1]
[REF +1]
Damián didn't stop.
Didn't celebrate.
Didn't hesitate.
Because he understood something now.
The moment after impact…
Is where most people die.
The unmasked man appeared in front of him in an instant, his expression no longer calm, and his fist shot straight toward Damián's face with brutal speed.
Too fast.
Impossible to fully dodge.
But he didn't need to avoid it.
Only to redirect it.
Damián turned his head at the last second, reducing the impact just enough to stay conscious, though the blow sent him crashing to the ground violently.
Pain.
Intense.
But manageable.
[END in use…]
[Pain resistance increased]
The world spun for a second.
But it didn't fade.
*Get up…* he thought.
And his body obeyed.
He spat blood as he slowly rose, his eyes locking onto both men again—but this time, something in the atmosphere had changed.
Doubt.
Small.
But real.
*"You already touched him…"* the unmasked man said, his voice lower now, more cautious. *"That doesn't happen twice."*
Damián wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, his breathing heavy, but his gaze steady.
Then he answered.
*"I don't need it to happen twice."*
The system reacted.
[Mental state: STABLE UNDER PRESSURE]
[Special condition unlocked]
[Trait: Combat Adaptation Lv.1]
[Effect: Progressive improvement during continuous combat]
The masked attacker tightened his grip on his wounded arm, but he didn't retreat—and that was enough for Damián to understand something crucial.
They were still underestimating him.
And that…
Was his only advantage.
[Time remaining: 20:32:09]
Time was running.
The mission was still active.
But now…
It had changed.
It was no longer a one-sided chase.
It was an exchange.
A process.
A real-time evolution.
Damián took a step forward.
Slow.
Steady.
Not because he was stronger.
But because now he knew something he hadn't before.
They could bleed too.
The rain hit harder, mixing with the blood on the ground, blurring the lines between hunter and prey—because in that moment, in that place…
That difference was beginning to disappear.
The unmasked man stared at him for a few more seconds before speaking again, but this time his voice carried no superiority.
It carried recognition.
*"If you survive tonight…"* he said slowly, *"you won't stay a nobody."*
Damián didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
Because he already knew.
Because something inside him had already changed—irreversibly.
And as he tightened his grip on the glass in his hand, ignoring the pain it caused…
The system registered something new.
Something important.
[First blood confirmed]
[Evolution in progress…]
And in that city…
That was the first step toward becoming something worse than a survivor.
Something others would begin to fear.