The rain fell harder.
Cold droplets struck the pavement like tiny bullets, filling the empty street with a steady rhythm.
Kael stood frozen beneath the flickering streetlight, staring at the crimson letters floating in front of him.
[Primary Objective: End the World.]
"…This has to be a bug," he whispered.
Everywhere around him, people were panicking.
Some ran through the streets screaming.
Others stared at the sky in shock as more blue system windows appeared before their eyes.
But Kael's screen was different.
While everyone else had bright blue panels…
His was black.
And the letters were blood red.
[Quest Generated]
Begin the Collapse
Description:The world stands on the edge of destruction. Every end begins with a single step.
Objective:Eliminate your first target.
Reward: ???Failure: ???
Kael frowned.
"Eliminate… what?"
As if answering his question—
A deafening crash echoed down the street.
The ground shook violently.
Glass shattered from nearby windows.
Kael spun toward the noise.
At the end of the road, a massive shape crawled out from inside a cracked building.
Concrete crumbled beneath its weight.
Streetlights flickered.
And then he saw it.
A monster.
Its body looked like a twisted fusion of wolf and insect. Black armored plates covered its body, while jagged claws scraped across the asphalt with a horrible screech.
Its eyes glowed an unnatural yellow.
And it was huge.
At least three meters tall.
Kael's throat went dry.
"What the hell is that…?"
A new message appeared.
[Monster Detected]
Ironfang HoundLevel: 5
The creature sniffed the air.
Then its glowing eyes slowly locked onto Kael.
For a moment…
Neither of them moved.
Then the monster growled.
A low, terrifying sound that vibrated through the entire street.
Kael's heart slammed against his ribs.
"Yeah… nope."
He turned around.
And ran.
His shoes splashed through puddles as he sprinted down the street.
Behind him, the monster roared.
The ground trembled as it began chasing him.
"Why me?!" Kael shouted between breaths.
People ran in every direction.
Car alarms screamed.
The city had turned into chaos.
Then—
The red system window appeared again.
[Warning]
User is attempting to flee from assigned objective.
Kael kept running.
"Yeah, obviously!"
[Penalty Risk Detected]
His eyes widened.
"Penalty?!"
[Suggestion: Engage the target.]
"Are you insane?!"
The Ironfang Hound smashed through a parked car behind him, sending metal flying through the air.
The monster was getting closer.
Fast.
Kael's lungs burned as he ran.
There was no way he could outrun that thing.
Suddenly—
Another window appeared.
[Emergency Skill Granted]
Skill: Shadow Step (Level 1)
Kael blinked.
"A skill?"
The system continued.
[Shadow Step allows the user to move instantly through nearby shadows.]
The monster lunged.
Its massive claws tore through the pavement where Kael had been standing just moments before.
"MOVE!"
Instinctively, Kael stepped toward the dark shadow beneath a nearby streetlight.
For a split second—
The world went black.
Then he reappeared ten meters away.
Kael stumbled forward in shock.
"What—?!"
Behind him, the monster roared in confusion.
His eyes slowly widened.
A grin spread across his face.
"…Okay."
He turned around to face the creature.
The rain poured down around them.
The Ironfang Hound snarled, baring rows of jagged teeth.
Kael cracked his neck.
"So this is how it's going to be."
The red system window appeared again.
[Quest Updated]
Target Located
Kael clenched his fists.
His heart pounded.
But this time…
He wasn't running.
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"Fine."
He looked straight into the monster's glowing eyes.
"Let's see what happens when I follow your system."
The Ironfang Hound lunged forward.
And Kael stepped into the shadows.