The return journey was a waking nightmare. Every shadow seemed to move, every noise came from invisible claws. Do-hyun kept his [Vampire Sense] off, too exhausted to maintain the skill, but also out of fear of what he might discover. The once-familiar city of Seoul had become a hostile hunting ground.
He walked with a swift but irregular step, constantly turning around. The few passers-by he met looked at him with curiosity or distrust. He must have looked like a madman - pale, his clothes messy, a fresh scar visible on his arm, his eyes widened by the residual adrenaline.
[PV: 24/25]
[Blood Energy: 3/10]
[PASSIVE REGENATION IN CURRENT]
The system's message was weak, but constant. Like an electronic heartbeat that reassured him about his own survival.
When he finally walked through the door of his small apartment in Nowon-gu, an almost painful relief overwhelmed him. He locked behind him double-trick, laid his back against the door and slid to the ground, finally breathing freely.
"I am alive," he whispered, as if to convince himself.
The tiny room suddenly seemed to him to be the safest place in the world. The narrow bed, the office cluttered, the television mute - everything was in its place, unchanged. Normal.
But he had changed.
[CAPLITY: UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM - PHASE 1]
[WALK: 50 EXP]
[Progress: LEVEL 2 (100/200 EXP) ]
[NEW FUNCTIONALITY UNlocked: SYSTEM DAY]
"System Journal?" asked Do-hyun, rising with difficulty.
A new window opened in his mind, more complex than the previous ones. It looked like a library interface, with tabs and categories.
[System DAY - ACCESS AUTHORIZED]
[SECTION: HISTORY OF FIGHTS]
[Section: Vampire Archives]
[SECTION: MASTERY SKILLS]
[SECTION: Ongoing quests]
"Show me the Vampire Archives," he asked, heading to his bed.
The window changed, displaying entries similar to ID cards.
[VAMPIRE DE LEVEL 1 - TYPE: NOVICE]
[STATUS: ELIMINATED]
[CARACTERISTICS: AVERAGE SPEED, STANDARD FORCE, NO SPECIAL CAPACITY DETECTED]
[Weakness: Heart, Head]
Level 4 VAMPIRE - TYPE: HUNTER/SUPERVICE)
[STATUS: MEET - FUITE]
[CARACTERISTICS: High Speed, Superior Strength, TACTIC INTELLIGENCE]
[Weakness: UNKNOWN - INFFECTIVED DATA]
[NOTE: PROBABLY BELONG TO AN ORGANIZED CLAN]
Do-hyun shuddered as he re-readed the second entry. "An organized clan... It's much worse than I thought."
[Affirmative]. VAMPIRES GENDERAL WORKING IN Structured Hierarchies.
[The system has data on several major SOUL clans.]
[RESTRICTED ACCESS: LEVEL 3 REQUIRED.]
"Of course," sighed Do-hyun. "More and more levels."
He moved on to Mastered Skills.
ACTIVE COMPETENCE: Activist:
[VAMPIRE SENSE - LEVEL 1]
[LEGOUR - LEVEL 1]
[Light Blade - Locked (Level 3 REQUIRED) ]
[Passetents:]
[COMBAT INSTINT - LEVEL 1]
[INCREATED REGENERATION - LEVEL 1]
"How can we improve these skills?"
[Skills improve through use and experience.]
[Using skill in difficult combat accelerates progress.]
Do-hyun stood up and headed for the tiny bathroom. His reflection in the mirror made him jump. His eyes were circled, scratches on his face, and his white hair - already unusual - looked even paler, as if it had absorbed the glow of the System. The scar on his arm was clear, clean, but visible. A permanent mark of his new life.
As he washed his face, a thought occurred to him. "System, my parents... They used this system. What do you know about them?"
An unusual silence followed his question. For a moment, he thought the system would not respond.
[ACCESS TO PERSONAL ARCHIVES: RESERVIDED.]
[Level 5 REQUIRED to unlock classified files.]
[Reason: PROTECTING THE HOST AGAINST POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS INFORMATION.]
"Dangerous how?" insisted Do-hyun, leaning towards the mirror as if he could see the System in its reflection.
[Premature knowledge can attract the attention of hostile entities.]
[YOUR PARENTS HAVE PAYED THE ULTIUM PRICE FOR ONE OF THEIR DISCOVERY.]
Focus on your development. The truth will come in due time.
Do-hyun clenched his fists. "They died because of what they knew? Because of this system?"
[They died protecting what was important.]
[YOU ARE NOW THE GUARDEN OF THAT HERITAGE.]
A mixture of anger and sadness invaded him. All this time, he had believed that his parents were ordinary soldiers who died in a distant war. But they had been much more than that. Hunters. Like him.
"Show me how to get stronger. Quickly."
[NEW QUEST: Mastery of Basics]
[OBJECTIVE: Achieve Level 3 BEFORE THE NEXT NEW MOON]
[Delay: 7 days]
[REWARD: [LIGHT LAME] LOOKING OUT ACCESS TO THE BASIC ARCHIVES OF THE SYSTEM]
[PENALITY: Increased ATTENTION OF VAMPIRIC CLANS]
"The new moon? Why is this important?"
[New Moons Strengthen Vampire Powers.]
[CLANS ACTIVITIES intensifie during these periods.]
[YOU MUST BE READY.]
Do-hyun looked out the window. The night was still deep, but the first light of dawn began to tinge the horizon. His first night as a hunter was coming to an end, but the day ahead would not be more relaxing.
"Okay," he said, straightening up. "Where to start?"
[Recommended training program:]
[- Improving the physical condition (FORCE, ENDURANCE) ]
[- PRACTICE OF EXISTING SKILLS]
[- STUDY OF VAMPIRIC BEHAVIOUR]
[- DEVELOPMENT OF NETWORKS (POTIAL ALLYS) ]
The last point caught his attention. "Allies... Like Park Soo-ah?"
[PARK SOO-AH - EXPERIMENTED BLOODLINE USER.]
[UNKNOWN AFFILIATION - UNCERTAIN INTENTIONS.]
[approach with caution.]
[NOTE: HE SAVED YOUR LIFE.] This action suggests some benevolence or at least a common interest against the vampire threat.
Do-hyun remembered his keen eye, his mastery in battle. She didn't need to help him. She did it anyway.
"How to find her?"
[Analysis of the reasons for intervention...]
[Usually, independent hunters monitor known hot spots.]
[Probable areas: Gwanghwamun, Itaewon, The neighborhoods around the University of Seoul.]
[Direct search not recommended - High risk of attracting attention.]
Do-hyun nodded. He understood. He had to focus on his own progress for now.
Fatigue suddenly caught up with him, like a rising tide. His body brutally reminded him that he had come close to death, fought, and used strange powers in a single night.
[STATE: Extreme fatigue detected.]
[RECOMPENDATION: 6 hours of minimum sleep.]
[System will go into standby mode to optimize recovery.]
Do-hyun dropped onto his bed, too exhausted to even undress. As he fell asleep, one last thought crossed his mind: his younger sister, Ji-eun. She had to be safe. She had to stay out of this.
[SUB-OBJECTIVE ADDED: PROTECT THE FAMILY]
[OBJECTIVE: Keeping JI-EUN out of scope of vampires]
[First action: REMOVE ALL SUSPINION - RETURN A NORMAL LIFE IN APPEARANCE.]
"A normal life," he whispered in the pillow. The idea seemed both ridiculous and essential to him.
As sleep prevailed, the System's interface blurred and then disappeared, leaving behind a faint golden glow in her mind, like a silent promise.
The night was over, but the hunt had just begun.