Chapter 8
[ Player has successfully broken the seal ]
Do you wish to view your stats?
YES NO
"…The hell is this…?"
Ren's voice dropped to a whisper.
The black screen floated before him like a crack in reality itself silent, motionless and waiting.
Cautiously, he slowly raised a hand.
His fingertip touched the surface.
Ripple.
The dark interface wavered like disturbed water, thin waves spreading across its surface in endless circles.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"…It's real."
He pressed harder this time.
Ripple. Ripple.
The screen reacted to every touch, behind him, Slyva stared blankly.
"…Ren-sama?"
No response.
Ren kept poking at empty air from her perspective, his expression growing more serious with each movement.
Tap.
Ripple.
Tap.
Ripple.
Slyva's brows slowly pulled together.
"…What exactly are you doing?"
"Huh?"
Ren finally snapped out of it and looked back at her.
"Wait… don't tell me you seriously can't see this thing?"
Slyva tilted her head slightly, her hair sliding over her shoulder as confusion settled deeper into her face.
"…See what?"
Silence.
The atmosphere shifted as ren's expression stiffened.
Slowly… very slowly… he turned back toward the floating black screen.
It's Still there.....
Hovering directly in front of him like a phantom only he could perceive.
A cold feeling crawled down his spine.
"…You've gotta be kidding me..
[Player has successfully broken the seal.]
Do you wish to view your stats?
YES NO
Ren's eyes narrowed as glowing black panels flickered before him like shattered glass suspended in the air. The dim light from the window reflected against his stunned expression while faint symbols crawled across the surface of the screen.
" Emm there's… a black window in front of me," he muttered, taking an uneasy step back.
Slyva's brows furrowed instantly. She pushed herself off the wall and moved closer, silver eyes locked onto him.
"A window?" she repeated. "What are you talking about?"
Ren slowly raised a trembling hand toward the empty air.
"Yeah… wait you seriously can't see this?"
The screen pulsed.
[ Player has successfully broken the seal ]
A sharp chime echoed in his mind. Ren's heartbeat quickened.
"And now…" he said quietly, swallowing hard. "It's asking if I want to view my stats."
Slyva's expression stiffened slightly
"Eii?! Seriously?!"
Her eyes widened in shock before a grin slowly crept across her face.
She stepped closer so suddenly Ren almost flinched, her cloak swaying behind her as if caught in an invisible wind.
"So it actually worked…"
A low laugh escaped her lips. She folded her arms beneath her chest, tilting her head while staring directly at the Ren
"But…" she muttered under her breath, tapping a finger lightly against her arm. "I thought it would take longer for the seal to completely break."
The air around her grew heavier.
But Ren barely heard her.
His gaze remained locked onto the mysterious black window suspended before him.
The screen was beautiful.
Dark metallic patterns stretched across its edges while streams of smoky shadows drifted endlessly beneath the surface like living mist Crimson letters glowed one after another, illuminating his face in flashes of light
It didn't feel real no… it felt familiar like the interface of a game.
And somehow he was the player.
Ren's breathing slowed. His fingers curled slightly at his side of his chin as excitement crept into his chest.
A slow, dangerous grin spread across his face
"…Interesting."
Slyva noticed the change immediately.
The hesitation in his eyes was gone and in its place was anticipation.
Ren slowly lifted his head, the faint light of the system casting shadows across his expression. Then he took a single step forward towards the floating window
"YES."
The instant the word left his mouth, the black screen flickered violently.
A deep pulse echoed beneath his chest
Then a single line slowly appeared across the dark interface
[ Welcome. ]
Ren's pupils trembled slightly as more symbols flooded the screen. Crimson light spilled across his eyes as the smoky texture beneath the interface began to swirl faster and faster.
[ Updating player stats… ]
Ding…
The sound echoed directly inside his head.
[ Player stats have been successfully updated. ]
Ding…
[ Player has been recognized by the system. ]
"…"
Ren's eyes widened instantly. His heartbeat quickened as excitement surged through, he leaned forward unconsciously, staring at the floating screen with disbelief burning across his face.
"No way…" he whispered, unable to stop the grin forming at the corner of his lips.
"It really is like a game…"
Ding…
[ Player has been assigned a title. ]
Another sharp chime rang out then the screen shifted completely.
Dark smoke gathered together before forming glowing silver letters one after another.
Name: Ren Takahashi
Level: 1
Class: Human
Title: The One Who Broke the Seal
HP: 0 / 90,000
TKE: 0 / 90,000
STR: 0
AGI: 0
VIT: 0
PER: 0
INT: 0
ADP: 0
Ren stared at the screen as the excitement on his face slowly disappeared.
His expression became completely still.
"… huh what… is this?"
His voice came out quieter than expected.
The numbers made no sense.
Zero strength, Zero agility, Zero vitality.
Even the title itself sounded absurd.
And yet...
Every instinct in his body told him this was real.
The glowing interface hovered as his excitement became uncontrollable
Ren slowly clenched his trembling hand.
For the first time since the screen appeared a chill drove down his spine
Across from him, Slyva watched Ren carefully.
She couldn't see the black system window hovering before him but she didn't need to.
The slight widening of his eyes that alone told her enough.
"…So that's the look," she murmured softly beneath her breath.
Her eyes narrowed with faint curiosity as she pushed herself off the wallThe heels of her boots tapped lightly against the floor while strands of her hair slipped across her shoulder.
Ren didn't even notice her presence
He was completely absorbed in the floating interface before him.
Then
Ding…
A sharp pulse rang through his mind.
[ Player has been granted 5 bonus points. ]
[ New skills unlocked. ]
[ New title unlocked. ]
"…!"
Ren's eyes widened again..
"Seriously… are you fucking serious right now?"
A grin spread across his face before disbelief overtook it again.
"Another title… and new skills?"
Slyva tilted her head slightly, one brow lifting.
"Skills?"
Ren opened his mouth, then stopped halfway.
even he didn't fully understand what he was looking at.
Still… he felt like he should explain something or anything.
He slowly raised a hand toward the floating screen.
"There's this weird status window and now it's saying I unlocked..."
Ding…
The notification abruptly interrupted him.
[ Updating player skills… ]
Ren's expression sharpened instantly.
"…It's changing again?" he muttered.
[ Update complete. ]
The screen flickered then reformed completely.
Name: Ren Takahashi
Level: 2
Class: Human
Title: The One Who Overcame the Lycan
HP: 1 / 90,000
TKE: 1 / 90,000
STR: 0
AGI: 0
VIT: 0
PER: 0
INT: 0
ADP: 0
Skills:
• Speed Lv. 1
• Weapon Mastery Lv. 1
Silence filled the room once more as ren stared blankly at the updated screen.
Then his eyes locked onto one specific line.
The One Who Overcame the Lycan.
His grin slowly faded.
"…Lycan…" he repeated quietly.
Fragments of the earlier battle flashed through his mind
So that's what he was!, he was a lycan
A faint chill crawled across his skin.
Meanwhile, Slyva was no longer smiling, her gaze had become unusually serious.
Ren stared at the floating screen in silence, the crimson letters reflected faintly in his eyes while dark smoke drifted endlessly beneath the surface of the interface.
"…What the hell…"
Ren slowly clenched his fist. The movement was stiff, uncertain. He could still feel the soreness in his muscles and the lingering pain from the earlier battle.
"…I don't get it," he muttered.
Across from him, Slyva narrowed her eyes.
She noticed the shifts in his expression and on the disbelief slowly replacing the excitement from before.
She took a few slow steps closer until she was standing directly in front of him. Her hair swayed lightly across her shoulders as she leaned forward slightly, trying to read his face.
"So?" she asked quietly.
"What is it this time?"
Ren hesitated.
His eyes remained fixed on the floating system window for a few more seconds before he finally exhaled slowly through his nose.
"…Slyva…"
He lowered his hand slightly. "I leveled up."
"…Huh?"
Slyva blinked once.
The confusion on her face was almost immediate.
"Leveled… up?" she repeated slowly, as if testing whether the words themselves even made sense.
Ren gave a small nod without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Yeah."
A faint grin appeared on his face again, though this time it carried more disbelief than excitement.
"It literally says I went from Level 1 to Level 2."