The moment Jack stepped through the portal—
The world snapped back.
Noise.
Light.
Heat.
He stumbled forward, catching himself against a metal beam. The familiar scent of dust and concrete filled his lungs.
"…I'm back…"
The construction site.
Elm Street.
Everything looked normal again.
Too normal.
Jack straightened slowly, his body still aching from the fight. The wound on his shoulder had mostly healed, but a faint pain lingered—a reminder that what happened…
Was real.
He looked at his hand.
The Null Gauntlet was still there.
Dark.
Sleek.
Glowing faintly.
"…So it wasn't a dream."
He flexed his fingers.
Power responded instantly.
Precise.
Controlled.
Then—
[Status Updated]
A familiar screen appeared.
[Status Window]
Name: Jack Marlowe
Level: 4
Title: First Breaker
Strength: 9
Agility: 10
Endurance: 9
Intelligence: 15
Perception: 16
Luck: 4
Jack exhaled slowly.
"…That's a big jump."
He could feel it.
His body was lighter.
Sharper.
Even his thoughts moved faster.
"…This changes everything."
But as he stepped out of the construction site—
Something felt wrong.
Not inside him.
Outside.
Jack paused.
His eyes narrowed.
"…I'm not the only one."
Across the street—
A man stood still.
Watching him.
At first glance, he looked ordinary.
Mid-twenties.
Casual clothes.
Nothing special.
But—
Jack's Numerical Insight activated on its own.
And what he saw—
Made his heart drop.
Numbers.
Not like before.
Different.
Darker.
Unstable.
"…Another… user?" Jack whispered.
The man smiled.
"…So you can see it too."
Jack froze.
"…Who are you?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
He stepped forward slowly, hands in his pockets.
"Relax," he said casually.
"I'm not here to kill you."
"…That's not reassuring," Jack replied coldly.
The man chuckled.
"Fair enough."
Then—
His eyes changed.
For a split second—
They glowed.
[Unknown System Detected]
Jack's body tensed instantly.
"…System user confirmed."
The man nodded slightly.
"Name's Rayan."
He tilted his head.
"And you… you're new."
Jack didn't respond.
He was analyzing.
Watching.
Calculating.
Rayan noticed.
And smiled wider.
"Yeah… definitely new."
A silence fell between them.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Then—
Rayan spoke again.
"You cleared your first node, didn't you?"
Jack's eyes sharpened.
"…How do you know that?"
Rayan laughed softly.
"Because I did too."
He looked up at the sky.
"Not here… not this city…"
Then he looked back at Jack.
"But the system?"
He tapped his head lightly.
"It's the same kind of prison everywhere."
Jack frowned.
"…Prison?"
Rayan stepped closer.
"Let me give you some advice."
His tone changed.
Serious.
"This isn't a game."
Jack didn't reply.
"I know it feels like one," Rayan continued.
"Levels, stats, skills…"
He smirked slightly.
"But the deeper you go…"
His eyes darkened.
"The less human you come back."
Silence.
Jack stared at him.
Trying to understand.
"…Why are you telling me this?"
Rayan shrugged.
"Because you survived your first boss."
He grinned.
"That makes you interesting."
Jack's grip tightened slightly.
"…And if I didn't?"
Rayan's smile disappeared.
"Then you'd be dead."
A pause.
Then—
Rayan stepped back.
"Well… I've said enough."
He turned.
"Try not to die too early."
And started walking away.
Jack didn't stop him.
Didn't move.
Just watched.
Until—
Rayan disappeared into the crowd.
The world returned to normal.
Cars.
People.
Noise.
But Jack knew—
Nothing was normal anymore.
"…Other users…"
His mind raced.
This wasn't just about dungeons.
Or monsters.
There were others.
People like him.
Stronger.
More experienced.
More dangerous.
Jack looked at his hand.
Then clenched it.
"…Good."
A slow smile appeared.
"That just means…"
His eyes burned with determination.
"I have more to surpass."
Then—
[New System Function Unlocked]
Jack blinked.
"…What now?"
[Inventory System Activated]
[Skill Upgrade Available]
Jack let out a short laugh.
"…Now we're talking."
He turned.
Walking back toward the city.
Toward his old life.
But this time—
He wasn't the same person.
He was something else.
Something evolving.
And this world—
Was only the beginning.