REBIRTH SYSTEM: From Disowned heir to world Dominator

CHAPTER. 9 — Mason’s Threat

Leon didn’t sleep after the system awakened.

How could he?

That cold mechanical voice still echoed at the back of his mind, sharp as broken glass:

[REBIRTH SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]

His life had collapsed so brutally that something—not human—had chosen him as a “prime candidate.”

And yet morning came like always, dragging him back into the world he still had to endure.

The warehouse buzzed alive with forklifts, workers shouting, machinery rumbling. Leon stepped onto the floor with stiff legs and sore shoulders, head low, eyes heavy from a night without rest. He expected exhaustion.

He didn’t expect to run straight into Mason Briggs.

The supervisor stood near the timeclock, arms crossed, a grin already spreading across his face. Mason’s smile wasn’t friendly. It was the type that belonged to someone who loved watching things break.

Especially people.

“There he is,” Mason said loudly, drawing the attention of the nearby workers. “The stray dog reporting for duty.”

A few workers chuckled. Others avoided looking at Leon entirely—fear or pity, neither mattered. He’d grown used to both.

Leon kept walking.

Mason stepped in front of him.

“Not so fast.” He tapped Leon’s chest with two fingers. “We need to talk.”

Leon’s jaw tightened, but he stopped. “About what?”

Mason’s grin stretched wider. “Your future.”

That word stung. Leon didn’t have a future—not by this world’s standards.

Mason continued, lowering his voice but keeping it loud enough for others to hear, “I’ve been watching you… trying to fit in here. Trying to keep your job. Trying not to cry at night in that storage room.”

Leon’s muscles stiffened.

Mason noticed—and smiled deeper. “Yeah. You think I don’t know? Cameras are everywhere, Hale. Even in that filthy corner you sleep in. Management knows. HR knows.” He paused. “They’re just waiting for the right reason to kick you out.”

Leon exhaled slowly through his nose. “If they want me gone, they can just say it.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Mason leaned closer. His voice dropped into a whisper Leon could feel more than hear. “Watching you struggle is better.”

Leon clenched his teeth. “Why? What did I ever do to you?”

Mason shrugged casually, as if the answer were obvious. “You exist.”

Leon held his gaze. “That’s pathetic.”

A dangerous glint flashed in Mason’s eyes.

“Oh, you’re growing a spine now? Since when?” He stepped so close their shoulders nearly touched. “You think you matter? You think you can talk back to me?”

Leon didn’t respond. His silence only fueled Mason further.

The supervisor’s voice dipped lower—colder. “I like watching people like you fall apart. The privileged ones. The pretty boys who used to have everything. You all beg the same way in the end.”

Leon’s hands balled into fists at his sides.

Mason chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you something to beg about soon.”

He leaned in again, breath hot with cruelty. “You’re getting fired, Hale. And I’ll make sure it happens before the end of the week.”

Leon froze.

A cold spike pierced his chest.

“You don’t have that authority,” Leon said quietly.

Mason’s grin widened. “No—but I know how to create mistakes. How to trigger warnings. How to make people like you look incompetent.”

He took a step back. “Every crate you lift? Every form you sign? Every second you’re late from break? I’ll record all of it. I’ll twist all of it. And when I’m done—HR won’t just fire you.”

He tapped Leon’s forehead.

“They’ll blacklist you.”

Leon felt something inside him tremble—not fear, not sadness, but a dangerous spark of rage he’d been burying under exhaustion.

Mason wasn’t finished.

“You know what the best part is?” he said, laughing. “I don’t even need a reason. Guys like you don’t last here. You’re weak. You’re fragile. You’re broken.”

He spat the last word with satisfaction.

A metallic chime suddenly echoed in Leon’s skull.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

Host emotional state: SURGE — anger, humiliation, containment.

Recommendation: Do NOT engage physically. Host is in Survival Phase 1.

New Mission Available: ENDURE THE THREAT.

Mission…?

The system’s voice faded, but the message lingered like frost.

Leon inhaled deeply.

Then he lifted his head and looked Mason in the eye—really looked at him—calmly, steadily, without flinching.

This alone made Mason’s smile falter.

Just slightly.

“You done?” Leon asked, voice even. Controlled.

Mason blinked, surprised. “What?”

“I asked if you’re done,” Leon said again. “Because I have work to do.”

The surrounding workers stiffened.

Mason’s face darkened instantly. “You think you can talk to me like that?”

Leon didn’t look away. “I think you’ve said enough.”

For the first time since they met, Mason lost the smile.

He stepped back, eyes narrowing. “Watch yourself, stray. One wrong move—just one—and you’re finished.”

Leon walked past him without another word.

Mason stood frozen for a moment, then shouted behind him, “This isn’t over, Hale! I’ll break you! You hear me?! YOU’RE DONE!”

Leon didn’t slow down.

He didn’t look back.

But inside him, something had shifted.

Mason thought he was breaking Leon.

He didn’t know the truth:

Leon Hale was already broken.

Which meant there was nothing left Mason could destroy.

But there was something new rising inside those shattered pieces.

Something colder.

Sharper.

Stronger.

The system whispered quietly in his mind:

[Mission Accepted]

[Survive Mason’s Threat — 48 Hours]

Reward: Attribute Unlock]

Leon exhaled slowly.

Let Mason threaten him.

Let the world crush him.

It wouldn’t matter.

He wasn’t alone anymore.