Pain.
That was the first thing he felt.
A burning, unbearable pain spread throughout his entire body.
Rin gasped as he opened his eyes, his vision blurry and unstable.
"What… is happening to me…?"
Suddenly, memories that did not belong to him flooded his mind.
Battles… blood… screams…
The life of an X-Soldier.
"These… aren't my memories…"
He grabbed his head, trying to stay conscious.
Then—
A sharp sound echoed inside his mind.
[SYSTEM ONLINE]
[SYNCING HOST… 37%... 68%... 100%]
Rin froze.
The pain suddenly disappeared.
Everything went silent.
Then, a glowing blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[HOST: RIN KARTER]
[STATUS: CRITICAL]
[RANK: F]
[STRENGTH: 3]
[AGILITY: 2]
[VITALITY: 1]
"F-Rank…?" he muttered.
"So I'm still… weak…"
Before he could think further—
A loud explosion shook the ground.
BOOM!
Rin immediately looked ahead.
It was a battlefield.
Smoke filled the air. Soldiers were running. Screams echoed everywhere.
"This… is war…?"
Suddenly, the system activated again.
[EMERGENCY QUEST GENERATED]
[SURVIVE FOR 10 MINUTES]
[REWARD: BASIC SKILL UNLOCK]
[FAILURE: DEATH]
Rin's eyes widened.
"Death…?!"
Before he could react—
A shadow moved behind him.
A terrifying creature, its body covered in black armor-like skin, rushed toward him.
Its glowing red eyes locked onto him like prey.
Rin's body froze.
"I… can't move…"
The creature raised its claw—
And attacked.
At the last moment, Rin forced his body to move.
He rolled to the side, barely dodging the attack.
The ground shattered where he had been standing.
His heart pounded rapidly.
"If I stay like this… I'll die…"
For the first time in his life—
He felt true fear.
But along with it…
Came something else.
A strong will to survive.
Rin clenched his fists.
"I won't die here…"
The system screen flickered again.
[SKILL UNLOCK CONDITION MET]
[UNLOCKING… BASIC COMBAT INSTINCT]
A strange energy surged through his body.
His vision sharpened.
His movements became faster.
Time itself seemed to slow down.
The creature attacked again—
But this time…
Rin moved first.