The rain kept falling, but it no longer washed anything away. Now it only mixed blood with dirty water, slowly dragging away the evidence of what had just happened, as if the city itself were responsible for erasing every mistake, every attempt, every failure—leaving behind only those who managed to remain standing.
And in that moment…
Damián Cruz was still standing.
He breathed heavily, his body aching in every fiber. His jaw throbbed from the recent impact, and his hand bled from the shard of glass he still gripped tightly—but none of that stopped him. Because now he understood something he had completely ignored before.
Pain… wasn't a limit.
It was information.
[END in use…]
[Pain processing optimized]
[User status: FUNCTIONAL]
The masked man no longer moved the same way. His stance had shifted slightly—not enough to make him look weak, but enough to show the cut had taken effect. Meanwhile, the other one—the unmasked man—remained still, watching with a much more genuine focus than before.
They no longer saw him as a victim.
They were evaluating him.
That made Damián smile faintly.
Because it meant he had crossed another line.
*"Do you know what your problem is?"* the unmasked man said, his voice lower, more serious as he stepped forward. *"You're starting to believe you can win."*
Damián spat to the side without breaking eye contact, his breathing gradually stabilizing as his fingers tightened around the glass.
*"No,"* he replied calmly. *"I'm starting to understand that you can lose too."*
Silence.
And then…
The air shattered again.
But this time, it wasn't a direct attack.
It was coordination.
The masked one advanced from the left.
The other from the front.
Different rhythms.
Different angles.
Same intention.
To kill.
[Combat analysis…]
[Two attack trajectories detected]
[Direct survival: 9%]
[Recommendation: Break formation]
Damián's mind processed everything in an instant—but this time, he didn't hesitate.
He didn't try to endure.
He didn't try to dodge both.
He chose.
And that choice changed everything.
He lunged straight at the masked attacker.
Not because he was weaker—
But because he was already wounded.
His movement was brutal—no technique, no elegance—but completely committed. And that was what broke the rhythm of the fight. The man reacted, trying to intercept him, but the shift in intent was too sudden.
Damián closed the distance.
Too fast.
Too close.
And then he struck.
The glass came down with force, aiming for a vital point—but the attacker managed to partially block, deflecting the trajectory just enough to avoid a lethal hit.
But not enough…
To avoid the impact.
Blood appeared again.
More.
Deeper.
Real.
[Effective hit]
[STR +1]
[Combat Adaptation active]
The counterattack came instantly.
A direct blow to the stomach stole his breath and forced him to bend forward, followed by a brutal strike to his back that sent him crashing to the ground once more.
Pain.
Much stronger.
[END critical…]
[Accumulated damage: HIGH]
But this time…
He didn't fall completely.
His hands hit the ground.
His knees held.
And then…
He stood up.
Slow.
Heavy.
But steady.
The unmasked man stopped a few steps away, watching him in silence as the rain fell between them like an invisible barrier.
*"…this isn't normal anymore,"* he murmured.
And it wasn't.
Because the system…
Was responding.
[Condition met]
[User at the brink of collapse]
[Activating protocol…]
Damián felt something move through his body.
It wasn't energy.
It wasn't strength.
It was adjustment.
Correction.
As if something inside him were reconfiguring itself to keep him from dying.
[END +2]
[Status stabilized]
His breathing steadied slightly—enough to stay conscious, enough to keep going.
Enough to continue.
The masked man stepped back half a pace, now clearly affected, while the other watched with a completely different intensity.
It was no longer curiosity.
It was genuine interest.
*"Damián…"* he said slowly, testing his name as if it mattered.
That made him frown.
*"How do you know my—"*
*"Because you're not the first,"* he cut him off.
Silence.
Cold.
Heavy.
*"But you might be the first who survives."*
The system reacted instantly.
[Information detected]
[Possible hidden truth]
[Future reward linked]
Damián clenched his teeth, his mind trying to process that while his body prepared for the inevitable.
Because it wasn't over yet.
Not even close.
[Time remaining: 19:58:44]
The mission was still active.
But now…
It had context.
It wasn't an accident.
It wasn't luck.
It was selection.
And that meant something worse.
That there were rules.
And that someone…
Had created them.
Damián slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes now colder, sharper, more dangerous.
*"Then…"* he said quietly.
*"I'll be the first."*
The system responded.
As if it had been waiting.
[Will detected]
[Synchronization increased]
[Accelerated evolution]
The rain fell harder.
The air tightened.
And all three of them moved at the same time.
But this time…
Damián didn't react late.
He reacted first.
Because in that moment…
He was no longer trying to survive.
He was learning how to dominate.