The hallway lights flickered as Michael walked, each step lighter than the last. Blood had crusted along his sleeve in dark, flaking streaks, but the skin beneath was smooth, the gash reduced to a thin pink line that itched faintly. Students parted like water around a stone; whispers followed him like smoke, curling and clinging to the air.
"Closed a Gate solo?"
"Wasn't he the E-minus kid?"
"That's Fatty Mike from 3-B, right? The one who failed the sim three times?"
He kept his eyes forward, shoulders squared. The System's blue panels hovered at the edge of his vision, translucent, waiting, patient.
**[Status Update: Level 2 | STR 6 | AGI 4 | VIT 5 | INT 8 | MANA 2]**
**[New Skill Unlocked: Inspect – View basic enemy data. Cooldown: 5s.]**
**[Hidden Quest Triggered: First Witness. Reward: +50 Exp | Title: "Gate Closer" (Increases reputation gain with witnesses by 15%)]**
Ms. Kwon's hand clamped onto his shoulder with surprising strength, her mana blades still glowing faintly in her off-hand. "Infirmary. Now. No arguments."
"I'm fine," he said, and the words came out steady, deep—*his* voice, but not the one he'd used this morning.
Lila hovered two steps behind, wind aura fluttering the hem of her skirt like nervous birds. "You're bleeding," she said softly, eyes flicking to the stain on his sleeve.
"It's already healing." He lifted the torn fabric. The gash was gone. Only a faint scar remained, pale against his skin.
Her eyes widened, pupils dilating. "That's not normal. Not even for B-rank healers."
Jax shoved through the crowd like a battering ram, fire licking his knuckles in angry spirals. "Bullshit. No way a zero-rank closed a Gate. Show me the loot. Essence stone? Dagger? Something."
Michael met his stare, unflinching. "There wasn't any."
"Liar." Jax stepped closer, heat radiating off him in waves. The air shimmered. "You probably hid behind a teacher and let them clean it up. Typical."
Ms. Kwon's mana blades flared brighter, twin arcs of blue light. "Back off, Carter. He's under observation. You want to explain to Principal Oh why you're harassing a Gate survivor?"
Jax sneered, flames coiling tighter around his fists, but he retreated, shoulders stiff. The crowd swallowed him, murmurs rising in his wake.
In the infirmary, Dr. Aria Song—white coat crisp, A-rank healer with a reputation for saving S-ranks on the brink—ran a handheld scanner over Michael's arm. The device hummed, projecting a holographic lattice of his mana pathways. "No residual mana burn. Cellular regeneration rate off the charts. Wound closed in under four minutes. That's… impossible for E-rank. Hell, it's impossible for most A-ranks." She glanced up, sharp brown eyes narrowing behind her glasses. "You awakened today?"
"Something like that," Michael said, sitting on the edge of the cot. The vinyl creaked under him—*less* than it used to.
She tapped her tablet rapidly. "Blood panel's clean. No foreign essence. No corruption. But your mana signature…" She turned the screen toward him. A jagged spike, erratic, climbing. "It's unstable. Like a newborn S-rank's, but compressed. We need full scans. MRI. Essence resonance. The works."
"I have homework," he said weakly.
Dr. Song snorted. "Tell Principal Oh that. He wants you in his office. Now."
The walk to the administration tower felt longer than the entire school day. The corridors were quieter now, most students evacuated or in lockdown. But eyes followed him from windows, from doorways. Phones flashed discreetly. A notification pinged in his vision:
**[Social Integration +10. Current Reputation: "Mystery Closer"]**
**[Whispers Spread: 47 students aware. +5% chance of ally recruitment.]**
He passed the trophy cases—glass gleaming, awards for raid sim champions, guild internships, awakening ceremonies. His reflection caught in one panel: cheekbones sharper, eyes brighter, hair less greasy. Still him, but not. The System whispered:
**[Inspect Activated: Reflection – Michael Park. Level 2. Title: Gate Closer. Physical morphing in progress: 4%.]**
Principal Oh's office sat at the top of the tower, overlooking the warded courtyard where training dummies still smoked from afternoon drills. The man himself was a living legend—S-rank, silver hair cropped short, a jagged scar running across his throat from the Seoul Incursion ten years ago. He didn't look up from his desk, fingers steepled over a holographic map of the east wing Gate.
"Sit."
Michael obeyed. The leather chair didn't creak this time.
Oh finally met his eyes, gaze like a blade. "You closed a Blue Gate. Alone. No gear. No backup. No registered awakening. Explain."
"I… got lucky."
"Luck doesn't heal wounds in minutes." Oh leaned forward, voice low. "Luck doesn't leave a mana signature that scrambles our detectors. Your aura's spiking like a Red Gate boss. But you're not corrupted. You're not even *registered*. So I'll ask again—what are you?"
Michael swallowed. "I don't know."
Oh studied him for a long, silent moment. Then he tapped a command. The holographic map zoomed in on the storage room—debris, blood, the faint outline of the closed Gate. "We pulled essence residue. Goblin. Low-tier. But the Gate sealed *clean*. No leakage. That's not luck. That's precision."
He stood, walking to the window. Below, emergency teams were sweeping the grounds. "The Association will want you. Guilds too. Eclipse Raiders already sent a scout—Damon Black's little sister was in the crowd. They'll offer contracts before sunrise."
"I don't want—"
"You don't get to choose yet." Oh turned. "We'll run full scans tomorrow. MRI. Essence resonance. Psychic probe if needed. For now—low profile. No interviews. No guild scouts. No social media. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
As Michael stood to leave, Oh added, voice softer, "And Park? Whatever this is… don't waste it. The world chews up miracles and spits out bones. Don't be bones."
Back in the hallway, Lila was waiting, leaning against a locker with her arms crossed. She fell into step beside him without asking. "Hey. Um… you okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Just… a lot."
"I saw the blood. And then… nothing. How?"
"I don't know yet."
She bit her lip, wind aura stirring loose papers in a nearby trash bin. "Can I… walk with you to the gate? I mean, if you're going home."
He blinked. "Sure."
They walked in silence past the trophy cases, past the bulletin board plastered with raid sim sign-ups. Michael's reflection caught again—his uniform shirt hanging looser, collar not choking him anymore.
At the main doors, Lila stopped under the awning. Rain had started, a soft Neo-Seoul drizzle that smelled of ozone and street food. "Tomorrow's the inter-class raid sim. Teams of four. My group's short a tank—Rusty flaked for guild tryouts. If you're… you know, feeling up to it…"
Michael's heart stuttered. "I've never—"
"You closed a *real* Gate. That counts for something." She smiled, small but real, raindrops catching in her lashes. "Think about it. We meet at 7:30 in Sim Room 3. No pressure."
She left before he could answer, wind aura carrying her down the steps in a swirl of leaves.
Outside, the city lights were coming on. Neo-Seoul's skyline glittered like a dungeon full of stars—towers warded in blue, billboards flashing Hunter rankings. Michael pulled out his phone. One new message—from Mrs. Park:
**"Dinner's cold. Everything okay? Bus is late."**
He typed back: **"Fine. Coming home. Tell you when I get there."**
As he boarded the 7:15 bus, the System pinged again, louder this time.
**[New Daily Quest: Attend Raid Sim. Reward: +2 All Stats | Skill Point x1 | Team Affinity +5]**
**[Hidden Objective: Impress One Ally. Reward: ???]**
**[Warning: Reputation spreading. 87 witnesses. Guild scouts inbound.]**
The bus lurched forward into traffic. Michael stared out the window, city lights streaking past like comets.
Tomorrow, the sim.
Tomorrow, answers.
Tomorrow, the world would see what he was becoming.
But tonight—tonight he was still just Michael Park, riding home with a secret burning in his chest, wondering if Mrs. Park's kimchi jjigae would taste different now that he wasn't the same boy who left this morning.