The wind still rustled through the treetops.But the storm was gone.The pressure that came with the arrival of the "mysterious man" had vanished—as if it had never been.
Kang Seung-woo stood in the middle of the cracked stone clearing, where the clash had taken place.The ground around him was fractured. Some areas still simmered with residual energy.He clenched his fists and scanned the perimeter.
No sign of enemies.No anomalous lifeforms.But one thing remained—the voice in his head, now silent after its final words:
"Become the one who redraws the line of evolution... go beyond humanity."
"Seung-woo!"
Lee Yeon-a's voice called out as she rushed over with a portable medkit.
She quickly checked his wounds.
"I'm fine," Seung-woo said. "Just some recoil."
She frowned, but didn't press further.Instead, she looked around, concern etched on her face.
"When I ran to call for backup, the exam field's systems were dead—No comms, no syncing with the central hub."
She showed her sleeve's interface.
[Field System: Unresponsive / Severe damage detected][Status: Locked by unknown external energy / Logs disabled]
Seung-woo exhaled.
"Exactly. The system... doesn't want anyone to know what happened here."
They headed to the regroup point at Zone C5—a temporary base with healing pods and communications.But as they approached the entrance—
"Hold there. Bio-scan required before entry."
Seung-woo raised his wrist calmly.
The scanner flashed—then blinked off.
[Error: Bio-wave pattern overlaps system threshold][Unable to read GEU or bio-class data]
The field officer frowned.
"Scanner bugged… hang on, I'll reboot—"
But before he could, the screen turned gray.
[Special Directive: Suppress Disclosure – Data Lockdown by Core System]
"...Huh?" he muttered, chuckling."Guess the field's still glitchy from magnetic interference. You're good to go."
Yeon-a eyed Seung-woo suspiciously but said nothing.
"You attract weirdness like a magnet," she murmured.
Inside the bunker—
Dim neon lights glowed overhead.Other examinees rested quietly, unaware of what had transpired.
Seung-woo sat on a fold-out bed, staring at the ceiling.
Why did the system hide the battle? What is it afraid of?
Suddenly, his vision shook—As if something injected itself into his mind.
[Unlocking Deep Memory Layer][Access Level: L-1 / Gene-Core Fragment A prototype][Shadow System transferring ancient gene-sequence data...]
He flinched, eyes wide.
His consciousness fell—
The world faded.
He drifted as pure thought through a dimension of glowing silver-blue light.Data streams swirled around him.
This... is inside my mind?
[Welcome to Genetic Core Layer A][User Authority: Kang Seung-woo]
Then a voice—old, steady, impossibly deep.
"You... chosen by the last bloodline..."
The scene shifted.
War.
Creatures of metal, glowing bones, and mythic beings clashed.Bioguns roared. Mountains crumbled. Cities built on genes fell to purebred machines.
"I was the king of the ancient epoch... leader of true evolution.""Before we perished, I hid Gene-Core Fragment A within human bloodlines......to let it evolve once more."
"You alone can synthesize evolution.And what they fear... is that you can rewrite the code itself."
[Evolutionary System: Synced with central brain][Warning: Do not activate powers in field until Tier 4 or above]
This is far beyond what I imagined...
"If they discover you hold Fragment A...this world will never know peace again."
The vision erupted in light—The memory closed.
Seung-woo gasped awake.
Yeon-a was dozing nearby, draped a blanket over him.
She can't know...
He slipped out quietly.
Outside, night had fallen. The wind brushed past.Lights flickered across the sky.
But inside him—everything had changed.
[Gene-Core A: Locked in deep memory layer][Status: Undetectable to all external scans][Shadow System: Observation Mode – Will communicate when time comes]
"If I'm the heir... then surviving isn't enough.I have to change this world."
Meanwhile, in Zone C4-C—
Students from other schools gathered.
A private academy elite smirked.
"This field's getting more fun..."
"The mechanical energy? Probably just leftover interference.""Bet the lower-zone kids ran off screaming."
Their laughter echoed.
Elsewhere—
In a swampy stretch of the field, a figure in black robes stared into a spatial rift.Biocircuitry glowed across his palm.
"The prototype gene... it's awakened."
[Field Alert][Unusual seismic activity detected][Warning: Avoid silver-silver energy zones]
Back at the bunker, alarms blared.
Yeon-a jolted awake.Seung-woo stood, eyes sharp.
A pillar of silver light surged from the distance.
"They're starting to move..."
[Detection Attempt: Incoming][Activating: Deep Genetic Camouflage Layer][Deception Mode: Displaying Normal Neo-Class Levels][Status: Undetectable to external units]
"...So the system is protecting me."
Hyun-joo, watching from another zone, cursed.
"Did a boss monster just slip through the system?!"
AI voice alert:
[Unstable rift may have been triggered unintentionally.]
"Dammit… this ain't just a school exam anymore!"
Seung-woo stood atop a ridge, watching distant lights.The wind tugged at his blade.
[Gene-Core: Full stealth engaged][Alert: You are being searched for – but cannot be found]
If I walk this path… I must remain silent.
"This... is the real test."