The night air was unusually cold as I walked toward 5th Street. The streetlights flickered, casting long, distorted shadows on the pavement. My senses, now heightened by the 'Level 1 Awakened' status, picked up every small sound—the scurrying of rats, the distant hum of a car, and the rhythmic beating of my own heart.
[System Notification: You are approaching the quest location. Stealth is advised.]
I stopped in front of a massive, rusted gate. The abandoned warehouse stood like a sleeping beast in the darkness. According to the System, I wasn't alone. There were others like me—people who had been chosen, people with power.
"Why me? And why now?" I wondered. But I knew the answers wouldn't come if I stayed outside.
I climbed over the fence, my movements fluid and silent. As I reached the side entrance, I heard voices coming from inside. Deep, gruff voices.
"Did you hear? Another 'Zero' awakened today in this sector," one voice said.
"A Zero? Those are useless. They usually die in the first mission," another replied with a mocking laugh.
My grip tightened on the doorframe. They were talking about people like me. People who started with nothing.
I peeked through a crack in the door. Inside, the warehouse was lit by dim orange lamps. Three men were standing around a wooden crate. But they weren't normal men. One of them had faint glowing tattoos on his arms, and the other was casually tossing a ball of real fire between his hands.
My breath hitched. Magic? Or was it just another version of the System?
Suddenly, the red warning screen flashed again.
[Emergency Mission Update: Survival]
[Objective: You have been detected. Defeat the scouts or escape.]
"Who's there?" the man with the fire shouted, turning his head toward my direction.
I didn't have time to hide. I stepped out of the shadows, my eyes glowing with a faint blue light.
"I'm the one you called 'useless'," I said, my voice echoing through the vast warehouse. "And I'm here to prove you wrong."
The man with the fire smirked, his hand erupting into a large flame. "A Zero with an attitude? This might be fun after all."