Harold barely slept.
Each time his eyes closed, the memory returned with uncomfortable clarity—the creature's glowing eyes, the flash of its claws, the sickening moment when the knife had driven into its neck.
It had all felt too real.
By the time pale morning light began filtering through the thin curtains of the apartment, Harold was already awake, sitting on the edge of the couch with his elbows resting on his knees.
The city outside was strangely quiet.
Not peaceful. Just… quieter than it should have been.
He rubbed his tired eyes and glanced toward the window.
Emergency vehicles crawled through the streets below—police cars, ambulances, even a few military trucks. Their flashing lights painted the fog in slow, shifting colors as they moved between the buildings.
The television murmured in the background.
Every channel seemed to be covering the same story.
"The global phenomenon now being referred to as the System Event has affected every country simultaneously," the reporter said. "Governments around the world are urging citizens to remain calm as authorities investigate the sudden appearance of hostile creatures and the mysterious text displays that have been reported in the air."
The reporter paused, swallowing nervously before continuing.
"Officials are currently referring to these creatures as Hostile Entities. Citizens who have received combat-oriented classes are being encouraged to assist authorities if possible, though only under controlled circumstances."
Harold leaned back against the couch.
So it wasn't just their city.
It was everywhere.
Across the entire world.
Behind him, the bedroom door creaked open.
Emily stepped into the living room, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"Did we really fight a monster last night, Harry?" she asked quietly as she shuffled toward him.
Harold gave her a tired smile.
"Yeah," he said softly. "Pretty sure that part wasn't a dream."
Emily sat down beside him, her expression slowly becoming more serious.
"My screen is still here."
She lifted her hand slightly.
A faint glow appeared in front of her.
SUPPORT CLASSHEALER
The text hovered in the air like a transparent display.
Harold could see it clearly.
"Dad's still asleep," Emily said. "The system said he has the Warrior class. So… he's basically a fighter."
Harold nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
His gaze drifted to the spot on the floor where the monster had collapsed the night before.
The body was gone.
At some point during the night, authorities must have come through the building and removed it—along with whatever other horrors had appeared in the city.
But Harold could still picture exactly where it had fallen.
He could still remember the weight of the knife in his hands.
And the strange surge of strength that had filled his body.
Almost as if responding to the thought, a familiar window appeared in front of him.
SHADOW DEBT SYSTEM
USER: HAROLD LEWISAGE: 17STATUS: DEBT BEARER
DEBT LEVEL: MINOR
BORROWED ABILITY: FERAL STRENGTH
DEBT MISSION ACTIVE
OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE FIRST NIGHT
STATUS: COMPLETED
Harold raised an eyebrow.
"Completed?"
Another message appeared immediately beneath it.
DEBT PARTIALLY CLEARED
REMAINING BALANCE: MINOR
WARNING: OUTSTANDING DEBT REMAINS
COLLECTION MAY OCCUR IF BALANCE IS NOT RESOLVED
Harold frowned slightly.
"So it can't just disappear and leave me alone?" he muttered.
Emily glanced toward him.
"What?"
"Nothing."
He quickly ran a hand through his hair.
He wasn't ready to explain the Shadow Debt System yet.
Truthfully, he barely understood it himself.
The bedroom door opened again.
David Lewis stepped into the living room, looking just as exhausted as Harold felt.
"Morning," he said.
Emily smiled immediately.
"Morning, Daddy."
David looked around the apartment before turning toward the television.
"I checked the news earlier," he said. "Looks like the government is trying to stabilize things."
Harold nodded.
"Yeah."
"They're saying schools and workplaces might reopen soon," David added.
Emily blinked in disbelief.
"School? Already? Don't they care about us?"
David shrugged tiredly.
"I think they want people to keep living normally. Honestly… so do I."
Harold wasn't sure how life could possibly return to normal after monsters had appeared in the streets.
And yet…
Part of him felt relieved by the idea.
Maybe the world wouldn't fall apart after all.
Maybe people would simply adjust.
Over the next several hours, the city slowly began showing signs of life again.
Government workers cleared debris from the streets. Emergency crews removed damaged vehicles. Helicopters circled overhead as authorities set up barricades in certain areas.
Cautiously, people began stepping outside.
From a distance, it almost looked normal.
Almost.
Harold spent most of the day trying to ignore the faint system window that occasionally flickered into existence in front of him.
Every time it appeared, it reminded him of the same thing.
He still owed something.
And eventually…
The system would collect.
The next few days passed quicker than Harold expected.
School, however, felt completely different.
The moment he walked through the front gates of North Ridge High, he could feel it.
Students were gathered everywhere.
But instead of talking about homework or weekend plans, they were comparing classes.
"I got the Archer class!"
"My brother got Tank!"
"My mom got something called Enchanter!"
Small glowing screens floated in the air as students proudly showed off their new abilities.
Near the entrance, one boy snapped his fingers, producing a tiny spark of fire.
A group of girls gasped in amazement.
"That's so cool!"
Harold walked past quietly, hoping not to draw attention.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long before someone noticed him.
"Hey."
Harold turned.
Marcus Hill leaned casually against a locker, flanked by two of his friends.
Marcus had always enjoyed making other people uncomfortable.
"Well look who it is," Marcus said with a smirk. "Harold Lewis."
Harold sighed inwardly.
"What do you want, Marcus?"
Marcus pushed himself away from the locker.
"Just curious."
A glowing interface appeared beside him.
WARRIOR CLASS – LEVEL 1
Several nearby students looked impressed.
Marcus grinned.
"So… what class did you get?"
Harold hesitated.
And that hesitation was enough.
Marcus's grin widened.
"Wait… don't tell me."
One of his friends laughed.
"You didn't get one, did you?"
More students began listening.
Harold felt heat creeping up his neck.
"I'm still figuring it out," he said calmly.
Marcus burst out laughing.
"Figuring it out?"
He looked around at the others.
"Guys, I think Harold got skipped."
A few students snickered.
"No class?"
"That's rough."
"Imagine surviving the system event just to be powerless."
Harold clenched his fists.
He could still feel the faint strength from the borrowed ability lingering somewhere inside his muscles.
But none of them could see it.
To everyone else…
He was just a normal guy.
Marcus leaned closer.
"Guess the system didn't think you were worth it."
Harold met his gaze.
For a moment, Marcus hesitated.
Something about Harold's calm expression seemed… off.
A faint chill ran down Marcus's spine before he shook it off.
"Good luck surviving," he said with a mocking smile. "You're gonna need it."
He walked away laughing with his friends.
Harold remained where he stood.
Students slowly returned to their conversations.
A moment later Emily approached him from down the hallway.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
Harold nodded.
"Yeah. Go to class, Em."
But just then the system window appeared again.
SHADOW DEBT SYSTEM ALERT
OUTSTANDING BALANCE DETECTED
COLLECTION EVENT APPROACHING
TIME UNTIL COLLECTION: 48 HOURS
Harold's stomach tightened.
He still had no idea what "collection" meant.
But something told him he was about to find out.
And more importantly…
He had no idea how he was supposed to repay a debt he barely understood.