The moment the announcement came, Ethan knew something was wrong.
Not slightly wrong.
Dangerously wrong.
A sudden, school-wide physical examination?
No warning. No buildup. No reason that actually made sense.
"Prevent seasonal flu," the counselor had said casually.
But Ethan had already checked.
There was no outbreak. No alerts. No medical notices.
Which meant only one thing—
This wasn't about health. It was about detection.
---
A cold tension crept up his spine.
His first instinct?
Skip it.
Avoid the exam. Stay invisible.
But the moment that thought surfaced, Ethan crushed it.
"No… that's exactly what they'd expect."
If he suddenly asked for leave now, he would stand out.
And in a situation like this—
Standing out was the fastest way to die.
---
He returned to his apartment in silence, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.
The familiar room greeted him—simple, clean, and filled with traces of his old life.
A desk.
Stacks of postgraduate books.
Late-night notes.
A future he once believed in.
Ethan didn't sit.
Instead, he activated the system.
A faint glow flickered in his vision as the game panel appeared.
He asked directly:
"Will the chip inside my body be detected during the physical examination?"
A brief pause.
Then—
A red prompt appeared.
---
[Your Hacker Chip possesses automatic shielding functions.]
[Standard physical examinations cannot detect abnormalities.]
---
Ethan exhaled slowly.
Relief… but only partially.
"Good. But that doesn't mean I'm safe."
It just meant—
He hadn't been discovered yet.
---
His gaze drifted toward the desk.
Books stacked neatly.
Artificial Intelligence.
One year left until the exam.
A normal future.
A quiet life.
For a brief moment, something flickered in his chest.
"…Maybe it won't get that bad."
Maybe the world wouldn't collapse.
Maybe this strange "Night City" influence would disappear.
Maybe—
He could still pass the exam.
Get into grad school.
Cure his little sister.
Take her home.
Live peacefully.
---
Knock. Knock. Knock.
---
The sound shattered the illusion instantly.
Ethan frowned slightly and walked to the door.
The moment he opened it—
A soft fragrance drifted in.
Standing there was Rachel.
The single mother from next door.
---
Today, she looked… different.
Her hair was tied up neatly.
An apron wrapped around her waist.
Her usual tired expression replaced by warmth.
Alive.
Human.
Real.
---
She smiled gently.
"Hey… can I call you Ethan?"
Her tone was cautious, almost shy.
"We just finished cooking. If you haven't eaten yet… would you like to join us?"
She hesitated slightly.
"We made braised pork."
---
Ethan didn't hesitate.
"Alright."
---
He followed her across the hallway into Room 408.
---
The moment he stepped inside, he paused.
The difference was obvious.
Warm lighting.
Clean floors.
Drawings and awards covering the walls.
All belonging to Lily.
The little girl.
---
This place felt… alive.
Unlike his own room.
---
The dining table was already set.
Simple dishes.
But perfectly cooked.
Scrambled eggs with chives.
Green peppers with wood ear mushrooms.
Tomato soup.
And—
A large plate of braised pork, glistening with rich sauce.
---
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Impressive."
Not just cooking.
Control. Discipline. Care.
Rachel wasn't just surviving.
She was holding everything together.
---
But something was missing.
Ethan scanned the room.
No child.
---
"Where's Lily?" he asked calmly.
---
Rachel froze.
Then forced a smile.
"That child… always running around."
She turned quickly.
"I'll go get her."
---
She left in a hurry.
---
Ethan didn't move.
Instead, he calmly prepared the table.
Three bowls of rice.
Placed neatly.
Balanced.
Efficient.
---
His mind, however, was already analyzing.
No photos of a husband.
No ancestral shrine.
Same surname as the mother.
Unusual.
---
But he didn't dwell on it.
For now—
Food mattered more than speculation.
---
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
Rachel returned.
Dragging Lily along.
---
"Stop talking nonsense," Rachel scolded lightly.
"Say hello to your brother and sit down."
---
But something had changed.
---
The obedient little girl from yesterday—
Was gone.
---
"Mom! There IS something there!" Lily insisted, eyes wide.
"There's a bad thing!"
---
Rachel sighed.
"You're imagining things again."
---
"I'm NOT!" Lily puffed her cheeks angrily.
"I'm not a child!"
---
Ethan watched quietly.
No interruption.
No judgment.
Just observation.
---
"Where?" he finally asked.
---
Lily pointed toward the hallway.
"That room."
---
Rachel quickly explained, embarrassed.
"She probably saw a spider or mouse and got scared."
---
Ethan didn't respond immediately.
Instead—
He studied Lily's expression.
Her eyes.
Her tone.
Her certainty.
---
Not fear.
Not imagination.
Recognition.
---
That was when something inside him shifted.
---
"After dinner," Rachel said, placing meat into Lily's bowl,
"Ethan can go check with you, okay?"
---
She looked at him.
A silent request.
---
Ethan nodded.
---
Dinner ended quickly.
Fifteen minutes.
Three bowls of rice.
Gone.
---
After Lily finished, she immediately grabbed Ethan's hand.
"Come!"
---
And dragged him out.
---
The hallway felt different at night.
Dark.
Quiet.
Heavy.
The air smelled faintly of dust and decay.
---
Yet—
Lily wasn't scared.
Not even a little.
---
"Describe it," Ethan said casually.
---
"It's black," she said seriously.
"Round… like this."
She formed a circle with her hands.
Basketball-sized.
---
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"…A pet?"
---
They reached Room 420.
At the very end.
---
The door was half open.
Inside—
Nothing.
Unfinished walls.
Dust everywhere.
A rotting mattress.
A crude stove.
---
Someone had lived here.
A long time ago.
---
But now—
It was abandoned.
Dead.
---
Lily stopped at the entrance.
Didn't go inside.
---
She pointed up.
"Bad thing."
---
Ethan looked.
---
Nothing.
---
"Here?" he asked.
---
She nodded.
Firmly.
---
A silence fell.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
---
Ethan's thoughts raced.
Either—
She was hallucinating.
Or—
He was the one who couldn't see.
---
He didn't hesitate.
---
"Flood."
---
Reality changed.
---
Data cascaded from the sky like a digital waterfall.
Everything sharpened.
Brightened.
Revealed.
---
And then—
He saw it.
---
A black mass.
Clinging to the ceiling.
Twisting.
Breathing.
Alive.
---
"…What the hell?"
---
The moment he looked at it—
Something hit him.
---
Emotion.
Dark.
Rotten.
Violent.
---
It flooded his mind.
Trying to break him.
Corrupt him.
---
The creature reacted.
---
A crack split open across its surface.
---
An eye.
---
It opened.
---
And stared directly at him.
---
Malice. Pure malice.
---
Ethan's instincts screamed.
---
Fight. Now.
---
Before the creature could move—
His body exploded into action.
---
The Kuei Arm 400 activated instantly.
---
Power surged through his legs.
His core twisted.
---
He leapt.
---
Like a missile.
---
His fist shot forward—
---
BOOM!
---
The impact shattered the creature instantly.
---
A distorted scream echoed—
Then silence.
---
Fragments dissolved into nothing.
---
Only one thing remained.
---
A black crystal.
---
Ethan caught it mid-air.
---
The system responded.
---
[You have obtained: E-Class Weird Remnant.]
---
Ethan froze.
---
Weird Remnant.
Weird Disaster.
Night City.
---
That was supposed to be a game.
---
"…No."
His expression darkened.
---
"This is real now."
---
Two possibilities formed instantly.
---
Either—
The game was leaking into reality.
---
Or—
Another player was already here.
---
Both were equally terrifying.
---
"Big brother… you killed it?"
---
Lily's voice snapped him back.
---
Ethan nodded calmly.
"It's gone."
Then his tone hardened slightly.
"But don't wander around alone again."
---
He escorted her back.
Ensured she was safe.
Then returned to his room.
---
The moment the door closed—
His expression changed.
---
Serious.
Focused.
Cold.
---
"Too many variables."
---
Tomorrow's physical exam.
Unknown enemy.
Weird creatures.
---
And possibly—
Another player nearby.
---
"Direct conflict is stupid."
---
He made his decision.
---
Investigate silently.
---
Gather information.
Grow stronger.
Stay invisible.
---
He activated the system again.
---
The screen flickered.
---
A red prompt appeared.
---
[Dreamer, today is the day your legend begins in Night City.]
---
And then—
A flood of messages.
---
He was famous.
---
Street mercenaries were looking for him.
Middlemen praising him.
Jobs flooding in.
---
Opportunities.
Danger.
Power.
---
A list appeared.
---
Dozens of names.
Mercenaries.
Each with stats.
History.
Specialties.
Prices.
---
Ethan leaned back.
Calm.
Analytical.
---
"Too expensive."
"Useless."
"Dead."
"Cyberpsycho… eliminated."
---
One by one—
He filtered them out.
---
Then—
He stopped.
---
Jackie Welles.
---
Experienced.
Connected.
Reliable.
---
Perfect.
---
He selected him.
---
[You have chosen Jackie Welles as your companion.]
---
A moment later—
A large figure appeared.
---
Jackie grinned widely.
Clapped Ethan on the shoulder.
---
"Hey, hermano!"
---
His voice was full of life.
Confidence.
Danger.
---
"In Night City, you don't survive alone."
He leaned closer.
Eyes sharp.
"Stick with me…"
Then he smiled.
"And we'll become legends."
Ethan didn't smile.
But in his eyes—
A quiet resolve burned.
Because he already knew—
This was only the beginning of something far darker.