I finally reached the ruins.
They weren't buried—not truly.
They rose from the wasteland like a memory the world itself had failed to erase.
A stone pathway cut through the sand, perfectly preserved, leading forward between rows of towering statues.
Angels.
Not the gentle kind.
Each one stood frozen in prayer, wings folded tight against their backs, faces carved into expressions so intense they bordered on agony. Grief. Fear. Devotion. Some had their heads bowed so low their foreheads nearly touched their clasped hands. Others stared upward, mouths parted as if caught mid-scream.
Their fingers were clenched so tightly that cracks split the stone.
Every statue faced the same direction.
The temple.
At the end of the path, it loomed—half-collapsed yet impossibly imposing. Its spires were broken, jagged, clawing at the dead sky as if refusing to fall. Ancient runes pulsed faintly across its surface, glowing and fading in a slow, rhythmic pattern.
Like a heartbeat.
I stepped forward.
And froze.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE — ACTIVE]
The screen appeared directly in front of my face.
Blank.
No text.
No objectives.
No countdown.
Just a black window, hovering there… watching.
"…What?" I muttered.
The System had never done this before.
It always spoke.
Commanded.
Threatened.
But now it was silent.
Watching me.
What does this mean?
I shook my head and took a step forward.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon took a step forward.
I stopped instantly.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon paused, displaying confusion.
My stomach sank.
"…Why are you—"
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon questioned the System's behavior.
My jaw tightened.
I raised my arm sharply.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon swung his arm upward.
I spat onto the stone path.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon spat on the ground intensely.
"You have got to be kidding me."
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon expressed frustration toward the System.
My fingers curled into fists.
"Why are you narrating everything I do?"
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon asked the System why it was narrating his actions.
Silence.
No answer.
Just that black screen.
My skin crawled.
This wasn't guidance.
This wasn't a quest.
This was observation.
Then—
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Unknown weapon detected. Incoming trajectory: lethal.
My instincts screamed.
I twisted my body sideways—
Steel sliced through the air where my neck had been a moment earlier.
A dagger buried itself into the stone behind me, vibrating violently.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon dodged a dagger that nearly severed his head.
"…You're really enjoying this, huh?" I muttered.
I turned.
And my blood ran cold.
From the shadows beyond the statues, she stepped forward.
Unchanged.
Not a single wrinkle. Not a hint of age.
That same calm, infuriating smile curved her lips.
Beside her, the darkness itself moved.
The black yokai emerged, towering, its form rippling like smoke given mass. Those same cold, merciless eyes locked onto me.
The same two who attacked the elf capital.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon turned around and identified the woman and yokai beast from two years prior.
I exhaled through my teeth.
"Is there any way to turn this annoying system off?"
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon asked if the System could be disabled.
No response.
I shifted my stance, eyes never leaving them.
"So," I growled, "we meet again."
"This time," I continued, electricity crackling faintly around my body, "I'm making sure you die."
She laughed.
"Oho? How interesting," she said. "Then come. Try."
I reached for my blades—
Pain exploded across my back.
The world flipped as a massive force slammed into me.
I crashed through an angel statue, stone shattering as my body tore through it and skidded across the path.
I coughed violently, blood spilling onto the stone.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon was horrifically struck and sent crashing into a statue.
"Ouch," the System added.
I slammed my fist into the ground.
"Alright," I snarled, "whose side are you on?"
The yokai's voice rumbled like grinding stone.
"That's for before."
It vanished.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Then—
It reappeared above me, massive foot descending like a falling mountain.
I rolled desperately.
The ground exploded where I'd been.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon narrowly dodged a lethal stomp.
I ignored the System, forcing myself upright, blades flashing into my hands.
I lunged, aiming low—legs, joints, balance.
The yokai reacted instantly.
Too fast.
It twisted, its massive leg whipping around and slamming into my side.
I was launched again—another statue shattered under my body.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon failed to land an attack and was severely punished.
I lay there, gasping.
What the hell…?
This thing felt stronger than before.
Or—
No.
I didn't understand its strength back then.
The woman clicked her tongue.
"Wow," she said mockingly. "Two years… for this?"
She tilted her head.
"You're still weak. All that changed was your appearance."
Then she smiled wider.
"Why don't you show us that demon form?"
My teeth clenched.
I could feel it—coiled, waiting.
But no.
I can't rely on that.
If I did… I'd never surpass it.
I pushed myself to my feet, legs trembling—not from fear alone, but exhaustion, pain, anger, calculation.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon stood up again, displaying reckless determination.
The woman sighed.
"How disappointing."
"I suppose you'll die here."
The yokai advanced.
Step by step.
Each footfall cracked stone.
My breathing slowed.
Think.
Raw strength wouldn't work.
Speed wasn't enough.
Lightning crackled faintly around my hands—red, unstable, violent.
Electricity.
Not just power.
Physics.
Electricity sought paths. Resistance. Conductivity.
The statues.
Stone—but fractured. Dust-filled cracks. Minerals.
Sand.
Silica.
Conduction through particulate matter… inefficient, but possible.
The yokai moved again—
I dodged, barely, pain screaming through my ribs.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon avoided a fatal strike by a margin of 0.2 seconds.
My mind raced.
Shadow density fluctuates when it attacks.
Meaning it solidifies.
Meaning resistance increases.
Meaning—
I slammed my blade into the ground.
Red lightning erupted outward, crawling through the fractured stone, racing along cracks, dispersing through the sand-filled air.
The yokai paused.
Just for a fraction of a second.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Hostile entity hesitated. Cause: unknown.
That was it.
I moved.
I redirected the flow—compressed, focused, not explosive.
A spear of red electricity snapped upward—
Straight into the yokai's torso.
The impact was deafening.
The shadow beast recoiled, its form tearing apart as raw energy tore through it.
The woman's eyes widened.
She was shocked.
[SYSTEM LOG]
Jae Hoon successfully landed an attack.
The yokai staggered back.
And I stood there, chest heaving, blood dripping—
Realizing—
I'd finally hurt it.