And now? Silence. His limbs wouldn’t move, his breaths were shallow, barely noticeable. He could feel the heavy weight of pain, dull and numbing, yet so absolute that he knew he was close to death.

System Notification: Warning: All bodily functions critically impaired. Lifesigns at 3%.

The words appeared in his vision like cracks in the void, faint yet undeniable. His barely functioning mind processed them slowly, the meaning weighing on him like a final nail in his coffin.

So, this is it.

He was dying.

But then—

A slow, almost amused chuckle rippled through the void.

“Well… look at you. A failure in every sense of the word.”

The voice wasn’t unfamiliar. It had tormented him before—his own system, mocking him.

“You really thought you could fight him? You barely lasted seconds. How embarrassing.”

Jae-Hyun felt nothing. No anger, no resistance. Just an overwhelming emptiness, as if his very being had been shattered along with his pride.

“You should be dead right now, you know.”

“If Belmoth had hit you one more time, you would’ve been wiped from existence. Gone. Erased.”

“…You got lucky.”

Another cruel laugh echoed through the void.

“Surviving by a hair. But that’s all you’ve ever been, right? Just barely holding on?”

Jae-Hyun’s breathing was shallow, his consciousness flickering like a dying flame. Was that true? Was he really just barely holding on?

Then—

The void around him trembled. The system’s voice quieted.

“Hmph. Well, as amusing as this has been, I suppose you’re not done just yet.”

“Wake up, Abyssal Heir.”

And then—

Light.

----------------------------------------

Jae-Hyun’s eyes snapped open, his body jolting slightly as he gasped for air. His lungs burned as if he had been suffocating for days, and a sharp pain radiated from every inch of his body.

The blinding white of the hospital ceiling greeted him.

For a moment, he just breathed.

The sterile smell of antiseptic filled his senses. His body felt like lead, weighed down by the sheer toll of his injuries. His mind tried to process everything—the void, Belmoth, the loss, the humiliation.

Then the door creaked open.

A nurse peeked in, startled at his sudden wakefulness. “You’re awake. I’ll get the doctor.” She hurried out before he could respond.

A moment later, another figure entered—Ahri.

Her face was unreadable at first, but the slight redness around her eyes told him everything. She had cried—but not here, not in front of him.

She didn’t speak right away. Her eyes scanned him, taking in his injuries, the way he still struggled to breathe. Finally, she exhaled sharply.

“What the hell happened?”

Jae-Hyun swallowed hard. His voice was hoarse when he finally spoke. “Where am I?”

“Hospital,” Ahri muttered, arms crossed. “You’ve been unconscious for three days.”

Jae-Hyun frowned. “Three days?”

Ahri gave a curt nod. “I broke into your apartment when you didn’t answer me. Found the letter. Tracked down the old training center. Dragged you here.”

He exhaled slowly, absorbing her words. His body still felt like it had been torn apart and barely stitched back together.

Ahri’s gaze flickered with something unreadable before she finally spoke again. “You look like hell.”

Jae-Hyun gave a weak chuckle. “That bad?”

Ahri hesitated—just for a moment—before muttering, “I thought I was too late.”

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A silence stretched between them.

Jae-Hyun stared at the ceiling, the weight of everything settling in. He had lost. Completely. There had been nothing he could do against Belmoth. No strategy, no skill, no trick that could have worked. He had simply been outclassed.

Ahri clicked her tongue, looking away for a brief moment before muttering, “You’re an idiot.”

For a second, her lips curled into a small smile—genuine, unguarded. It was fleeting, but it was there. A quiet acknowledgment that he was alive, that he had made it back. Then, as if catching herself, she schooled her expression back into something more neutral, but the relief in her eyes lingered.

Jae-Hyun let out a long breath. “Yeah. I know.”

Ahri sighed, but this time, there was something softer in it—a quiet relief beneath the exasperation. “You’re impossible.” Her arms loosened from their crossed stance. Instead of stepping back, she lingered, eyes scanning his face as if reassuring herself that he was truly awake. Then, with a final exhale, she stepped toward the door. “The doctor needs to check in on you before they let you leave.” With that, she turned, giving him one last glance before stepping out of the room.

Jae-Hyun forced himself to sit up, his body protesting every motion.

Pain exploded through his muscles the moment he moved, his limbs locking up as if rejecting the idea of standing. His breath hitched, and for a moment, he nearly collapsed back onto the bed. Every fiber of his body screamed in protest.

His hands clenched against the sheets, forcing himself to endure it. Even after healing, his body wasn’t the same. He gritted his teeth and pushed through, ignoring the tremors in his arms as he slowly sat upright.

His system was silent now, no mocking remarks, no immediate threats looming over him.

His gaze drifted to his phone on the nearby table. He reached for it with some difficulty, his fingers trembling slightly as he unlocked the screen.

Unread Messages: 27

Most were from Ahri. The rest—

Mi-Rae.

His thumb hovered over her name before finally clicking it.

Mi-Rae: Are you okay?You better not be dead. Why aren’t you answering me?I swear to god, Jae-Hyun, if you’re ignoring me—Please just respond.

Jae-Hyun exhaled slowly before typing.

Jae-Hyun: I’m fine.

A moment later, another text came through almost immediately.

Mi-Rae: Liar.

Jae-Hyun chuckled softly. She wasn’t wrong.

Ahri watched him from the side but didn’t comment. Instead, she leaned against the wall, arms still crossed. “She’s been blowing up your phone. You should’ve seen the first few messages—she almost sounded concerned.”

Jae-Hyun shook his head, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He still had a lot to process. His loss, his recovery, and—

The next steps.

But for now, he simply replied:

Jae-Hyun: I’ll explain soon.

But for now, he needed to rest.

----------------------------------------

----------------------------------------

Jae-Hyun barely slept. The doctor had insisted he stay for further tests, checking for any lingering damage before clearing him for discharge.

Even with the hospital bed beneath him, even after his body had been treated, the pain lingered. Not just the aches and bruises, but the heavy, unshakable weight of defeat. His mind replayed the fight with Belmoth over and over—how effortlessly he had been struck down, how powerless he had been.

He stared at the ceiling, thoughts racing, before finally sitting up. His body still felt stiff, weaker than before. Even though he was healing, he could tell—Belmoth’s attacks had done something deeper.

Then, just as he reached for his phone, the system interrupted.

System Notification: Penalty Due to Missed Training: Adjusted. New Objective Assigned: Survive a Rank A Fracture for 7 Days.

Jae-Hyun froze.

Then, another notification appeared.

Warning: Challenge Enhanced.

A slow, dull throb formed in his skull. What?

He scrolled through the system messages, his brows furrowing as he read the details.

Survival Condition: Limited Resources.

Objective: Survive for 7 Days.

Monster Waves Will Increase in Strength Over Time.

Escape Is Impossible Until Completion.

Failure Will Result in Severe Consequences.

Jae-Hyun exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. So that’s how it was going to be.

He had barely gotten out of his last fight alive, and now his system was throwing him into a forced survival scenario with no escape.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened again, and Ahri stepped inside, holding two takeaway cups of coffee. She paused, narrowing her eyes as she saw his expression.

“Why do you look like you just read your own death sentence?” she asked, handing him one of the cups.

Jae-Hyun took the drink but didn’t answer right away. He glanced at the steaming liquid, then back at the system messages still floating in his vision. His grip tightened slightly on the cup.

“Another punishment,” he muttered.

Ahri’s gaze sharpened. “For missing training?”

Jae-Hyun nodded, lips pressed into a thin line. “Survive a Rank A Fracture for a full week.”

Ahri’s expression darkened. “You just woke up from nearly dying, and it’s already throwing you back in?”

He let out a humorless chuckle. “Looks like it.”

Ahri sat down in the chair beside him, crossing her legs. She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I know it's the system, but are you really going back in?" Her fingers drummed against the cup in her hands. "You haven’t even told me properly what happened." She took a sip of her coffee, her expression unreadable. After a long pause, she finally said, “You’re still going to do it.”

Jae-Hyun exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "It wasn't my brother who sent that message. It was someone more dangerous. I don't know enough yet, but when I do, I'll tell you."

She let out a slow exhale, tapping her fingers against the cup. “And after that?”

Jae-Hyun’s gaze flickered. After that?

For so long, his focus had been on getting revenge on his father and Tae-Jun. But now? The encounter with Belmoth had changed something.

This wasn’t just about revenge anymore.

“If beings like him exist…” Jae-Hyun muttered under his breath, “Then how many others are out there? And who else knows about them?”

Ahri didn’t say anything at first. She watched him, studying his expression, as if measuring how much he had changed in just a few days.

Finally, she leaned back in her chair. “Guess you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Jae-Hyun huffed, finishing his coffee. “Yeah. I do.”