The clearing around the Altar of Ascension looked like a battlefield from a big-budget movie. Smoke rose from charred patches of grass, and the air smelled of ozone and monster blood.
In the center stood the Altar—a monolithic slab of white marble pulsing with a rhythmic, golden light. Arthur, the "Leader," stood before it, his flaming sword extinguished as he panted heavily. Around him, the other ninety-nine testers were cheering, though many were bruised and their clothes torn.
"We did it!" a young woman shouted, clutching a glowing staff. "The boss is down!"
"Level 5 already," another whispered, staring at his hands. "I feel... incredible. Like I could punch through a wall."
Han-ul watched from the treeline. He saw the way they looked at the Altar—with hunger. They didn't see it as a "Soul Binding Station," which his [Patch Notes] had clearly labeled it. They saw it as their prize.
He took a deep breath and activated [Liar's Truth].
Suddenly, a faint, artificial golden aura flickered around his body. To any other hunter looking at him, a floating status bar would now appear above his head, glowing with an intimidating silver border.
[Name: Kang Han-ul]
[Class: Sun-Walker Paladin (Unique)]
[Level: 12]
He stepped out of the shadows.
The snapping of a dry branch drew their attention. Arthur spun around, his hand flying back to the hilt of his sword. "Who's there?"
The crowd went silent as Han-ul walked into the light. He was still wearing his 7-Eleven apron, but the golden light rolling off his shoulders made the cheap fabric look like a ceremonial robe.
"The grocery store kid?" someone gasped.
Arthur's eyes widened as he "scanned" Han-ul. "Level... 12? How? You ran away the second the hounds appeared!"
Han-ul kept his face expressionless, his voice cool and steady. "I didn't run away. I scouted ahead. There was a high-level rift to the East. I took care of it."
"A rift?" Arthur walked toward him, his brow furrowed. "We didn't see any rift. And Level 12? I'm the highest-ranked person here, and I'm only Level 7. How did you jump five levels in twenty minutes?"
The atmosphere turned tense. In this new world, Level was everything. If Han-ul was truly Level 12, he was currently the strongest human on the planet.
"The East was a death trap," Han-ul lied smoothly, drawing on his knowledge of the 'Trash Bin' area. "The monsters there don't give normal experience. They're... corrupted."
He looked at the Altar. "Are you going to touch that?"
"Of course," Arthur said, though he sounded less confident now. "The System says it's the reward for the Tutorial. It grants the 'Hero's Blessing.'"
"Don't," Han-ul said.
The word fell like a stone in a quiet room.
"And why not?" a Mage sneered. "You think you can just waltz back here and tell us what to do because you found some exploit? We fought for this. We bled for this."
Han-ul glanced at his [Patch Notes].
[Note 7: Binding Mechanism]
The Altar of Ascension installs a 'Backdoor' in the user's consciousness. Once touched, the user becomes a 'Fixed Asset.' They cannot disobey a direct System Directive.
He couldn't tell them the truth—they wouldn't believe him. They were drunk on their new power. To them, the System was a god, not a virus.
"The blessing is a limiter," Han-ul said, improvising. "It stabilizes your power, sure. but it caps your potential. If you want to reach the true heights of this world, you have to grow without the System's 'help.'"
Arthur laughed, a dry, nervous sound. "Kid, look at us. We were ordinary people an hour ago. Now we're superheroes. The System is our potential. Move aside."
Arthur stepped toward the Altar. The golden light reached out like longing fingers, wrapping around his wrist.
"Arthur, wait!" Han-ul reached out, but he was too late.
As Arthur's hand touched the cold marble, a scream tore from his throat. It wasn't a scream of pain, but of overwhelming, terrifying ecstasy. Golden circuits began to crawl up his arm, etching themselves into his skin like permanent tattoos.
[NOTIFICATION: First Hero Found!]
[Arthur (Paladin) has accepted the Blessing of the Core.]
[World Synchronization: 1.0%]
Arthur's eyes turned entirely gold, losing their pupils. He turned back to the group, his voice sounding hollow and metallic. "It's... wonderful. You all... you must feel this."
One by one, the others rushed forward, lured by the promise of power.
Han-ul stood alone at the edge of the clearing, his "Level 12" aura flickering. He watched as his fellow humans—the "Top 100"—happily walked into their cages.
He looked down at his own hand, where the violet USB drive was hidden in his palm.
"They're not heroes anymore," Han-ul whispered to himself. "They're just... hardware."
Suddenly, his screen glitched.
[ALERT!]
[The System has detected an 'Unsynced Variable' in the vicinity.]
[Direct Directive Issued to Hero #1 (Arthur): Delete the Anomaly.]
The golden-eyed Arthur turned his head slowly toward Han-ul. He raised his flaming sword, but the flames were no longer orange. They were a cold, systematic white.
"Kang Han-ul," Arthur said, his voice a drone. "You have refused the Blessing. You are an... inefficiency. Inefficiencies must be purged."
Arthur leaped. He moved faster than any human Han-ul had ever seen—a blur of golden light and white fire.
Han-ul didn't have a sword. He didn't have a shield. He had a fake level and a broken USB drive.
Time to see if a Level 1 glitch can outrun a Level 7 puppet, Han-ul thought, and he dived back into the shadows of the jungle.