White light.
Powerful.
Blinding.
It exploded in front of Ha Joon like a star being born, filling the room, erasing shadow, erasing blood, erasing everything.
Then it weakened.
Softened.
The white bled into light blue.
Dark blue at the edges.
A game-like system appeared in front of him.
Floating.
Glowing.
Ha Joon looked at it.
Covered in blood.
Tired.
Broken.
His body giving up.
Breathing heavy.
The soft blue light touched his face, casting everything in a dreamlike haze that felt both real and impossible, like standing between two worlds and belonging to neither.
The system showed an hourglass.
Pixels.
Small light blue blocks that made the sand inside.
The hourglass stopped.
Words appeared quickly, letters forming one by one, and with them came a voice.
A voice Ha Joon knew too well.
His eyes went wide.
His mouth opened.
His jaw stretched slowly.
Disbelief.
Recognition.
Pain.
His mother's voice.
"The system recognizes your kill. You have awakened."
Ha Joon's chest seized.
"The system offers you a chance to grow your strength and show your progress through consistent killing, cultivation, body development."
The words hung in the air.
Glowing.
Real.
"Congratulations. You can now look at your status."
The display changed.
**Ha Joon**
**Cultivation: Level 1**
**Body Development: Level 1**
**Mana: Level 1**
"Congratulations. Now the system watches you."
The voice faded.
The blue light dimmed slightly but stayed, hovering there, waiting.
Ha Joon stared at it.
At the words.
At her voice still echoing in his skull.
Tears came out.
Slowly.
Hot against his cold skin.
They mixed with the blood on his face, running down his cheeks in thin red-pink streams.
He whispered.
Barely audible.
"I'm an awakened hunter."
His voice cracked on the last word.
More tears came.
Not sobs.
Not gasps.
Just silent tears that wouldn't stop, running down his face while his body shook and his hands trembled and the blue light bathed him in something that felt like hope and horror twisted together.
Behind him, the door opened.
Slowly.
Light spilled in.
Gray fluorescent light from the hallway.
Ha Joon turned his head.
Chi-Long stood in the doorway.
Red and black tracksuit.
Black ponytail perfect.
Her face unreadable.
Beside her stood Eun Byol.
Covered in blood.
Not her own.
Her black jumpsuit soaked.
Her face pale.
Her hands red.
Her eyes empty.
Just like Ha Joon's.
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
Two people who'd crossed the same line.
Two people who'd killed.
Two people the system was watching now.