The questions from the officers lasted for nearly fifteen minutes.Ethan had expected them to take much longer, especially after seeing the state of his hospital room, but the officers eventually seemed satisfied with his answers. He told them that a man had attacked him, that a fight had broken out, and that the attacker had escaped through the window.There were details he deliberately left out.He said nothing about the System.He said nothing about Ansel being an Awakener.And he certainly said nothing about the strange power that had appeared inside his body after he woke up.The officers had written down his statement, asked a few more questions, and eventually left him alone.The doctor, however, had been far less willing to let him leave.Despite Ethan repeatedly insisting that he felt fine, the doctor had stubbornly ordered another examination.Now, after nearly three days in the hospital, Ethan was finally walking out through the main entrance with his sister beside him.He

Ethan leaned back against the worn seat of the taxi, his shoulder resting lightly against the door as the city moved beyond the window.Traffic rolled steadily around them, headlights flashed across the glass, motorcycles slipped through narrow gaps between cars, and pedestrians hurried along the sidewalks beneath rows of glowing signs.Shops, restaurants, banks, and office buildings passed one after another, creating the ordinary rhythm of a city that had no idea how drastically Ethan's life had changed. To everyone outside that vehicle, it was just another day. To Ethan, nothing was ordinary anymore.His thoughts returned to everything that had happened since he opened his eyes that morning. Ansel. The fight. The strange System that had appeared before him. The wounds that were healing far faster than they should have. The mysterious person who had paid nearly forty thousand dollars for his medical treatment. Then there was Reneta and the organization she belonged to.The more Ethan

Ethan approached the doctor’s office slowly until he finally came to a stop directly outside the door. He stared at it for several seconds, his hand hovering near the handle as he remembered the warning the System had given him.Behind that door was one of the threats it had told him about, and for all he knew, walking inside could mean stepping straight into a trap.For a moment, he stood there, debating whether he should go in at all. The enemy waiting on the other side had every advantage, since they could ambush him the moment he entered or catch him completely by surprise. For all Ethan knew, they might have even prepared a trap inside the office specifically for him.His mind raced as he continued staring at the door. Part of him hated the idea of stepping into a room where an enemy was already waiting, but another part of him knew he couldn't simply walk away. If Doctor Harden really was in danger, then leaving him there would only make things worse, especially if the enemy had

Ethan clenched his fists and forced his legs to move even quicker, refusing to accept that he could not escape her. “Come on,” he muttered through clenched teeth, his gaze fixed ahead as he pushed his body to its limit. “Just a little faster.”Yet even as he accelerated, Suki continued gaining on him.For the first time since the chase began, Ethan understood that his current speed might not be enough to save him.Ethan's eyes hardened as another thought suddenly struck him.The System.He had been so focused on escaping Suki that he had almost forgotten the one advantage he possessed. If there was anything hidden within the System that could help him escape, now was the time to find it.“System,” Ethan commanded silently, his expression tightening as he continued running. “Are there any special skills or abilities available to me?”The response came almost instantly.A familiar blue interface appeared across his vision, hovering transparently over the dark surroundings without obstru

Suki crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his expression. “What happened to that confidence?” she asked, her voice carrying a teasing edge as she watched him closely.Before Ethan could say give her a response, the System panel suddenly appeared across his vision.The translucent blue interface flickered once, almost as if it had just received a large amount of new information. Ethan's eyes immediately focused on the familiar screen, and a notification appeared in the center.||———————————————————||[NEW THREAT INFORMATION ACQUIRED.]Ethan's expression changed.His curiosity sharpened as the System began processing the information it had previously been unable to obtain. Lines of blue text appeared one after another, filling the panel faster than he could read them.[ TARGET ANALYSIS COMPLETE ][ IDENTIFICATION DATA ]Name: Selena WongAlias: SukiAge: 25Rank: BSystem Level: 30System Class: ElementalSystem Skill: Fire[ THREAT ASSESSMENT ]Threat Level: EXTREM