2026-08-03 13:15:45The warehouse fell silent.
Arjun held his breath. The footsteps grew louder. One... Two... Three... At least six people had entered the hidden passage. He slowly crouched behind a stack of military supply crates, his newly acquired Steel Combat Dagger clenched tightly in his hand. His heartbeat remained steady. In his previous life, panic had almost gotten him killed countless times. This time... He refused to make the same mistake. A flashlight beam swept across the warehouse. A man in black tactical gear stepped inside first. He wore body armor that didn't belong to any ordinary security company. Behind him were five more armed men. Their movements were disciplined. Military. Or something close to it. The leader stopped in the center of the room. "Spread out." "Find the crystal." "We leave in ten minutes." Arjun frowned. "They know exactly what they're looking for..." This wasn't luck. Someone had leaked the location of the cache. But that was impossible. Only the government should have known this place existed. One of the men suddenly shouted. "Captain!" "The glass container is empty!" The leader rushed over. His face darkened. "Impossible..." "It should still be here." He examined the broken container carefully. Then his eyes narrowed. "We're not alone." Every weapon in the room was raised instantly. "Find him." "Alive if possible." "If he resists..." The captain smiled coldly. "Shoot." Arjun silently activated his new skill. Eagle Eyes. A cool sensation spread through his eyes. The world changed. His vision sharpened dramatically. He could clearly see the tiny movements of every soldier. Even their breathing. Their blind spots. Their weapon positions. "So this is an F-Rank skill..." Even a basic skill was terrifying. One soldier slowly approached Arjun's hiding place. Five meters. Four. Three. The man's rifle pointed toward the crates. Arjun's muscles tensed. Now. He moved. Like a spring released. The dagger flashed through the air. Before the soldier could react— The blade struck his wrist. "AAAH!" His rifle clattered onto the floor. Arjun caught it before it made another sound. Without hesitation, he slammed the rifle's stock into the man's jaw. Crack! The soldier collapsed unconscious. Everything happened in less than three seconds. "There!" The captain roared. Gunfire erupted. Bullets tore through wooden crates. Splinters exploded everywhere. Arjun rolled behind another stack of supplies. "Damn." He only had a dagger. Against rifles... A direct fight was suicide. Then he noticed something beside him. A red metal cylinder. High-Pressure Oxygen Tank. An idea crossed his mind. A dangerous one. He smiled. "Let's see if experience beats numbers." He fired a single shot. The bullet pierced the oxygen tank. For one second... Nothing happened. Then— BOOM! A deafening explosion shook the warehouse. Flames burst toward the ceiling. The shockwave threw two soldiers into the wall. Smoke instantly filled the room. Visibility dropped to almost zero. The captain shouted, "Retreat!" "Get outside!" But Arjun had already disappeared into the smoke. Using Eagle Eyes, he could still barely make out silhouettes. The soldiers couldn't. One after another... He struck. A punch. A kick. The dagger flashed. Within seconds... Three more men lay unconscious. Only the captain remained standing. Unlike the others... He didn't panic. Instead, he calmly drew a black combat knife. "So..." "You're stronger than I expected." His voice was strangely relaxed. "Who are you?" Arjun remained silent. The captain smiled. "No answer?" "Fine." "I'll cut it out of you." He charged. Fast. Much faster than an ordinary human. Arjun's expression changed. "This speed..." "He's already evolved." That was impossible. The apocalypse hadn't even begun. Yet someone already possessed abilities beyond normal humans. Their blades collided. Clang! The impact numbed Arjun's hand. The captain grinned. "Surprised?" "You're not the only one chosen." Those words hit Arjun harder than the knife. Not the only one chosen... Before he could think further— A transparent blue screen suddenly appeared before both of them. Emergency World Announcement The First Evolution Crystal has been absorbed. The Apocalypse Timeline has accelerated. Global Event will begin in... 72:00:00 The countdown started. 71:59:59 71:59:58 The captain's smile slowly disappeared. "So..." "It has begun." He looked at Arjun one last time. "We'll meet again." The next second... He threw a small metal sphere onto the ground. Dense black smoke exploded across the warehouse. By the time it cleared... He was gone. Only the unconscious soldiers remained. Arjun stood motionless, staring at the glowing countdown floating before his eyes. Seventy-two hours. Not one hundred days. The future had already changed. And someone else... Was playing the same game. End of Chapter 4
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Chapter 201: The Things We Cannot Decide
The rain had stopped, but water still dripped from the library roof.Nox arrived early the next morning. Mara was already inside, checking the repaired shelves and arranging a new stack of books near the entrance.“You're early,” she said.“I wanted to finish the labels before the children arrive.”“Then I have something else for you.”She placed a small cardboard box on the table.Nox opened it. Inside were several envelopes, a handful of photographs, and a folded sheet of paper covered in handwritten names.“Someone donated these yesterday,” Mara explained. “They belonged to an old community reading group. We don't know whether the people named here want their photographs displayed or their letters kept in the library.”Nox examined the box.“Should we return them?”“We don't know who donated them or how to contact the people involved. That's why we need to be careful.”He lifted one photograph. It showed a group of children sitting beneath a large tree. Their faces were bright with
Chapter 200: The Choice to Knock
Leena returned to the library three days later.This time, she carried a small photograph.Nox was arranging returned books when Mara called him over. Leena stood near the desk, holding the photograph by its edges.“I found this while looking through an old suitcase,” she said. “I thought you might want to see it.”Nox approached.The photograph showed two children standing beside a railway platform. The younger one held a blue cloth bag. The older child stood close, one hand resting on the younger one's shoulder.“Is that you?” Nox asked.Leena nodded.“And the boy?”“My brother Daniel.”Nox looked at the photograph again. The boy's face was slightly blurred, but the expression was unmistakably cheerful.“Do you remember when it was taken?”“Not the exact date. I think it was shortly before we were separated.”Mara brought a clean folder and placed the photograph inside a protective sleeve.“Would you like us to compare it with the photographs in our records?” she asked.Leena nodded
Chapter 199: The Visitor Who Remembered the Ending
The second copy of the traveler's book arrived on the library table the next morning.Nox was helping Mara compare the pages when a familiar voice came from the entrance.“You found another one?”The woman from the previous afternoon stood by the door. This time, she carried no bag. She looked at the two copies lying side by side.Mara welcomed her inside.“You said your brother used to read this story,” Nox said. “Do you remember his name?”The woman hesitated.“Daniel.”Nox looked at the book again.Mara noticed his expression. “Do you know someone named Daniel?”“Not exactly,” Nox answered. “We've heard the name while looking through some old records.”The woman pulled out a chair.“My brother's name was Daniel Vale. We lived in the northern district when we were children. After our mother died, things became difficult. I was sent to stay with relatives, and Daniel went somewhere else.”Nox remained quiet.“Was it an assistance center?” he asked.“I think so. I was too young to und
Chapter 198: The Day the Story Changed
The argument began over a missing page.Nox noticed it while arranging the books in Story Harbor. A thin picture book lay open on the table, its pages held together by an old piece of thread. The story followed a young traveler searching for a place where the stars could be seen clearly.But halfway through, the numbers jumped from twelve to fourteen.“Someone tore out page thirteen,” Nox said.Sami looked over his shoulder. “Maybe it was the best page.”“Why would someone remove the best page?”“Maybe they wanted to keep it.”The little girl who had been listening shook her head. “Maybe it got damaged.”Nox examined the binding. The thread around that section was loose, but there were no fresh tears. The missing page had been removed a long time ago.Mara joined them. “That book has been in the library for years. We don't know its original condition.”“Can we find another copy?” Nox asked.“We can check the catalogue.”They searched the records, but the title appeared only once. Ther
Chapter 197: A Place for the Unfinished
The library’s reading corner was busier than usual.Sami had returned with two friends, and the little girl who loved the first book was sitting beside them. They had gathered around the shelf marked **Story Harbor**, arguing quietly about which story Mara should read aloud.Nox stood nearby, holding a box of donated books.“Can we read one that doesn’t have an ending?” Sami asked.Mara raised an eyebrow. “Every story in this box has an ending.”“I mean one where the ending doesn’t explain everything.”“That’s a different request.”Nox set the box down. “Maybe we can find one.”They searched the shelves together. Some books ended with a journey completed. Others ended with a door opening, a letter arriving, or a character deciding to try again. The children rejected each one for a different reason.“Too sad,” said the little girl.“Too easy,” Sami said.“That one has a dragon,” his friend pointed out.“Dragons can have unfinished stories,” Nox replied.Eventually, Mara chose a short b
Chapter 196: The Book That Came Back
The book arrived at the library in a paper bag.Nox noticed it because Mara set it apart from the morning’s donations. The cover was worn, the spine had been repaired with clear tape, and a faded label on the inside read: **Story Harbor**.“Is it one of ours?” Nox asked.“I’m not sure,” Mara said. “Someone left it at the desk before opening. No note, no name.”Nox looked at the cover. It was a collection of short stories, the kind with small drawings at the start of each chapter. He opened it carefully.A folded sheet slipped from the pages and landed on the table.Mara reached for it, then paused. “You can read it if you want. It was left with the book.”Nox unfolded the paper.*I borrowed this when I was little. I never finished it. I don’t remember who gave it to me, only that someone read the first story aloud. I found it while clearing a box. I thought it belonged here.*There was no signature.Nox read the note twice. “Maybe someone used to come here.”“Maybe,” Mara said. “But w
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