The sound of footsteps got closer, and some tables at the classroom door started shaking.
"Teacher... I'm scared."
"Quiet, don't raise your voice."
One student couldn't control himself and started crying, so the teacher turned quickly and put his hand over the student's mouth.
"If they hear us, we're finished."
Riku was looking at the door calmly.
'The sound is heavy... these aren't ordinary Rank C monsters.'
Suddenly, the glass of the adjacent classroom's window shattered completely, followed by a sharp scream, then total silence.
The students' bodies trembled.
"They... they killed the next class."
'The teacher is gritting his teeth... he is scared.'
Only one step separated the monsters from their classroom door.
Then—
A slight buzzing inside Riku's head.
[Life-threatening danger to the User detected.]
Riku froze in place.
'What is this sound?'
[Activating Hidden Condition: The Indifferent]
[User does not feel fear in the face of death]
[Linking System to User]
Riku's eyes widened slightly, but his expression remained calm.
'A System? Am I imagining things?'
[No, this is not a hallucination]
[Analyzing User status]
[Name: Riku Kisaragi]
[Rank: Non-Awakened]
[Title: Unknown]
[Level: 0]
[Surrounding Danger: Very High]
At that moment, a huge body collided with the classroom door, shifting the tables slightly.
One of the students screamed.
"It's here!"
The teacher grabbed an old metal rod.
"If they enter... I will try to stop them."
'The teacher knows he will die.'
[Emergency Quest created]
[Quest: Survival]
[Condition: Escape the classroom alive]
[Reward: Awakening]
[Failure: Death]
Riku looked at the door, which had started to crack.
'Awakening... that means I will get mana.'
[Does the User accept the quest?]
'Even if I don't accept... I will die.'
'No difference.'
"I accept."
[Quest Accepted]
In the same moment, the classroom door broke completely, and a monster with grey skin and sharp teeth appeared.
Some students fell to the ground from sheer terror.
Riku stood up slowly.
'My body... I feel a strange heat.'
[Partial Awakening initiated]
The monsters' footsteps were approaching Riku's classroom quickly.
The students fell completely silent, kneeling on the floor motionless.
Riku looked at the teacher by the door.
'No time for fear... I have to run.'
He found a small back door leading to the hallway.
He opened the door and ran as fast as possible.
Suddenly, a small but fierce Goblin appeared, its eyes glowing red.
'I have no Rank... how will I fight it?'
The Goblin attacked him directly, grabbed his shoulder, and dragged him to the ground.
A powerful stab hit him; pain swept through his body, and Riku fell to the floor.
The Goblin approached to deal the final blow.
Riku lifted his head with difficulty, his eyes still calm.
'Maybe this is my end... but I won't give up.'
In the critical moment, a strong, large Hunter appeared, moving at a terrifying speed.
He struck the Goblin with a single blow, knocking it to the ground.
He ran toward Riku, picked him up from the floor, and ran with him away from the hallway.
Riku lost consciousness, his body powerless, and all he felt was the pain increasing.
Riku woke up to a faint sound, his consciousness returning gradually.
He opened his eyes slowly and found himself on a hospital bed, his entire body aching.
Dim light was entering from the window, and the sound of medical machines beeping filled the room.
Then his mother entered, her face filled with worry.
"Riku... do you hear me? I'm here... everything is over, you are okay now."
Riku lifted his head slowly, looked at her, and was silent for a bit.
"Mom... I..." He tried to speak, but he felt dizzy.
"Don't try to talk now, just rest. You suffered severe injuries; you cannot move much," she said, placing her hand on his.
Riku closed his eyes for a moment.
'I didn't expect to feel comfort... but her presence here... eases the pain a little.'
"Riku, I know you always try to be strong... but it's okay to rely on others sometimes."
'Rely on others... I'm not used to this feeling...'
"I just... fear for you... I don't want to lose you too," the mother said in a low voice, almost tearing up.
Riku looked at her slowly, then closed his eyes again.
'They... they care about me... this is a strange feeling...'
Suddenly, a small black screen appeared beside the bed.
[Required Quest Completed]
Riku raised his eyebrows, surprised.
'A quest... I survived...'
[You have Awakened and become Rank E]
Riku sat up on the bed; his body still hurt, but he began to feel a strange energy flowing inside him.
[Aura Feature Activated]
Riku started seeing auras around the people in the room:
Red: Weak
Green: Healthy
Yellow: Tired
'This ability... is very useful... I can know who needs help and who might be dangerous.'
Riku closed his eyes for a moment, felt the power gathering inside him, and prepared for what would come later.
Riku sat on the bed after his mother, brother, and sister had left the room.
The silence of the room surrounded him completely; the faint sound of medical machines was the only thing there.
Riku looked at his hand; his body still hurt, but he felt something different.
'Did I really become an Awakened...?'
The sound of the medical machines was steady, repetitive, as if setting the rhythm of the room.
Riku was lying on the bed, staring at the white ceiling with no clear expression.
He raised his hand slowly in front of his eyes.
He didn't feel a clear physical difference, no power exploded, and no massive energy rushed out.
But the internal sensation... was different.
'There is something moving inside me... something that wasn't there before.'
He opened his eyes wider and looked around.
The room was quiet.
The curtains were half-closed, and the outside light was dim.
He noticed the auras immediately.
The nurse who entered the room was surrounded by a pale yellow aura.
'Tired... working for long hours.'
He felt that this vision had become natural to him, as if it had never been strange.
The doctor entered moments later.
His aura was a stable green.
"Your condition has improved significantly compared to your injuries."
Riku nodded slowly.
"Do you remember what happened at school?"
"Yes."
"You are lucky. If the rescue had been delayed by just one minute, the results would have been different."
'One minute...'
"You will stay here for two more days for observation, then you can leave."
The doctor left, and the room returned to its quietness.
After a short time, the door opened again.
His mother entered, followed by his younger brother and sister.
Their auras were clear.
Mother: Yellow leaning toward Green.
Brother: Weak Green.
Sister: Light Yellow.
'Worry... affects even the aura.'
"Riku!"
His mother approached quickly, holding his hand.
"Do you feel pain? Do you need anything?"
"I'm fine."
"Don't lie."
"I feel pain... but it's bearable."
His sister approached cautiously.
"Were... were you scared?"
Riku fell silent for a moment.
'Fear...'
"I don't know."
His brother looked at him with clear admiration.
"They said you faced a monster."
"I didn't face it... I almost died."
His mother squeezed his hand.
"I don't want you to put yourself in danger again."
"I didn't choose that."
"But you can try to avoid it."
Riku didn't reply.
'If I were stronger... I wouldn't be here.'
Minutes passed in intermittent silence.
Small talk, words of concern, looks of relief that he was still alive.
After a while, the mother stood up.
"We will leave you to rest."
"I will come back tomorrow."
They went out one by one.
The door closed.
The silence returned.
Riku remained alone.
He looked at his hand again.
'I am different now... but to what extent?'
Suddenly, the black screen appeared in front of him.
[Status Information]
Riku focused his gaze.
[Name: Riku Kisaragi]
[Title: Unknown]
[Rank: E]
[Level: 0]
[Physical Condition: Damaged – Recovering]
'Real... not a dream.'
[Hint: Current rank is weak. Avoid direct confrontations.]
"You don't need to tell me that."
[Basic System Function Unlocked]
[Quests]
[First Quest: Survival]
[Reward: Awakening Stabilization]
'Even the System doesn't expect me to fight.'
He closed the screen.
He took a deep breath.
'So... what should I do?'
He looked at the auras again, focusing more.
He started noticing finer details.
Color intensity.
Stability.
Vibration.
'The aura isn't just a color... it's a complete state.'
He tried looking at himself.
His aura was very faint, barely visible.
'Weak... but present.'
The day passed slowly.
At night, he tried to sleep.
But sleep didn't come easily.
'The Goblin... the blow... the pain...'
He opened his eyes suddenly.
'If the Hunter hadn't come... I would be dead.'
He clenched his fist.
'I don't want to be a burden.'
The next day, he was allowed to walk a little inside the hallway.
He moved slowly, leaning on the wall.
The auras in the hospital were diverse.
Patients, doctors, injured Hunters.
Suddenly, he felt something different.
Pressure... invisible.
He stopped in his tracks.
'This aura... is different.'
He looked forward.
A man was standing at the end of the hallway.
His aura wasn't clear.
It wasn't green, nor red, nor yellow.
It was... compressed.
As if it was trapped inside his body.
'This... is not an ordinary person.'
The man turned suddenly.
Their gazes met.
Riku felt a slight shiver.
'He senses me...'
The man smiled a small smile, then continued on his way.
Riku remained still.
'Who is that? A Hunter?'
He returned to his room.
Hours later, the doctor returned.
"Tomorrow you will be discharged from the hospital."
"But there is something you must know."
Riku raised his gaze.
"What happened at your school was not a normal accident."
"The appearance of a Rank C Gate in a school zone is rare."
"Investigations are ongoing."
'So... the matter is bigger.'
"We advise you to stay away from any activity related to Gates."
"At least for the time being."
Riku nodded.
But inside, he wasn't convinced.
'Staying away... is not a solution.'
That night, the System reappeared.
[Awakening Stabilization Successful]
[Feature Unlocked: Mana Perception]
Riku felt a slight tingling in his head.
The world around him became a little clearer.
'I can... feel it.'
He didn't see the mana yet, but he felt its presence.
Like air... but heavier.
[Warning: Excessive use may lead to exhaustion]
"Understood."
He closed his eyes.
'I am only at the beginning.'
'But I won't remain weak.'
'Even if the path is slow...'
He opened his eyes.
'I will walk it.'
End of Chapter (Two)