The walk back to Mapo-gu should have taken me two hours. On a normal day, as a Rank-F with the stamina of a wet paper towel, I would have been flagging by the first kilometer. My lungs would have burned, and my "Thermal Equilibrium" would have been working overtime just to keep my sweat from freezing in the evening chill.
I made it in forty minutes.
And I wasn't even breathing hard.
Every step felt like I was being propelled by a coil spring. The SSS-Rank [Eternal Solar Core] in my chest wasn't just a battery; it was a sun. It hummed with a low-frequency vibration that seemed to harmonize with the very molecules of the air around me. I had to consciously tell my legs to slow down, to move with the sluggish, heavy gait of the "old" Jin-woo. If I ran at my natural speed, I'd probably leave skid marks on the asphalt.
I stopped at a public park fountain a few blocks from my apartment to check my reflection. The park was empty, the streetlights flickering with a sickly yellow hue. I leaned over the stone basin, splashing cold water on my face.
The black sludge from the awakening was gone, but the skin underneath was... different. It wasn't just "clearer"—it looked refined, like high-quality porcelain that had been tempered in a celestial forge. My jawline was sharper, the puffiness of a high-carb, low-budget diet replaced by lean, predatory angles. But the most jarring change was my eyes. Once a dull, unremarkable brown, they now held a faint, molten golden rim around the iris.
"Deception," I whispered, the word feeling heavy on my tongue.
[Passive Skill: 'Universal Deception' is adjusting...]
[Visual output stabilized: F-Rank Mask applied.]
I watched in the reflection as the golden rim in my eyes faded into a murky hazel. My skin took on a slightly more "average" tone, losing that divine glow. I still looked better than I had yesterday—healthier, more alert—but now I just looked like I'd finally had a good night's sleep rather than a total biological overhaul.
"Jin-woo? Is that you?"
I winced as I stepped into our cramped apartment. The smell of cheap floor cleaner and fried kimchi hit me—a familiar comfort that now felt strangely small. My mom was sitting on the couch, her hand resting on her hip, her eyes glued to the TV. The news was showing grainy footage of a C-Rank Gate break in Incheon.
"Yeah, Mom. Sorry, I stayed late at the mountain," I said, keeping my head down as I kicked off my shoes. "My phone died. I had to walk back."
She stood up, her eyes scanning me with the practiced intensity of a mother who had spent years worrying about her son's health. "You're soaking wet, but you don't look... exhausted. Usually, you look like you're about to collapse after a hike. And your shoulder? Didn't you say it was hurting this morning?"
"I... I must have caught a second wind," I lied, heading straight for my room. I moved with a slight feigned limp, just to keep the act up. "I'm just going to sleep it off. Training tomorrow is going to be a nightmare."
"There's stew on the stove," she called out, her voice softening. "Eat before you sleep, Jin-woo-yah. You need your strength if you're going to keep up with those boys at the Academy."
"I will, Mom. Thanks."
I shut my door and collapsed onto the bed. I didn't eat. I didn't need to. The mana in my gut felt more nourishing than any meal. I expected to be awake for hours, my mind racing with the implications of the SSS-Class Dragon System, but the moment my head hit the pillow, the System let out a soft, rhythmic pulse.
[Notice: The Sovereign requires rest to stabilize the 1% Synchronization.]
[Entering Deep Sleep...]
I didn't dream. I simply existed in a void of golden light where the sound of wings beat against the edges of my consciousness.
The Next Morning: Seoul Hunter Academy
The Academy gates were a gauntlet of status and wealth. Students hopped out of black luxury sedans, their high-rank mana signatures fluttering like invisible capes. The air was thick with the scent of "New Money" and "Old Power."
I kept my hoodie up, slouching my shoulders. The [Universal Deception] was working perfectly, but it didn't hide the fact that I felt like a wolf walking into a sheep pen. Everything felt fragile. The sidewalk felt like thin ice; the air felt like it might ignite if I sneezed.
"Jin-woo!"
A blur of orange hair and high-energy mana slammed into my side. I reflexively braced myself, my body instinctively wanting to treat the impact like an incoming projectile. At the last microsecond, I forced my muscles to go limp.
"Whoa, Min-ah," I said, staggering back a few steps to sell the "weakling" act.
Lee Min-ah. My childhood friend and a Rank-C 'Wind Runner.' She was one of the few people who had stuck by me through the bullying. She was also the most dangerous person to be around right now because she knew exactly what the "weak" Jin-woo looked like.
"You're late! And... wait." She stopped, her nose wrinkling as she leaned in close—way too close. She sniffed the air around my neck, her orange ponytail bobbing. "You smell... weird."
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. "I changed my soap. It's some cheap stuff from the convenience store."
"No, it's not soap," she muttered, her eyes narrowing as she circled me like a curious cat. "You smell like... a thunderstorm. Sharp. And since when did your shoulders get this broad? Did you finally start hitting the gym instead of just getting hit?"
"It's the hoodie, Min-ah. It's oversized. It has shoulder pads or something," I said, gently pushing her back. "Let's go. We have the Mana-Stability test this morning. If we're late, Instructor Kim will have our heads."
"Ugh, don't remind me," she groaned, finally relenting. "I just hope Han-gyul doesn't try to show off again. He's been insufferable since he hit Rank-D peak. He thinks he's the next 'Sovereign' or something."
I flinched internally at the word Sovereign. If only she knew.
The Testing Hall was a cavernous room filled with glass pedestals. In the center of each sat a Mana Testing Crystal—a high-density quartz designed to measure output and stability.
I saw him immediately. Choi Han-gyul, the Bulwark's golden boy, was surrounded by a crowd of admirers. He was holding court, his Rank-D mana vibrating with a dull, heavy arrogance. To most, he looked impressive. To me, his mana felt like a muddy puddle compared to the ocean currently churning in my chest.
But it wasn't Han-gyul who caught my attention. It was the girl standing alone at the front of the line.
Yoo Sae-rin.
She was the Academy's "Ice Queen." A Rank-A genius and the daughter of the Yoo-Hwa Guild leader. She didn't just have mana; she had an aura. It was cold, sharp, and smelled faintly of winter lilies. As I walked past toward the back of the line, Sae-rin's head snapped toward me.
Most people didn't notice F-Rankers. To an A-Ranker, we were just background noise, part of the scenery. But Sae-rin didn't look away. Her pale blue eyes tracked me, her brow furrowing in a look of genuine confusion.
I felt a sudden, sharp heat in my chest. It wasn't the Solar Core—it was a warning.
[Warning: High-Rank Sensory Skill 'Eyes of the Abyss' detected.]
[Yoo Sae-rin is attempting to 'Pierce' your mana signature.]
[Counter-Measures: Stabilizing 'Universal Deception'...]
I lowered my head, hiding my face in the shadow of my hood, and moved to the very back of the hall. I could still feel her gaze burning into my back. It was like a cold needle trying to find a gap in my armor.
"Next! Kang Jin-woo!" the instructor called out.
The room went quiet. Not because they were interested, but because they were waiting for the daily entertainment.
"Here comes the Thermos," Taeshin whispered from the side, his cronies snickering. "Don't break the crystal, Jin-woo. They cost more than your mom makes in a year."
I walked up to the pedestal, my steps heavy and deliberate. The crystal was clear, a blank slate waiting to be filled with my "pathetic" light.
[New Quest: The Great Lie]
[Objective: Output exactly 1.5 units of mana.]
[Current True Output Capacity: ERROR (Calculating...)]
[Penalty for Failure: Exposure & Immediate Investigation.]
I looked at the crystal. If I let even a fraction of a percent of the Dragon's Core out, the crystal wouldn't just shatter; it would probably vaporize along with the instructor's arm.
I placed my hand on the cold glass.
Think weak, I told myself. Think lukewarm. Think of a dying ember in a rainy forest.
I reached deep into the core, trying to pinch off the smallest, most infinitesimal drop of golden energy. It was like trying to use a fire hose to fill a thimble.
The crystal hummed. A dim, greyish-yellow light flickered in the center. It looked sickly. It looked weak. It was a perfect F-rank performance.
"1.5 units," the instructor sighed, his voice dripping with boredom as he marked his digital board. "Rank F. Still no change. Move along, Jin-woo. You're holding up the line."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. My hand was shaking, not from weakness, but from the sheer effort of holding back. I turned to leave, walking as quickly as I could without looking suspicious.
But as I reached the exit, a hand caught my arm.
The touch was freezing.
"Wait."
I turned. Yoo Sae-rin was standing there. Up close, her beauty was almost as intimidating as her mana. Her skin was like alabaster, and her eyes held a depth that made me feel like I was standing on the edge of a cliff.
"Is there a problem, Rank-A?" I asked, my voice steady, though every instinct I had was screaming at me to run.
"I watched the crystal," she whispered, her voice like a low-frequency bell that only I could hear. "The number said 1.5. A pathetic, stable 1.5."
"That's because I'm a Rank-F," I said, trying to pull my arm away. She didn't let go.
"No," she said, her eyes flashing with a dangerous, icy curiosity. She pointed down at the base of the pedestal I had just left.
I looked. My heart stopped.
There was a tiny, hairline fracture in the reinforced stone base, right where my feet had been planted. It wasn't caused by mana—it was caused by the sheer weight of my presence that the System hadn't fully masked yet.
"1.5 units of mana doesn't crack reinforced obsidian," Sae-rin murmured, leaning in close. The smell of winter lilies was overwhelming now. "Your mask is leaking, Kang Jin-woo. Or should I call you something else?"
I looked her in the eyes, and for a split second, I let the [Universal Deception] flicker. Just enough for her to see the gold.
"I'd stay quiet if I were you, Ice Queen," I whispered back, my voice suddenly dropping an octave into a low, draconic growl. "Curiosity killed more than just the cat."
I pulled my arm free and walked out of the hall, leaving the highest-ranked student in the Academy standing in stunned, frozen silence.
[Quest 'The Great Lie' Completed.]
[Reward: +5 Intelligence, +5 Stealth.]
[Warning: A 'Predator' has caught your scent.]