The city was dead, but it never slept.
Aidan ducked into a crumbling alley, breath steady but shallow. The scent of rot and melted asphalt clogged his nose. He wasn't bleeding anymore—the system had seen to that—but his body still screamed from the memory of pain.
Behind him, the creature snarled.
It was another one of those mutated dogs. Bone poking through fur. Its eyes were like melted gold, twitching with the hunger of something that once knew loyalty but had long since given it up.
Aidan gripped the broken pipe tighter.
[EXP: +3][+1 BloodCoin acquired.]
[Kill Confirmed.]
The monster fell, its skull cracked inward. A purple shard tumbled from its body, along with a single red-tinged coin that skidded across the pavement. Aidan bent to pick both up, fingers shaking.
"Three EXP?" he muttered.
[Level: 1 | EXP: 37 / 100][Note: Low-tier creatures yield minimal EXP. Stronger entities may drop greater experience, higher-tier fragments, rare ores, or even usable weapons. Probability: <2% at current stage.]
He snorted, wiping sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. "So I'll be eighty before I level up at this rate."
"Unlikely. Statistically speaking, you'll be dead in three days unless your efficiency improves."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Aidan muttered. "You're a real motivator."
"Motivation is not part of your subscription tier."
Aidan cursed under his breath. He leaned against the wall, flicking open the Crimson Ledger again.
[Crimson Ledger: Trading Interface]
BloodCoins: 4Current Debt: -100,500 Coins(System Healing Applied Upon Awakening: 100,000 Coins)(Dimensional Storage Lease: 500 Coins)
"Wait," Aidan said slowly, eye twitching. "You charged me a hundred thousand coins just to stop me from dying?"
"And a bargain, considering your shattered ribs, punctured lung, three skull fractures, and emotional trauma."
"Emotional trauma?!"
"Line item 47."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "And the storage bag?"
"Promotional offer. You get a starter pouch. One cubic meter of internal space. Expandable by ten per coin."
"You gave it to me… then charged me five hundred coins for it?"
"I said I was feeling generous. Not charitable."
Aidan opened the Inventory tab. A small slot shimmered into existence—basic, dull-gray, but clearly marked with a deep crimson symbol. He tossed the crystal fragment inside. It vanished.
He blinked. No weight. No sound.
"...Okay, fine. That's actually cool."
"You're welcome."
[Status Window - Aidan Cross]
Level: 1EXP: 37 / 100Title: NoneHP: 120 / 120Stamina: 85 / 100Strength: 7Agility: 8Perception: 9Endurance: 10Willpower: 12Unlocked Skills:
[Undying Regeneration (Passive)]
[Crystal Focus (Passive)]
[Critical Hit (Active): 1% Trigger Rate]Debt: 100,500 BloodCoinsStorage: 1 m³ [Upgradeable]
But before he could catch his breath, a new alert flashed:
[Title System Unlocked.][New Title Acquired: Survivor of the Ruin Streets]Effect: +3% resistance to physical attacks from Tier-F infected.
He blinked. "I get titles now?"
"Survive long enough, and you might even earn ones that matter."
Still, the slight buzz of strength made his spine straighten. For the first time since waking up in this nightmare world, something felt earned.
He grinned. "Alright then. Let's see what the next kill brings."
He pushed off the wall, pipe in hand, and disappeared into the shadowed maze of the ruined city—toward blood, danger, and the promise of coin.
Because now?
He had a system.
He had debt.
And most importantly—
He had a reason to rise.