Chapter 4: Forced Exit (?? ?? - Gangje t'oejang)

  [You have gained 10 Experience Points.]

  [Level Up!]

  [A strange lightness washes over you. Your senses feel slightly sharper, and a faint warmth flows through your limbs.]

  [Leveling up signifies increased potential and growth.]

  [You have gained 4 Stat Points (points available for allocation). Would you like to allocate them?]

  Jin-Woo blinked, the blue messages flashing in his vision as the lingering dizziness from the Baby Rift began to subside. He felt… different. Lighter, definitely. And a little more aware of his surroundings, perhaps, as if a thin veil had been lifted from his senses. A subtle energy thrummed within him. He had gained experience, leveled up, and the System said leveling up meant more potential. Four stat points… points to make him stronger. Allocate them? How?

  As if in answer to his unspoken question, another blue window appeared.

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  [Status]

  [Name: Jin-Woo]

  [Level: 2]

  [Title: None]

  [HP: 65]

  [MP: 12]

  [Stamina: 18]

  [Strength: 0]

  [Agility: 0]

  [Vitality: 0]

  [Intelligence: 0]

  [Sense: 0]

  [Available Stat Points: 4]

  Jin-Woo stared at the numbers and words. This was like a game interface. HP, MP… he had a vague idea what they meant. And four points to make these numbers bigger? He hadn't even had a chance to understand this before a wave of dizziness washed over him, stronger this time. His vision blurred, the green-lit cavern swirling around him. He stumbled, his grip on the cool Shadow Beast Magic Stone tightening. The blue status window flickered and disappeared, replaced by another urgent message.

  Then, darkness.

  When Jin-Woo’s eyes fluttered open, the damp, earthy smell was gone. The eerie green light was replaced by the dull gray of a familiar overcast sky. He was lying on cold, hard asphalt. The alley where he had first encountered the dog monster.

  [Emergency System Protocol Initiated.]

  Blue words swam into his vision.

  [Anomaly Detected: Player stamina reserves critically depleted. Continued presence in the instance is hazardous.]

  [Instance: Baby Rift - Termination Initiated.]

  [All progress within the instance has been successfully saved.]

  [Current Main Quest: Survive the Baby Rift - CANCELED.]

  Jin-Woo blinked, disoriented. Stamina? Instance? What was happening?

  Then, the blue text shifted, the tone becoming colder, almost mocking.

  [New Scheduled Quest: Re-enter the Baby Rift.]

  [Activation Countdown: 100 Days.]

  [Failure to Enter: Permanent Debilitation.]

  The final message appeared, the cruel edge in the System’s voice palpable even in text.

  [Enjoy your fleeting peace, Endgame Hunter. Grow stronger. Your real hunt begins soon.]

  The blue words vanished, leaving Jin-Woo alone in the alley, the small magic stone the only proof that the nightmare he had just experienced was real. One hundred days. He had one hundred days to prepare for… what? He had no idea, but a chilling certainty settled in his heart. His life had irrevocably changed.